• NASA doesn't plan to extend contact with Russian Space Agency to deliver astronauts to ISS

    NASA does not plan to extend its contract with the Russian Space Agency to deliver astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) after 2019. The final decision will, however, be made in the near future. Russian RIA Novosti news agency reported that this was stated by the associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Directorate at NASA Headquarters, William Gerstenmaier.

    “As of now, we do not plan to extend the contract but we are reviewing it and will make a decision …

  • UN: Several hundred people were executed in the Donbas over the last two years

    Several hundred people were executed in the Donbas region. The report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stated through their press service that the killings in Ukraine from January 2014 to May 2016 were “fuelled by the inflow of foreign fighters and weapons from the Russian Federation, accounting for the majority of violations of the right to life in Ukraine over the last two years.”

    The report, which was prepared by the United Nations Human Rights …

  • UN: Minsk agreements should not include amnesty for those found guilty of murder and crimes against humanity

    The Minsk negotiation process should not result in amnesty for those who are guilty of premeditated murders or crimes against humanity during the armed conflict in Ukraine, according to the head of the UN Human Rights monitoring mission, Fiona Frazer.

    While in Kiev, Frazer conducted a presentation of the report of the Office of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights, which was titled “Responsibility for the killings in Ukraine from January 2014 to May 2016”.

    “In the context of the current …

  • Estonian Air Force: US may deploy F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to the Baltic

    The Commander of the Estonian Air Force, Colonel Jaak Tarien, stated that U.S. fifth generation F-35 fighter jets could soon be deployed in the Baltic States. According to him, the aircraft will be invisible to the Russian anti-aircraft defense system in Kaliningrad.

    “This aircraft is called a flying supercomputer. For example, the F-35 can stay invisible to the Russian anti-aircraft defense system that is located in the Kaliningrad region,” Tarien noted. According to him, if F-35 fighter jets …

  • Ukraine and Azerbaijan are planning joint production of An-178 aircraft

    The President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, stated in an interview during his visit to Baku that Ukraine and Azerbaijan are going to launch the joint production of AN-178 transport aircraft, 112 Ukraine reported.

    “As Ilham Aliyev has said, one of the most promising topics is the supply of AN-178 transport aircraft to Azerbaijan and the joint production of these aircraft in Azerbaijan. The successful implementation of this project will allow Ukrainian manufacturers to create an environment for …

  • Ukrainian Ministry of Defense plans to bring the Air Force up to NATO standards

    The First Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Ivan Rusnak, and the United States Secretary of the Air Force (SECAF), Deborah Lee James, discussed the development of the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Censor.net quotes the Ministry’s press service as reporting that the meeting was held on Thursday, July 14, 2016 in Kiev.

    During the meeting, the parties discussed issues of bilateral cooperation towards developing Ukraine’s air force in the face of the current political and …

  • US may extend sanctions against Russia

    The U.S. Congress approved the draft law that strengthens anti-Russian sanctions, as stated in the report published on the website of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs.

    It was reported that the Committee endorsed the draft law on the support of stability and democracy in Ukraine that provides for deterrence of Russian aggression in Ukraine and assistance in holding democratic transformations. The draft law will be submitted for consideration of the House of …

  • US representative in the OSCE accused Russia of hypocrisy

    On Thursday, at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Geneva, the U.S. Representative to the OSCE, Ambassador Daniel Baer, referred to the Russian actions that instigate the continued conflict in eastern Ukraine in recent days as obstructionism, incitement and hypocrisy, Ukrinform reports.

    "Over the past week, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have suffered the heaviest losses since the signing of the ceasefire agreement in September 2015," the representative of the United States said.

    He …

  • Russia to deploy new batch of S-400 anti-aircraft systems to the Crimea

    Next month, a new batch of Russian S-400 Triumpf anti-aircraft systems will be transferred to the Crimea, TASS reported.

    The 18th Air Defense Missile Regiment of the 31st Air Defense Division, already stationed on the annexed Peninsula, will receive the new systems which can engage targets at a distance of up to 400 km.

    "Upon completion of initial live-firing exercises on the ground of the Air Defense Research and Testing Center of the 4th State Central Combined Arms Practice Range in August 2 …

  • US Senate confirms Marie Yovanovitch as Ambassador to Ukraine

    The US Senate has approved the appoint of Marie Yovanovitch as the next Ambassador to Ukraine, Evropeyskaya Pravda reported, referencing New York Times journalist David M. Herszenhorn.

    Yovanovitch will replace Geoffrey Pyatt, who has been appointed the next US Ambassador to Greece.

    “Marie L. Yovanovitch confirmed by Senate as US ambassador to Ukraine replacing Geoff Pyatt at crucial juncture in country's history,” Herszenhorn wrote on Twitter.

    Since 2012, Yovanovitch has served as Principal …