Section: Top stories
Putin `could be allowed to rejoin G7` if he pulls out of Syria – media
The prospect of Russia rejoining the G7 group of the world`s leading industrialized nations will be used as part of a carrot and stick approach to persuade President Vladimir Putin to pull out of Syria, The Daily Telegraph understands. Rex Tillerson, the U.S. Secretary of State, will fly to Moscow later this week with an ultimatum from the G7...
OSCE spots at least 10 Grads, howitzers and tanks near occupied Luhansk
Monitors from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine have reported they spotted proscribed weapons in Russian-occupied areas in Donbas on the weekend; they included multiple rocket launchers, howitzers, as well as tanks, according to an update. ”In violation of the respective withdrawal lines in areas not controlled by the...
Czech court closes down organization posing as ”Donetsk People`s Republic Consulate”
The Regional Court in Czech Republic`s Ostrava started proceedings to liquidate the ”DPR” Representative Center in Czech territory headed by Czech national Nela Liskova, according to Hlidacipes.org. The court handed down the ruling on the second attempt, Hlidacipes.org reported. Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek demanded court action as...
Russian naval activity in Europe exceeds Cold War levels – U.S. Navy Admiral Michelle Howard
Recent Russian naval activity in Europe exceeds levels seen during the Cold War, a top U.S. and NATO military officer said, voicing concern that the distributed nature of the deployments could end up ”splitting and distracting” the transatlantic alliance, according to Reuters. ”We`re seeing activity that we didn`t even see when it was the Soviet...
New Russia sanctions weighed in U.S. Senate over Moscow`s support for Assad
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Friday indicated a willingness to work with Democrats toward drafting new sanctions targeting Russia in response to Moscow`s unwavering support for Syrian President Bashar Assad, according to The Washington Times. See also: U.S. imposes sanctions against eight Russian companies While Russia is already...
UNICEF: Children in east Ukraine need urgent support to overcome trauma of volatile conflict
More than 200,000 children – or 1 in 4 – in the two regions most severely affected by the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine require urgent and sustained psychosocial support to address the trauma of living through more than three years of violence, the United Nations Children`s Fund (UNICEF) said on April 7. See also: Civilian casualties...
Containers for chemical weapons found at Shayrat Air Base in Syria – OSINT experts
On April 7, 2017, two U.S. warships fired 59 Tomahawk missiles at the Shayrat Air Base located in the province of Homs in western Syria. This strike was delivered in response to the recent attack on civilians with the use of sarin, lethal chemical weapon. On April 4, 2017, the Air Force of Bashar al-Assad and his ally, the Russian Federation,...
U.S. soldiers, Ukrainian forces train to hold ground – media
U.S. soldiers recently guided a battalion of Ukrainian infantrymen through a 55-day training rotation that culminated in live-fire defensive maneuvers designed to help Ukrainian troops ”hold ground” in battle, according to Stars and Stripes. The exercise was among the most intensive since U.S. troops began picking up the pace of training in...
Donald Trump and Angela Merkel discuss about Ukraine, Afghanistan by phone
U.S. President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed several issues including the conflict in eastern Ukraine and the situation in Afghanistan during a telephone conversation on Wednesday, the White House said, according to Reuters. ”The leaders pledged close cooperation and coordination on these and other issues,” the White...
European Parliament votes for visa liberalization for Ukraine
The European Parliament (EP) has upheld the European Commission`s decision to grant Ukraine a visa-free regime, according to an UaPosition correspondent. The vote took place as part of an EP plenary meeting in Strasbourg on April 6. Some 521 MEPs voted in favor of the decision, 75 were against, and 36 abstained. As is known, the European...