The Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg, who has recently been placed under sanctions, has paid off his loans to western banks using financial assistance from the government.

Vekselberg’s Renova Group repaid $1 billion to a consortium of European, Swiss and American banks, including JPMorgan, Credit Suisse, and UBS.

The loans needed to be repaid in a hurry. The US Treasury Department, which recently blacklisted Vekselberg and all of his companies, demanded that all deals be broken off by June 5 …

Ukraine’s de-communization program ensured the destruction of 1,500 monuments to Vladimir Lenin, stated President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko on his official website on the Memorial Day for victims of political repression.

Poroshenko noted that at the end of 2013, Ukraine "looked like a textbook illustration of the history of the CPSU [Communist Party of the Soviet Union]" and the cities, towns and villages of the country were "studded with idols of Lenin and his comrades" while the members of …

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko stated on Twitter that he was confident that Russia would be held responsible for the “illegal construction of the Kerch Bridge and other crimes.”

“Russia will need [the Kerch Bridge] as a road to retreat. After the restoration of Ukraine’s sovereignty in the Crimea, Ukraine will use it to strengthen links with Kuban where a large number of Ukrainians live,” his statement reads.

According to Russian media, Arkady Rotenberg, Chairman of the Board of …

According to British and Russian media, Russian billionaire and owner of Chelsea football club, Roman Abramovich, was unable to attend the FA Cup final to watch his team beat Manchester United, due to the expiry of his British visa.

The Bell Media cited an acquaintance of Abramovich and two sources from his inner circle, reporting that the visa expired three weeks ago and now he is waiting for a new one.

The billionaire’s spokesman told TASS agency that he cannot comment on this information, …

The commander of the Pyatnashka battalion, Oleg Mamiyev, was killed by a Ukrainian volunteer with the call sign “Kipish” while being filmed for the Rossiya TV station, journalist Yuriy Butusov reported on his Facebook page.

“Mamiyev personally took the film crew to forward positions in the region of Krutaya Balka near Avdiivka. Mamiyev wanted to show off. He drove the car himself, didn’t wear a helmet, and then it turned out that he wore a bullet proof vest without armor plates, in order to …

The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense reported on Saturday, May 19 that Russia supplied ammunition to the Donbas, including artillery and rockets, by rail.

“Comprehensive supply for the occupying troops from Russia on the occupied territory [of Ukraine] continues. Ammunition for units and formations of the so-called Army Corps 1 (Donetsk) and 2 (Luhansk) is being replenished, [and] stocks of ammunition are being created at warehouses," the report said. …

A subversive-reconnaissance group of pro-Russian militants attacked the positions of the Ukrainian military near the settlement of Yuzhne in the Donetsk region. As a result of the fighting, two Ukrainian soldiers were killed and four servicemen were injured, reported the press service of the 24th Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The attack on the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which are located on the southern outskirts of the recently liberated village, occurred on …

Kyiv will conduct an audit of all international treaties concluded with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and will withdraw from those that do not correspond to Ukraine’s national interests, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said, as reported by his press service. Poroshenko spoke during the ceremony commemorating the victims of political repression on the territory of the National Historic Memorial "Bykivnia Graves" near Kyiv on Sunday, May 20.

"Currently we are carefully …