Contents tagged with Putin

  • Putin extends restrictions on transit of Ukrainian goods to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan

    Russian President Vladimir Putin amended the decree from January 1, 2016 "On Measures to ensure economic security and national interests of Russia during the transit of goods from Ukraine to the Republic of Kazakhstan or the Kyrgyz Republic through the territory of the Russian Federation." He extended it for half a year, until July 1, 2019,  the Russia’s government website of legal information. 

    The decree entered into force on December 31, 2018. It stipulates that inter-country transportation …

  • Russia raises gas price for Armenia by 10%

    From January 1, 2019, the price of Russian gas for Armenia will be raised to $165 per thousand cubic meters, the press service of Gazprom reported on Monday. 

    The new price is 10% higher than the price established by the agreement of April 2016. 

    “In accordance with the supplementary agreement signed to the contract between Gazprom Export LLC and Gazprom Armenia CJSC, determining the price of gas supplies to Armenia in 2019, the price of Russian gas will be $165 per one thousand cubic meters …

  • Russia arrests US citizen on charges of espionage

    Russia announced on Monday that its intelligence agency had arrested a US citizen in Moscow on suspicion of espionage. 

    According to the FSB, the American was arrested on Friday “while carrying out spying activity”. 

    Charges have been brought against him according to article 276 of Russia’s Criminal Code (Espionage), which envisages a prison sentence of up to 20 years. 

    The suspect was identified as Paul Whelan, but no other details were provided. 

    The US later asked to be granted consular …

  • Putin classifies Russia's weapons procurement

    Russian President Vladimir Putin signed off amendments to the law “On the state defense order,” which now classify weapons, military equipment and ammunition procurement as a secret, even when bought for the National Guard or the Interior Ministry. 

    According to the state arms program signed by Putin in 2017, out of the 22 trillion rubles ($316 billion) allocated to the state defense order for the next 10 years, 19 trillion will go to re-arming the army, and 3 trillion will go to law …

  • President of Belarus Lukashenko congratulates Putin on the successful union of the two nations

    In his New Year’s greeting to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said that the union between the two nations has been successful, the press service of the Belarusian leader reported. 

    Lukashenko noted that in the upcoming year, the two countries will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of signing the agreement on establishing the State Union. According to him, Belarus and Russia have had an uneasy path “but we can now say with confidence that the …

  • Putin is ready for dialogue with Trump

    On Sunday, December 30th, the Kremlin press service reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin in a New Year’s message to his American counterpart Donald Trump confirmed Moscow’s openness to have a dialogue with Washington. 

    “In a congratulatory message to the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, with Christmas, and New Year holidays in tow, Vladimir Putin stressed that Russian-American relations are critical to ensuring strategic stability and international security …

  • Russia warns US not to interfere in Saudi royal succession

    Russia has warned the US not to attempt to interfere in the order of succession in Saudi Arabia, and has expressed its support for crown prince Mohammad bin Salman despite the accusations that he had the government critic Khashoggi killed. 

    President Putin’s special representative for the Near East said that Prince Mohammed has the full right to the throne after 82 year-old King Salman dies. 

    “Of course we are opposed to interference. The Saudi nation and leaders must deal with such issues …

  • Head of Russian Anti-Doping Agency to Putin: Russian sport may end up in isolation

    If Russia refuses to provide the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) with the data of Russian athletes’ doping samples by December 31, Russian athletes may lose the right to compete abroad, and Russia will not be able to host international competitions, Yury Ganus, the head of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) stated in his address to Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

    According to Ganus, if WADA conditions are not fillfilled, RUSADA will be disqualified in mid-January. "The revocation of …

  • Kremlin starts to prepare population for changes to Russian Constitution 

    Having carried out its unpopular pension reform, the Russian government is now starting to prepare the population for changes to the Constitution, finanz.ru reports. 

    Following the example set by the head of the Constitutional Court, State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin has proposed a reassessment of the relevancy of the Constitution’s provisions. 

    In its current form, the Constitution is “not dogma,” Volodin said in the Kremlin at a meeting with other MPs and President Vladimir Putin.  …

  • Putin: new hypersonic nuclear missile makes an excellent New Year’s gift for Russia

    The Russian Defense Ministry conducted test launches of an Avangard hypersonic glider missile. 

    The missile, the fruit of a 20 trillion ruble ($290 billion) state arms program, passed the testing “completely successfully”, Putin said after the Strategic Missile Troops drill at the Kura Test Range. 

    “All the tactical and technical data has been confirmed,” Interfax cites the Russian president as saying. “The Avangard system is invulnerable to the current and future anti-air and anti-missile …