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NAVALNY'S ALLEGED POISONING

Foreign diplomats arrived at court to back Navalny ‘as their own’— lawmaker

Deputy Speaker of the Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) Pyotr Tolstoy also added that he had repeatedly asked his Western colleagues to rely on facts rather than opinions in the Navalny case

MOSCOW, February 2. /TASS/. The presence of foreign diplomats at the Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny hearing means that they express solidarity with him and support him "as one of their own," Deputy Speaker of the Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) Pyotr Tolstoy said Tuesday.

"The fact that Western diplomats are sitting in the Moscow City Court today can only mean one thing, they back Navalny as one of their own. They came there to express their solidarity with him," he said.

Tolstoy also added that he had repeatedly asked his Western colleagues to rely on facts rather than opinions in the Navalny case. "And the facts are listed in the court materials," he clarified.

Earlier, TASS reported that around 20 diplomats, particularly from the US, Bulgaria, Poland, Latvia, Austria and Switzerland, arrived at the Moscow City Court for the hearing that can potentially replace Navalny’s suspended sentence in the Yves Rocher embezzlement case with real time behind bars.

NAVALNY'S ALLEGED POISONING

Berlin must provide Moscow with results of Navalny’s tests, says diplomat

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, there is online footage of the conditions the blogger is being held in

Friendly countries showing interest in Russian analog of Starlink — minister

Maksut Shadaev expressed hope that the constellation would have the huge export potential

Capture of Ugledar to let Russian army successfully operate in Zaporozhye Region — expert

Ugledar is an important logistical hub in the DPR

Tehran to give tougher response if Israel takes more hostile steps — Iranian envoy

"If Israel takes more action, we will give a tougher response," Kazem Jalali pointed out

Russia puts number of Ukrainian casualties in Kursk area over past day at over 400

Enemy losses also included a tank and 15 armored combat vehicles, five artillery mounts

Russia to deliver remaining S-400 air defense systems to India in 2024 — official

According to The New Indian Express, the delivered systems have already been deployed along India’s borders with China and Pakistan

Scholz hopes to hold conversation with Putin in coming weeks — media

As the weekly Die Zeit emphasized, Olaf Scholz last talked with Putin in December 2022, also over the phone

Russian troops liberate two communities in Donbass, Kharkov Region over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicted roughly 95 casualties on Ukrainian troops in its area of responsibility in the Kharkov Region over the past day, the ministry reported

Biden says he cannot be sure that all-out war in Mideast will be prevented

US President added that provided that Iran has "proxies as irrational as Hezbollah and the Houthis, it’s a hard thing to determine"

Tatarstan ready to cooperate with Saudi Arabia on Islamic banking

The region also sees interest in cooperating on energy and agriculture

Russian army in Donbass moves at 'unseen pace,' Finnish analyst tells The Washington Post

The Russian army’s greatest advances "occurred from mid-August to mid-September, coinciding with the Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region," Pasi Paroinen said

Rossiya airline to restart flights to Havana in October

The airline is also flying from Moscow to Cuba’s Varadero resort

Antonov concludes his tenure as Russian ambassador to United States — embassy

He will fly back to Moscow in the next few hours

Russia delivers 29 strikes at Ukrainian military, energy sites over week

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicted more than 3,000 casualties on Ukrainian troops in its area of responsibility in the borderline Kursk area and the Kharkov Region over the week, the Defense Ministry reported

Russia responds to US nuclear force adjustments, weapons flow to Ukraine — US expert

James W. Carden emphasized that decisions taken by several consecutive US administrations have only aggravated the situation in the field of nuclear deterrence

Russian frigate takes part in navy festival in South Africa

The warship Neustrashimy has arrived in South Africa on an invitation to attend the SA Navy Festival

Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed more than 2,000 people so far — minister

The number of wounded people has come to 9,535, Lebanese Environment Minister Nasser Yassin said

Israel orders urgent evacuation for residents of Beirut neighborhood

Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee published a satellite image of the district, pinpointing a building allegedly used by Hezbollah for military purposes

Ex-US intel officer Ritter says his passport was seized to hamper anti-Russophobia

He expects to have his passport before the BRICS summit in Russia’s Kazan in October

Iran-Russia treaty on comprehensive cooperation ready for signing — ambassador

According to Kazem Jalali, the document was pre-approved by the presidents of both countries

Energodar where Zaporozhye nuke plant is located experiences disruption to power supply

Specialists are looking into the reasons for this

DPR head expects entire region to be liberated in foreseeable future

"For our part, we expect that the DPR will be liberated in the foreseeable future as part of efforts to achieve the goals set by the Russian president," Denis Pushilin noted

