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PepsiCo slams Russian watchdog’s accusations of hacking attack as 'absurd'

According to preliminary results of our internal check, none of the agency’s employees who have access to the company's confidential document could send it outside the organization

MOSCOW, December 5. /TASS/. The allegations of Russian agricultural watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor that the PepsiCo company was involved in a possible hacker attack on the state agencies of the Russian Federation are absurd and not grounded, the company’s press service told TASS.

"PepsiCo vehemently rejects the absurd assumptions of the Rosselkhoznadzor as ungrounded," the press service said citing the vice-president for corporate relations of PepsiCo Eastern Europe Sergey Glushkov.

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Russian agricultural watchdog suspects PepsiCo of cyber attack

Earlier the Russian watchdog launched an internal check due claiming that PepsiCo got access to its document that was marked as "confidential."

According to the agency, the representative of PepsiCo showed the document in the course of Rosselkhoznadzor’s meeting with Soyuzmoloko (Union of milk producers). PepsiCo denies this fact.

According to preliminary results of our internal check, none of the agency’s employees who have access to the company's confidential document could send it outside the organization.

Head of the Rosselkhoznadzor, Sergei Dankvert, his deputy Nikolai Vlasov and head of the Internal Veterinary Surveillance Service Tatyana Balagula, who took part in the meeting of representatives of Soyuzmoloko, could confirm that Sergey Glushkov, vice-president PepsiCo (Wimm-Bill-Dann) in charge of corporate relations in Russia, Ukraine, CIS and Central Europe, had the document on hand.

"This fact can be regarded as commercial espionage. Rosselkhoznadzor needs to inform law enforcement agencies about this fact and is going to do this in the near future," spokesperson with Rosselkhoznadzor Yulia Melano said.

Rosselkhoznadzor intends to apply to the national law enforcement agencies over possible commercial espionage of the American company PepsiCo, Melano said.

According to her the internal document that illegally got into the hands of representatives of the US company, contained information about the watchdog’s laboratory monitoring of milk processing plants, which are part of the PepsiCo corporation. By obtaining this information the US company had a competitive advantage over Russian companies and was ready for the monitoring, she said.

Earlier, neither in the Rosselkhoznadzor, nor in PepsiCo specified which document was discussed.

China extends visa-free transit for Russia, other countries to ten days

Russians earlier had a right to visa-free transit for 72 or 144 hours, depending on the entry point in China

Rutube sees prospects in BRICS countries — Gazprom Media

Rutube has already evolved into an international platform, Alexander Zharov emphasized

Russian forces clear some seven hectares of forest near Kremennaya of Ukrainian troops

Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov announced on Monday that 99.3% of the LPR territory had been liberated

Vega missions to Venus mark triumph of space science — Roscosmos

Vega 1 spacecraft and its twin Vega 2 were launched on December 15 and 21, 1984, respectively

Use of several Oreshnik missiles comparable to nuclear weapons — Putin

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Lessons learned in military op should be integrated into training of new troops — Putin

The Russian leader stressed that the special military operation "should be taken into account while outlining priorities for the development of domestic weapons and hardware, as well as the tactics of their use"

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Colonel General Sergey Karakayev, the commander of Russia's Strategic Missile Forces also announced that missile launches at maximum range are planned as part of state flight tests of advanced missile systems

Trump blasts Biden’s permission to use US weapons for strikes inside Russia as 'stupid'

The US President-elect said that nobody asked him to weigh in on the decision

Bomb that killed senior Russian general had capacity of 300 grams in TNT equivalent

Bomb experts and detector dog handlers have inspected the surrounding area

Trump will never provide US security guarantees to Ukraine — The New York Times

It is reported that the US military will shift its priorities to the Asia Pacific Region in order to counter the growing influence of China under the Trump Administration

Houthis say they attacked target NEAR Tel Aviv with hypersonic missile

The Israel Defense Forces said earlier in the day that sirens sounded in a number of areas in the central part of the country following missile launches from Yemen

Putin congratulates large Russian companies on good results

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Iran never had imperial aims in Syria, but defended it from terrorists — Foreign Ministry

