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Soyuz MS-24 crew arrives at Baikonur for pre-launch preparations — TASS’ ISS correspondent

The main crew of the 70th and 71st expedition to the ISS includes cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolay Chub as well as NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara

ZVEZDNY GORODOK /Moscow Region/, August 29. /TASS/. The main and backup crews of the manned Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft have left State Space Corporation Roscosmos’ Yury Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center for the Baikonur spaceport to undergo pre-launch training, a TASS correspondent reported.

Oleg Kononenko, the Soyuz commander and future TASS special correspondent on the International Space Station (ISS), told reporters that the crew members have developed a strong rapport among themselves. "Of course we are ready [for the flight], we are eager to travel [to the ISS]," Kononenko emphasized.

The main crew of the 70th and 71st expedition to the ISS includes cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolay Chub as well as NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara. Their doubles are cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin and NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson. The crews traveled by bus to the Chkalovsky airfield near Moscow, from where they will be flown to the Baikonur cosmodrome.

The Soyuz MS-24 manned transport spacecraft is scheduled to be launched on September 15. O'Hara will return to Earth on Soyuz MS-24 in the spring of 2024, while Kononenko and Chub's mission will last until September 2024, after which the cosmonauts will return to Earth on Soyuz MS-25. As part of the one-year expedition, Kononenko could become the first person on Earth to spend more than a thousand days in space.

On July 15, 2022, Roscosmos announced the signing of an agreement on joint cross-flights of Russian cosmonauts and American astronauts to the ISS, which includes three flights of Russians on American spacecraft. In March 2023, the state space corporation announced that the cross-flight program had been extended by one more mission.

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Vladimir Putin's visit to China

Russian, Chinese scientists working on carbon footprint reduction — Putin

The Russian president noted that the program for creation of carbon polygons that already exist in Russia, is being implemented together with Chinese partners

Russian troops destroy 600 combat aircraft in Ukraine operation — top brass

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Assassination attempt on Slovak PM Fico was planned in advance — defense minister

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Afghanistan to expand range of goods exported to Russia — deputy PM Overchuk

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Slovakia’s Fico between life and death, it is loss for Slovakia, Hungary — Orban

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Ukraine’s military has about 2,000-strong garrison in Kherson — resistance fighters

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Russia to view seizure of its property as robbery — Russian MFA on Estonia’s move

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Strategic role of North Korean nuclear forces to increase by 2025 — Kim Jong Un

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According to the governor, the two wounded men were taken to hospital

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The Russian president noted that sanctions are elements of economic war and are nothing new

Born out of love: Putin hears heartwarming tale of panda Katyusha’s birth

Svetlana Akulova noted that the mama panda turned out to have very strong maternal instincts

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In this regard, Russian musician and conductor Vladimir Spivakov pointed out that he had been dismissed as artistic director of the International Colmar Music Festival in France, which he had been leading since 1989

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Zelensky admits possibility of Ukraine losing Kharkov

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Russian servicemen seize British FV104 Samaritan armored ambulance — top brass

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The target of the strike was not specified

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'Sanitary zone' near Kharkov and talks on Ukraine: What Putin told the media in Harbin

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Russia to take response measures amid nuclear threats — senior diplomat

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Lavrov pointed out that those issues should be considered in their entirety

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Melkulangara Bhadrakumar added that closer relations with China will "strengthen Russia's position and become a stepping through for major events"

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Kiev asks US to lift restrictions on using weapons against targets in Russia — newspaper

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US sanctions against Russia 'terrible stupidity' — Putin

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"It is fundamentally important to achieve the minimum mass while retaining such properties as strength and resistance to adverse external effects," Yevgeny Alexandrov pointed out

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Fico’s bodyguards saved his life — Slovakia’s Interior Minister

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Finnish president says Helsinki doesn’t ask for hosting NATO nuclear weapons on its soil

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The North-South project is also important for many countries of the region, Ahmed bin Nasser bin Jassim Al-Thani added

Russian diplomat slams EU’s call for ensuring freedom of protest in Georgia

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Putin explains Russian army’s operation near Kharkov by need to create buffer zone

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Over 10,000 Ukrainian fighters surrender since summer using special radio frequency

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Patriot supplies unlikely to impact Russia’s plans to liberate Kharkov, expert says

According to Roman Shkurlatov, two Patriot systems will not make Kharkov safe

Putin’s visit highlights strategic partnership between Moscow, Beijing — Russian senator

