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Military operation in Ukraine

Liberation of Kalinovo in DPR to accelerate Russian army’s advance to Konstantinovka

The Russian Defense Ministry reported about the liberation of the settlement of Kalinovo in the Donetsk People’s Republic on April 16

DONETSK, April 18. /TASS/. The liberation of the settlement of Kalinovo in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) will accelerate the Russian army’s advance to Konstantinovka, a source in Russia’s defense circles told TASS on Friday.

"The liberation of Kalinovo will speed up the advance of Russian forces towards Konstantinovka," the defense source said.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported about the liberation of the settlement of Kalinovo in the Donetsk People’s Republic on April 16.

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Military operation in Ukraine

Lavrov, Rubio discuss results of Istanbul talks in phone conversation — Foreign Ministry

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Rubio "welcomed agreements to swap the prisoners of war and to prepare each side’s concept of conditions leading to a ceasefire and emphasized Washington’s readiness to continue assistance in seeking ways to settle the situation"

Good results of Russia-Ukraine talks would not be possible without Trump — Dmitriev

Direct talks between Russia and Ukraine, their first since 2022, were held in Istanbul on May 16, lasting nearly two hours

IN BRIEF: Lavrov calls Istanbul talks 'intriguing,' urges pan-Eurasian unity

"Everyone, of course, is talking about Ukraine right now due to the intrigue that is unfolding in Istanbul," the Russian foreign minister said

Ukraine fails to turn Istanbul talks into show — Russian diplomat

The Russian delegation, led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, was ready for dialogue as early as Thursday morning

Ukrainian delegation to Istanbul geared toward war, not peace — Russian envoy

"The makeup of the delegation itself is showing that Ukraine is most likely getting ready to discuss the issues related to a ceasefire regime and will in every way try to ignore the issues related to the broader political settlement," Rodion Miroshnik said

One killed, nine wounded in Israel’s strikes on Yemen — Houthi health ministry

Israel delivered airstrikes on the Red Sea Yemeni ports of Hodeida and al-Salif earlier on Friday

Top US diplomat says Ukrainian conflict cannot be solved militarily

Marco Rubio noted that the situation around the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict remained complicated

Germany currently has no plans to deliver Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine — chancellor

In his words, the delivery may take a lot of time and preparations, because special training is required for operating these missiles

Ukrainian troops practically dislodged from Bogatyr in south Donetsk region — expert

The Ukrainian army lost a large number of personnel dead and wounded in that frontline area

Analyst sees loss of Ukraine’s another F-16 as blow to reputation of its Air Force

According to the Mikhail Khodaryonok, Kiev deliberately confined the announcement to general phrases, as it didn’t want to suggest the possibility that the jet could have been shot down by a Russian anti-aircraft missile or a long-range air-to-air missile

Trump's Russia slant on display during Istanbul talks — expert

Arnaud Dubien noted that the US President did not allow Zelensky to "slam the door" on talks, defending the composition of the Russian delegation that arrived in Istanbul, despite Ukrainian criticism of Moscow

Kiev recognizes Russia's swap proposal makes sense — MFA

The diplomat pointed to remarks by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga, who said the talks "made sense" "only for the sake" of the exchange under which both countries would hand over 1,000 prisoners to each other

Russian, Ukrainian delegations interacted in Russian in Istanbul — source

As reported earlier on Friday, the first direct talks between Russia and Ukraine since the spring of 2022 had kicked off in Istanbul

French, European threats not to alter Russia’s stance on Istanbul talks — ambassador

"European nations won’t change anything," Alexey Meshkov said

Next round of Russia-Ukraine talks to focus on ceasefire framework, Russian MP predicts

Direct talks between Russia and Ukraine, their first since 2022, were held in Istanbul on May 16, lasting nearly two hours

Russia-Ukraine talks in Turkey represent ‘tactical win’ for Moscow — report

The NYT said the Trump administration is feeling disillusioned due to a lack of progress in the efforts to achieve peace

Trump says India ready to cut tariffs on US by 100%

Bloomberg said earlier that the US and India had finalized the conditions for trade in goods

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Matthew Whitaker said that the final decision has not yet been made, while the United States is not going to withdraw from the alliance and will remain a "great ally" for other NATO members

Kiev terminates customs cooperation agreement with Moscow

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According to Djuro Macut, the sides expressed mutual readiness to intensify contacts between officials

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"We can’t allow the situation that happened after the "orange revolution" on the Maidan to repeat itself," Wladysіaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said

Russian embassy points to London’s wish to disrupt Ukraine talks

The embassy further emphasized that these ultimatums, issued amidst ongoing negotiations, appear to be aimed at complicating or torpedoing the peaceful settlement process

Agenda of Russia-Afghanistan dialogue included rare earth metals discussion — Deputy PM

Alexey Overchuk drew attention to the fact that "Russia has all the necessary competencies to conduct geological exploration"

First batch of 2,000 Gepard kamikaze drones arrives for Russian troops

The Gepard features a ‘blind’ takeoff capability to counter enemy electronic reconnaissance and make the crew safe at the launch site

