During the celebrations of both Pokrov (the Protection of Our Most Holy Lady and Ever-Virgin Mary) religious holiday and Defender of Ukraine Day, which fell on the same day this year, the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Olexandr Turchynov, stated that the Ukrainian army is now becoming one of the strongest in Europe.

Turchynov stated that the celebration of Defender Day occurring at the same time as Pokrov was symbolic.

"It is no coincidence, the Cossacks at …

On Saturday, October 15, 2016, the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, is sending a new batch of military equipment to the frontline, as he stated on Friday, October, 14 2016, during the Defender of Ukraine Day events.

"If we want to survive as a nation, as a people, as a state, we have to spend at least 5% of our GDP (Gross Domestic Product) on military and security. If you look at these costs in terms of the global prices of weapons and equipment, if you compare our budget with similar …

The ‘Faylaq al-Sham’ group announced the deaths of six Russian officers as well as several Iranian and Syrian military in the province of Hama in Syria. This was reported by the SITE intelligence group, which monitors Islamist activity.

According to representatives of the rebel group, they have "watched and followed" the killed servicemen for more than three months.

However, the Russian Defense Ministry has denied the information about the deaths of six Russian soldiers in Syria, Interfax …

The European Union continues to discuss tightening of sanctions against Russia due to its actions in Syria although the EU countries have not reached a common position yet, Radio Poland reports. Ideas regarding tightening of the diplomatic sanctions against Russia emerged in discussions, particularly regarding the extension of a “black list” of people who would be prohibited from entering the EU and have their European financial assets frozen.

In particular, this is the view of Germany and …

According to Vedomosti newspaper, the Russian National Defense expenditures were reduced by a total of 100 billion rubles ($1.5 billion) in 2015. The expenditures did not reach their maximum allocation and are expected to continue to decrease.

The Russian State Duma Defense Committee stated in their conclusions regarding the bill on the budget implementation for 2015 that originally, defense expenditures were approved in the budget spending report in the amount of 3.187 trillion rubles ($47 …

Military commander of the Azov battalion and people’s deputy Andriy Biletsky has become the head of the National Corps political party. The relevant decision was made at the first party congress, 112 Ukraine news channel reports. It is reported that Biletsky has become the head of the party for a term of four years. Mykola Kravchenko, a representative of Azov, was elected as his deputy.

In September it was reported that Azov had initiated the process of creation of a political party. “Current …

For the time being, there are no foreign judgments or decisions from the EU General Court or the European Court of Justice regarding the recovery of funds from Ukraine in favor of its ex-president, Viktor Yanukovych, or his family. This was reported in a statement by the Ministry of Justice and published on its website on Friday.

“At the same time, Yanukovych’s lawyers’ statements about the alleged recovery of funds from Ukraine in favor of the ex-president are nothing more than a manipulation …

NATO is deeply concerned about the placement of Russian missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads near alliance borders and will continue its policy of strengthening defenses and engaging in political dialogue, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.

“In recent weeks, Russia has placed a system of missiles that can carry nuclear warheads near the borders of NATO. This is a manifestation of large-scale military activity and exercises near our borders. The allies are deeply concerned …