Konstantin Kosachev pointed out that it was a mutually beneficial and promising partnership

US directly responsible for emergence, escalation of Ukrainian crisis — Beijing

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In addition, Ukrainian forces were facing ammunition shortages due to a stalled US aid package

Hungary vetoes Council of Europe resolution on Ukraine — top diplomat

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Battlegroup North liberates settlement of Staritsa — Russian Defense Ministry

Russian air defenses down 37 drones, Tochka U missile, 21 HIMARS, Vampire, Olkha rockets in past day, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported

Ukrainian army’s logistics centers hit in Odessa Region

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West should assess risks of Russia's response to asset confiscation — Foreign Ministry

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin noted that retaliatory measures "can be both symmetrical and asymmetrical in a variety of instruments, including legal, financial, and administrative"

Gaza ceasefire talks suspended — radio

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Ukrainian drone attack kills civilian in Russia’s Kursk Region — acting governor

One employee died of injuries, Alexey Smirnov said

Russia to find platforms for speaking out if US refuses to issue visas — senior diplomat

According to Sergey Ryabkov, it is necessary to "treat both the issuance and non-issuance of American visas with coldness and detachment"

Ukrainian shelling leaves 12 injured in Kherson Region

The attack involved HIMARS rockets

Russia, Iran turn US sanctions into new possibilities — senior Iranian diplomat

"It is impossible to build peace in the region without close economic ties," Ali Bagheri Kani said

Russian troops deliver 28 precision strikes on Ukrainian military sites over week

Russian forces advanced to better positions and inflicted casualties on 18 Ukrainian army brigades in the Kupyansk area over the week, the Defense Ministry reported

Legitimate Ukrainian president needed to sign any agreements, says Putin

Ukraine was expected to hold its presidential election in March but the vote was canceled because martial law is in effect in the country

Relations between Gulf countries and Russia reach new level — Omani minister

According to Said bin Mohammed Al Saqri, this happened thanks to Russia’s cooperation with both the Council in general and "bilateral cooperation with each of its member countries"

Press review: Day one of Putin's China visit and US stands by Ukraine

Top stories from the Russian press on Friday, May 17th

Russian air defenses down Ukrainian drone over Crimea

The Kiev regime’s attempt to use a fixed-wing drone to carry out a terrorist attack on targets in Russia was foiled, Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement

New relations, successes of China's automobile industry: what Putin, Xi said in Beijing

According to the Russian leader, the partnership between Moscow and Beijing "will serve as a model of how ties between neighboring states should be built"

Israeli army says radical commander eliminated in airstrike on Jenin

Islam Khamayseh was involved in organizing a number of terror attacks in the area, the army’s press service reported

Russian troops advance towards Borovaya in eastern Kharkov region — official

Vitaly Ganchev added that as of today, more than 200 square kilometers of the region had been liberated from the Ukrainian armed forces

Ukrainian troops leave most positions in Netailovo near Avdeyevka, says DPR

It is reported that the Ukrainian military had been unsuccessfully trying to bring in reserves to hold the defense

US, Iran enage in indirect talks on Middle East security — news outlet

According to Axios, the consultations were devoted to discussing the possible "consequences of Iran and its proxies" in the region, as well as "US concerns about Tehran's nuclear program"

Russia ready for talks with Ukraine, but needs to know who is trustworthy there — Putin

The Russian leader stressed that it was politicians in Kiev who "withdrew from the negotiation process" as soon as troops were pulled back from Kiev

Law on new rules of mobilization comes into force in Ukraine

The new rules caused a storm of indignation among Ukrainian citizens of military age at the stage of the bill's introduction into the Verkhovna Rada at the end of last year

US believes Hamas not ready for hostage deal with Israel now — news outlet

According to Axios, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said at a meeting with ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions of 17 countries that Hamas has withdrawn from negotiations with Israel as it hopes to increase international pressure on the Jewish state by demanding an end to hostilities in the Gaza Strip

European Council suspends broadcasting activity of four Russian media outlets

According to the Council, this ban does not apply to any activities other than broadcasting

Putin apologizes to Harbin residents for tight security measures over his visit

"The greatest impression lies in the power of Harbin," the Russian leader noted, adding that "Harbin has turned into a powerful world-scale megacity in recent years"

