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WSJ speculation about Wagner founder’s death nothing but 'pulp fiction' — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov added that the Kremlin is familiar with the article but would not wish to comment on it

MOSCOW, December 22. /TASS/. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that a Wall Street Journal article promoting a conspiratorial version of the August death of Wagner Private Military Company (PMC) founder Yevgeny Prigozhin should be classified in the sensationalist literary genre of "pulp fiction."

"Lately, unfortunately, the Wall Street Journal has grown fond of dealing in pulp fiction," the Kremlin official told journalists. He added that the Kremlin is familiar with the article but would not wish to comment on it because such pieces of dubious journalism are hardly worthy of official notice or commentary.

An Embraer business jet flying from Moscow to St. Petersburg crashed on August 23 in Russia’s Tver Region. Ten people were onboard, all of whom died. Following the crash, criminal charges were filed stemming from violations of air transport safety rules. On August 27, the Russian Investigative Committee completed post-crash DNA testing. The law enforcement body’s press service told TASS that the identities of all of the crash victims had been established and that they matched the ill-fated flight’s declared passenger list, which included Prigozhin.

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Foreign policy Dmitry Peskov

Putin, Xi firmly said NO to Western diktat — expert

Alexey Maslov described as an important outcome China’s statement that it was meaningless to participate in the peace conference in Switzerland without Russia

Starlink’s failure helps Russian army take Kiev forces by surprise in Kharkov Region — WP

In addition, Ukrainian forces were facing ammunition shortages due to a stalled US aid package

Russian troops leveling out frontline in Kharkov area — local administration

Volchansk is strategically important and that it why the Ukrainian army is bringing in "very serious forces" and "trying to counterattack," Vitaly Ganchev said

Military exercise on preparation, use of tactical nuclear weapons kicks off in Russia

"Under the order of the commander-in-chief, a military exercise involving practice of preparation and use of tactical nuclear weapons started in the Southern military district under the supervision of the General Staff," the ministry said

Lavrov welcomes Xi Jinping's proposal for Ukraine conference

The ministers discussed the results of Russian President Vladimir Putin's state visit to China

Russia ready to help Iran investigate Raisi’s helicopter crash, Shoigu assures

On May 19, a helicopter carrying the Iranian president crashed in Iran's East Azerbaijan Province

Moscow expects implementation of agreements with Tehran — senior Russian diplomat

Sergey Ryabkov emphasized that Russia and Iran would continue to develop their relationship gradually, including in terms of the tasks of "strengthening security"

Zelensky to extend election moratorium, his elimination by West likely — DPR lawmaker

Yelena Shishkina noted that Ukraine had seen usurpation of power - but not by Zelensky, who is not an independent political figure, but by the West

Putin spent 2 hours in meeting to help look for Raisi’s helicopter, Iranian envoy says

The Russian president said Moscow stood "shoulder to shoulder" with Tehran, Kazem Jalali said

Sending NATO instructors to Ukraine without Russia’s consent dangerous — expert

As Mark Episkopos notes, sending NATO instructors to Ukraine "without a larger strategy for ending" the fighting would be "a recipe for disaster" and would "bring NATO and Russia within a hair’s breadth of open conflict"

Szijjarto calls 'crazy' statements by European politicians about sending troops to Ukraine

The Hungarian foreign minister believes that "everything must be done in order to avoid any kind of direct confrontation between NATO and Russia"

China appreciates Putin's position on Taiwan — Foreign Ministry

As Wang Yi clarified, Putin reaffirmed his commitment to the "One China" principle in a speech after his election victory

West to push for Ukraine deal on their terms, Russia won't bend — Medvedev

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that Russia, unlike the Ukrainian side, had never rejected any negotiations

Macron must know that Kiev uses French weapons to commit war crimes — diplomat

According to Miroshnik, the Russian foreign ministry calls for bringing Ukraine’s leadership to responsibility "for violating the norms and principles of humanitarian law"

Over half of Russian companies will use domestic software by year end — Prime Minister

Mikhail Mishustin stressed that over four years, sales of Russian software have more than doubled, and ready-made package solutions have increased fivefold

Russian forces not to let Ukraine hold on to Nikolayev, Odessa, Kharkov — commander

It is stressed that these are "originally Russian territories and it is unlikely that Ukraine manages to retain them"

Ukraine’s Zelensky should be tried for war crimes, DPR head says

Denis Pushilin pointed out that it was Zelensky who gave criminal orders and took a position that seriously endangered both the residents of Donbass and the population of the rest of Ukraine

DPRK forced to take measures to increase nuclear deterrence after US test — statement

The US carried out a subcritical nuclear test at the proving ground in Nevada

Russia to rely not on 'Western guarantees' but on its army — Medvedev

"Any newly-minted Fuhrer' of the Ukrainian Reich is capable of tearing it up at any moment for opportunistic reasons," the politician noted

