US Secretary of State John Kerry US Secretary of State John Kerry has issued a stern and final warning to Russia to help de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine or face more sanctions. “The window to change course is closing. The world will make sure the costs for Russia will only grow” if Russia refuses to change course, Kerry said late Thursday. Kerry’s warning came after Ukraine used lethal force... 

Ukraine’s Acting Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia Ukraine acting foreign minister says Kiev is ready to fight Russian troops if Moscow deploys forces to the country. “The Ukrainian people and Ukrainian army are ready to do this. Ukraine will confront Russia. We will defend our land. We will defend our territory,” the Associated Press quoted Andriy Deshchytsia as saying. The Ukrainian official... 

Russia holds military drills near the Ukrainian border as a response to Kiev’s using armed forces against pro-Russian protestors and NATO’s recent European exercises. Russia’s military drills came on Thursday after President Vladimir Putin accused Kiev of using armed forces against protesters in Ukraine’s eastern regions. Earlier on Thursday Ukrainian troops entered the eastern city... 

Five anti-government protesters have reportedly been killed and one injured in the eastern Ukrainian town of Slavyansk after Kiev authorities sent tanks and armored vehicles against the local population. “During the antiterrorist operation, three checkpoints erected by illegal military groups have been destroyed in the northeastern part of Slavyansk,” the Ukrainian Interior Ministry said, adding:... 

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday delivered ​​a report to the deputies of the State Duma on the work of the government in 2013. The report from the head of the cabinet lasted for one hour, ten minutes and was interrupted by applause eight times. In his speech, the Prime Minister spoke about the achievements and challenges in the activities of the government, announced the plans... 

US frigate USS Taylor (FFG 50) has entered the Black Sea, according to the US Navy, as the Pentagon announces plans to dispatch some 600 troops to Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia for military exercises. The US claims the ship’s entry is “to promote peace and stability in the region.” “The US Navy routinely operates ships in the Black Sea consistent with the Montreux Convention and International... 

Artist’s rendering of the possible communications application of an upward falling payload. The Pentagon’s research arm, DARPA, is developing robot pods that can sit at the bottom of the ocean for long stretches of time, waiting to release airborne and water-based drones to the surface upon an attack command. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recently called for bids to... 

A sobering report prepared by Northern Fleet (NF) Commander Admiral Vladimir Korolev that is circulating in the Kremlin today states that the “meteor incident” in the skies above Murmansk Oblast early this morning (02:10 local time) that resulted in a “spectacular fireball” explosion [see video below] was, in fact, the destruction of an American spy drone fired upon and destroyed by “advanced... 

The Pentagon may deploy more ground troops in Poland, although the number may be much smaller than what the eastern European NATO member wants to see. Washington is seeking to reassure allies amid fears of a Russian aggression. Warsaw and Washington may announce the deployment of additional American troops in Poland next week, Polish Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said following a meeting with... 

Russian Communists are planning a mass campaign promoting a voluntary boycott of all American goods as proof that Russians cannot be intimidated by sanctions. The head of the Communist Party’s legal department, Vladimir Solovyov said that his comrades intend to set an example in the campaign, at least in its first stages. He also promised that the politicians will find suitable replacements for... 

Defected Ukrainian soldiers socializing with Russian civilians in east of Ukraine. Reports from Slavyansk say that the army troops sent to the eastern Ukrainian city for an “anti-terrorist operation” are leaving en masse. Some troops are openly voicing support for the eastern Ukrainians, while others are speaking out against a war. According to Interfax, citing local self-defense activists, some... 

A South Korean sea-to-land cruise missile is fired from a submarine during a drill. North Korea’s National Defense Commission (NDC) has accused the US of hypocrisy for remaining silent over Seoul’s recent missile test while denouncing Pyongyang’s launches. “The US double-dealing attitude and despicable mode of action has been brought to light,” a spokesman for the NDC said in a Friday statement... 

Ukraine has stopped pumping Russian gas to its underground storages as Ukraine does not accept the natural gas price of $485 per 1,000 cubic meters. Russia has recently eliminated a gas discount it had given Ukraine, arguing that it was tied to a lease for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet base in Crimea peninsula. Officials say they are ready to pay $268 while Russia pointed to $2.2 billion debt Ukraine... 

The wreckage of an alleged North Korean drone. A senior South Korean official says a surveillance drone, likely operated by North Korea, has flown over the presidential palace in Seoul. South Korean authorities examined the wreckage of a crashed drone that was found on Baengnyeong Island near the disputed waters of the Yellow Sea. The aircraft was one of the two suspected North Korean drones that crashed... 

Ukraine’s self-imposed president Aleksandr Turchinov has ordered the protester-held local govt HQ in Donetsk to be taken under ‘state protection’ as armed personnel and armored vehicles have been reported moving into the eastern region of Ukraine. According to a decree signed by Turchinov, the local administration building in Donetsk and surrounding territory is an “important government facility,...