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Pavel Durov blocked on TikTok

Telegram co-founder had over 156,000 subscribers

MOSCOW, March 5. /TASS/. The account of Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov has been blocked on the social network TikTok, the publication "Durov’s Code" has confirmed via screenshot.

A search for accounts on the social network cannot find his now-blocked account, a TASS correspondent verified.

Durov had over 156,000 subscribers.

Over 1,000 diamonds used in main crown of BRICS beauty pageant

The crown is made of gold and weighs more than 850 grams

Bahrain, Kuwait, Maldives, Myanmar, UAE may become SCO dialogue partners — Kremlin

It is noted that there is a huge interest in participating in the SCO in various formats

Bank of Russia raises dollar rate for March 6 to 78.19 rubles

The official yuan rate has been raised by 9.98 kopecks to 11.35 rubles

Iran launches more than 500 missiles, 2,000 UAVs since February 28 — agency

The Islamic Republic used both cruise and ballistic missiles in the attacks

Press review: Iran missile risks may expand conflict and US eyes regime change in Cuba

Top stories from the Russian press on Wednesday, March 4th

Iran strikes US military headquarters near airport in Abu Dhabi — state broadcaster

The broadcaster reported of multiple explosions heard near the airport

Russia receives no requests for assistance, weapons supplies from Iran — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov noted that Russia's consistent position is well-known to everyone

France to boycott on state level 2026 Paralympics Opening Ceremony in Italy

Earlier, delegations from Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Estonia and Finland announced their decision to boycott the official Opening Ceremony of the 2026 Winter Paralympics

Chaos in Middle East, nuclear arms race provocation: Russian MFA’s statements

Maria Zakharova emphasized that the crisis in the Middle East "has no military solution"

IN BRIEF: What is known about IAEA's adoption of pro-Ukrainian resolution

Russia, the United States, China, and Niger voted against the resolution

Russia can leave EU gas market earlier — Putin

Other markets now open, President said

Russian troops liberate Liman community in Kharkov Region — top brass

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicted roughly 145 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed a foreign-made radar station in its areas of responsibility over the past day, the Defense Ministry reported

Austria's loss of neutrality requires moving IAEA, UN, OPEC offices from Vienna — Medvedev

The Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council emphasized that Vienna currently serves as a vital hub for multilateral diplomacy, hosting approximately 20 international organizations

Russian MP slams Poland’s plans to claim reparations from Russia

"This is a 'smokescreen' of the dwarfish infantry on the fields of the proxy war against Russia," chairman of the international committee of the Russian State Duma Leonid Slutsky said

Iran depleting missile stocks of US, its allies with cheap drones — newspaper

According to a report cited by The New York Times, it will take years for factories to produce enough interceptor missiles

Zelensky fails to simulate fight against corruption, bigger sacrifice needed — diplomat

Rodion Miroshnik also added that an international investigation could reveal Vladimir Zelensky as a key figure in embezzling Western funds

Frequency of meetings on Ukraine talks can’t be strictly standardized — Kremlin

"Contacts are underway and in the course of them suitable timeframes will be discussed," Dmitry Peskov added

Putin says Russia’s relations with Western partners now less strained than year ago

The Russian leader said he did not share the view that Russia was in international isolation during the last year’s Group of Twenty summit in Australia

Putin meets with Central African Republic president on eighth visit to Russia

The leaders of the two countries plan to discuss the development of cooperation between Moscow and Bangui in the political, trade, economic, and humanitarian spheres

Russia seeks answers from US on seizure of tanker off Venezuelan coast

The Russian foreign minister also said that Moscow wants discussions on the fight against drug trafficking and ensuring maritime security to be collective, so that no nation would be staring down unilateral actions

West’s war against Russia, NATO’s role in Middle East war: Lavrov’s statements

Russia sees no reason to suspect that the negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement with the participation of the US are a "smokescreen", the top diplomat said

UK scrambles Typhoon fighter jets to intercept Russian aircraft — source

British Royal Air Force will not be providing any additional information until the mission is complete, the spokesman said

