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VENEZUELA'S POLITICAL CRISIS

Venezuelan national militia to become part of armed forces — Maduro

The Venezuelan president earlier called on people to join the national militia to defend the country

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro EPA-EFE/MIGUEL GUTIERREZ

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro

© EPA-EFE/MIGUEL GUTIERREZ

CARACAS, April 14. /TASS/. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has sent a request to the Constitutional Assembly to integrate national militia into the Bolivarian Armed Forces.

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"I am asking the Constitutional Assembly and the General Staff to review the main charter of the Bolivarian Armed Forces, in order to grant a constitutional status to the Bolivarian national militia, to make it a part of the Armed Forces," Maduro said in a speech broadcast live on Twitter on Saturday.

The Venezuelan president earlier called on people to join the national militia to defend the country.

On January 23 Venezuelan National Assembly Speaker Juan Guaido proclaimed himself as the country's acting president. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has described it as a coup attempt and announced severing diplomatic relations with the United States. On January 28 the US imposed sancitons on Venezuela's state-owned PDVSA oil company.

Guaido was recognized as interim president by the Lima Group countries (except for Mexico), as well as by Albania, Georgia, the United States, and the Organization of American States. Several EU countries came forward with support for the Venezuelan parliament and expressed hope for new elections to resolve the crisis. Maduro was supported by Russia, Bolivia, Iran, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Turkey. Belarus and China called for resolving all issues by peaceful means and spoke against any interference from the outside. The UN secretary general called for dialogue to resolve the crisis.

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Venezuela Political crisis in Venezuela

Natural disasters

More than 1,500 people evacuated from Russia’s Tyumen region due to flood

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FSB declassifies documents revealing Ukrainian infiltration of Red Army units during WWII

Russia’s Federal Security Service has made the memo public on the 80th anniversary of the Red Army’s liberation of Western Ukraine

Press review: US throws Russia New START curveball and Washington's aid balancing act

Top stories from the Russian press on Wednesday, April 17th

Former Ukrainian MP sees Zelensky turning into 'usurper' after his term expires

The legitimacy of the authorities is a hot button issue in Ukraine, where parliamentary and presidential elections are prohibited during martial law

Russian forces pummel Ukrainian army, equipment in 133 areas over past day

Russian troops took better frontline positions in the Donetsk area over the past day, the ministry reported

Erdogan accuses Israel of seeking to spread conflict throughout entire region

The Turkish leader slammed Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide and said that the only way to ease tension in the region is to stop it

Swiss parliament votes against joining task force on frozen Russian assets

The group contains US finance and justice ministers, representatives of Australia, the UK, Germany, Italy, Canada, France, Japan, as well as the European Commission

Nearly 18,000 houses flooded in Russia, operational services say

Russian Emergencies Minister Alexander Kurenkov earlier reported to President Vladimir Putin that the spring flood wave had passed Orsk and Orenburg, the water level was dangerous but decreasing

Envoy reports dozens of Russians killed in Ukrainian attacks in past week

According to Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik, over that period, Ukrainian troops fired "at least 1,362 munitions" at civilian facilities

'Iron Dome' can't fully protect from UAV swarms — Chinese expert

According to Wei Dongxu, Tehran's firepower can cover most of the Middle East region, representing a fierce and precise long-range retaliatory means

Peacekeepers fully accomplish mission in Karabakh, Russian senator says

According to a statement signed by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia on November 9, 2020, a Russian peacekeeping contingent was deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh

Russian security chief urges measures against 'ethnic enclaves' in Russia

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Russia assumes that Security Council will soon return to Gaza ceasefire issue — diplomat

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MiG-31I fighters receive air refueling system

Another source said MiG-31I differs from previous MiG-K option by "different engines, avionics and missiles"

Turkish foreign minister urges West to stop Israel, prevent war in region

"The US and Western countries should stop Israel, tell it "Stop!" and prevent the conflict from spilling over," Hakan Fidan said

Russian government approves list of unfriendly countries

There are two countries on the list

Roscosmos chief notes high quality of Vostochny space center’s construction

Yury Borisov said that the space facility’s launch pad bore practically no visible signs of the recent Angara-A5 carrier rocket’s launch