"Until the very end, we helped in maintaining the security and territorial integrity of Syria," Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said

EU’s blacklist for Russia expands to 2,386 entries

The 15th package of anti-Russian sanctions also includes businessmen, officials, and companies from China, Iran, North Korea, Serbia, Georgia, the United Arab Emirates, and several other countries

EU Council adopts 15th package of sanctions against Russia — statement

The EU Council also extended the deadlines for sale of assets and divestments by European companies from Russia

Fall of Damascus and hopes for free Syria: Assad makes first statement after stepping down

Bashar Assad insists that he remained in Damascus until the early hours of December 8 and did not leave the country until late on that day

West continues to try to rule the world — Putin

According to the Russian leader, Washington and its allies "continue imposing on the world their so-called rules, which they change time and again as it suits them"

Dozens of Ukrainian soldiers encircled in Kurakhovo, the Russian military says

According to them, the Ukrainian battlegroup is being "ground down" gradually so that it cannot flee the town

Russian troops advance toward Storozhevoye village in Donbass region — official

On December 13, the Russian Defense Ministry reported the liberation of the village of Blagodatnoye in the DPR

West should not link support for Syria with Russian bases — Turkey's ruling party

Spokesman Omer Celik added that it was the kind of stance that other countries eager to help Syria rebuild itself should demonstrate

Putin orders Russian forces pullout from Syria

Russia is ready to deal a new blow to terrorists if they again try to break peace in Syria, the president said

UNSC meeting on Western weapons supplies to Ukraine to be held on December 20

It is requested by the West

New regions may join Russia, Medvedev says

"This is quite possible," Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman said

Rosatom gets Akkuyu project back on track after delivery failures by Siemens — CEO

The turbine that the Siemens company was supposed to deliver, was produced in Europe, Alexey Likhachev said

BRICS ready to explain to Trump it doesn’t seek to undercut dollar — Russian diplomat

Sergey Ryabkov also commented on Donald Trump's threat by saying that Russia is used to the situation when the US, regardless of whose party’s representative sits in the White House, "uses nothing but threats"

Russia to continue its military operation, as West only offers fake peace plans — UN envoy

The permanent representative added that Russia would respond to actions taken by the Ukrainian authorities appropriately

BRICS to review Syria’s membership application if new authorities confirm it — diplomat

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov noted that the association does not "pressure anyone towards anything," treating any choice with respect

Some 700 Ukrainian troops trapped near Kurakhovo, Russian official reveals

According to the Russian official, the remaining Ukrainian troops in Kurakhovo itself can find themselves trapped, and very soon, too

Situation in Krasnoarmeisk area improves after liberation of Shevchenko — DPR head

Denis Pushilin noted that Russian troops had also advanced in the Krasny Liman area

South Korean president rejects insurrection charges — agency

The president’s lawyers could not say if he will appear for questioning by prosecutors on December 21

Court sentences Jehovah’s Witness to five years behind bars for funding organization

During the searches, foreign passports, electronic devices, flash drives, hard disks, laptops and other material evidence relevant to the preliminary investigation were seized

Top Ukrainian diplomat rejects Christmas Day truce at EU meeting in Brussels

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said that "warlike rhetoric" prevailed during the meeting, with "desperate attempts" being made to "give an impetus" to continue the armed conflict in Ukraine

Trump once again refuses to say if he spoke with Putin after elections

On December 11, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow is ready for contacts with Washington on the Ukrainian settlement

Russia’s nuclear defense chief Kirillov spent years exposing Anglo-Saxon crimes — diplomat

Maria Zakharova highlighted NATO-led chemical weapons in Syria, British manipulation of prohibited chemicals, incidents in Salisbury and Amesbury, and the deadly activities of US biolabs in Ukraine among the crimes Igor Kirillov exposed

Press review: EU imposes new anti-Russian sanctions and Russia braces for NATO conflict

Top stories from the Russian press on Tuesday, December 17th

Special military operation in Syria does not affect BRICS plans, senior diplomat says