South Korea's ex-president quits ruling party amid upcoming election

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The Russia-Ukraine talks opened with words of greeting from Turkey’s top diplomat Hakan Fidan

Lawmaker slams Kiev's massive attack on Crimea before talks as ‘sabotage attempt’

Late on May 15 and in the early morning hours of May 16, air defenses intercepted and destroyed 65 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions

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According to the concern’s press service, the Belarusian capital will host models of the state-of-the-art S-350E Vityaz medium-range anti-aircraft missile system

Negotiations between Putin and Trump, not with Zelensky, needed for peace in Ukraine — MP

Viktor Vodolatsky explained that Zelensky’s demands for direct negotiations are driven by instructions from advisers in France, Britain, and Germany, who continuously oversee and direct the Kiev delegation’s actions

Kremlin refuses to comment on alleged Istanbul negotiation terms

"Negotiations are taking place behind closed doors, just as they should - to ensure they are productive," Dmitry Peskov noted

Moscow says Ukraine needs to step away from microphone, come to negotiating table

"No matter how loud these NATO benchwarmers shout from the sidelines, in order to take a shot on goal, the Ukrainian national team needs to take the field," Maria Zakharova said

Ukraine conflict cannot be ended militarily, talks needed — Erdogan

"We are determined to continue our mediation role to end this war," Turkish president said

Share of settlements in national currencies between Russia, EAEU reaches 93% — ministry

Dmitry Volvach noted that the share of settlements in national currencies between Russia and Belarus is more than 95% and in settlements with the CIS countries it is 91%

Plane presumably carrying Russian delegation takes off from Istanbul — service

The flight took off at 7:57 p.m. Moscow time

Russia’s stance at Ukraine negotiations shifted due to changes on ground — Zakharova

The diplomat noted that the Ukrainian territory diminishes every time the Kiev regime disrupts the negotiating process

China’s army ready to bolster strategic ties with Russia for sake of stability — top brass

Chinese Defense Ministry Spokesperson Jiang Bin added that Chinese-Russian cooperation was becoming more substantive

Istanbul meeting draws noose around Zelensky's neck even tighter — politician

Zelensky hoped the Western media would amplify his outcry, declare him a hero, and allow him to return to Kiev in triumph. However, this scenario was doomed from the outset," Viktor Medvedchuk said

West uses Ukrainians as cannon fodder in pursuing geopolitical goals — foreign intel chief

According to Sergey Naryshkin, the crisis of the Western-centered world has primarily affected the system of values

Trump says he could use sanctions against Russia if necessary but would rather not do it

Earlier, US President threatened to impose new tariffs and sanctions on Russian exports if the conflict in Ukraine was not resolved in the near future

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"The Iranian authorities have to move quickly, or something bad's going to happen," Donald Trump said

West frightened by arrival of Russian delegation in Istanbul — Russian Foreign Ministry

"It’s high time for the West to cease this hysteria, regain composure, and bring their puppets in Kiev to the negotiating table," Maria Zakharova concluded

Six Russian tech companies present their developments at KazanForum — ASI

ASI organized the session "Tech-connect: technological projects of the future," at which the companies were able to discuss the prospects for the development of their production

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The governor Vyacheslav Gladkov expressed his condolences to the family and friends of the deceased

Russia’s delegation in Istanbul in constant contact with president — Kremlin

According to Dmitry Peskov, the president receives all information online

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Turkey believes Russia-Ukraine talks were better than expected — CNN

When the discussion seemed to reach a stalemate a prisoner exchange was offered

Turkish foreign minister describes current stage of settlement in Ukraine as critical

Hakan Fidan highlighted the steadfast commitment of the parties to peace

History shows wars are fought as peace talks continue — chief Russian negotiator

Vladimir Medinsky cited several historical examples of when negotiations took place while the war was not over

Kiev must release pro-Russian civilians alongside POWs — Kherson governor

"It is important that the initiative to exchange prisoners was voiced," Vladimir Saldo said

Russia, Ukraine agree to 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange — Ukrainian defense minister

Rustem Umerov did not specify the date of the swap

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"We are working to try to fix many years of [Washington’s] failed and bad diplomacy," Morgan Ortagus said

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Russian MP lauds POW swap agreement with Ukraine

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Vitaly Kiselyov said only the Russian delegation was constructive at the talks

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Vladimir Putin and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov warmly congratulated each other on the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War

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Culture Minister Lyubimova to attend Leo XIV's inaugural mass on Russia's behalf

More than 150 delegations are expected to attend

Ukraine loses another F-16 fighter jet — Air Force

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Israeli defense minister threatens to eliminate Houthi leader

Abdul-Malik al-Houthi recalled that the Israeli military has already eliminated head of Hamas’ armed wing Mohammed Deif, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and Hamas political bureau head Ismail Haniyeh

Russian combat helicopter wipes out Bradley IFV, Ukrainian army’s ferry with one missile

As its specific feature, the Izdeliye-305 missile developed by the High-Precision Systems Holding Company is maximally protected against enemy jamming

