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Czech Republic identifies Russians linked to attempted coup in Montenegro
Journalists from the Czech news outlet Denik N have spoken to several Russian citizens linked to the Czech company Sofbiz, which transferred half a million euros to the organizers of a failed coup attempt in Montenegro in October 2016. According to the investigation carried out by the Montenegrin authorities, these funds were intended as payment for the assassination of then Prime Minister and current President of Montenegro Milo Dukanovic.
Sofbiz was established in the Czech Republic as a …
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Zelensky: All of Ukraine will participate in writing of Donbas special status law
The Ukrainian government will work alongside “the whole community of Ukraine” as it writes the new law on the special status of the Donbas, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a video message published by Radio LIberty.
“There will be a new law. Will we draft it ourselves and pass it quickly? No. We will write it together, in cooperation and public discussion with the whole community of Ukraine, without crossing a single red line. So, there is no capitulation, no surrendering of …
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Russian lawmakers admit that 2018 GDP growth figures were falsified
No confirmation can be found for the 6-year record economic growth reported by the Russian Ministry of Economic Development and the Federal Statistics Service (Rosstat) last year, said Andrey Makarov, head of the State Duma taxes and budget committee, during a session of parliament on Friday.
Instead of a 2.3% GDP growth, a figure that Rosstat plucked “like a rabbit from a hat”, Makarov said that three weeks after a change of management “completely different figures” are being arrived at.
He …
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Russia doesn't exclude possibility of Nord Stream 2 construction bypassing Denmark
Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak, speaking at the Russian Energy Week, said that if Denmark does not issue a permit to lay the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline through its territorial waters, Russia has other route options. According to him, if the route changes, "the project will then be more expensive, and its implementation will take longer." The Minister noted that now Russia counts on the main route and sees "no reason" for Denmark not to issue the permit.
"We see fierce competition and …
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Russia to deploy early warning radars throughout the Middle East
Stealth Air Target early warning radars Rezonans-NE will be delivered to the armed forces in the countries of the Middle East. The deployment of early-warning radars capable of tracking stealth cruise missiles and hypersonic weapons will begin in 2020. There is no information on which countries the radars will be delivered to.
"Contracts have been signed with a number of Middle Eastern countries for the supply of Rezonans-NE radars. The stations will be delivered to the customers within one …
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US to deploy military division to Eastern Europe
The US Armed Forces plan to deploy one of its divisions through Germany to Eastern Europe as part of the Defender-2020 military exercise, reads the statement from the German Defense Ministry to the representatives of parliamentary factions in the German Bundestag’s Defense Committee.
It is noted that Germany will become a logistics hub during the transfer of American troops to Poland and the Baltic States.
US, Germany and 15 other NATO members will participate in Defender-2020 military …
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Media presents proof of Russian special forces activity in Norway
The “Flying Squad” Chechen special forces division has been operating periodically in Norway, Novaya Gazeta reports, based on an analysis of information gathered from social networks.
The Russian news outlet gathered information from Instagram posts, especially photographs and videos of the presumed commandos, as well as geolocations and comments. Novaya Gazeta believes that they have been conducting operations in the Arctic since 2016.
On March 2 last year, a user called bes_600 posted a …
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US Ambassador to Russia: Big plans for Trump-Putin meeting were abandoned
Russian President Vladimir Putin could have visited Washington at the start of the year, and US President Donald Trump could have visited Russia in the second half, retiring US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman told Kommersant in an interview.
When asked whether such an option was actually considered, Huntsman nodded.
The two leaders’ plans changed due to the incident at the Kerch Strait in which Ukrainian sailors were captured by Russian border guards. “Yes. I won’t go into the details, but …
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Bodies of Wagner mercenaries killed in Libya start arriving in Russia
The bodies of mercenaries from the Wagner private military company (PMC) who have been killed in Libya have started arriving in Russia, Meduza reports, citing sources and relatives of the deceased. According to the sources, as many as several dozen mercenaries may have been killed in an airstrike by the Government of National Accord against the forces of Russia-backed Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
“From the [Sverdlovsk] province a total of 15 people [were killed], and from the entire country, 3 …
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DPR and LPR demand a say in new Donbas special status law
The ringleaders of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) have demanded that certain conditions be met before local elections can be held. In particular, they want to be involved in the formulation of the new law on the special status of the Donbas that was announced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday.
“Otherwise we will consider them a direct and gross violation of the Minsk Agreements, and they will be legally null and void to us. We want …