• U.S. reconnaissance aircraft flies over Russia's naval base in Syria, another over Kaliningrad

    A U.S. Air Force reconnaissance aircraft flew over Russia’s Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad on Saturday, Interfax reported, citing websites that track the movement of military aircraft.

    A U.S. RC-135W with tail number 62-4139 reportedly took off from RAF Mildenhall in the U.K. and flew off the coast of Kaliningrad.

    Also on Saturday, a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft with tail number 168 761 flew over Russia’s Tartus naval base in Syria.

    The Poseidon, which took off from the …

  • Lithuanian army to receive new AXMC sniper rifles

    The Lithuanian army has received new AXMC sniper rifles, which have twice the range of the weapons that are currently in the army’s arsenal, Delfi reported, with reference to the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense.

    The sniper rifles purchased for EUR 1.3 million from the UK manufacturer Accuracy International will be distributed among battalions and training facilities by the end of 2016. The distinctive feature of the AXMC sniper rifle is that it can use bullets of two calibers – 338 …

  • The EU, France and the USA call on Russia to unlock Amnesty International’s office

    The EU expects Russian authorities to urgently reconsider their decision to block a human rights organization’s access to its office. Employees of Amnesty International (AI) in Moscow have no access to their place of work, as reported on Thursday, November 3rd in the statement published on the website of the European External Action Service (EEAS).

    EU diplomats are "in contact with Amnesty International, both with the European headquarters and with staff in Moscow who claim that …

  • Montenegro could join NATO by spring 2017

    In spite of strong resistance from Russia, Montenegro is on its way of establishing closer ties with NATO. “The country can become a NATO member by spring 2017,”  stated the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Rose Gottemoeller.

    Montenegro will become a NATO member after all 28 NATO member countries ratify the agreement in their parliaments, said Gottemoeller, adding that the process is moving along very smoothly.

    Previously, the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Milo Đukanović, accused Russia of …

  • U.S. Navy reconnaissance aircraft circles over Russia's Tartus base in Syria

    A U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft once again flew over Russia’s Tartus naval base in Syria, Interfax reported, referencing websites that track the movement of military aircraft.

    A P-8A with tail number 168 761 reportedly took off from the Sigonella Naval Air Station in Sicily, and circled over the Syrian coast near Tartus

    On Thursday, two P-8As were active near Russia’s naval flotilla, which is en route to the Syrian coast where it will presumably participate in military …