Coach Tarasova: Plushenko’s decision to end his sport career is not surprising

The Hungarian foreign minister believes that "everything must be done in order to avoid any kind of direct confrontation between NATO and Russia"

Peter Szijjarto added that the sanctions have had a major impact on the European economy, and that Western European countries, which are "super proud that they got rid of Russian energy resources," are actually buying them indirectly

Konstantin Zatulin did not rule that companies sustaining losses from Ukrainian drone attacks may file a collective damage claim against Ukraine

Volchansk is strategically important and that it why the Ukrainian army is bringing in "very serious forces" and "trying to counterattack," Vitaly Ganchev said

"We will remember that," the politician warned

Ebrahim Raisi will be buried in his birthplace, Mashhad, northeastern Iran, on May 23

"Having demoralized the enemy with accurate strikes from grenade launchers and, having suppressed its firepower, the paratroopers under the cover of night entered the enemy stronghold," the Russian Defense Ministry said

"Shortly after the accident, we managed to speak with Tabriz’s Friday Prayer Imam," Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mahdi Safari said

Peter Szijjarto highlighted the need to search for a solution through a ceasefire and talks

Herman Zakharyayev stressed that both Russia and Israel are pursuing an independent foreign policy and are resolving their geopolitical problems

All passengers and crew of the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi were killed in the crash, according to Iranian Red Crescent Society head Pir Hossein Kolivand

Vasily Nebenzya said that this was not the only example of lies or understatements by Western representatives

The Mausoleum of Imam Reza is located in Mashhad, the hometown of Raisi, a center of pilgrimage and one of the main shrines of the Shiites

The minister also called ridiculous the West's attempts to lure countries to the Swiss meeting on Ukraine and then address Russia with an ultimatum

"In this case regulatory acts adopted by a criminal state cannot be considered law in its true sense," the Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council explained

Vasily Nebenzya called the information about the conflict in Ukraine, contained in UN Secretary General’s report on protection of civilians in armed conflict a "regrettable example of double standards"

Earlier, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit came out with similar statements

"The United States and its allies with their typical cynicism were loudly proclaiming their adherence to peaceful space," Vasily Nebenzya said

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that Russia, unlike the Ukrainian side, had never rejected any negotiations

The powers of the current Ukrainian president under the current Constitution expire on May 21

The ministers discussed the results of Russian President Vladimir Putin's state visit to China

The helicopter was piloted by Army pilots, not the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Russian Battlegroup North units kept advancing deep into the Ukrainian army’s defenses in the Kharkov area over the past day

Denis Pushilin pointed out that it was Zelensky who gave criminal orders and took a position that seriously endangered both the residents of Donbass and the population of the rest of Ukraine

Alexey Maslov described as an important outcome China’s statement that it was meaningless to participate in the peace conference in Switzerland without Russia

Ukrainian forces are now trying to destroy the settlement by occasionally shelling houses there with artillery, the Russian Defense Ministry said

"The report of the SCO secretary-general on the work of the secretariat for the period from May 2023 to May this year was approved," Zhang Ming pointed out

Sergey Ryabkov emphasized that Russia and Iran would continue to develop their relationship gradually, including in terms of the tasks of "strengthening security"

According to the top Russian diplomat, NATO and EU officials are seeking to introduce their institutions in Eurasia and make the countries of the region obey their rules

As Mark Episkopos notes, sending NATO instructors to Ukraine "without a larger strategy for ending" the fighting would be "a recipe for disaster" and would "bring NATO and Russia within a hair’s breadth of open conflict"

The Chinese embassy in Seoul said the South Korean delegation’s visit to Taiwan "grossly violates the 'one China' principle and the spirit of the communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea"

Top stories from the Russian press on Monday, May 20th

It is stressed that these are "originally Russian territories and it is unlikely that Ukraine manages to retain them"

The Russain leader "stressed that he knew Ebrahim Raisi well and thought highly of him as a reliable partner who made an invaluable personal contribution to expansion of friendly relations between Russia and Iran"

"This will alter the Russian state maritime border due to a change in the territorial sea’s external bounds," it says

It is reported that the Ukrainian military uses the Ptakhi Madyara group of UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) operators who try to remove discovered mines from rivers

"Tanks delivered fire from a distance of 800 meters under constant enemy shelling," Russia’s Defense Ministry reported

"Only at the conclusion of the investigation can we determine whether what happened was because of poor weather, whether it was just an accident or something else entirely. Right now we must be patient," Kazem Jalali stressed

Nikolay Azarov pointed out that the Ukrainian constitution was crystal clear about the five-year presidential term

According to Vasily Nebenzya, the chances of moving the conflict into a diplomatic domain "look elusive"

The intelligence sources insist that Russia is purportedly planning to create a 1.5 mln-strong regular army by 2026 because it expects a standoff with NATO

"This concerns beatings, arson and attempted arson," Donald Tusk said

The constitutional powers of the current Ukrainian president expire on the night of May 21

It is reported that several thousand people are taking part in the procession

"The ICC has no authority over Israel or the United States, and today's baseless and illegitimate decision should face global condemnation," the speaker said

"However, it will change nothing either for the Ukrainians or for us," Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council stressed

The United States once again demonstrated "real priorities in space aimed not at keeping it free of any weapons but at placing weapons in outer space and turning it into an arena of a military confrontation," Maria Zakharova stressed

The Ukrainian army lost roughly 425 troops, a tank and two armored personnel carriers in battles with Russian forces in the Kupyansk area over the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry reported

The prosecutor also requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant

"This is an important tactical success, which allows us to approach one of the special military operation goals: the complete liberation of Russia’s new regions," Igor Korotchenko underlined

