• Kyiv: there will be no direct negotiations with Russia on gas transit

    Naftogaz CEO Andriy Kobolyev announced that in 2019, the Ukrainian company would continue negotiations on the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine. He stressed that the format of the negotiations will remain trilateral and not directly with Gazprom.

    "We rely on European law and Ukraine's interests and will start negotiations with Gazprom on further transit solely in the trilateral format with the participation of the European Commission,” Kobolev wrote on Facebook .

    In late December, …

  • Lithuania: Russian may attempt to interfere in forthcoming presidential elections

    After the meeting of the Lithuanian State Council on Defense,  government officials stated that Russia and other countries may conduct cyber-attacks this year to influence the results of the presidential elections, the Lithuanian presidential press service reports.

    The State Defense Council under the leadership of President Dalia Grybauskaite reviewed the country’s security situation, did an annual review of threats and approved the long-term operational strategy for the intelligence services. …

  • Armenia considers buying Iranian gas instead of Russian

    Acting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that the authorities of the country will discuss the possibility of purchasing gas from Iran.

    He said that Armenia will simultaneously hold negotiations with the Russian side to find the most profitable solution.

    At present, Armenia is not satisfied with the sharp increase in the price of Russian gas that will cost $ 165 per thousand cubic meters instead of the previous price, $150, starting from 2019.

    “The issue of supplying Iranian gas is …

  • Russia develops new Kalibr-M cruise missile for its navy

    Russia is busy developing the Kalibr-M, a modern cruise missile with a range in excess of 4,500 km, for its navy, TASS reports, citing a source in the Russian military industry.

    “For the navy, the latest ship-based precision cruise missile Kalibr-M with a maximum firing range of more than 4,500 km is being developed. The creation of the missile is at the scientific research stage and is being financed by the Defense Ministry,” the source said. He clarified that the development of the Kalibr-M …

  • Russian military police begins patrols around Syria’s Manbij

    The Russian military police began patrols around the Syrian city of Manbij (Aleppo Province), entering into an area once held by US-backed Kurdish forces, stated Russian military police spokesman Yusup Mamatov on Tuesday.

    The Russian troops support the Syrian government forces that were recently deployed around Manbij, near the border with Turkey.

    Fearing a military attack from the Turkish side, Kurdish fighters invited the Syrian regime troops to Manbij at the end of last month after the …