Photos of the week: traditional Chechen wedding, snow in Japan and Colombia's eco-fashion

Vladimir Sazhin noted that the struggle for the leverage of power in the country following Raisi's death could begin in the camp of conservatives, whom the late president represented

"This concerns beatings, arson and attempted arson," Donald Tusk said

"Any newly-minted Fuhrer' of the Ukrainian Reich is capable of tearing it up at any moment for opportunistic reasons," the politician noted

The powers of the current Ukrainian president under the current Constitution expire on May 21

Isaac Herzog pointed out that he found it unacceptable to compare Israeli political leaders with leaders of the radical Palestinian movement Hamas, whom the ICC prosecutor also wants to arrest

According to Sergey Overchenko, the US and NATO are trying to "entice" the Central Asian countries into so-called partnership programs and continuing unflagging attempts to bring their military infrastructure to the region

The decision was made taking into account the saturation of the domestic market for motor fuel, preventing a decrease in refining volumes at individual oil refineries due to overstocking of motor gasoline

More than 500 foreign guests attended the inauguration of 64-year-old Lai Ching-te, including representatives from 12 countries that recognize Taiwan as a separate state

Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior fellow at Washington’s Foundation for Defense of Democracies noted that the deceased president was exactly the kind of person Khamenei wants running the country

The prime minister cited intelligence data indicating that the situation on the border is unchanged

According to Miroshnik, the Russian foreign ministry calls for bringing Ukraine’s leadership to responsibility "for violating the norms and principles of humanitarian law"

Sergey Ryabkov emphasized that Russia and Iran would continue to develop their relationship gradually, including in terms of the tasks of "strengthening security"

The ministers discussed the results of Russian President Vladimir Putin's state visit to China

According to adviser to the DPR head Igor Kimakovsky, the Ukrainian military abandoned most of the bodies of dead soldiers in the combat area

It also emphasized that Russia had "a huge advantage in artillery shells," adding that "depleted Ukrainian air defenses" were unable to counter Russian air power

According to Vasily Nebenzya, the conference will be focused on "the [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky peace formula, which was supported by a representative of the Kiev regime during one of the Security Council meetings last week"

"However, it will change nothing either for the Ukrainians or for us," Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council stressed

Clashes erupted in Bishkek on the night of May 18 between local residents, sparked by a fight on May 13 involving Indian and Pakistani students and locals in one of the capital's districts

According to the FSB, among the neutralized UAVs there were both reconnaissance and attack drones

"Tanks delivered fire from a distance of 800 meters under constant enemy shelling," Russia’s Defense Ministry reported

Israel Katz also noted that he plans to get in touch with his counterparts from leading countries to recruit their support against the ICC

Among the accusations pressed against Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant are "Wilful Killing… or Murder as a war crime," "Intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population as a war crime"

The document said that based on the evidence gathered, the prosecution has reasonable grounds to believe that both "bear criminal responsibility for the <…> war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on the territory of the State of Palestine (in the Gaza Strip) from at least October 8, 2023"

As Wang Yi clarified, Putin reaffirmed his commitment to the "One China" principle in a speech after his election victory

Dmitry Medvedev stressed that "subtle considerations about preventing existential threats do not work during bloody conflicts"

"The ICC has no authority over Israel or the United States, and today's baseless and illegitimate decision should face global condemnation," the speaker said

The prosecutor also requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant

According to the files of arbitration cases, the court has partially upheld RusChemAlliance’s claim for interim measures against Deutsche Bank

Top stories from the Russian press on Monday, May 20th

Despite intensive strikes by the Russian Aerospace Forces and artillery, the Ukrainian military is still attempting to redeploy reserves to the town’s eastern part, according to the report

The helicopter carried Governor of the East Azerbaijan Province Malek Rakhmati and Tabriz Imam of Friday Prayer Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem

It is reported that the Ukrainian military uses the Ptakhi Madyara group of UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) operators who try to remove discovered mines from rivers

In the text of the letter, the volunteers recalled that they had been "selected by the Organizing Committee of the 2023 Olympic and Paralympic Games (for the 2024 Paris Olympics), each one given a mission" and had already received visas, bought tickets to France and were ready to start working

The Russian president noted that the US agency had achieved its goal of changing the government but failed to see what it would evolve into

The intelligence sources insist that Russia is purportedly planning to create a 1.5 mln-strong regular army by 2026 because it expects a standoff with NATO

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said that on instructions from President Vladimir Putin the General Staff had begun preparations for an exercise to be held in the near future involving missile units of the Southern Military District, aircraft and naval ships

It is aimed against the Israel Defense Forces soldiers who are heroically fighting against vile Hamas, Netanyahu said

According to Boris Dolgov, relations between Iran and Russia are developing steadily in terms of cooperation

The ceremony was also attended by Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Viktor Yevtukhov, Northern fleet Commander Alexander Moiseyev, and representatives of the United Shipbuilding Corporation and the shipyard

"We sincerely thank our Chinese friends for their cordiality and hospitality, for the warmth we felt throughout the trip, and for the excellent organization," Russian foreign minister added

Negotiations being held with several countries

The president assured he had proof and witnesses

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that Russia, unlike the Ukrainian side, had never rejected any negotiations

All passengers and crew of the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi were killed in the crash, according to Iranian Red Crescent Society head Pir Hossein Kolivand

According to CEO of Laboratory PPSh Denis Oslomenko, the Baba Yaga drone flies through Starlink and cannot be supressed

Vasily Nebenzya said that this was not the only example of lies or understatements by Western representatives

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the creation of a joint Indian-Russian venture to produce Kalashnikov assault rifles in the country in March 2019

"By the end of the year the number of new Chinese brands may reach 10," analysts said

