Russian Aerospace Force intercept foreign reconnaissance aircraft 9 times this week

A week earlier, the defense authority reported the aircraft were scrambled 14 times to intercept foreign aircraft.

MOSCOW, September 29. /TASS/. Fighters of the Russian Aerospace Force over past week nine times took off to intercept foreign reconnaissance aircraft - fewer than a week earlier, the Krasnaya Zverzda (Red Star) newspaper reported on Friday.

A week earlier, the defense authority reported the aircraft were scrambled 14 times to intercept foreign aircraft.

The Defense Ministry’s infographics, published in the newspaper on Friday, shows 58 foreign aircraft conducted air reconnaissance, where 46 were at the western strategic direction, seven - at the Arctic, four - at the eastern and one - at the southern direction.

Source: ITAR-TASS 30-09-2017

Donbass demands Kiev fully implement law on special status

Kiev needs to meet all its commitments, DPR’s envoy says.

MOSCOW, September 28. /TASS/. The self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic insists that the Ukrainian crisis won’t be solved until the law on special status of Donbass is implemented in full, DPR’s envoy to the Minsk talks Denis Pushilin said.

"Kiev needs to meet all its commitments not only before the republics, but before the global community," Pushilin told a roundtable in Russia’s Federation Council, the upper house of parliament.

The lawmakers discussed further steps after the law on Donbass special status expires on October 18.

"Certainly, we will continue seeking amendments to the law on a special status (self-government) with the goal of introducing it in full," Pushilin said.

"This is an issue where we have no right to make any concessions, this is the basis and the foundation of the Minsk process," he stressed.

"Without a special status and understanding our political prospects, there are no chances to settle the conflict," Pushilin said. "The lives of thousands of Donbass citizens depend on this," he said, warning that dragging out this process may lead to a further escalation and deaths.

Source: ITAR-TASS 29-09-2017

FSB plans to build 50-km fence on Crimea’s border with Ukraine

The FSB has announced an auction on building the two-meter high fence in the Krasnoperekopsky district bordering Ukraine.

SIMFEROPOL, September 27./ TASS/. The Russian Federal Security Service’s branch in Crimea has unveiled plans to build a 50-km fence on the border with Ukraine to ensure the republic’s security.

The construction will cost more than 200 million rubles ($3.4 mln) and the works are expected to be completed already this year, according to the website detailing the government procurement.

"Now the effort on engineering equipment of the Russian-Ukrainian part of the border is carried out as scheduled and the construction of 50-km engineering installations in Crimea’s north is its another stage," the FSB said.

The FSB has announced an auction on building the two-meter high fence in the Krasnoperekopsky district bordering Ukraine. The fence should be resistant to difficult climate conditions (including humidity up to 98% and temperature up to 65 degrees Celsius). The winner will be announced in mid-October.

Source: ITAR-TASS 28-09-2017

Explosions heard from Ukraine’s biggest munitions depot near Vinnitsa — police

Shell fragments are reportedly reaching Vinnitsa’s outskirts.

KIEV, September 27. /TASS/. Explosions are heard at Ukraine’s biggest munitions depot in the village of Kalinovka near the city of Vinnitsa, a police spokesman said on Tuesday.

"The police received a telephone call about the sounds of explosions at about 22:00 local time. Later, it was established that artillery shells are exploding at an army unit. Now, law enforcers jointly with rescuers are evacuating people from neighboring villages," National Police Spokesman Yaroslav Trakalo told UKrainskaya Pravda.

Shell fragments are reportedly reaching Vinnitsa’s outskirts.

The Kalinovka munitions depot holds 188,000 tonnes on munitions, including missiles for Smerch and Uragan multiple missile launcher systems, on an area of 60 hectares.

Source: ITAR-TASS 27-09-2017

Russian diplomat warns against weapons supplies to Ukraine

The US defense secretary earlier said Washington plans to expand cooperation with Ukraine in the military sphere.

MOSCOW, September 26./TASS/. The US decision to supply weapons to Ukraine will only add fuel to the fire, and Washington is well aware of this, the director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s department for issues of non-proliferation and arms control, Mikhail Ulyanov, told a news conference on Tuesday.

