Contents tagged with Russia

  • Czech Republic demands compensation from Russia for ammunition warehouse explosions

    The Czech Republic demanded that Russia pay compensation for damages caused by explosions at ammunition depots in Vrbetice in 2014, reported the Czech Foreign Ministry.

    Deputy Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic Martin Smolek gave the Russian Ambassador to Prague, Aleksandr Zmeyevsky, a note, which speaks about the international responsibility of the Russian Federation and the demand to fully compensate for the damage caused by the explosions in Vrbetica.

    According to the news outlet Idnes. …

  • Largest Russian cargo airline starts bypassing Belarus due to sanctions

    Russia's largest cargo carrier, the private group Volga-Dnepr, owned by Russian oligarch Alexey Isaikin, refused to fly over Belarus, according to FlightRadar24 data. "We have indeed decided not to use the airspace of Belarus for flights," a representative of the Volga-Dnepr group told the Russian news agency RBC. He declined to comment further.

    This happened after the European Union, Great Britain, and the United States imposed sanctions against Belarusian companies, including the national …

  • Sea Breeze-2021 multinational military exercises kick off in Black Sea

    The kickoff of the multinational exercises Sea Breeze-2021 took place in Odesa on June 28. Representatives of about 30 partner countries involved in the maneuvers took part in the event, reported Ukrainian Defense Ministry.

    "The main goal of Sea Breeze 2021 is to increase the level of interoperability between the Ukrainian, U.S. Navy and NATO member states while fulfilling common tasks to maintain maritime regional security and ensure peace and stability in the Black Sea region," the statement …

  • Russia deploys to Syria fighter jets capable of carrying hypersonic missiles

    Russia has begun joint exercises of its permanent Mediterranean flotilla and aircraft of the Russian Air Force, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

    The maneuvers involve five ships: the missile cruiser Moskva, frigates Admiral Essen and Admiral Makarov, submarines Stary Oskol and Rostov-on-Don, as well as anti-submarine and strategic aircraft. The drills began against the backdrop of the anti-ISIS operation of British aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth. According to the Russian …

  • Ukrainian Foreign Minister summons German and French ambassadors over Merkel’s and Macron’s proposal for direct talks with Putin

    The Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, summoned the German Ambassador Anka Feldhusen and France’s ambassador Etienne de Ponsen to hear an explanation regarding the proposal of the French and German leaders to hold direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    According to him, the fact that other leaders of the European Union refused the idea to hold a summit with Putin is "very good. It is a victory." Also, the document adopted by the EU member states says that Russia should …

  • Kremlin: Russia is ready to fight to keep Crimea

    Russia is ready to defend the inviolability of its borders using military methods, said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, commenting on the incident in the Black Sea with the British destroyer HMS Defender.

    "We can appeal to common sense and demand respect for international law. If it does not help, we can drop bombs, not just on the course, but also on target, if colleagues do not understand," Ryabkov is quoted as saying by Interfax.

    The deputy minister stressed that the …

  • Merkel calls for renewed dialogue with Russia

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is leaving her post in September, has begun lobbying for resetting relations with Russia.

    On Thursday, during her last speech in the Bundestag, Merkel said it was necessary to resume direct contacts with President Vladimir Putin, suspended after the annexation of Crimea in 2014.

    "In my opinion, we as the European Union must also seek direct contact with Russia and the Russian president. It is not enough for the U.S. president to talk to the Russian …

  • Putin: Russia is ready to become part of ‘Greater Europe’

    Russia remains committed to the idea of a "Greater Europe," a single space of cooperation and security from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans and calls for an end to the "heavy weight of misunderstandings" in bilateral relations, wrote Russian President Vladimir Putin in an article dedicated to the anniversary of the beginning of World War II.

    Heroes of the Red Army and workers of the rear saved Europe from enslavement, coming to Germany’s land "with a noble, great mission as a liberator," …

  • Russia urges U.S. not to take part in ‘aggressive’ Sea Breeze-2021 exercises

    Russia calls on the United States not to take part in the multinational military exercises Sea Breeze-2021, said the Russian Embassy in the United States.

    According to the Russian side, the Sea Breeze exercises are "large-scale and aggressive" and these exercises allegedly do not meet the real security objectives in the Black Sea region.

    The Russian embassy also said that these exercises "increase the risks of unintentional incidents, as well as encourage Kyiv’s militaristic sentiment."

    "All …

  • Russian fighter jet opens fire on British destroyer in Black Sea

    A Russian Su-24M fighter jet opened fire at the British destroyer HMS Defender in the Black Sea, reports Interfax, citing a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry.

    The "warning shelling" was carried out to stop the British ship from violating the Russian border, the Russian military said.

    According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the incident occurred around noon near Cape Fiolent. The destroyer entered 3 km into Russian waters and did not respond to warnings.

    At 12.06 and 12.08 the …