FACTBOX: Iran confirms death of President Raisi in helicopter crash

All passengers and crew of the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi were killed in the crash, according to Iranian Red Crescent Society head Pir Hossein Kolivand

World misses new opportunity to prevent arms race in space due to US, says diplomat

The United States once again demonstrated "real priorities in space aimed not at keeping it free of any weapons but at placing weapons in outer space and turning it into an arena of a military confrontation," Maria Zakharova stressed

State Duma speaker to represent Russia at farewell ceremony for late Iranian president

Ebrahim Raisi will be buried in his birthplace, Mashhad, northeastern Iran, on May 23

Russia says Pletenevka before liberation was used for shelling Belgorod Region

Ukrainian forces are now trying to destroy the settlement by occasionally shelling houses there with artillery, the Russian Defense Ministry said

Slovak PM conscious, capable of communicating — hospital administration

An armed attack on Robert Fico took place in the western Slovak town of Handlova on May 15

20 Russians killed, 115 injured over week due to Ukrainian shelling of border regions

Rodion Miroshnik said that in total, the Ukrainian armed forces fired at least 2,109 rounds of ammunition at civilian targets in Russia’s frontline areas last week

Ukrainian troops leave positions in eastern Paraskoviyevka near Ugledar, says DPR

According to adviser to the DPR head Igor Kimakovsky, the Ukrainian military abandoned most of the bodies of dead soldiers in the combat area

Russian forces reach Gulyapole’s suburbs in Zaporozhye Region

Russian force have advanced to about 1.5 kilometers and are now in Gulaypole’s suburb

Swiss 'pseudo-conference' on Ukraine peace settlement has no 'added value' — UN envoy

According to Vasily Nebenzya, the conference will be focused on "the [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky peace formula, which was supported by a representative of the Kiev regime during one of the Security Council meetings last week"

Ukrainians have long lived in unlawful state — Medvedev

"They have not lived in a state of law before and now everything will stay as it is," the politician said

Zelensky may be target of assassination a la Hitler in 1944 — Medvedev

"However, it will change nothing either for the Ukrainians or for us," Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council stressed

Putin holds telephone conversation with Iran's First Vice President after Raisi's death

The Russain leader "stressed that he knew Ebrahim Raisi well and thought highly of him as a reliable partner who made an invaluable personal contribution to expansion of friendly relations between Russia and Iran"

Kiev recognizes regular arms supplies won’t tip balance on frontline — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov stressed that the situation the Ukrainian soldiers find themselves in is "rather difficult"

Raisi's helicopter equipped with full navigation, foreign minister boarded last minute

The helicopter was piloted by Army pilots, not the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Russia creates sanitary zone to protect its cities from Ukrainian shelling — Kremlin

On May 17, Putin explained the Russian military's offensive in the direction of Kharkov by the Ukrainian military’s continued shelling of residential areas in the border regions, including Belgorod

Russia’s military superiority over Ukraine to grow, European intelligence thinks

The intelligence sources insist that Russia is purportedly planning to create a 1.5 mln-strong regular army by 2026 because it expects a standoff with NATO

Envoy to Russia preaches patience in Raisi helicopter crash investigation

"Only at the conclusion of the investigation can we determine whether what happened was because of poor weather, whether it was just an accident or something else entirely. Right now we must be patient," Kazem Jalali stressed

Russian troops destroy Ukrainian Baba Yaga drones more effectively with thermal imagers

According to CEO of Laboratory PPSh Denis Oslomenko, the Baba Yaga drone flies through Starlink and cannot be supressed

Kremlin finds US reaction to ICC’s demand for Netanyahu arrest warrant 'curious'

"On the one hand, we [Russia] do not support it, but on the other hand, of course, we are monitoring the situation," Dmitry Peskov highlighted

US Congress considers sanctions against ICC — House Speaker Johnson

"The ICC has no authority over Israel or the United States, and today's baseless and illegitimate decision should face global condemnation," the speaker said

DPR’s head calls for eliminating Western combat vehicles supplied to Ukraine

Denis Pushilin noted that the exhibition presents only a small part of what has been destroyed by Russian troops

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Top stories from the Russian press on Monday, May 20th

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Zelensky usurps power in Ukraine, Medvedev says

The constitutional powers of the current Ukrainian president expire on the night of May 21

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The Ukrainian military is deploying reserves from "all areas it can draw" them, including the Kupyansk direction, Vitaly Ganchev said

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China lodges protests with South Korea, Japan over Taiwan visit

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Netanyahu accuses ICC of anti-Semitism, distorting reality

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"The report of the SCO secretary-general on the work of the secretariat for the period from May 2023 to May this year was approved," Zhang Ming pointed out

