In an op-ed written for Novaya Gazeta, politician Grigory Yavlinsky examined the year's main events in Russia, highlighting political reprisals against political dissidents, in particular the assassination of Boris Nemtsov.

"The whole theme of this year, the most pressure put on civil society in the last 30 years, the amount of force used in the country and in international relations, is concentrated in the very beginning: the tragedy of February 27th," Yavlinsky wrote, referring to the day on …

During his annual New Year’s address, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko acknowledged the country’s accomplishments in 2015, saying that Ukrainians have become "not only older, but also wiser and stronger."

While Poroshenko recognized the sacrifices of Ukrainian soldiers who are “not at the festive table, but in the cold winter trench… those who are now standing with guns, not wine glasses”, his address highlighted the path that Ukraine is taking towards integration with Europe.

“It is …

The Ukrainian President’s envoy to restore peace in the Donbas region, Iryna Herashchenko, wrote on her Facebook page that the entry of a European Union peacekeeping mission to the conflict area in eastern Ukraine has become even more necessary.

“During a telephone conversation with the members of Normandy Quartet, the Ukrainian President asked the European Union to send a peacekeeping mission to Donbas. In the context of European security, monitoring the fragile situation in the Donbas region …

Last week, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his Armenian counterpart Seyran Ohanyan signed an agreement on the creation of a Joint Regional Air Defense System in the Caucasian Collective Security Region.

“During the talks, we discussed a broad range of issues of cooperation in the military and military-technical spheres. The plans of bilateral cooperation of the defense ministries were signed for the next year,” Shoigu stated.

Armenia is home to two Russian military bases and 4,000-5 …

The German Minister of Foreign Affairs, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, wrote on his Facebook page that Berlin favors the full implementation of the Minsk Agreements, the holding of local elections in the occupied territories of eastern Ukraine, and the release of all prisoners.

Steinmeir made it clear that the increase in the number of skirmishes in the Donbas region during the winter holidays is cause for concern. The Minister noted that he asked the Special Representative of the OSCE in Ukraine, …