• NATO does not intend to deploy nuclear missiles in Europe after US withdrawal from INF Treaty

    The Deputy Secretary General of the Alliance, Rose Gottemoeller, made an announcement before the opening of the two-day NATO summit in Brussels stating that NATO has no intention to deploy new nuclear missiles in Europe after the United States and Russia’s decision to withdraw from the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles (INF), reports Deutsche Welle. 

    "We will have to discuss NATO’s response to the new Russian missiles. However, we are not going to …

  • UN investigates possible Russian involvement in tortures of civilians in the Central African Republic

    The UN started investigating reports of tortures in the Central African Republic with the alleged participation of Russian citizens, stated United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) spokesperson Vladimir Monteiro.

    “We confirm that we are investigating the accusations of a person from Bambari that he was arrested and tortured by Russian citizens in January this year,” he said. He explained that the investigation is being carried …

  • Bulgaria discovers scheme to withdraw money from Venezuela

    The Bulgarian government has uncovered a scheme to illegally withdraw funds from Venezuela, Bulgarian local media reported, citing a statement by the country’s Prosecutor General, Sotir Tsatsarov. 

    According to Tsatsarov, millions of euros belonging to the Venezuelan state-owned oil company PDVSA have been transferred to bank accounts in Bulgaria. PDVSA is currently under US sanctions. 

    Bulgaria is exchanging information with the US about these suspicious transfers, Tsatsarov noted, adding …

  • Kyiv: Ukraine satisfied with EU policy changes concerning Nord Stream 2

     The EU’s coordinated amendments to its Gas Directive establish a legal framework for the Nord Stream 2 project to function in accordance with EU standards, but do not reduce the security risks, and could make Russia’s behavior even more aggressive, wrote Olena Zerkal, Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister for European Integration, on Facebook. 

    “First and foremost, EU law will extend to gas pipelines from third countries, including Nord Stream 2. This was and remains the key provision of the …

  • Kremlin: Russia to send election observers to Ukraine on voting day

    Russia intends to send observers to monitor Ukraine’s upcoming presidential elections directly on voting day – 31 March – as part of the OSCE’s international observation mission, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported. 

    The department claims to have received a circular request on 12 February from the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to send short-term observers to the Ukrainian presidential elections. 

    “Russia intends to use its right to participate in the …