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Russian delegation with Holy Fire arrives in Moscow

It will be delivered to the overnight Easter service at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior as well as to several other churches in Moscow and the Moscow Region

MOSCOW, April 23. /TASS/. A plane with a delegation of the Foundation of St. Andrew the First-Called that left Israel with a part of the Holy Fire from Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre has landed at Vnukovo-3 airport, a TASS correspondent reports.

The Holy Fire appeared on Saturday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The leader of the foundation’s delegation, chairman of its supervisory board Vladimir Yakunin was present at the ceremony to light a lamp with the Holy Fire.

Those greeting the delegation at the airport also lit their lamps with the fire brought from Jerusalem.

Now it will be delivered to the overnight Easter service at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior as well as to several other churches in Moscow and the Moscow Region. Several representatives of various Russian dioceses will take it to various Russian regions.

Military operation in Ukraine

Most Russians say special op doesn't bleed into their daily life

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Russia ready for contacts with Trump administration, ball is in US court — Lavrov

At the same time, he emphasized that Russia has no expectations from the new US administration, but will assess its concrete steps

West to face 'devastating' response if it allows Kiev to strike deep into Russia — MFA

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Iraqi Shiites say they attacked ‘vital targets’ in Israel

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US administration always seeks to weaken Russia — Lavrov

The foreign minister pointed out that the Americans had long declared the idea that "there should be no country in the world more influential than the United States"

Trump’s return to power unlikely to change US approach to Ukraine crisis — Lavrov

Washington will always seek to control everything that is happening within NATO’s orbit, especially on NATO territory, the Russian foreign minister said

Ukrainian intel officers in Syria to be eliminated as terrorists’ accomplices — diplomat

According to Alexander Lavrentyev, there are "in fact Russian troops stationed" in Syria

Finnish government requests EU sanctions exemption for Russian owners of sports arena

Finland's Foreign Ministry will need to obtain unanimous approval from EU countries

Ukraine's Kurakhovo Reservoir dam blast to help, not hurt Russian troops — expert

At least ten Ukrainian troops were killed

Next-gen Su-57 shows strength of Russia’s defense sector — diplomat

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Russian Battlegroup North artillery units hit Ukrainian weapons, manpower in Kursk Region

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Trump to push Zelensky to start talks, reject NATO membership — expert

Tetsuo Kotani also argued that, if Moscow and Kiev reach a ceasefire agreement, Washington will push for a negotiated settlement of the conflict

Borrell proposes freezing EU’s political dialogue with Israel over Gaza concerns — Reuters

Josep Borrell expressed "serious concerns about possible breaches of international humanitarian law in Gaza" and said that, in his opinion, "thus far, these concerns have not been sufficiently addressed by Israel"

FACTBOX: What we know about night-time drone attacks on Russian regions

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Ukrainian forces ready to withdraw from Kurakhovo, but no order yet — serviceman

According to the report, the Russian army is "attacking from three sides"

Israel achieves its goals in conflict with Hamas, time to 'end the war' — Blinken

"Israel, by the standards it set itself, has accomplished the goals that it set for itself," the US Secretary of State noted

Medvedev warns that EU behavior in struggle with Russia fraught with 'bad scenario'

According to the Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman, European leaders are experiencing "autumn blues" after Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election

Japan remains ready to sign peace treaty with Russia — top diplomat

After Tokyo imposed anti-Russian sanctions over the situation in Ukraine, Russia halted consultations with Japan on a peace treaty

Russia keeps building defense capacity despite conflict in Ukraine — Polish general

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Russia open for contacts with Trumps’ team on Syria — Russian diplomat

Alexander Lavrentyev stressed that all parties to the conflict must be involved in talks so that a lasting peace in Syria could be achieved

Su-57 fighter jet shows exceptional performance in Russia’s special op, senior official

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Trump’s victory to make Seoul reconsider shipping arms to Ukraine — news agency

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Russian forces gain foothold near Kupyansk as Kiev begins to retreat

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Kiev's Western allies begin to acknowledge need for territorial concessions — report

