Contents tagged with Ukraine

  • Donbas negotiations fail as Russia amasses 150,000 troops on Ukrainian border

    Negotiations in the "Normandy format" on the situation in southeastern Ukraine ended inconclusively, Interfax, Kommersant and RIA Novosti reported, citing a source in the Russian delegation.

    The three-hour video conference, which was attended by advisers to the presidents of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany, failed to reach any agreements on the Donbas amid the ongoing transfer of Russian troops to the borders.

    “At the initiative of the Russian side, the issues related to the ceasefire …

  • Russia builds new military camp in annexed Crimea

    Russia continues to deploy equipment to the annexed Crimea and has built a new military camp there, reported the German newspaper Der Spiegel.

    Der Spiegel published satellite images showing a military base 30 kilometers from the village of Maryivka in the Leninsky district, with more than a thousand trucks stationed in the fenced sections. Satellite photos show that on March 15 the field was empty, and as of April 13, the territory is completely jammed with Russian military equipment.

    As the …

  • Russia deploys 50 fighter jets to annexed Crimea

    Russia has moved more than 50 fighter jets from Stavropol to the annexed Crimea, TASS reports with reference to the press service of the Southern Military District of the Russian Federation.

    The crews of the Su-25SM3 aviation unit of the 4th Air Force and Air Defense Army of the Southern Military District, stationed in Stavropol, are relocated to the military airfields in Crimea.

    At the same time, the Su-25SM3 Squadron stationed in Crimea was relocated to the Ashuluk test site in the …

  • Ukrainian consul detained in Russia

    The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) detained Ukrainian consul Alexander Sosonyuk. He was allegedly detained in St. Petersburg, “when he was receiving information of a classified nature during a meeting with a Russian citizen," TASS reports, citing the FSB Center for Public Relations.

    "On April 16 in St. Petersburg, the Federal Security Service detained red-handed Ukrainian diplomat, consul of the Consulate General of Ukraine in St. Petersburg Alexander Sosonyuk, during his meeting with …

  • Russia closes Kerch Strait to Ukraine

    Russia has announced the that it is closing the Kerch Strait for warships of Ukraine and other countries during its military exercises, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

    According to Kyiv, the decision comes into force from next week and will be in effect until October. It extends to parts of the Black Sea adjacent to the Kerch Strait.

    "Such actions of the Russian Federation are yet another violation of the norms and principles of international law. They are intended to usurp …

  • Ankara: Turkey does not side with anyone in Russia-Ukraine conflict

    Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his country does not take sides in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

    "Turkey has good relations with both Russia and Ukraine," Cavusoglu said in an interview with the Turkish news agency NTV.

    Cavusoglu said Turkey wants to see peace in the Black Sea region, but existing tensions between Russia and Ukraine are hampering that. He stressed that Ankara would like a diplomatic solution to this conflict.

    "We don't take sides. Our position is …

  • Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany: Ukraine will consider restoring its nuclear status if not accepted in NATO

    If Ukraine is not accepted into NATO, it may consider restoring its nuclear status to defend against Russia, said Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Andriy Melnyk on Deutschlandfunk radio.

    According to him, to date, about 90,000 Russian military personnel have been transferred to the borders of Ukraine, the annexed Crimea and territories of the Donbas which are not under Kyiv’s control. The intelligence information indicates that their number will increase to 110,000.

    The Ambassador drew …

  • Ukraine begins large-scale military exercises near Crimea

    The command of the Ukrainian Joint Forces Operation reported that Ukrainian Armed Forces have begun large-scale military exercise near the border of the annexed Crimea. According to the scenario of the exercises, Ukrainian military will train to repel an invasion of a hypothetical enemy.

    Tank and artillery units will be taking part in the exercises.

    According to the Commander of the Joint Forces Operations, General Naev, the exercises will be held in real-life conditions.

    He noted that the …

  • Russian Foreign Minister warns Turkey against selling weapons to Ukraine

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned Turkey, as well as other countries, against selling weapons to Ukraine.

    Lavrov said that some countries, in particular Turkey, "feed the militaristic sentiments" of Ukraine.

    The Russian Foreign Minister recommended that countries that cooperate with Ukraine "analyze the situation" and called Kyiv's statements "utterly belligerent."

    At the same time, Lavrov did not specify what "belligerent" statements of Ukraine he specifically had in mind. In …

  • Kremlin tells Washington to stay away from Crimea ‘for its own good’

    Moscow views the U.S. sending its warships to the Black Sea amid the escalation in the Donbas as a "provocation" and warns that they should "stay away" from Russian shores, said the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergei Ryabkov.

    According to him, Russia will continue to "protect the Russian-speaking population" in the Donbas, despite U.S. warnings that the resumption of hostilities in southeastern Ukraine will entail a "payback."

    "Any threat only strengthens our conviction that we are on …