Russia

Russian Foreign Ministry warns of real threat to ISIL in all parts of Libya

“In Libya, including Tripoli, ISIL is increasing its activities, exploiting the collapse of the government and dividing the country, and is strengthening relations with al-Qaeda, which is located near the…

Read More Here

Inquiry calls for investigation into Russia’s influence on Brexit

A parliamentary inquiry into disinformation has called on the government to investigate the Russian state's attempts to influence the EU referendum. The digital, culture, media and sport committee of MPs…

Read More Here

Russian flag draped Salisbury Cathedral

A huge Russian flag has appeared draped over the north front of Salisbury Cathedral, causing outrage in the city. The massive tricolour was hung high on scaffolding at the building in the early hours of…

Read More Here

Third Russian linked with Salisbury poisonings seen in UK and Catalonia before divisive referendums

New details have emerged about a third Russian linked to the 2018 Salisbury poisonings by the investigative website Bellingcat. According to travel records revealed yesterday by Bellingcat and seen by CNN, the…

Read More Here

Denis Sergeev, high ranking Russian military intelligence officer identified as third suspect in Salisbury poisoning

A third suspect linked to the Salisbury poisoning has been named by an investigative website as Denis Sergeev, a high-ranking Russian military intelligence officer. Bellingcat said Mr Sergeev, 45, is a…

Read More Here

US and Russia push different Venezuela resolutions at UN Security Council

The US is pushing the UN Security Council to call for fresh presidential elections in Venezuela. Russia has proposed an alternative draft, which shows concern over outside interference in the…

Read More Here

Reports on hundreds of Russian and Chinese spies in Brussels

The EU's de facto capital is teeming with Russian and Chinese spies, according to officials cited by a German newspaper. Diplomats have reportedly been told to avoid certain eateries in…

Read More Here

Russia’s withdrawal from Council of Europe might lead to organisation’s end

If Russia withdraws from the Council of Europe, this organization will cease to exist, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said. "If Russia leaves the Council of Europe, there will be…

Read More Here

Putin announces Russia will abandon nuclear arms treaty – Nuclear missiles will only be is used if USA does so

President Vladimir Putin says that Russia will abandon a centerpiece nuclear arms treaty, following in the footsteps of the United States, and that Moscow will only deploy intermediate-range nuclear missiles…

Read More Here

US announces its withdrawal from Nuclear Treaty

The Trump administration. has announced it is pulling out of a Cold War-era nuclear weapons treaty with Russia, triggering fears of new arms race race between Washington and Moscow. The treaty…

Read More Here

Evidence gathered during Mueller’s investigations leaked by Russians

Evidence gathered by Robert Mueller, the special counsel, was obtained by Russians and leaked online in an attempt to discredit his inquiry into Moscow’s interference in US politics, prosecutors said…

Read More Here

Mueller’s investigation into possible collusion between Trump’s campaign office and Russia soon over

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into possible collusion between Donald Trump's campaign and Russia in the 2016 presidential election is close to being wrapped up, Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker…

Read More Here

Canadian and US fighter jets scrambled to intercept two Russian bombers heading for North American coastline

US and Canadian fighter jets were scrambled to intercept two Russian strategic bombers heading for the North American coastline. Two F-22 and two CF-18 jets identified the Russian nuclear-capable aircraft…

Read More Here

New light on “The Dark Side of The Kremlin” to be revealed in major leak of hacked documents from Russia

A group of transparency advocates on Friday posted a mammoth collection of hacked and leaked documents from inside Russia, a release widely viewed as a sort of symbolic counterstrike against…

Read More Here

Putin’s trust rating reaches lowest level since 2006

Russia's trust in its President Vladimir Putin has fallen to its lowest level since 2006, falling more than 33 percent, according to a recent poll conducted by the Russian-state Public Opinion Research Center. Confidence…

Read More Here

Lawyer for a former U.S. marine accused of spying by Russia says his client had been misled

The lawyer for a former U.S. marine accused of spying by Russia said on Tuesday that his client had been misled before his arrest and believed that a thumb drive…

Read More Here

EU announces new sanctions against Russian and Syrian individuals with links to chemical weapons use and Skripal’s poisoning

The EU has targeted individuals in Syria and Russia with links to chemical weapons attacks. The bloc has been discussing the new sanctions regime since late last year, prompted by…

Read More Here

Russian court orders that 24 Ukrainian soldiers remain under arrest till trial in April

A court in Moscow has ordered the first four of 24 Ukrainian sailors seized by Russia off the coast of Crimea in November to be held in pre-trial detention until…