The diplomats see this approach as "land in exchange for Ukraine’s security"

Trump to end NATO’s obsession to get on Russian territory — White House ex-strategist

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Press review: US to maintain aid to Israel while Kiev regime faces challenge to retain it

Top stories from the Russian press on Thursday, November 14th

What is known about Sevastopol car blast

Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev did not rule out the possibility that the incident was the result of sabotage

Russia to collaborate with Arab nations for Middle East de-escalation — diplomat

"A call was made to the international community to contribute to the achievement of this goal," Maria Zakharova added

Trump 'demonstrates affinity' for Russian President Vladimir Putin — newspaper

Former Trump advisers have already backed his idea of cutting aid to Ukraine to force Kiev into talks with Russia, according to The Hill

Press review: Trump forms foreign policy team and Europe sets course for militarization

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Russian politician condemns destruction of dam on Kurakhovo reservoir as Kiev’s terror act

Earlier, military sources told TASS that Ukrainian forces sank their own positions in a low-lying area near Kurakhovo as they blew up the dam, killing at least 10 Ukrainian soldiers

Ukraine targets medics and journalists as priorities — military doctor

Santa noted that the medic’s red cross draws the attention of Ukrainian troops, so affiliation patches on uniforms must blend in, and identifying marks are also not applied to evacuation vehicles

Bulgarian president calls for using all diplomatic opportunities to end Ukraine conflict

According to Rumen Radev, Europe wants the conflict in Ukraine "to finish as soon as possible"

South Korea to support Ukraine in response to Russia-North Korea alliance — president

As Yoon Suk Yeol said, the reported dispatch of North Korean servicemen to participate in Russia’s special military operation "poses a serious security threat not only to the Korean Peninsula and Europe but also to the entire world"

Russia to ensure parity in response to US missile defense system in Poland — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov emphasized that by placing the missile defense system in Poland, the United States is bringing its military infrastructure closer to Russia in an attempt to curb its potential

Russia elected to UN Committee for Program and Coordination

Apart from that, director of the Russian foreign ministry’s personnel department Andrey Ivanov, was approved as a member of the International Civil Service Commission in 2025-2027

Russian troops secure ground near Novodarovka, Rovnopol in Zaporozhye Region — official

On November 13, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that the Russian Armed Forces had liberated the settlement of Rovnopol in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), located near the administrative border with the Zaporozhye Region

Russian forces liberate Voznesenka community in Donbass region over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicted roughly 655 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed three enemy tanks in its area of responsibility over the past day, the Defense Ministry reported

Medvedev characterizes Great Britain as eternal adversary of Russia

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Baltic Sea will never turn into 'NATO lake' — Russian MFA

Maria Zakharova emphasized that the Baltic Sea "will always be a common space for all of the region’s countries without exception"

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Russia’s Vityaz, Viking air defense systems attract major attention at Airshow China

Russian surface-to-air missile systems have demonstrated their value in the special military operation in Ukraine, Vyacheslav Dzirkaln noted

Elections can be held in various ways, Lavrov on Ukrainian situation

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Countries will line up for Russian gas when US stops exporting LNG — Serbian president

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Musk doubles down on his opinion about 'endless war' in Ukraine

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Ukraine ran out of the Soviet-made ammunition for this type of artillery pieces back in 2022

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Russia says its FPV drones disrupted Ukrainian troops rotation in Sumy Region

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There is chance to stop war in Middle East under Trump — Russian diplomat

"It is too early to talk about this because we should wait at least for the president’s inauguration," Alexander Lavrentyev noted

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US missile defense base in Poland to defend US, Europe alike — Polish foreign minister

Radoslaw Sikorski also expressed hope that the base will never go into action

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Putin discussed Ukraine with Saudi crown prince — Kremlin

"The sides indeed touched upon the topic of the conflict. We have nothing more to say," Dmitry Peskov said

Trump's planned key appointments

Trump appointed Congressman Michael Waltz (Republican, Florida) as national security adviser

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Damascus may count on joining BRICS after Syrian crisis is settled — Russian diplomat

