• Moldovan President Dodon counts on Russian peacekeepers to ensure stability in Transnistria

    Moldovan President Igor Dodon wrote on Facebook after a meeting with the President of unrecognized Transnistria, Vadim Krasnoselsky that he considers Russian peacekeepers in Transnistria a defining factor of stability in the region. 

    "[We] reaffirmed the importance of preserving the existing peacekeeping operation as a factor in maintaining stability and peace in the security zone. It was also noted that some challenges occurred in the area this year, but with joint efforts we managed to …

  • Kremlin: Russian government lost trust in Belarus 

    Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said that the Russian Federation has lost trust in Belarus. 

    According to him, this is due to the fact that Belarus has been violating the Russian-Belarusian customs regime, including the import of sanctioned and excisable goods into the Russian Federation. 

    “We keep telling Belarus that they are our neighbor, our ally, but we have recently lost trust in Belarus. All those solvents, sanctioned products that come to us, excisable goods, cigarettes that …

  • Russia expands sanctions against Ukraine 

    Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced that the list of Ukrainian citizens and companies under sanctions would be expanded. 

    “The list of persons and legal entities of Ukraine, that will be included in the list of special restrictive measures has been expanded. I signed the appropriate decree,” wrote Medvedev on Twitter. 

    TASS with reference to the Russian Cabinet press service report that the signed decree has been expanded to include more than 200 individuals and organizations.  …

  • Putin invites Lukashenko to lunch for a private chat

    Vladimir Putin has invited Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who arrived recently in Moscow, to a meal without any delegations from the two countries, TASS reports. 

    “I propose this arrangement: we will listen to how our colleagues have been working, and then we will give the delegations another opportunity to talk, and then I want to invite you separately to a New Year’s work lunch,” Putin said. 

    When speaking about how Russia-Belarus relations have been developing in recent times, …

  • Nord Stream 2 construction begins in Sweden’s exclusive economic zone 

    The Solitaire, a ship working on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, has begun laying pipes in Sweden’s exclusive economic zone, Aftonbladet reports. The pipes needed for construction will be stored at the Swedish Karshamn Port. 

    Sveriges Radio reported that the pipe-laying operation in this region will last until summer 2019, and that the Karshamn Port administration has hired 110 extra staff for this period. 

    Nord Stream AG, the pipeline’s operator company, announced on December 23 that the …