Ukrainian activist Vladimir Balukh gives final word in Crimean court
In his speech, Balukh pointed out that the reason for his imprisonment is not the ammunition which was allegedly found in his possession, but his principled position with respect to the “occupation of his homeland”, reported the Crimean Human Rights Group on their website.
“The origins of this are not at all in some cartridges, not in some substance which the court inexplicably identified as explosive, there is no basis for this at all. The decision has been made to ‘take me out’ since the …
Media: Russia freed separatist commander Pogodin out of fear that he could give evidence about those responsible for MH17 crash
Vadim Pogodin, a militant of the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic" (DPR) who has been released in the Crimea, could give evidence about the individuals involved in the crash of the MN17 aircraft in the Donbas in the summer of 2014, as reported by Novaya Gazeta. Ukrainian authorities suspect Pogodin of the brutal murder of schoolboy Stepan Chubenko, and have demanded his extradition. However, deputies in Russia, as well as former militant leaders, including Sergei Dubinsky aka Hmuriy ( …
Kyiv: 18 people on Ukrainian prisoner-exchange list refuse to return to separatist republics
18 people included in the lists for the exchange of prisoners are categorically against being transferred to a territory beyond Ukraine's control, as stated by the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Valeriya Lutkovska, UNIAN reports.
Lutkovska said that the exchange of prisoners within the framework of the Minsk process is now at the stage of clarifying the lists. She noted that 18 people who were included in the exchange lists "categorically refuse to be transferred to the …
Foreign Minister of Estonia: twice in the past decade Russia has shown that it can invade its neighbors
The Estonian Foreign Minister, Sven Mikser, said that Russia is a country which is ready to go to war with its neighbors to achieve political goals, in an interview with Current Time, commenting on the recent visit of the U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, Postimees reports.
Answering the correspondent's question as to whether Estonia feels safe, Mikser answered, "Estonia definitely feels that our allies are protecting us. We believe that the deterrence policy really works. We neighbor a large …
Georgia calls Putin’s intention to visit Abkhazia ‘an attempt of its annexation’
The State Minister for Reconciliation and Civil Equality of Georgia, Ketevan Tsihelashvili, stated that the Russian President’s visit, scheduled for August 8th, to Abkhazia is "an occupation and an attempt at actual annexation", as reported by Georgia Online.
"There are provocative actions and this visit should likely be considered as one at this point. This fits into the overall picture and is an ongoing provocation. This is an attempt at an actual annexation on Russia’s part, so our task is …