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Turkey's bid for full BRICS membership to be considered — Kremlin aide

Bloomberg earlier reported, citing sources, that Turkish authorities had applied to join BRICS several months ago

VLADIVOSTOK, September 4. /TASS/. BRICS member states will consider Turkey's application for full membership in the association, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told reporters.

"Turkey has applied for full membership. We'll consider [this bid]," he said.

Bloomberg earlier reported, citing sources, that Turkish authorities had applied to join BRICS several months ago. According to the news agency, the issue of the association's expansion will be considered at the BRICS summit in Kazan on October 22-24, which will be attended by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

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Foreign policy Turkey

Kremlin sees Putin’s end-of-year presser as chance to speak to world

However, it’s Russian journalists that are expected to ask the majority of questions, primarily members of the Kremlin pool, "who have been with the president for the entire year," the Kremlin spokesman pointed out

Oreshnik test launch forces London to take a step back — Russian ambassador

According to Andrey Kelin, the UK’s official reaction to the launch of the Oreshnik missile was rather vague

Israeli tanks open fire on civilians in southern Gaza Strip — TV

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza

Press review: South Korean president impeached as Ukraine turns to foreign mercenaries

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'Sanctions marathon' against Russia caused stagnation in EU economy — Kremlin spokesman

Dmitry Peskov pointed to "stagnation in Europe and a fairly high rate of development in our economy"

Italian couple appeals to Putin for Russian citizenship — TV

Italian war correspondent Andrea Lucidi also said that he had requested a Russian passport from the president

Press review: EU imposes new anti-Russian sanctions and Russia braces for NATO conflict

Top stories from the Russian press on Tuesday, December 17th

Financial watchdog adds Aum Shinrikyo branch to list of terrorist organizations

In 2016, Russia’s Supreme Court recognized Aum Shinrikyo as a terrorist organization and banned its activities in Russia

EU Court rejects Oleg Deripaska's sanctions appeal

The EU blacklisted Oleg Deripaska in April 2022 for connections to Russia's military operation in Ukraine

Beach in Russian Black Sea village cleaned of spilled oil — officials

A total of 2 kilometers of the coastline was cleaned that day in the Krasnodar Region’s Temryuk District, with almost 5 tons of oil-soiled sand removed, according to the statement

Tajik president re-elected as leader of country’s ruling party

Additionally, the congress approved nominations for the party’s new central executive committee, its leadership, and the composition of other party bodies and structures

Trump could try to resolve Ukraine conflict before year ends, envoy says

Trump said on numerous occasions during his election campaign that he would find a diplomatic way out of the Ukraine crisis even before his inauguration

Rutte announces launch of Command on Ukraine, calls to refrain from discussing peace

NATO secretary general claimed that Western states should focus on arms shipments to Ukraine

Russian defense ministry notes slain general’s contribution into Russia’s security

He became a true mentor for many young specialists, inspiring their research, the Russian Defense Ministry said in an obituary

Russia trusts Turkey committed to Syria’s sovereignty — MFA

"We view these remarks as purely hypothetical and trust that the Republic of Turkey is committed to the principles of Syria's sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity, and to the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 2254," Maria Zakharova said

Kremlin spokesman highlights need for Russia to clarify its position globally

"Our country and our president are the focus of increased interest from the global media," Dmitry Peskov pointed out

US actually turned into conflict participant after strikes against Russia

"The Ukrainian Armed Forces are unable to enter space intelligence data on their own and provide for preparation of flight tasks for missiles," Valery Gerasimov said

UN General Assembly adopts resolution against glorification of Nazism

In the document, the General Assembly "urges States to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination by all appropriate means, including legislation as required by circumstances"

Moscow sees no reason to exclude Hungary, Slovakia from list of unfriendly nations

The Russian government approved the list of unfriendly countries in March 2022

NATO takes over coordination of military aid to Ukraine from US — report

The source said the move is an attempt to safeguard the supply of armaments to Ukraine from a potential shift in sentiment in Washington under incoming President Donald Trump

