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State Duma ratifies CIS free services trade agreement

The agreement was signed in Sochi on June 8, 2023 by Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan

MOSCOW, May 28. /TASS/. The State Duma ratified the agreement on free trade in services, establishment, operations, and making investments among CIS countries.

The document was presented to the lower house of the Russian legislative assembly by the federal government.

The agreement was signed in Sochi on June 8, 2023 by Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

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Foreign policy Trade & Cooperation

BRICS partnership format in UNESCO sparks interest of other countries — Russian envoy

Russia’s presidency of the integration will pass to Brazil this year, the diplomat said

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Trump to tap Richard Grenell as US special envoy on Ukraine — agency

Grenell would play a key role in Trump's efforts to halt the conflict if he is ultimately selected for the post

Ukraine was warned about possible missile strike — Pentagon

Department of Defense Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh gave no answer to the question of how could Ukraine prepare for this kind of attack

Zelensky fine with conflict continuing due to Western help — Slovak PM

Robert Fico pointed out that "more and more evidence show that the West seeks to prolong the war in Ukraine for various reasons"

Ex-German chancellor never expected Russia to tolerate Ukraine’s NATO membership — memoir

Angela Merkel added that another fallacy was the belief that the status "would act as a deterrent," and that Moscow "would accept these developments without taking action"

US missile defense base in Poland long among Russian army’s targets — Foreign Ministry

Maria Zakharova stated that the US-NATO construction project, ongoing for nearly a decade with complete disregard to Russian security concerns, has consistently been a focus of Russia's attention

Russia entitled to use weapons against military sites of states attacking it — Duma

"Russia has repeatedly stated that such actions will receive a response – and it will be a stronger one," Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin stressed

WIPO members adopt Riyadh Design Law Treaty

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Zelensky’s actions make Ukraine vulnerable to coup, says politician

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Japanese lawmaker praises Putin's restraint amid decision to strike deep into Russia

Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell confirmed that the US administration had lifted restrictions for US-supplied missiles to be used for strikes up to 300 kilometers inside Russia

Bulgarian politician sees Oreshnik missile strike as wake-up call for peace

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Any escalation scenario possible in Ukraine conflict — Medvedev

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Putin's speech shows West that Russia won’t waver, is ready for any scenario — expert

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US, West have no capabilities to intercept new Russian hypersonic missile — expert

"There is more in the Russian arsenal than many believe," said Karin Kneissl, the former Foreign Minister of Austria

Kremlin confident Putin's statement got through to US administration

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on November 21 that the United States and its NATO allies had earlier announced that they would authorize Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons to hit inside Russia, after which American and British missiles struck Russian military facilities in the Kursk and Bryansk regions

Russia not obliged to notify anyone about launch of intermediate-range missile — Kremlin

"No, there have been no notifications, for Russia has no such obligation with regard to intermediate-range missiles," Dmitry Peskov emphasized

German politician slams Ukraine’s ‘irresponsible’ strike on Russia with UK-made missiles

"A diplomatic search for balance and mutual understanding should be the goal, instead of further escalation," Alice Weidel said

Russian forces gain foothold in Chasov Yar’s industrial zone — expert

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Tehran to launch new centrifuges in response to IAEA anti-Iran resolution — statement

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Decision on strikes inside Russia seals US puppet Zelensky’s fate — commentator

The New York Times reported earlier, citing sources, that US President Joe Biden had authorized the use of US-made ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles for strikes inside Russia

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US admiral says Washington should be ready for talks with Russia, China

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Russia’s reaction to Austrian OMV’s failure to pay for gas justified — MFA

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NATO enters conflict, Russia has every right to attack its targets now — expert

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Russia uses aerial bombs to destroy Ukrainian positions near DPR’s Konstantinovka — source

According to the report, at least 15 Ukrainian servicemen were killed as a result of the attack

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

Nikolay Patrushev agreed that Trump, when he was still a candidate, "made many statements critical of the destructive foreign and domestic policies pursued by the current administration"

Commissioning of Oreshnik and new developments: Putin’s meeting with defense specialists

Here are the key statements, made during the meeting

Russia hammers Ukrainian military-industrial facilities, energy sites over week

Russian forces liberated seven communities in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past week, the Defense Ministry reported

Putin says Oreshnik missile system cutting-edge innovation by Russia, not Soviet byproduct

The Russian Defense Ministry announced earlier in the day that the country’s latest Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile hit all the targets at a major Ukrainian military-industrial enterprise in Dnepr (Dnepropetrovsk) with its MIRVed warheads

