Paragraph 1242 of the Defense Bill, approved by the US Congress and signed by President Donald Trump, stipulates the refusal to allocate money for financing the Open Skies Treaty.  

It is indicated in the Defense Bill that the funds cannot be used in 2019 to carry out observation flights. It is noted that the restriction can be lifted if the US president presents the corresponding committee of the Congress a certificate confirming the fulfillment of the agreement terms by Russia.

The document …

On Monday, the District Court of Columbia (DC) refused to dismiss the case against the Russian company Concord Management and Consulting, which is accused of financing a propaganda operation designed to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election in favour of Donald Trump. The court considered that the special prosecutor Robert Muller did not exceed his power. Concord Management and Consulting petitioned for the closure of the case, insisting that the special prosecutor Müller was …

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Schloss Meseberg on August 18, the federal government announced. Merkel will discuss “current foreign policy issues” with Putin, including the Syrian conflict, the situation in eastern Ukraine, and issues in the energy sector, particularly the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which will transport gas directly from Russia to Germany.

“Next Saturday, on August 18, the chancellor and government representatives will …

On Monday, August 13th, the Iranian military introduced a ballistic missile of a new generation named Fateh. “Nothing will stop this missile,” reports the Tasnim agency, quoting the Iranian Minister of Defense Amir Khatami.

Khatami noted that the new short-range ballistic missile was “100 percent manufactured in Iran.” The missile’s technical specifications are not disclosed, but, according to the head of the Ministry of Defense, the missile has “maneuverability” and “high targeting accuracy.” …

The Russian military shot down five drones approaching the Russian Khmeimim Air Base in Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on its Facebook page.

According to the Ministry of Defense, militants launched drones from the de-escalation zone in the Idlib province. The Russian military destroyed them at a distance from the air base. There were no casualties and no material damage.

During the same day, Syria recorded 25 shooting attacks on the government troops. As a result, three Syrian …

Ukraine is studying a force-based scenario for unblocking the Azov Sea in response to Russia’s actions, stated the Deputy Minister for the Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons, George Tuka in an interview with Apostrophe news outlet.

Tuka was reluctant to discuss specifics or difficulties about how the situation might play out. "The situation is complicated, but I cannot say that we have lost [the Azov Sea]. I am not ready to make public certain scenarios that we …

The Ukrainian Joint Forces Operation’s (JFO) press service reports that Ukrainian military detained a citizen of the Russian Federation in the Donbas conflict zone who was filming on his phone the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s positions.

One of the mechanized brigade units arrested the Russian citizen on August 11. The JFO’s command declined to identify which Ukrainian positions were filmed. The detainee claimed that he arrived as a tourist from Surgut to Ukraine, but his papers indicated that he …

Russian finance minister Anton Siluanov did not rule out the possibility of using national currencies instead of the US dollar, he said on Sunday, August 12 on Russian TV. "We should build our policy considering the possible risks that arise from the actions of our American partners,” he stressed.

The First Deputy Prime Minister also said that Moscow has significantly reduced investments in American assets and gold and foreign currency reserves and will continue this policy in the future. At …