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Russia’s futsal national team loses its opening friendly match against Iran

The Russian national team was the winner of the 1999 UEFA Futsal Championship and the runner-up in the 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup

MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/. /TASS/. The Russian national futsal team lost 2-3 in its first out of two friendly team matches against Iran on Monday.

The matches between Russia and Iran were initially scheduled to be played on December 18 and 19 at a stadium in the Iranian city of Lar. The return match on Tuesday is scheduled to kick off at 1:30 p.m. local time (10:00 a.m. GMT).

The Russian national team was the winner of the 1999 UEFA Futsal Championship and the runner-up in the 2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup. In all, the Russian national squad has qualified for seven FIFA Futsal World Cups in the periods 1992-2000 and 2008-2021.

The International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) announced on February 28, 2022 that Russia’s national teams and all professional clubs representing the country were barred from taking part in FIFA-sanctioned events.

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) also decided to exclude the Russian national football team from its UEFA tournaments.

Russian national team down to 34th place in FIFA ranking

Argentina remains number one with 1,889 points

Israel’s military says it conducts strike on Beirut

The strike was carried out in the wake of the escalation along the Lebanese-Israeli border, which was triggered by a wave of detonations of thousands of communication devices belonging to members of the Shiite movement Hezbollah in Lebanon

Turkish banks want to stop transactions with Russia, transfer them to one bank — source

The issue reportedly concerns private and state-owned Turkish banks that do not have foreign partners, mainly Western ones

Cases against Ukrainian servicemen: situation in Kursk Region

Russian investigators have initiated three criminal cases against Ukrainian militants involved in crimes against civilians in the Kursk Region

Russia cautions Chisinau against involvement in Ukrainian conflict — Foreign Ministry

Maria Zakharova drew attention to the speculations about Romania's plans for redirecting to Moldova the mobile maintenance stations for F-16 fighter jets received by Bucharest for their subsequent deployment at the Marculesti airbase

Russia’s Akhmat special force destroys military storage facility in Kursk direction

Akhmat also eliminated one armored personnel carrier and one self-propelled artillery weapon, the deputy chief of the Main Military-Political Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces Apty Alaudinov said

Transformer damaged in Ukrainian attack on Energodar, Zaporozhye NPP safety jeopardized

This substation is engaged in supplying power to the plant’s infrastructure facilities, the plant said in a statement on its Telegram channel

Russia’s battlegroup West repels three Ukrainian counterattacks in past day

The Ukrainian army losses in the responsibility zone of the group include a tank, three armored combat vehicles, six vehicles, a Bogdana 155mm self-propelled artillery mount and roughly 600 servicemen

Up to 62 flights of Ukrainian drones reported near ZNPP every day — Russian diplomat

Mikhail Ulyanov recalled that Ukraine had been shelling the ZNPP practically non-stop from mid-July to November 20, 2022

Court arrests six individuals as part of investigation into shooting at Wildberries office

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Russian Central Election Commission reveals number of polling stations outside of Russia

Pavel Andreyev noted that, under elections law, polling stations outside of Russia can be set up in exceptional cases by the heads of foreign institutions no later than five days before the first day of voting

Russia's newest satellites to change course of Ukrainian conflict — former UN inspector

According to Ritter this conflict would become "unsustainable for the Ukrainian sometime by the end of summer, early fall"

West’s attempts to turn UNGA into pro-Ukrainian show doomed to fail — Russian MFA

"The UN General Assembly always encompasses a very broad agenda," Sergey Ryabkov stressed

Zelensky may be overthrown if Ukraine fails to hold elections — Ukrainian MP

Ukraine is still facing the question of the legitimacy of power in the absence of parliamentary and presidential elections, which cannot be held during martial law

Media people from global majority to gather at BRICS Media Summit in Moscow

Panel discussions will cover the role of the BRICS media community in bolstering stability in a multipolar world

Ukraine's budget deficit next year will reach 19.4% of GDP

The country's Finance Ministry reported earlier that Ukraine's national debt has grown by $3.2 bln in three months to $155.36 bln

Press review: Israel declares new phase of war and Russia boosts drone production

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Ministerial meeting in Turkey within 3+3 platform on South Caucasus in the works — MFA

The six-party platform for regional cooperation in the South Caucasus was initiated by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in late 2020

Senior Hezbollah commander killed in Beirut was injured in Sep 18 walkie-talkie blast — TV

Ibrahim Aqil was appointed to replace Fuad Shukr, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the southern suburb of Beirut on July 30