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Trump to rely on forces that brought him to power — Russian presidential aide

Nikolay Patrushev agreed that Trump, when he was still a candidate, "made many statements critical of the destructive foreign and domestic policies pursued by the current administration"

Explosion of Kurakhovo reservoir dam disrupts water supply

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Ukraine aims to call up 1 mln people in eastern areas by end of 2024 — official

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US views Russia as present-day threat, Trump may prioritize containing China — Lavrov

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Scholz promises to transfer sixth IRIS-T system to Kiev by yearend

Ukraine and Germany also discussed further defense cooperation

Russia to hold Astana-format summit in 2025 — Russian diplomat

Alexander Lavrentyev noted that despite the fact that the exact date of the summit has not yet been agreed upon, meetings in the Astana format are held regularly at other levels

Too early to talk about meeting between Assad, Erdogan — Russian diplomat

"Certain communication is maintained between the defense ministers, in the four-lateral format," Alexander Lavrentyev said

Ukrainian losses: situation in Kursk Region

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Not all Republicans support Trump in refusing further military aid to Kiev — newspaper

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Turkey invited to join BRICS as a partner state, says minister

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Chancellor Scholz opposes assistance to Ukraine at expense of Germany’s future

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Lavrov likens proposals to freeze Ukraine crisis to worse version of Minsk agreements

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Kiev may offer Trump resources, partial rotation of US troops in Europe — official

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Russian Su-34 bomber strikes Ukrainian troops in borderline Kursk area

Russian tactical aircraft pilots conduct sorties at any time of day or night in any weather conditions, using various armament

Russia, US have many annoyances, it is hard to pick worst one — Kremlin spokesman

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Russia has written off $20 bln worth of African debts — MFA

Mikhail Bogdanov added that it allows using those debts "to implement socio-economic projects directly in the country"

Discussion of coal export quotas continues — Russian Energy Ministry

"We would like to note that the rise in any tariffs adversely affect profitability during the period of low international coal prices," the ministry said

Trump plans to appoint special envoy on Ukraine to hold peace talks with Russia — TV

According to the source, the job is not expected to be a salaried role

People evacuated from Brazil’s Supreme Court after blast nearby — agency

According to Reuters, Brasilia’s military police confirmed that a body was found near the court building

West attempted to prevent Russia-Africa ministerial meeting, diplomat says

African countries realized that "this pressure contradicts their own national interests", Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said

Lukashenko tells Putin situation is "starting to get tense with Wagner"

The Belarusian leader noted that they want to go to Warsaw

White Helmets remain serious factor of instability in Syria — Russian MFA

Maria Zakharova pointed to a report by the Foundation for Research of Democracy Issues, titled "The White Helmets. Terrorist Accomplices and a Source of Disinformation"

Russian researchers discover previously unknown ancient tomb near Great Pyramid in Egypt

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Lebanon deal won't happen unless Israel given right to eradicate Hezbollah — Katz

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Clear Zelensky won't be the one to decide about talks with Russia, says Lavrov

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First S-550 air defense systems enter service in Russia — source

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Attempts being made to drag Syria into armed confrontation in Middle East — diplomat

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Russian troops liberate Rovnopol community in Donbass region over past day

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US plans to remove 'arrogant' Zelensky and stage 2025 elections in Ukraine — SVR

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Venues for intra-Syrian talks offered by Oman, Egypt, Iraq — Russian diplomat

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Russia inks first deals to deliver Su-57 fifth-generation fighter to foreign customers

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54 countries vote against resolution on combating ne-Nazism

116 countries, including Azerbaijan, Algeria, Armenia, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Cuba, Serbia, and Syria, supported the document

Kiev wants to mobilize 160,000 people to survive until Trump's inauguration — MP

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Russian citizenship approvals down 44% since January — ministry

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ISS orbit raised by almost 5 km before launch of Progress MS-29 spacecraft — Roscosmos

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Trump does not rule out he may run in next US presidential election

Trump's participation in the next US election would be against the Constitution