Russian forces hit Ukrainian stronghold with over 20 soldiers in southern Donetsk area

According to the ministry, the stronghold was used for attempting another attack

Israeli military reports delivering strike on school used by Gaza radicals

"The command and control center was embedded inside a compound that previously served as the 'Ahmad al-Kurd' School in the area of the central Gaza Strip," the IDF said in a statement

Russia urges countries to react to Israel’s move to declare UN chief persona non grata

"It’s a slap in the face of not only the UN but all of us", Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said

Troops fire next-generation shells for heavy flamethrowers in Siberia drills

The live-fire exercise involved over 600 troops and about 60 items of military hardware, the statement says

Ukrainian army loses almost 200 soldiers in two weeks near Ugledar — POW

The dead and wounded are just left on the battlefield, since there is no one to take them away, Viktor Neverko added

West destroying Russian projectiles over Ukraine would involve US in war — Pentagon

Washington believes that Kiev can defend itself, Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said

US seeks to consolidate its military advantages with talks on strategic stability — MFA

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov pointed to the fact that US calls for negotiations on strategic stability with the prospect of concluding a new treaty on strategic offensive arms reduction have a dual purpose

About 20 Israeli servicemen killed or wounded on Lebanese border — Hezbollah

According to the the Shia organization’s official spokesman, Shia militiamen planted explosive devices along the enemy’s planned route and later blew them up from a distance

Israeli operation in Tulkarm kills 11 civilians — report

The victims included two children, 6 and 8 years old, their mother and uncle

Ukrainian snipers in Ugledar worked under NATO techniques — sniper

It is reported that in practice, the specifics of the Western principle of snipers’ operation do not stand out any particularly and do not make this category of fighters any special

Romanian military claims Russian drone fragments found on their territory

According to the military, the area where the fragments were found is unpopulated and, therefore, there was no damage

Russian government backing over 500 construction projects in Crimea — Deputy PM

Marat Khusnullin highlighted the construction of four ramps to the sea coast from the Tavrida federal highway, as well as a comprehensive upgrade of treatment facilities

Israeli army calls on one Beirut neighborhood to evacuate as soon as possible

The satellite images released by the IDF highlighted residential blocks allegedly being used by Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement as military facilities

Russia does not exclude Europe from Eurasia’s security dialogue — Lavrov

The top Russian diplomat drew attention to the fact that "the degradation of the military and political situation caused by the course of the collective West towards undermining the sovereign development of the continent's leading powers cannot in itself be acceptable to responsible Eurasian states"

Legislators ask Azerbaijan’s top diplomat to reconsider relations with US — agency

Lawmakers proposed to terminate the 1997 Joint Declaration on Future Military and Defense Cooperation and the Agreement on the Acquisition of Equipment and Mutual Services

Possible permission to strike deep inside Russia paves way to nuclear conflict — diplomat

In Antonov’s opinion, Russia needs to do its best to avert a nuclear war, as there can be no winners in this kind of a standoff

Russian army takes operational control of all roads to DPR's Kurakhovo — official

Denis Pushilin added that Ugledar was the only major town in the South Donetsk direction, as its location on elevated terrain allowed the enemy to observe the surrounding area for dozens of kilometers

Moscow may expand list of countries citizens of which can move to Russia easier — MFA

Russia approved a list of foreign states and territories that promote destructive neoliberal ideologies contradicting traditional Russian spiritual and moral values, Head of the Russian Foreign Ministry's consular department Alexey Klimov noted

Russian heavy strike drone Okhotnik makes first flight

The first flight lasted for over 20 minutes

Israel vows response to Iranian missile attack when, where it thinks fit — army spokesman

Daniel Hagari refused to comment on how "serious" or "significant" Israel’s response might be as he promised to issue a timely warning to civilians if the army moves to prepare to strike back

Iran attacked Mossad headquarters, two Israeli airbases, says chief of General Staff

Iran also attacked radars of anti-missile systems and clusters of Israeli tanks

Russia rolls out first flight prototype of state-of-the art Okhotnik heavy strike drone

The drone’s serial deliveries to the troops are due to begin from 2024

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

US President Joe Biden announced on January 25 that Washington would hand over 31 M1 Abrams tanks to the Kiev regime

Trump says US will go to hell if he loses presidential election

The US will hold a presidential election on November 5

Annual contribution of special economic zones to Russia's GDP to reach around $12.55 bln

Speaking about the effectiveness of this tool, the Russian deputy prime minister noted that the total volume of investments declared by residents is $64.83 bln

US carries out strikes on 15 targets in Yemen — CENTCOM

"These targets included Houthi offensive military capabilities," the US Central Command said

