• Activist charged under 'anti-protest law' flees Russia

    Civil activist, Iryna Kalmykova, who is accused of repeated violations of the procedure for the holding of protests, has left Russia with her son.

    “Hurrah! I’m in Ukraine,” wrote Kalmykova on one of her social networking pages.  She is currently in Kiev.  Moscow’s Tverskoy Court’s hearing on her case should have been held on Monday, but was adjourned to February 4th due to her absence.

    The case was brought against Kalmykova on June 8th.  The activist faces up to five years’ imprisonment under …

  • Joint Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian Brigade to be ready in 2017

    A ceremony was held in Lublin to mark the beginning of the Polish-Lithuanian-Ukrainian brigade, as reported by web portal TVN 24.

    The ceremony was attended by the Defense Ministers of Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine; Antoni Macierewicz, Juozas Olekas and Stepan Poltorak.

    According to the Defense Minister of Poland, all three battalions have shown solid progress, and there is every chance that the joint team will be at full combat readiness next year.

    He added that he considers the cooperation …

  • Four Russian Citizens Receive Political Asylum in Ukraine

    Four Russian citizens received political asylum in Ukraine in 2015, as reported by the head of the press service of the State Migration Service, Sergei Gunko.

    Refugee status was received by seven Russians; overall 86 Russian citizens requested asylum in Ukraine. As of January 1st, Ukraine is now home to 2,500 refugees and about 600 citizens who are in need of additional protection.

    Previously, the Director of the Department for Foreigners and Stateless Persons, Natalia Naumenko, said that …

  • Donetsk's Shevchenko Boulevard to be renamed after Kadyrov

    According to Glavnoe, the head of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, took the decision to rename the Boulevard Shevhenko as part of the ongoing “de-Ukrainization" campaign in areas controlled by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.  It is to be renamed in honor of the leader of the Chechen Republic, also known as the “patriot of Russia”, Ramzan Kadyrov. Glavnoe reported that this information was posted in the newspaper of the DPR.

    It should however be noted …

  • Ukrainian Media: Former Swedish Prime Minister a Possible Successor to Yatsenyuk

    The Government of Ukraine may be headed by the former Swedish Prime Minister, Carl Bildt, instead of Arseniy Yatsenyuk, as reported by Glavcom, citing a source in the presidential administration.

    The appointment of Bildt, as the newspaper notes, would simplify the negotiations with international money lenders for Kiev, and would also allow President Poroshenko to take greater control of the activities of the government. In addition, such a personnel choice would help the authorities to shift …