• Russia to develop naval air base in Crimea

    The commander of the Russian Airspace Forces, Viktor Bondarev, told journalists that the Chauda landfill in annexed Crimea will be the first Russian naval air base where a variety of exercises will be conducted, including training for pilots of Tu-22M3 long-range bomber aircraft, TASS reports.

    "In the future, this site will serve as a training facility for fight personnel of Chkalov's State Flight Tests Center. The site will work all year round, pilots will train there using all types of …

  • Poroshenko: Russia agrees to OSCE armed police mission in the Donbas

    Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko stated that Russia has agreed to deploy an armed OSCE mission in the Donbas.

    "I’m very glad that Ukraine’s firm position is supported by our partners in The Normandy Group, both the U.S.A. and Russia has agreed to this format. I think we will do it right," Poroshenko said in an interview with Ukrainian TV channels on Sunday evening.

    The President emphasized that despite the Herculean efforts of the SMM OSCE, firing, especially in Avdiivka, Marinka and in …

  • Legal proceedings initiated against Russian pensioner who gave assistance to Ukrainian refugees

    In Russia a case against a 74-year-old librarian, Larisa Ladatkina, was initiated for providing assistance to refugees from the Donbas region. According to Rosbalt, she faces up to three years in prison. The elderly woman is accused of providing assistance to refugees from Luhansk, a city in eastern Ukraine.

    Reportedly, in the fall of 2015, the woman had registered and invited a family of Ukrainian immigrants to live in her apartment in Khimki (Moscow region). The registration period for the …

  • Obama and Merkel: Sanctions against Russia should stay in force until the Minsk Agreements are fully implemented by Moscow

    US President Barack Obama said that he and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have a common stance on sanctions against Russia because of its policy with regard to Ukraine: sanctions can only be lifted if Moscow fulfills the conditions of the Minsk Agreements. Obama said this on April 24th at a press conference in Hannover, after a meeting with Merkel as part of his 6-day trip abroad."Sanctions against Russia can and should be lifted only if Russia fulfills its commitments within the framework of …

  • Kuban Cossacks receive awards for ‘protecting the Crimean referendum’

    Nine Cossacks of the Kuban Cossack Army received awards personally from Sergey Aksyonov, the de facto head of Crimea, on the 25th anniversary of the rehabilitation of the Cossacks. During a parade in Krasnodar, honorary watches were presented to them for the protection of the "referendum" in the annexed Crimea, TASS reports.

    Aksyonov presented the honors "for the conscientious execution of the official duties and active participation in ensuring of law and order during the preparation and …