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No Hong Kong flu in Russia — academic

Deputy President of the Russian Academy of Education Gennady Onishchenko noted that H3N2 flu changed since 1973

MOSCOW, December 25. /TASS/. Journalists and some epidemiologists mistakenly refer to the H3N2 virus, which is currently experiencing a wave of morbidity in Russia, as the Hong Kong flu, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Deputy President of the Russian Academy of Education Gennady Onishchenko told TASS.

"There is no Hong Kong flu. There is the H3N2 flu, and it has a completely different name. This flu was first reported in 1973. And then it was called Hong Kong. But it's been changing since then, and it's not the Hong Kong flu," he said.

Onishchenko called the media information about the Hong Kong flu "inventions of journalists" and "illiterate statements." Onishchenko also said that the vaccine used to vaccinate 80 million Russians is relevant in the case of the H3N2 strain.

New Year & Christmas

French rush to resell Christmas gifts floods online marketplaces

According to Ouest-France, eBay had already recorded 500,000 listings by the morning of December 25 and expects the total number of posts to rise by 400%

Iranian special forces officer eliminated in Lebanon — IDF

Spokesman Avichay Adraee said Hussein al-Jawhari had led operations against Israel in Syria and Lebanon in recent years

MOL, NIS ask US to suspend sanctions against Serbian company — Serbian Energy Ministry

Minister Dubravka Djedovic-Handanovic stressed that the Serbian government is committed to creating conditions that will allow NIS to continue operating "regardless of how long it takes to complete the transaction" between MOL and the company's Russian shareholders

Russian troops liberate Svyato-Pokrovskoye community in Donetsk region over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup South inflicted more than 215 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed an enemy tank and six armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the Defense Ministry reported

Social unity around grand goals is key to Russia's achievements, Putin says

The Russian president highlighted the readiness of millions to unite around shared, noble goals

Russia rescued Ukrainians abandoned by Kiev in Sumy Region — human rights commissioner

Russian troops brought them to a safe place in Belgorod

Gas supplies to China to exceed contractual volumes by almost 800 mcm in 2025 — Gazprom

CEO Alexey Miller expressed confidence that Gazprom will annually supply China with volumes in excess of its contractual obligations

Kremlin spokesman says Russia stands with UK in war on terror

"Close cooperation is crucial for achieving success in the war on terror, which is absolutely obvious," the Kremlin spokesman said

Ukraine has no money to hold elections — Zelensky's office

According to Mikhail Podolyak, Ukraine’s budget has other priority expenditures, including militarization

Russia approves treaty with Myanmar on protection of citizens in international justice

It was signed in St. Petersburg on May 20, 2025

About 417,000 Russians have signed military service contracts — Medvedev

Additionally, more than 36,000 have voluntarily joined units dispatched to the zone of the special military operation, the politician stated

Russian army destroys Ukraine's underground bunkers in Zaporozhye Region

Zaporozhye Region Governor Yevgeny Balitsky stressed that the seizure of Gulyaipole would pave the way for the liberation of the entire Zaporozhye Region

Israel not to allow Iran obtain nuclear weapons — Netanyahu’s office

According to the statement, earlier, Benjamin Netanyahu "has led countless overt and covert operations in the campaign against Iran's nuclear program"

Moscow understands grounds for Azerbaijani leader's absence from CIS summit — MFA

Maria Zakharova said that Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier congratulated the Azerbaijani president on his birthday during a phone call

Japan-Russia trade turnover down 4.51% year-on-year in November to $617 mln

Imports of coal from Russia to Japan in November fell by 26%, iron and steel by 82.6%

Roscosmos plans to launch 52 satellites from Vostochny spaceport

Two of these satellites will be able to create digital terrain models and monitor emergency situations

No Hong Kong flu in Russia — academic

Deputy President of the Russian Academy of Education Gennady Onishchenko noted that H3N2 flu changed since 1973

Russian MFA claps back at West over Kaliningrad comments

Maria Zakharova said that a certain stupidity and audacity shine through in these statements

Russia's prime minister arrives on two-day visit to China

Medvedev is scheduled to hold a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping

India wants to develop ties with Russia in agricultural, light, food industries

There is a steady interest from Indian companies in expanding their presence in the Russian market, Andrey Sobolev noted

