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This week in photos: Putin’s address, the Colosseum’s snowball fight and drones in fashion

The world in pictures in a photo gallery by TASS

Photo {{sliderIndex+1}} from 13

A fan of the Olympic athletes from Russia cheers before the men's gold medal hockey game against Germany at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, February 25

© AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

Figure skaters Alina Zagitova and Evgenia Medvedva, coach Eteri Tutberidze talk to Russia's President Vladimir Putin at a reception after a ceremony to present state decorations to Russian medallists of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, at the Moscow Kremlin, Russia, February 28

© Mikhail Klimentyev/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS

A snowball fight in progress in front of the snow-covered Colosseum in Rome, Italy, February 2

© EPA-EFE/ANGELO CARCONI

Great tits (Parus major) are spotted near Pomaz, 23 kms north of Budapest, Hungary, February 27

© EPA-EFE/Attila Kovacs

A baby Francois-langoer monkey in between his parents at the Diergaarde Blijdorp zoo in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, February 26

© EPA-EFE/LEX VAN L

Dancers perform during the closing ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, February 25

© AP Photo/Chris Carlson

Russia's President Vladimir Putin delivers the State of the Nation Address to the Federal Assembly at Moscow's Manezh Central Exhibition Hall, Moscow, Russia, March 1

© Alexei Nikolsky/Russian Presidential Press Service/TASS

An urban explorer inside the abandoned fort No 10 of the Vladivostok Maritime Fortress built at the beginning of the 20th century on Russky Island, Russia, February 25

© Yuri Smityuk/TASS

Nepalese people painted with colored powder dance during celebrations of the Holi Festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, March 1

© EPA-EFE/NARENDRA SHRESTHA

Drones carrying bags from the Dolce & Gabbana Autumn/Winter 2018 women's collection during Milan Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, February 25

© REUTERS/Tony Gentile

US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman plays a piano at the Ziferblat Anti-Cafe in the city of Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia, February 25

© Yegor Aleyev/TASS

A parishioner with the Sanctuary Church holds onto her AR-15, which churchgoers were encouraged to bring to a blessing ceremony to rededicate their marriages at the World Peace and Unification Sanctuary in Newfoundland USA, February 28

© EPA-EFE/JIM LO SCALZO

The Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft descent capsule carrying the ISS Expedition 53/54 prime crew members, NASA astronauts Joseph M. Acaba, Mark T. Vande Hei, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin descends to land in Kazakhstan, February 28

© Alexander Ryumin/TASS

Vladimir Putin's annual State of the Nation Address, a snowball fight in front of the Colosseum, drones at Milan Fashion Week and other photographs of the week. The world in pictures in a photo gallery by TASS

Moscow court sentences participant in July 27 unauthorized rally to 3 years behind bars

Eduard Malyshevsky was found guilty under Part 1 of Section 318 of Russia’s Criminal Code (use of violence against a law enforcement officer, which poses no threat to his life and health)

Protesters handed a resolution of protest to the Russian embassy in Minsk

Police beef up security outside Russian embassy in Minsk amid opposition rally

Russia’s next-generation armored vehicle to enter state trials in spring

The Atlet is currently completing preliminary tests

Share of modern weapons in Russian army should reach 70% in 2020, minister says

First of all, this concerns strategic nuclear forces, precision weapons and aerospace defense, according to the minister

Russia to challenge WADA’s ruling with arbitration court in Lausanne

A meeting of RUSADA’s Supervisory Board will be held on December 19

Russian figure-skaters won 12 medals in Grand Prix finals

The US team is second

Minsk and Moscow yet to agree on eight integration roadmaps

"The task is to harmonize the entire legal framework, both Belarusian and Russia, with hundreds of laws and dozens of intergovernmental agreements by June 1, 2020", Belarusian Ambassador to Russia Vladimir Semashko noted

Kazakh leader says ‘annexation’ not proper to describe Crimea’s reunification with Russia

Deutsche Welle asked Tokayev whether the Kazakh government had been "frightened" by the events in Ukraine, namely the "annexation" of Crimea

WADA rules to ban Russia for four years from Olympics and world championships

WADA has also banned Russian state officials, ROC and RPC officials from attending global sports tournaments

Balkan Stream ready to receive gas from TurkStream starting January 1

This week, Bulgaria will start filling the 11-kilometer section of the gas pipeline on its territory with gas, while Turkey — the 140-kilometer sector, according to the operator

Medvedev says WADA’s decision is continuation of anti-Russian hysteria

The prime minister believes that the country should appeal the decision of the World Anti-Doping Agency on Russia

Russia boosts air component of its nuclear triad

This work has provided "the planned number of combat-fit strategic bombers" in the fleet of long-range aviation, the defense minister said

Russian-Ukrainian gas agreement should be mutually beneficial, says PM

Dmitry Medvedev noted that Ukraine received Russian gas through reverse flow supplies, "but at a much higher price than it could"

China imposes sanctions on US

China urges US to stop interfering in its internal affairs, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said

Russia, Ukraine discussing allowable capture level in Sea of Azov - official

Russia and Ukraine reached consensus in talks related to signing of the fishing quotas protocol for the Sea of Azov for 2020, deputy head of the Russian Federal Agency for Fisheries Vasily Sokolov said earlier

Opposition heads to Russian embassy in Minsk to protest against integration

Several hundred opposition members came to October Square holding nationalist white-red-white flags and chanting "Live Belarus"

Putin having tete-a-tete meeting with Macron ahead of Normandy Quartet summit

Before the talks with the French leader, the Russian president had a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel while Macron spoke with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky

Gazprom CEO calls Power of Siberia pillar of gas transportation system in east Russia

