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Conflict in Syria

Russia baffled by Belgium’s refusal to acknowledge Hassadjek village bombing

The Russian Foreign Ministry has summoned Belgium's ambassador over the airstrike near Aleppo

© EPA/ROBIN VAN LONKHUIJSEN

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Brussels says numbers of aircraft involved in Aleppo strike 'not Belgian'

MOSCOW, October 21. /TASS/. Belgium’s persistent denial of the Belgian Air Force’s attack on the outskirts of Aleppo baffles Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry said after Belgian ambassador to Russia Alex Van Meuwen had been summoned.

"On October 21, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Belgium’s Ambassador to Russia Alex Van Meuwen," the ministry said.

"While talking to him (the Belgian ambassador) Russia’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov stated that Moscow was baffled by Belgium’s persistent denial of the Belgian Air Force’s attack on the outskirts of Aleppo on October 18 which caused civilian deaths," the ministry said in a statement.

Titov presented to Van Meuwen proofs the Belgian Air Force was involved in the airstrike on Hassadjek near Aleppo.

"The Belgian diplomat was provided with proofs the Belgian Air Force was involved in the airstrike on the Hassadjek village," the Russian ministry said. "The information said was that similar reports on technical aspects of two F-16 flights were earlier presented by the Russian Defense Ministry to the Belgium military attache in Moscow."

On Thursday, the Russian Defense Ministry released and said it would turn over the material on the F-16 strike on the Hassadjek village on Aleppo’s outskirts, which killed at least six civilians, to Belgium. Defense Ministry Spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said that "military and diplomatic channels would be used to inform Belgium in detail about the Belgian F-16s operation in the skies over Syria."

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US, NATO decision on strikes continues policy of escalation — Putin

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Russian troops advance in areas north, south of Velikaya Novoselka in DPR — official

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US admiral says Washington should be ready for talks with Russia, China

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Press review: Russian air defenses can down Western missiles as EU conducts live exercise

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Russia to use revenues from frozen assets of Western investors — Finance Minister

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Ukraine was warned about possible missile strike — Pentagon

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Russia’s re-election to UNCITRAL confirms its global reputation — Foreign Ministry

Russia got the support of 129 countries in a November 20 vote in New York at the 40th plenary session of the UN General Assembly

Russia fires ballistic, non-nuclear-tipped missile at Ukrainian aerospace plant — Putin

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Enemy has no countermeasures for Russia’s Oreshnik missile — Putin

Speaking in a televised address, the head of state assured that Russia will issue notifications before using this type of missile

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Bank of Russia’s officials hit by US sanctions

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Russian stock market indices in the red on Thursday — market data

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Soyuz rocket carrying Progress MS-29 cargo spaceship blasts off from Baikonur spaceport

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Ukrainian special services assemble unit for sabotage attacks in Kupyansk — official

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US warships fire more missiles at Houthi sites in Yemen — source

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US decision on strikes inside Russia stems from malice rather than strategy — journalist

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NATO supports Ukraine not out of charity but for its own strategic interests — deputy head

Boris Ruge argued that NATO now has hundreds of thousands of troops that could be deployed to the alliance's eastern flank or elsewhere within ten days

Russia to address NATO’s engagement in strikes deep inside country — SVR

Sergey Naryshkin observed that the military and political elites in the West are increasingly recognizing the gravity of Russia's intentions and the need for greater caution in their actions

Press review: US lets Kiev use anti-personnel mines and Iran may halt uranium enrichment

Top stories from the Russian press on Thursday, November 21st

US makes mistake by destroying INF Treaty — Putin

The Russian leader stressed that the United States made a mistake by unilaterally destroying the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019 under a far-fetched pretext

Ex-UK Labor party leader wants PM to clarify situation with Storm Shadow missiles

Jeremy Corbyn called for de-escalation of the situationin Ukraine and the search for a diplomatic solution to achieve peace

Romanian presidential candidate vows to end military aid to Ukraine

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FACTBOX: What is known about UAV attacks on Russian regions

During the night, air defenses intercepted and destroyed two Ukrainian UAVs in the skies over the Rostov and Volgograd regions

US journalist calls US President Joe Biden’s government 'the fascist state'

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China slams US nuclear policy for undermining global stability

The United States continues to modernize its nuclear triad, Lin Jian noted

IAEA once again fails to hold Kiev responsible for threats to Zaporozhye NPP — diplomat

Russian envoy to international organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov pointed out that from September 23 to November 12, the Russian servicemen suppressed 556 drones near the plant and Energodar

Moscow hopes West will thoroughly analyze Russia's nuclear doctrine — ambassador

Andrey Kelin also recalled that the policy of the Russian leadership enjoys the full support and confidence of the country's population

Zelensky to have no input if Russia, US negotiate, ex-Prime Minister says

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West launched missiles targeting Russia’s Bryansk, Kursk Regions — Putin

Russian air defenses repulsed all attacks, the Russian president said

Decision on strikes inside Russia seals US puppet Zelensky’s fate — commentator

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Russian ambassador says UK prime minister doesn’t understand situation in Ukraine

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Biden's decision to use ATACMS on Russia threatens to kill Americans — Tucker Carlson

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Canada neglects its sovereignty by approving transfer of land mines to Kiev — diplomat

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Russia ready to assist Serbia in building oil pipeline via Hungary — Transneft

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US is now at war with Russia, Ritter says

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Kiev suffering fiasco on entire front line — aide to DPR head

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Russian army pushes Ukraine out of Kurakhovo water reservoir’s north shore

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Russian forces push Ukrainian troops 10 km away from Lisichansk in LPR — expert