"The United States and its allies with their typical cynicism were loudly proclaiming their adherence to peaceful space," Vasily Nebenzya said

"It runs counter to common sense to discuss any issues, let alone sign any documents with leaders who have lost their legitimacy," Vasily Nebenzya said

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin emphasized that "much more US military assistance" is on its way to Ukraine

According to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s first state visit to China at the start of his new presidential term was "a complete success"

As Mark Episkopos notes, sending NATO instructors to Ukraine "without a larger strategy for ending" the fighting would be "a recipe for disaster" and would "bring NATO and Russia within a hair’s breadth of open conflict"

The press bureau drew attention to the fact that history has shown time and again that attempts to retain power using lies and intimidation do not work

According to Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, "the experiment does not contradict Russia’s understanding of a ‘subcritical’ test and therefore does not violate the provisions of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty or the US moratorium on nuclear tests"

"The Ukrainians are losing this war," Rajmund Andrzejczak said, describing the situation as "very, very dramatic"

According to Rodion Miroshnik, the operation to liberate the LPR would be brought to an end as soon as the operation in Lisichansk was finished

On May 19, a helicopter carrying the Iranian president crashed in Iran's East Azerbaijan Province

One of the attacks was aimed directly at the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company

Russian force have advanced to about 1.5 kilometers and are now in Gulaypole’s suburb

"They have not lived in a state of law before and now everything will stay as it is," the politician said

The IRGC Commander Lieutenant General Hossein Salami confirmed it

The constitutional powers of the current Ukrainian president expire on the night of May 21

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

Bilateral trade between the two countries is successfully developing, "having hit a record figure of $27 bln, though there is more to come, of course," the Kazakh leader said

Fico, who survived an assassination attempt last Wednesday, was hospitalized at Roosevelt Hospital in the town of Banska Bystrica

Vladimir Dzhabarov noted that "after the overthrow of the Shah, when Ayatollah Khomeini and then his followers rose to power in Iran, the situation in the country stabilized"

Deputy Director of Russian Foreign Ministry’s Latin America department Dmitry Belov stressed that Brazil is Russia’s strategic partner in Latin America

Seven out of 15 UN Security Council members, including Russia and China, voted in favor of the resolution, while seven voted against and Switzerland abstained

Alexander Dubinsky argues that the only situation where the president can continue to fulfill his duties after the expiration of his term is the period until the president-elected takes office

The Mausoleum of Imam Reza is located in Mashhad, the hometown of Raisi, a center of pilgrimage and one of the main shrines of the Shiites

Dmitry Medvedev believes that "the population of a broken Ukraine realizes this only too well," noting that Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky canceled the country’s presidential election knowing that he would likely "lose spectacularly"

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for joint efforts in the interests of "fairer and more reasonable global governance"

Denis Pushilin noted that the exhibition presents only a small part of what has been destroyed by Russian troops

According to Sergey Ryabkov, Moscow has been registering "all public signals coming from the US administration regarding this"

The Peoples' Friendship Arch in Kiev was unveiled in 1982 to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Soviet Union and the reunification of Ukraine with Russia in 1654

The US carried out a subcritical nuclear test at the proving ground in Nevada

On May 19, a helicopter carrying the Iranian president crashed in Iran's Eastern Azerbaijan Province

"Shortly after the accident, we managed to speak with Tabriz’s Friday Prayer Imam," Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mahdi Safari said

Acting Industry and Trade Minister Nooruddin Azizi noted that Afghanistan could become a convenient point for the transit of goods to the states of South Asia

According to Andrey Lazarkevich, in the current situation Ukrainian servicemen prefer to surrender as prisoners of war

Russian Battlegroup North units kept advancing deep into the Ukrainian army’s defenses in the Kharkov area over the past day

"Taiwan's independence is a dead end. I want to emphasize that Taiwan's independence and separatism are doomed to failure no matter under what pretext or flag they are promoted," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin said

According to Peter Kuznick, Professor of History and Director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University, Zelensky’s approval rating has dropped to approximately 60%, because "the Ukrainians are tired of war"

The ministers will also consider candidates for new SCO secretary general and director of the executive committee of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Organization

During a visit to Tel Aviv, the US president said that he was born in Israel, but according to open sources Biden was born on November 20, 1942 in Pennsylvania in the US

The Russain leader "stressed that he knew Ebrahim Raisi well and thought highly of him as a reliable partner who made an invaluable personal contribution to expansion of friendly relations between Russia and Iran"

"In this case regulatory acts adopted by a criminal state cannot be considered law in its true sense," the Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council explained

The dollar-to-ruble rate went down by 0.22% to 90.75 rubles, the euro-to-ruble rate fell by 0.11% to 98.63 rubles

"All states that have ratified the ICC statutes are bound to execute the Court’s decisions," top EU diplomat said

According to article, a security agreement between Washington and Kiev would prolong the fighting in Ukraine and could become "a liability for the United States"

This was reported by a representative of law enforcement agencies

On May 17, Putin explained the Russian military's offensive in the direction of Kharkov by the Ukrainian military’s continued shelling of residential areas in the border regions, including Belgorod

Russian forces also hit concentrations of Ukrainian manpower and equipment in 112 areas over the past 24 hours

According to Mansouri, there were three helicopters and radio contact was lost with the one carrying the president

According to Vasily Nebenzya, the chances of moving the conflict into a diplomatic domain "look elusive"

Viktor Vodolatsky also said the liberation of Staritsa would make it possible to reduce to a minimum and later completely remove the threat of bombardments for the Belgorod Region

The use of depleted uranium ammunition does not violate any international treaties, expert says

According to Mohsen Eslami, "The Guardian Council was asked to start registering [presidential] candidates before May 28"

An air raid alert has been in effect in the Kharkov Region for almost eight hours