Russian is ready to coordinate with the West over strikes on Syria, Putin says

President Vladimir Putin of  Russia late Thursday said he was ready to coordinate strikes against the Islamic State with the United States and its allies but warned that acts like the Turkish downing of a Russian jet could destroy any chance of collaboration.

After talks with French President François Hollande at the Kremlin, Putin said, "We are ready to cooperate with the coalition which is led by the United States."

It was the most forthright commitment to a joint effort between Russia and the West since Moscow's seizure of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

Vladimir Putin meets Fidel Castro in Cuba

Vladimir Putin, Russian president, meets Fidel Castro, the retired Communist leader, in Cuba

Russian President Vladimir Putin began a six-day Latin American tour aimed at boosting trade and ties in the region with a stop Friday in Cuba, a key Soviet ally during the Cold War that has backed Moscow in its dispute with the West over Ukraine.

Cuban state media carried photos of Putin's meeting with retired leader Fidel Castro. Putin and Raúl Castro, the president, also participated in a ceremony at Havana's Memorial to the Soviet Internationalist Soldier.

The two countries signed about a dozen accords in areas such as energy, industry, health and disaster prevention. Russian companies will participate in petroleum projects around Boca de Jaruco on the island's north coast, and that cooperation will extend to offshore oil deposits, Cuban government website Cubadebate said.

US says Russia transporting tanks into Ukrainian Separatists

The United has said the pro-Russia separatists in Ukraine received  tanks and other ammunition from Russia. The US state department said on Friday that a convoy of military vehicles, including three tanks, were transported from a Russian depot into Ukraine this week. Three T-64 tanks, multiple rocket launchers and other military vehicles crossed from Russian into the Ukraine near the town of Snizhne, the state department said, describing this as "unacceptable". 

The Guardian reports that the vehicles – apparently out-of-use Russian tanks – appear to have been commandeered by Ukrainian separatist forces. Ukraine first raised concerns about the tanks crossing into its eastern region on Thursday, after several reports, including video footage uploaded to Youtube, appeared to show Russian tanks passing through Snizhne.

Vladimir Putin: love him or hate him, now you can eat him

Chocolate figurines of the Russian president are big sellers in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.

Are you still furious about Russia's invasion of Crimea? Are you concerned about the violent clashes in eastern Ukraine? Are you hungry?

Sounds like you need to bite the head off a chocolate figurine of Vladimir Putin!

In the western city of Lviv, that's now an option, thanks to a politico-culinary collaboration between the famous Lviv Chocolate Factory and EuroMaiden activist Oleh Matsekh, who designed the figure after the invasion of Crimea.

"When you buy it, you can treat it the way you perceive Putin," Matsekh said. "If you hate him, you can bite his head off. If you love him, you can lick or kiss this piece of chocolate. It's up to everyone to decide."

Matsekh sounds diplomatic. His figurine design is less so.

It's available in two forms. "Big Putin" wears a crown and is holding a bomb behind his back. "Little Putin" is dressed like Napoleon.

The tag reads, "PTN-PNH" — an abbreviation that stands for "Putin, go f*ck yourself."

For now, the figurines are only available in Lviv, but there are plans to begin selling them in other cities, including Kyiv.

Putin introduces separate ministry for North Caucasus affairs

Russian Vladimir Putin has replaced the presidential envoy in the North Caucasus district and ordered a dedicated ministry for North Caucasus affairs be set up, headed by the former governor of the Krasnoyarsk Region.

The head of Russia’s Presidential Administration, Sergey Ivanov, told reporters that the main tasks of the new ministry would be improving the employment situation in the region, attracting investments and control over the spending of federal budgetary funds.

Putin's first visit to Crimea since annexation treated heroic

Russian President, Vladimir Putin flew to Crimea Friday to mark the Soviet Union's World War II victory, his first trip to the peninsula since Moscow annexed it from Ukraine in March.

Putin declared his country is now stronger with the annexation of Crimea. "I am sure that 2014 will go into the annals of our whole country as the year when the nations living here firmly decided to be together with Russia, affirming fidelity to the historical truth and the memory of our ancestors,'' Putin was quoted as saying during a speech in the port city of Sevastopol.

"There is a lot of work ahead but we will overcome all difficulties because we are together, which means we have become stronger," the Russian leader said during his remarks to military leaders and other officials.

Crimea is now part of Russia says Google maps…but only in Russia

Crimea as shown by Google Maps’ Russian service. The border with Ukraine shown in solid line reserved for borders between sovereign countries. (image from Google Maps)

Crimea is now part of Russia, according to the Russian version of Google’s map service. The change was made to reflect in the latest update and did not affect how the online giant presents the peninsula to the rest of the world.

Russia takes Voice of America radio off air

The U.S.-funded Voice of America radio station has been taken off the air by Russia , as a senior Russian state media official called it “spam on our airwaves.” Dmitry Kiselyov, the head of the Rossiya Segodnya state media conglomerate on Wednesday, said a contract to broadcast Voice of America on AM radio would not be renewed.

“Rossiya Segodnya will not work with Voice of America,” Kiselyov said, the RIA Novosti news agency reported. The United States has targeted Kiselyov for sanctions over his role in promoting Russia’s annexation of Crimea. He presents a highly opinionated weekly news show on state television. “It’s as if they broadcast from the underworld. Or at least a world that no longer exists,” Kiselyov said of VOA and U.S.-funded Radio Liberty, which still broadcasts in Russia through a partner station.

