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Crimea and Sevastopol

German top diplomat proposes to defer Crimea issue

The minister believes the world community should think about ways to achieve a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine

BERLIN, August 15. /TASS/. The discussion of Crimea’s status could be deferred in order to ensure that the focus is on the Donbass ceasefire, German Foreign Minister Sibmar Gabriel said in an interview with the Kolner Stadt-Anzeiger daily, published on Tuesday.

"We don’t need to debate over Crimea," Gabriel said. "We should think about ways to achieve a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine," he added. According to the German top diplomat, "this is vital for gradually easing tensions in relations with Russia."

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Russian diplomat advises West to stop obsessing over Crimea

Gabriel also said that by calling to consider the current status of Crimea as "a permanent provisional solution," leader of the Free Democratic Party Christian Lindner had only sought to draw attention to himself. "I believe, Mr. Lindner only wanted to make it to the front pages of newspapers," Gabriel said.

Lindner earlier called for considering the Crimea issue separately from other problems. In his opinion, such approach may help achieve success in other aspects of relations between the European Union and Russia, but if that does not happen, sanctions could be toughened. Lindner’s statement sparked a broad debate in Germany.

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Crimea and Sevastopol Germany

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Russia's revenues from oil exports remain high despite price ceiling — IMF

Earlier in its report on the development of the world economy, the IMF noted that Russian oil is sold on the world market mainly above the price ceiling that the West tried to set

World’s anti-doping agency WADA still waits for Russia’s 2023 financial contribution

Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin said in February that the Russian side had agreed with WADA to pay the membership fee for the year of 2023

KazMunayGas, Sibur, Sinopec sign protocol on plant construction in Kazakhstan

Construction of the plant in the Atyrau region is planned to be completed by 2029

Russia has significant amount of West’s funds in case of confiscation of its assets

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Putin signs law on holding World Friendship Games

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Moscow International Film Festival kicks off

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Armenia’s relations with Russia not at their highest — top diplomat

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American Abrams tanks vulnerable even to Soviet-era weapons, says expert

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North Korean leader arrives at public event in Aurus luxury car gifted by Putin

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North Korea conducts new anti-aircraft missile test — KCNA

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US House passes procedural vote on Ukraine aid bill

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Lavrov labels way West ramping up sanctions against Russia as mindless

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

According to the official, the investigation established that Mikhail Maurov planned to travel to Ukraine to join the ranks of a right-wing Ukrainian organization called the Freedom of Russia Legion

Russian defense chief checks implementation of orders to develop drones

All the presented drones and payload were created from domestic composite materials and elements

Water level of Ishim River in Russia’s Tyumen Region surpasses dangerous mark

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US 'not forgetting' to help itself with aid to Ukraine — Kremlin

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

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Kiev ordered mandatory evacuation from Kharkov Region to accommodate mercenaries

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Russia knows French military instructors working in Ukraine — Lavrov

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Kremlin spokesman offers condolences over death of Izvestia war correspondent

Dmitry Peskov pointed out that the Ukrainian armed forces were deliberately targeting Russian journalists

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

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

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Izvestia correspondent Semyon Eremin killed in special operation zone

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Proposals on Russian assets confiscation undermine financial system — Finance Minister

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Shoigu orders additional tank protection sets for Ukraine operation

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Russian investigators start inquiry into financing of terrorism by US, NATO officials

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Number of flooded residential buildings in Russia drops to 16,200

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Swiss parliament votes against joining task force on frozen Russian assets

The group contains US finance and justice ministers, representatives of Australia, the UK, Germany, Italy, Canada, France, Japan, as well as the European Commission

Ukrainian trace obvious in Crocus City Hall attack — Russian prosecutor general

The law enforcement employees exert efforts to identify the instigators of this crime, Igor Krasnov said

Hungarians in western Ukraine should get their rights back, Budapest says

"The Hungarian community’s opportunities to use its native language in the fields of education, culture, media and self-governance have been significantly limited," Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto specified

Russian stock indices rising on Friday

The MOEX Russia Index edged up by 0.44%, the RTS Index surged by 1.13%

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

Air defenses repel Ukrainian drone attack in Russia’s Smolensk Region — governor

Vasily Anokhin urged local residents to remain calm and refrain from filming air defenses in operation.