West is persuading Ukraine to give up claims to 1991 borders — legislator

Yegor Chernev shared a "feeling" that the Western world is ready to declare as a victory for Ukraine at least the fact that "Kiev has not fallen" and that it "has not lost its sovereignty"

Hezbollah handing out pagers hours before their detonation — agency

The sources said that the Shiite movement did not have any specific suspicions about these pagers and their "checks had been part of a routine 'sweep' of its equipment to find any indications that they were laced with explosives"

Russia's military to restore control of all districts of Kursk Region — Kremlin

"The situation in those areas which are under the control of the Ukrainian militants is extraordinary, of course," Dmitry Peskov stated

Russia, China, countries of global South seek just world order — Putin

"We will do everything to prepare relevant decisions on the basis of consensus, customary in our relations," the Russian leader stressed

Procedure to enter Russia for foreigners not sharing Western values simplified

Such visitors will be issued three-month visas based on the decision by the head of a Russian diplomatic mission or a consulate

Telegram marks Trump’s channel with over 550,000 subscribers as fake

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Iran warns about pending response to Israel after Hamas leader Haniyeh’s killing

The head of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s office slammed human rights activists for practicing double standards, when they are "silent while 41,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, mostly women and children, have been killed by the cruel Zionist regime"

Russia to explain risks of cooperation with NATO to post-Soviet countries — MFA

"No doubt, such voyages of representatives of the aggressive military bloc do not contribute to regional stability and security," Maria Zakharova said

Scholz says Germany not to send Kiev missiles ‘capable of reaching as far as Moscow’

German Chancellor emphasized the need to explore ways in order to peacefully resolve the Ukraine conflict

EU will grant loan to Kiev that will be paid from frozen Russian assets — EC president

Ursula von der Leyen stressed that 35 billion euros is the part which the European countries will contribute to the 45 billion euro loan approved by the G7 in Italy in the summer

Strikes at Beirut and shelling of Lebanon: escalation on Lebanese-Israeli border

The IDF has also intensified the hostilities in the northern direction and started carrying out massive airstrikes at Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon

Ukrainian troops attack two settlements in Russia’s Belgorod region, leaving no casualties

Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov added that in the settlement of Murom, the Shebekinsky district, the windows of a private house were broken out, the roof and fence were damaged due to a drone attack

Attempts made to provoke Hezbollah with aim of US interference in war — Lavrov

Lavrov pointed put that without this, recurrent outbreaks of violence will never stop in the Middle East

Hezbollah attacks Israeli military headquarters in Ein-Zeitim

The statement said that the Shiite units conducted these operations in response to the Israeli Air Force strikes on Lebanese populated localities

Two-thirds of Abrams tanks in Ukraine already destroyed — Russia’s deputy OSCE envoy

As Maxim Buyakevich noted, the discussion is afoot in the West about the possibility of using high-accuracy long-range weapons against facilities deep inside Russian territory

Gazprom warns Naftogaz about possible Russian sanctions if transit trial continues

Gazprom also believes that the current circumstances deprive it of its fundamental right to a fair and impartial hearing in court

Kremlin slams Poland's idea to revise Crimea's status 'absurd'

"Russian territory and Russian regions cannot be the subject of any discussion or transfer to anyone," Dmitry Peskov emphasized

Report on alternative payment systems will be prepared by BRICS summit in Kazan — Lavrov

The Russian foreign minister also drew attention to the growth of trade in national currencies between Russia and other countries

Russia will not 'shoot itself in the foot' by halting gas supplies — Lavrov

According to the top Russian diplomat, for many decades, since the times of the Soviet Union, since the 1970s, Moscow has been establishing mutually beneficial cooperation in gas supplies

Finland’s territory not to be used to attacks against Russia — General Staff

Finnish Defense Forces General Staff noted that it monitors the situation around the attack of Ukrainian drones in the Murmansk Region

Physicists from Russia to be banned from Large Hadron Collider from December 1 — Nature

At the same time, CERN will continue to work on projects already underway with about 270 employees of the Russian Joint Institute for Nuclear Research

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Maria Zakharova emphasized that Russia in its relations with Armenia continues to advocate "for full-scale bilateral dialogue, for cooperation, for a return from manipulative rhetoric to real full-fledged interaction, including in the work of the CSTO"

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Russia wants no nuclear war — Lavrov

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Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin lauds Russian figure skater’s ‘gift of heart-stopping beauty’

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Ukrainian forces in difficult situation in Kursk Region, try gain foothold — commander

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Russia firmly committed to principles of UN Charter unlike West — Lavrov

