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Developments in Afghanistan

Russian Supreme Court’s ruling needed to remove Taliban from list of terrorists — lawyer

According to Dmitry Agranovsky, Russian practice does not know any precedents of removing the status of a terrorist organization, and the law does not give direct instructions on the possibility of resolving this conflict

MOSCOW, May 27. /TASS/. The Taliban (banned in Russia) can be removed from the Russian list of terrorist organizations only if the country’s Supreme Court rules so, lawyer Dmitry Agranovsky said.

"Russian practice to my memory does not know any precedents of removing the status of a terrorist organization, and the law does not give direct instructions on the possibility of resolving this conflict, but we can draw upon Federal Law 115 ("On Combating the Legalization (Laundering) of Proceeds of Crime and the Financing of Terrorism"), which says that the Russian Federal Financial Monitoring Service should remove an organization from the list of terrorist organizations in the event of that a court rules to do so. In our case, given that the Taliban was designated as a terrorist organization following a lawsuit filed by the Prosecutor General's Office in the Supreme Court, the cancellation of this decision is possible following a new lawsuit filed by the same agency in the same court on account of newly discovered circumstances," the lawyer told TASS.

The Russian Foreign Ministry and the Justice Ministry earlier advised Russian President Vladimir Putin that the Taliban could be removed from the list of banned organizations, Zamir Kabulov, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Second Asia Department, told TASS. He said that the recommendation had been endorsed by other government agencies.

After the US announced in the spring of 2021 its decision to withdraw its armed forces from Afghanistan, the Taliban started a large-scale operation to take control of the country. On August 15, then-Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country and Taliban forces entered Kabul. All US troops had left Afghanistan by the start of September.

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Andrey Belousov thanked all medical workers who were saving soldiers’ lives on the frontline and in district and central military-medical and civilian hospitals

Germany’s Chancellor Scholz asks President Steinmeier to dissolve Bundestag — DPA

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Loss of Krasnoarmeysk to mark 'largest setback' for Ukraine in months — TV channel

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Top Ukrainian diplomat rejects Christmas Day truce at EU meeting in Brussels

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Paris Olympics, Paralympics lacked sporting spirit, Putin says

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Bundestag votes to express no-confidence to Scholz, paving way for snap election

In the vote, 394 lawmakers chose to deny confidence, while 207 opted to support the chancellor

Rosatom gets Akkuyu project back on track after delivery failures by Siemens — CEO

The turbine that the Siemens company was supposed to deliver, was produced in Europe, Alexey Likhachev said

Israel not interested in confrontation with Syria — Netanyahu

Israel will build its policy toward Damascus based on the situation on the ground, Israeli Prime Minister said

West should not link support for Syria with Russian bases — Turkey's ruling party

Spokesman Omer Celik added that it was the kind of stance that other countries eager to help Syria rebuild itself should demonstrate

Nearly 100% of wounded Russian troops good for service after treatment — defense chief

"This is one of the best indicators in the world," Andrey Belousov stressed

EU launches diplomatic contacts with new Syrian government — foreign policy chief

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Oil products no longer discharged from wrecked tankers in Kerch Strait

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Russian forces repel Ukraine’s attempted counterattacks in Krasnoarmeisk area

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IN BRIEF: Russian defense minister speaks out on confrontation with West, Ukrainian losses

According to the minister, Ukrainian losses exceeded 560,000 servicemen killed and wounded in 2024

Electoral College to hold voting to elect US president

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Ukraine to lose third of territory, get no invitation to NATO — Slovak PM

Robert Fico also emphasized that the conflict's repercussions would significantly impact Ukraine's internal stability

Hungary opposes sending EU military mission to Ukraine — top diplomat

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Syria truce plan crushes Turkish president’s aggressive intentions

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a live broadcast of Turkey’s national television on Wednesday that the Syria truce deal was a "dishonest" step as it ignored Ankara’s position

Russia’s upgraded T-80BV tank to feature capability of firing depleted uranium shells

The use of depleted uranium ammunition does not violate any international treaties, expert says

At least 7 people injured in Israeli shelling of Syria’s Tartus province — report

One residential building burned down and some infrastructure was crippled

Trump says Zelensky should be ready to agree to end Ukraine conflict

Trump said Moscow should be the other side of the deal

Foreign organizations conclude 27 agreements with Russian firms at Eastern Economic Forum

According to the Roscongress Foundation, "the sheer scale of the agreements concluded at EEF 2024 - over 5.5 trillion rubles"

Serial production of Oreshnik missiles to begin shortly — Putin

The head of state recalled that Russia’s newest powerful weapon "was successfully used in November in response to the strikes on our country’s territory"

AfG leader says supplying Kiev with Taurus to turn FRG into target in case of nuclear war

"The historical experience of the 20th century should be a warning that Germany and Europe should never again get involved in a war," Alice Weidel said

Next year unlikely to be easy, Russia hopes for victory — Medvedev

Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said it at the 22nd United Russia party congress.

BRICS to review Syria’s membership application if new authorities confirm it — diplomat

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov noted that the association does not "pressure anyone towards anything," treating any choice with respect

Too soon to discuss deployment of peacekeepers to Ukraine — Kremlin spokesman

According to Dmitry Peskov, talks on Ukraine could resume based on the Istanbul accords

UNSC meeting on Western weapons supplies to Ukraine to be held on December 20

It is requested by the West

Dozens of Ukrainian soldiers encircled in Kurakhovo, the Russian military says

According to them, the Ukrainian battlegroup is being "ground down" gradually so that it cannot flee the town

Normalization in Syria can be achieved via inclusive intra-Syrian dialogue — ministry

Russian foreign ministry said in a statement that that Muslims and Christians have been living side by side in Syria for centuries

Vega missions to Venus mark triumph of space science — Roscosmos

Vega 1 spacecraft and its twin Vega 2 were launched on December 15 and 21, 1984, respectively

US plans for medium-range high accuracy weapons cause concern — Putin

The Russian leader noted that "the relocation and deployment of these missile systems in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region is already being practiced"

Russia-China relations unaffected by external forces — Chinese MFA

Wang Yi stated that relations are grounded in the principles of non-affiliation to blocs

Investigators open criminal case into Moscow blast that kills two

Investigators and criminalists are currently working at the scene

Ukrainian troops often get surrounded in Kurakhovo area — report

On December 15, the Ukrainian General Staff described the Kurakhovo area as one of the hottest spots in the entire battlefield