Russian strategic bombers fly over neutral waters of Barents, Norwegian seas

Su-33 fighter jets of the Russian Navy escorted the long-range bombers

Switzerland should respect Russia and do business with it — Swiss businessman

Tito Tettamanti said the West made a mistake by intervening too much in Ukraine's affairs to weaken Russia

Press review: Ukraine mulls elections and Trump plans laser fleet as gold prices soar

Top stories from the Russian press on Wednesday, December 24th

Plotter of terrorist attack on oil pipeline neutralized in Tyumen Region — FSB

According to the FSB’s Public Relations Center, the suspect, a Russian citizen originally from Vinnitsa in Ukraine, resisted arrest and was subsequently neutralized during the operation

Fire area in Temryuk port reach 4,000 sq m

Two tanks with oil products are on fire

Polish officials not allowed to enter Russian consulate’s former building

Poland’s last operating Russian Consulate General located in the city of Gdansk closed down earlier this week

AZAL plane presumably damaged by warhead elements — Kazakh authorities

The commission concluded its examination of the GPS cassettes recovered from avionics modules No. 1 and No. 3

Russian fish, seafood exports to China up 10% in January-November to $3 bln

Russian fish and seafood exports to China in January-November 2025 decreased year-on-year by 6% in weight

Russian diplomat refutes Bloomberg article on Russia's intentions to amend Ukraine plan

"This media outlet does not have any reliable sources close to the Kremlin," Maria Zakharova said

French rush to resell Christmas gifts floods online marketplaces

According to Ouest-France, eBay had already recorded 500,000 listings by the morning of December 25 and expects the total number of posts to rise by 400%

Germany seeks €500 mln fund to address social isolation

Andre Berghegger, head of the Association of German Towns and Municipalities, argued that community meeting spaces should remain open as much as possible, "without long breaks, holidays, sick days or early closures"

Trump wishes merry Christmas to all, including 'radical left scum'

Speaking of his administration’s achievements, the US president pointed out that the US no longer had "open borders, men in women’s sports, transgender for everyone, or weak law enforcement"

Moscow calls detention of Russia’s Adler vessel by Sweden 'farce majeure'

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Sweden should apologize for the incident

Casualties among Knyaz Vandal drone operators minimal — Ushkuynik

The head of Ushkuynik named the factors that contribute to this phenomenon

Beijing opposes US maritime blockade of Venezuela

According to He Yongqian, Beijing believes that a US blockade "could not only disrupt the normal functioning of international energy markets, but also pose additional security risks"

Zelensky says he spoke with Witkoff and Kushner by telephone

Vladimir Zelensky did not disclose the content of the conversation

AI breakthrough, personnel training, low unemployment: Putin’s statements

According to the head of state, the next 10 to 15 years will bring an unprecedented technological breakthrough in world history

First meeting of working group on elections to be held in Ukraine

First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, head of the "Servant of the People" party, Alexander Korniyenko announced it

Russia ready to discuss form of document on absence of plans to attack NATO — diplomat

Maria Zakharova stressed that Russia remains open for serious talks

Uraldronzavod supplies first batch of Berdysh heavy combat drones to special op zone

During field testing, the drones have proven their reliability, Vladimir Tkachuk said

Any provocation, even ‘dirty bomb’ can be expected from Kiev — Russian MP

Senator Natalia Nikonorova stressed that Russia "is ready to respond proportionally to any threat"

Lavrov discusses preparations for CSTO summit in Moscow in November — Foreign Ministry

The meeting was attended by representatives of the presidential administration, federal executive authorities and organizations involved in this work

Ukraine extends ban on Russian goods imports for year

The prohibited products include meat, fish, coffee, tea, chocolate and other confectionery, baby food, animal feed, alcohol and cigarettes

Russian embassy warns of danger of Ukrainization of Italian politics

The embassy expressed its full solidarity with the Italians who became victims of the Ukrainian Nazis and the irresponsible Italian politicians who condoned them

Humanitarian aid convoy from Dagestan comes under attack in border area

"Magomednabi Gadzhiyev, head of the Shamilsky District from where the convoy departed, and two members of the Self-Defense public organization, were killed," Sergey Melikov, leader of the North Caucasus region, said

Almost 5,000 civilians killed in Donbass since April 2014 — Prosecutor General’s office

Significant damage has been inflicted on the economy, and key elements of the culture, religion, and traditions of the residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics have been suppressed