Hezbollah says it won’t let Israel get entrenched in southern Lebanon — report

"Our forces are ready for any ground offensive," Mahmoud Kamati, a member of Hezbollah’s political council, said

Putin open for meeting with Biden, but no talks on this issue as of yet — Kremlin

"There have been no talks on this issue and as of today, at this moment, there are no prerequisites for it," Dmitry Peskov said

Government involvement in Nord Stream blasts undeniable, says Russian envoy

Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya stressed that "it’s the basic desire of the masterminds and perpetrators of the crime to cover up their tracks and mislead investigators"

Europe's military potential inferior to Russia's — Stoltenberg

Jens Stoltenberg complained that the European countries now had too few weapons, equipment and soldiers in a state of high readiness for a potential conflict

In congratulatory letter to Tajik leader, Putin says they will meet in Moscow soon

"In the run-up to our meeting in Moscow in the coming days, I’m sending to you <…> my most sincere wishes of good health, well-being and new successes in your activities as the head of the state," the letter says

Liberation of Ugledar shows that Western arms supplies to Kiev have no effect — diplomat

US administration officials refrain from commenting on the liberation of Ugledar "because it is impossible for them to admit the failure of their plan to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia," Anatoly Antonov said

Russian Defense Ministry announces liberation of Zhelannoye Vtoroye in Donetsk area

Ukraine lost up to 755 troops from operations of the battlegroup South over the past day

Russia’s liberating Ugledar allows for encirclement of Kurakhovo — expert

The Russian forces liberated Ugledar on October 3

NASA astronaut Dyson views her flight with Russian cosmonauts as privilege

"It has been an honor to represent NASA, living and working aboard our magnificent International Space Station for the past six months," Dyson said

Iranian missiles managed to pierce Israel’s air defenses in some areas — WSJ

Tehran's attack failed to deal a more or less serious blow to Israel’s defense capabilities, the newspaper wrote

Baby kangaroo kidnapped from Russia’s Yaroslavl zoo found alive in Moscow Region

Earlier, a suspect in the theft of three kangaroos from zoos in the Yaroslavl and Kaluga regions was detained

If Israel, US go to war with Iran, serious global crisis to follow — Turkish expert

Abdullah Agar said that Israel has received clear reasons for a strike on Iran together with the US, which until now "supported Israel only in the context of the principles and concepts of defense"

More than 200,000 Russians migrated from Gmail to Xmail in September

During the last week, Xmail service users created accounts and transferred data by 25% more than a week earlier, the company noted

Ukrainian General Staff says situation remains tense in two DPR areas

Retired Ukrainian General Sergey Krivonos said earlier that only a miracle can save Ukraine after its recent failures on the frontline

Ukraine admits worsening of situation for its troops near Selidovo in DPR

According to spokesman for Ukraine’s 15th Kara-Dag brigade of operational assignment at the National Guard of Ukraine Vitaly Milovidov, the Russian military has intensified the suppression of Ukrainian firing positions

Biden doesn’t reject potentially meeting Putin at G20 or APEC, but doubts Putin will come

The G20 summit is expected to take place in Brazil from November 18-19, while the official dates of the APEC summit in Peru are November 9-16

Russia demands that Ukraine’s claims in coastal state rights case be dismissed

Ambassador Gennady Kuzmin noted that the hearings on Kiev’s case against Moscow held at the PCA were successful for the Russian side

Israeli warplanes strike southern outskirts of Beirut

At least two strikes targeted the Bourj el-Barajneh refugee camp

Russian troops liberate Nelepovka community in Donbass region over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicted roughly 560 casualties on Ukrainian troops in its area of responsibility over the past day, the Defense Ministry reported

Biden’s administration pushes world towards nuclear catastrophe — Russian ambassador

Anatoly Antonov also said he had tried to explain the essence of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposed amendments to the Russian nuclear doctrine to officials in the White House and the Department of State

EU’s economic course is 'cold war' — Orban

"The economic cold war is very dangerous for Hungary because it hits us in the first instance, our export-oriented economy," the Hungarian prime minister said

BRICS countries may present instruments for mutual settlements at summit in Kazan

The key principles in designing the new financial system are decentralization of international interaction and the use of digital technologies, Andrey Mikhailishin said

Japan set to continue course toward peace agreement with Russia, new PM says

At the same time, Shigeru Ishiba stressed, Japan will continue with its sanctions pressure on Russia and support to Ukraine

Trump thinks Israel should strike Iran’s nuclear facilities

In his opinion, the United States should be prepared for this scenario

US fans flames in Middle East by not condemning Israeli actions — Lavrov

"When Israel launched its ground invasion of Lebanon in the early hours of October 1, the United States administration did not condemn in any way this act of aggression against a sovereign state," the top Russian diplomat noted