One airline company interested in operating direct flights between Russia, Malaysia

Aeroflot - Russia's major airline - has no plans to resume flights to Malaysia, Russian Deputy Transport Minister Vladimir Poteshkin noted

Russia’s agricultural exports to Qatar increase fourfold over last five years — ministry

According to the Economic Development Ministry, in 2024, Russian exports to Qatar grew by 75%, largely owing to increases in shipments of wheat and barley

Russian prisoners need medical care after torture in Ukraine — lawmaker

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Orban believes Ukraine agreement to follow Putin-Trump meeting

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Battlegroup West destroys 40 UAV control points, eight Starlink stations of Ukraine

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Orban urges EU to follow US resuming negotiations with Russian president

According to Hungarian Prime Minister, European leaders will have to conduct talks with Vladimir Putin sooner or later

Ukrainian POWs may not want to leave good treatment in Russia to come back home — lawmaker

During the first talks between the delegations of Russia and Ukraine in three years in Istanbul, the sides reached an agreement on exchanging 1,000 prisoners of war from each side

Ukrainian army demoralized by Russia’s successes on battlefields near Donetsk — expert

Yan Gagin added that Russian servicemen continue to fulfill their combat missions to liberate communities in the DPR

Important to reiterate Gomel agreements to Kiev — head of Russian delegation to Istanbul

Vladimir Medinsky noted that the Istanbul process was already tougher with regard to realities on the ground than what was proposed in Gomel

Israeli army announces extensive strikes, planned expansion of operations in Gaza Strip

The IDF has begun conducting extensive strikes and mobilizing troops to achieve operational control in areas of the Gaza Strip

Russia opens first warehouse distribution hub ‘Made in Russia’ in China

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Russian envoy questions point of Putin-Zelensky summit without framework agreement

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Russia to prepare list of ceasefire terms, hand it over to Ukraine — Kremlin

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Belarus, Russia ready for joint exercises, these are defensive in nature — Lukashenko

The Belarusian president said that the countries were not going to attack anyone, contrary to what some people think

Expert says full trade embargo against Russia would cause serious problems for EU

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Israeli Air Force announces UAV interception

Sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol, the IDF press service added

Moscow expects OHCHR to wake up to persecution of Russian media in West

According to the diplomat Gennady Gatilov, on May 14, a new note was sent to OHCHR with "concrete examples of systematic suppression of freedom of speech, harassment of Russian journalists and media outlets in more than 15 Western countries"

Kiev government lost hundreds of millions purchasing weapons — FT investigation

It is based on leaked governmental documents and dozens of interviews with officials responsible for arms procurement, as well as arms traders and detectives

Press review: Russia, Ukraine prepared for negotiations as US aims to deepen OPEC+ ties

Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, May 16th

Foreign mercenaries fight on Ukrainian side in Volnoye Pole

The uniforms of the dead enemy soldiers had foreign stripes and chevrons

US to reduce its military contingent in Syria to 900 — TV

According to the Al Jazeera source, US President Donald Trump has not yet made a final decision on the US future military presence in Syria

Major prisoner swap meaningful step in talks between Moscow, Kiev — Vucic

The Serbian leader added that he did not expect combat operations to end shortly, noting that he voiced his opinion "more as an analyst than as the president of the republic"

Umerov says work on Istanbul negotiations continues

"We have discussed a cease-fire, we are working further," the Ukrainian newspaper Strana quoted head of the Ukrainian delegation

Kiev can run out of munitions in four months if Washington cuts off supplies — Bloomberg

"The European Union is incapable of filling the gap," Bloomberg opinion columnist Max Hastings said

Ukrainian chief negotiator confirms plans to exchange ceasefire documents with Russia

"All the modalities were discussed," he said when asked whether the issue of when a potential ceasefire could be announced and how long it would last

PREVIEW: Over 100 Russian producers participating in ‘Made in Russia’ festival in China

The festival continues developing the ‘Season of Russian gifts’ concept chosen for REC events this year

Russia ready to consider applications from UAE airlines to operate flights — ministry

The talks were conducted by Deputy Transport Minister Vladimir Poteshkin, who "noted the stable growth in air traffic between our countries, as well as the readiness of the Russian side to consider applications from UAE airlines to operate flights"

Annual inflation in Russia in April recorded at 10.23% — Economic Development Ministry

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Russia, Ukraine held talks, agreeing to swap captives and meet again. Here’s what we know

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US pragmatically moves away from 'democratization agenda' — Russian intelligence chief

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US legislators renew calls to pass anti-Russia sanctions after talks — Reuters

It has not been indicated when corresponding bills might be brought up for a vote

Robinson helicopter makes hard landing in Moscow Region, pilot unhurt

According to the Investigative Committee, the helicopter made a hard landing near the village of Islavskoye in the Odintsovo District of the Moscow Region

Ministers of Libya’s Government of National Unity seeking resignation amid protests

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One protester killed, several injured in central Tripoli

According to Libya Press, seven ministers and four deputies in Dbeibeh’s cabinet has already resigned amid growing protests