Israel says its jets attacked Hezbollah air defense site in eastern Lebanon

I"DF soldiers recently carried out strikes to eliminate "an immediate threat" in the Qawqaba area in southern Lebanon," Israel Defense Forces said

No snap elections before delimiting borders with Azerbaijan, Armenian PM says

Nikol Pashinyan said about it, replying to a question from a resident of the borderline village of Berkaber about the necessity to hold snap elections before delimiting the border with Azerbaijan

India's new ambassador to Russia discusses high-level bilateral visits with Lavrov

"Ambassador Vinay Kumar paid a courtesy call on [Russian] Foreign Minister H.E. Mr. Sergey Lavrov," the embassy said on its X page

G7 countries to continue examining possible ways of using frozen Russian assets

G7 countries are also set to take measures to counter alleged attempts to circumvent its price cap on Russian oil

US asking UNSC members to reject resolution on Palestine, hoping to avoid veto — media

UNSC approval would mean neither "statehood nor self-determination" for the Palestinian people, the State Department argued

Hamas grateful to Erdogan for his support — TV

The Turkish leader also announced talks with Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh in Turkey on April 20

Ukrainian drone attack damages four houses in Russia’s Voronezh

According to Governor Alexander Gusev, last night the air defenses on duty in the Voronezh Region detected and destroyed several air targets, including three weather probes

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Russia, CIS partners to hold air defense exercise in 2024

The participants in the exercises will practice interaction in getting ready for and conducting combat operations by aviation and air defense forces that are part of the unified regional air defense system of Russia and Belarus

Israeli Air Force strikes Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon

The IDF also said that its soldiers were forced to open fire in the area in order to "remove an imminent threat"

US believes that Russia tested 9M729 missile for range beyond 500 km

"All NATO allies agree that the 9M729 is not compliant with the INF Treaty," the US embassy’s spokesperson said

Lavrov states West’s growing concern about BRICS plans to develop own financial tools

According to the minister, Russia is interested in increasing the role of the BRICS states in the international monetary, financial and trading systems, developing interbank cooperation, expanding the use of national currencies and creating its own exchange

Ukrainian president admits Russian troops’ advancement

Vladimir Zelensky asked his country’s supporters to provide "everything that helps to hold the frontline," including shells, military vehicles and drones

Almost 3,000 shots fired at Russia’s Kursk Region during military operation

The region's governor Roman Starovoit said 50 apartment buildings, 975 single-family homes, two stores, seven social and cultural buildings have been restored in the region since the beginning of the special operation

G7 seeks to accelerate supplying air defenses to Ukraine — sources

The Kiev regime has long insisted on Western partners supplying it with more effective air defenses

Russia’s advanced radar in Kaliningrad to monitor entire territory of Europe — source

The first Konteiner radar went on combat duty in the Volga area region of Mordovia on December 1, 2019

Press TV reports all of Iran's hypersonic missiles hit intended targets in Israel

The report did not specify which facilities in Israel had been attacked with hypersonic missiles

Israel may have used banned white phosphorus munitions while shelling Lebanon — TV

On Wednesday night, the Israel Defense Forces press office reported that Israeli fighter jets struck "significant Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure used by the terrorist organization’s aerial defense system" in Lebanon

Funding needs to be restored to UNRWA before end of investigation — Russia’s UN envoy

"Investigation should be objective and based not only on data provided by Israel but also on Palestinian information", Vasily Nebenzya said

Slovakia to oppose Ukraine’s NATO membership bid — PM

Meanwhile, Slovakia supports Ukraine’s accession to the European Union

Kiev’s attacks on Zaporozhye nuke plant result of impunity encouraged by US

Sergey Ryabkov stressed that the attacks on the nuclear facility "must be stopped"

Ukrainian military under constant gunfire by Russian troops near Urozhainoye, says POW

Yevgeny Pogrebnyak said that he was treated well by Russian troops in his captivity

Georgian protests against foreign agent bill reek of US influence — Medvedev

"The experienced and all-too-familiar Hollywood touch can be seen behind these rallies," the politician pointed out

