• Ukrainian activists planning mass demonstrations to demand broad political reform

    On September 20 at 14:15 at Independence Square in Kyiv, the preparation for an All-Ukrainian public action will begin in support of broad political reforms, including changes in electoral rules, lifting limitations on parliamentary immunity, and the creation of an anti-corruption court, as announced by the People's Deputy from the Petro Poroshenko political bloc, Mustafa Nayem, on his Facebook page.

    The demonstrations will take place in the capital and all regional centers of Ukraine on …

  • Russia to ban its military from posting about their service on social networks

    The Russian Defense Ministry is preparing a bill which will prohibit military servicemen from providing details of their official service on social networks and online forums, as reported on the website of the Russian government.

    According to the report, it is proposed to impose similar restrictions for the military that are already in place for FSB officers and border guards. In particular, the Russian Ministry of Defense want to prohibit the publication on the Internet of any "information …

  • Ukrainian military command: Russia tried to engage its forces from the Donbas in Zapad-2017 exercises

    Russia planned to engage forces, which are deployed on the territory of the Donbas, in the Zapad-2017 exercises, stated the spokesperson of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Andriy Lysenko, Radio Liberty reports.

    "We can see now that they tried to engage Russian troops in the Donbas in these exercises. We received intelligence data that showed most of the armor units that should have arrived at the staging areas to perform parallel tasks within the framework of Zapad-2017 exercises simply …

  • Ukraine to sell off its broadcasting rights of 2018 World Cup in Russia

    Ukraine’s draft budget for 2018, prepared by the Cabinet of Ministers provides for the sale of the right of the National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (UA:PBC) to broadcast matches of the World Cup that will be held in Russia.

    According to the document, the government expects to earn UAH 200 million for the license, which is little more than $7.6 million at the current exchange rate.

    "This is to determine that in 2018 the funds in the amount of UAH 200 million from the sale of …

  • Poroshenko: US weapons will help liberate the Donbas

     Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that US weapons would help Ukraine to liberate the Donbas, reports Interfax-Ukraine.

    "Above all, American weapons can help us liberate the Donbas and return the Ukrainian territories," said the President of Ukraine during a speech at the US Military Academy at West Point in New York.

    Poroshenko expressed regret that the topic of providing Ukraine with lethal weapons is still unresolved and controversial.

    He also believes that giving Ukraine …

  • NATO: Russian-Belarusian Zapad-2017 exercises look like a preparation for a big war

    The joint "Zapad-2017" large-scale military exercises by Russia and Belarus, which are being held from September 14 to September 20, are similar to preparations for a big war, stated the Chairman of the Military Committee of NATO, General Petr Pavel, Delfi news agency reports.

    "In general, what we see is serious preparation for a big war," he said.

    The NATO general added that "if we look at the exercises in the way that Russia represents them, there would be no disturbances. But if we look at …

  • First permanent American military base appears in Israel

    The first permanent US military base in Israel began operating on Monday, reported the press service of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

    "Today, the IDF announced a key development in Israel-US relations: a permanent US Military facility on Israeli soil, located within an Israeli Air Force (IAF) base in southern Israel," the report said.

    "We’ve established, for the first time in the State of Israel, the IDF, a permanent US Military facility, flying the American flag," said General Zvika …

  • Ukrainian Defense Minister: 65 NATO advisors work in Ukrainian Defense Ministry

    The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense appreciates NATO’s aid in reforming the country’s defensive capabilities, Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said on his Facebook page.

    “Our collaboration with the alliance in the last three years has acquired a broad scale in virtually all areas. Military and political dialogue has grown significantly, and the Ukraine-NATO commission operates regularly. We experience very good help in matters related to the reformation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” …

  • IMF: New tranche for Ukraine only possible once Ukraine has fulfilled its obligations

    The fourth revision of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) program as part of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) will be possible only once the Ukrainian authorities have fulfilled the obligations they have taken on, said IMF permanent representative Gösta Ljungman.

    “A fourth revision of the IMF board of executive directors’ program will be possible only after the necessary measures are taken for completing this revision. It will focus on pension reform, on measures aimed at speeding up …

  • Ukrainian eurobonds six times oversubscribed

    “The first Ukrainian sovereign Eurobond placement after a long interval, the results of which are now being presented, caused a sharp dispute among investors – it was six times oversubscribed,” said Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

    “This is clear evidence of the fact that today the entire world is voting with its money to trust Ukraine and the effectiveness of our reforms,” he said at a meeting with leaders of the Ukrainian community in New York on Monday.

    The Ukrainian government has …