"This decision will be equal to an attempt to add fuel to the fire," the diplomat said. "I think that even in the US administration many people understand this. That is why such supplies have not been made as of yet," he added.

"If the US changes policy on this trajectory, this can be fraught with a serious escalation for no reason at all. Nothing that goes on in Ukraine necessitates at least the slightest need for such dangerous moves," he stressed.

At the end of August, U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis said at a news conference he addressed together with Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko that the U.S. would expand cooperation with Ukraine in the military sphere and therefore it would consider possible supplies of lethal weapons.

He said he would inform the Ukrainian leadership on the details of recommendations to the U.S. Administration.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier the possible supplies of lethal weapons would not change the situation in eastern Ukraine, which is plagued by an armed civil conflict, but would propel the number of victims there.

Source: ITAR-TASS 26-09-2017

Russian lawmaker calls German election outcome ‘predictable’

On September 24, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative CDU/CSU bloc won the polls, securing 33% of the vote.

MOSCOW, September 25. /TASS/. The outcome of Sunday’s elections to the lower house of German parliament, the Bundestag, was predictable, a senior Russian State Duma lawmaker, Leonid Slutsky, said on Monday.

"The outcome of elections to Germany’s Bundestag was very predictable - both the victory of Angela Merkel’s CDU/CSU bloc and the election to the parliament of the right-wing Alternative for Germany party. The latter was not a sensation for me personally, although the AfD leaders call their result an earthquake for Germany," said Slutsky, who chairs the International Affairs Committee of the lower house of the Russian parliament.

The polls signal the overall crisis in Europe linked to the social and economic situation and the problems arising from the unprecedented migrant flows. "The Alternative for Germany is a counterpart for France’s National Front, which against this background received its highest percentage in the party’s history at the elections in the Fifth Republic," he said.

Europe is searching for "a new idea that may return the freedom of choice for Europeans and independence from policy of the big overseas brother," the lawmaker stressed.

Slutsky voiced hope that "this German parliament will work constructively and without any contradictions." "For our part, the State Duma will try to boost cooperation with the Bundestag and look for new approaches for cooperation," he vowed.

On Sunday, Germany held parliamentary elections. German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative CDU/CSU bloc won the polls, securing 33% of the vote, according to the official preliminary results published by Germany’s Federal Returning Officer Dieter Sarreither overnight.

The Social Democratic Party (SPD) comes second with 20.5% of the vote, the worst result in its history. The right-wing Alternative for Germany party will for the first time enter the Bundestag, with 12.6% of the vote.

Source: ITAR-TASS 25-09-2017

Ukrainian military 16 times open fire on Donetsk Republic - command

The Ukrainian side used the artillery, mortars, weapons of infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers and small arms, the DPR’s command said.

DONETSK, September 24. /TASS/. The Ukrainian military over the past 24 hours 16 times opened fire on settlements in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) along the line of engagement, the republic’s command said on Sunday.

"Over the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian Armed Forces 16 times violated ceasefire," the Donetsk News Agency quoted the defense authority. "Under fire were ten settlements in the republic."

The Ukrainian side used the artillery, mortars, weapons of infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers and small arms.

Since the fall of 2014, participants in the Contact Group on East Ukrainian settlement have announced about a dozen of ceasefire deals. On June 24, the so-called "harvest ceasefire" came into effect - it was expected to hold until the end of August. However, shelling incidents continued to happen.

On August 23, the Contact Group members declared a "back-to-school" ceasefire in Donbass starting from August 25. However, on that very day, defense authorities of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk Republics reported that their territories had come under shelling from positions of the Ukrainian troops. Kiev, in turn, has been accusing the republics of violating the ceasefire.

Source: ITAR-TASS 24-09-2017

Russian frigate Admiral Essen returns to Crimea after mission in Mediterranean

The frigate is armed with Kalibr-NK cruise missiles, a medium-range surface-to-air missile system, an aircraft battery, an antisubmarine rocket launcher and torpedoes.

MOSCOW, September 22. /TASS/. Russian Navy’s brand-new guided-missile frigate Admiral Essen has returned to its home base, Sevastopol, after accomplishing a mission in the Mediterranean Sea as part of the navy’s permanent task force, Captain 1st Rank Vyacheslav Trukhachev, the fleet’s spokesman, said on Friday.

