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Balkan Stream saved Hungary, Serbia from energy crisis — Hungary’s Minister

Gazprom started supplying gas to Hungary from October 1 of the last year under the long-term contract

BELGRADE, February 7. /TASS/. Construction of the Balkan Stream pipeline, an extension of the TurkStream gas pipeline, saved Hungary and Serbia from the energy crisis, Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Monday at a press conference with his Serbian counterpart Nikola Selakovic.

"If we had no energy cooperation between Hungary and Serbia, we would presently fall victims to the energy crisis the Western part of Europe faces. There is a connection between the two countries since last October for the flow of large gas volumes; over 700 mln cubic meters of gas flowed over this line, and to another destination if needed. If we yielded to sanctions, specifically to threats of sanctions, if we did not protect our national interests and did not build this gas pipeline[the Balkan Stream - TASS], then we would face huge problems in the gas supply issue now," Szijjarto said.

Gazprom started supplying gas to Hungary from October 1 of the last year under the long-term contract made on September 27 via the Balkan Stream and Southeastern European pipelines.

World Bank recognizes Russia as high income country

It follows from the document that the gross national income per capita in Russia is $14,250

Russia not to divulge details of possible deployment of short-and medium-range missiles

On June 28, at a meeting with the Russian Security Council, Putin reiterated that, after the US withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019, Russia pledged that it would refrain from manufacturing and deploying such systems as long as the United States refuses to deploy them in any part of the world

Stepovaya Novoselovka's liberation to pave way for Russian offensive on Kupyansk — expert

"Deliveries of arms and ammunition still continue to Kupyansk-Uzlovoy, even though we are constantly carrying out strikes on this settlement," Andrey Marochko said

Russian troops use tunnel to take large Ukrainian stronghold in Kirov — defense ministry

The detachment’s servicemen cleared and used the more-then-three-kilometer-long tunnel along the Seversky Donetsk canal and came to the rear of the ell-fortified stronghold equipped with firing positions and underground shelters

China launches rail service with Europe via Russia — Xinhua news agency

The freight train with construction materials, household electronics and other goods department from the Beijing’s logistical hub in Pinggu district to Moscow

West, East have practically no chance to avoid global conflict — Serbian president

There is no hardcore philosophy about this, these are clear, unequivocal things, Vucic said

Kanye West leaves Moscow

Designer Gosha Rubchinskiy was seeing him off

Kremlin condemns refusal to accredit Russian media for NATO summit in US

"This shows that NATO and the relevant services of the alliance resort to discriminatory policies against the media," Dmitry Peskov emphasized

Ukraine needs some 200,000 recruits to address troop shortages — newspaper

In order to address its troop shortage, Kiev reportedly needs to recruit at least 50,000 people every quarter

NATO looks to appoint official in charge of support for Ukraine — WSJ

The decision is expected to be announced at the upcoming NATO summit in Washington

Duma Committee approves amendments to increase in Russian budget deficit for 2nd reading

As the head of the State Duma Committee on Budget and Taxes Andrey Makarov explained, six amendments were proposed for the bill, one of which was withdrawn

Press review: Dems scramble to replace Biden and Russia continues to feed the world

Top stories from the Russian press on Monday, July 1st

Arresting foreign officials may trigger declaration of war — Medvedev

Dmitry Medvedev made this statement at a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum

DPR security agencies emphasize strategic importance of liberating Novopokrovskoye

"Taking Novopokrovskoye, as well as any other settlement, has its own strategic significance," the source said

Trade between Tajikistan and Russia in January-May up 16.6% yoy to over $823 mln

Exports to the Russian Federation amounted to 6% of the total volume of goods sold abroad

Israeli military says it destroyed kilometer-long tunnel in Gaza

The press service said in a statement that the tunnel was discovered by soldiers of the 99th Division of the Israel Defense Forces, the only reserve division currently operating in the Gaza Strip

Air defenses destroy 36 Ukrainian drones over central Russia last night

Of those, 15 were brought down over the borderline Kursk Region

International community set to continue engagement with Afghanistan — UN

There was the third UN-brokered meeting on Afghanistan since May 2023

Investments in Arctic Circle’s backbone cities estimated at $45.3 bln

Investors’ funds will be directed to the economy of the Murmansk Region and to development of production facilities

Over 10,000 Ukrainian fighters surrender since summer using special radio frequency

According to the source, the radio frequency operates in all directions of the line of engagement in the special military operation zone

Russian troops should scale up FAB-3000 bomb strikes at key Ukrainian army sites — expert

"Considering a substantial strike effect of this munition, its use can be recognized as successful," Igor Korotchenko underlined