Read More Here

11 Republican senators break ranks with party to side with Democrats on Russian sanctions

A group of 11 Republican senators broke ranks with their leadership and the administration on Tuesday to side with Democrats in a showdown over sanctions on Russia, underscoring the political…

Read More Here

Trumps denies he ever worked for Russia

President Donald Trump emerged into the frigid air on Monday after a snowy weekend spent indoors and unleashed on the FBI and Democrats after a slew of new reporting on his…

Read More Here

Manafort accused of sharing Trump campaign polling data with Russian intelligence during 2016 campaign

Paul Manafort shared Trump campaign polling data with an associate tied to Russian intelligence during the 2016 campaign, prosecutors alleged, according to a court filing unsealed on Tuesday. The accusations…

Read More Here

Diplomatique.Expert recommends : The World in 2019 – Matthew Bugeja

The last few years have been nothing if not eventful on the global stage. Fortunately, there have been, no new major conflicts in the vein of those such as Syria and Ukraine,…

Read More Here

US citizen detained in Moscow for spying

A US citizen has been detained in Moscow on suspicion of spying, Russia's FSB security service has said. American Paul Whelan was arrested on December 28 in Moscow "while carrying…

Read More Here

Russia and Turkey to meet and discuss US withdrawal from Syria

Foreign and defence ministers from Russia and Turkey will discuss in Moscow the United States’ decision to withdraw troops from Syria, Russian news agency RIA reported on Saturday, citing Russian…

Read More Here

Russia dismisses calls by Germany and France for the immediate and unconditional release of 24 Ukrainian sailors detained by Russia

Update : Russia on Saturday dismissed a statement by the leaders of France and Germany accusing it of using military force and carrying out illegitimate checks on Ukrainian vessels in…

Read More Here

Putin satisfied with new Russian hypersonic missile

Russian President Vladimir Putin has overseen a test of a new hypersonic missile, declaring that the weapon is impossible to intercept and will guarantee the country's security over the coming…

Read More Here

Ukraine – Europe’s forgotten war

Next year, the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine will enter its fifth year. The conflict has taken 3,000 civilian lives, displaced 1.5 million people and left 3.5 million in need - more…

Read More Here

Milliband rebukes Putin’s interference in British affairs after the Russian President spoke against a second Brexit referendum

David Miliband has criticised Vladimir Putin after the Russian president spoke out against a second Brexit referendum. Speaking at an annual news conference in Moscow, Mr Putin said: “She must…

Read More Here

Friday Morning Briefing

Good morning, Your daily morning briefing gives you a roundup of the salient news from around the world and a review of Malta's newspaper front-pages stories. Start Your Day Informed…

Read More Here

Not just Facebook – How Russian influence weaponised social media during 2016 US elections

On Monday, the Senate Intelligence Committee released a pair of sweeping reports illuminating how effectively Russian influence operations weaponized social media during the 2016 presidential election, targeting groups like African-Americans, evangelical Christians…

Read More Here

Putin threatens that Russia will develop new missiles if US exits nuclear pact

Vladimir Putin has threatened that Russia will develop new missiles banned by the intermediate-range nuclear forces treaty if the US exits the pact and pursues an arms buildup of its own.…

Read More Here

Ukraine says Russia has partially unlocked Ukrainian sea ports on Azov Sea

Russia has partially unlocked Ukrainian sea ports on the Azov Sea, Ukraine’s infrastructure minister Volodymyr Omelyan said on Tuesday, Reuters report. “Yes, Berdyansk and Mariupol ports are partially unlocked. Vessels…

Read More Here

Tuesday Morning Briefing

Good morning, Your morning briefing brings you a review of the main news and headlines from Malta, Europe and the World. Quote of the DayChange happens when you extend your…

Read More Here

Ukraine raids Orthodox churches aligned to Russia

Ukrainian authorities on Monday raided three Orthodox churches aligned to Russia as political and religious tensions between the two countries grow. Police and security services also searched the homes of priests…

Read More Here

Too early to return Ukrainian sailors and naval vessels – Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin has said it is “too early” to return Ukrainian sailors and naval vessels seized by Russia in the Sea of Azov, accusing the Ukrainian government of provoking an incident…

Read More Here

Ukraine bans Russian adult men from entering country

Ukraine has banned Russian adult men aged 16-60 years from entering Ukraine, the head of the border service Petro Tsygykal said in a televised meeting on Friday. "Today, the entry…

