Senior Crimean officials have said that despite the attempts of Ukrainian authorities to isolate the peninsular and damage its tourist-oriented economy, the flow of visitors has remained constant with many of them coming from Ukraine. “An attempt to impose a ‘tourist blockade’ of Crimea has drowned in the thousands-strong torrent of Ukrainian citizens who, despite of all propaganda and lengt [...]

A British writer and journalist Edward Lucas, one of the pioneers of the theory presenting Russia as an existential threat to the US and the European Union, several years ago coined the term of “whataboutism.” The term is supposed to denote the inclination of Russian media to question the moral ground of Western accusations against Russia by pointing to the West's own failures: "What ab [...]

The US Department of Defense declined to comment on reports of Ukraine selling military technology to North Korea. The US Department of Defense declined to comment on reports of Ukraine selling military technology to North Korea and referred to the Intelligence Community to respond, Department spokesman Col. Rob Manning said during a press briefing. [...]

The German media has characterized US arms deliveries to Ukraine as a nightmare. In an interview with Sputnik, political analyst Igor Shatrov said that this opinion is shared by all Europeans who have fallen victim to Washington’s sanctions. [...]

Since the presidency of Barack Obama, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has demanded arms supplies from the US. However, the prospect of Washington satisfying Kiev's request frightens Germany and France, Deutschlandfunk radio station reported. [...]

Ukrainian military prosecutors are suing the company charged with repairing the Hetman Sahaydachniy frigate, whose engines broke down soon after costly repairs. Speaking to Sputnik, military observer Konstantin Kivkov said that the story around the frigate is a 'shining example' of officials' efforts to deprive Ukraine of its defense capabilities. [...]

Former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma has lashed out against the EU, saying that the bloc's policies had brought Ukraine "to its knees," and turned it into a raw material colony. Speaking to Sputnik, Ukrainian political analyst Alexander Okhrimenko said that it was surprising that Kiev expected anything different from the Europeans. [...]

On Wednesday, EU authorities signed a document on amending the legislation of the EU to grant a visa-free regime to Ukrainians, according to a live broadcast from Strasbourg. In an interview with Radio Sputnik, Russian expert Evgeny Ben commented on the issue, saying that the move may lead to an uncontrolled influx of Ukrainian migrants to the EU. [...]

At this stage, you have to ask, is there anything Russian left for Ukraine to ban? Since 2014, they’ve blacklisted movies, flights, TV stations, cultural figures and even a disabled Eurovision entrant. Now, it’s social networks, search engines, and anti-virus software. Sure it’s a country where many want to re-align westwards after centuries of Moscow influence, but the methods are becomi [...]

The Russian Investigative Committee has launched criminal cases against Ukrainian servicemen and officials responsible for indiscriminate use of artillery in the self-proclaimed Donetsk Republic that resulted in civilian casualties. [...]

When deciding to suspend supply of electricity to the Lugansk People's Republic, Kiev seems to have failed to heed Russia's readiness to lend its shoulder to the de-electrified region, Ukrainian politician and rights activist Vladimir Oleynik told Sputnik. In an interview with Sputnik, Ukrainian politician and rights activist Vladimir Oleynik commented on Kiev's recent decision to suspend el [...]

Wheelchair-bound Russian singer Yulia Samoylova said she can’t comprehend what scared the Ukrainian authorities so much that they slapped her with a three-year ban. Samoylova said she still hopes to perform at Eurovision in Kiev. [...]

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko blamed Ukrainian radicals for Kiev having lost control over the situation in the eastern regions of Donbass. According to the Ukrainian leader, the blockade of Donbass by radicals risks plunging Ukraine into "anarchy" and violence. [...]

The executive board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has delayed the third review of its loan program to Ukraine, the Ukrainian Finance Ministry said Sunday. Earlier in March, IMF Communications Department Director Gerry Rice said the fund's directors planned to meet on March 20 to make the final decision on providing a new tranche of loans to Ukraine. [...]

Three years after Crimea's accession to the Russian Federation, which was marked with festivities in Russia on Saturday, Ukraine's Foreign Minister tweeted that freedom was "taken away" from the peninsular and vowed to return it. Of course, Russian politicians didn't take this lying down. [...]

Foreign nationals can get on a fast track to receiving Ukrainian citizenship by investing the equivalent of $100,000 US into the country's economy, according to a recent directive by the Ukrainian cabinet of ministers. In an official directive dated March 1 establishing immigration quotas for foreign nationals and stateless persons for 2017, 2,223 people married to Ukrainian citizens, and an [...]

Russia decided to validate Donbass residents' documents for humanitarian reasons and the presidential decree will remain in force until the Minsk peace deal is implemented, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday. [...]

Former Polish President Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the influential leader of the country's ruling Law and Justice Party, has some frank advice for Kiev, telling Ukrainian officials that the country would never join Europe if it continued to try to build its national identity on the glorification of notorious Nazi-allied war criminals like Stepan Bandera. [...]

Russia’s top federal investigative agency has begun a criminal case into the deaths of civilians in Donetsk that were reportedly the result of shelling by Ukrainian government forces on February 1-3. According to Investigative Committee acting chief spokesman Svetlana Petrenko, a criminal case has been launched into the use of illegal methods of warfare. [...]

German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated that the situation on the contact line in eastern Ukraine is causing concern. The security situation on the line of contact in eastern Ukraine is causing concern and the work on the Ukrainian settlement should continue, including within the 'Normandy Four' format, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday. [...]

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has cut short a working visit to Germany following an unprecedented escalation of the conflict in Donbass where Ukrainian forces have violated the fragile ceasefire almost 2,000 times over the past 24 hours alone. Briefing reporters ahead of her meeting with Poroshenko, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the hard-won truce in eastern Ukraine was no [...]

This week, the situation in southeastern Ukraine took a turn for the worse, with clashes intensifying between Kiev forces and Donetsk People's Republic militia. Concerned by the situation, Opposition Bloc Rada lawmaker Vadim Novinsky reminded President Petro Poroshenko of his 2014 election campaign pledge to end the war in the Donbass. [...]