Chairman of the Defense Committee of the State Duma Vladimir Komoedov made a statement regarding Russia’s right to deploy nuclear weapons in Crimea. According to the official, the Russian Federation will not ask anyone’s permission to do so, RIA Novosti reports. “We will not contaminate such a gem with nuclear weapons, what we have there already is enough. However, Crimea is a Russian... 

What were the prerequisites for Russia to reunite with the Crimea and Sevastopol? What consequences did the move have for Russia, Ukraine and the world at large? Pravda.Ru asked these and other questions to President of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, Colonel-General Leonid Ivashov. Tell us about the history of the Crimea. How did Russians, Tatars and people of other nations end up living there? The... 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Washington of organizing what he describes as an armed coup in Ukraine, saying Moscow saw through the US ploy of hiding behind Europe in the bid to overthrow the former Ukrainian government. “The trick of the situation was that outwardly the [Ukrainian] opposition was supported mostly by the Europeans. But we knew for sure that the real masterminds were... 

Vladimir Putin has said Russia was so fearful of attack at the height of the Ukraine crisis that it was preparing to arm its nuclear weapons, in extraordinary claims aired on state TV on Sunday night. Amid ongoing Russian media speculation that the President was watching the Crimea documentary from his sickbed, Mr Putin’s full interview with Rossiya One provided new insight into his country’s... 

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual press conference in Moscow on December 18, 2014. Western nations want to chain “the Russian bear,” pull out its teeth and ultimately have it stuffed, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned. He said anti-Russian sanctions are the cost of being an independent nation. Putin used the vivid metaphor of a “chained bear” during his annual... 

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. The EU foreign policy chief says Brussels has agreed to impose new sanctions against Crimea, stressing the bloc will not recognize its reunification with the Russian Federation. Federica Mogherini made the announcement on Monday after the first meeting of the EU-Ukraine Association Council in the EU’s de facto capital, Brussels. The new sanctions set to... 

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov. By imposing sanctions on Moscow, the US aims to change the political leadership, says the Russian Foreign Ministry, adding that Washington is “twisting the arms” of its allies so that they can continue an “anti-Russian front.” “Behind the formally-declared aim to make us alter our position towards Ukraine, [we] see the [US] plan to form social... 

Russian Tupolev Tu-22M supersonic strategic bombers fly above the Kremlin in Moscow. Russia’s military says it plans to expand regular patrol missions by its long-range bombers to the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. “We have to maintain military presence in the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific, as well as the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico,” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu... 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised to do everything to stop the ongoing violence in eastern parts of neighboring Ukraine. Speaking in Crimea on Thursday, the Russian president described the violence in eastern Ukraine as fratricide. “The country has sunk into bloody chaos in a fratricidal conflict,” Putin said, adding, “We will do our best to end this conflict as soon... 

State Duma deputies want to levy an additional tax on people with high personal incomes in order to finance the development of the new federation areas of Sevastopol and Crimea. The motion has been prepared by a group of MPs led by the Andrey Krutov of the center-left Fair Russia party. At the moment the group is completing consultations with legal experts and the bill will be submitted to the Lower... 

The NATO administration warned Russia of new sanctions, should the Russian administration does not contribute to the cessation of the conflict in Ukraine. Foreign ministers of NATO countries gathered in Brussels to elaborate a joint approach to Russia. US State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf stated that the USA had prepared additional sanctions against Russia. The sanctions can be introduced very... 

Satellite image of the North Crimean Canal Recent satellite images show that Kiev is deliberately trying to cut off Crimea peninsula’s water supply by building a dam. In the meantime Russian scientists are trying to find ways to supply Crimea with fresh water. Experts from the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources are developing ways to supply fresh water to the Crimea from the Kuban River in... 

A Russian Yak-130 combat training jet. The war of words between the United States and Russia has heated up over Crimea and eastern Ukraine with US military officials now saying that Russian fighter jets crossed into Ukrainian airspace several times over the past 24 hours. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to journalists about the issue, said... 

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... 

The Russian Foreign Ministry has issued an official warning to all citizens who travel abroad, saying they might be detained and extradited to the US for a biased trial on inflated charges. “Without any reasons the US administration is refusing to recognize the reunification between Russia and Crimea that fully meets the international legal standards and the UN charter. It tries to make a routine...