Air defenses shoot down four missiles over Zaporozhye Region, governor says

"The fragments of one of the missiles fell into the Sea of Azov near Berdyansk, while the fragments of others fell in a field west of Tokmak," Yevgeny Balitsky said

Putin orders Russian forces pullout from Syria

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Massacre staged by retreating Ukrainian troops in Selidovo — report

According to Maxim Grigoryev, videos of interviews with witnesses and preliminary forensic examination of the bodies indicate that most of the victims are elderly women

It is necessary to maintain stable operation of power grids in 2025 — PM Mishustin

"The stable dynamics of the Russian economy is largely due to its power grid complex and its stable operation," Mikhail Mishustin said

Bank of Russia to raise key rate to 23% per annum at December 20 meeting — experts

At its previous meeting the regulator raised the key rate to an all-time high of 21% per annum

Gerasimov says international security deteriorates as West wants to keep dominating

It is reported that the Russian forces keep the initiative and advance in the whole front despite colossal aid to Kiev from the West

Lebanese PM says Israel violating ceasefire 'several times a day, every day'

According to Mikati, the Lebanese people "have suffered much and continue to suffer from Israel’s aggression."

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Alrosa plans to produce 33 mln carats of diamonds by 2024 end — CEO

In addition, by the end of the year, Alrosa will perform a record volume of mining, having extracted almost 95 mln cubic meters of rock mass, the report noted

Russia remains among EU’s main liquefied natural gas suppliers in October

LNG imports from Russia in value terms were the highest since November 2023

Russian troops advance deep into northern Chasov Yar neighborhood

It is reported that the neighborhood is mainly composed of private residences, most of which have been burned or destroyed

Russian cancer vaccine to be free of charge — top oncologist

It is planned to launch it in general circulation in early 2025

Russia-Japan trade down by 15.9%, to $650 mln in November — TASS calculations

Russian exports grew by 11.3%, while imports declined by 22.2%

Russia, Brazil need to create direct air service bypassing unfriendly nations – ambassador

He added that the two nations need to "create maritime transport routes

Press review: Who benefits from Russian general's murder as Trump lacks Kremlin strategy

Top stories from the Russian press on Wednesday, December 18th

Gazprom shares reach bottom first since 2009

The decline is possibly due to US sanctions imposed against Gazprom on December 17

Russian nuclear defense chief's aide Ilya Polikarpov killed in Moscow explosion

Ilya Polikarpov had been involved in humanitarian activities with TASS and the Russian Heritage Foundation

US oil reserves fell by 0.9 mln barrels over week — Energy Ministry

The US department noted that the current volume of reserves is 6% lower than the five-year average for this time of year

Russian monastery fire didn’t threaten Andrey Rublev’s Trinity icon, official says

The flames, which are suspected to have been set off by a short circuit, were put out and no casualties were reported

Two Ukrainian border guards desert their posts, flee country

The incident occurred in September

Russia seeks to reduce nuclear risks — deputy foreign minister

Sergey Ryabkov added that at the same time, the United States continues to exert increasing pressure on Russia and on some other nuclear-armed countries

Ukrainian expert doubts existence of ‘laser trident’ in Kiev’s arsenal

Ukrainian expert on defense technologies Sergey Zgurets explained that, according to his information, work in this field in Ukraine has remained at the level of scientific research

Erdogan calls for preventing Syria from turning into hotbed of terrorism

"Turkey is the only country and ally that defeated both of these terrorist organizations," the Turkish leader stressed

Russia condemns US decision to keep Cuba listed as state sponsor of terrorism — MFA

According to Maria Zakharova, this latest hostile move by Washington toward Cuba is nothing but an artificial reason for justifying the illegitimate policy to economically suffocate the independent nation

Half of YouTube traffic moved to Russian video hosting websites — minister

The YouTube started malfunctioning on August 1, which also affected Russian users of the video hosting app on iOS and Android

IN BRIEF: What is known about collision of freight, passenger trains near Murmansk