KVN drones destroy Ukrainian equipment worth two German armies — Ushkuynik

According to CEO Alexey Chadayev, after the invasion of the Kursk Region, the Ukrainian armed forces "were unable to carry out a single successful attack with the mass use of mechanized military equipment"

Black Sea Fleet rejects submarine surfacing reports near French coast

The fleet pointed out that "the submarine crew is currently conducting a routine inter-fleet transfer after performing missions as part of the Russian Navy’s standing task force stationed in the Mediterranean Sea"

Russian-made Snickers bars on sale in London despite sanctions

Employees at one of the stores said they did not know where the bars were made

Niger bans issuing visas to US citizens — agency

According to the sources, the measure is based on the principle of reciprocity

Bundestag believes German army has opportunity to ensure peace in Ukraine

head of the Bundestag defense committee Thomas Rowekamp said that the German army "has capabilities that it can use, including in Ukraine"

Russian Post suspends overland delivery to Baltic States

Delivery by air to these countries continues

Russia downs eight more Ukrainian drones over same three regions

Earlier on Saturday, the Russian Defense Ministry reported downing 11 Ukrainian drones over the same three regions in a span of five hours

EU, UK hurt most by Washington’s Russia policy turn — expert

According to Andrey Sushentsov, the US was the first to realize that it’s impossible to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia

Russian intelligence activities intensify, officers change modus operandi — newspaper

A recent report by the Royal United Services Institute think-tank in London also pointed out that Russian intelligence services have allegedly begun to recruit people with no military background who can travel relatively free to other countries and establish personal contacts

Putin meets with businessmen in Kremlin — spokesman

The Russian government’s officials in charge of economy and social affairs, presidential administration officials, and Russian Central Bank chief Elvira Nabiullina attended the meeting

Moldovan border guards cut off channel for transfer of draft dodgers from Ukraine

The police said the suspects charged each evader $10,000

Almost all Ukrainian brigade deserts — Russia’s security forces

The source said there are quite a lot of units in the Ukrainian army that did not meet expectations of the command

Putin stresses US can’t go on using Russia as ‘the enemy’ forever

The Russian leader noted that "currently US influence is somehow strengthening" in Europe at the expense of Eastern European states

Sweden better apologize for detaining Russia's Adler vessel — Foreign Ministry

According to Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Swedish customs and law enforcement agencies, including security services, continued their so-called inspection

Foreign intelligence services monitoring Oreshnik missile deployment in Belarus — KGB

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko earlier stated that a maximum of 10 Russian-made Oreshnik systems would be deployed in the republic

Red Cross receives 182,000 appeals about missing persons in Ukrainian conflict

According to spokeswoman Galina Balzamova, the actual number of families unaware of their relatives’ fate is higher, as not everyone contacts the ICRC directly

Ukraine conflict likely to be resolved with Russian victory, US expert says

John Mearsheimer stressed that there’s nothing US President Donald Trump "can do to assuage Russian fears that any agreement Moscow reaches with Ukraine and the West will stick over time"

Three Syrian regions come under fire by militants in past day

Militants operating in the Idlib de-escalation zone shelled settlements in the provinces of Latakia, Hama and Aleppo

Germany to have to return to compulsory military draft — paper

Head of the Bundestag defense committee Thomas Rowekamp said that 20,000-30,000 servicemen leave the active army every year

Ukrainian military attacks Belgorod Region using over 150 drones in one day

The regional emergency response headquarters reported that a woman and a 14-year-old were injured in a drone attack on a car

Zelensky's new peace plan not to work for Russia, says expert

The expert focused on the political points of the plan and on the security guarantees demanded by Kiev

Several points of Zelensky’s so-called plan unworkable, expert says

Alexander Dudchak doubts that Kiev is really ready to carry out an "all-for-all" prisoner swap according to the plan

German customs involved in legal arbitrariness against Russians — Foreign Ministry

According to Maria Zakharova, Germany has de facto been turned into a territory of lawlessness for people of a certain nationality, in this case, citizens of Russia

Refusal to take path of peace is Ukraine’s tragedy — German general

Harald Kujat opined that the West’s massive support created an illusion for Kiev that "it can turn the strategic situation into its favor"

EU’s losses from sanctions against Russia estimated at almost €1.6 trln — Russia’s MFA

The use of unilateral coercive measures has been a major obstacle to establishing a fair and equal polycentric world order, the Russian Foreign Ministry added as it dismissed such measures as a key instrument of the collective West’s neocolonial policies

