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Sberbank head points to supporting floating ruble exchange rate as crucial

MOSCOW, January 25. /TASS/. Head of Sberbank Herman Gref said it is crucial to support floating ruble exchange rate for the Russian economy.

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Sberbank head says western sanctions against Russia may not be lifted this year

"The Central Bank announced floating exchange rate, and I consider it to be crucial to support it. This is a natural compensator to distortions, which arise within the economy. If we intervene less into the situation, confidence of all economic agents will be greater," he said during a press conference in TASS.

Earlier the Bank of Russia said that the ruble’s volatility substantially decreased amid sliding volatility of crude oil prices to the level of summer 2014, prior to the introduction of the floating exchange rate.

Central Bank Chief Elvira Nabiullina also said that the regulator sees no risks of the devaluation of the Russian national currency.

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Maksut Shadayev noted that Chinese developers have increased investments in promoting their applications in the store fivefold this year and spent 60 million rubles ($590,088)

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US, UK special services plotting terror attacks on Russia’s bases in Syria — intel agency

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Kazan airport in Russia’s Tatarstan suspends service — regulator

"The air harbor is temporarily not accepting or sending flights," the statement reads

Ukraine receives first 100 mcb of LNG from United States

It was noted that this delivery was aimed at ensuring Ukraine's energy security and took place several days before the end of Russian gas transit through the country's territory

Press review: EU preps for gas cuts via Ukraine as China boosts naval and air power

Top stories from the Russian press on Saturday, December 28th

Gazprom to limit gas supplies to Moldova up to zero from January 1 over contract breach

The company notes that the restriction will remain in effect until Gazprom notifies Moldovagaz in writing otherwise

CENIPA experts arrive in Aktau to investigate plane crash

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Russia practically eliminates remnants of Ukraine’s Air Force — source

The source said that attempts to recruit more pilots in Poland and other Eastern European countries were not particularly successful

Ukraine's national debt reaches record $159.74 bln

In October, the national debt was $155.37 bln, which was also a record

Scholz says he would like to hold phone talks with Putin again

The German chancellor emphasized that he didn’t plan to "send German servicemen to this war"

Ukraine opens second front in Africa — envoy

Igor Gromyko noted that in August, Mali's transitional government announced the termination of diplomatic relations with Ukraine

Russian cancer vaccine to be free of charge — top oncologist

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Russia substantially expands blacklist of EU officials in response to sanctions — MFA

"Any unfriendly actions on the part of the European Union will continue to be met with a timely and proportionate response," the ministry warned

External forces to prevent Syria’s collapse — expert

Israel "does not need this territory, as the Israelis have already taken the Golan Heights," Vitaly Naumkin said

Roscosmos achieved significant progress in several major projects in 2024 — CEO

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Russian forces repulse 25 Ukrainian counterattacks at LPR borders over week

The Ukrainian army also lost 14 tanks, 100 field artillery guns, 16 electronic warfare and counterbattery radar stations, 21 ammunition depots and almost 200 various combat vehicles in that frontline area over the past week, Andrey Marochko specified

Kiev loses nearly 400,000 soldiers on Lugansk’s frontline in 2024

Andrey Marochko noted that over the year the Russian army did not just manage to withstand the onslaught of the Ukrainian armed forces and mercenaries, but also "successfully advanced" deep into the enemy’s defense

Pentagon mum on F-16 fighter jet downed in Zaporozhye Region

The US Department of Defense "has no statement or information to provide," a department’s spokesperson said

Parliament impeaches South Korean acting president

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Biden administration to send $1.25 bln in military assistance to Kiev — AP

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Russian Guardsmen destroy Ukrainian UAV team in Chernigov Region

The Guard’s press office said that images transmitted live from a drone confirmed the destruction of the enemy team

Number of homeless people in US up to record 770,000

The surge in homelessness came amid a shortage of affordable housing, inflation, as well as a stagnating salary growth, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development said

Decision-making centers in Kiev may be targets of Russia’s strikes, says Lavrov

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Ukraine’s army reports forced retreat to ‘last defensive line’ in Donbass area

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Press review: US, Israel aim to curb Turkey’s gains while Moscow, Tehran strengthen ties

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Slovakia ready to host peace talks on Ukraine — Prime Minister

Robert Fico noted that Bratislava would be ready and hospitable

No confidence vote, Bundestag's dissolution, early elections: political crisis in Germany

Germany faces an acute crisis after the ruling coalition clashed on budgetary and economic policies, including aid to Kiev and easing the "debt brake" rule

Foreign powers seek to provoke mass riots in Syria — source

On December 27, security forces formed by the new Syrian government blocked districts of the city of Tartus, where Alawites organized riots

Russian, Azerbaijani presidents discuss details of passenger plane crash in Kazakhstan