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Ukrainian forces lost up to 520 troops in Battlegroup West zone of responsibility

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West switches to open support for Kiev's terrorist attacks against civilians — MFA

"The West continues to supply arms and money to the Kiev regime, propose pseudo-peace initiatives, and try to rally as many countries as possible to their side," Maria Zakharova said

Kiev still plans to attack Kursk NPP — Foreign Ministry

Maria Zakharova pointed out that the US and the UK were behind all of Kiev's crimes

Kadyrov send two more Cybertucks to special military operation zone

"The electric car’s mobility, comfort and maneuverability are what is needed here," the Chechen leader said

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Ukrainian drones attack Kamenka-Dneprovskaya in Zaporozhye Region

"Another cynical attack by terrorists for whom nothing is sacred," Governor Yevgeny Balitsky said

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Maria Zakharova pointed out that the European Union had lost independence

Only Lebanese hospitals, kindergartens used exploded pagers — Iranian ambassador

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North Korea convinced Russia to win special military operation in Ukraine — top diplomat

"The North Korean people express their support for the Russian people in their just struggle," Choe Son Hui stressed

Over 6,200 Kursk Region residents evacuated from border areas over week

Around 11,000 people are currently staying in temporary accommodation centers across 32 Russian regions

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Russian Supreme Court upholds Navalny verdict

Former technical director of Navalny’s YouTube channel Daniel Kholodny was also found guilty of financing extremist activities with the use of his office and of participating in an extremist community

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Russia fully ready to defend its interests in Arctic — Lavrov

The minister to say that NATO is becoming increasingly interested in the Arctic region

Russia is committed to Israel’s security, but not at others’ expense — Lavrov

The top Russian diplomat noted that he had good relations with many of his Israeli counterparts

Russian Chess Federation head urges not to turn world of chess into battlefield

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Russia ready to facilitate dialogue between Moldova, Transnistria — MFA

"A real dialogue between the parties, aimed at strengthening mutual trust and solving pressing issues of interaction, is needed now rather than just idle declarations," Maria Zakharova stated

Rising number of dead foreigners in Ukraine proves West's involvement — envoy to UN

"We have warned from the beginning that those who help the Zelensky clique stay afloat will become our legitimate targets," Vasily Nebezya reminded

Ukraine’s forces in Ugledar virtually encircled — sources

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Russian units strike energy facilities of Ukrainian military-industrial complex

Russia’s battlegroup Center has continued to advance into enemy defenses and wiped out more than 500 Ukrainian servicemen over the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry said

UN human rights commissioner slams blasts in Lebanon as war crime

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Russian aviation wipes out base of Ukrainian militants in DPR — expert

The Russian Aerospace Forces delivered a strike with a glide munition

Zelensky says Ukrainian troops in extremely difficult situation in two DPR areas

The situation on the frontline remains extremely difficult, Ukrainian President said

Mexico's Interjet refutes media reports it's 'cannibalizing' SSJ-100 planes

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Putin has no plans to attend Mexican president's inauguration — Kremlin

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Florida court rules to arrest Russian citizen Postovoy, take him to Washington

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Hezbollah fires anti-tank missiles at Israeli positions in Metula

According to the broadcast, at least three of them hit targets

Tver region governor says no serious injuries in drone attack on Toropets

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TASS reporter onboard ISS Oleg Kononenko assumes command of space station

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Over 30 foreign leaders invited to BRICS summit in Kazan, 18 RSVP — Kremlin

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As many as 750 wildfires leave 24 houses burned in DPR over past 5 days

A total of 800 employees of the Russian Emergencies Ministry and more than 150 units of special equipment are involved in firefighting effort

Russia sanctions likely to dilute US dollar’s dominance, IMF says

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Six Hezbollah elite unit Radwan commanders killed by Israel’s airstrike o Beirut

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Ukrainian forces create concentration camps in Russian border areas — diplomat

Maria Zakharova pointed out that one of the Ukrainian prisoners of war reported an attack on a passenger train being prepared in the Kursk Region

Hezbollah commanders wanted to repeat October 7 in northern Israel — General Staff

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Lavrov says he agrees with Trump about destructiveness of sanctions for US dollar

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US volunteer Russel Bentley missing in Donetsk killed — RT editor-in-chief

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Senior Russian lawmaker warns that calls for long-range strikes open way to nuclear war

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Russian troops entrenched in liberated settlements of Kursk Region’s Sudzha District

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Moscow issues note of protests to Yerevan after Armenian diplomat’s visit to Bucha

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Russia to accept advanced robotic mine-clearing vehicles in 2018

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