Houthis say they attacked Israeli military base with hypersonic missile

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Ukraine should consider territorial concessions to Russia in return for peace — magazine

Foreign Policy pointed out that Western officials should stop insisting in public speeches on the need to achieve a strategic defeat for Russia

Over 1,200 children from Dagestan remain in refugee camps in Middle East

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Lukashenko grants asylum to Schmidt persecuted on political grounds by Poland

The head of state also approved citizenship applications from foreign nationals and stateless persons residing in the country

Trump seeks to restore peace in entire world — transition team on Putin’s address

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Zelensky shook up by Russia’s response to permission to attack it — Lavrov

According to the Russian foreign minister, the West is directly involved in the use of long-range weapons against Russia, as not a single missile could be launched without its involvement

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The important message in Vladimir Putin’s speech was that "Russia does believe that the West has shifted from a proxy-war to direct war" and that the parties find themselves in "a global conflict" now, Dmitry Suslov said

Defense ministers of five European nations to meet in Berlin on November 25

The French interior ministry said earlier that an emergency meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council will be held on November 26 following Russia using its new missile against a Ukrainian defense sector facility

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"Our friends are living in the Arab world," the politician noted

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Russian military to warn Ukrainian civilians of future Oreshnik attacks — Kremlin

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Ukraine conflict entering decisive phase, Polish PM says

According to Donald Tusk, "no one knows how the conflict will end"

West builds up military presence near Russia’s Arctic borders — presidential aide

According to Nikolay Patrushev, the "imposed sanctions restrictions are aimed at thwarting the implementation of Russia’s Arctic projects"

Russia encircles largest Ukrainian fortification in southern DPR — security services

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Units of the Russian battlegroup East continue fulfilling military tasks in the area of the special military operation

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Oreshnik can reach targets across entire Europe — missile troops commander

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The Belarusian leader noted that they want to go to Warsaw

North Korean leader warns of growing risk of nuclear war — KCNA

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Putin’s recent statements reflect long-standing policy, expert says

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US journalist calls US President Joe Biden’s government 'the fascist state'

Earlier, Tucker Carlson said that Joe Biden's approval of long-range missile strikes by the Ukrainian army deep inside Russia could threaten US people

Eliminating best enemy units: Defense Minister visits special op area

Andrey Belousov stressed that Russian troops have accelerated their advance in the special military operation zone and have effectively disrupted Kiev's 2025 military campaign

Russian servicemen control 30% of Chasov Yar in DPR — expert

According to military expert Andrey Marochko, 10% of the territory is the so-called grey zone

West beginning to realize only part of Ukraine will remain — Lavrov

According to the Russian foreign minister, this represents the "confrontational logic" of the West

Russian embassy warns UK about dangers of calling for Moscow’s ‘defeat’

According to th statement, London is promoting new rounds of escalation

Weapons supplied to Ukraine cannot reach Russian territory, Spanish defense minister says

The New York Times reported on November 17 that US President Joe Biden had authorized the use of US-supplied ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles for strikes inside Russia

Oreshnik missile to change course of Ukrainian conflict, Medvedev believes

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said it in an interview

Russia’s Oreshnik has no analogues worldwide — Putin

"We know what kind of developments are being carried out there, but this will happen tomorrow or in a year or two, but we have such a system already today," the president said

Kremlin clarifies notification process for Oreshnik missile launch

"An automated warning was sent 30 minutes before the launch," Dmitry Peskov said

Japanese government refrains from commenting on Russia’s latest hypersonic missile

At the same time, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi once again criticized Russia’s actions in Ukraine

Russia fires ballistic, non-nuclear-tipped missile at Ukrainian aerospace plant — Putin

According to the president, the missile is code-named Oreshnik, which can roughly be translated as hazel bush

Bundeswehr prepares plan for Operation Germany in case of war with Russia — newspaper

According to it, the 1,000-page "Operation Germany" plan lists all infrastructure facilities that deserve special protection, and also contains a procedure for defense or "measures to deter Russia on NATO’s eastern flank"

US not seeking confrontation with Russia, but will continue assistance to Kiev — Pentagon

Department of Defense Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh also claimed that Washington, while helping Ukraine, is not attempting to turn the conflict into a large-scale regional confrontation that spills beyond the country’s borders

Western countries should 'be afraid, tremble' after Putin's statement — lawmaker

Andrey Kartapolov added that the special military operation in Ukraine "will continue its course until all tasks are completed"

US administration chooses to escalate Ukraine conflict — Kremlin

Earlier, Putin stressed that the Ukrainian army is unable to fire the latest Western-made long-range missiles on its own without support from NATO satellite feeds and the involvement of the bloc’s military

