American MMA fighter Jeff Monson receives passport of self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic

The head of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR), Igor Plotnitsky, granted an LPR passport to the famous American MMA (mixed martial arts) fighter, Jeff Monson, who came to Luhansk for the opening of a children’s sports school, RIA Novosti reported. The presentation of the passport took place in the center of Luhansk during a concert dedicated to the 221st anniversary of the founding of Luhansk.

“A famous man came to us but he is well-known not due to his specific profession or …


Kiev informs Russia that it is prohibited from carrying out elections on Ukrainian territory

Ukraine has prohibited Russia from holding State Duma elections on its territory, as reported by the press secretary of the President, Svyatoslav Tsegolko. "The President instructed the Minister of Foreign Affairs to inform Moscow that they would not be allowed to hold elections in Ukraine," he wrote on Twitter.

Russian elections will be held on the 18th of September. The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that polling stations are planned in the …


French Defense Minister: France will help Georgia develop an air defense system

France will help Georgia implement an air defense system, as stated by French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian during his visit to Tbilisi, Deutsche Welle reported.

Le Drian said that France will “soon make a proposal for action so that Georgia is able to develop effective means of [ensuring] its air defense, which is central to its sovereignty.”

The Minister added that in the near future, a French officer will arrive in Georgia who will oversee the implementation of new air defense …


Russian and Chinese navies to hold joint naval exercises in the South China Sea

Russia and China will hold joint naval drills in the South China Sea off the coast of China’s Guangdon province, Reuters reported, citing the Chinese Navy.

The exercises will begin and Monday and will last eight days.

The two navies will carry out defense and rescue operations, as well as exercises focusing on seizing islands.

The exercises come after the arbitration court in The Hague ruled that China did not have historic rights to the South China Sea.

Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, …


Western NIS Enterprise Fund intends to invest at least $5 million in Ukrainian IT projects

The Western NIS Enterprise Fund (WNISEF), which was created with U.S. government funds, intends to invest at least $5 million into commercial start-ups in the IT-sector of Ukraine. It was announced by Yaroslava Z. Johnson, WNISEF President and CEO. "We received permission to establish a new fund for startups in the IT-sector," she told reporters.

Yaroslava Johnson specified that WNISEF, since its inception in 1994, has already completed most of the investments. However, due to unfavorable …