Belgium seeks to help overcome difficulties in Russia’s relations with EU and NATO

According to Russia's top diplomat, Moscow value Brussels’ consistent determination to overcome current issues in relations between Russia and the West

Russian troops strike Ukrainian long-range UAV launch sites over past day

The Ukrainian army lost roughly 1,150 troops in battles with Russian forces in all the frontline areas over the past 24 hours

Russia urges UN rights officials to condemn Estonia’s discriminatory initiative

According to the statement, "tens of thousands of the country’s residents and taxpayers will be subjected to straightforward discrimination only because their free opinions and beliefs may differ from the Tallinn government’s ideas and policies"

Pacific Fleet frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov calls at Vietnamese port

Representatives of the Russian Embassy in Vietnam and the Vietnamese Naval Base Command met the Russian sailors on arrival

Russian human rights organisations to be state financed

Experts find this a positive trend since many such agencies were financed only from abroad

US to regret sinking Iranian frigate in international waters — top diplomat

There were about 130 sailors about the sunken frigate, Abbas Araghchi added

Kurdistan Democratic Party denies reports of offensive in Iran — TV channel

The party says that the region "will not be a party to the conflict in this war"

Russia sees no reason to suspect Ukraine talks with US may be cover-up — Lavrov

"We see no such reason because we are maintaining direct contact with American colleagues," the Russian top diplomat stated

West’s real threat to nuclear non-proliferation: statements by Russian envoy

Double standards are unacceptable in nuclear and physical nuclear security, Russia’s Permanent Representative at International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov stressed

Situation in EU energy worsening day by day for all consumers — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov also noted that the decision to cut gas supplies to the EU has not been taken

Iran can wage war with drones almost indefinitely — expert

Dmitry Kuzyakin believes that today only Russia, Ukraine, and Iran have mastered the art of warfare under the new rules

Four saboteurs eliminated while trying to infiltrate Bryansk Region — FSB

According to the FSB, the killed militants were presumably mercenaries

Brent crude surges over 5% on ICE, WTI jumps more than 8% on NYMEX

As of 09:26 p.m. Moscow time, Brent was trading up 5.26% at $85.68 per barrel

Russian government to soon discuss halting gas exports to Europe — Deputy PM Novak

Alexander Novak said Russian gas accounted for more than 12% of European supply

Planes carrying Russian soldiers returning from Ukraine land in Moscow Region

200 Russian soldiers were returned from the territory controlled by the Kiev regime

FACTBOX: Key facts, figures about Russian presidential elections

The 2018 presidential election was the most expensive in absolute figures: the federal budget allocated $248 mln at the official Bank of Russia exchange rate on election day

'Wild' statements by Israel, Europe’s disregard for NPT: Russian envoy's remarks

According to Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia will address European officials’ irresponsible statements regarding nuclear weapons before the International Atomic Energy Agency

Russia to support Asia by halting LNG supplies to Europe — expert

This is more likely to refer to redirecting LNG supplies, rather than pipe gas, Sergey Kaufman said

Iran ready for possible US ground operation — Araghchi

Iranian Foreign Minister stressed that Tehran is confident it can withstand the American military

Ukraine’s army attacks Russia’s Belgorod Region with nearly 170 UAVs over past day

Ukraine’s military also attacked Russia’s borderline Belgorod Region with over 20 munitions in the past 24 hours

IPC reiterates inadmissibility of politicizing Paralympic Games — Russia’s Rozhkov

"It is already clear that the official Opening ceremony will be downsized," President of the Russian Paralympic Committee Pavel Rozhkov pointed out

Trump wants to personally participate in choosing Iran’s leader

Speaking about the process of choosing the new head of the Islamic Republic, the US president said the Iranian Assembly of Experts is "wasting their time"

Israel attacked Saudi Aramco’s refinery in false flag operation — news agency

According to the agency's source, the port of Fujairah in the UAE is one of the next targets of Israelis

Pyongyang seeks cooperation in science, technologies — Russian Emergencies Ministry

The delegation from the Russian Emergencies Ministry arrived in North Korea for talks on future cooperation

