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Coronavirus pandemic

Community-acquired pneumonia cases tripled in Russia in 2020, says expert

Alexander Gorelov pointed out that viral pneumonia cases were recorded 100 times more often in comparison with the previous year

MOSCOW, March 7. /TASS/. Incidence of community-acquired pneumonia has surged 3.5 times in Russia in 2020, while viral pneumonia cases by 100 times compared to 2019, Alexander Gorelov, the deputy director for science of the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology at the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing, said on Saturday.

"We are aware that the pandemic has taken some steps of its own, as in 2020 the community-acquired pneumonia cases increased 3.5 times. I give the statistics, which is the ten-year average annual rate had been 543, but in 2020 it totaled 1,856 per 100,000 population," he said,

Gorelov pointed out that viral pneumonia cases were recorded 100 times more often in comparison with the previous year, which is evident, in his opinion.

Russia will not forget Nazi crimes to which Red Army put an end — Putin

The president said that Russia pays tribute to the heroism of Soviet soldiers and commanders

Leonardo system back to normal functioning — Rostec

Several airlines reported a global failure in the system earlier, which entailed temporary constraints of passengers and luggage registration, and issue and reissue of tickets

Kiev ready to sacrifice its people to buy time for Europe to prepare for war with Russia

The Kiev regime acts in the interests of its European sponsors and is ready to take the most severe measures against people living in the territories under its control, Yury Barbashov, a member of the Kherson Region Duma, said

Zelensky says next round of consultations in Abu Dhabi will be held on February 1

Vladimir Zelensky added that he was briefed by the Ukrainian delegation upon its return from Abu Dhabi

Ukrainian units trapped in Russian-liberated Kupyansk-Uzlovoy — analyst

According to Igor Korotchenko, the capture of Kupyansk-Uzlovoy demonstrates the successful operation of Battlegroup West

FACTBOX: What is known about Leonardo booking system failure

As Rostec said, the failure came as a result of the network's infrastructure, from the provider's side, Sirena Travel

US considering possibility of precision strikes against Iran — portal

According to the source, the US could target Iran as early as this week

UN experts call on lifting sanctions on scholars who don’t share Brussels' view on Ukraine

The experts recall that "harassment, intimidation or stigmatization of persons for opinions they may hold constitutes a violation of their right to freedom of expression"

INTERVIEW: Lots of unusual weapons emerge globally, senior Russian diplomat says

New, unusual weapons are being developed instead, he explained

Russia’s military successes real eye-opener to European politicians — legislator

"Currently, there are only a few of them, but their voices are growing louder against the backdrop of the inevitable defeat of the Kiev regime", Leonid Ivlev said

Russia ready to provide peaceful nuclear technologies to Indonesia — envoy

Sergey Tolchenov added that Moscow can provide Indonesia with advanced technologies designed for small modular reactors

Poland, Baltic states mistakenly demonize Russia — Kremlin spokesman

Dmitry Peskov underscored that such an attitude is misguided, suggesting that these nations could benefit from engaging more deeply with Russian culture and fostering better relations

Italian deputy PM sends message to Zelensky, says 'you are losing the war,' sign deal now

Matteo Salvini has long advocated ending arms supplies to Kiev

Ukrainian counter intelligence agent surrenders in Zaporozhye region

Sergey Mykhailov told TASS that he has been a counter intelligence agent since 2014

Ukraine’s strikes leave 1.3 million Russians without electricity — envoy

According to Rodion Miroshnik, the largest power outages last week occurred in the Donetsk People’s Republic, where over 1.2 million people were left without power

Dialogue with Russia to resume after conflict in Ukraine ends — Italian Foreign Minister

Antonio Tajani noted that Europe "is not at war with Russia"

Trump moves to increase some South Korean tariffs to 25%

US president accused South Korea’s National Assembly of "not living up to its deal with the United States"

UK’s Starmer says won’t choose between US, China during visit to Beijing

The upcoming visit could revive a "golden era" in relations between Britain and China amid a turbulent geopolitical situation, Bloomberg wrote

Ukrainian military’s pullout from Donbass to pave way for peace in Ukraine

Kirill Dmitriev commented on a report in the British newspaper Financial Times, citing sources, that the United States is prepared to provide security guarantees for Ukraine if Kiev agrees to a peace agreement that includes a number of territorial concessions

FACTBOX: Chief of Russia’s General Staff announces liberation of Kupyansk-Uzlovoi

Russian troops are destroying encircled Ukrainian armed formations on the eastern bank of the Oskol River

