According to President Obama's budget plan for 2017, $953 million will be allocated to the US State Department to support democratic societies and develop anti-corruption programs in Russia’s neighboring countries.

As reported by the media citing officials, the money is allocated under the article “to deter Russian aggression using public diplomacy and aid programs, and to establish sustainable government in Europe”.

“It refers to anti-corruption programs, establishing energy security …

In Kiev, on February 19 – 28, 2016, Canadian doctors will provide free reconstructive surgery to wounded Ukrainian soldiers and Maidan activists.

As a correspondent of UKRINFORM reported, this initiative was organized by the Canadian-Ukrainian Fund in cooperation with the government of Canada.  "All operations will be free.  It is expected that there will be about 30-40 patients," the Fund informed.

To carry out this mission, the government of Canada has invested 1.2 million Canadian dollars.  …

German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has reminded all that the UN Security Council resolution on Syria calls for an end to indiscriminate attacks and in particular, attacks from the air.

Merkel also condemned the Russian bombings in Syria which have forced tens of thousands of civilians to flee.

She went on to say that she was “terrified” by the results of the air strikes and suggested that they violated the UN Security Council resolution that was signed by Moscow in December.

Speaking in …

Bombers of the Russian Air Force have carried out airstrikes on opposition-controlled residential quarters in the Syrian city of Aleppo.

Ten civilians were killed, the majority of whom were children.  An additional 20 people were wounded.  This was reported to the Anadolu Agency by the representative of the General Directorate of Civil Defence, Ibrahim Leys.

According to him, the areas of Salihin, Kellese and Huluk came under attack.  The wounded were taken to field hospitals.  Civil Defense …

The leader of the People’s Freedom Party (Parnas), Mikhail Kasyanov, has been attacked in Moscow.  He did not suffer any serious injuries.

This was reported by the head of the youth department of Parnas, Mikhail Konev.  In an interview with Radio Svoboda, he said that a group of people from Chechnya attempted an assault on Kasyanov but that his security personnel successfully fought them off.  Konev also said that at that time, Kasyanov was writing a statement at the police station.

“There …

The Russian Federation has refused to participate in the meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group on the 10th of February in Minsk.  This was reported to the Ukrayinskaya Pravda by sources close to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

As previously reported, the Russian representative in the Trilateral Contact Group, Boris Gryzlov, had expressed readiness to come to Minsk to continue consultations at any time.

A meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the “Normandy …

The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, said that the Chechen Special Forces are fighting against members of the so-called Islamic State in Syria.  He also announced the creation of an extensive intelligence network within the so-called Islamic State, where "the best soldiers of the Republic" were sent to infiltrate the extremist group.

"It is time to talk about those who contribute to the success of the Russian Air Force globally and are paying the price of their own lives," as stated in a …

A French Court rejected an appeal made by former Yukos shareholders to suspend the construction of an Orthodox Center in Paris. This plot of land belongs to the Presidential Property Management Department of the Russian Federation. The plot is almost 5,000 square metres, and is located near the Eiffel Tower.

However, the Court rejected the appeal of the former Yukos shareholders, explaining that this plot is protected by diplomatic immunity. On the 22nd of January, the Collegiate Council …