Ukraine Su-25 flies below a passenger aircraft during military exercises near capital, Kiev. Ukraine’s acting President Oleksandr Turchynov has reportedly asked the parliament to approve a set of military exercises with NATO, a move that could place US troops in direct proximity with Russian forces in Crimea. Turchynov said Ukraine is willing to conduct two sets of joint military drills with... 

Western sanctions might push Russia to deepen cooperation with BRICS states, in particular, to strengthen its ties with China, which will possibly turn out to be a big catastrophe for the US and the EU some time later. On March 18, the spokesperson for the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, claimed in a BBC interview that Russia would switch to new partners in case of economic sanctions being imposed by the... 

Ukrainians must take up arms against Russians so that not even scorched earth will be left where Russia stands; an example of former Ukrainian PM Yulia Tymoshenko’s vitriol in phone call leaked online. “It’s going too far! Bugger! We must grab arms and go whack those damn katsaps [a Ukrainian word used to refer to the Russians in a negative tone] together with their leader,” Tymoshenko said. Tymoshenko... 

Thousands of people celebrate with Kosovo and Albanian flags in Pristina on February 17, 2009 (L). Sevastopol residents at a celebratory show held after the referendum on Crimea’s status (R). The West has so far refused to legitimize Crimea’s decision to secede from Ukraine. Yet Kosovo, which was a part of Serbia, also broke away from its parent country, but has been recognized by the US and... 

A new project of an autonomous airship – a hybrid between a drone and a satellite – has been developed in France. The ‘StratoBus’ dirigible drone will be able to carry out long endurance observation operating at an altitude of about 20 kilometers. The new breed of autonomous zeppelin has a mission of “observation, security, telecommunications, broadcasting, and navigation,” developers... 

Today the number of outgoing tourists from Russia is much higher than the number of incoming ones. Citizens of other countries are unenthusiastic about the idea of ​​vacationing in Russia. This is caused not only by long distances, but also the difficulties in obtaining a Russian visa. The Russian government is planning to soften the harsh rules for issuing visas. While foreign countries that... 

An anti-austerity demonstration that drew tens of thousands of people from across Spain to central Madrid has turned violent, leaving 88 injured and 29 arrested as protesters clashed with security forces. On Saturday, some protesters sought to break through a police barrier and make their way toward the nearby headquarters of the ruling conservative Popular Party. Riot police then attacked the protesters,... 

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy (R) and Ukraine’s interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk sign the political provisions of the Association Agreement on March 20, 2014. European Council President Herman Van Rompuy says Ukraine’s interim government has signed the “political” provisions of an association agreement with the EU. “Signing [the] political part [of the] EU-Ukraine Association... 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law the documents officially making Crimea part of Russian territory. Putin signed the bills at the Kremlin on Friday, completing the process of making Ukraine’s strategic Black Sea region part of the Russian Federation. The Russian president also signed legislation creating two new Russian administrative districts: Crimea and the port city of Sevastopol. Before... 

The people of Crimea fixed a Soviet-era mistake with the Sunday’s referendum and the will of the people should not be punished by sanctions, said former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. “Earlier Crimea was merged with Ukraine under Soviet laws, to be more exact by the [Communist] party’s laws, without asking the people, and now the people have decided to correct that mistake. This should... 

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has published a reciprocal sanctions list of US citizens, consisting of 10 names, including: House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, Senator J. McCain; and advisers to President Obama D. Pfeiffer and C. Atkinson. These officials, along with another five named by the Foreign Ministry, are banned from entering the country. The move comes in response to US sanctions... 

Russia’s Constitutional Court has ruled that the treaty on rejoining the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol to the Russian Federation is legal. Valery Zorkin, chairman of the Russian Constitutional Court, said on Wednesday the court had ruled in a unanimous vote that President Vladimir Putin acted legally by signing a treaty to make Crimea and Sevastopol parts of Russia. The court also... 

American and German inspectors will make observation flights over Russia and Belarus within the framework of the international treaty on Open Skies. The mission is set to verify the true position of Russian troops and military equipment. Starting from March 17, military inspectors from the United States and Germany will perform flights over European Russia and Belarus to check the real whereabouts... 

Vice Admiral John McAnally (R) and the Second Sea Lord Vice Admiral Sir Charles Montgomery from the British Royal Navy. Vice Admiral John McAnally has warned that Britain will be forced to abandon its nuclear weapons arsenal if Scotland votes for independence in September. In an article published on Sunday by The Daily Telegraph, McAnally wrote that Scottish independence poses “the biggest strategic... 

Portugal, a member of the EU since 1986, is rapidly losing its population due to significant emigration. In terms of the economic indicators Portugal is approaching the level of the least developed countries in the Eastern Europe. The decline became particularly rapid three years ago, when Portugal began to receive financial assistance from the EU. Isn’t it an odd coincidence? The country is...