Russia & CIS

Azerbaijan has declared 2 non-working days in May.

"Tariffs on transportations have dropped by 40%."

An Armenian serviceman has died in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia.

"Good tradition will continue in the future."

Despite the low oil price and the need for foreign loans, the development of Trans Anatolian pipeline (TANAP) continues to follow the projected schedule, Vagif Aliev, head of SOCAR'S Investments Department, told Natural Gas Europe.

Head of the general commandment of the Turkish gendarmerie, army general Galib Mendi is to visit Azerbaijan.

The letter of gratitude was sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and posted on the website of the Embassy.

The role played by all institutions of the Russian Federation at all levels has been praised by the Chair of the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons today, the International Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare.

The US Ministry of Justice banned the Crimean Tatar People Mejlis, as being an extremist organization. Washington called on Moscow to cancel this “unfounded and illegal” order. What for does the West pile up so much lie around the Crimean-Tatar problem?

Russia's new radar will be able to detect not only ground, but also air targets. The new complex will stay on guard of both the state border and strategically important objects. The systems will monitor the movement of vehicles, people and small drones at a distance of 20 kilometers

In 1999, Russia announced the works to create a new strategic bomber to replace Tu-95MS and Tu-160 bomber aircraft (the White Swan, NATO reporting name Black Jack). The new plane was to be ready by 2010, but the plans did not materialize, due to shortfalls in the development of the engines

On April 19, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev delivered a report at the State Duma about efforts of the Russian government to overcome consequences of the economic crisis in Russia. The Russian economy remains under the heavy influence of several negative factors. In 1990s, such conditions would have destroyed Russia

Pravda.Ru journalists have recently visited the city of Severodvinsk, one of the centers of the Russian shipbuilding industry, one of the main bases of the Northern Fleet, from where submarines would set off for their missions. The city used to be one of the most secret places in the USSR. Nowadays, the city is open for everyone

Russian President Putin held a televised Q&A conference on Apr 14. Most questions were related to public utilities, corruption and socio-economic guarantees. This year's Q&A conference is Putin's 14th. The first conference was held in 2001. The longest conference took place in 2013, when Putin was answering questions for 4 hours, 48 minutes

Amnesty of capitals for individuals is to be completed by the summer of the current year in Russia. There will be no extension for the program, as only 200 applications have been submitted during the first six months. Banks will be obliged to monitor the origin and movement of assets, but Russia should move further

Russia has created several unique aircraft. The Su-35 is already in use, and we have been testing the fifth-generation T-50 for several years. These are very good results, because no one could even think that it could be possible in the middle of the 1990s. Russia has lost a lot. Time is one of the most important factors in competition

The Cipher Brief asked me to write a short piece on the impact of Russia’s economic downturn on prospects for the Russian military, as part of a series on Russian military modernization.

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The drop in Russian state revenues has affected Russian military modernization to some extent, though the Russian government has made an effort to insulate the military from budget cuts. Although the 2015 military budget was cut by five percent mid-year, the total allocation was still 25 percent higher than the previous year’s budget. This allowed the military to continue its modernization process, conduct operations in Syria, and fulfill its training and exercise programs.

With oil prices remaining low, the military is facing a more difficult financial picture in 2016. In November, the Finance Ministry announced that the total 2016 defense budget would be largely the same as in 2015. However, last month, an additional five percent cut was announced, which will result in the first annual net decline in Russian defense spending since Vladimir Putin became president in 2000.

As a result of the deteriorating financial outlook, the fulfillment of the 2011-2020 State Armament Program is now in question.

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On April 7, Vladimir Putin participated in the work of the forum of the All-National People's Front "Truth and Justice." The Q&A format of the meeting made it a full-fledged press conference, at which Putin talked about a variety of issues. Putin answered a question about the infamous "Panama Papers" - another act of media warfare against Russia