Contents tagged with Ukraine

  • Crimeans Appeal Decision to Switch to Russian License Plates

    The Russian Government has required all Crimean drivers to change their documents and license plate numbers to Russian standards by April 1, 2016. However, the residents of Crimea have appealed this decision by Russia before the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, RIA Novosti reported.

    “The Supreme Court will hear a complaint filed in connection with the government resolution requiring Crimean drivers to change their registration documents and license plate numbers to the Russian system,” …

  • Ukrainian Servicemen Receive NATO Training Certificates

    The Ukrainian military received NATO certificates from Canadian instructors for the completion of a course on neutralization and countering improvised explosive devices. This was reported on the website of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

    "In the Mine Action Center of the operational support command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which is stationed in the Khmelnitsky region, the Ukrainian servicemen were solemnly presented with NATO standard certificates that state the completion of the …

  • Russia Halts Transit of Ukrainian Goods

    The Russian Federation has imposed customs duties as well as a food embargo against Ukraine in an effort to protect its market from the influx of duty-free supplies entering the Ukraine from the European Union. The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine (MEDTU) reported that Russia has fully halted the transit of Ukrainian goods into its territory as of 4 January 2016.

    “This ban by the Russian Federation is not clear. It is unacceptable and discriminatory in nature. Therefore, …

  • New Gas Corridor to be Constructed between Poland and Ukraine

    A new gas corridor, named the “North-South” corridor, will make it possible for gas to be transported from a Polish gas port in Świnoujście to other countries in Central and Eastern Europe. The Polish gas pipelines, Lwówek–Odolanów and Hermanowice–Strachocina, that will be constructed by the State “Gaz System” are critical parts of the gas corridor “North-South.”

    Among other things, this corridor will provide the opportunity to pump liquefied natural gas, delivered to the Polish gas port in Ś …

  • Ukrainian intelligence determines location of 57 prisoners in Donbas

    An Adviser to the Chairman of the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), Yuri Tandit, stated that illegally armed groups hold about 140 Ukrainian citizens as prisoners, and the SSU has found the exact location of 57 of them. “We know the exact location of 57 people. We have seen traces of others, there are almost 140 hostages in Ukraine. We hope that Russia, as a participant of the Minsk Agreements, will do everything in its power to accelerate the exchange of prisoners,” Yuri Tandit said.

    Tandit …

  • Bellingcat: 20 Russian Soldiers Involved In Downing of MH17

    The founder of the Bellingcat group of experts, Eliot Higgins, announced that the company has further narrowed the list of people thought to be involved in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. Twenty Russian servicemen are included on the newest version of the list. In an interview with the Dutch magazine NOS, Higgins stated that the Bellingcat report with the names and pictures of suspects was handed over to the Prosecutor’s Office of the Netherlands.

    The Prosecutor’s Office confirmed …

  • Russian Spy Chief Dies

    According to a statement released by the Interfax news agency, Colonel General Igor Sergun, the director of GRU (Russia’s military intelligence agency) unexpectedly died on Sunday at the age of 58.

    Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu did not specify the cause of death and offered no additional details.

    Igor Sergun joined the Soviet military in 1973, in 1984 he joined military intelligence and became chief of the GRU in 2011.

    Last year the US and European Union added Sergun to the sanction …

  • Poltorak: US Military Base Not Allowed On Ukrainian Soil

    According to Ukrainian News, Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said that Ukraine has no plans of allowing a US military base on its territory.

    "We are not considering such a possibility. Ukrainian legislation doesn't allow such an occurrence. All we have is a close cooperation that allows us to learn from each other and share experiences," he said.

    The Minister explained that the country has high hopes for establishing a Ukrainian-Polish-Lithuanian brigade. Conducting joint exercises as part …

  • Crimea’s Electricity Problems Continue

    Crimea continues to experience power shortages, which are especially pronounced at peak hours. The head of the Crimean Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, Sergey Shakhov, said that Crimea now needs up to 1350 megawatts, but the supply is still short. This was the reason why the planned blackouts were to take effect during peak hours.

    "As of 6:00 PM on January 3rd, the total amount of power generated on the peninsula is 931 megawatts. Crimea itself generates 513 megawatts while the …

  • OSCE Informed Of Pro-Russian Separatists' Weapons Violations

    The General Intelligence Directorate reported that Ukraine has informed the representatives of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine about the placement of prohibited weapons in the regions of three settlements: Lobachyov, Bezymyannoye and Jubileynoye.

    “The situation in the ATO zone remains challenging. Pro-Russian militants shelled Ukrainian positions 20 times using small arms and grenade launchers,” the report said. Intelligence officers noted that they provided information about …