• Gazprom's Position Falls in Ranking of World's Top Companies

    According to the analytical company Brand Finance, Gazprom has fallen in the rankings of the world’s most expensive leading brands.  The Russian gas monopoly has lost 187 positions from last year, to 299th place in the new ranking. This report was published on the 1st of February.

    First place on the list is currently held by Apple.  Second and third are held by Google and Samsung respectively.  There were also two fewer Russian companies in the updated list: sales network Magnit and …

  • Representative of Syrian Opposition: Russia is attempting to Occupy Syria

    A spokesman for the High Negotiating Committee, Salim al-Muslat, told an Anadolu Agency reporter that Russia, as a member of the UN Security Council, should make efforts to cease the bloody conflict in Syria, not try to occupy the country. Salim al-Muslat was in Geneva participating in the Syrian peace negotiations. Salim expressed his hope that the United Nations will put pressure on Moscow in order to end airstrikes in Syria.

    Al-Muslat also noted that the final decision on the participation …

  • Russia Writes Off $170 Million Mongolian Debt

    Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the ratification of an intergovernmental agreement on the 31st of January, allowing Russia to write off 97.8 % of Mongolia's debt ($170 million).

    “To ratify the agreement between the Russian and Mongolian Governments regarding the settlement of the financial liabilities of Mongolia to the Russian Federation, signed in Moscow on the 14th of December 2010,” reads the text of the law, which was published on an official government website. The law was …

  • Leaders of so-called LPR say organizers of unsanctioned protest will be brought to justice

    Members of the so-called Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) stated that entrepreneurs who organized a rally a few days ago in Luhansk will be brought to justice for organizing an unsanctioned protest rally, as reported by Alexei Cherepovski, the Deputy Minister of the Interior of the LPR.

    Cherepovskiy stated that entrepreneurs who went on strike over exorbitant taxes imposed by LPR members actually protected the interests of the Party of Regions’ parliamentary faction leader, Vladimir Landik.

    “ …

  • Turkish PM: Russia Continues to make Mistakes in Syria

    The Turkish Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, said “In Syria the regime that allowed their people to be victims of genocide are just as responsible as terrorist organizations like Daesh. Turkey and Saudi Arabia are going to continue to support Syria’s moderate opposition. At the same time we will pursue our efforts to restore stability in Yemen, Lebanon and Libya.”

    The Prime Minister, who was in Saudi Arabia on a visit, held a press conference at the Royal Palace. Ahmet Davutohlu discussed his …

  • Klimkin: Turkey's Response to Airspace Violations is in Accordance with International Law

    The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Pavlo Klimkin, criticized the violation of Turkish airspace by Russian airplanes. “The situation is clear. Turkey, as a member of NATO, has never intended to violate Russian airspace. On the contrary, Russian aircrafts have violated Turkish borders. Then, who is it that is threatening whom,” said the Ukrainian Minister during an interview with a reporter from the Anadolu Agency.

    Klimkin noted that the same situation relates to Ukraine, which carries …

  • Turkish Air Force at Highest State of Readiness

    All military airbases in Turkey were placed on an ‘orange’ alert level, meaning that pilots can act immediately without the consent of command.

    The ‘orange’ alert was issued for all Turkish Air Force bases on Sunday, January 31st, so the Turkish Air Force is ‘fully ready’ and pilots have the right to immediately open fire without prior coordination with command, the Anatolian News Agency reported.

    Previously, Ankara accused Russia of violating Turkish airspace over the border with Syria. As a …

  • Rogue Separatist Unit Defeated by DPR Forces

    The headquarters of a separatist splinter unit within the DPR, "Troy", has officially confirmed reports regarding the defeat of the group.

    The group reported via the Vkontakte social network that after 30 days of siege, the force reconnaissance company was destroyed by the superior force of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR).  The exact number of deceased, wounded and prisoners taken have not yet been revealed.

    The report noted that the order for the assault “was given by the …

  • Strelkov: Putin may face same fate as Yanukovych

    One of the former leaders of the Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, Igor Strelkov, has compared Russian President Vladimir Putin to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

    Strelkov stated this during an interview with Kolokol of Russia (the Bell of Russia). He said this based on the thesis of a journalist who compared the two leaders.  The thesis mentioned that the number of actions of the Russian authorities and the opposition demonstrate “an almost complete repetition of …

  • Italian Construction Company Files Lawsuit against Gazprom

    A lawsuit against a subsidiary of the Russian energy giant Gazprom was filed by an Italian construction company.

    The Italian company, Saipem S.p.A., filed a lawsuit against a subsidiary of the Russian company Gazprom - South Stream Transport B.V. The claim, worth about 759 million Euros, was sent to the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris, as reported on the RBC website on Sunday.

    According to RBC, the lawsuit was filed on November 10th, 2015, and became the first major lawsuit against …