"While being in the navy’s permanent task force, the crew fulfilled combat tasks by delivering missile strikes on terrorist groups in Syria," the officer said. "The crew of the new frigate under command of Captain 2nd Rank Anton Kuprin has been on a long-distance voyage for over two months."

The Admiral Essen is a second frigate of Project 1135.6. She was commissioned into the navy’s Black Sea Fleet on 7 June 2016. The frigate is armed with Kalibr-NK cruise missiles, a Shtil-1 medium-range surface-to-air missile system, 100mm A-190 shipboard automatic artillery gun, an aircraft battery, an antisubmarine rocket launcher and torpedoes. The Admiral Essen embarks one Ka-27 (or Ka-31) helicopter. The ship displaces 3,620 tonnes, measuring 124.8 meters in length.

Source: ITAR-TASS 23-09-2017

NATO seeking to revive cold war-era climate — Lavrov

The West structured its policy according to the principle of "who's not with us is against us," and has chosen the path of NATO expansion, he said.

UNITED NATIONS, September 21. /TASS/. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is seeking to recreate the Cold War-era climate, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday at the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly.

"NATO aspires to recreate the Cold War climate and refuses to bring to life the principle of equal and indivisible security across the OSCE area, solemnly declared in the 1990s," he said."

"For the last quarter of a century, Russia, no matter the challenges it faced, made in good faith its part of the way to eliminate the legacy of the Cold War, has done a lot to strengthen confidence and mutual understanding in the Euro-Atlantic region and the world," Russia’s top diplomat said.

"This, however, has not been reciprocated by our Western partners, overexcited by the illusion of the 'end of history' and still trying to accommodate rudimentary institutions of block-to-block confrontation era to the modern day realities," he continued.

The West, in its turn, structured its policy according to the principle of "who's not with us is against us," and has chosen "the path of reckless eastward NATO expansion and provoking instability in the post-Soviet space and encouraging anti-Russian sentiments," the Russian foreign minister said.

Source: ITAR-TASS 22-09-2017

Moscow sees no sense in deployment of UN mission on Russian-Ukrainian border — diplomat

Gatilov reiterated that Moscow supports Minsk agreements.

UN, September 21. /TASS/. Russia does not see any sense in deployment of the UN security mission on the Russian-Ukrainian border, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said in an interview with TASS in response to a request for comment about the Russian draft resolution on the UN security mission in Donbass.

"They [Ukraine’s representatives - TASS] want the UN [security mission] to fan out across Ukraine, including the Russian-Ukrainian border," he said. "Russia is not a conflicting party, so there is no sense in deploying peacemakers along its border."

Gatilov stressed that Moscow supports the Minsk accords that contain "a whole range of issues to be addressed before the situation shifts to a conversation about the Russian-Ukrainian border."

"Ukrainians put the cart before the horse: they want first to close the border between Russia and Ukraine and then to solve or not solve issues related to other settlement aspects," he noted. "We do not share this approach, as it contradicts the Minsk accords," the Russian deputy foreign minister stated.

On September 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed the UN mission should be deployed along the Donbass contact line to provide security for the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission members. He noted that it would be possible to deploy a mission if the self-proclaimed republics (the DPR and the LPR) agreed to it and if weapons were withdrawn by the conflicting parties as set in the Minsk accords. The president specified later that it was possible to deploy this mission not just along the contact line, but also in other areas that the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission visits for inspection under the Minsk accords.

Source: ITAR-TASS 21-09-2017

Lavrov blasts 'fake' claims of Russian meddling in EU elections as ‘waste of time’

"There are too many fantasies, paying attention to this is a waste of time," the Russian top diplomat said.

NEW YORK, September 20. /TASS/. Hearsay on the alleged Russian threat and accusations of Moscow’s meddling in European elections is just paranoia and a waste of time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an exclusive interview with TASS First Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman and AP Vice President John Daniszewski.

"I’m not a doctor, I cannot comment on paranoid remarks. I’ve heard that the Swedish government is afraid of something and that the German government keeps its fingers crossed and is thankful to us that a week before the elections we hadn’t meddled in the balloting," the Russian top diplomat said after talks with his US counterpart.

"There are too many fantasies, paying attention to this is a waste of time. All this is absolutely fake," Lavrov said.

