• Turkey establishes new observation point in northern Syria

    The Turkish Armed Forces have established a ninth observation point in the de-escalation zone in the Idlib province in northern Syria, Anadolu reports.

    On the morning of April 7, a convoy of 100 vehicles passed through the town of Sarmada while heading towards Maarrat al-Nu’man and then towards Khan Shaykhun. The town of Morin in the north of the Hama province became the convoy’s stationing point.

    Another of the Turkish Armed Forces’ observation points is located 88 kilometers from the Syrian- …

  • Pakistan intends to purchase Russian T-90 tanks

    The Defense Minister of Pakistan, Khurram Dastgir Khan, stated that Pakistani authorities are interested in conducting a long-term purchase agreement with Russia for T-90 tanks, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reports.

    “This will not be a one-time purchase, but a long-term agreement,” said Khurram Dastgir Khan.

    According to Pakistan officials stated that Islamabad intends to increase military-technical cooperation with Moscow and is studying various Russian weapon systems for new purchases, …

  • Klimkin: Ukraine has agreed with France on peacekeeper tactics, Germany and US next in line

    Ukraine has already come to an agreement with France on tactics to implement the ​​introduction of a peacekeeping mission in the Donbas. Germany and the United States are next in line, said Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Pavlo Klimkin during a broadcast on the TV channel Inter, while speaking about expectations for President Petro Poroshenko’s forthcoming visit of to Berlin.

    "I expect the first thing will be a clear agreement on tactics, how we promote the peacekeepers, very clear steps. …

  • Russia intends to block Telegram messaging service

    The Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, better known as Roskomnadzor, has filed a lawsuit in Moscow's Tagansky District Court to limit Telegram's access to information resources in Russia. This has been reported on the agency's website.

    The initial cause of the claim is that the messenger refused to provide the FSB with the encryption keys for its user’s conversations.

    On March 20, Roskomnadzor issued an official notification on …

  • Ukrainian President calls for expanding sanctions against Russia following U.S. decision

    Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has called the expansion of individual sanctions by the U.S. authorities “unprecedented.” He praised the recent sanctions imposed against persons designated under the January 2018 Kremlin Report as “a decent answer to the aggressor.”

    Poroshenko welcomed the decision of the U.S., stating that the free world will continue strengthening a coalition against Russian aggression. This unified effort, he stated, is based on “strong Transatlantic unity and common …

  • Russia promises to respond to US sanctions

    Moscow will have a "harsh response," to the US sanctions, as stated by the Russian Foreign Ministry. "There is no pressure that could force Russia to withdraw from the chosen course. They [the sanctions] only   demonstrate the inability of the United States to achieve its goals and are bringing the Russian society closer together. Of course, we will not leave current and any new anti-Russian attack without a harsh response. However, first of all, we would like to advise Washington to get rid …

  • Putin dismisses 11 generals from different agencies

    Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed 11 generals. The corresponding document was published on the official website of legal information on April 6.

    In particular, by the decree of the Russian president, five generals of the Investigative Committee (IC), four generals of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, one general from the Federal Penitentiary Service and the Ministry of Emergencies were removed from office.

    The following generals have been dismissed:

    Deputy Chief of the Main …

  • Interior Minister of Ukraine: subdivisions of Ministry of Internal Affairs preparing for de-occupation of Donbas

    Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said that the Interior Ministry is preparing operations for the de-occupation of the Donbas, as reported on Facebook by the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Press Service.

    "At present, we are considering several variants for the development of the scenario in the east. We understand that the liberation of the territory of the Donbas and the restoration of control over the eastern border will be a police operation involving peacekeeping forces, not the military. The …

  • Fortune of Russian oligarch Deripska shrinks by $2.5 billion after US puts him on sanctions list

    On Friday, April 6, the U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed new sanctions against Russian businessmen, officials and managers of state companies. They involve the freezing of assets of those included in the sanctions list and also prohibiting American citizens and companies to engage in any economic activity with the blacklisted individuals.  According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the sanctions were introduced in response to Moscow’s attempts at undermining western democracies.  …

  • Macron calls on Putin to put pressure on Damascus

    During a telephone conversation between French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Macron urged Putin to use “all his influence” on Syrian authorities to end armed conflict, according to a report from the Elysee Palace on April 6.

    Macron noted that only a ceasefire will be able to protect the civilian population, resume the negotiation process and prevent the strengthening of the “Islamic State.” The AFP news agency reports that Macron previously appealed to Putin …