Russian troops have taken new lines and positions northwest of Zolotaryoka as a result of successful operations

Final test launch of Russia's new RS-26 Rubezh ballistic missile successful — designer

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Russian troops liberate Dalneye community in Donbass region over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicted roughly 380 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed a British-made howitzer and four US-made artillery guns in its area of responsibility over the past day

Zelensky admits Ukraine can't fight its way back to 1991 borders

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US not seeking confrontation with Russia, but will continue assistance to Kiev — Pentagon

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US Congressman urges to impeach Biden for allowing strikes deep into Russia

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Turkey seeks justice against Israel for genocide in Gaza — Erdogan’s Party

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Residents of Kupyansk, Kovsharovka in Kharkov Region returning to their homes

People are refusing to go to safer places because of Ukraine's unwillingness to provide basic sanitation for refugees

US missile defense base in Poland long among Russian army’s targets — Foreign Ministry

Maria Zakharova stated that the US-NATO construction project, ongoing for nearly a decade with complete disregard to Russian security concerns, has consistently been a focus of Russia's attention

IN BRIEF: What Putin said about Russia’s new missile, and Moscow’s response to the West

Moscow used its new Oreshnik medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile in response to the West’s decision to authorize strategic-depth strikes on Russia

US sanctions against Gazprombank will not affect gas supplies to Hungary — Ministry

The United States introduced sanctions against Gazprombank earlier today

US vote at UNSC rejected chance of stopping 'horrific bloodshed' in Gaza, Russian MFA says

"Once again, a chance to free the hostages, who include Russian nationals, has been missed," the statement reads

ICC issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant for alleged crimes in Gaza Strip

The Israeli side's objections concerned the court's jurisdiction over the situation in Palestine in general and Israeli citizens in particular, as well as the right of states to conduct investigations independently before referring cases to the ICC

Russian embassy warns UK about dangers of calling for Moscow’s ‘defeat’

According to th statement, London is promoting new rounds of escalation

Humanitarian crisis in Kiev-controlled Kupyansk district of Kharkov Region near critical

According to Yevgeny Lisnyak, the Ukrainian authorities supply water for a short time, once every three days

ATACMS missiles unlikely to keep Kiev from losing conflict — American expert

Daniel Davis also noted that "continuing to ignore reality" would only increase "the ultimate cost of losing" the conflict for Ukraine

Ukraine has around 50 ATACMS missiles — The Times

According to the report, the Ukrainian military has sufficient launchers that are capable of firing them

Preliminary data shows anti-ship missile downed over Sevastopol waters — official

Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said that all emergencies services currently work in the high alert mode

Kremlin condemns report on Storm Shadow missile use against Russian targets as escalation

Dmitry Peskov chose not to respond to a question about whether Russia has proof that UK-made Storm Shadow missiles had been used against it

Ex-German chancellor never expected Russia to tolerate Ukraine’s NATO membership — memoir

Angela Merkel added that another fallacy was the belief that the status "would act as a deterrent," and that Moscow "would accept these developments without taking action"

Trump to rely on forces that brought him to power — Russian presidential aide

Nikolay Patrushev agreed that Trump, when he was still a candidate, "made many statements critical of the destructive foreign and domestic policies pursued by the current administration"

US decision on missile strikes aimed at provoking Russia, expert says

According to Andrey Sushentsov, Biden is under pressure from Washington’s allies and "the hawks" in his government who believe that the US is not providing enough support to Kiev

Trump may soon start talks with Russia following Biden’s decision on ATACMS — news agency

According to Andreas Kluth, the decision on ATACMS may have been another attempt by the current Washington administration to provide Ukraine with support until the president-elect comes to power

Washington has no plans of updating nuclear posture after Russia’s test of new missile

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Russia encircles largest Ukrainian fortification in southern DPR — security services

"The enemy positioned in the fortified area in Velikaya Novoselka in the south of the DPR is already trapped in a kill zone," the source said

China holds US responsible for disrupted defense ministers' meeting in Laos

Wu Qian stated that the United States must immediately correct its mistakes, "honestly respect China’s main interests, and seek to create favorable conditions for high-level contacts between the military of the two countries"

Media from unfriendly states will be admitted to Putin's annual press conference — Kremlin

The last Direct Line Q&A session and year-end press conference was held on December 14, 2023

Russian State Duma passes law on federal budget for 2025-2027

According to the document, federal budget revenues are forecast to be 40.296 trillion rubles ($404.8 bln) in 2025, 41.84 trillion rubles ($420.3 bln) in 2026, and 43.154 trillion rubles ($433.5 bln) in 2027

Weapons supplied to Ukraine cannot reach Russian territory, Spanish defense minister says

The New York Times reported on November 17 that US President Joe Biden had authorized the use of US-supplied ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles for strikes inside Russia

Trump to continue using Ukraine to contain Russia — Valdai program director

"The US continues to benefit from the Ukrainian crisis, regardless of which administration is in power," Andrey Sushentsov said

Press review: Uranium costs soar as Moscow updates nuclear doctrine and US OKs attacks

Top stories from the Russian press on Wednesday, November 20th

Russia’s reaction to Austrian OMV’s failure to pay for gas justified — MFA

The company stated it would seek damages amounting to 230 million euro for failing to receive the contracted volume of gas from the Russian company for delivery to Germany

Ukrainian conflict acquires global elements after strikes with Western missiles — Putin

It is reported that the conflict in Ukraine, provoked by the West, has acquired elements of global nature

EU considers ICC warrants against Netanyahu, Gallant as binding — foreign policy chief

According to Josep Borrell, the situation in the Gaza Strip "is apocalyptic," and "there are no more words" to describe it