According to Sergey Ryabkov, the situation in Syria "mobilizes and consolidates the organization’s will"

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According to the minister, Ukrainian losses exceeded 560,000 servicemen killed and wounded in 2024

Ukrainian troops often get surrounded in Kurakhovo area — report

On December 15, the Ukrainian General Staff described the Kurakhovo area as one of the hottest spots in the entire battlefield

Senior Russian general, his aide killed in Moscow blast — investigators

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Germany’s Chancellor Scholz asks President Steinmeier to dissolve Bundestag — DPA

Support for the current head of the Cabinet was expressed by 207 members of the Bundestag out of the 717 present, while 116 abstained

West turns Ukraine into impoverished, war-torn country — politician

Ukraine is a clear example of such actions of the West, Viktor Medvedchuk noted

Hungary vetoes 6.5 bln euro in EU military funding for Ukraine — Szijjarto

This is not the first time that Hungary has blocked the allocation of funds from the European Peace Facility that are meant to fund arms supplies to Ukraine

China firm in its objective position on Ukraine — Chinese MFA

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Assad allegedly hands list of military targets over to Israel before leaving Syria — media

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New authorities in Syria to avoid escalating tensions with Russia — expert

Vitaly Naumkin underscored that the new Syrian authorities are not "friends of the collective West, or the United States or Israel"

US strikes Houthi government's Defense Ministry building — TV channel

The large-scale attack hit the movement's military facilities

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Authorities in all states and the capital have already verified the results of the November 5 election, which saw Republican Donald Trump garner the support of 312 electors

Russia calls Israel’s annexation of Golan Heights unacceptable — MFA

"Israel must return to the full compliance with the well-known 1974 agreement with Syria," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stressed

Russian cancer vaccine to be free of charge — top oncologist

It is planned to launch it in general circulation in early 2025

Russia-China relations unaffected by external forces — Chinese MFA

Wang Yi stated that relations are grounded in the principles of non-affiliation to blocs

Too soon to discuss deployment of peacekeepers to Ukraine — Kremlin spokesman

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List of BRICS partner states to be published in coming two weeks — Russian diplomat

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He didn’t elaborate

Explosive device at site of Kirillov's death triggered remotely

The power of the explosion amounted to about 300 grams in TNT equivalent

Survival rate of wounded in Russian army up significantly — defense minister

Andrey Belousov thanked all medical workers who were saving soldiers’ lives on the frontline and in district and central military-medical and civilian hospitals

Next year unlikely to be easy, Russia hopes for victory — Medvedev

Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said it at the 22nd United Russia party congress.

Loss of Krasnoarmeysk to mark 'largest setback' for Ukraine in months — TV channel

Krasnoarmeysk is a key logistical hub for the Ukrainian group in the Donetsk People’s Republic

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The Russian president stressed that the military and political situation in the world remains "uneasy and unstable"

Nicaragua offers Russia to build new canal together — special envoy

The construction of a new Carribean port is already underway, Laureano Ortega Murillo said

Ukrainian army forced to switch to defensive, tap reserves — Russian defense chief

"The staffing level of its frontline units does not exceed 45-50%," Andrey Belousov said

Ukraine to lose third of territory, get no invitation to NATO — Slovak PM

Robert Fico also emphasized that the conflict's repercussions would significantly impact Ukraine's internal stability

Paris Olympics, Paralympics lacked sporting spirit, Putin says

"The atmosphere of the Paris Paralympics was far removed from the essence of a true sports festival, one that embodies the values of equality, friendship, mutual respect for cultures and traditions, honest competition," the head of state noted

At least four people killed in US school shooting, police say

CNN reported that the police declined to say whether the victims were teachers or students

Drafting 14-year-olds won't help Kiev, Putin asserts

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At least 7 people injured in Israeli shelling of Syria’s Tartus province — report

One residential building burned down and some infrastructure was crippled

Over 430,000 people signed contracts with Russian Armed Forces this year — Putin

"In fact, this is a turning point on the line of combat contact and our combat activity, a complete interception of the strategic initiative," the Russian leader described the situation