According to Russian Railways, their passenger train had 326 people on board

EC not interested in continuation of Russian gas transit via Ukraine

"The Commission does not support any discussions on the contract extension nor other solutions to maintain transit flows and has not been involved in any kind of negotiations on this," the statement reads

London’s opposition to Washington aimed at preserving Zelensky, politician says

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First ATM servicing Russia’s Mir cards open in capital of Nicaragua — Ambassador

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Ukrainian forces execute over 100 civilians in Selidovo

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Russian authorities do everything to minimize consequences of sanctions — Kremlin

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Russian MFA sees attack on general as consequence of West’s connivance of Kiev’s crimes

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US keeps silent its money turns Zelensky regime into terrorist cell — Russian MFA

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The suspect admitted to being recruited by Ukrainian intelligence services

FSB detains Uzbek national for carrying out terrorist attack that killed Russian general

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Zelensky’s rudeness towards Orban shows lack of culture in Kiev regime — Kremlin

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Kalashnikov displays Kub drone at Vietnam show

Kub kamikaze drones of Kalashnikov destroy hostile armor and troops and properly perform in Ukraine operation

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Zelensky admits the impossibility of reclaiming Donbass, Crimea

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Department of State denies US had hand in attack on Russian nuclear defense chief

Matthew Miller said that he don’t have any assessment

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UN General Assembly adopts Russian-backed resolution on fight against neo-Nazism

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Use of several Oreshnik missiles comparable to nuclear weapons — Putin

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NATO’s intention to integrate Ukraine prevents long-term settlement — Russian diplomat

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Russia’s IT industry will show an even higher growth rate in 2024 than in previous years

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Russian troops liberate two communities in Donbass region over past day — top brass

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Russia to cut electricity supplies to China by 2 bln kWh to 0.9 bln kWh in 2024

The decrease in supplies to China is due to restrictions in the Far Eastern energy system

Uzbek citizen accused of killing Russian general previously resided in Kazan

Law enforcement officials indicated that additional suspects might surface as efforts continue to track Akhmad Kurbanov’s connections and analyze his mobile devices for evidence of potential accomplices

Assad allegedly hands list of military targets over to Israel before leaving Syria — media

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Moscow identifies masterminds behind terror attack on Russian general — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov refrained from responding to a question regarding potential involvement of third countries in Kirillov’s assassination

Medvedev suggests that Elon Musk launch campaign to amend US Constitution

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European nations discussing deployment of up to 100,000 troops to Ukraine — agency

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Annual inflation in Russia on December 10-16 accelerates to 9.52% — ministry

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Ukraine unlikely to be invited to join NATO under Biden, US security official says

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Hungary's Orban presses Zelensky to take stance on Christmas ceasefire: yes or no

The Hungarian Prime Minister stressed that he would not "succumb to provocations" in regards to Zelensky’s attempts to mock his peacemaking initiative

Russia sees Belarus' role in Ukraine peace talks as essential — diplomat

Maria Zakharova further stressed that "consideration of Belarusian interests, particularly its security concerns, is Russia’s top priority"

US creating NATO bases in Ukraine under guise of training centers — Belarusian president

"Unfortunately, the Ukrainian authorities don't care a bit about their own people and they don't hear our concerns," Alexander Lukashenko noted

West continues losing influence in Africa — Russian General Staff

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Azerbaijani president denies reports about plans to fix Turkish military bases in country

Ilham Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan and Turkey now hold more than ten joint military exercises annually

South Korea's president fails to show up for police questioning in mutiny case

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Crimean air assault regiment destroys Abrams tank in Russia’s Kursk Region

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Results of Russian cancer vaccine’s preclinical studies due in late 2024 — minister

The research "is financed by the state as part of the governmental order," Mikhail Murashko said

Trump’s call to Putin may put an end to Ukrainian conflict – US expert

In his opinion, the core reason behind the conflict needs to be addressed in order to resolve it

Kremlin sees Putin’s end-of-year presser as chance to speak to world

However, it’s Russian journalists that are expected to ask the majority of questions, primarily members of the Kremlin pool, "who have been with the president for the entire year," the Kremlin spokesman pointed out