CSTO has no plans to strengthen its military component as it monitors NATO’s moves — chief

"The situation in the Eastern European region of collective security, certainly, remains our focus," Imangali Tasmagambetov underlined

OPEC+ countries extend voluntary oil output cuts by 2.2 mbp for Q3

According to schedule on OPEC’s website, Russia will additionally reduce oil output by 471,000 barrels per day in Q3

US bases in Europe put on alert amid terror attack threat — TV

A potential terror attack may target US military personnel or facilities

Moscow court recovers $113 mln from Google in favor of its Russian subsidiary

The activities of 12 of the 13 defendants relate to advertising or marketing, and the maximum amount of one claim was $34 mln

Ukrainian military thrown from left bank in Kherson Region, fighting underway on islands

The fighting has moved to the islands, with the Russian army having ramped up activities

Russian diplomat warns Israel’s potential transfer of Patriots to Ukraine could backfire

Vasily Nebenzya fielded numerous questions as reporters from around the world packed full the UN press conference room

Civilian killed in Ukrainian shelling of farm in Russia’s Belgorod Region

According to Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, the number of those wounded in Ukrainian attacks over the past day has risen to nine

Russia bans entry to 99 Canadian citizens — Foreign Ministry

According to the statement, the list includes the individuals "who are involved in the elaboration and implementation of Ottawa’s Russophobic course"

West cares little about human lives, is interested in Russia’s resources — Serbian leader

Vucic stressed earlier that the Ukrainian conflict cannot be ended right now

Russia’s Justice Ministry adds CSIS research center to list of undesirable organizations

The ministry also added the German non-governmental organization Dekoder to the list of undesirable organizations

Iran threatens ‘obliterating war’ if Israel attacks Lebanon

"Iran deems as psychological warfare the Zionist regime’s propaganda about intending to attack Lebanon", the Iranian mission to the UN said

Ukraine moving troops to border with Belarus cause of concern for Russia, too — Kremlin

According to Dmitry Peskov, Moscow and Belarus have special formats of dialogue between all relevant agencies, including special services

Macron expects his coalition to secure at least 150 seats in 577-seat parliament — radio

A party needs to win 289 seats in the 577-strong National Assembly to achieve an absolute majority

Number of those injured in Moscow terrorist attack revised upward to 551

As of 6:00 a.m. Moscow time on March 30 there were 695 casualties, including 15 children

Peresvet combat lasers enter duty with Russia’s armed forces

Russian military personnel operating those systems underwent special training at the Mozhaysky Military Space Academy

Right in the lead, Macron calls for unity: French election results

The right-wing National Rally party and allied forces lead after the first round of the French parliamentary elections with 33.15% of the vote

Russian top brass report their fighter jet, US drone making hazardous proximity over Syria

The Russian pilot demonstrated high professionalism and took timely measures to prevent a collision

Hungary becomes chair of European Council amid sharp disagreements with EU

Hungary begins its six-month presidency in the European Council amid serious disagreements with the EU management

Biden sure to lose re-election bid in 2024, Russia’s Medvedev predicts

"Not since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 has the threat of a direct clash between Russia and NATO that could lead to a Third World War been so real," the politician noted

Russia develops single-use combat drone to intercept enemy UAVs

It is noted that before destroying an enemy UAV, the Vogan must get a corresponding command from an operator who makes a decision based on the image from the drone’s video camera

Russia and China need to minimize use of SWIFT in mutual settlements — expert

Yulia Kapranova noted that "China is actively internationalizing its CIPS system, inviting leading American and European banks as shareholders"

Russian troops create ZVeraBoi counter-drone buggy in Ukraine operation

The vehicle’s front part features a turret with two mounted PKT machine-guns and an improvised six-barrel muzzle-loading shotgun placed between them

Ukrainians fail to break through near Dnepryany in Kherson Region — governor

Dnepryany is a township on the left bank of the Dnieper River, situated 15km east from the village of Krynki

Ten apartments, eight private houses damaged in missile attack on Sevastopol — authorities

According to the report, seven vehicles and a motorcycle were also damaged

New security architecture in Eurasia to exclude external military presence — Russia’s MFA

Maria Zakharova recalled that the initiative to create a new continent-wide security architecture in the Eurasian space had been put forward by Russian President Vladimir Putin

Russia, China request fish products safety information from Japan

The Japanese side again attempted to convince WTO members of radiation safety of their foods after elimination of consequences of the incident at the Fukushina Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2011