According to the latest updates, 38 people, including seven Russians, lost their lives, while 29 others survived

Expert offers to use navy ships to escort tankers after Eagle S incident

Alexander Stepanov believes that NATO intends to lock the Kaliningrad enclave, to lock the Russian trade fleet in Neva estuary and to simultaneously block the Leningrad naval base

Russia says battlegroups North, Dnepr cause Ukraine to lose up to 160 troops over past day

"Units of the battlegroup North struck manpower and equipment of Ukraine’s mechanized and motorized infantry brigades, a territorial defense brigade and formations of foreign mercenaries near Volchansk, Liptsy, Slatino and Neskuchnoye in the Kharkov Region," the ministry said

Politics discussed on board of ISS, but unlike on Earth crew members mingle — cosmonaut

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US debt to reach limit in mid-January, authorities to take extraordinary measures — Yellen

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New Syrian authorities do not intend to annul agreements on Russian military bases

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Germany seen defenseless against Russia’s Oreshnik missile system — report

Bild said the German Foreign Ministry commissioned an internal government analysis on defense from ballistic missiles

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Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, December 27th

Russian Railways tests robodogs for work on dangerous railway sections

The iron dogs are equipped with cameras and lidars that automatically transmit data to the operator's computer

Transnistria must become part of negotiations on Ukraine — Foreign Minister of Moldova

The authorities of Transnistria call on the Moldovan leadership to intensify the negotiations on all platforms

Russia to convene UNSC meeting in January to discuss Ukraine’s crimes against civilians

The report on Ukrainian atrocities in Selidovo will be presented

Taiwan records approach of seven Chinese PLA warplanes, five vessels

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Russia’s FSB foils assassination attempts on defense officer, military blogger

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Russian Su-35S jets cover combat aircraft in air strikes on Ukrainian troops in Kursk area

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Kanat Bozumbayev recalled that Kazakhstan had been a member of the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation since 1992

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Georgian PM sees US sanctions on party founder as reward for protecting national interests

"This is just a reward for the defense of our country's national interests," Irakli Kobakhidze said

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US may face bankruptcy if situation with national debt does not change — Musk

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Fall conscription concluded with 133,000 individuals drafted — Russian Defense Ministry

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Russia persuades most states it is essential to address causes of Ukrainian crisis — MFA

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Moldova can go to court over Gazprom's decision to suspend supplies — Prime Minister

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Plane that crashed in Kazakhstan suffered damage outside of country — deputy PM

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Kazakh president warns against misinformation, provocations about plane crash near Aktau

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Zelensky defines essence of next summit on Ukraine in four-letter explicit word — Lavrov

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Russian security official says Poland gave Ukraine unusable helicopters

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Russian state arms seller reports record high orders portfolio of over $57 bln in 2024

Rosoboronexport clarified that the priority of the defense industry sector today is to meet the needs of the Russian armed forces

Azerbaijan Airlines states its passenger jet crashed due to external mechanical damage

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Scholz polling increasingly worse as German chancellor candidate — Bild

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Osamu Suzuki, who headed Japanese carmaker for 40 years, dies at 94

Osamu Suzuki joined the company in 1958, when he married the daughter of one of its founders and took her last name

Norwegians who refused to rescue sailors from Ursa Major acted like non-humans — senator

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Press review: Middle East may host Putin-Trump talks as experts probe Kazakhstan crash

Top stories from the Russian press on Thursday, December 26th

Trump's words on Greenland escalate tensions in the Arctic — Russian ambassador to Norway

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Oreshnik missile systems still few, but they are enough — Putin

According to the head of state, the system's serial production has begun

Russia says it carried out 38 strikes with high-precision weapons over past week

Russia’s Battlegroup West has repelled 25 Ukrainian counterattacks over the past week, wiping out over 3,080 enemy servicemen and destroying a German-made Leopard tank

IN BRIEF: Putin talks to reporters about Oreshnik missile, natural gas transit

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Airstrikes on Yemen’s capital target airport, Houthi military sites — source

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Russian MFA lists nine countries set to become BRICS partners from January 1

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Ukraine loses over 250 servicemen over past day in Kursk Region, another surrenders as POW

Russia's army continues to defeat Ukrainian formations in the Kursk Region

Kiev loses nearly 32,000 troops at Lugansk region borders in December —military expert

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Russia sees elimination of threats in Ukraine as critical condition for fighting extremism

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Mali's army able to improve military potential owing to Russia — envoy

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Putin apologizes for AZAL airliner incident in Russia’s airspace — Kremlin

The Russian leader conveyed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of the plane crash victims

Putin approves possibility of suspending ban on organization listed terrorist

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Europe must be punished, US ignored after hybrid war between West, Russia — Medvedev

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