Russian MLRS crews force Ukrainian soldiers to flee in Zaporozhye Region — officer

The MLRS crews’ targets included fortified strong points and command posts, as well as Ukrainian military personnel and equipment

Press review: US risk on Iran remains high and Minneapolis unrest may harm Trump admin

Top stories from the Russian press on Tuesday, January 27th

Russian special presidential envoy says EU representatives basing statements on lies

Kirill Dmitriev noted that "they hate being caught doing it and tend to deny everything"

Russia's icebreaker fleet plays unique role in relations with US — expert

Mikhail Kovalchuk also noted the uniqueness of Russia’s nuclear submarines

Freshwater reserves in Russia growing despite global shortages — envoy

According to Boris Titov, Russia's water resources in 2024 exceeded the long-term average by 5%

Government of Venezuela obeys its people, does not accept external orders — Rodriguez

The acting president of the Bolivarian Republic emphasized that Venezuela "is not afraid of relations of respect with the United States"

French private companies supply Kiev with drones to attack Russian energy sites — expert

France’s EOS Technologie has recently sent several Rodeur 330-class fixed-wing attack drones to Ukraine, Alexander Stepanov noted

Russia enters top three in 2026 Global Firepower ranking

Based on the military power index, which is calculated from more than 60 factors, Russia ranks second among 145 countries

Zelensky rejects territorial concessions again

Vladimir Zelensky added that the US is trying to find a compromise

Durov points to insecurity of WhatsApp

"You'd have to be braindead to believe WhatsApp is secure in 2026", co-founder of the Telegram messenger said

Italy not ready to join Board of Peace — Foreign Minister

According to Antonio Tajani, if the council's charter is changed, Rome will promptly consider its participation in it

German general's war call is sick fantasy — State Duma’s deputy speaker

Irina Yarovaya said that such calls reveal deep criminal wishes

US disregards national sovereignty of Iran, Venezuela — Iranian diplomat

According to Kazem Jalali, the present-day world is faced with a fundamental problem that can be described as a dangerous transition from the rules-based order to a "force paradigm"

Ukrainians should get used to living with generators for next 3-5 years — expert

There are hours-long blackouts every day in all Ukrainian regions

Russian army is wiping out Ukrainian pockets of resistance near Gulyaipole — expert

The Russian troops are conducting meticulous and comprehensive clearing operations around Gulyaipole, leaving no Ukrainian soldiers hidden in trenches or hideouts behind the front

Zelensky agreed to talks in Abu Dhabi so as not to annoy Trump — FT

The consultations were held in Abu Dhabi on January 23-24

Russia’s new Pauk-30B net launcher set for testing in special military op zone

The net gun developer Polet research and production association added that the upgraded net gun has reduced recoil

National currencies account for 96% of Russian-Indian trade — Russian Foreign Ministry

Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said the task of reaching the level of $100 billion by 2030 is confirmed

European armies unfit for war, says former Ukrainian security officer

According to Vasily Prozorov, the level of combat capability in the French, British, and German armed forces is much lower than it used to be

Ukrainian doctors operate on Russian POWs without anesthesia — Investigative Committee

Sergey Mazur added that he had personally seen the bodies of Russian prisoners of war bearing signs of torture

Ukrainian counterintelligence agent gathered data on military facilities in LPR in 2014

According to Sergey Mykhailov, he recorded movements from Lugansk towards the line of contact

Russian troops eliminating Ukrainian equipment at Konstantinovka in DPR — expert

Vitaly Kiselev said that Ukrainian soldiers will now have difficulty transporting personnel and evacuating them

Pentagon consulting with Middle Eastern allies on Iran — New York Times

Long-range bombers based in the United States, capable of striking targets in Iran, have remained on heightened alert for the past two weeks

Kiev continues its military buildup in Krasny Liman, Russian military expert says

According to Andrey Marochko, "the enemy has put up quite serious resistance"

Venezuela’s leadership gave no directive to resist US attack — Russian ambassador

Sergey Melik Bagdasarov said there was tremendous tension in Venezuela throughout October and November

Number of IS supporters in Syria up fivefold in one year, according to Iraqi intelligence

Hamid al-Shatri, head of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service, explained that many of the new IS recruits are individuals previously associated with Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and the al-Qaeda terrorist network

EC approves Poland's plan to use 44 billion euros from SAFE — defense minister

It will be used for further investment in Poland's security, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said

Russian troops liberate two communities in Ukraine operation over past day — top brass

The Ukrainian army lost roughly 1,345 troops in battles with Russian forces in all the frontline areas over the past 24 hours