Biden admits to presidential debate malperformance

He promised that the Democrats would win the November election anyway

Crisis in Ukraine cannot be resolved overnight — Russian diplomat

Trump has repeatedly said that he would be able to promptly settle the Ukrainian conflict if he takes the presidential office again

Russia ‘big winner’ in conflict with US, NATO — Dutch MEP

Member of the European Parliament from the Dutch Forum for Democracy party Marcel de Graaff also called the EU the main loser, drawing attention to problems such as "economic recession, de-industrialization, exposed as US-lapdog, suicidal sanctions"

Atmosphere in UN Security Council very hostile towards Russia — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov noted that it "will certainly be very difficult" to bring objectivity to the work of the UN Security Council during Russia's one-month chairmanship

Italy’s UniCredit applied to EU court for clarification of ECB instructions

Since February 2022 UniCredit adopted a number of strategies to significantly reduce its Russian presence "resulting in a reduction of its cross-border exposure by 91%"

Ukraine working on own peace plan, to be ready before year-end — Zelensky

The Ukrainian president reiterated that Kiev wanted to see the conflict over and hoped "to achieve a fair peace as soon as possible"

Western partners drove Kiev to abandon neutrality — Hungarian expert

As Gyorgy Varga noted, the Budapest memorandum that was signed by neutral Ukraine and the guarantees this memorandum envisaged were not observed

Press review: Putin receives Congolese president and rumors fly after failed Bolivia coup

Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, June 28th

Evo Morales accuses Bolivia’s Luiz Arce of staging coup attempt

"President Luiz Arce deceived the people of Bolivia and the world," former president of Bolivia said

Houthis say they attacked four ships related to UK, US, Israel

According to the spokesman, Yahya Saree, the attacks targeted the container ship MSC Unific, the chemical tankers Delonix and Lucky Sailor, and the Anvil Point auxiliary vessel

Baku, Yerevan may finalize peace treaty in few months — Azerbaijani president

At the same time, Ilham Aliyev emphasized that the peace agreement can be signed only if Armenia changes its constitution

Far-right National Rally leads first voting round in France — Interior Ministry

It is reported that voter turnout hit 66.71%, or the highest since 2002

Arabs remove Hezbollah from list of terrorist organizations — senior Arab League official

"The military escalation in the south poses a severe challenge to security and stability not only in Lebanon, but also across the Middle East, especially if the conflict spills over," Hossam Zaki said

Russian embassies overflowing with requests to relocate to country — MFA

Maria Zakharova also drew attention to the fact that the Russian Foreign Policy Concept touches upon the topic of traditional values 11 times

Ukraine loses up to 270 troops in area of responsibility of Russia’s Battlegroup North

The Ukrainian army also lost a tank, four motor vehicles, a US-made M109 Paladin 155 mm howitzer, a 2A65 Msta-B 152 mm howitzer and three D-30 122 mm howitzers

US coalition's drone flies too close to Russian plane in Syria — top brass

The Russian pilot demonstrated high professionalism and took timely measures to prevent a collision

Ukrainian intel service foils plot to overthrow government

The SBU also said that the detainees had been plotting to destabilize the social and political situation in Ukraine and disseminate information about the developments in Kiev, including in foreign media outlets

Kremlin criticizes Stoltenberg’s comments about China

"We are confident that our Chinese friends can themselves provide a proper evaluation of such statements," Dmitry Peskov stressed

Ukraine’s irretrievable losses five-times higher than Russia’s, Putin says

According to him, this is the reason behind attempts to carry out an all-out mobilization campaign in Ukraine

Lufthansa suspends night flights to Beirut until July 31

A number of countries, including Germany, urged their citizens to leave Lebanon

Russian troops liberate two communities in Kharkov Region, DPR over past day — top brass

Russian troops destroyed Ukrainian Air Force aircraft at a military airfield and an armament repair center over the past day, the ministry reported

World Bank recognizes Russia as high income country

It follows from the document that the gross national income per capita in Russia is $14,250

Helsinki to attempt to buy out arena owned by Russians

The sellers believe that the voluntary stocks sale transaction is possible even after expiry of the period set by the EU, the source said

US analyst says Biden, Trump misinformed about situation in Ukraine

Both politicians appear to be incompetent about some important issues, according to the professor of political science at the University of Rhode Island Nicolai Petro

Press review: US, Russian defense chiefs touch base and new sheriff in town at NATO

Top stories from the Russian press on Thursday, June 27th

Authorities detain four suspects in downtown Moscow kidnapping

According to the investigation, on June 28, the suspects, being near a residential building on Sadovaya-Triumfalnaya Street, attacked an Italian citizen, who also has Russian citizenship, using a gun

