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Coronavirus pandemic

27 Russian regions ready to ease coronavirus lockdowns, PM says

To date, a total of 290,678 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia

© Sergei Konkov/TASS

MOSCOW, May 18. /TASS/. Twenty-seven Russian regions are now ready for lifting some of the coronavirus lockdowns, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said on Monday.

"To date, judging by objective indices of day-by-day monitoring, a number of regions are ready to gradually ease the quarantine measures," he said at an online meeting of the presidium of the coronavirus response council. "In all, there are 27 such regions.

"It is becoming possible because the virus community spread indicator is below 1 and more than a half of specialized beds equipped for treatment of serious cases are vacant," he explained. "It is very important that the scope of testing for the coronavirus in these regions is stably wide, which means that the infection is detected swiftly."

Coronavirus testing

Russia is the world’s leader in terms of coronavirus testing and continues to extend the scope of testing, Mishustin said.

Read also

Russia’s coronavirus growth rate hits record low of 3% over past 24 hours

"Russia holds leading positions in terms of tests done. And we continue to extend the scope of such testing across the entire country to spot the infection at its initial stages and prevent serious complications," he said at an online meeting of the presidium of the coronavirus response council.

To date, a total of 290,678 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 70,209 patients having recovered from the virus. Russia’s latest data indicates 2,722 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.

Military operation in Ukraine

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Zelensky will lead Ukraine to civil or nuclear war rather than surrender power, legislator

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Demographic crisis threatens Ukraine’s viability as state — think tank

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Russian diplomat hails Odessa woman as defender of truth after flag protest

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Ukraine and Germany also discussed further defense cooperation

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Trump 'demonstrates affinity' for Russian President Vladimir Putin — newspaper

Former Trump advisers have already backed his idea of cutting aid to Ukraine to force Kiev into talks with Russia, according to The Hill

Trump does not rule out he may run in next US presidential election

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Ukraine aims to call up 1 mln people in eastern areas by end of 2024 — official

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"Israel, by the standards it set itself, has accomplished the goals that it set for itself," the US Secretary of State noted

Russia inks first deals to deliver Su-57 fifth-generation fighter to foreign customers

Alexander Mikheyev also explained the expectations and effect of the demonstration of Russian military hardware at Airshow China in Zhuhai

Tehran to retaliate against anti-Iran resolutions at IAEA — official

Tehran views the approach of the United States and the European troika to the situation surrounding Iran's nuclear program as hostile

US missile defense base in Poland to defend US, Europe alike — Polish foreign minister

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Trump appointed Congressman Michael Waltz (Republican, Florida) as national security adviser

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Steve Bannon noted that Trump’s MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement seeks to completely cut funding to Ukraine. According to Bannon, Europe, including Italy, will follow Trump’s lead, and, if "they [Europe and Italy] truly believe what they have been saying in recent years, they should be ready to pay"

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Mikhail Bogdanov added that it allows using those debts "to implement socio-economic projects directly in the country"

Ukrainian forces ready to withdraw from Kurakhovo, but no order yet — serviceman

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Japan remains ready to sign peace treaty with Russia — top diplomat

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Maria Zakharova emphasized that the Baltic Sea "will always be a common space for all of the region’s countries without exception"

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Grossi oversteps authority by talking about freeze of Ukraine conflict — Russian MFA

The Russian diplomats also said that IAEA experts will stay at the ZNPP as long as Russia deems their presence there necessary

Russian troops liberate Rovnopol community in Donbass region over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup North destroyed an UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) production workshop of the Ukrainian army and inflicted roughly 110 casualties on enemy troops in its area of responsibility in the Kharkov Region over the past day

Countries will line up for Russian gas when US stops exporting LNG — Serbian president

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Russia elected to UN Committee for Program and Coordination

Apart from that, director of the Russian foreign ministry’s personnel department Andrey Ivanov, was approved as a member of the International Civil Service Commission in 2025-2027