Russia forced to roll out new weapons as West fuels conflict, Minsk says

According to Belarusian Security Council State Secretary Alexander Volfovich, "the West does not support peace, it supports war"

State Department says US-India relations hit some headwinds due to Russia, BRICS

Kurt Campbell said that it is important to 'keep attention on the horizon'

Western nations should take Putin's statement seriously, warns Hungarian PM

Viktor Orban recalled that Russia has "one of the most powerful armies in the world, which boasts the most advanced, most powerful weapons"

Illegal decisions on Russian property in Finland will not go unanswered — diplomat

Maria Zakharova noted that the Russian Embassy in Helsinki has sent requests to clarify the situation

Oreshnik missile to go into serial production, Putin says

The president stressed that given the weapon’s special power, it "will be provided precisely to the Strategic Missile Forces"

Press review: Russia fires missile at Ukraine plant and Biden forgives Kiev $4.65 bln debt

Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, November 22nd

Ukrainian frontline may 'collapse' under onslaught of Russian forces — BBC

According to the experts, Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s borderline Kursk Region turned out to be a "strategic catastrophe" amid "manpower shortages"

US to impose export restrictions against up to 200 Chinese firms — agency

According to Reuters, the Commerce Department plans to publish the new regulations "prior to the Thanksgiving break"

US, European officials suggest returning nukes to Ukraine — NYT

US officials believe that ramping up weapons supplies to Ukraine is unlikely to change the situation in the combat zone short term, but it may help Kiev strengthen its stance in case a truce is reached

US decision to allow missile strikes deep into Russia fuels global escalation — Slovak PM

Robert Fico also rejected the belief that this escalation would not impact "those living far away, in Spain, England, or America"

China against double standards in international law — Foreign Ministry

Spokesman Lin Jian highlighted Washington's use of double standards in handling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict within the United Nations

Putin’s remarks on hypersonic missiles send serious warning to West — Turkish politician

According to the Russian president, it can install a nuclear warhead on this missile, if necessary, Deputy Chairman of Turkey’s Patriotic Party Hakan Topkurulu said

Russian forces successfully advancing in all areas in special military op zone — Putin

The Russian president said that "all the goals we set for ourselves are being achieved"

Israel carries out four strikes on building in Beirut

At least four people were killed and 23 suffered injuries in an Israeli airstrike

Belarusian president believes humanity is on the brink of World War III

Alexander Lukashenko also emphasized that a real information war has been underway for a long time

Russian air defense deflects attacks with Western missiles — Putin

"As a result, the goals that the enemy apparently set have not been achieved," the Russian leader said

Internet shutdown possible in Belarus if events of August 2020 recur, Lukashenko says

Belarus faced widespread disruptions to mobile Internet access in 2020 due to the protests that erupted across the country

West irrational, fails to understand it cannot intercept Russia's new missiles — Kneissl

The former Austrian foreign minister stressed that she "counted on rational Western decision-makers, but irrationality is unfortunately on the rise among them"

Ukrainian defense line in Donbass may soon collapse — expert

"Those are very important logistical hubs and defence outposts for the Ukrainian armed forces, and losing them will give Russia the advantage to move forward to cities like Kramatorsk and Slovyansk," Marina Miron emphasized

Russia's Oreshnik missile poses significant threat to West, Turkish expert warns

These missiles pose a threat not only to Ukraine but also to the entire Western world, including continental Europe and Great Britain, Abdullah Agar stressed

US expects Russia-North Korea cooperation to be formidable challenge in coming years

Mira Rapp-Hooper mentioned the US administration’s version, according to which North Korea has allegedly sent troops to engage in active combat in Ukraine

Russian strategic missile forces to be equipped with advanced weapon by 95%

"A large-scale investment program for expanding production capacities at defense sector organizations is being implemented", Vasily Tonkoshkurov said

IN BRIEF: What Putin said about Russia’s new missile, and Moscow’s response to the West

Moscow used its new Oreshnik medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile in response to the West’s decision to authorize strategic-depth strikes on Russia

Western air defense systems unlikely to intercept Russian missiles — France’s Le Monde

According to the French military source, Russia's recent use of the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile should be taken in the context of possible negotiations regarding the ongoing Ukrainian conflict

Russian ambassador says UK prime minister doesn’t understand situation in Ukraine

Turning to the Labour Party’s domestic policies, Andrey Kelin said Starmer’s plans to spur the economy were "not met with applause by the population