• Detained Ukrainian sailors refuse to answer questions in Moscow Court

    On January 15, the Ukrainian sailors detained in the Kerch Strait refused to answer questions at Moscow's Lefortovo district court citing the Geneva Convention. The Court rejected the application to refer the case to the Moscow Garrison Military Court, Commissioner for Human Rights in Ukraine Lyudmyla Denisova told RIA Novosti. The Ukrainian lawyers are presenting the position that the sailors are prisoners of war.

    The court has yet to decide whether to extend the arrest of the Ukrainian …

  • Ukrainian General: Kyiv has a plan for liberation of Donbas

    The Lieutenant General of Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence, Vasily Bogdan stated in an interview with the news outlet Fakty that Ukraine has a plan to liberate the territories of the Donbas which are held by the pro-Russian militants, and the country’s leadership hopes this will be achieved without the use of force. 

    “As far as I know, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces prepared a plan for the return of Donbas to Ukraine. A military operation is also being considered. However, …

  • Russia strengthens air defense in Crimea with a division of Pantsir-S systems

    Russia strengthened the anti-air defense of annexed Crimea with additional Pantsir-S medium-range surface-to-air missile systems, Interfax reports. The new division went on combat duty in the Crimea in December, the press service of the Southern Military District told the agency. 

    New Pantsir syetms were used in military exercises in the Crimea involving practice defense against cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. During the exercises, over 100 targets were destroyed. The Russian …

  • Kyiv classifies the list of Russians who fell under new Ukrainian sanctions

    The Ministry of Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons refused to disclose the list of citizens of the Russian Federation and the Russian companies that fell under Kyiv’s new sanctions, reported the Ukrayinska Pravda. 

    The ministry’s response to the official request of reporters stated that “the requested information is classified and is not subject to disclosure”. The document was signed by Serhiy Mokrenyuk, Head of Department for the Autonomous Republic of Crimea …

  • Lavrov outraged by Abe's statements about US involvement in the peace treaty between Russian and Japan

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that statements by the Adviser to the Prime Minister of Japan about US interest in the negotiations in Moscow and Tokyo on a peace treaty were outrageous,  Interfax reports.

    “As for the statement by the Assistant Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, Prime Minister Abe, that the US should be interested in concluding an agreement between Russia and Japan, since this will, as he described it, strengthen the bloc [of countries] which would …