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Moscow to sue Kiev over $3 billion debt
The Russian Ministry of Finance has declared that Kiev is in a “state of default”, and that Moscow is taking legal action against Ukraine. The $3 billion Eurobond debt owed to Russia was loaned during the reign of former president Viktor Yanukovich in 2013 under the stipulation that Ukraine forgo any steps towards European integration, namely the ratification of the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement.
Russian authorities have contacted the Law Debenture Corporation and initiated the …
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Russia demands prosecution of Syrian Turkman who shot Russian pilot
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has demanded that Turkey arrest the leader of an insurgent group of Syrian Turkmen, Alparslan Celik, and bring him to justice for the murder of Russian pilot Oleg Peshkov, as reported by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, on the agency’s website.
In an interview with the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, Celik confessed to participating in the shooting of the pilot after he ejected from his Su-24 bomber that was shot down by a Turkish F-16 …
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Yavlinsky: Russia must create political alternative in 2016
In an op-ed written for Novaya Gazeta, politician Grigory Yavlinsky examined the year's main events in Russia, highlighting political reprisals against political dissidents, in particular the assassination of Boris Nemtsov.
"The whole theme of this year, the most pressure put on civil society in the last 30 years, the amount of force used in the country and in international relations, is concentrated in the very beginning: the tragedy of February 27th," Yavlinsky wrote, referring to the day on …
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Russia to bolster defense in Armenia
Last week, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his Armenian counterpart Seyran Ohanyan signed an agreement on the creation of a Joint Regional Air Defense System in the Caucasian Collective Security Region.
“During the talks, we discussed a broad range of issues of cooperation in the military and military-technical spheres. The plans of bilateral cooperation of the defense ministries were signed for the next year,” Shoigu stated.
Armenia is home to two Russian military bases and 4,000-5 …
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Russian ruble hits lowest level in a year
On December 30th, the Russian ruble reached its lowest level against the U.S. dollar in a year, falling to 73 rubles and 20 kopecks to the dollar.
The ruble lost 40 percent of its value last year. Its present value is 20 percent lower than a year ago. This is an indication of how the Russian economy has suffered from Western economic sanctions and falling oil prices.
Russia's economy was hit hard by the sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union and other countries. The …