Canada imposed additional sanctions on ten Russian companies and two Russian citizens. This information was posted on the website of the Government of Canada on Friday, March 18th.

The Canadian sanctions list includes Inserbank, Mosoblbank, Volgogradneftemash, Izhevsk Mechanical Plant (IMZ), Izhmash, Tekhnopromexport, Tehmash, Roselektroniks, the holding company Schwabe that is a part of Rostec, and Tekhnopromexport.

The Deputy CEO of Kalashnikov, Edward Joffe, and Chief Export Officer …

The Minister of Defense of Lithuania, Juozas Olekas, approved a new military strategy in which Russian actions are described as the main threat for the security of Lithuania, as reported by Delfi."The military strategy of 2012 did not correspond to the realities of defense and the new challenges to the Lithuanian army. On the basis of Ukrainian and Georgian experience, the Lithuanian army should be prepared to respond quickly to military threats, either on its own or together with allies," …

During a UN Security Council meeting regarding compliance with human rights in the Crimea, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid al-Hussein mentioned that the situation in the Crimea remains critical and requires constant monitoring by the international community, as stated by the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.

The restriction of civil and political rights of Crimean residents, the lack of freedom of expression, and the atmosphere of intolerance are of particular concern …

Kyrgyz authorities have suspended entry for Uzbek citizens at three border checkpoints between the two countries after Uzbekistan mobilized dozens of soldiers, two military trucks, and two armored personnel carriers along a disputed section of the border near Ala-Buka on March 18th, Radio Svoboda reported.

Kyrgyz and Uzbek authorities have initiated talks to reopen the border.

Many areas along the borders in Central Asia remain in dispute since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Along …

A FlyDubai Boeing 737-800 flying from Dubai crashed as it was attempting to land in Rostov-on-Don. It is not clear what caused the crash, but poor visibility and high winds are considered to be the main factors. The crash killed all 55 passengers and seven crew members.

FlyDubai said 44 Russians, eight Ukrainians, two Indians and an Uzbek were on board.

CCTV footage showed an explosion and a huge flash after the plane crashed.

"The aircraft hit the ground and broke into pieces," the …

Russia continues to carry out airstrikes in Syria, despite President Vladimir Putin’s announcement on Monday that the majority of Russian forces would be withdrawn from the war-torn country, Interfax reported.

According to the head of the Main Operations Directorate of the Armed Forces of Russia, Lieutenant-General Sergey Rudskoy, Russian aircraft continue to carry out airstrikes against the so-called Islamic State and al-Nusra Front in support of Syrian government forces in the territory …

According to Swedish Security Service (SAPO), Russia uses psychological warfare in order to influence decision-making in the country. On March 17th, the SAPO presented a report in Stockholm stating that Russia supports extremist movements in Sweden and consciously spreads false information throughout the country.

“It can be, for example, propaganda from Russian media companies that are seeking to influence our perception of reality,” a counterintelligence analyst, Wilhelm Unge, stated.  …

During a meeting in Crimea with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak and the head of the Ministry of Economic Development, Alexey Ulyukaev,  Vladimir Putin demanded that those responsible for the delay in construction of the Kerch Strait Bridge from Russia to Crimea be properly dealt with, as reported by Dozhd. According to the Russian President, a specific person must be responsible for the results of work, so the Putin "does not have to keep calling phones all around the Government or …