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Coronavirus pandemic

Russia’s coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V gives at least 2-year protection - research center

Director of Gamaleya Federal Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Russian Health Ministry Alexander Gintsburg clarified that the final data will become clear after the vaccine’s effect is monitored for some time

MOSCOW, August 20. /TASS/. Developers of the Russian coronavirus vaccine dubbed Sputnik V expects the injection to protect from the virus for at least two years, Director of Gamaleya Federal Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Russian Health Ministry Alexander Gintsburg said Thursday.

"We have all grounds to say that <…> the vaccine <…> will <…> protect the vaccinated people from this agent, COVID-19, for at least two years and possible even longer," he told an online briefing dedicated to Sputnik V, the first coronavirus vaccine registered in the world.

At the same time, Gintsburg clarified that the final data will become clear after the vaccine’s effect is monitored for some time.

On August 11, Russia became the first country in the world to register a coronavirus vaccine named Sputnik V and developed by Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Russian health ministry. The injection passed clinical trials in June-July. The vaccine is based on an already known platform that was used to create a number of other injections. On August 15, the national health ministry said that the vaccine production had begun.

Coronavirus pandemic

No serious health risks from Covid now — Russian sanitary watchdog

Anna Popova noted that Covid incidence is growing but not dramatically

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Russia sees tendency for Latin America to become one of multipolar world order centers

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Assad says sure Russia will win conflict in Ukraine, re-unite brotherly peoples

Russia, in his words, is "correcting what others have done"

North Korea stages first combined tactical drill simulating nuclear counterattack — KCNA

The drill’s main purpose is to demonstrate the reliability, superiority, might and diverse means of the DPRK's nuclear force

Pobeda bloc expects global community to respond to struggle against opposition in Moldova

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Russia expects Xi Jinping to attend BRICS summit in Kazan — Lavrov

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West balancing on edge of direct military confrontation between nuclear powers — Lavrov

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Ukraine’s military intelligence chief recognizes Russia’s success in Avdeyevka

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

Russia’s top brass reports destroying US-made Hawk air defense system in Ukraine operation

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Gagauzian leader on unity of Moldova’s opposition, ability to watch Russian TV channels

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Senior lawmaker threatens US with retaliation for 'stealing' Russian assets

"Now, our country has every reason to make symmetrical decisions against foreign assets," Vyacheslav Volodin said

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Liberation of Novomikhailovka brings closer encirclement of Ugledar, says DPR official

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Ukrainian forces refuse to obey Commander-in-Chief Syrsky — CIA ex-analyst

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Value of frozen Russian assets in Switzerland drops to $6.36 bln over the year

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Belarusian air defense registers increased number of NATO aviation sorties

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Top Russian security official praises Republika Srpska’s principled position on Ukraine

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Russia recovers black boxes from crashed Tu-22M3 bomber

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Russia scraps plans to hold Immortal Regiment march in 2024 amid security threats

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New anti-Russian sanctions to include ban on LNG supplies — Swedish Foreign Minister

Tobias Billstrom deemed adopting the 14th sanctions package "one of the most important things"

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

"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

EU may sanction 10 firms for allegedly shipping weapons tech to Russia — Bloomberg

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International meeting of security representatives opening in St. Petersburg

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Azerbaijanian leader says reaching peace with Armenia by November 'quite realistic'

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

Nicaragua, Russia sign declaration to counter illegal sanctions — vice president

The document "contains provisions on methods to counter, mitigate and compensate for the negative consequences of this aggression," Rosario Murillo said

Damage to TV tower in Kharkov causes problems with digital TV signal

Earlier, Ukrainian media reported an explosion in Kharkov, which was cofirmed later by Mayor Igor Terekhov

Ukraine 'not in a position to win' against Russia — Spanish reserve colonel

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Army officer some media point to as Nord Stream blasts coordinator goes missing in Ukraine

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Over 280 recovered from mass grave at hospital in Khan Yunis — TV

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Armenians block highway to Georgia in protest of border delimitation with Baku

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Armenia purchasing only defensive weapons — PM

Yerevan's defense spending is 15-20% of what Azerbaijan spends on it, Nikol Pashinyan said

Press review: GOP tussles over Ukraine bill and Putin, Aliyev talk partnership

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Russian missile cruiser Varyag enters Mediterranean Sea

The ship's crew continues to fulfill the mission it was given for the long-range voyage

Conflict in Ukraine can be over by end of 2025, Hungary’s Orban believes

Prime Minister said that it is possible if proponents of peace, not war, win the June elections to the European Parliament and the US Presidential elections in November

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"The supply of our agricultural products to the Chinese market is growing," the top Russian diplomat noted

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Imangali Tasmagambetov noted that "relations between the CSTO and Armenia, which is a member state of our organization, are far from being at their best"

Over 14,700 residential houses remain flooded in Russia

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Russia presents world’s first hydrogen-fueled luxury car at Innoprom exhibition

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Ukrainian army strikes own surrendering soldiers — POW

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Romanian rescuers find Ukrainian deserters who spent four days in mountains

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Russia invites all countries to develop North - South transport corridor — Putin

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Top Security Council official meets with Cuban interior minister, foreign counterparts

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Current Russian turn eastward possible owing to Baikal-Amur railway — Putin