Ukrainian losses: situation in Kursk Region

Over the day, the enemy lost more than 430 troops, ten tanks, two infantry fighting vehicles, 19 armored combat vehicles, 33 motor vehicles, one Anklav-N electronic warfare station

Kiev's Western allies begin to acknowledge need for territorial concessions — report

The diplomats see this approach as "land in exchange for Ukraine’s security"

Kiev may offer Trump resources, partial rotation of US troops in Europe — official

Mikhail Podolyak also expressed Kiev's hopes that the newly elected US president would impose stricter economic sanctions on Russia, particularly in the oil industry, if not provide direct military support

Bulgarian president calls for using all diplomatic opportunities to end Ukraine conflict

According to Rumen Radev, Europe wants the conflict in Ukraine "to finish as soon as possible"

Russian researchers discover previously unknown ancient tomb near Great Pyramid in Egypt

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Putin discussed Ukraine with Saudi crown prince — Kremlin

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Erdogan praises Russia, China for backing arms embargo on Israel

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Finnish government requests EU sanctions exemption for Russian owners of sports arena

Finland's Foreign Ministry will need to obtain unanimous approval from EU countries

Russia keeps building defense capacity despite conflict in Ukraine — Polish general

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Su-57 fighter jet shows exceptional performance in Russia’s special op, senior official

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Russian troops secure ground near Novodarovka, Rovnopol in Zaporozhye Region — official

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Russian troops storm into Kupyansk outskirts in Kharkov Region — military expert

Troops from various Russian army units are engaged in battles in the outskirts of Kupyansk, Andrey Marochko said

Russia says its FPV drones disrupted Ukrainian troops rotation in Sumy Region

The ministry provided live-recording footage showing direct hits on Ukrainian military vehicles

Russia, US have many annoyances, it is hard to pick worst one — Kremlin spokesman

Earlier, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Baku

Lavrov likens proposals to freeze Ukraine crisis to worse version of Minsk agreements

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Iraqi Shiites say they attacked ‘vital targets’ in Israel

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Lukashenko tells Putin situation is "starting to get tense with Wagner"

The Belarusian leader noted that they want to go to Warsaw

People evacuated from Brazil’s Supreme Court after blast nearby — agency

According to Reuters, Brasilia’s military police confirmed that a body was found near the court building

Ukrainian losses: situation in Kursk Region

Over the day, the enemy lost more than 450 troops, two tanks, three IFVs, two M113 armored personnel carriers, 33 armored combat vehicles, five artillery pieces, including a Krab self-propelled howitzer, a Crotale multiple rocket launcher, and 49 motor vehicles

US administration always seeks to weaken Russia — Lavrov

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There is chance to stop war in Middle East under Trump — Russian diplomat

"It is too early to talk about this because we should wait at least for the president’s inauguration," Alexander Lavrentyev noted

Trump to push Zelensky to start talks, reject NATO membership — expert

Tetsuo Kotani also argued that, if Moscow and Kiev reach a ceasefire agreement, Washington will push for a negotiated settlement of the conflict

Russian Battlegroup North artillery units hit Ukrainian weapons, manpower in Kursk Region

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Trump to rely on forces that brought him to power — Russian presidential aide

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Man who died in blast in Brasilia tried to carry bomb into court building

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Too early to talk about meeting between Assad, Erdogan — Russian diplomat

"Certain communication is maintained between the defense ministers, in the four-lateral format," Alexander Lavrentyev said

ISS orbit raised by almost 5 km before launch of Progress MS-29 spacecraft — Roscosmos

According to preliminary information, the ISS’s average orbit was increased by 4.9 km to 417.2 km above Earth

US shells for handful of Kiev’s Pion howitzers no game-changer — expert

Ukraine ran out of the Soviet-made ammunition for this type of artillery pieces back in 2022

Next-gen Su-57 shows strength of Russia’s defense sector — diplomat

Maria Zakharova pointed out that military experts had praised the "unmatched capabilities" the plane displayed at the Airshow China in Zhuhai