Press review: Biden backs aid to Israel, Ukraine and Russia assets giving West legal fits

Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, April 19th

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

Earlier, it was reported that Ukraine had developed a UAV with a range of up to 3,000 kilometers

Grossi ignores ‘elephant in the room’ in Zaporozhye nuke plant situation — Russian envoy

Dmitry Polyansky noted that the IAEA chief is being very cautious about the issue of attacks on the nuclear facility

S-500 system to be supplied to Armed Forces after 2015

Victor Gumenny said the advanced systems may solve the tasks of air-space defence and may fight hypersonic weapons

US gives nod to Israeli operation in Rafah in exchange for canceling major attack on Iran

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

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Ukrainians abroad storming embassies to avoid mobilization, Russian diplomat says

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Russian economy proves resilience amid large-scale sanctions — IMF

The IMF states that the restrictions led to the need to rebuild the economy

Ukrainian POW exposes poor battlefield performance of NATO-supplied Javelins, NLAWs

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Court arrests another man accused of blowing up car of former SBU officer in Moscow

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China’s Russian oil imports rise by 13% in first quarter of 2024 — customs

In monetary terms, Russian oil exports to China increased by 17.9% to $13.858 bln in the first quarter of the year

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FACTBOX: Collective Security Treaty Organization

The Collective Security Treaty came into force on April 20, 1994 to herald the emergence what would eventually become the Collective Security Treaty Organization. The six member-countries are Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan

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The first Konteiner radar went on combat duty in the Volga area region of Mordovia on December 1, 2019

Ukrainian drone damages energy infrastructure in Russia’s Kaluga Region

There are no casualties, Governor Vladislav Shapsha said

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

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US volunteer Russel Bentley missing in Donetsk killed — RT editor-in-chief

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Ukrainian shelling kills pregnant woman in Russia’s Belgorod Region — governor

Vyacheslav Gladkov added that the attack had shattered the windows of several houses and damaged their facades and roofs

Kiev lacks both troops and equipment near Chasov Yar in DPR, says retired general

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Explosions reported in several Ukrainian regions

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Russian LNG exports to China rise by 2% in first quarter of 2024 — Chinese customs

Russia was the fourth largest LNG supplier to China after Australia (6.3 mln tons)

Armenia has to define CSTO’s zone of responsibility on its territory, says Lavrov

On March 12, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that Yerevan asked its CSTO partners to answer where the CSTO's zone of responsibility in the republic was

Sites for practicing ways to counter drones to be set up at all Russian testing grounds

Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has visited a testing ground in the Moscow Military District where new models of small arms developed with the participation of snipers who carried out missions in the special military operation zone were presented

Security guarantees on Ukraine did not apply to Crimea, Donbass — Lavrov

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Russian Cabinet expands list of perfumery, cosmetic products subjected to import duty

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West wants to make Transnistria hotbed of tension — Lavrov

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Russian economy positively influences neighboring countries — Deputy PM

In 2023 the Russian economy has demonstrated remarkable resilience and growth, Alexey Overchuk said

Russian air defenses down Ukrainian drone over Belgorod Region

An attempt by the Kiev regime to use a fixed-wing drone to carry out a terrorist attack on targets in Russia was foiled at about 1:00 p.m. Moscow time

More explosions reported across Ukraine

Another explosion rocked the Kiev-controlled city of Zaporozhye

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

Russian military base may appear in CAR’s eastern region — President Touadera

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US agrees to withdraw troops from Niger — Washington Post

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

The Russian foreign minister emphasized that the situation on the ground had changed significantly

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

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

Two pilots of jet that crashed in southern Russia hospitalized

The plane crashed in a field in the Krasnogvardeysky district of southern Russia’s Stavropol Region

UN secretary general urges Azerbaijan, Armenia to normalize relations

Stephane Dujarric noted that the secretary general "encourages the parties to continue the delimitation and demarcation of the remaining sections of the border and tackle all outstanding bilateral issues toward achieving full normalization of relations."

Unidentified man attempts suicide outside courthouse where Trump trial is underway

The man set himself on fire

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

NATO discussing transfer of ‘deep precision strike capabilities’ to Ukraine — Stoltenberg

Stoltenberg said NATO believes Ukraine has the right to strike "legitimate military targets" inside Russia

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

There is still no full clarity regarding the future of Ukraine's western regions, the Russian foreign minister went on to say

Drones downed over Isfahan cause no damage, says Iranian foreign minister

It is reported that several drones had been intercepted by the national air defense forces over Isfahan

BRICS looking at creating common digital payment platform

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said that BRICS nations have already established a special channel for information exchange between their central banks

Participation in ‘Columbine’ movement may result in life sentence — Prosecutor General

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

The conference will take place from April 23 to 25 in St. Petersburg

Moscow demands international organizations condemn killing of Russian war correspondent

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also expressed condolences to Eremin’s family and friends

BRICS’ expansion makes it much stronger — senior Russian diplomat

Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Ethiopia, became full-fledged members of BRICS from January 1, 2024

French, US, British nukes all interwoven — Russian diplomat

Maria Zakharova described France’s decision to place its aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, directly under NATO control as a symbolic move marking the end of "the era of an independent Paris in the international arena"

West can’t comprehend Russia’s resilience — Lavrov

"They would have been scared had anyone come down on them with similar ferocity," the Russian foreign minister added

Israeli aviation strikes towns in Gaza Strip

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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 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

North Korean agriculture committee’s delegation sets off on visit to Russia

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