Source: ITAR-TASS 20-09-2017

Donbass truce first step towards lifting anti-Russian sanctions — German top diplomat

According to the German top diplomat, the EU should take serious steps on lifting sanctions against Russia after establishing the ceasefire in Donbass.

BERLIN, September 19. /TASS/. The EU should take serious steps on lifting sanctions against Russia after establishing the ceasefire in Donbass, German top diplomat Sigmar Gabriel announced in his interview with the newspaper Volksstimme.

"It’s unrealistic to think that first the Minsk Agreements must be implemented before the removal of sanctions," the diplomat noted. "And the first major step to the restrictions being removed must be connected with the establishment of a real ceasefire in Donbass," he added.

"We need to restart the policy of detente with Russia," the German foreign minister announced. "The Russians opened the door slightly, so we shouldn’t slam it shut immediately, on the contrary we should try to fling the door open even wider," Gabriel pointed out.

According to him, "with the establishment of a real ceasefire not only should part of the sanctions be lifted, but the restoration of Donbass must start."

Source: ITAR-TASS 19-09-2017

Future of peacekeeping mission to Donbass depends on stance of Kiev, Washington — Kremlin

The Kremlin spokesman called against "eroding the essence of the Russian proposal" on a peacekeeping mission.

MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. Situation around the idea of deploying peacekeepers to Donbass depends on whether Kiev and Washington take a constructive stance, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.

"Certainly, now everything will depend on whether Kiev and the United States have a constructive stance," Peskov said commenting on the prospects of the UN’s considering of a proposal on deploying peacekeepers to Donbass.

The Kremlin spokesman called against "eroding the essence of the Russian proposal" on a peacekeeping mission that is aimed at ensuring security of staff members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) working in the conflict zone.

Peskov recalled that Moscow has been pursuing the line towards contributing to searching for a solution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine and is one of the countries-guarantors of the Minsk peace deal. These agreements are not implemented due to "Kiev’s unpreparedness and unwillingness to implement those unambiguous points signed by all the respective sides in documents," he noted.

On September 5, President Vladimir Putin said that Russia would submit a resolution to the UN Security Council on the deployment of UN peacekeepers along the demarcation line in Donbass to ensure security of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission.

He stressed however that deployment of UN peacekeepers could only be possible after weapons withdrawal from the area and upon agreement with the self-proclaimed Donbass republics. The president said the peacekeepers could be deployed not only along the contact line.

Source: ITAR-TASS 18-09-2017

Baltic Fleet corvettes destroy air, sea and coastal targets during Zapad-2017 drills

The crews fired at simulated targets representing a group of warships and a simulated enemy’s coastal artillery.

KALININGRAD, September 17. /TASS/. Corvettes of the Baltic Fleet destroyed aerial, naval and coastal targets during the Russian-Belorussian Zapad-2017 military exercise, fleet spokesman Roman Martov said.

"As part of the joint West-2017 strategic exercise in waters of the Baltic Sea, crews of the Soobrazitelny, Stoikiy, Steregushchiy and Boikiy have successfully trained tasks to repel an aerial attack of a simulated enemy and hit naval and coastal targets," he said.

He said the ships' crews fired at simulated targets representing a group of warships and a simulated enemy’s coastal artillery.

In addition, the corvettes repelled an aerial attack, simulated by Su-24 attack aircraft and Ka-27 anti-submarine warfare helicopters.

A large-scale exercise, Zapad-2017, began on Thursday at three training grounds in Russia and six in Belarus. It involved 12,700 troops (7,200 Belarussian and 5,500 Russian servicemen taking part), as well as about 70 planes and helicopters, 680 pieces of military hardware, including about 250 tanks, 200 artillery pieces, multiple rocket launchers and mortars. Ten warships are also taking part.

The exercise will continue until September 20. The second stage begins on Sunday.

Source: ITAR-TASS 17-09-2017

Ukrainian military violate back-to-school ceasefire, one civilian injured - command

The Ukrainian military used mortars, armored vehicles, infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers and small arms, the command said.

DONETSK, September 16. /TASS/. The Ukrainian military over past 24 hours 27 times violated ceasefire as they shelled 12 settlements in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), the republic’s command said on Saturday.

"Over past 24 hours, the Ukrainian Armed Forces 27 times violated ceasefire," the Donetsk News Agency quoted the command.

The Ukrainian military used mortars, armored vehicles, infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers and small arms, the command said.

"At about 10 at night on September 15, a civilian, born in 1953, got an eye injury from a shell, fired from positions of the Ukrainian military on the Trudovskiye settlement," the regional administration said.

Since the fall of 2014, participants in the Contact Group on East Ukrainian settlement have announced about a dozen of ceasefire deals. On June 24, the so-called "harvest ceasefire" came into effect - it was expected to hold until the end of August. However, shelling incidents continued to happen.

On August 23, the Contact Group members declared a "back-to-school" ceasefire in Donbass starting from August 25. However, on that very day, defense authorities of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk Republics reported that their territories had come under shelling from positions of the Ukrainian troops. Kiev, in turn, has been accusing the republics of violating the ceasefire.

Source: ITAR-TASS 16-09-2017

Kremlin assures that Moscow won't suspend humanitarian aid to Donbass residents

Vladimir Putin previously backed deploying UN peacekeepers to Donbass.

MOSCOW, September 15. /TASS/. Russia will not halt humanitarian assistance to Donbass residents, though a certain restructuring in this arrangement is underway, Kremlin Spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said, commenting on information published by RBC that starting from 2019, the Russian government would suspend "humanitarian assistance to certain territories" in favor of financing projects in Crimea and Kaliningrad. These "certain territories" were construed to allegedly refer to Donbass, RBC said.

"We have not been considering, nor will we consider refusing humanitarian assistance to the residents of Donbass," the press secretary affirmed. "For humanitarian reasons, Russia will continue taking care of those people, who were torn by the civil war in their own country."

"There is a certain re-allotment, but that does not mean there will be any cuts in favor of others," he noted. "We are speaking only about structuring.

RBC reported earlier on Friday, referring to its sources, the self-proclaimed Republics DPR and LPR from 2019 may receive less assistance from the Russian budget - those resources may be used to finance construction and modernization of infrastructures in Crimea and Kaliningrad. The Finance Ministry was ordered to make respective changes to the draft budget for 2018-2019.

Source: ITAR-TASS 15-09-2017

Zapad-2017 strategic exercise kicks off in Russia and Belarus

The drills involve about 12,700 servicemen, 70 warplanes and helicopters, and up to 680 units of military hardware, including 250 tanks.

MOSCOW, September 14. /TASS/. The Zapad-2017 (or West 2017) joint Russian-Belarusian military drills have kicked off in the two countries, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

"Heads of military administrative bodies and commanders of units involved in the drills have received instructions from the General Staff of the Union State concerning their training tasks," the statement reads.

The drills involve up to 12,700 troops, including 7,200 Belarusian and around 5,500 Russian troops, with up to 3,000 of them deployed to Belarus.

"Staged tactical events and live firing exercises, involving aircraft and air defense units, will take place at the Lepelsky, Losvido, Borisovsky, Osipovichesky, Ruzhansky and Domanovsky training ranges, as well as in the Dretun area in Belarus, and also at the Luzhsky, Strugi Krasnye and Pravdinsky training ranges in Russia.

The Russian and Belarusian chiefs of General Staff are in charge of the drills that constitute the final stage of the joint training program of the Russian and Belarusian Armed Forces. The drills are purely defensive and not aimed against any countries, the Russian Defense Ministry stressed.

"The main goals are to improve interoperability among the military staff, harmonize troops management systems and provide commanders of various levels of importance with an opportunity to train their skills in planning military events and managing troops based on the experience received during modern armed conflicts," the Russian Defense Ministry added.

The drills will be "the biggest army training event in the current year," Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.

The joint drills Zapad-2017 will be held at six training grounds in Russia and Belarus in the period from September 14 through 20. They will involve about 12,700 servicemen, about 70 warplanes and helicopters, up to 680 units of military hardware, including about 250 tanks, up to 200 artillery and multiple missile launcher systems and mortars, and ten warships.

"The exercises are geared to drill joint actions of our armed forces in the interests of military security of the Union State [of Russia and Belarus]," Shoigu said.

The main aim of the Zapad-2017 exercise is to ensure security of the Union State with a regional grouping of troops, said Colonel General Andrei Kartapolov, commander of Russia’s Western Military District.

The regional force will counter conditional extremist groups penetrating into the territory of the Union State for terrorism-related activities. The extremists presumably receive material and technical support, as well as armaments and military hardware by air and sea.

"In conditions of a rapidly changing situation troops command will be mastered, as well as their interaction and all-round provision, defense of important state and military facilities located in Kaliningrad region and the Republic of Belarus," the commander said in an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper.

According to Kartapolov, modern approaches to the engagement of troops based on the experience of local wars and armed conflicts, including in Syria, were used to design the exercise legend.

The Russian defense ministry has been repeatedly stressing that the Zapad-2017 drills have purely defensive character and media allegations about the "Russian threat" these drills are posing have nothing to do with the real state of things.

"The world’s leading media (and politicians) have been heating up public opinion by myths of the "Russian threat." None of this paradoxical theories has anything to do with the reality and this has been repeatedly stressed by both Russian and Belarusian officials," Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said earlier.

"It is evident that those countries seeking to exacerbate the situation as much as possible ahead of the exercises make various unfounded accusations," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Meshkov said. "These are those countries that impede contacts of military from our states."

Source: ITAR-TASS 14-09-2017

Number of Western military drills near Russian borders keeps growing — military official

In late September, Poland is set to hold the Dragon exercise involving 17,000 personnel and 3,500 pieces of military hardware.

MOSCOW, September 13. /TASS/. The number of exercises that Western countries hold near Russian borders keeps growing, Western Military District Commander Colonel-General Andrei Kartapolov said on Wednesday.

"According to our information, about 50 combat training events have been held on the territory of Europe since June. Some 60,000 people took part in them, including US servicemen. Moreover, the number of military exercises near Russian borders has been constantly growing," Kartapolov said in an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper.

The official added that such maneuvers often involve personnel "not only from the NATO alliance, but also neutral states like Finland, Sweden, Moldova and even Ukraine."

In late September, Poland is set to hold the Dragon exercise involving 17,000 personnel and 3,500 pieces of military hardware. At the moment, about 20,000 Swedish, French, Norwegian, Finnish, Estonian and Lithuanian servicemen are taking part in the three-week Aurora 17 exercise, Kartapolov said.

Source: ITAR-TASS 13-09-2017

Moscow says Kiev’s new education law violates rights of Russian-speaking citizens

The law stipulates that the children who will start schooling on September 1, 2018, will only have an opportunity to be taught in their mother tongue in primary school.

MOSCOW, September 12. /TASS/. A new law on education passed by Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada (parliament) violates the interests of millions of Russian-speaking citizens in Ukraine and contradicts its Constitution and Kiev’s international obligations, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

"Although the law makes no mention of the Russian language, it is obvious that the key objective of the current Ukrainian lawmakers is infringing on the rights of millions of Russian-speaking citizens in Ukraine and the forcible establishment of a mono-ethnic language in a multi-national state," the ministry said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry stressed that it sees "this move as an attempt by the ‘Maidan’ authorities to implement the full Ukrainization of the country’s education system, which is a direct contradiction to both its Constitution and Kiev’s international obligations in the humanitarian sphere."

It recalled that the law has sparked criticism from the Foreign Ministries of Hungary, Poland, Romania and Moldova’s president. "For our part, we are convinced of the demand for concerted effort, including in various international organizations to counter the policy pursued by Ukraine’s authorities trampling under foot internationally recognized human rights standards," the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed.

On September 5, Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada passed the law on education. Its new version stipulates that the children who will start schooling on September 1, 2018, will only have an opportunity to be taught in their mother tongue in primary school, that is, for the first four years. As of the fifth grade, all subjects should be taught in Ukrainian.

Source: ITAR-TASS 12-09-2017

Diplomat comments on Merkel's remarks about Crimea's reunification with Russia

The German chancellor recalled the history of German unity and draw a parallel between Crimea’s incorporation into Russia and the German unification.

MOSCOW, September 11. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has noted ironically that the parallel between Crimea’s reunification with Russia and the unification of Germany drawn by German Chancellor Angela Merkel could give an opportunity to speak about "candidate hacking" by "Russian hackers" rather than about campaign headquarters hacking.