"We have chosen the gas pipeline’s route to ensure that it can reach as many settlements as possible", Alexei Miller said

Advanced S-300V4 air defense missile system enters service in Russia’s Far East

The Eastern Military District’s anti-aircraft gunners earlier learnt to operate the new system at the Kapustin Yar training range in the southern Astrakhan Region, the press office informed

Russia is ahead of US in hypersonic weapons development - Pentagon chief

Mark Esper said that "the department is investing every dollar it can" in order to gain an advance in hypersonic weapons

Fordow modernization project in Iran will be fully implemented — Russian diplomat

On December 5, Russia’s TVEL fuel company informed Teheran that it had suspended work on a project to revamp two chains of gas centrifuges at Iran’s Fordow facility

Competing under national flag is right, not privilege – FIE President

Alisher Usmanov said that the ruthless fight against doping shall not be turned into lynching and the application of new sanctions for the second time for the same doping violation

Russia will not take part in Miss Universe 2019

The prospective participant Alina Sanko does not have enough time to get a US visa and prepare for the Miss Universe pageant, director of the Miss Russia contest Anastasia Belyak said

IMF reaches agreement with Kiev on $5.5 bln loan - statement

The call with Vladimir Zelensky was very constructive, the IMF Managing Director said

All new Russian warships fit to carry Tsirkon hypersonic missiles — shipbuilders’ chief

Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said at the ministry’s conference call on Monday that the Russian Navy would increase the number of warships capable of carrying Tsirkon hypersonic missiles

Putin-Zelensky meeting’s timeframe depends on leaders, Kremlin aide says

The talks’ agenda includes the Minsk deal’s implementation

WADA may strip Moscow lab of right to test blood samples

"That’s why we will have to think how to quickly deliver blood samples to Europe", Deputy Director General of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency Margarita Pakhnotskaya said

Astronauts begin operation on SpaceX Dragon’s docking with ISS

The effort is carried out by the European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano

Zelensky to discuss prisoner swap, ceasefire and troops withdrawal in Paris

The spokesperson Yulia Mendel stressed that the meeting of the Normandy Four leaders was a real chance for achieving ceasefire in Donbass

Putin, Zelensky to hold bilateral meeting after Normandy Four talks in Paris — source

This will be the first personal meeting for Putin and Zelensky

Russian cutting-edge missile corvette enters White Sea for state trials

The corvette will test-fire its main missile system against various types of targets, according to the Northern Fleet's press office

Ukrainian settlement depends on fulfilling earlier decisions, Russian diplomat says

Moscow treats the idea of expanding the Normandy format negatively

Press review: OPEC+ deepens oil output cut and is Russia-Belarus integration out of reach

Top stories in the Russian press on Friday, December 6

Normandy Four summit kicks off in Paris

Putin and Zelensky met each other in person for the first time

Two-day rally in protest against closer integration with Russia ends in Minsk

Opposition activists agreed to hold another rally on December 20

Northern Fleet to create air defense ‘dome’ over Russian Arctic with S-400 missile systems

Russia continues building ramified military infrastructure in the Arctic, including hi-tech lighting systems to monitor the situation in the air, on the ground and under the water, according to the Fleet top brass

Kiev names four key issues for Ukraine at Normandy Four summit

The first issue is return of all detainees from Russia and Donbass, said Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Aleksei Danilov

Bogus borders: FSB nabs crook from CIS in act of duping migrants into illegal crossing

The fraudster installed fake border posts in a forest in Russia’s Leningrad Region near the Finnish border to deceive a group of four foreign nationals

Russia’s top brass mulls arming military pilots with PP-2000 submachine gun

A more compact PP-2000 submachine gun is meant to replace the Kalashnikov AKS-74U assault rifle

Russia’s Su-57 fifth-generation fighter performs 16 test flights with new 2nd stage engine

The Su-57 with the second stage engine known as Item 30 performed its debut flight in December 2017

Kiev approves scenario of Donbass reintegration at defense council’s closed-door meeting

The meeting also touched upon a strategy of territorial defense

Erdogan says he wants to discuss situation in Libya with Putin

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Libya risks turning into "another Syria"

Putin congratulates Lukashenko on 20th anniversary of signing Union State Treaty

Putin highly appreciates progress reached between the two countries over the past years on the path towards integration and cooperation

WADA’s vice president says insisted on tougher sanctions against Russian sports

The high-ranking official stood for full disqualification of Russia from world sports as she believes that Russia caused the biggest scandal ever in the history of sports worldwide

Belarusian leader hopes Union State Treaty’s implementation will see a new boost

According to Lukashenko, "at the current stage commitment to the unifying idea is of great importance"

Russian cutting-edge corvette test-fires cruise missiles in White Sea trials

The corvette fired the missiles against a simulated enemy’s surface ships

Putin notes importance of meeting with Lukashenko ahead of Union State treaty anniversary

"Our colleagues at the government level, ministers, chairmen of governments have done quite a lot to analyze what had been done within the framework of the Union State treaty", said Russian President

Ukraine’s top diplomat says peace in Ukraine is Zelensky’s only goal at Paris summit

"Peace, security and development in a single, democratic country is the only goal of the president and the entire negotiating team", Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadim Pistaiko said

Ukraine offers unacceptable conditions for transit of Russian gas — Putin

The Russian president noted that he hopes that the conditions will change through negotiations

Russian latest nuclear-powered sub strikes naval target with torpedo in White Sea trials

A day before, the Kazan submarine struck a notional submarine by a salvo of two torpedoes

Pompeo to meet with Lavrov on December 10

After the negotiations and communication in the format of a working lunch, the ministers will also hold a joint press conference