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

Lenin Museum in Finland's Tampere to shut down in November

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US has no idea what to do about Zelensky — Seymour Hersh

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

Ukraine says Western systems ineffective against Russia's electronic warfare

Maria Berlinskaya emphasized that the real effectiveness was determined in real combat conditions, and not at "some training ground in Texas"

Kremlin vows legal action against US bill on seizing Russian assets

Dmitry Peskov noted that the trial will be "very complex," but will cause severe damage to US economic interests if the US authorities finally approve the bill regarding Russian assets

Russia firmly ready for peace solution in Ukraine — Kremlin spokesman

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Duda's Kaliningrad nuke rhetoric political stunt — Russian senator

Alexander Shenderyuk-Zhidkov emphasized that Russia would decide for itself what was required to ensure the safety of its citizens

Baku cannot turn blind eye to France, India, Greece arming Armenia — President Aliyev

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

Involvement of NATO states prolongs Ukrainian conflict — Russian ambassador to Germany

"Ukraine today is fully dependent on supplies of Western weapons, military hardware, ammunition, financing, intelligence, and assistance from military advisers," Sergey Nechayev said

Scholz says era of fossil fuel will be over soon

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Press review: Dissecting US aid package to Ukraine and sands of global economy shifting

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Ukrainian intelligence predicts dire situation from mid-May onward

Kirill Budanov acknowledged that the Ukrainian army had long experienced problems on the frontline

Russia ready to offer access to Asian markets to partners in BAM upgrade — Putin

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NATO’s backing of Kiev’s strikes beyond special op area makes peace unachievable — expert

"The position of the majority of Western states negatively affects the probability of a peaceful settlement of the conflict, creating a risk of further escalation," Jiraporn Ruamphongphatthana believes

Top Hungarian diplomat warns US-NATO-EU competition in Ukraine could spark WWIII

"Preparations for a world war are intensifying in Brussels," Peter Szijjarto warned

Putin’s inauguration to take place on May 7, senator says

According to the law, the president-elect takes office for six years

Beijing condemns US hypocrisy around Ukraine conflict

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"

Flow of cargo traffic via North-South transport corridor to reach 60-100 mln tons

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

Russian troops level off frontline near Kremennaya in LPR for further advance

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

Eleven Russians dead, 48 injured in Ukrainian strikes over week

Rodion Miroshnik pointed out that over the past week, Ukrainian forces fired "at least 1,278 rounds of ammunition" at the civilian facilities in the border regions

Revival Party leader released after being questioned by Moldovan special services

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

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NATO has no plans to deploy nuclear forces in Poland — Stoltenberg

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

Russia to incorporate US nuke scenario in Poland in its military planning — diplomat

"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

NATO, Poland made no decision on deployment of nuclear weapons — Andrzej Duda

Polish President pointed out that this issue is being raised during his meetings with NATO partners from time to time

Russian peacekeepers heading for temporary deployment centers in Armenia

The Armenian government provided Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh with places for temporary deployment in Goris and Sisian

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

Rosatom denies reports about flooding of uranium deposit wells in Kurgan region

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Ukraine lost best fighters near Artyomovsk, retired general says

Sergey Krivonos added that relocation of troops from one direction to another will not solve Ukrainian forces’ problems, and that each fighter should be used according to their specialization

US authorities prepare military aid for Ukraine worth $1 bln — Reuters

The aid package includes vehicles, Stinger man-portable air defense system munitions, HIMARS rockets, 155-mm artillery shells, TOW and Javelin anti-tank missiles and other weapons that could be "used at the battlefield immediately"

Russian economy to see serious structural changes — presidential aide

"The first one is the technology agenda, the very large one, with huge demands for our own small, medium and large solutions," Maxim Oreshkin said

WADA explains difference between Valieva’s case and Chinese swimmers’ violations

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Almaz-Antey adapts air defense launchers for various missiles

Russian air defense launchers have a bigger range than US Patriot in Ukraine, Sergey Druzin said

London grants agrement to Zaluzhny as ambassador to UK — Ukrainian parliamentarian

This must be followed by a decree of the Ukrainian president on the appointment

Destroyed TV tower in Kharkov carried Ukrainian air defense coordination device — official

Digital TV signal interruptions are now observed in the city

Switzerland unblocks Russia-related assets worth 290 mln Swiss francs

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Chinese diplomat cautions US against 'demonizing' China-Russia relationship

The diplomat also called on Washington to "immediately stop imposing unilateral sanctions on Chinese companies and individuals"

Moldova’s top prosecutor suspects treason behind creation of Pobeda bloc

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Moscow Zoo delegation arrives in North Korean capital — media

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Raisi doubts 'Israeli regime' to exist in case of its attack on Iran

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Republika Srpska president praises Moscow-Banja Luka relations, favors strengthening them

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

Modern weapons make up 82% in Russian air defense troops — Shoigu

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

Russian forces take Ukrainian strongholds near Klescheyevka under control

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

Lavrov slams West for promoting 'dishonest schemes' for restrictions on nuclear weapons

The top Russian diplomat stressed that "striving to attain decisive military superiority, Washington and its allies are enlarging the network of alliances directed against third countries"

Russian troops liberate Novomikhailovka community in DPR — top brass

Russia’s Battlegroup West repulsed four Ukrainian army counterattacks over the past day, the Defense Ministry reported