In an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung published on Sunday, Merkel recalled the history of German unity and draw a parallel between Crimea’s incorporation into Russia and the German unification. 

"When I hear that, for one, the annexation of Crimea should be simply accepted, I think what would have happened, if the German Democratic Republic (GDR) was treated in the same manner under the slogan that Germany remains divided, that nothing can be changed here."

Head of Germany’s Free Democratic Party Christian Lindner earlier suggested temporarily taking the Crimean issue off the table and building relations with Russia without taking the Crimean issue into account. His stance drew criticism from members of the government and representatives of all major political parties except for Alternative for Germany.

"They say, ‘Beware of your desires.’ Could someone imagine a couple of years ago that the German chancellor would solve the complex Crimean dilemma by mentioning it in the context of the German unification?" Zakharova wrote on her Facebook page on Monday.

She recalled that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated at the Munich conference in 2015, "The unification of Germany took place without any referendums, and we were active supporters of that process." This remark triggered outrage, Zakharova went on to say. Now, however, mentioning Crimea and the unification of Germany is "the point of view of the German leadership," the diplomat concluded.

"Now we have an additional adamant argument that clearly points to the historical fairness of what happened, as the people of Russia and Crimea rather than of Crimea and Ukraine were divided against their own free will. 

This is confirmed not only by the 2014 referendum, but also the referendums and attempts to hold them made since the collapse of the Soviet Union. On the other hand, I do not rule out that tomorrow some German media outlets will report that ‘Russian hackers’ described as a threat to Germans hacked the candidate this time instead of an election campaign headquarters," Zakharova pointed out ironically.

Source: ITAR-TASS 11-09-2017

Putin visits new park in central Moscow

The president drove to the park from Red Square by a golf car.

MOSCOW, September 9. /TASS/. During the events devoted to the 870th anniversary of Moscow, President Putin visited a new Zaryadye park in downtown Moscow, where he saw from the height of bird's flight his house, then he visited the Soaring Bridge at the park and talked to volunteers and children. The president drove to the park from Red Square by a golf car. Putin gave a lift to Moscow’s Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.

Putin viewed the park’s layout and asked the mayor how long the construction lasted. Two years, he replied. Later on, the president saw archeological revelations, which were found during the construction in that ancient part of Moscow.

The president went to see the big amphitheater, which will host the city’s cultural events - concerts, festivals and performances. It may welcome the audience of 16,000, and the small amphitheater nearby has the audience capacity of 400 seats.

History of the Zaryadye Park

The new Zaryadye park was built at Putin’s initiative at the site of the Soviet-era huge hotel Rossiya that was pulled down in the 2000’s.

Zaryadye is the name of the area, one the oldest in Moscow nowadays located to the east of the Kremlin and to the southeast of Red Square.

The area filled with small churches and Empire-style buildings of Moscow tradesmen and merchants underwent sweeping reconstructions in the 1930’s. Later plans suggested a Stalin-era-style skyscraper would be erected there but the authorities called the project off.

The foundation of the abortive building came in handy in 1964 when construction of hotel Rossiya began. With its capacity for 6,000 or so customers, it became the largest hotel in Europe but 40 years after its commissioning, in 2006, Moscow City authorities disassembled it.

In 2004, the city government put forward a proposal to return a historic layout and look to the Zaryadye area and a competition for the best urban development project to it was held.

In January 2012, Putin asked Mayor Sergei Sobyanin to think over a park zone at the site of the removed hotel and in August of the same year Sobyanin called off an urban development project in favor of the park.

The park that is said to embody the principles of ‘landscape urbanism’ - meaning that people are not obliged to follow prearranged routes and plants can grow freely - represents the four types of landscapes most typical for Russia - the forest, the steppe, the tundra, and the floodplains.

One of the highlights of the park is an icy cave where the air temperature below 0 Centigrade will be maintained throughout the year and a hovering bridge rising to the height of fifty standards stories.

Zaryadye park managers say admittance to the park will be free and visitors will have an opportunity to come there anytime day and night.