NATO Secretary-General warns Moscow against further intervention in Ukraine

NATO Secretary-General has warned Russia that further intervention in Ukraine would be a “historic mistake” with grave consequences.

Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Moscow must pull back troops it has massed on the Ukrainian border. On Tuesday, Ukraine regained control of one of the government buildings occupied by pro-Russian activists in the east of the country.

Crimea Updates: Kerry, Lavrov meet in Paris today

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry changed course after a week of travel in the Mideast and arrived in Paris Saturday for talks with his Russian counterpart, Lavrov  on the Ukraine crisis. From Saudi Arabia, Kerry landed in Shannon, Ireland for a refueling stop, when he decided to turn his plane around and head to Paris. 

Crimea War: Putin's popularity reaching incredible heights

Russian President Vladmir Putin has despite (or perhaps due to) the situation in Crimea and Ukraine, been enjoying a three-year high in his approval ratings.

On Wednesday, the independent Levada Center released their latest numbers for Putin, and they show that his popularity is growing even more. 

Crimea War: Ukraine fires defense minister for losing the peninsular to Russia, replace him with Gen. Mykhaylo Koval,

The Ukraine defense minister, Igor Tenyukh, who was accused of being indecisive and slow to give orders to Ukrainian military units in Crimea, submitted his resignation to Ukrainian parliament Tuesday.

Russian troops humiliated the Ukrainian forces out of Crimea region. 

Nigerian students in Crimea to now get consular services from Russia

Nigeria’s Ambassador to Ukraine, Amb. Frank Isoh  has said that Nigerians in Crimea will require a new residence permit to stay in that region which was recently absobed into Russia.

Isoh in a telephone interview with the Europe Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday put the number of Nigerians in Crimea at 240, out of which 175 are students studying medicine.

He said that the Nigeria’s embassy in Russia would now be in charge of consular services of Nigerians in Crimea.

Crimea War: Russian Sergey Lavrov and Ukrainian Andriy Deshchytsia hold first talks in Hague

The foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine,  Sergey Lavrov  and Andriy Deshchytsia have met on the sidelines of the nuclear summit in the Hague, Netherlands. the first face to face talks since the ousting of Ukraine’s pro-Russia president and Moscow’s annexation of Crimea.

BREAKING: Ukraine's defense ministry has been given orders to withdraw Ukrainian forces from Crimea: acting presiden

Ukraine’s Defence Ministry has been given orders to withdraw Ukrainian forces from Crimea – acting President (Reuters)

Putin Takes Over Ukrainian Sub In Crimea

On the Orders of President Putin, Russian Navy said Saturday that it took over Ukraine’s only submarine, based in Sevastopol, Crimea. It is now part of Russia’s historic Black Sea Fleet and brings the number of Russian subs stationed in the Crimean peninsula to four.

BREAKING NEWS: Russia to publish its own list of sanctions against US officials

Russia to publish its own list of sanctions against US officials just as the Russian Parliament endorsed the drafted resolution for Crimea peninsula to become part of Russia federation.




Details later...

Crimea Latest: Russian parliament ratified treaty to make Crimea part of Russian Federation

Russia's lower parliament ratified a treaty to make Crimea a part of the Russian Federation on Thursday. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had presented the treaty on annexing Crimea to lawmakers, urging them to accept the region as a part of the Russian Federation.

Speaking "on behalf" of President Vladimir Putin, he told the State Duma folding the Black Sea Peninsula into Russia was needed to protest ethnic Russians there. "I hope this will become a turning point in the fate of many people who are united by many things," Lavrov said.

Crimea Latest: Russia commences the issuing national passports for Crimeans – Migration Service

The first passports have been handed out to the new Russian citizens in Crimea on Wednesday, the head of the Federal Migration Service said.

The treaty of Crimea's accession to Russia "was signed yesterday… And all, who appealed to the Federal Migration Service in the Crimea, will receive their passports. This work has started. Some of the passports were issued today,” said Konstantin Romodanovskiy, the head of the Federal Migration Service, as cited by Itar-Tass news agency.

Meanwhile, funds from the Russian budget will be used to help Crimea solve and Sevastopol solve its economic problems, country’s finance minister, Anton Siluanov, announced.

"The total deficit on the budget of Sevastopol and Crimea in 2014 is 55 billion roubles (around $1.5 billion),” Siluanov is cited by RIA-Novosti news agency.

The minister specially stressed that the National Welfare Fund won’t be affected as the money for the Crimea will be taken from the unallocated reserve of the Russian budget.

DETAILS TO FOLLOW

RT

Referendum: 93% Crimeans overwhelmingly vote to join Russia

Crimeans have voted overwhelmingly to join Russia, with Russian news agency RIA saying exit polls indicate 93 percent voted in favour of the move.

As Russian flags fluttered in the breeze and retirees grew weepy at the thought of reuniting with Russia, residents of Ukraine's Crimea region held a secession vote Sunday. 

The United States and Europe condemned the referendum as illegal, while Ukraine's new government called it a "circus" directed at gunpoint by Moscow.