Mongolian PM complains of blow from Western restrictions on Russia

Among other things, there are problems connected with payment for fuel that his country imports from Russia and disruption of some products Mongolia used to buy from its Russian partners

War of depletion with uncertain timeframe: Experts, media on US attack against Iran

A recent drafting of additional military specialists points to the fact that the US administration was "not fully prepared for the consequences" of the conflict

Kremlin believes support for Cuba would not hinder Russia-US contacts on Ukraine

Dmitry Peskov noted that these are unrelated issues

Trump says would accept aid from any nation in Iran war when asked about Ukraine — Reuters

According to the news agency, Vladimir Zelensky previously said that Ukraine had received a specific request from the US for help in dealing with in the Middle East

Press review: US could use Kurds against Iran as NATO unwilling to drop expansion plans

Top stories from the Russian press on Thursday, March 5th

Russia’s Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile covers 8,700-mile distance

The missile was in the air for about 15 hours, said Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov

Iran carries out another missile attack on Israel — TV

The Israel Defense Forces said it had detected the launch and started intercepting the missiles

Moscow dismisses reports of alleged ‘Russian threat’ over West-2017 drills

The Russian defense official has assured of the exercise's defensive nature

Iran expresses concern regarding incident in Nakhchivan — Azerbaijani foreign minister

The Iranian side and the military have begun an investigation into this incident

Ukrainian attack against Russian gas carrier is terrorist act — Putin

It is not the first time already when we face things of such kind, Russian President said

Iran war creates shortage of missiles for Patriots — Handelsblatt

The Persian Gulf countries alone spent about 800 missiles in the early days of the conflict

ASEAN supports Russia in fighting for new world order — Vietnamese expert

According to Bui Thanh Nam, Russia and ASEAN have a lot in common "not only from the point of view of economic cooperation, but also from an ideological point of view"

West’s speculation about Russian attack on NATO 'cheap provocation' — senior diplomat

Sergey Ryabkov called this an "obvious game" by the West

Ukraine not going to renew gas transit agreement with Russia — Ukrainian PM

The International Energy Agency earlier highlighted the significant risk for the full stop of Russian gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine after 2024, because the gas transit contract between the two countries expires at the turn of this year

Apple pays $13.4 mln antitrust fine — Russian regulator

The money was received by the government of the Russian Federation, the regulator informed

China to carry out resolute strikes against separatists in Taiwan — report

According to the report, the People's Republic of China will promote peaceful development across the Taiwan Strait

Arab League foreign ministers to hold emergency meeting on March 8 — MENA

The ministers will discuss Iran's aggression against a number of Arab countries

Bahrain destroys 65 out of 75 missiles since start of Iranian strikes — military

The military recorded the launch of 124 unmanned aerial vehicles, 88 of which were shot down, and another 36 fell without reaching their targets

Novosibirsk follows best world trends, opening Time Bank affiliate

Orban faces real danger from Kiev — Duma deputy

Alexey Chepa noted that the Ukrainian special services had already been involved in attempts on the lives of world leaders

Iranian forces claim responsibility for attack on Ben Gurion Airport — press release

The IRGC also reported having hit the Israeli Defense Ministry building

Collapse of security framework, aggression against Iran — Shoigu's statements

The Russian Security Council Secretary called the US and Israeli aggression against Iran an unprecedented disregard for international law

IRGC Navy claims to have driven US aircraft carrier away from Iranian coast — TV

According to the TV broadcast, USS Abraham Lincoln and the accompanying destroyers retreated and moved more than 1,000 km away from the Iranian border

Russian stock indices decline after Geneva talks

By 1:20 p.m. Moscow time, the MOEX and RTS indices had declined by 0.17%

Global nuclear threat is growing — Lavrov

The Russian foreign minister responded to a question about the seriousness of the threat to global nuclear security today in connection with the conflict in the Middle East

US Treasury issues license for transactions with Rosneft's German subsidiaries

The expiration date is not specified in the document

Gas price in Europe exceeded $650 after Putin’s remarks on ending EU supplies

The price of the April futures contract at the TTF hub in the Netherlands rose to about $655 per 1,000 cubic meters, or 54.615 euro per MWh

