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PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN UKRAINE

Poroshenko headquarters explains why Putin appears on election billboards

Putting the two presidents face-to-face, the billboard is aimed at showing that Poroshenko can "face" the Russian leader

Pyotr Poroshenko EPA/TATYANA ZENKOVICH

Pyotr Poroshenko

© EPA/TATYANA ZENKOVICH

KIEV, April 9. /TASS/. The headquarters of presidential candidate Pyotr Poroshenko has confirmed that the billboards on which the incumbent president appears face-to-face with Russian president Vladimir Putin is an official promotional product.

Sources from the headquarters said they hadn’t deemed it necessary to coordinate this with the Russian leader. "Of course we did not ask for Putin’s consent. Putin is outside the law," the headquarters said in comments on Ukrainian experts’ saying it was unlawful to use images of a person without his consent.

Poroshenko’s representatives maintain that "the task of an advertising peace is to remind the country that in conditions of such challenges from outside, a strong president and supreme commander is needed, a professional, well-educated and experienced diplomat, a skillful negotiator with high international rating".

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‘The Kremlin or Me’: Poroshenko weaponizing race with anti-Putin hysteria — ex-candidate

Putting the two presidents face-to-face, the billboard is aimed at showing that Poroshenko can "face" the Russian leader.

Early on Tuesday, newspapers were distributed in the Kiev metro with the images of Poroshenko and Putin looking into each other’s eyes on the front page. The inscription read: "Choose on April 21!" Besides, similar billboards appeared on the streets of Kiev and Kharkov.

The election advertising campaign of Poroshenko, who is running for a second term in office, is aimed at splitting the country, the leader of the Civil Position Party, Anatoly Gritsenko, said on Tuesday in comments on Poroshenko weaponizing the Russian president for political points.

"This is dangerous for the country. The advertising and newspapers that are circulated by Poroshenko’s headquarters, are intentionally splitting the country into two," said Gritsenko, who had earlier dropped out of the presidential race.

President Poroshenko had built his election campaign around matching up himself against the Russian president. He said the Russian leader was his main opponent at the election, and those who were against him therefore support Putin.

In the run-up to the election’s second round, Poroshenko is disseminating leaflets and plastering images on billboards throughout the streets nationwide showing the two leaders face-to-face with a couple of slogans reading: "April 21. A Crucial Choice" or "April 21. The Choice Is Yours!".

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Ahmad Haghtalab said on April 18 that Tehran has identified the location of Israel's "nuclear centers" and will be ready to destroy them in case the Jewish state responds to the recent Iranian attack on Israeli military facilities

Yerevan's refusal to delimit borders with Baku to escalate regional tensions — PM

Nikol Pashinyan pointed out that the demarcation process also involves risks, but they are manageable, after which "Armenia will become ten times stronger"

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Ukraine turns from sovereign country into Western protectorate, Hungarian PM says

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Vehicles, equipment participating in Victory Day parade depart for Moscow — ministry

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Three Ukrainian soldiers swim across Dnieper to surrender to Russian troops — governor

Vladimir Saldo called on other Ukrainian servicemen to switch to the Russian side and request the corresponding assistance

Putin signs law on holding World Friendship Games

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

West, Kiev indulge in nuclear blackmail by demanding control of ZNPP — Russian MFA

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Russian Aerospace Forces strike five militant hideouts in Syria’s Homs

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Israel to not take responsibility for attack on Iran — newspaper

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Russia’s defense chief inspects production of tanks, flamethrowers at Siberian enterprise

Sergey Shoigu handed down an instruction for the defense enterprise to ramp up the production of T-80BVM tanks, the Defense Ministry said

Russia knows French military instructors working in Ukraine — Lavrov

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Sounds in Isfahan due to air defense work to repel attacks by suspicious objects — general

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Kiev ordered mandatory evacuation from Kharkov Region to accommodate mercenaries

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Ukraine’s military loses positions near Avdeyevka, says DPR

Igor Kimakovsky said that Ukrainian forces suffered heavy casualties among personnel and military hardware, including Western equipment

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According to Bloomberg, Israel informed the United States about its plans to strike Iran within the next 24-48 hours

Iran suspends flights above several cities amid reports of air attack — IRNA

Fox News said the Jewish state delivered a limited strike on Iran

Founder of neo-Nazi cell in Crimea flees to Georgia — source

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Russia can join top three countries by lithium reserves — governor

Infrastructure is required to implement the investment project, both power transmission lines and the railroad, Andrey Chibis noted

Kiev continues to openly announce terrorist attacks on Russia — diplomat

Maria Zakharova also pointed to the fact that Ukraine's special services do not give up attempts to "massacre their former compatriots"

Iran threatens to attack Israel's "nuclear centers" in case of aggression on its part

Ahmad Haqtalab argued that Israel had been conducting "subversive and terrorist activities" against the Islamic republic's nuclear infrastructure for year

Zelensky's formula should be put aside for Ukraine talks, Lavrov says

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Hungary to not intervene in Ukrainian conflict on any side, PM says

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Final statement by G7 top diplomats to call for supplying more air defenses to Kiev

Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister said Kiev required US-made Patriot systems and Italian-French Samp-T theatre antimissile systems

Ukrainians abroad storming embassies to avoid mobilization, Russian diplomat says

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Argentina’s NATO partnership bid to let US tighten its grip — expert

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Tehran’s two major airports cancel international flights — Mehr

Imam Khomeini International Airport and Mehrabad International Airport suspended their operations until 10:30 a.m. local time

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Situation in Iran’s Isfahan stabilizes after drone attack — media

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Major Western investor accuses Zelensky's office of extorting millions of euros

Arnulf Damerau said that he provided details of the meeting, along with evidence and a list of names of those involved, to US and European intelligence agencies

EU border checkpoint closest to Russia’s St. Petersburg to cut its working hours

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Senior Chinese official to take part in conference on security in Russia — diplomat

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West wants to make Transnistria hotbed of tension — Lavrov

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Romania tries to cancel Russian culture by banning films — diplomat

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French president says creating Israeli-type air defense network for Ukraine impossible

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Lavrov views situation in Middle East as 'very bad'

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Russia won’t allow NATO to move closer in Ukraine — Lavrov

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Lavrov speaks of West’s agony, Russia’s approach to any future talks with Kiev

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CIA chief says Ukraine could lose by end of this year — Politico

William Burns said "there is a very real risk that the Ukrainians could at least put Putin in a position where he could essentially dictate the terms of a political settlement"

Israel assesses effectiveness, consequences of strike on Iran — media

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Russian military closely monitors all Ukrainian 'novelties' — Kremlin on UAVs

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Kremlin declines to comment on alleged assassination attempt on Zelensky in Poland

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Iran intends to bolster military cooperation with Russia — envoy to Moscow

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Ukrainian president admits Russian troops’ advancement

Vladimir Zelensky asked his country’s supporters to provide "everything that helps to hold the frontline," including shells, military vehicles and drones

Iran says drones downed over Isfahan launched from country's territory

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Crimea, Donbass to forever remain within Russia, Slovak PM tells national parliament

Robert Fico believes Moscow will win in its confrontation with Kiev

No plans for pauses in fighting if talks on Ukraine begin, Lavrov says

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Polish premier refuses to hand over his country’s Patriot systems to Ukraine

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Nuclear sites in Iran’s Isfahan province are safe — Tasnim agency

Tasnim refuted foreign media reports about an incident at a nuclear site in Isfahan

Colombian president displays interest in country’s entry into BRICS

Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva welcomed Gustavo Petro’s initiative, "being committed to promotion of Colombia’s candidacy"

Russian forces destroy Ukrainian command post, two S-300 missile launchers over day

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Russian instructors help train over 10,000 Central African troops — CAR president

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West close to sending military to Ukraine, this would 'drag Europe to bottom' — Orban

"This military whirlpool can drag Europe to the bottom. Brussels is playing with fire and angering God," the Hungarian prime minister said

Russia delivers 34 strikes on Ukrainian military infrastructure over week — top brass

The Ukrainian army lost more than 3,550 troops, four tanks and five armored combat vehicles in battles with Russian forces in the Donetsk area over the past week, the ministry reported

Switzerland does not suit Russia for negotiations on Ukraine — Lavrov

The Foreign Minister pointed to the fact that Switzerland is on board with all Western sanctions

Effort to grant full UN membership to Palestine will continue — Russian mission

"The UN history has precedents when states were not admitted on their first try. The number of attempts is not limited," Nadezhda Sokolova said

Swiss parliament votes against joining task force on frozen Russian assets

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Russia will not 'shake up' relations with Argentina due to its partnership with NATO — MFA

According to Sergey Ryabkov, Russia and Argentina maintain a good dialogue at various levels

Water in Kurgan above dam, breaking records

More than 100 employees of the Russian Ministry of Emergencies are fencing the shores and filling the least reliable dam segments

Military base near Iran’s Isfahan hit following attack — newspaper

The sources said that Iranian forces managed to destroy several small drones near the city of Tabriz, about 800 kilometers from Isfahan

One crew member of jet crashed in Stavropol Region killed, search for another continues

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, an Aerospace Forces’ Tu-22M3 bomber crashed after completing a combat mission while returning to the airfield

Lavrov says Borrell let it slip that Europe ‘fighting against Russia’

Russia’s top diplomat noted that Josep Borrell may made the statement in a moment of weakness

Russia not to go for settlement on Ukraine based on 'Zelensky formula' — Lavrov

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Kremlin condemns 'illegal' seizure of villa from Russian businessman

Dmitry Peskov underscored that Moscow has already made its position clear on this matter

Nord Stream AG's refusal to pay compensation destroys Western insurance system — diplomat

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MiG-31I fighters receive air refueling system

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