Pentagon questions ability of Russia and Syria to defeat the Islamic State
Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said that he is skeptical of statements made by the Russian Defense Ministry regarding its successes in the fight against the Islamic state (IS).
TASS quotes Pahon as saying that "The efforts of the authoritarian regime of [Syrian President Bashar Assad], Russia and Iran are unlikely to lead to a complete defeat of IS."
According to Pahon, the emergence of IS "is linked, inter alia, with the repressive measures of the Assad regime." Against this background, he …
More than 260 people detained during Putin’s birthday protests in Russia
At least 262 people were detained during protests in support of Alexei Navalny in 27 cities across Russia, according to OVD-Info.
As of 8:00 p.m., 66 people had been detained in Petersburg, 54 people in Yaroslavl, and 20 in Lipetsk. Detentions also occurred in Kaliningrad, Krasnodar, Perm, Pskov, Saransk, Selyatin, Sochi, Stavropol, Tver, Tyumen, and Yakutsk.
In Krasnodar, one of the protesters was arrested for three days. In Yekaterinburg, Izhevsk, Nizhny Tagil, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, …
Russia conducts test launches of Kalibr missiles off the coast of Crimea
The submarines “Rostov-on-Don” and “Novorossiysk” from the Russian Black Sea Fleet in annexed Crimea fired Kalibr missiles at ground and above-water targets in the Opuk training area in Black Sea waters, the Russian Defense Ministry press service reported.
“The missiles were fired from a submerged position. During the firing, two practice Kalibr missiles were used. In order to ensure the security of the military exercises and close off the dangerous region, more than 20 combat ships and …
Ukraine accuses Russian private military company Wagner of involvement in Donbas conflict
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said that the Wagner Group, a Russian private military company, participated in conflicts in the Donbas in 2014, and subsequently in Syria.
“An evidence base has been collected on the activity of Russian soldiers in the Donbas and in Syria, the activity of the Wagner Group. The campaign’s leader is Dmitry Utkin. This project makes it possible for the Kremlin to tell the international community that there are none of its soldiers there [in Eastern Ukraine],” …
Poroshenko: new law on the Donbas will allow Ukraine to receive Western weapons
A bill on the reintegration of the Donbas, which was adopted on its first reading, will provide an additional argument for the provision of Western weapons to Kyiv, as stated in the message of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko published on website of the presidential administration.
"This [draft law] further strengthens the legal framework for the use of the Armed Forces, expands their capabilities in the region. This strengthens the arguments in favor of providing Ukraine with defensive …