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Vasily Nebenzya said that this was not the only example of lies or understatements by Western representatives

End of Zelensky’s term to have no effect on Russia’s operation — Kremlin

The powers of the current Ukrainian president under the current Constitution expire on May 21

End of Zelensky’s presidential term renders him illegitimate — ex-Ukrainian PM

Nikolay Azarov pointed out that the Ukrainian constitution was crystal clear about the five-year presidential term

Any regulatory acts in Ukraine are illegal, as those in Hitler's Germany — Medvedev

"In this case regulatory acts adopted by a criminal state cannot be considered law in its true sense," the Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council explained

Lavrov to attend meeting of SCO foreign ministers

The ministers will also consider candidates for new SCO secretary general and director of the executive committee of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Organization

Int’l presence at funeral ceremony for late Iranian President Raisi not envisioned

It is reported that several thousand people are taking part in the procession

Borrell reacts to call to arrest Israeli PM

"All states that have ratified the ICC statutes are bound to execute the Court’s decisions," the top EU diplomat said

Ukraine’s real losses should be counted in millions — ex-Polish army general staff chief

"The Ukrainians are losing this war," Rajmund Andrzejczak said, describing the situation as "very, very dramatic"

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The association's member states were ready to do this back in December, but the decision was postponed amid Hungary's disagreement and fears that the issue of EU enlargement could muddy the waters in the European Parliament elections to be held on June 6-9

Russia’s UN envoy calls on world community to put pressure on US, Israel

According to Vasily Nebenzya, the chances of moving the conflict into a diplomatic domain "look elusive"

DPR collects evidence of Kiev's war crimes in Donbass — regional head

Denis Pushilin emphasized that the regional authorities have tried to appeal to international human rights organizations, but to no avail

Ukraine peace brokers should take note Zelensky’s legitimacy expired — Russia’s UN envoy

"It runs counter to common sense to discuss any issues, let alone sign any documents with leaders who have lost their legitimacy," Vasily Nebenzya said

UNSC fails to adopt Russia’s draft resolution on preventing arms race in outer space

Seven out of 15 UN Security Council members, including Russia and China, voted in favor of the resolution, while seven voted against and Switzerland abstained

Russia urges US to abandon destructive policy course on CTBT — Zakharova

According to Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, "the experiment does not contradict Russia’s understanding of a ‘subcritical’ test and therefore does not violate the provisions of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty or the US moratorium on nuclear tests"

China ready to closely cooperate with Russia to develop SCO — top Chinese diplomat

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for joint efforts in the interests of "fairer and more reasonable global governance"

Russia says its paratroopers seized Ukrainian strongpoint near Andreyevka

"Having demoralized the enemy with accurate strikes from grenade launchers and, having suppressed its firepower, the paratroopers under the cover of night entered the enemy stronghold," the Russian Defense Ministry said

Kronshtadt submarine joins Russian Navy

The ceremony was also attended by Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Viktor Yevtukhov, Northern fleet Commander Alexander Moiseyev, and representatives of the United Shipbuilding Corporation and the shipyard

US confirms its intention to militarize space — Russian envoy to UN

"The United States and its allies with their typical cynicism were loudly proclaiming their adherence to peaceful space," Vasily Nebenzya said

Netanyahu's threat of ICC warrant points to collapse of world judicial system — president

Isaac Herzog pointed out that he found it unacceptable to compare Israeli political leaders with leaders of the radical Palestinian movement Hamas, whom the ICC prosecutor also wants to arrest

Medvedev warns 'neutral' countries against participating in Swiss summit on Ukraine

"We will remember that," the politician warned

Russian troops destroy Ukrainian combat group in eastern Chasov Yar, says DPR

Despite intensive strikes by the Russian Aerospace Forces and artillery, the Ukrainian military is still attempting to redeploy reserves to the town’s eastern part, according to the report

Putin discusses expansion of cooperation with Tashkent over phone with Mirziyoyev

The Russian leader also discussed his upcoming state visit to Uzbekistan with Mirziyoyev, the press service noted

Kiev insists on unattainable demands for settlement — expert

According to Peter Kuznick, Professor of History and Director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University, Zelensky’s approval rating has dropped to approximately 60%, because "the Ukrainians are tired of war"

Venezuela on its way to joining BRICS — Maduro

The Venezuelan leader added that "BRICS is a new world, without hegemony, a new bloc of power"

Russian troops destroy 9,700 artillery guns in Ukraine operation — top brass

Russian Battlegroup North units kept advancing deep into the Ukrainian army’s defenses in the Kharkov area over the past day