The Venezuelan leader added that "BRICS is a new world, without hegemony, a new bloc of power"

The top Russian diplomat pointed to the fact that Chinese President Xi Jinping "clearly articulated that the Chinese side will support the convention of an international conference, which will reflect the interests of both Russia and Ukraine equally and will be based on a large number of ideas and initiatives"

"The Ukrainians are losing this war," Rajmund Andrzejczak said, describing the situation as "very, very dramatic"

An air raid alert has been in effect in the Kharkov Region for almost eight hours

"It runs counter to common sense to discuss any issues, let alone sign any documents with leaders who have lost their legitimacy," Vasily Nebenzya said

According to Rodion Miroshnik, the operation to liberate the LPR would be brought to an end as soon as the operation in Lisichansk was finished

The association's member states were ready to do this back in December, but the decision was postponed amid Hungary's disagreement and fears that the issue of EU enlargement could muddy the waters in the European Parliament elections to be held on June 6-9

The universal mobilization has been repeatedly prolonged in Ukraine since February, 2022

"Clearly, the outcome of this get-together will be null and void: peace talks are never held with just one party to the conflict," the politician stressed

Denis Pushilin noted that the exhibition presents only a small part of what has been destroyed by Russian troops

The Russian leader voiced his position at a news conference in China

The Russian president said Moscow stood "shoulder to shoulder" with Tehran, Kazem Jalali said

The bill allowing inmates to be mobilized was signed by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky on May 17

According to Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, "the experiment does not contradict Russia’s understanding of a ‘subcritical’ test and therefore does not violate the provisions of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty or the US moratorium on nuclear tests"

The press bureau drew attention to the fact that history has shown time and again that attempts to retain power using lies and intimidation do not work

Despite intensive strikes by the Russian Aerospace Forces and artillery, the Ukrainian military is still attempting to redeploy reserves to the town’s eastern part, according to the report

An armed attack on Robert Fico took place in the western Slovak town of Handlova on May 15

Denis Pushilin emphasized that the regional authorities have tried to appeal to international human rights organizations, but to no avail

On May 17, Putin explained the Russian military's offensive in the direction of Kharkov by the Ukrainian military’s continued shelling of residential areas in the border regions, including Belgorod

On May 19, a helicopter carrying the Iranian president crashed in Iran's East Azerbaijan Province

"Under the order of the commander-in-chief, a military exercise involving practice of preparation and use of tactical nuclear weapons started in the Southern military district under the supervision of the General Staff," the ministry said

"Any newly-minted Fuhrer' of the Ukrainian Reich is capable of tearing it up at any moment for opportunistic reasons," the politician noted

"On the one hand, we [Russia] do not support it, but on the other hand, of course, we are monitoring the situation," Dmitry Peskov highlighted

Top stories from the Russian press on Tuesday, May 21st

The Russian leader also discussed his upcoming state visit to Uzbekistan with Mirziyoyev, the press service noted

Mikhail Mishustin stressed that over four years, sales of Russian software have more than doubled, and ready-made package solutions have increased fivefold

The ministers will also consider candidates for new SCO secretary general and director of the executive committee of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Organization

"This is yet another example of double standards and a parade of American hypocrisy," Anatoly Antonov said

According to Andrey Lazarkevich, in the current situation Ukrainian servicemen prefer to surrender as prisoners of war

The statement emphasized that nuclear weapons make up 90% of the global stockpile of highly enriched uranium

According to Miroshnik, the Russian foreign ministry calls for bringing Ukraine’s leadership to responsibility "for violating the norms and principles of humanitarian law"

Yelena Shishkina noted that Ukraine had seen usurpation of power - but not by Zelensky, who is not an independent political figure, but by the West

According to Sergey Overchenko, the US and NATO are trying to "entice" the Central Asian countries into so-called partnership programs and continuing unflagging attempts to bring their military infrastructure to the region

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the creation of a joint Indian-Russian venture to produce Kalashnikov assault rifles in the country in March 2019

According to CEO of Laboratory PPSh Denis Oslomenko, the Baba Yaga drone flies through Starlink and cannot be supressed

According to the Ukrainian Constitution, Zelensky’s term as president expired on the night of May 21

According to Peter Kuznick, Professor of History and Director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University, Zelensky’s approval rating has dropped to approximately 60%, because "the Ukrainians are tired of war"

It is reported that Benny Gantz is considered to be the politician who can end Netanyahu’s political career

Dmitry Medvedev believes that "the population of a broken Ukraine realizes this only too well," noting that Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky canceled the country’s presidential election knowing that he would likely "lose spectacularly"

The Ukrainian military is deploying reserves from "all areas it can draw" them, including the Kupyansk direction, Vitaly Ganchev said

"All states that have ratified the ICC statutes are bound to execute the Court’s decisions," the top EU diplomat said

The IRGC Commander Lieutenant General Hossein Salami confirmed it

Rodion Miroshnik said that in total, the Ukrainian armed forces fired at least 2,109 rounds of ammunition at civilian targets in Russia’s frontline areas last week

"They have not lived in a state of law before and now everything will stay as it is," the politician said

Under the Ukrainian Constitution, Zelensky’s five-year term ended on May 21

Seven out of 15 UN Security Council members, including Russia and China, voted in favor of the resolution, while seven voted against and Switzerland abstained

As Wang Yi clarified, Putin reaffirmed his commitment to the "One China" principle in a speech after his election victory

On May 19, a helicopter carrying the Iranian president crashed in Iran's Eastern Azerbaijan Province

According to adviser to the DPR head Igor Kimakovsky, the Ukrainian military abandoned most of the bodies of dead soldiers in the combat area

Dmitry Peskov stressed that the situation the Ukrainian soldiers find themselves in is "rather difficult"