Contradictions intensifying within EU regarding defense policy — Russian lawmaker

"As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a nuclear power, France consistently strives to achieve Europe’s strategic autonomy and faces active resistance from Germany and many other EU members," Dmitry Belik explained

Israeli bullets found in bodies of children killed in Iran — TASS source

Unrest in Iran began on December 29, 2025, after street protests triggered by a sharp fall in the Iranian rial exchange rate, spreading across most major cities

Kiev experiencing room temperatures of below 13 degrees Celsius, witnesses say

A female resident said it was very cold inside as the weather in Kiev has become colder in the past few days

Iran-Russia alliance counters Western attempts to foment crises in Eurasia — ambassador

Kazem Jalali emphasized that the primary aim of this cooperation is to restore a balanced order

Chinese Foreign Ministry expresses support for Nicolas Maduro, who was captured by US

Guo Jiakun clarified that China "supports Venezuela in defending its sovereignty, dignity, and legitimate rights"

Kiev regime fails to meet any of EU’s accession criteria — ex-Ukrainian PM

Nikolay Azarov stressed that even technical issues prevent Ukraine from becoming an EU member

EU voluntarily chose subordination to US by rejecting Russian gas — Finnish politician

Armando Mema believes that Europe has made a strategic mistake and links the decision to abandon Russian gas supplies to the plan of the administration of American ex-President Joe Biden

Putin points to strikes on Russian infrastructure amid calls to halt ones against Kiev

Leningrad Region Governor Alexander Drozdenko reported to the Russian president about measures taken to protect the region from UAV attacks

Russian units using drones targeting Ukrainian military 50 km from Krasnoarmeysk — expert

The Russian troops are conducting a mop-up operation in areas near Krasnoarmeysk and Dimitrov to clear the area of scattered enemy units and straighten the front line

Kushner, Witkoff briefed Trump on trilateral Ukraine talks — White House

"The president remains deeply involved," White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said

Rada members privately express readiness to compromise on Donbass — periodical

According to the media, these discussions are typically kept confidential due to fears of criminal prosecution

Trump to be presented with new military options against Iran — Axios

Sources told the news website that US president came close to ordering a strike on" targets earlier this month over protests in the country

US ultimately seeks to change Iran’s government, senator says

Lindsay Graham noted that he had come to the conclusion after recent conversations with Donald Trump

EU Council approves full ban on Russian gas supplies starting in 2027

The ban will start to apply six weeks after the regulation enters into force

Ukrainian troops fire 47 artillery shells on Kursk border area in past 24 hours

Alexander Khinshtein reported that there were no fatalities or injuries as a result of the attacks

FACTBOX: What is known about Nipah virus outbreak in India, risks to Russia

No cases of Nipah virus infection have been recorded in Russia, according to the country’s sanitary watchdog

Moscow records coldest temps this winter — meteorologist

Mikhail Leus said it was even colder in Moscow's suburbs where the air temperature dropped to about -17.7°F

Oreshnik strike on Ukraine aircraft plant causes nervous reaction from West — expert

Vasily Prozorov emphasized that this weapon had no analogues in the world

Neither Zelensky nor his European partners have strategy — American expert

According to Jeffrey Sachs, providing Ukraine with $800 billion in aid is "a pure fantasy"

Europe cannot handle a large-scale war with Russia — Duma member

"The goal of the Europeans is to accuse Moscow of 'aggression' and provoke confrontation," Dmitry Belik said

Russian forces consolidating positions near Krasny Liman — expert

"Our servicemen have improved their tactical position inside the city and gained a new foothold there", Andrey Marochko said

France opposes purchase of British Storm Shadow missiles for Ukraine — Daily Telegraph

A diplomat, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, called France an "obvious opponent"

First time in four years DPR without weekly casualties after Ukrainian attacks

Meanwhile, the Russian military continues its advance within the special military operation zone, gradually pushing the frontline away from populated areas

US to provide security guarantees to Ukraine if it makes territorial concessions — FT

Unnamed officials shared that the proposed US commitments likely include a promise that the guarantees could "mirror" NATO Article 5 on collective defense

White House calls trilateral talks on Ukraine in UAE 'historic'

"The president's team has really brought two sides of this war to the table together to move the ball closer to peace," White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said

Power facilities in Ukraine’s Odessa heavily damaged — company

According to DTEK, an emergency situation occurred on the equipment of another energy company in the morning, leaving some consumers in the city and region without electricity

