Ukrainian Military Command links increased separatist attacks to forthcoming negotiations in Minsk
According to the Ukrainian military, separatists have increased their attacks along the demarcation line in eastern Ukraine ahead of the forthcoming meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group in Minsk which is due to begin on November 9.
According to the the speaker of General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Vladyslav Voloshyn, this way the separatists are trying to gain leverage that they can use to influence Ukraine at the meeting in Minsk.
“On November 9, the meeting of the Trilateral …
Russian Defense Minister: NATO's actions in Eastern Europe is forcing Moscow to take defensive measures
According to Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu, the buildup of NATO forces in Eastern Europe is forcing Moscow to take defensive measures, TASS reported.
At a meeting between the Russian and Belarusian defense ministries, Shoygu stated, "The United States and other NATO members are actively building up their offensive potential on the western frontiers of Russia's ally [Belarus], opening new bases and developing military infrastructure. There are incessant attempts to impose their will on …
Poll: Nearly half of Russians fear Syrian conflict could start world war 3
About half of Russians, 48 percent, are afraid that the escalation of relations between Russia and the West due to Syria may erupt into a third world war, as evidenced by a survey of the Levada Analytical Center that was issued on Monday, October 31. Replying to the relevant question, 38 percent of respondents stated that they have some fears regarding such developments. An additional 10 percent of Russians, in turn, express “great fear” regarding such a scenario. On the other hand, 31 percent …
Russian military plane accused of violating Estonian airspace
On Tuesday, AN-148 of Russian Air Force crossed into Estonian airspace near the island of Vaindloo.
This was reported by the website of the Estonian Ministry of Defense. The Russian plane stayed over the Estonian territory for about a minute. The plane had its transponder on and provided a flight plan.
According to the Estonian Ministry of Defense, at the time of entry there was no direct communication with the plane crew and Estonian air control services.
The Estonian Ministry of Foreign …
Former Russian Finance Minister: The Kremlin doesn’t understand the new economic reality
The former Russian Minister of Finance and Chairman of the Board of the Centre for Strategic Research, Alexei Kudrin, believes that the Russian government doesn’t have a clear understanding of the existing economic realities after the fall in oil prices and the reduction in budget revenues.
“The price of oil has fallen; we have shortage of revenues and problems with our growth factors. We learned to spend money so easily, when Russia experienced economic growth, and now I want to say that the …