CIA Director John Brennan accused Russia of having a “scorched earth policy” in Syria, which had led to the death of thousands of civilians.

Speaking in an interview with PBS, Brennan said, “What the Russians have done in Syria in terms of some of the scorched-earth policy that they have pursued that have led to devastation and thousands upon thousands of innocent deaths, that’s not something that the United States would ever do in any of these military conflicts.”

When asked if the CIA …

The Deputy Director General for Aircraft Industry and Operations of the State Concern Ukroboronprom, Volodymyr Korobov, stated at a briefing on January 3rd that Ukroboronprom will produce American M16 automatic rifles, LIGA.net reported.

“We have a project: the production of M16 automatic rifles in the territory of Ukraine. We are far along in this project. We started it and we will implement it. I hope that we will soon move towards practical implementation. Currently, we’re signing all …

In Grozny, on New Year's eve, anti-alcohol raids were conducted in cafes and restaurants. The security forces detained all who drank alcohol, Grozny residents told the Caucasian Knot news website.

"On the eve of January 1st, my friends and I were in a cafe in Grozny, gathered to celebrate the holiday. Suddenly the police stormed in and they detained three men, who were sitting at a table next to us and were drinking alcohol. Fortunately, we did not have any alcohol, otherwise, we would have to …

Last year, Russian military aircraft and ships approached the borders of Latvia 209 times, which was fewer times than in the previous year, Delfi news agency reported, citing the Latvian Defence Ministry’s data.

In 2015, Russian military hardware was noticed more than 270 times near the Latvian borders. The Latvian National Armed Forces identified more than 140 flights by Russian aircraft, as well as 130 cases of Russian submarines and ships appearing near the territorial waters of Latvia. …

The Ukrainian Deputy Minister for the temporarily occupied territories and internally displaced persons, George Tuka, is convinced that Ukraine will regain control over the occupied territory of the Donbas in 2017 or in mid-2018 at the latest. Tuka stated this in his interview with Novoye Vremya.

“Currently, Russia is ready to give back the Donbas only on its own terms. However, I am sure that Ukraine will manage to take over the initiative and implement its own scenario on the return of the …

One of the priorities in the work of the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, in 2017 will be continuing the efforts towards reforms in Ukraine and the cooperation with the countries of the Eastern Partnership (EaP), as stated in the list of objectives and priorities of the head of the European diplomacy for the year, which was posted on her website.

It is noted that the past year was a year of constant work in support of the …

The Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and the nuclear battle cruiser Pyotr Velikiy, which are currently involved in Russia's military operations in Syria and stationed in the Mediterranean Sea, may set sail for the Russian Navy base in Severomorsk as early as this January, as reported by Russia’s Intefax news agency, citing an informed source in Russian military

“It is expected that this January Admiral Kuznetsov and Pyotr Velikiy will complete their long-term assignment and will sail …

In 2017, the Russian Federation Navy plans to acquire several Podsolnuh radars that will be deployed to the Baltic and Black Seas, Interfax reported.

"These new radar stations will be able to control the 200-mile coastal zone," an informed source told Interfax.

He added that one Podsolnuh will be deployed in the Baltics and another in the Black Sea.

The Podsolnuh Radar passed state tests in 2006. Currently there are three stations on duty: the first is in the Sea of Okhotsk, the second is in …