Russia’s Battlegroup West downs 54 Ukrainian quadcopters in past day

Also, 38 drone control centers and four enemy ammo depots were destroyed

IN BRIEF: What is known about projectiles potentially fired by North Korea

According to the Japanese Defense Ministry, this is North Korea’s first missile launch since January 4 and the second one in 2026

Russophobia harms EU itself, making the bloc poorer and more divided — political analyst

According to Joao Pitillo, European countries have "repeatedly handled security issues with double standards," while their own use of force and the formation of alliances were considered normal and legitimate

Ban on Russian gas to cost Europeans their freedom — diplomat

Maria Zakharova said it is difficult to say at this stage whether they are contented vassals or unhappy slaves

US dispatches an 'armada' next to Iran, believes republic ready to talk — Trump

According to the US president, the situation in the Islamic Republic is "in flux"

UAE says not to allow use of its territory for attacks on Iran

The Foreign Ministry said the UAE calls for resolving differences exclusively by peaceful means

Russian ambassador does not rule out that Maduro was betrayed by law enforcement

On January 3, US President Donald Trump announced a military operation in Caracas that resulted in the capture of Maduro and his wife by American forces

Hungarian foreign ministry to summon Ukrainian ambassador over threats to Budapest

Prime Minister Viktor Orban added that he "will not tolerate anyone threatening Hungary’s sovereignty or electoral fairness"

Kupyansk-Uzlovoy was starting point for Ukrainian sabotage operation — security official

Chief of the Russian General Staff Army General Valery Gerasimov announced the liberation of the settlement on Tuesday

Venezuelan defenders used Igla systems on January 3 but lacked training — Russian envoy

There were at least two shots, and both missiles failed to hit their target, Sergey Melik-Bagdasarov said

EU leaders will push all of Europe into debt for the sake of Ukraine — Orban

The Hungarian PM recalled that EU leaders intend to provide multibillion-dollar aid to Kiev through a common loan from EU countries

Criminal case against Timoshenko regarding fakes about Russian armed forces sent to court

The former Ukrainian PM was placed on the international wanted list in July 2024 and remanded in custody in absentia in December 2025

Orban urges EU farmers to speak against grain imports from Ukraine, Mercosur

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that a clandestine war between merchants and producers is being unveiled in Europe

Russian tugboat crew rescues Philippine national in South China Sea

The man was in the water for nearly two days

Hezbollah warns US against attacking Iran

The Hezbollah leader warned that "a war against Iran will spark the flame of conflict throughout the entire region"

Zelensky signs laws extending martial law, mobilization campaign in Ukraine

This will be the 18th extension of martial law and the mobilization campaign

US determined to settle Ukrainian conflict at talks in Abu Dhabi — DPR head

According to Denis Pushilin, the Ukrainian side made contradictory statements revealing that Kiev did not want peace

Ban on importing Russian gas dooms EU to economic decline — Wagenknecht

The EU Council earlier approved a comprehensive ban on Russian gas supplies starting in 2027

Russian troops strike Ukrainian army’s energy infrastructure over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicted roughly 415 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed 12 enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the Defense Ministry reported

Germany cannot supply new Patriot systems to Kiev yet — Pistorius

The defense minister also said that Germany is the only country that supplies Ukraine with Iris-T systems, and noted that there are not enough of them

Putin greets Malaysia's ruler, Sultan Ibrahim, at the Hermitage museum

The two leaders exchanged handshakes in a cordial gesture

Hungary, Slovakia to file two separate lawsuits against ban on Russian gas imports — Fico

The Slovak prime minister also reiterated his belief that the Ukrainian conflict will end by the time the ban on Russian gas imports comes into effect in 2027

Kiev must end conflict as thousands of Ukrainians die each day — security official

Belarusian Security Council State Secretary Alexander Volfovich stressed that the country's leadership is taking steps to prevent the conflict from spreading to the country’s territory

Russia has sufficient evidence for tribunal against EU officials — lawmaker

Vasily Piskaryov recalled that Kallas had previously announced plans to hold a tribunal against Russian leaders

EU diplomacy chief considers von der Leyen dictator — Politico

The newspaper noted that while von der Leyen had had tense relations with former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, they were even worse with Kaja Kallas

Russian troops keep advancing in all frontline areas — chief of General Staff

According to Valery Gerasimov, Russian troops have liberated 17 communities and over 500 sq. km of territory since early January

Tardy recognition of need for peace in Ukraine unlikely to save EU from collapse — expert

According to Claudio Pitillo, European politicians are changing their rhetoric after a long period of confrontation with Russia, which can have the opposite effect