Source: ITAR-TASS 10-09-2017

Ukrainian military at night shell Donetsk, two houses damaged

Command of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic reported "two houses in the Petrov district were damaged in the shelling"

DONETSK, September 9. /TASS/. The Ukrainian military during the night to Saturday shelled the Petrov district in Donetsk’s west, where 5,000 residents remain in blackout, the district’s head Maxim Zhukovsky told the Donetsk News Agency on Saturday.

"At night, the Ukrainian Armed Forces shelled the Trudovskiye settlement, leaving the high-voltage cable damaged there," he said. "Thus, about 5,000 people remain in blackout."

Command of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) reported "two houses in the Petrov district were damaged in the shelling."

Since the fall of 2014, participants in the Contact Group on East Ukrainian settlement have announced about a dozen of ceasefire deals. On June 24, the so-called "harvest ceasefire" came into effect - it was expected to hold until the end of August. However, shelling incidents continued to happen.

On August 23, the Contact Group members declared a "back-to-school" ceasefire in Donbass starting from August 25. However, on that very day, defense authorities of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk Republics reported that their territories had come under shelling from positions of the Ukrainian troops. Kiev, in turn, has been accusing the republics of violating the ceasefire.

Source: ITAR-TASS 09-09-2017

FBI may be preparing provocation against Russia in San Francisco consulate — diplomat

It looks as if the American intelligence agencies might even plant compromising materials in the building or discover them somehow in the future, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.

MOSCOW, September 8. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has not ruled out the possibility that FBI employees currently on the premises of the Russian Consulate General in San Francisco may plant compromising documents against Russia there for the purpose of whipping up a provocation.

"It looks as if the American intelligence agencies are trying to organize an anti-Russian provocation and may even plant compromising material in the building or discover them somehow in the future.

Because we don’t have the foggiest idea of what they are doing now," she explained.

"Special equipment has been installed, and some works are underway," Zakharova continued. "And no one is talking about this to anyone, of course."

Not only is US destabilizing relations between Moscow and Washington, but throughout the world as well, by its actions towards Russian diplomatic property, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman noted.

"This behavior is inappropriate for an entity based on international law and a permanent member of the UN Security Council that pioneered the modern system of international relations," she said. "Unfortunately, it threatens to morph into not just an incident, but a new American practice."

"We believe that the US is thus destabilizing not just Russian-American relations, but the global international order as well," Zakharova added.

Washington’s actions against Russia’s diplomatic property violate fundamental diplomatic immunity provisions, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman stressed.

"Diplomatic immunity, particularly the immunity of diplomatic facilities refers to the rules of the game enshrined in international law," she pointed out. "Even when the most acute crises break out, these rules allow countries to maintain civilized interaction. This is the key phrase - even when the most acute crises and wars break out and diplomatic relations are severed. This is what diplomatic immunity was introduced for," the Russian diplomat added.

"How are you supposed to build dialogue and relations if you partner violates agreements after having accepted them, being a subject of international law?" Zakharova contemplated.

Source: ITAR-TASS 08-09-2017

Poll reveals 84% of Russians approve of Putin’s performance

35% of those polled are satisfied with the work of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

MOSCOW, September 7. /TASS/. More than 84% of Russians interviewed by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center have said they approved of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s performance, while over 35% of those polled are satisfied with the work of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

"The president’s approval rating stood at 83.5% in August, and at 84.4% within the period from August 28 to September 3. The assessments of the performance of the prime minister and the Cabinet varied slightly. The average figure in late August and early September regarding the prime minister’s performance was 53.3% and the Cabinet’s performance - 57.4%," the pollster said.

No serious dynamics has been observed in assessing the performance of Russia’s State Duma (lower house of parliament) and the Federation Council (upper house of parliament), with 51% and 57.7% of the respondents respectively saying they are satisfied with their work.

Polls show that Vladimir Putin continues to outshine other Russian politicians in terms of his credibility rating, which stood at 50.1% last week. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev ranked second and third (16.7% and 15.5% respectively).

Meanwhile, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia Vladimir Zhirinovsky continues to top the list of Russia's least popular politicians. About one fourth of those polled said they would avoid placing matters of national importance into his hands (26.6% according to last week’s data).

Taking part in the poll were Russians aged 18 and above, with 600 people in at least 80 Russia’s regions interviewed every day.

Source: ITAR-TASS 07-09-2017