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Cruise liners accommodate more than 50,000 people in Sochi

First cruise liners left the Russian Olympic capital on Tuesday

A ship-hotel for guests visiting the Olympic Games EPA/ANATOLY MALTSEV

A ship-hotel for guests visiting the Olympic Games

© EPA/ANATOLY MALTSEV

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Russian PM praises Sochi Olympic Games

SOCHI, February 25. /ITAR-TASS/. As many as 52,000 people were accommodated onboard seven cruise liners moored at two ports in the southern Russian city of Sochi during the Winter Olympics, Russia’s federal agency of sea-going and river-going transport told Itar-Tass, noting that first cruise liners had already left the Russian Olympic capital on Tuesday.

Cruise liners Thomson Spirit, Louis Olympia, Princess Maria, Snav Toscana, Norwegian Jade, Princess Anastasiya and Grand Holiday were chartered in Russia as hotels at the Winter Olympics and Paralympics. Four cruise liners anchored in a harbor of the Sochi seaport and three others moored at a freight terminal in the mouth of the Mzymta River.

A famous training sailing ship Kruzenshtern will also leave the Sochi port on Tuesday, while at the Olympics some of 120 cadets from the ship worked as volunteers and some others took all guests on a tour of the ship. The barque will sail back to Sochi by March 7, when the Winter Paralympics start.

The occupancy of the cruise liners has made 90% that points to the fact that refurbished Sochi port becomes attractive for cruise business and has already received 130 bids for visits of ships in 2014.

Russia’s football chief Dyukov confirms he will run for re-election

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The Al Arabiya television channel said that, citing a source

Ukraine loses over 300 troops, two Bradley vehicles in Kursk Region in past day

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Three of eight drones that attacked Kazan targeted defense industry facilities — head

The Tatarstan head Rustam Minnikhanov also noted that all operational services worked well when dealing with the aftermath of the drone attack

Oil supplies to Hungary via Druzhba pipeline resume — top Hungarian diplomat

Reuters reported earlier that oil supplies to Belarus and EU countries via Druzhba had been suspended on December 19 due to technical problems

Putin opens new transport infrastructure sites in Russian regions via video link

Putin also took part in the ceremony of opening international airports in Magadan, Cheboksary, and Stavropol

Damage to Portuguese Embassy in Kiev caused by Ukrainian air defense — Russian diplomats

Reporters are ramping up Russophobia, distorting the facts while writing on this matter, the Russian Embassy in Portugal said

AI can help generate personalized cancer vaccines in an hour — Russia’s vaccine chief

Now it takes quite long to build personalized vaccines because computing of how a vaccine should look like uses matrix methods, Alexander Gintsburg said

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The Bank of Russia has taken a pause in raising the key rate, though a long period of tough monetary policy will be required to bring inflation back to the target

Proposal to duel with West response to claims of Oreshnik missile vulnerability — Kremlin

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin thus meant that the Oreshnik missile is a generation ahead of all existing weapons, while not being a nuclear weapon itself

Trump to rely on forces that brought him to power — Russian presidential aide

Nikolay Patrushev agreed that Trump, when he was still a candidate, "made many statements critical of the destructive foreign and domestic policies pursued by the current administration"

Arkhangelsk nuclear submarine ready to join Russian Navy — Sevmash Shipyard CEO

Project 885M nuclear-powered submarines carry Oniks and Kalibr-PL cruise missiles as their basic strike weapons

Putin holding talks with visiting Slovak PM

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Civilian manufacturers ramp up drone production to 40,000 units per month

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Aleppo taken by 350 militants while 30,000 gov’t troops retreated without fight — Putin

The Russian president recalled that no Russian land troops had been deployed to Syria, with Russia having only an airbase and a naval base

Response to Ukrainian attack on Russia’s Rylsk to come shortly — Russia’s UN envoy

Vasily Nebenzya warned as he denounced the attack as yet another unambiguous step by the Kiev regime toward escalation

Press review: South Korean president impeached as Ukraine turns to foreign mercenaries

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Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger reaffirm withdrawal from ECOWAS irreversible

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Demostenes Floros also drew attention to the growing potential of the ever-expanding domestic market and mentioned new ways of using natural gas in the future - for example, for the production of hydrogen and ammonia, necessary for the energy transition and agriculture (in production of fertilizers)

IN BRIEF: What is known about drone attack on residential buildings in Kazan

TASS has gathered the main information about the incident

Civilian industrial complex supplies Russian army with over 65 types of units — top brass

Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov praised the new mechanisms for accelerating the introduction of advanced weapons and equipment developed by the civilian defense industrial complex in the interests of the Russian army

Ukraine may cease to exist by 2034 — Russian security official

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Air raid alert issued in six Ukrainian regions

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US confirms strikes on Houthi command posts in Yemen

CENTCOM forces also shot down several Houthi unmanned aerial vehicles and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea

Commander Makarov was killed in fighting to repel Ukrainian attack — ministry

Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov also informed of the death of the deputy commander of the army corps for military-political work, Colonel Yevgeny Brovko, who led the efforts of the personnel

Russian forces create bridgehead near Kupyansk-Uzlovoy in Kharkov Region — expert

