Nemtsov's Assassination was not First Attempt

The 5 men suspected of assassinating Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov in February of 2015 were indicted on December 29th. They were charged with "a contract murder committed by an organized group and the acquisition, transport and storage of illegal firearms," the Russian Investigative Committee said.

Rosbalt has reported that the suspects in Nemtsov’s assassination case allegedly attempted to kill the opposition leader several times before finally succeeding on the evening of February 2 …


Russian airstrikes in Syria add to influx of refugees to Europe

Human rights activists claim that civilian victims of the Russian bombing campaign in Syria number in the hundreds in densely populated areas. This Saturday, a senior U.S. official reported that only one-third of Russian aviation air strikes are being aimed at the positions of the so-called Islamic State. The indiscriminate bombing forces civilians to flee, further exacerbating the crisis in Europe caused by the massive influx of refugees.

Among the 5,000 air strikes inflicted by the Russian …


Juncker: Dutch vote on Ukraine could lead to crisis

A negative result on the referendum in the Netherlands regarding the Association Agreement with Ukraine could trigger a continental crisis, stated Jean Claude Juncker, President for the European Commission, in an interview with NRC Handelsblad on Saturday, January 9th.

“A ‘no’ answer in the Dutch non-binding vote may spark a continental crisis," he noted. "Let's not change the referendum into a vote about Europe," Juncker emphasized. "I sincerely hope that the Dutch won't vote no for reasons …


Merkel's party takes new stance on refugees

After the attacks on women in Cologne on New Year's Eve, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which is led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, argued for stricter laws concerning refugees. At the meeting in Mainz the party leaders unanimously adopted a new stance. This was reported by N-TV on Saturday, January 9th.

If approved, the amendments would mean that refugees would lose the right to asylum if they were given suspended sentences. Earlier, the management of the CDU was planning to …


Ceasefire broken in Donetsk; holds in Luhansk

Andrei Lysenko, the spokesperson of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine on issues related to hostilities in the Donbas region, reported on January 9th that there were no losses or injuries among Ukrainian soldiers on the front line.

According to the report, in the Luhansk region the ceasefire continues to hold but in the Donetsk region near Svetlodarsk opposing forces fired repeatedly at Ukrainian forces simultaneously from several directions to the south from Luhanskoye. The Ukrainians …