China, Brazil to create 'Friends of Peace' platform to resolve Ukrainian crisis — MFA

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pointed out that it will be "an attempt by China, Brazil and countries of the Global South to achieve peace"

Russia's warning has been heard in most Western capitals — intelligence chief

Sergey Naryshkin pointed out that speculations about the possibility of crossing Russia's red lines on the issue of strikes with long-range Western weapons was a great delusion

Press review: Israeli reprisal against Iran looms and Iraq bets on Russia amid US exit

Top stories from the Russian press on Thursday, October 3rd

Iskander crew wipes out up to 80 Ukrainian troops, 12 armored vehicles in Sumy Region

According to the report, "Battlegroup North service members conducting reconnaissance operations discovered the gathering point of a company tactical group from one of the mechanized battalions of the 47th Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces"

Ukraine's losses: situation in Kursk Region

Russian troops started demining the territories of the Kursk Region

Damascus seriously mulls joining BRICS — Syrian envoy to Russia

"The idea to join BRICS+ is on our agenda," Bashar Jaafari added

Crew Dragon to return to Earth on October 8 — Roscosmos

The Crew-8 mission has been working on the ISS since March 2024

Russia's Pantsir to have no problems with shooting down F-16 fighter jet — Rostec

Earlier this year, the manufacturers said that the Pantsir system successfully coped with the destruction of both ATACMS ballistic missiles and Storm Shadow cruise missiles in the special operation

West’s ‘Ukraine project’ deals mortal blow to global security — Russian diplomat

"It is obvious to us that the enemy will be defeated and victory will be Russia's," Anatoly Antonov said

Stoltenberg could face life imprisonment for his crimes — lawyer

"We are talking about very serious charges," Philippe Vanlangendonck pointed out

Israeli forces eliminate Hezbollah communications chief — IDF

According to the IDF, Mohammad Rashid Sakafi "was responsible for the communications unit since 2000"

If Poles 'try to lay hands' on western Ukraine, Minsk will support Ukrainians — Lukashenko

The Belarusian president is certain that Poland pursues its own selfish interests in Ukraine

Press review: Russia urges Israel to see reason and NATO at wits end on how to help Kiev

Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, October 4th

Missile engine blast at testing site in northern Russia kills two

A rise of the radiation level was registered

Kim Jong Un says North Korea to use nuclear weapons if attacked

In DPRK leader’s words, the threatening rhetoric by hostile countries will not stop North Korea’s military buildup

Gazprom to start construction of high pressure gas pipeline in 2025

Deputy CEO Oleg Aksyutin also noted prospects of implementing the technology of pipelines drying with the use of ultra-high frequencies

Uganda gives US ambassador three days to leave country

According to Ugandan Armed Forces Commander Muhoozi Kainerugaba, William Popp engaged in activities that are inconsistent with his diplomatic status

US-led coalition's aircraft violate Syrian airspace 13 times in past day

The Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties in Syria registered violations, committed by aircraft of the US-led international coalition over the Al-Tanf zone

Putin highlights danger emanating from Neo-Nazis in Ukraine in talk with Scholz

As it was pointed out, official Kiev "is not fulfilling its promises to stop this barbarity: the number of such instances has been growing in recent days"

Dutch citizen remanded in custody in Moscow on charges of assaulting police officer

Harry Johannes van Wurden should be taken into custody for two months, until December 3

Syria applied for BRICS membership, country’s ambassador to Russia says

We have sent written requests to join the organization, Bashar Jaafari said

Israeli PM says shame on Macron for urging arms embargo against his country

Israel will defeat all its adversaries even without Western assistance, Benjamin Netanyahu said

If US moves to resume nuclear tests, Moscow will respond in kind — Russian diplomat

Ryabkov said Russia withdrew the ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty in November 2023 because it "ran out of patience"

Ugledar served as Ukraine’s stronghold on Russia’s way to further liberate Kurakhovo

"The capture of the fortified areas would enable to secure further approaches to Mariupol and railroad communications in the south of the DPR," the source reported

Court sentences Kazan school shooter Galyaviyev to life imprisonment

On March 11, 2021, Ilnaz Galyaviev, a graduate of Public School №·175 in Kazan, went on a shooting spree at his former school

Conflict US escalating with Russia may 'destroy the entire world' — Tucker Carlson

"In a year, no one could be alive if we continue sleep-walking into a wider war with Russia," the reporter emphasized

Hezbollah’s Executive Council head Hashem Safieddine killed by Israeli strike — report

The strike, which took place on Friday, also killed several other ranking Hezbollah members and officers of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps