Girkin claims that Le Pen visited separatist financier Malofeev
Former pro-Russian separatist commander Igor Girkin, also known as Strelkov, wrote on his page in Vkontakte social network regarding French Presidential Candidate Marine Le Pen. He claimed that in 2013, Le Pen visited the office of businessman Konstantin Malofeev, who became known in 2014 in connection with the war in the Donbas.
"They ask about my attitude towards Marine Le Pen, her chances of winning, etc. What to say? I saw her once, when she visited Malofeev's office in 2013. But I did not …
Ukraine shuts off water flow to Crimea with new dam
A new dam on the north Crimean canal has shut off water flow to the annexed Crimea. The stationary concrete dam was constructed on the border of mainland Ukraine with the annexed peninsula, the TSN news program reports. The water saved from the Kakhovka Reservoir is meant to irrigate the southern Kherson region.
If the canal is closed off several dozens of kilometers from the administrative border, where the last stationary dam is, the farms further south would be under threat of drought. For …
Latvia will purchase used mortars from Austria
On April 30, TASS wrote that Latvia would purchase second-hand, 120mm mortars from Austria. This was reported by the local news agency LETA with reference to the Minister of Defense of the Republic Raimonds Bergmanis.
"The number of mortars to be purchased was not specified by the Ministry of Defense, however it was noted that their delivery is provided for by a bilateral agreement between the Latvian Defense Ministry and the Austrian Ministry of Defense and Sports for the supply of self- …
NATO considers expanding its mission in Afghanistan
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced a possible expansion of Resolute Support mission within NATO. He spoke about this in an interview with the newspaper Welt am Sonntag published on Sunday, April 30. According to him, some members of the alliance advocate that the mission should be extended not once a year, as now, but once every few years. It is expected that the final decision on these issues will be made in June.
Mission "Resolute Support" started in early 2015, replacing a 13- …
Media: Japan's self-defense forces to carry out new operations to protect U.S. Navy ships
Japanese Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) ships will carry out new operations aimed at the protection of the U.S. fleet ensuring the security of Japan, as announced on Sunday on NHK, citing government sources.
According to the report, Defense Minister Tomomi Inada has already issued the order. It is expected that the crew of the Izumo helicopter carrier will be the first to fulfill these tasks, which became possible after adopting amendments to defense legislation.
On May 1st, the ship will leave …