Slovakia’s PM Fico still in intensive care — TV

According to the report, Robert Fico is in stable but still serious condition

Russian troops use latest Upyr FPV drones in Kharkov push

Russian troops employed the Upyr FPV drone for the first time in the special military operation in Ukraine in May 2023

Taiwan records approach of 18 Chinese aircraft, four warships

Taiwan's army responded by deploying aircraft, ships and land-based anti-aircraft missile systems to monitor the targets

Russia, China warn US, NATO against setting up military infrastructure in Afghanistan

The leaders of Russia and China also expressed their intention "to boost Afghanistan-related partner interaction both at the bilateral level and on multilateral platforms"

Over 500 military, special vehicles commissioned to Russia’s Central Military District

According to the press office, the commissioned vehicles made it possible to complete equipment of seven motorized infantry and tank units

Orban sees link between attack on pro-peace Fico, war preparations in West

According to the Hungarian prime minister, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is planning to visit Hungary in the run-up to elections to the European Parliament scheduled for June 6-9 to try and persuade Budapest to reconsider its stance

Foreign aid to Ukraine a money laundering scheme, head of Chechnya says

Ramzan Kadyrov noted that there is no need to worry about hostilities currently happening on Russian territory

Russia warns US, EU, Kiev they are playing with fire — MFA about Ukrainian strikes

Maria Zakharova pointed out that behind these barbaric attacks with Western weapons the silhouettes of US and British handlers of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky's were clearly visible

Multipolar world a dominating issue at Kazan Forum — senator

"As long as the world is unipolar, this world will be extremely unstable, this world will continually generate threats," Konstantin Kosachev said

Ukrainian president says Kiev needs over 100 F-16 fighter jets

According to Vladimir Zelensky, Kiev needs this number of F-16s "in order to have parity" with Moscow

French army train unit of ‘super covert’ scouts in Estonia — radio

This "experimental unit of super covert scouts" is designed to identify enemy strongholds, locate entrances to trenches, and coordinate assault teams to capture them, the RTL reported

Russia takes control of more land than Ukraine in 2023 counteroffensive — newspaper

Earlier, President Vladimir Putin said, commenting on Russia’s offensive operations in Ukraine, that the goal was to create "a sanitary zone" to protect border areas from shelling attacks

Energy infrastructure facility suffers damage in Ukraine’s Poltava Region

Ukrainian media outlets reported explosions in the city of Mirgorod

Diplomat warns about response to EU ban on broadcasting of Russian media outlets

According to the Russian diplomat, the EU decision is based "solely on political motives."

Acute foreign policy confrontation between Russia, West ‘in full swing’ — Lavrov

Everyone has heard remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and top EU diplomat Josep Borrell about an inevitable war with Russia, Lavrov noted

Confiscation of Russian assets by Estonia for transfer to Ukraine is theft — MFA

Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin stressed that Russia considers this "a violation of international law"

Russian, Chinese scientists working on carbon footprint reduction — Putin

The Russian president noted that the program for creation of carbon polygons that already exist in Russia, is being implemented together with Chinese partners

Almost 10,000 people evacuated from Ukraine’s Kharkov Region

The total number of evacuees stands at 9,907, Oleg Sinegubov, head of the regional military administration, said

Expert says ‘sanitary zone’ in Ukraine should be 300 kilometers deep

it should be enough to make sure that US, French and British-made long-range weapons don’t reach Russia, including the country’s new regions, Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of Russia’s National Defense magazine told TASS

Russia has no plans today to seize Kharkov, says Putin

The current Kiev regime is to blame for ongoing battles in the Kharkov direction, the Russian leader stressed

Crowd gathered in central Bishkek agrees to disperse after talks with top police officer

The meeting was held in a generally calm atmosphere, the 24.kg news agency reported

North Korea tested tactical ballistic missile with new guidance system on May 17

The test launch confirmed the accuracy and reliability of the system, the Korean Central News Agency reported

Russia, Iran working to create single BRICS currency — Iranian ambassador

Kazem Jalali pointed out that the United States uses the dollar to create restrictions, and therefore the use of national currencies in mutual settlements is on the agenda

Russian Northern Fleet’s naval group embarks on long-distance deployment

"The naval group’s ships have set their course towards the Atlantic Ocean through designated areas of the Barents Sea," the press office said

London blacklists two Russian companies, one firm from North Korea

The restrictions were imposed on Vostochnaya Stevedoring Co LLC and Toplivo Bunkering Company, as well as North Korean Paekyangsan Shipping Company