Russia has warned Ukraine against integration with NATO, as Kiev approves a series of joint drills with the Western military alliance. The Russian Foreign Ministry has warned Tuesday that Kiev’s previous attempts to move closer to NATO had strained ties with Moscow, as well as the relationship between Russia and the defense alliance. “(Past attempts) led to a freezing of Russian-Ukrainian political... 

Low-quality film products conquer children’s immature minds. Parents may try to protect the younger generation from poor quality food or harmful toys, but it is hard to protect individuals from watching low-grade films. Will Russia change its cultural policy because of yet another standoff with the West? This issue affects many spheres of life in Russia, not only ideology or, if you like, good... 

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... 

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... 

As Washington imposed sanctions against Moscow over the Ukrainian crisis, a group of Russian officials arrived in the United States to inspect the US strategic nuclear arsenal. The surprise inspection earlier this week of the nuclear arsenal in San Francisco was agreed to under the 2010 New START arms control treaty, The Washington Post reports. Under the treaty, Russia and the United States each... 

The administration of US President Barack Obama says Washington is “very concerned” about Russian forces near Ukraine’s eastern and southern borders, saying training exercises might not be the only purpose they are there for. The White House says intelligence from the field has bolstered their skepticism that as early as coming days Moscow might engage in military incursions into Ukraine, an... 

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... 

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... 

Secretary of State John Kerry speaks at the State Department in Washington, Tuesday, March 18, 2014. US Secretary of State John Kerry has warned Russia about the Ukraine crisis, saying the “nationalistic fervor” in Crimea is similar to the build-up before World War II. During a speech at the State Department on Tuesday, Kerry said he saw a “nationalist fervor which could, in fact, infect in ways... 

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... 

The referendum on independence in Crimea was conducted in strict accordance with democratic principles and the international law, President Vladimir Putin told the Federal Assembly, as he was welcomed by a standing ovation. Putin stressed that the results of the referendum, in which more than 82 percent of Crimean residents came to polling stations and more than 96 percent of those voted for rejoining...