Breaking News, 28th of July, 2018

On Friday, the International Association of Athletics Federations announced that they do not yet see an opportunity to restore the membership of the Russian Athletics Federation. This was stated by the head of the Inspection Commission Rune Andersen. He underlined that several major problems remain unresolved, among which the compensation of spending on the Russian doping scandal. The International Association of Athletics Federations insists that Russia must provide an access to the data of the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory collected for 2011 to 2015. Another condition is the restoration of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency.

US President Donald Trump extended the sanctions that the US imposed against those who, according to Washington, contribute to the influence of Damascus in Lebanon, the White House administration announced. The sanctions were imposed in 2007, and they were extended for another year. They were imposed against those who, according to the US, undermine democracy in Lebanon and promote political violence, RIA NEWS reports. In particular, with the supply of «increasingly sophisticated» Iranian weapons to Hezbollah.

There was a report in social media about another attack of UAVs several kilometers away from the Russian airbase Khmeimim in Syria. Telegram-channel of WarJournal reports that «explosions were heard again» over the city of Jebel. According to the local sources — the air defense systems managed to intercept the drones «on their approach». It was not the first such attack.

US President Trump held a meeting of the National Security Council on elections during Friday. He announced that he will not tolerate foreign interference in the American electoral process, Interfax reports while referring to the statement of the White House. The meeting was about the possible threats to the American elections, cyber security issues, and actions taken to investigate and prosecute those who tried to interfere in the electoral processes of the United States. In November 2018 there will be the so-called interim elections in the US, during which 35 out of 100 US senators will be re-elected. The House of Representatives meanwhile will be fully re-elected.

President of Ukraine Petr Poroshenko announced that the Russian Orthodox Church is »dangerous» for Ukraine. «It is absolutely necessary to chop off all the tentacles that the aggressor country is trying to sneak inside our state» he explained and added that Russian church is » separated from the state only on paper», and in fact it «fully and unconditionally» supports the «imperial policy of the Kremlin.» He added that such situation is a threat to the national security of Ukraine. Petr Poroshenko said that autocephaly is a matter of Ukrainian independence and national security — millions of Ukrainians expect it as soon as possible, and they are ready for it.

Ukrainian troops, over the past day, fired at positions of the LPR 3 times. The settlements Zhelobok and Sokolniki were under attack. In the DPR, during the same period, Ukrainian units violated the ceasefire four times, firing 51 shells at the front-line territory of the republic. The villages Sakhanka and Leninskoye in the Novoazovskoe area in the south of the DPR were hit. Mortars of various calibers, AA guns, grenade launchers and small arms were used in the shelling.