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Poland requests that Russia release transcripts of communication between Smolensk tower and Kaczynski's plane
On Saturday, December 24th the Ministry of Defense of Poland demanded that Russia provide the transcript of the communication between the aircraft carrying former Polish President Kaczynski and the Smolensk tower before the aircraft crashed in 2010. Excerpts from the decrypted recordings were quoted by the Russian President Vladimir Putin at the annual press conference on December 23rd.
"The speech of the Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated that the Russian authorities possess the text …
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Russian intellectuals call for pardon of Oleh Sentsov
Following a group of members of the Russian International PEN Center, the Russian No-War Congress of the Intelligentsia appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to pardon the Ukrainian film director, Oleh Sentsov, who is currently imprisoned in Russia. An open letter from this organization was posted yesterday on the website nowarcongress.com.
The appeal of the No-War Congress of the Intelligentsia was signed, among others, by Lyudmila Ulitskaya, Svetlana Alexievich, Grigory Pasko, Victor …
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Obama expands Magnitsky Act globally
US President Barack Obama signed the Pentagon’s 2017 budget into law, which expanded the use of the Magnitsky Act on accountability in the area of human rights. Henceforth, the act applies to all countries in the world and will enable Washington to impose sanctions against individuals involved in corruption and human rights violations. Previously, the act applied solely to Russian citizens, Deutsche Welle reported.
The document, in particular, allows the US president to "impose sanctions …
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The Pentagon reported that Russia tested a new anti-ballistic missile
Russia successfully tested a new anti-ballistic missile, created in the framework of the research and development initiative Nudol. This was reported by the Washington Free Beacon, citing Pentagon sources. The launch of the missile took place at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome. According to Pentagon specialists, Nudol missiles are capable of intercepting satellites.
The article notes that the missile launch took place on December 16th. This test was the fifth in a row and the third successful one for …
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Newly sworn-in Moldovan President to visit Russia
Moldovan President Igor Dodon, who was sworn in on Friday, will visit Moscow after the New Year holiday, as stated by the Russian Ambassador in Chisinau, Farit Mukhametshin, TASS reported.
Dodon, a pro-Russian politician and former leader of the Moldovan Party of Socialists, beat his pro-European rival Maia Sandu in a run off vote on November 13th.
"Russian President Vladimir Putin, when congratulating Dodon, invited him to Moscow. The visit is planned for mid-January. The date and program of …