The Latvian military has purchased American Stinger man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS), as announced by Latvian Defense Minister Raimonds Bergmanis in an LTV broadcast, as reported by LETA.

The head of the defense ministry did not specify the numbers that the deal would involve, saying only that “the amount paid was not too large, but for it we are receiving a solid number of weapons”.

The MANPADS were bought from the Danish Defense and will be transferred by the end of this year or …

The Russian strike forces in annexed Crimea are carrying out tactical exercises, the Russian Defense Ministry press service announced. As reported, a test exercise is being done with a group of mixed strike forces in the Black Sea Fleet.

“Today, according to the military training plan of the Black Sea Fleet ships, the armed forces have begun tactical exercises,” the report states. The report notes that during the exercises, there are plans to rehearse air bombardment and the launching of …

Since August 23, the US has suspended the issuance of nonimmigrant visas across Russia, the US Embassy in Russia reported.

Representatives of the diplomatic mission explained that the issuance of visas will be resumed, but in a reduced amount.

The Embassy explained that this was due to a decrease in the number of employees at the US Embassy in Russia.

In addition, starting from September 1, 2017, interviews for US nonimmigrant visas will only be held at the US Embassy in Moscow. Interviews …

The current situation in the Donbas does not suit either party to the conflict, nor the external forces that are facilitating the settlement, said Russian presidential aide Vladislav Surkov after a meeting with US State Department Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker, reports Russian media.

"We agreed that the current situation in the southeast of Ukraine cannot satisfy neither the conflicting parties, nor the external forces that are contributing to the resolution.

The discussion …

Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed Deputy Foreign Minister Anatoly Antonov, who has been on the EU sanction list since 2015, as the Russian ambassador to the US.

Between 2011 and 2016, Antonov worked as the Russian Deputy Defense Minister, and since 2015 he has been on the EU sanction list because of aggression against Ukraine. Antonov has been appointed instead of Sergey Kislyak, who was one of the central figures in the scandal surrounding a possible conspiracy between US President …