Turkish drone discovers potential fragments of Raisi’s helicopter — Anadolu

The IRGC Commander Lieutenant General Hossein Salami confirmed it

SCO countries see Western attempts to take control of Eurasia — Lavrov

According to the top Russian diplomat, NATO and EU officials are seeking to introduce their institutions in Eurasia and make the countries of the region obey their rules

Iranian President’s funeral will be held in Mashhad on May 23 — Vice President

The Mausoleum of Imam Reza is located in Mashhad, the hometown of Raisi, a center of pilgrimage and one of the main shrines of the Shiites

Anything that comes out of Swiss conference on Ukraine trifling without Russia — Medvedev

"Clearly, the outcome of this get-together will be null and void: peace talks are never held with just one party to the conflict," the politician stressed

Zelensky claims his presidential terms not over yet

Under the Ukrainian Constitution, Zelensky’s five-year term ended on May 21

Helicopter carrying Iranian president crashes due to technical failure — news agency

On May 19, a helicopter carrying the Iranian president crashed in Iran's Eastern Azerbaijan Province

Medvedev sees no chance of Kiev winning even it fights until 'last Ukrainian'

Dmitry Medvedev believes that "the population of a broken Ukraine realizes this only too well," noting that Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky canceled the country’s presidential election knowing that he would likely "lose spectacularly"

Kiev deems dead fighters missing to avoid removing bodies from battlefield — Ukrainian POW

According to Andrey Lazarkevich, in the current situation Ukrainian servicemen prefer to surrender as prisoners of war

Liberation of LPR’s Belogorovka to expand Russian offensive — expert

"This is an important tactical success, which allows us to approach one of the special military operation goals: the complete liberation of Russia’s new regions," Igor Korotchenko underlined

NATO's attempts to create anti-Russian bridgehead in Central Asia worrisome — MFA

According to Sergey Overchenko, the US and NATO are trying to "entice" the Central Asian countries into so-called partnership programs and continuing unflagging attempts to bring their military infrastructure to the region

Polish PM says nine people arrested over alleged sabotage attacks at Russia’s request

"This concerns beatings, arson and attempted arson," Donald Tusk said

Rasisi’s helicopter passenger twice called to say he was feeling bad — senior diplomat

"Shortly after the accident, we managed to speak with Tabriz’s Friday Prayer Imam," Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mahdi Safari said

European, US strategy on Ukraine fails completely — top Hungarian diplomat

Peter Szijjarto added that the sanctions have had a major impact on the European economy, and that Western European countries, which are "super proud that they got rid of Russian energy resources," are actually buying them indirectly

Israeli foreign ministry sets up crisis center over potential ICC warrant for PM

Israel Katz also noted that he plans to get in touch with his counterparts from leading countries to recruit their support against the ICC

ICC prosecutor requests arrest warrants for three Hamas leaders — statement

The prosecutor also requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant

Russian army engineers remotely destroy over 70 Ukrainian boats in Kherson area

It is reported that the Ukrainian military uses the Ptakhi Madyara group of UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) operators who try to remove discovered mines from rivers

US rejects ICC’s legitimacy but uses it against enemies — Russian ambassador

"This is yet another example of double standards and a parade of American hypocrisy," Anatoly Antonov said

No battlefield solution to conflict in Ukraine, says top Hungarian diplomat

Peter Szijjarto highlighted the need to search for a solution through a ceasefire and talks

T-80 tanks help Russian troops advance in Avdeyevka area

"Tanks delivered fire from a distance of 800 meters under constant enemy shelling," Russia’s Defense Ministry reported

Kremlin calls out countries opposing UN space weapon ban

Speaking about the risks of the US program, Dmitry Peskov assured that Russia's special services are "doing their job"

Medvedev says Kissinger ‘completely wrong’ about main threat to humanity

Dmitry Medvedev stressed that "subtle considerations about preventing existential threats do not work during bloody conflicts"

Ukrainian official suggests turning Soviet monument into LGBT symbol

The Peoples' Friendship Arch in Kiev was unveiled in 1982 to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Soviet Union and the reunification of Ukraine with Russia in 1654

Swiss conference on Ukraine aimed at discussing Zelensky’s ultimatum 'formula' — Lavrov

The top Russian diplomat pointed to the fact that Chinese President Xi Jinping "clearly articulated that the Chinese side will support the convention of an international conference, which will reflect the interests of both Russia and Ukraine equally and will be based on a large number of ideas and initiatives"

Two powerful explosions rocks Kharkov

An air raid alert has been in effect in the Kharkov Region for almost eight hours

West alarmed over plummeting support for Zelensky — Russian intelligence

The press bureau drew attention to the fact that history has shown time and again that attempts to retain power using lies and intimidation do not work

Indian Army receives 27,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles — newspaper

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the creation of a joint Indian-Russian venture to produce Kalashnikov assault rifles in the country in March 2019