POLITICS
Ukraine begins withdrawal of small-caliber weapons from Donbas
Ukraine will begin the withdrawal of military equipment and small-caliber weapons from the demarcation line in the Donbas conflict zone in the afternoon on Saturday, presidential administration spokesman for the Anti-Terrorist Operation Colonel Andriy Lysenko said at a briefing in Kyiv on Saturday. "In the afternoon on...
Turchynov: Active hostilities still possible in Donbas
Despite the compliance with the ceasefire, a threat of active hostilities still remains in the Donbas conflict zone, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksandr Turchynov told journalists after visiting a National Guard's training center in Kyiv region. "Ukraine fulfills all of its obligations...
Syrian opposition accuses Russia of aggression against civilians
Syrian opposition condemns Russia for bombing residential areas, according to an independent journalist Reza Afshar citing Syrian opposition leader Khaled Khoja. Khaled Khoja condemned Russia’s actions, speaking at a press conference on Wednesday. He said, Syrian people have right to resist Russian aggression....
EU: agreement on small-caliber weapons withdrawal in Donbas «positive step»
The European Union called the agreement reached within the Trilateral Contact Group on withdrawal of small-caliber weaponsin the ATO zone a positive step forward, and urged to fulfill other Minsk agreements, in particular those regarding local elections. "The agreement on the withdrawal of tanks, artillery under 100mm and...
CNN: Russia conducts first airstrike in Syria (Video)
Russia has conducted its first airstrike in Syria, near the city of Homs, a senior U.S. official told CNN on Wednesday. The Russians told the United States that they should not fly U.S. warplanes in Syria, but gave no geographical information about where they planned to strike, CNN reports. The senior official said U.S....
Pentagon opens lines of communication with Russia on Syria Read
Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter has directed his staff to "open lines of communication with Russia on de-confliction," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said, DPA reported. Carter's order made it clear that the two nations have common ground when it comes to fighting Islamic State, and the goal should be to take...
BREAKING: Russia approves use of military force in Syria
Vladimir Putin request to Russian parliament required under country's law immediately approved, paving the way for open Russian intervention in Syria, according to The Telegraph. Syrian president Bashar al-Assad asked Russia's Vladimir Putin for military aid, the Kremlin's chief of staff Sergei Ivanov said on...
Poroshenko about Putin’s statement: «Cool story, but hard to believe!
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says he can hardly believe in the sincerity of statements made by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the UN General Assembly regarding the establishment of an anti-terrorist coalition. "In the past few days, we've heard conciliatory statements from the Russian side in which,...
CNN: Obama, noting world calamities, urges diplomacy
With progress fighting ISIS moving slowly, and Russian fighters entrenched in Eastern Ukraine, President Barack Obama returned to the United Nations General Assembly this week anxious to shore up international support for U.S. plans to counter various global crises, according to CNN. Calling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad a...
Poroshenko and Obama hold unscheduled, serious conversation
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday held a conversation at the 70th session of the UN General Assembly in New York. "A very serious conversation between the presidents of Ukraine and the United States took place," Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN Yuriy Sergeyev...
Taliban assault Afghanistan’s Kunduz city from three directions
Hundreds of Taliban fighters have launched an attack on the strategic northern Afghan city of Kunduz. Militants are attacking from several directions and are reported to have briefly entered a hospital. There are casualties on both sides, police say. Kunduz province has seen a number of attacks since April, with the Taliban...
Sunday blast near SBU’s Odesa office investigated as terrorist attack
Police have been investigating an explosion that occurred near the office of Ukraine's SBU Security Service in Odesa on Sunday as a terrorist attack, according to the press service of the Interior Ministry's main department in Odesa region. A criminal case has been opened to investigate the incident under Part 2 of...