Contents tagged with Russia

  • Ukraine Urges World to Continue to Pressure Russia

    The press service of Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement on Monday to urge other nations to continue to pressure the Russian Federation on the Donbas situation.

    "We call upon our international partners not to yield to the deceptive maneuvers of the Russian aggressor, who constantly demonstrates a striking discrepancy between their rhetoric and real actions.  Political pressure on the Russian Federation and the use of diplomatic tools and sanctions are critical to return …

  • Ukraine May Raise Transit Price for Gazprom

    RIA Novosti reported that according to Ukrainian State Enterprise Energorynok, the tariff rate for transporting Russian gas through the territory of Ukraine may increase in 2016 from $2.73 to $4.07 per 1000 cubic meters per 100 kilometers. Taking into account a new method of calculating the transit cost approved by Kiev in the end of last year, it will cost Gazprom $7.91 per 1000 cubic meters.

    According to the publication, the new method of calculating transit price is closely associated with …

  • Gudkov: Kadyrov’s behavior fuels anti-Chechen sentiment throughout Russia

    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 …

  • Piontkovsky: More countries should participate in the Ukrainian peace process

    In an interview with espresso.tv, Russian historian and opposition leader Andrei Piontkovsky said that Ukraine should invite not only the heads of Germany and France to take part in the negotiations to find a solution to the war in the Donbass region, but also representatives of other Western countries.

    "Merkel and Hollande have already acquired some kind of Stockholm syndrome in relations with Russia and the Donetsk bandits… The Minsk Agreement is their child. They, as a father and a mother …

  • Lithuanian President: Sanctions against Russia will remain in force

    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.  …

  • Russia Spend €1 Billion per Year on State Salaries and Pensions in DPR and LPR

    An investigation conducted by the German magazine, Bild revealed that Russia spends about 1 billion Euros on the salaries and welfare of citizens of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. According to Bild, this amount corresponds to 0.6% of the annual expenses of the Russian budget.

    Moscow spends nearly 79 million Euros every month on salaries of state employees and pensions in so-called DPR and LPR, Bild wrote. About 2.4 billion Rubles (approximately 30 million Euros) …

  • Daniel Fried: Russia is now Taking Sanctions Seriously

    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, …

  • Porsche Sales in Russia Increase by 12 Percent

    Porsche’s sales in Russia have increased by 12 percent in 2015. The Stuttgart carmaker is one of the few that are still able to make a profit in Russia since the Russian market collapsed.

    German carmaker Porsche, despite the crisis in the Russian market, has significantly expanded its business in the Russian Federation. In 2015 Porsche sold almost 5,300 cars, about 12 percent more than in 2014, said the company's head, Thomas Stärtzel, in an interview with DPA in Moscow on Sunday, January 17th. …

  • Ukraine Increases Gas Imports from Europe By 24 Percent

    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 …

  • Russia Refuses to Participate in PACE January Session

    TASS reported that Russia is refusing to participate in the January session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). A representative of the Agency explained that the period for providing the lists of participants of each national delegation to the PACE expired on Friday. It was reported that Russia did not provide the required list . “This is a refusal to participate in the January session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE),” a well-informed …