• Russia blocks UN Security Council resolution on chemical attack in Syria

    Russia blocked a draft resolution that was introduced in the UN Security Council by the United States regarding the establishment of a new mechanism for investigating chemical attacks in Syria.

    12 members of the Council voted for the resolution, and Russia and Bolivia voted against it. China abstained from voting.

    Vasily Nebenzya, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the Security Council, said that with the new U.S. resolution “they are trying to revive a joint investigation mechanism that ‘ …

  • Erdogan confirms that Turkey will go ahead with purchase of S-400 air defense systems from Russia

    President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan confirmed that Turkey will purchase Russian S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile systems, despite the new sanctions against the Russian Federation, RIA Novosti reports.

     “The S-400 topic worries some. Why? Turkey itself decides its fate. We will do what is profitable for the country,” stated Erdoğan.

    According to him, Turkey “should not need permission” to sign agreements.

    Turkey and Russia signed an agreement on the delivery of Turkey’s S-400 systems in …

  • Putin gives awards to two American generals

    Russian President Vladimir Putin has awarded the Russian Order of Friendship to two American generals "for their great contribution to the development of cooperation in the field of cosmonautics." A corresponding decree has been published on Russia’s official Internet portal for legal information.

    The Russian Order of Friendship was awarded to retired American Infantry Major-General Charles Frank Bolden, who participated in four space flights, totaling a duration of 28 days, between 1986 and 19 …

  • Kremlin intends to support Russian companies that fell under US sanctions

    At a governmental meeting with his deputies, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev called the new sanctions imposed by the U.S. Department of Treasury “unpleasant protectionism” against Russian companies and businessmen, The Insider news outlet reports. “Friday’s sanctions against our country are, no doubt, another manifestation of the protectionist policy only dressed up as sanctions,” Medvedev said.

    The PM stated that Russia considers the new sanctions unacceptable and unlawful, as they go …

  • Israeli general: Israel struck Syrian airbase to prevent consolidation of Iranian forces in the region

    Retired Israeli Air Force commander Eitan Ben-Eliyahu indirectly acknowledged that Israeli fighters caused the air strike on the Tifor (T-4) Airbase in the Syrian province of Homs, as Washington had no reason to hide the fact of the attack and had too little time to prepare the strike.

    In an interview with the newspaper Maariv, the general said that he had no doubt about the connection between "this attack and the use of poisonous substances in the city of Douma." He also added that Israel is …