The spokesman of Ukrtransgaz Company, Maxim Belyavsky wrote on his Facebook page that Ukraine increased its daily volume of gas imports through Slovakia and Hungaryby 24% to 36%. This marks an increase of about 3 million cubic meters.

“On the 16th of January, Ukraine imported 36.3 million cubic meters from Europe. Of that amount, 34.9 million cubic meters were imported through the Slovak gas corridor,” Belyavsky wrote.

The spokesman of Ukrtransgaz Company noted that the previous day, 29.3 …

According to Russian State Duma Deputy Dmitry Gudkov, the Kremlin's support for the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, could lead to a sharp drop in the government’s ratings. It would also send the message that to kill, intimidate or terrorize anyone and anywhere is allowed.

There is no doubt that sooner or later the problem of Chechnya will show up on the national level, stated Gudkov on Facebook.  He said that there was evidence of Chechen involvement in the murders of journalist and human …

According to Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė, the Lithuanian people are better than the most European countries at understanding their Russian neighbor.

In an interview with ICTV, Grybauskaitė stated that most European countries have a certain quality of remoteness in their relationships with the Russian Federation.  "The people of Lithuania in their own skin understand this relationship.  Italy and Greece are too remote.  They never had historical relations with Russia like we have.  …

Speaking at American University in Washington on January 15th, the U.S. State Department’s Coordinator for Sanctions, Daniel Fried, stated that the U.S. Government believes that sanctions are an instrument of international policy. According to Fried, economic influences have a greater effect than the use of military force in today’s political climate.

In recent history, there are examples of both successful and unsuccessful sanctions. For the latter, Fried cites the blockade of Cuba, which, …

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron, will hold a meeting next week with the National Security Council in advance of the publishing of a report regarding the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko. The document is expected to reveal the involvement of the Kremlin in the death of the former officer of the Russian FSB (Federal Security Bureau), the Sunday Times reported on the 17th of January.

The Prime Minister and the National Security Council will discuss the results of the …