Ukraine’s government nationalizes one of country’s largest banks

The transition process will begin on Monday

Rosatom, South Africa’s NECSA to cooperate on human resources development

Within the framework of the cooperation, the primary focus will be placed on training young specialists and strengthening local and regional technical capacity in Africa

IN BRIEF: On further developments around Druzhba oil pipeline

Hungary believes Zelensky is blackmailing Budapest by blocking oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline

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

Kiev loses 1,235 troops along engagement line in past day

Lavrov and his Brazilian counterpart agree to strengthen cooperation — statement

The ministers discussed the prospects for the development of bilateral relations of strategic partnership with a focus on the implementation of the agreements reached at the end of the Russia-Brazil summit talks in February 2022

Russian Battlegroup East’s T-80BVM tank withstands 18 hits from Ukrainian drones

The tank commander with the battlegroup, call sign "Aza," added that the tank completed its assigned missions

Canada may harm its own security as it attempts to bring NATO to Arctic — Russian diplomat

"Russia is a self-sufficient Arctic state and possesses in the northern latitudes the full range of capabilities necessary to respond to any challenges, regardless of where they may originate," Oleg Stepanov noted

Antimonopoly Service: Google will lose BRICS market if it violates Russian law

In September 2015, the Federal Antimonopoly Service ruled that Google had breached the competition protection law under the complaint of the Russian Internet company Yandex

Kazakh security forces detain man suspected of plotting terrorist attack

The detained individual has a previous conviction for murder

OPEC+ countries to compensate 3.944 mln bpd of overproduced oil by July

Kazakhstan will account for the bulk of compensations

Cargo ship hit by missiles near Strait of Hormuz — news agency

The cargo crew comprising 24 people was evacuated

Iran permitted two ships of friendly countries to pass through Strait of Hormuz

Iran hit more than ten ships, including tankers, in the Strait of Hormuz since the moment when the US and Israel attacked it on February 28

Mideast crisis to worsen as Iran's proxies turn active — former Russian ambassador to Iran

Alexander Maryasov highlighted the impact of the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, describing it as a pivotal event that has intensified anti-American and anti-Israeli sentiments within Iran

No plans to close Strait of Hormuz at this stage, Iran’s top diplomat says

Iran has no intention to block navigation there, Abbas Araghchi said

What is known about consequences of overnight Ukrainian drone attack on Russian regions

The Defense Ministry said that on-duty air defenses destroyed 39 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones over Russian regions overnight

FACTBOX: What is known about tankers’ situation after closure of the Strait of Hormuz

Ten oil tankers attempting to pass the strait have already been struck by missiles and drones

China imposes export control on tungsten, tellurium, molybdenum — commerce ministry

China's move aligns with international practices, the ministry noted

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

According to the latest figures, the Ukrainian army lost roughly 1,290 troops in battles with Russian forces in all the frontline areas over the past 24 hours

West believes 'independent' candidate must be anti-Russian — CEC chair

According to Ella Pamfilova, democracy was on full display in the Russian presidential election as voters came out in droves to cast their ballots

Pavel Durov blocked on TikTok

Telegram co-founder had over 156,000 subscribers

Russian troops liberate Yarovaya community in Donetsk region over past day — top brass

According to the latest figures, the Ukrainian army lost roughly 1,215 troops in battles with Russian forces in all the frontline areas over the past 24 hours

Yemeni Houthis ready for military action against Israel in defense of Iran — Russian MFA

Maria Zakharova underscored the clear risk of the conflict spreading further, warning that "the ongoing US and Israeli aggression against Iran could trigger a broader armed confrontation across the Middle East"

Russian troops fighting for Popasnoye near Konstantinovka in DPR — expert

South of Verolyubovka, the Russian forces managed to dislodge Ukrainian troops from their positions, Andrey Marochko said

Three buildings, several cars damaged in central Rostov-on-Don after drone fall

One person sought medical assistance with incised wounds of his legs