CEPA Edward Lucas 26 May 2020 Echos of a Captive Past Vladimir Putin is often criticized for his nostalgia for the USSR (he memorably called its collapse a “geopolitical catastrophe”). But many thousands of Russians in the “Soviet Citizens” movement take that view a step further. A majority of those taking part in the March 1991 referendum on the Soviet

Russia on Wednesday seized 40 tons of European cheeses smuggled into the country in breach of an embargo on EU food imports, the customs service said.  The cheese was found at a port near the northwestern city of St. Petersburg in four containers labeled as a component used to produce rubber. The shipment included Dorblu blue cheese and Italian hard cheeses such

Russia’s Health Ministry is now recommending that officials refrain from counting COVID-19 patients “without complaints,” apparently meaning that infected persons without symptoms will no longer be included in Russia’s coronavirus patient population statistics. “If the virus is detected without complaints and any accompanying objective information, this condition should be assessed as a carrier of the virus and coded under the

Fugitive Ukrainian millionaire and former lawmaker Oleksandr Onyshchenko.Photo by Ukrafoto The Higher Regional Court of Oldenburg in Germany on May 27 rejected the Ukrainian prosecution’s appeal to extradite Oleksandr Onyshchenko, a fugitive former lawmaker, who is wanted in Ukraine for alleged fraud and money laundering. Onyshchenko, who is suspected of organizing a $125-million fraud scheme in the country’s natural gas sector, fled Ukraine in

The U.S. is preparing a new round of sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 project, Richard Grenell, the former U.S. ambassador to Germany and now acting director of U.S. national intelligence, told Handelsblatt. Grenell said that he met last week with senators and members of the lower house of Congress, who support additional bipartisan measures. “The tightening of sanctions is welcomed

Unfortunately, Ukraine’s dialogue with Russia has turned into a monologue, a Ukrainian MP said earlier. Facebook / UAF General Staff A Russian official at the OSCE meeting has tried to prevent and interrupt addresses by Ukrainian representatives at the online conference in Vienna on the situation in the occupied Crimea. That’s according to RFE/RL’s Ukrainian service citing the agency’s correspondent.

Russia has begun manufacturing the prototype of its first strategic stealth bomber, the state-run TASS news agency reported Tuesday, as the country presses ahead with the modernization of its military. Quoting defense industry sources, TASS said the state-controlled United Aircraft Corporation was overseeing the project. It said material was being shipped for the project and that work had begun on the

Russia’s head of coronavirus information has suggested that global anxiety over the pandemic is misplaced, his latest controversial comment after saying that the infection would kill as many people as it needs to. Doctor and television presenter Alexander Myasnikov was appointed in April to his new role of informing Russians about coronavirus treatment and prevention methods and to battle “fake news” about

PHOTOS27.05.2020 11:30 Small armored artillery boats of the Ukrainian Navy have completed a number of tasks, checking the technical capabilities of a new boat at sea, the press service of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry has reported. “Small armored artillery boats of the national fleet have recently completed a number of tasks at sea. The peculiarity of them putting out to

27.05.2020 14:21 Verkhovna Rada Chairman Dmytro Razumkov has said that the law on ensuring the functioning of Ukrainian as the state language needs to be changed. He stated this in an interview with the Glavcom news agency. “I think so [the language law needs to be changed]. I understand that there are positions that will be perceived positively, and there

The relevant draft memo was approved at a government meeting on Wednesday. REUTERS The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved a draft memorandum of cooperation with the U.S. company Louisiana Natural Gas Exports on the supply of liquefied natural gas to Ukraine. The relevant draft was approved at a government meeting on Wednesday. “The Energy Ministry has worked out

Ukrainian and US flags fly in central Kyiv, Ukraine. September 25, 2019. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko Over the past three decades, the United States and Ukraine have developed a broad and robust relationship that serves the interests of both countries, countries that share values such as democracy, liberty, and human freedom. Ukraine’s success in developing as an independent, stable, democratic state with a