This week in photos: Putin in Finland, Merkel at the opera and Santas in Copenhagen

Top stories from the Russian press on Tuesday, April 23rd

Russian combat aircraft and artillery "have begun to operate more intensively" at that frontline, delivering "precision strikes" on the Ukrainian army, Andrey Marochko said

"Design engineers and construction workers from Azerbaijan built two settlements with terminal facilities during BAM construction - Ulkan and Angoya," the Russian President said

Previously, the Sham FM radio reported an explosion in the town of Sayyidah Zaynab 10 km away from Damascus

According to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko, many of such measures have already been announced

By December 2023, the figure increased by 0.7%

Larry Johnson also noted that the Russian forces manage to advance recently despite the slush on the roads

The Kiev regime’s attempted terrorist attack on facilities in Russia’s territory with the use of a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle was thwarted

"If Israel makes a mistake and attacks Iran, completely new conditions will emerge for it and it is unclear whether anything will be left of the Israeli regime at all," the presidential press service quoted Raisi as saying

"Not a word in the report about American journalist Gonzalo Lira, who was murdered in Ukrainian torture chambers," Maria Zakharova said

"If we see a serious threat to us, we will have to take serious measures," the Azerbaijani President warned

To prove the situation on the ground, Rosatom is ready "at any time to organize a visit of representatives of media and regulatory authorities to the field," ARMZ said

According to the web portal, it will be the first ever case regarding the extradition of an athlete from the United Arab Emirates to the Netherlands upon a request of a European country

"Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Vladimirovich Ivanov was detained on suspicion of committing a crime under part 6, article 290 of the Russian Criminal Code," the Russian Investigative Committee said

"The Kiev regime has failed to achieve the goals of its counteroffensive prepared by NATO instructors," the defense minister said

Spokesman for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades Abu Ubaida emphasized that at the moment "the ball is in the court of Israel's allies," but "time and opportunities are limited"

BAM personifies giant labor and courage of two million very young people from across the entire Soviet Union, the Russian leader said

The unique vehicle was built on the basis of the Aurus Senat luxury car

Minister Sergey Shoigu was also informed beforehand, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said

According to the journalist, the decision to conduct the operation was made by US President Joe Biden personally, following nine months of discussions with White House national security advisers

Apty Alaudinov posted a drone video footage of elimination Ukrainian personnel and Russian forces capturing enemy trenches

According to the investigation, Andy Stone, while being outside of Russia, on March 11, 2022, posted a comment on the Internet advocating aggressive, hostile and violent actions against Russian servicemen participating in the special military operation

"Poland’s authorities make no secret of their striving to lean closer on the US nuclear weapons deployed in Europe and are actively using these ambitions in their hostile Russian policy," Maria Zakharova stressed

They "exchanged opinions on a wide range of pressing bilateral and international issues while focusing on the situation in the Balkans," the Russian diplomatic mission to the UN said

Moreover, Qiwi plc acknowledged impairment by $155 mln in 2023 due to the same reason

Andrey Babenko said that after a crash course in Britain he had been sent to the frontline near Liman

Vasily Prozorov noted that the perpetrators could have been eliminated once they crossed the border

Top stories from the Russian press on Monday, April 22nd

Milorad Dodik also touched upon the topic of sanctions mentioned by Patrushev earlier

The local emergencies services stressed that the car was targeted deliberately

Verkhovna Rada legislator Alexey Goncharenko said on Monday that the UK had granted its agrement to the Ukrainian former Commander-in-Chief

Funding will be provided from the federal, regional and local budgets, as well as taxes from gambling transferred to the organizer

Digital TV signal interruptions are now observed in the city

Oksana Markarova explained that $4 billion worth of weapons that was to be provided under the previous decisions still remained undersupplied

NATO Secretary General did not immediately understand the reporter’s question, forcing the reporter to explain that they were referring to the idea of deploying nuclear weapons in Poland

The ruling Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia party announced in early April that it had decided to reintroduce the bill On the Transparency of Foreign Influence to parliament

Ukrainian troops suffered significant losses in the fighting for the control of this town

The United States and NATO’s military aid to Ukraine is "too late" but the delays has had its "consequences," NATO secretary general also said

Arms supplies are only reasonable if a large number of military personnel able to use those weapons in defense and assault operations is available

According to the report, President Emmanuel Macron cited France's military campaigns in Africa, where the country suffered losses without addressing its allies

"Firstly, I cannot leave my people to freeze in the winter, and secondly, I cannot completely reboot this industry of ours," Erdogan said

According to the minister, Russia is interested in increasing the role of the BRICS states in the international monetary, financial and trading systems, developing interbank cooperation, expanding the use of national currencies and creating its own exchange

Antonio Guterres stressed that the world community must reduce global greenhouse emissions by 43% by 2030 compared to 2019

Apart from that, according to Roman Starovoit, Ukrainian troops staged several shelling attacks on the Kursk Region