Russian MFA spokeswoman says her briefings in 2025 add up to 5 days

Maria Zakharova added that the ministry’s calculations were inspired by a TASS report that counted the number of briefings and their duration

Traces of US involvement in cyberattack on Venezuela’s oil, gas company — Politico

According to the report, it looks like a preconceived attack

Kiev forces lost nearly 3,900 soldiers, mercenaries in a week along LPR borders — expert

The greatest losses in manpower were inflicted on the enemy in the zone of responsibility of the Battlegroup West

Ruble becomes strongest-performing currency in 2025 — Bloomberg

As Bloomberg noted, the ruble’s rise has been influenced by reduced demand for foreign currency in Russia.

Rosatom to build NPP in Ethiopia based on modern VVER-1200 reactor — Russian ambassador

Evgeniy Terekhin added that cooperation in the field of peaceful nuclear energy could become the "flagship area of economic and technological partnership" between Russia and Ethiopia

Talks with US on Ukraine produce slow but steady progress — Foreign Ministry

Maria Zakharova noted that negotiations between Washington and Moscow are accompanied by "extremely harmful and even malicious attempts by a group of countries, primarily Western European ones, to torpedo and derail all diplomatic progress"

Russian presidential administration ready to make public Putin-Barroso conversation

In a telephone conversation with EC President Jose Manuel Barroso, Russian President Vladimir Putin allegedly said that Russian troops would be able to "take Kiev in two weeks" if necessary

Kiev has no resources to feed 800,000-strong army mentioned by Zelensky — Russian envoy

Rodion Miroshnik added that it remains unclear what the first point of Zelensky’s plan, intended to affirm Ukraine’s sovereignty, actually means

Kiev loses about 20 battalions in fighting near Vilcha — expert

Vitaly Kiselev added that, despite heavy losses and massive, combined attacks by the Russian army, the Ukrainian army brigades have "a very large number of soldiers that go AWOL"

Global gas consumption gain 25 bln cubic meters in 2025

Gazprom pointed to the revision of priority developments in favor of hydrocarbons in some countries and international energy companies

Mobilization in Ukraine, NATO near Kaliningrad: Foreign Ministry statements

TASS has compiled the key statements by the official representative of the Foreign Ministry

Over 1,300 restaurants, hotels in UAE will begin using Russian software

The collaboration is expected to generate approximately $1.2 million in annual revenue

Russia, China discussing key projects for year of scientific cooperation

On December 23, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on holding the Year of Russian-Chinese Scientific, Technical and Innovation Cooperation in 2020-2021

Online retail market in Russia to reach $187.0 bln by year-end

As of September 2025, Wildberries, Ozon, and Yandex Market hold 68.9% of all online sales in the country

Russia’s gas supplies to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan up by 20% in 2025 — Gazprom

According to CEO Alexey Miller, Gazprom will continue to increase gas volumes supplied to these countries

European Union disintegrating before our eyes — Orban

The Hungarian PM noted that "EU decision-makers are constantly forced to backtrack"

IMF raises outlook for Russia’s GDP growth this year to 1.5% — report

At the same time, experts lowered their forecast for Russian economic growth in 2026 by 0.3 pp, to 0.9%

Ukraine’s ex-premier describes Zelensky’s plan as attempt to stall talks

According to Nikolay Azarov, the plan does not resolve a number of important issues

Launch of Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket from Plesetsk proceeded normally — Russian top brass

Spacecraft was inserted into the target orbit at the calculated time and taken over for control by the ground assets of the Aerospace forces

Air defense forces shot down 67 Ukrainian UAVs over Russian regions overnight

24 of them were destroyed over the Bryansk region

EU had chance to prevent Russia conflict in 2022 — Hungarian PM

Viktor Orban said that Europe could have sent a peace mission to Moscow and Kiev instead of declaring their conflict its own war

Trump administration recalls heads of nearly 30 foreign diplomatic missions — news agency

According to its information, the heads of US missions abroad have been notified that their terms in their current positions will expire in January

West 'understands nothing about Russians,' Rostec says in response to Reuters report

The Russian defense industry is currently focused on solving state problems, not on generating more profit

Knyaz Vandal drone is used by Russian troops as ambush drone — Ushkuynik

According to Alexey Chadayev, the drone has been significantly upgraded since its introduction in August 2024