Read More Here

US President Trump cancels meeting with Putin citing Ukrainian ships seizure

US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he abruptly canceled his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which was scheduled to occur during a G20 meeting in Buenos Aires.…

Read More Here

Russia – Ukraine escalation of tensions – An explainer

Russia seized three Ukrainian military vessels after they attempted to pass through the Kerch Strait off the coast of Crimea, Ukraine's peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014. Ukraine says the move violated the…

Read More Here

Putin warns that Russia would retaliate if US withdrew from Nuclear treaty

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday the Kremlin would retaliate if the United States withdrew from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty, Russian news agencies reported. Putin discussed possible…

Read More Here

Monday Morning Briefing

Good morning, Your morning briefing with a quick roundup of the main headlines from the various portals, agencies and newspapers from Malta, Europe and the world to start your day…

Read More Here

Skripals’ Investigation – Russia reported to have hacked British Visa system

Russia may have hacked the British visa system to gain documents for the agents who attempted to assassinate the Skripals, an investigation has claimed. The Telegraph reports that the probe…

Read More Here

Robert Mueller investigations into Russian interference in US politics lead to enquiries on Nigel Farage

Robert Mueller is seeking more information about Nigel Farage for his investigation into Russian interference in US politics, according to a target of the inquiry who expects to be criminally…

Read More Here

US levied additional sanctions on Russia

The Trump administration levied additional sanctions Thursday on Russia for human rights abuses and illegal economic activity in Crimea, just days before U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir…

Read More Here

Explosion near Russia’s Federal Security Service in Northern Russia

An explosion near an office of Russia’s Federal Security Service in northern Russia killed one and injured three people on Wednesday, Russian state news agency TASS reported, citing the local…

Read More Here

French, German, Russian and Turkish leaders meet in summit on Syria

A four-way summit on Syria has ended with no major breakthrough, even as the leaders of Turkey, Russia, Germany and France agreed that a fragile ceasefire in Idlib should be…

Read More Here

Putin and Conte say EU sanctions against Russia must come to an end

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Wednesday that EU sanctions against Russia had to come to an end, but declined to say if his government was ready to veto…

Read More Here

Putin and Trump set to meet in Paris on November 11 – Kremlin

Preliminary agreement has been reached on a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump in Paris on Nov. 11, a Kremlin foreign policy aide said on…

Read More Here

Putin invites Trump to new talks in Paris

Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited US President Trump to new talks in Paris next month amid talks with U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton over an arms control treaty. Euronews …

Read More Here

Gorbachev expresses his criticism to Trump’s decision to withdraw USA from nuclear disarmament treaty

President Trump’s announcement that the United States would withdraw from a nuclear disarmament treaty with Russia drew sharp criticism Sunday from one of the men who signed it, Mikhail S. Gorbachev,…

Read More Here

Trump says US to pull from Nuclear Treaty with Russia and will start to develop the weapons

Donald Trump says he will pull the United States from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia, claiming Moscow is violating it. The president said he wants a new deal with Russia and China,…

Read More Here

Turkey to host summit on Syria with Russia, Germany and France next week

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will host a summit on the Syria conflict with the leaders of Russia, Germany and France on October 27 in Istanbul, his spokesman said Friday.…

Read More Here

EU unveils framework to allow sanctions against use of chemical weapons

The European Union on Monday unveiled a legal framework to allow sanctions against the use of chemical weapons. The new framework could see restrictions placed on Russia over the poisoning…

Read More Here

Russian opposition leader released from jail

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was released on Sunday after 20 days in jail where he was held on charges of staging an illegal protest last month. Navalny had been…

Read More Here

Friday Morning Briefing

Good morning, Your morning briefing, with an update and review of the latest headlines from the main news agencies, news media and newspapers from Malta, Europe and the World. Start…

Read More Here

Russia to suspend manned space launches

Russia has suspended manned space launches after the failure of one of its rockets carrying two astronauts to the International Space Station, casting doubts over the future of the orbiting…

Read More Here

Astronauts make an emergency landing after rocket malfunction on lift-off to the International Space Station (UPDATED)

An American astronaut and Russian cosmonaut aborted their flight to the International Space Station on Thursday after a booster failure on their Soyuz rocket. The status of the astronaut and…

Read More Here

A third Russian suspecting Salisbury nerve agent attack named

A suspected third member of the Kremlin hit squad behind the Salisbury nerve agent attack has been named, according to a respected Russian news website. Sergey Fedotov, 45, travelled to the…

Read More Here