Breaking News, 24th of April, 2018

The G7 countries, following a meeting of foreign ministers in Canadian city of Toronto, may consider tightening sanctions against Russia in connection with its policy in the south-east of Ukraine. The final statement says that Russian foreign policy actions are characterized as «destabilizing». Russia is accused of «interfering in the democratic systems of other countries.» The G-7 countries agreed with London’s conclusions about Moscow’s involvement in the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter, and also supported the US air strike and their allies in Syria.

Russian parliamentarians will draft a bill on criminal liability for those who comply with US sanctions on the territory of Russia, said the first deputy of the head of the political faction «United Russia» Andrei Isaev. «I think, as we work on anti-sanctions, a bill on criminal responsibility for compliance of American sanctions on the territory of Russia will appear,» Isayev explained. The deputy expressed confidence that the draft will be adopted in the spring session.

Representatives of the United States, Britain, France and Germany agreed on the terms on which Washington agrees to not abandon the deal on Iran’s nuclear program. Following the results of five rounds of negotiations, the parties decided that they would «threaten Iran with new sanctions because of its missile tests.» At the same time, the «nuclear deal will remain intact», but a number of provisions will be «interpreted in a new way»

When the US Navy and the US Air Force, as well as the forces of their allies, attacked Syria on April 14th — their main goal was not the destruction of non-existent institutions and enterprises for the development and production of chemical weapons. The attack was a test of the defensive capability of the Syrian «umbrella» of ABM systems, which is a kind of «miniature» of the Russian air defense systems of their Land Forces, given the presence of the Buk-M medium-range anti-aircraft missile systems in the arsenal of the Syrian army, as well as the short-range anti-aircraft missile and artillery systems Pantsir-C1 «.

In the DPR, over the past day, Ukrainian troops violated the ceasefire agreement 25 times, firing 635 shells at the front-line areas of the Republic. The northern and western outskirts of Donetsk, Yasinovatoy and Dokuchaevsk were under attack. In addition, the settlements around Gorlovka — Shirokaya Balka and Mikhailovka, as well as the southern villages of Kominternovo, Sakhanka and Leninskoye were targeted as well.

Israeli minister of defense, Avigdor Lieberman, said that the S-300 air defense systems, that Syria could possibly buy from Russia, will be destroyed if Damascus applies them against the Israeli Air Force. According to Lieberman, it is important for Israel that «the defensive weapons that the Russians transfer to Syria» won’t be used against his country, «Interfax» reports. If the weapons will be used against Israel — they will be destroyed, the minister underlined.