Regular direct air service to Cuba to resume on July 1 — Russian diplomat

These flights will be carried out by Aeroflot’s subsidiary, Rossiya Airlines

Four killed, 20 injured in household gas explosion in Turkey’s Izmir

The building was seriously damaged

Xi Jinping to pay state visit to Dushanbe on July 4-6

Bilateral talks with a small and extended number of participants will be held as part of the visit

NATO won’t be part of Ukraine conflict, it won’t cross this line, says Scholz

According to the German chancellor, the NATO summit will discuss the strengthening of its role in coordinating support for Ukraine and training the Ukrainian armed forces

Hezbollah drones strike Israeli tank force’s base

A command center and a barrack of soldiers of tank battalions were struck

Fico gets set to return to office after assassination attempt — defense minister

The assassination attempt on Robert Fico took place on May 15 in the town of Gandlova in western Slovakia

Bank of Russia increases dollar rate to 87.3 rubles for July 2

The official euro rate was increased by 1.54 rubles to 93.9582 rubles

A four-year-old girl died in drone attack in Belgorod Region

According to the region’s governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov, four other members of her family were wounded

US Supreme Court rules Trump has partial immunity from prosecution

"At least with respect to the president’s exercise of his core constitutional powers, this immunity must be absolute," the ruling said

Committee recommends Federation Council suspend Russia's OSCE PA membership

According to the draft statement, Russian senators and State Duma MPs are adamant that restricting parliamentarians who represent the people from taking part in OSCE PA events is unacceptable

Mortgage loan disbursements may drop 50% in H2 2024 — expert

According to preliminary results of the first half of 2024, more than 700,000 mortgage loans amounting to $31.8 bln were granted in Russia, Mikhail Goldberg added

Lavrov to chair ministerial debates at UNSC on July 16-17

"In general, the UN Security Council’s program will be quite busy," the Russian Foreign Ministry said

Third of Ukrainian troops surrender near Lisichansk, LPR’s envoy to Russia says

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

BRICS has potential to create new, more fair world order — South African leader

Cyril Ramaposa notes that BRICS unites about 40% of the world's population

Russia assumes July presidency of UN Security Council

Russia convenes its first UNSC meeting on Monday to approve the agenda of the Security Council for the coming month

Iran to continue efforts to get sanctions lifted regardless of election outcome — analyst

"Sanctions will continue to be the most important problem, namely, how the next president will deal with their negative consequences," Mahmoud Shoori said

UN cannot work with Russian companies for humanitarian purposes due to sanctions

From five to six Russian companies are proactively working with the WFP on the food track on a credit basis - deliveries are made first and then the payment takes place

US doesn’t want civilian deaths in Ukrainian crisis — Pentagon

Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder commented on the Russian side's statements on the terrorist attack in Sevastopol

Kazakhstan eyeing nuclear power as alternative to coal — Kazenergy

Kazakhstan strengthened its positions as the world’s largest uranium producer by the end of 2023, occupying about 40% of the global market, General Director Alibek Kuantyrov noted

Russia sees good prospects for cooperation between countries under Western sanctions

According to Alexey Drobinin, these countries can establish joint mechanisms that would be "immune to sanctions in various areas"

Four aerial targets shot down over Sevastopol, governor cites preliminary data

Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said reports are being collected about any damage to civilian infrastructure

Armenian PM deems referendum for EU accession unnecessary

Several pro-Western political groups in Armenia have united under one platform and are demanding that the country's authorities hold a referendum on EU accession

Philadelphia Flyers sign three-year contract with Russian national Matvei Michkov

SKA St. Petersburg announced on June 25 that Michkov was leaving for the Philadelphia-based club

Russian army liberates Spornoye, Novoaleksandrovka in Donetsk People’s Republic

Units of Battlegroup Center have liberated the settlement of Novoaleksandrovka as a result of successful actions

Russian military vows to prevent recurrence of Transnistrian conflict

"The operation group is cooperating with all law enforcement structures of Transnistria," Colonel Dmitry Zelenkov reported

Russian official highlights growing threat coming from Ukraine's jet-powered drones

According to Andrey Tabekin, experts are currently working on ways to jam such drones

Russia, Lebanon call for containing Gaza conflict, not letting it spread to region — MFA

According to the statement, "the Russian side reaffirmed its unwavering position in support of the unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon"

Protests in Kenya leave at least 39 dead and more than 350 injured

The country’s national human rights commission "continues to strongly condemn the unjustified violence against the protesters, medical personnel, lawyers, journalists, churches, first-aid centers and ambulances"