Strategic Missile Forces’ mobile group’s missile systems fully modernized — commander

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Syria’s new leader seeks to 'gain voice' in UN Security Council

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Putin highlights need for more innovation in defense sector

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Conditions for Ukrainian forces in Kursk Region continue to deteriorate — The Economist

Every Ukrainian unit in Kursk has switched to defense, the magazine said

Investigators open criminal case into Moscow blast that kills two

Investigators and criminalists are currently working at the scene

AfG leader says supplying Kiev with Taurus to turn FRG into target in case of nuclear war

"The historical experience of the 20th century should be a warning that Germany and Europe should never again get involved in a war," Alice Weidel said

Captured Ukrainian soldier tells about orders to shoot civilians in Russia’s Kursk Region

Artur Plombirus was conscripted from prison, where he was serving a sentence under Article 186 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code (robbery)

Press review: South Korean president impeached as Ukraine turns to foreign mercenaries

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BRICS countries actively put forward ideas on Ukrainian settlement — senior diplomat

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Normalization in Syria can be achieved via inclusive intra-Syrian dialogue — ministry

Russian foreign ministry said in a statement that that Muslims and Christians have been living side by side in Syria for centuries

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Senior officials from the Russian Interior Ministry’s Moscow department have arrived, along with investigators, medical personnel, and emergency services

EU won’t talk to Damascus unless Russian bases scrapped — Kallas

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Four settlements in Krasnodar Region face high alert mode due to oil spill

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Nearly 100% of wounded Russian troops good for service after treatment — defense chief

"This is one of the best indicators in the world," Andrey Belousov stressed

Foreign organizations conclude 27 agreements with Russian firms at Eastern Economic Forum

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West seeks to open 'second front' against Russia in Central Asia — Russian diplomat

According to Mikhail Galuzin, this policy from the West is marked by "attempts to get Central Asian nations join sanctions and isolate Russia once and for all," and "restore their military and intelligence presence in the region"

Ukraine largely loses ability to produce weapons, ammunition — defense chief

Andrey Belousov added that this year, more than 58,000 pieces of various enemy weapons and equipment have been destroyed in the special military operation zone

Erdogan maintained dialogue with Putin from first moments Syrian crisis — ruling party

The spokesman for Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party noted that Ankara will continue consultations on the Syrian issue with all countries in the region

Seoul Korea slaps more sanctions on Russia, North Korea

The sanctions affected two North Korean generals as well as several entrepreneurs and their businesses in the DPRK

US plans for medium-range high accuracy weapons cause concern — Putin

The Russian leader noted that "the relocation and deployment of these missile systems in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region is already being practiced"

Assad says he did not consider resignation, evacuation at any point during recent events

"As terrorist forces infiltrated Damascus, I moved to Latakia in coordination with our Russian allies to oversee combat operations," Bashar Assad stressed

Russian troops liberate Yelizavetovka community in Donbass area over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicted more than 500 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed four enemy howitzers in its area of responsibility over the past day, the ministry reported

Kiev rejects Minsk’s initiative for Belarus to take part in peace talks

On Monday, Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Yury Ambrazevich said that Minsk was eager to take part in future peace talks on Ukraine, and final agreements should take Belarus’ interests into account

Russian Armed Forces to receive advanced systems, including those using AI — Putin

According to the Russian leader, these include reconnaissance and attack vehicles, unmanned boats, and multipurpose robotic platforms

Trump says Zelensky should be ready to agree to end Ukraine conflict

Trump said Moscow should be the other side of the deal

Russian stock market closed with leading indices down

The MOEX index fell by 2.61% to 2,420.3 points, while the RTS index fell by 2.12% to 740.87 points

Russia, China will support each other amid global changes, top Chinese diplomat says

Wang Yi said that countries will maintain a high level of strategic planning

Ukraine’s judiciary 'paralyzed' as Supreme, Constitutional courts face repression — Putin

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Patriarch Kirill, Russian UN envoy avoid EU sanctions thanks to Hungary

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Serial production of Oreshnik missiles to begin shortly — Putin

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