On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the congress of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP), and later held a meeting with major businessmen behind closed doors. During the public part of the meeting, Putin praised the business leaders for their "mature and responsible" work, and assured them that the government is working on reducing the fiscal burden brought on by the economic crisis. The Russian President also said that he supports “easing the law” for …

On March 23rd, a District Court in Warsaw found Yuriy K., a Belarusian citizen, guilty of espionage. The court determined that the Belarusian took photos of several important Polish military facilities, including air bases in Powidz, Krzesiny, Świdwin and Świnoujście, from 2009 until his arrest in 2014, Radio Polsha reported

According to the court, Yuri K. used his mobile phone to communicate with a Belarusian officer, from whom he took orders.

The 35-year-old Yuri K., who is now in custody, …

The Central Bank of the Russian Federation has established an interim administration for the first Czech-Russian bank, which is known for providing loans to the National Front political party (France), headed by Marine Le Pen. “The interim administration will quickly prepare proposals regarding the future activities of the bank,” as reported on the bank’s website.

Russian media had previously reported on problems at the bank. In particular, on the 13th of March, the daily newspaper Vedomosti …

The former Minister of Defense of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Igor Strelkov (aka Igor Girkin), stated that the separatists have brought ruin to the Donbas, built "simulacrums of republics", and created "a pigsty and a mess". Before the separatists came to power, the quality of life in Donetsk was higher, Strelkov stated, as reported by Chetvertaya Vlast.

Strelkov made these comments during an interview with representatives of the NOD (National Liberation Movement), a Russian …

US Secretary of State John Kerry stated that sanctions against Russia will be lifted on the condition that the Minsk Agreements are fully implemented by Moscow."I repeat the promise of the President of the US Barack Obama that sanctions will be lifted after the withdrawal of troops and weapons, and the restoration of the sovereignty of the Ukrainian border," Kerry said on Thursday in Moscow.According to Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov, Moscow and Washington do not disagree on …

The Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine reported that six Russian servicemen were killed and five others were injured on March 22-23 during attempts to attack the industrial area in Avdiivka. “The enemy continues to maintain tension in the direction of Donetsk. High intensity of shelling of ATO forces’ [Ukrainian army] positions, including use of grenade launchers, 82 and 100-mm mortars, remains in Avdiivka and Yasynuvata,” the report says.

In addition, the Intelligence noted that …

Moscow believes that the genocide conviction of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžić is politicized, Interfax reported.

The Hague found Karadžić guilty of 10 of 11 charges on Thursday, including one count of genocide in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, in which 7,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed by Bosnian Serbs.

Karadžić, however, was found not guilty of the first case of genocide, relating to killing and ethnic cleansing in several Bosnian municipalities.

The former …

The Prosecutor's Office sent an indictment to the court regarding the conviction in absentia of the ‘head’ of the so-called ‘Luhansk People`s Republic’ (LPR), Igor Plotnitsky, for the kidnapping of Ukrainian pilot, Nadiya Savchenko, as stated by the Press Service of the Prosecutor's Office of Kiev.

"The Prosecutor's Office of Kiev approved and sent to the court an indictment against the so-called ‘ex-Defense Minister of the LPR’, Igor Plotnitsky, for the commission of a terrorist act, and the …