Ukrainian forces have been shifting significant reserves to this settlement, including fresh recruits with little to no training, to retain Kupyansk

ISS orbit raised ahead of launching Soyuz manned spacecraft

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Russian forces destroy two Ukrainian Su-27 fighter jets in 24 hours — defense ministry

The Russian Aerospace Forces downed two Su-27 fighter jets of Ukraine’s air forces in 24 hours

Hungary wants to preserve relations with Russia as part of economic neutrality — Orban

Prime minister underscored that, "the more serious the problems in Europe are, the more decisively the economic relations in all other markets should be promoted"

Slovak PM thanks Putin in Russian for meeting with him

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First batch of nuclear-armed drones Poseidon manufactured for special-purpose sub Belgorod

According to the source, various trials of core components of Poseidon underwater drones, including the nuclear power

Putin calls Oreshnik missile development ‘an historic event’ for space rocket industry

Russian President also said that he had handed down direct instructions to produce and test-fire the Oreshnik hypersonic missile

Magdeburg attacker may be charged with murder of 5, attempted murder of 205 — prosecutor

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NATO spies study damage from Oreshnik at Yuzhmash — expert

Alexander Stepanov emphasized that both Kiev and its Western allies are closely scrutinizing the consequences of the strike on the plant

Kiev to face more destruction after its UAV attack on Kazan, Putin warns

"We will not only restore the damage that some attempt to cause to us but will also move forward even at a faster pace as we are doing now," Russian President said

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"All international mechanisms need to be effectively employed in order to prevent Israel from exploiting the situation in Syria," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said

Russian troops liberate two communities in Donbass area, Kharkov Region over past day

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Russian missile cruiser Admiral Nakhimov to become world’s strongest warship after upgrade

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The Ukrainian military also admitted the Russian army’s supremacy in terms of military equipment and the size of personnel

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Maria Zakharova stressed that such statements by Israeli officials shed light on the true reasons why Tel Aviv was opposing the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East

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Russia’s Battlegroup South liberates settlement of Ostrovskogo in DPR — Defense Ministry

"The enemy lost up to 285 troops, two armored combat vehicles, two motor vehicles, a D-30 122 mm howitzer, a US-made M119 105 mm howitzers and five field ammunition depots," the ministry added

Russia considers launching direct flights with Brazil, Malaysia, Pakistan — Minister

Roman Starovoyt noted that Russia is holding negotiations with many airlines from friendly countries

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Trump nominates billionaire Feinberg as US Deputy Secretary of Defense

The president-elect called Feinberg an "extremely successful businessman"

Hungarian PM highlights need to lift sanctions on Russia once Ukraine conflict is resolved

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Ahmed аl-Sharaa expressed hope for building strategic relations with Lebanon

Putin to extend New Year greetings to peoples of several unfriendly countries — Kremlin

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According to Maxim Grigoryev, videos of interviews with witnesses and preliminary forensic examination of the bodies indicate that most of the victims are elderly women

Slovak PM to visit Moscow for talks with Putin, Serbian president says

"Robert Fico will travel to visit Putin as a European countries leader," Aleksandar Vucic said

Russian 'soldier of the future' combat gear tested in Syria

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Assad allegedly hands list of military targets over to Israel before leaving Syria — media

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Father of conscript who killed 8 in Siberia asks son to cooperate with investigators

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Russia to retaliate against Ukrainian strikes, just as Putin said — Kremlin

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Death toll from Israeli strikes on Gaza Strip exceeds 45,200 — health ministry

More than 107,600 people received wounds

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Russian forces control more than half of Chasov Yar in DPR — expert

Andrey Marochko noted that Russian forces had "slightly advanced" in the northern and southern parts of Chasov Yar

Putin’s talks with visiting Slovak PM over — Kremlin spokesman

Dmitry Peskov added that it is not planned to issue any joint statements

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Ukraine to halt Russian gas transit on January 1, 2025 — Ukrainian PM

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CIA station in Kiev targeted in recent Russian attack, military expert reveals

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Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger take armies to maximum alert — declaration

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Drone attack triggers fire at fuel infrastructure facility in Russia’s Oryol Region

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Serbia will never joint anti-Russian sanctions, deputy prime minister vows

Aleksandar Vulin noted that he is "not optimistic about prospects for the United States changing its policy toward Serbia" after the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump

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Zelensky actually flips the bird to Trump by insulting Putin, Medvedev says

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Eight people killed in Israeli strike on school in Gaza Strip

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Putin responds to question about Russia's weakness by quoting Mark Twain

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Ukraine's refusal to transit Russian gas will hit EU economies hard — French expert

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Musk believes Germany’s Scholz should step down after car drives into crowd in Magdeburg

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Strike on SBU control center response to Russian general’s assassination, expert says

The ministry clarified that Ukraine launched a missile strike against the Kamensky Integrated Plant in the Rostov Region using six US-made ATACMS missiles and four Storm Shadow cruise missiles

Russia continues to provide military assistance to Syria — Lavrov

"It is not our business to forecast," he said

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Almost 20 drones downed over four Russian regions, Black Sea last night

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