Supporters of the Russian President Vladimir Putin, who receive money from Moscow, are operating actively in the European Parliament, Ukrinform reports, with reference to a statement by the Lithuanian MEP and chairman of the EU Informal Group “Friends of European Ukraine”, Petras Auštrevičius.

“We have a lot of people with impartial views, and we have information about the situation in Ukraine—we are Ukraine's strong supporters,” Auštrevičius stated. “We do our best in this respect. At the …

Damascus stated that the US must withdraw from Syria.  “Presence of the US in Syria is illegal. The Americans must leave the military base that they established in the town of al-Tanf,” stated the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Syria, Walid Muallem, at a press conference in Damascus, Mehr News Agency reports.

"Do not believe the statements about the security agreement in southern Syria until the United States withdraws its troops from the al-Tanf," the minister said.

Muallem thanked Iran for …

The newspaper Kommersant reported that Russia will appoint a new representative in charge of the so-called to the Donetsk Luhansk People’s Republics, to replace Vladislav Surkov.

According to the newspaper, government reshuffle in the Kremlin will affect advisers and assistants to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Surkov is Putin’s aide in matters related to the Commonwealth of Independent States, South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Ukraine.

Mikhail Babich, whose appointment as Russia’s ambassador …

The German government expects explanations from the Ukrainian authorities about the special operation of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) that involved the staged murder of Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko in Kyiv, said the spokesperson of the German government, Steffen Seibert, Deutsche Welle reports.

"As the charges are very serious, you can naturally expect that they will be backed up with evidence," said Seibert. According to him, the case is about a conspiracy to assassinate the …

Approximately one hundred aviation units will take part in large-scale exercises in Russia’s Southern Military District, the Russian Defense Ministry’s press service reports.

According to the Russian Ministry, fighters and bombers will fire air-to-air missiles and carry out bombing at the Opuk test range in the Crimea.

As reported, army helicopters will additionally provide fire support for the Russian Black Sea Fleet marine amphibious forces landing on the rugged coast.

The Russian Ministry …

Kirill Vyshinsky, head of the publication RIA Novosti Ukraine and a suspect of high treason, publicly refused his Ukrainian citizenship in favor of his Russian citizenship, which he received in 2015, during a trial in the Kherson Oblast Appeals Court.

"I appeal [for help] to [Ukrainian] President [Petro] Poroshenko regarding my withdrawal from Ukrainian citizenship and ask you to transfer this statement to the presidential administration. From this moment, I consider myself only a citizen of …

Vassily Nebenzia, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations, told journalists on Friday that concerned parties have reached an agreement on the withdrawal of Iranian troops from southwestern Syria.

"I heard this news, [from] the press and elsewhere, about an agreement reached on a certain disengagement in the southwest of Syria…. My understanding is that the agreement was reached. [As to] whether it has been implemented by now, as of now, I cannot answer. But I …

Russian businesses’ and the wealthiest citizens’ funds continue to flow into offshore zones through the sale of company shares and the issuance of loans, Russia’s Central Bank reported.

In the last year, $42 billion (2.5 trillion rubles) flowed out of Russia into offshore accounts. This was 15% more than the federal budget spent to support the national economy, and twice as much as the amount allocated to education and healthcare combined. Cyprus remains the “magnet” attracting Russian money, …