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Baikal waters start rising after dropping record low

The water level in Baikal was 455.74 meters on May 16, which is below the minimal mark of 456 meters

© Vladimir Smirnov/TASS

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World's deepest lake Baikal shrinking

ULAN UDE, May 18 /TASS/. The waters in Lake Baikal have started rising after falling to record low (455.71 meters) in the first days of May.

The water level in Baikal was 455.74 meters on May 16, which is below the minimal mark of 456 meters. "This year the water level fell by 29 centimeters, which is 15 centimeters more than last year," the Federal Agency for Water Resources reported on its website.

"The current rise in water levels has been caused by affluent waters in the Selenga River, Baikal’s main tributary," a source at Buryatia’s territorial department for water resources explained.

According to scientists, the problem of shallowness of Baikal waters began in autumn 2014. They believe that a complicated hydrological situation in the lake’s basin is its main cause.

The Russian government has adopted a new project aimed at increasing the water levels in Baikal.

Middle East conflict

Over 1,000 doctors, nurses killed in Gaza Strip since October 2023 — agency

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Russian military to warn Ukrainian civilians of future Oreshnik attacks — Kremlin

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Putin, Turkish president hold phone talks — Kremlin

The leaders also discussed some international issues

US, European officials suggest returning nukes to Ukraine — NYT

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Zelensky’s actions make Ukraine vulnerable to coup, says politician

"Democratic institutions in the country have been destroyed, rendering dialogue between the government and the people impossible," Viktor Medvedchuk said

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Cyprus submits NATO accession plan to US — report

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Ukraine should consider territorial concessions to Russia in return for peace — magazine

Foreign Policy pointed out that Western officials should stop insisting in public speeches on the need to achieve a strategic defeat for Russia

Russia to export up to 60 mln metric tons of grain this season, senior official forecasts

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Cargo planes crashes near Vilnius Airport in Lithuania

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Senior envoy sees Putin’s statement as signal of Russia’s readiness for military responses

Sergey Ryabkov stressed that Russia has its underlying security interests "that will be ensured by every means that we have at our disposal"

Russia’s updated nuclear doctrine is a signal to the West, Kremlin confirms

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Ukrainian army admits loss of 40% of territories it controlled in Kursk Region — agency

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Ukrainian military fires over 50 projectiles at Russia’s Belgorod Region in past day

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State Department says US-India relations hit some headwinds due to Russia, BRICS

Kurt Campbell said that it is important to 'keep attention on the horizon'

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Western countries should 'be afraid, tremble' after Putin's statement — lawmaker

Andrey Kartapolov added that the special military operation in Ukraine "will continue its course until all tasks are completed"

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"An automated warning was sent 30 minutes before the launch," Dmitry Peskov said

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The US was notified automatically 30 minutes before the launch by Russia's Nuclear Risk Reduction Center

Russia to view F-16 fighter jets in Ukraine as threat in nuclear sphere — Lavrov

"During combat operations, our military will not be clearing out whether or not each particular jet of this class is equipped to carry nuclear weapons," the minister added

France only finishes off Ukraine by allowing it to strike inside Russia — diplomat

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Lukashenko grants asylum to Schmidt persecuted on political grounds by Poland

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The Belarusian leader noted that they want to go to Warsaw

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According to him, the alliance is "fully engaged" in the Ukrainian conflict

Gazprombank’s UnionPay cards no longer serviced in several countries

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Opposition holds rally in Georgian capital to protest election outcome

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Putin congratulates Serbian film director Kusturica with seventieth birthday

Counsellor of the Russian Embassy in Serbia Natalia Klischenkova read the text of the telegram to Kusturica

Kremlin spokesman says missiles like Oreshnik are developed in secrecy

Dmitry Peskov said that he himself did not know about this work before Russian President Vladimir Putin announced it

Any escalation scenario possible in Ukraine conflict — Medvedev

According to the politician, Western nations need to understand that they are fighting on Ukraine’s side

Moscow not ruling out Trump’s meeting with North Korean leader

The restart of the negotiating process between the United States and North Korea "on previous conditions appears problematic", Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said

Kiev forces lost over 260 troops in Kursk direction in 24 hours — Russian Defense Ministry

During the fighting in the Kursk direction, the enemy lost more than 35,310 servicemen

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Developments in Russia’s Kursk Region: Counselling for residents, enemy’s losses

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Russian, North Korean ministers of sport agree on exchanges in 2025 — KCNA

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Shooting took place near Israeli embassy in Jordan — TV

Adjacent streets are blocked by security forces

Houthis say they attacked Israeli military base with hypersonic missile

The Israel Defense Forces said on Thursday evening that it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen before it entered the Israeli airspace

Russian armed forces defeat Ukrainian assault Battalion Shkval in DPR

Kiev forces lost over 440 troops in battlegroup group West responsibility zone

West irrational, fails to understand it cannot intercept Russia's new missiles — Kneissl

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Strike with Oreshnik missile was a timely and effective response to the West — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov added that by authorizing strikes deep into Russia with its missiles, the US administration ignored Russian President Vladimir Putin's warnings about the possible consequences

Russians liberate about 8 square kilometers east of Velikaya Novosyolka in Donbass region

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Romanian presidential candidate vows to end military aid to Ukraine

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No existing missile defense system can counter Oreshnik — US expert

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Conflict in Ukraine no longer regional war — German defense minister

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Russia’s steel production plunged in October — WSA

China produced 81.9 mln metric tons in October, up 2.9% on an annualized basis

Western air defense systems unlikely to intercept Russian missiles — France’s Le Monde

According to the French military source, Russia's recent use of the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile should be taken in the context of possible negotiations regarding the ongoing Ukrainian conflict

West’s trying to turn Seoul into accomplice of Zelensky regime — Russian Foreign Ministry

Andrey Rudenko stressed that bilateral cooperation between Russia and the DPRK "is built in accordance with the generally recognized norms of international law and is not directed against any third countries"

Cooperation with Russia will play important role in upgrade of Indian armed forces — MFA

Answering a question about the supply of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems to India, Andrey Rudenko stressed that Moscow "strictly fulfills its contractual obligations"

France, UK will have to pay for their helping Ukraine strike inside Russia — diplomat

Russia’s Permanent Representative to the Vienna-based international organizations Mikhail Ulyanov said that what has been done by the White House is very dangerous

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Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, November 22nd

FACTBOX: What is known about Russian flight incident at Antalya Airport

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FACTBOX: Cargo aircraft crashes into apartment building in Vilnius, Lithuania

Twelve local residents have been evacuated from the scene

Russian MFA withholds public comment on nominee for new ambassador to US

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Ukraine’s military loses nearly 10,000 troops at LPR borders over week — military expert

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