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Coronavirus pandemic

Updated at:

Russia’s COVID-19 situation remains tense, health minister says

More than 300,000 patients remain under supervision, Murashko said

Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko Vitaly Nevar/TASS

Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko

© Vitaly Nevar/TASS

MOSCOW, May 2. /TASS/. The situation with COVID-19 in Russia remains tense, with more than 300,000 infected people under supervision, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko told Vesti program on Rossiya-1 TV channel on Sunday.

"The situation with coronavirus still remains tense. More than 300,000 patients remain under supervision," Murashko said.

The minister also noted that the May holidays were extended in the country to stop the infection spread.

To date, 4,823,255 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 4,443,922 patients having recovered from the disease. Russia’s latest data indicates 110,862 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.

Georgian foreign ministry condemns pressure on its diplomats abroad

According to earlier reports, Georgia’s ambassadors to Bulgaria, Italy, the Netherlands, the United States tendered their resignation amid protests in Tbilisi

Medvedev takes The Times to task over story saying Kirillov murder 'legitimate act'

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

According to the Turkish newspaper, the former Syrian president did it to ensure his own safety

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

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

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

Russian Minister of Digital Development Maksut Shadayev noted that this year alone, the industry has increased the number of employees by 100,000

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

Former Ukrainian president says frontline situation more difficult than ever

Pyotr Poroshenko specified that Ukrainian troops stationed in the Krasnoarmeisk and Kupyansk areas "are desperately calling out" about the lack of drones

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

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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

Massacre staged by retreating Ukrainian troops in Selidovo — report

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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

MOEX, RTS indices rise by 1.35-1.57% on Wednesday

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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"

Ukrainian army’s losses exceed 41,660 troops: Situation in Russia’s Kursk Region

Russian tactical and army aircraft and artillery forces struck enemy troops and equipment in the Kursk and Sumy regions

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

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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

Many countries mull response to US’ withdrawal from arms control agreements — Gerasimov

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

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

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

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Zelensky admits the impossibility of reclaiming Donbass, Crimea

Vladimir Zelensky responded negatively when asked whether Kiev could temporarily abandon its claims to Crimea or Donbass

Russian commandos redeploy to Uzbekistan for drills on Afghan border

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Russian aircraft destroy Ukraine’s Buk missile system - Defense Ministry

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EC not interested in continuation of Russian gas transit via Ukraine

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Gazprom shares reach bottom first since 2009

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EU Court rejects Oleg Deripaska's sanctions appeal

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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"

Senior Russian general, his aide killed in Moscow blast — investigators

According to Svetlana Petrenko, the Committee’s Moscow department has launched a criminal probe into the attack

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

The statement highlighted that advanced FPV drones, equipped with munitions and operated via fiber optics, take off for daily missions

Two Russian Tu-22M3 long-range bombers perform flight over Baltic Sea

At some stages of the flight, the Russian Su-22M3 bombers were escorted by fighter jets of foreign states, Russia’s Defense Ministry 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

What is known about apprehension of perpetrator of terror attack on Russian general

The suspect admitted to being recruited by Ukrainian intelligence services

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

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

The sources also point out that "the debate so far revealed confusion over whether a future European mission would undertake a traditional peacekeeping role, such as monitoring a ceasefire line, or provide a robust deterrent against" Russia

US may deploy tactical nuclear weapons in UK in coming years — newspaper

According to the newspaper’s sources, the United States has been creating a storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons at Lakenheath

Berezovsky abandons claim to heirs of Patarkatsishvili - FT

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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

Kalashnikov displays Kub drone at Vietnam show

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

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

Press review: Medvedev talks Ukraine with Xi and Houthis intensify attacks on Israel

Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, December 13th

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

Russia’s Medvedev threatens punishment over attack on senior general Kirillov

The politician condemned the attack by what he called the collapsing Kiev regime

EU studies potential confiscation of frozen Russian assets for Ukraine — report

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

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

Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stressed that "general Igor Kirillov and his aide were killed in a planned manner"

Medvedev suggests that Elon Musk launch campaign to amend US Constitution

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Video camera used to surveil Russian general found inside car sharing vehicle — source

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

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

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

According to Maria Zakharova, the State Department "did not hesitate to include blatant falsehoods in its report"

West continues losing influence in Africa — Russian General Staff

Valery Gerasimov reminded that Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger proclaimed the Alliance of Sahel countries to support regional security and strengthen control over the national territory and left the Economic Community of West African States because of its inability to help in fighting terrorism

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

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

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Russian cancer vaccine to be free of charge — top oncologist

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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

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

Matthew Miller said that he don’t have any assessment

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

Russian forces setting up fire pocket for Ukrainian troops in Kharkov area — expert

Andrey Marochko noted that if the Ukrainian command "does not react to these risks in time," up to a battalion of Ukrainian soldiers will be pushed against the Lozovaya River, cut off from any routes of retreat

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

Dmitry Peskov noted that the Kiev regime refused to support Viktor Orban’s efforts, while Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the contrary, did support them

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

According to Sergey Ryabkov, this is an attempt by the world's largest military bloc to make one of the largest nuclear powers suffer a strategic defeat

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

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

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

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

Inflation in Russia slows down to 0.35% on December 10-16

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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

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

Ukrainian forces execute over 100 civilians in Selidovo

According to Maxim Grigoriev, all Ukrainian units participated in the shooting of civilians in Selidovo

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

Two Ukrainian border guards desert their posts, flee country

The incident occurred in September

West picks and chooses which terrorists are okay — senior Russian diplomat

"However, the perpetrators and masterminds must be identified and held accountable," Sergey Ryabkov stated

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"

Bank of Russia sells currency worth $80.2 mln in domestic market

The Bank of Russia started operations on the currency market in connection with the use of resources from the National Wealth Fund

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

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

Putin orders Russian forces pullout from Syria

Russia is ready to deal a new blow to terrorists if they again try to break peace in Syria, the president said

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

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

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

He also stressed that Ukraine’s accession to NATO would require a cessation of hostilities and a show of political will by the bloc’s members

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

According to the macro forecast published by the Ministry in September 2024, the inflation forecast in Russia in 2024 has been adjusted from the previously expected 5.1% to 7.3%

Accident in Russia’s Murmansk Region leaves 1 person dead, 17 injured — official

Ambulance crews continue to be available at the scene

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

CIO head Oh Dong-woon said the day before that the summonses were not accepted intentionally and that the law enforcement agencies would act according to the law

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

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

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

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