Boris Khodorkovsky at the questioning mostly used Article 51 of the Russian Constitution which grants a right not to give self-incriminating evidence or evidence incriminating close relatives

The speakers praised the EU initiative to have its own military capability to "defend the security of its people, their interests and democratic values"

Searches conducted in various parts of the country today yielded sums in rubles, leus, and dollars, as well as mobile phones

According to the ministry, a rebuttal to Simona Halperin’s statements was posted on its official website

Russia’s Dnepr Battlegroup inflicted casualties on the 141st, 65th and 128th brigades of Ukrainian armed formations, delivered strikes on temporary deployment sites, military hardware and artillery positions of the Ukrainian army on the right bank of the Dnieper River, Vladimir Saldo said

The Foreign Ministry noted that the sides discussed "further development of the diverse bilateral cooperation in political and economic areas, and the establishment of the regional cooperation with Afghanistan within the Moscow format"

The next meeting of the commission will be held in Moscow in May

Minister Maxim Reshetnikov pointed out that domestic consumer and investment demand remain the main growth factor

According to Ilham Aliyev, the option of coordinating a basic agreement is also being considered

Russia and North Korea have intensified bilateral exchanges since late 2023

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin reiterated that China "is not an instigator or a party to the Ukrainian crisis and has never fanned the flames of the conflict, not to mention, used the situation for its own purposes"

A warning had been issued before the attack calling on people to temporarily evacuate from the area

The presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan, Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev, met with veterans, builders and employees of the Baikal-Amur Mainline on Monday

According to the report, the New Museum of Relations with the East will open on the same premises on February 15, 2025

This charges carries a punishment of up to 15 years behind bars

Shipments over the Eastern Range uniting BAM and the Trans-Siberian railroad is to reach 270 mln metric tons per year over the ten-year period, the head of state said

"In this context, we particularly appreciate the principled position against joining the sanctions regime, your firm and consistent line on the Ukrainian crisis is particularly valuable for us," Nikolay Patrushev pointed out

The trend of the falling number of household plots affected by the flood also persists

At the same time, the president noted that once upon a time "Vladimir Lenin gave away the whole of Ukraine when he created the Soviet Union"

In his opinion, it would be a mistake to view the Gaza issue solely from the perspective of October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian-Israeli conflict sharply escalated

The level of water grew by 69 cm in 24 hours

"The commander of our defense forces has recommended this," Norwegian Defense Minister Bjorn Arild Gram said

"Last December, our diplomats were not allowed to visit the National Ford Richardson Cemetery in Anchorage," Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov noted

Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicted casualties on personnel and equipment of two Ukrainian army brigades and improved its tactical position over the past day, the Defense Ministry reported

Russia views the West’s encroachment on its assets as "a blatant and shameless theft for the purpose of lining its pockets," Maria Zakharova noted

"In any case, whatever the modality of providing this aid, de facto it is about provoking Ukraine into further hostilities down to the last Ukrainian, putting guarantted money in the pockets of the US," Dmitry Peskov said

Viktor Orban also stated that it was imperative to return to the negotiating table as peace talks represent the only means of saving lives

Qatari Foreign Ministry Spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said that ten families from Ukraine, including 16 children, and ten families from Russia, including 21 children, arrived in Doha on April 18

According to the Turkish president, "the window of opportunity will not remain open forever so it is necessary to take the bull by the horns"

Previously, White House National Security Council Spokeswoman Adrienne Watson confirmed that the US shipped ATACMS tactical missiles with range of 165 km to Ukraine

The Swiss authorities pointed out that the value of assets of the Bank of Russia "may fluctuate in either direction, notably as a result of valuation changes on frozen securities, bank charges and exchange rate movements"

The company’s EBITDA surged by 25% year on year to $707.7 mln, driven by the increase in revenues and higher capacity utilization

The website underscores the great importance of the port of Alexandroupolis for the US and NATO

"The North-South transport corridor should become an example of the broadest international cooperation," the Russian leader said

According to the law enforcement, the search for the fourth crew member is ongoing

"That is why we expressed our concern over the unprecedented meeting in Brussels between the European Commission president, the US secretary of state, and the Armenian prime minister," Ilham Aliyev stressed

Vasily Prozorov said that "it is extremely difficult to count on any better judgement on their part"

The total amount of blocked assets of the Russian Federation decreased by 150 million Swiss francs (about $165 million) due to the fact that a number of individuals "were removed from the EU sanctions lists"

Alexander Stubb called on European countries to "be more like Finland" now, explaining that they need to be "more prepared"

"However, you have nothing to worry about, as Ze’s Ukraine has blown its chances for such a favorable outcome, and therefore any possible deal will now reflect its capitulation," Russian First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyansky said

Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service said that in case the inmates agree to this "mission," "they are promised full amnesty, reckoning they would never come back"

According to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, the sides of the meeting, which was held on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border, agreed to finalize the draft regulation on joint activities as soon as possible

"There is no magic weapon, there is no series of weapons that could change this" situation for the Ukrainian armed forces, Scott Ritter said