Russia

Russia's Defense Ministry has given permission for a surveillance flight by Ukraine over Russian territory near the border between the countries.

Russia has permitted the flight in order to demonstrate that any threat of military operations on the part of the Russian Armed Forces is absent, after Kiev had claimed Moscow was building up its military presence there.

Ukraine's officials accused Russia of conducting a large military build-up near the country's border that raises the threat of an invasion.

Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Andriy Parubiy warned that he has "every reason to believe" that Russian forces along Ukraine's southern and eastern borders will invade, KyivPost reports.

The political part of EU's Association Agreement in Ukraine will probably be signed next week.

After Wednesday's talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that, "if there are no technical obstacles", signing of some documents regarding the agreement should take place at the upcoming meeting of the European Council, which is next week.

BELGRADE - Serbia's foreign trade deficit totalled USD 357.7 million in January and was by 30.4 percent lower than in the same month in 2013, the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia released on Wednesday.

BELGRADE - Moscow's view concerning Kosovo remains the same and relies mostly on UN Security Council Resolution 1244, the Russian embassy in Belgrade has stated.

BELGRADE - Empty promises made by parties will not deceive the hungry people, and Serbia can only rise with help from the Russian Federation, the Serbian Radical Party (SRS) and the Nasi and Obraz movements have said.

BUCHAREST - Serbia beat host Romania in a FINA Water Polo World League Preliminaries Round 5 Group A match in Bucharest 7-4 (2-1, 1-0, 1-2, 3-1) late on Tuesday.

This was Serbia's third consecutive win, cementing its top position in the group with nine points ahead of Russia and Romania with three points each.

BELGRADE - The Center for Free Elections and Democracy (CeSID) is the only domestic organization that requested and got accreditation from the national electoral commission (RIK) for monitoring early parliamentary elections, while foreign observers showed greater interest in that.

BELGRADE - The Republic Electoral Commission (RIK) issued an approval for monitoring the work of bodies in charge of parliamentary elections on March 16 to the delegation of the Central Electoral Commission of the Russian Federation, diplomats of the Bulgarian Embassy and a delegation of the Inter-parliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

BELGRADE - The 13th International Theatre Festival Slavija 2014 has opened at the Slavija Theater in Belgrade.

The festival, which was declared open on Sunday evening by actor Tanasije Uzunovic, will showcase seven plays in the competition program by March 16.