Former Ukrainian PM points to motive behind mobilization exception for law enforcement

Nikolay Azarov noted that currently, law enforcement’s main job in Ukraine was to tighten the screws on the country’s population

Ukraine’s military loses positions near Avdeyevka, says DPR

Igor Kimakovsky said that Ukrainian forces suffered heavy casualties among personnel and military hardware, including Western equipment

Russian Aerospace Forces destroy three militant hideouts in Syria’s Homs

No shelling attacks on Syrian troops were registered over the past 24 hours

Kiev continues to openly announce terrorist attacks on Russia — diplomat

Maria Zakharova also pointed to the fact that Ukraine's special services do not give up attempts to "massacre their former compatriots"

Over 40 nations want to join BRICS — Russian lawmaker

According to Grigory Karasin, many BRICS members share the opinion that the association should be in no hurry to adopt a strict charter, "seeing how counterproductively and even provocatively the European Union is acting"

Russia restores gasoline production after decline — Energy Ministry

The increase in motor gasoline production in mid-April is associated with production recovery after a local drop due to unscheduled repairs at refineries

Russian software sales soaring over last four years — Minister

The number of employees in IT companies increased by 1.5 times over four years, Maksut Shadaev said

Russian, Turkish senior diplomats discuss situation in Gaza

"The meeting focused on the situation in the region," said in the statement

Shoigu tests commando vehicle, calls for additional machineguns

The Russian defense minister "personally tested the special transportation vehicle and its running qualities"

Russia to scrap moratorium on intermediate missiles if US deploys them anywhere — MFA

Sergey Ryabkov said the US seeks to maintain military superiority in a great variety of areas

VTB CEO calls for SWIFT to be fully abandoned in payments

The banker stressed that VTB is working as part of a pilot project for the digital ruble, including in the field of cross-border settlements

Ukraine to lose at least 10 mln citizens over mobilization law — political scientist

According to Andrey Zolotarev, domestically, the population’s confidence level in President Vladimir Zelensky and state authorities will plummet

Russian investigators start inquiry into financing of terrorism by US, NATO officials

Investigators have established that the funds that were received through commercial organizations, such as the oil and gas company Burisma Holdings operating in Ukraine, have been used to carry out terrorist acts in Russia and abroad

Iran withdraws officers out of Syria due to Israel’s potential strike — newspaper

The report said that the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah movement is also reducing the number of its officers in Syria

Russian PM signs off on plan for regions to accommodate evacuees from Palestine

The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry is assigned to oversee the process of sending the evacuees to their respective regions in accordance with an annex to the directive

Press review: Iran fires back at Israel and Russia, West spar over AI rulebook

Top stories from the Russian press on Monday, April 15th

Top British diplomat refused to recognize Voronezh and Rostov as part of Russia — source

After Truss’ statements urging Moscow to move its forces, located on Russia’s soil, away from the border with Ukraine, Sergey Lavrov asked his British counterpart if she recognized Russia’s sovereignty over the Voronezh and Rostov Regions

Georgia’s parliament approves first reading of foreign agent bill

Protests against the bill have been held outside the parliament building since Monday

US deploying missiles in Philippines to endanger global security — Russian envoy

Anatoly Antonov has urged the US "not to open Pandora's Box" and follow Russia’s suit "by taking all necessary steps to ensure global stability and predictability"

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In chemicals production, prices edged up by 26.8% for ethers, organic peroxides, epoxides, acetals and semiacetals and their derivatives

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The Russian defense minister has given his instructions to speed up the introduction of promising weapons that have been tested in the special military operation zone into service with the Russian Army

China to act over possible US measures for alleged support of Russian defense sector

"China always opposes the illegal unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States and will continue to take necessary measures to firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises," Liu Pengyu said

Majority of France opposes confrontation with Russia — expert

Laurent Briard believes that French President Emmanuel Macron crossed a line when he announced he was considering sending French troops to Ukraine

German police apprehend two suspected Russian spies — media

The Der Spiegel magazine claims that the saboteurs’ targets included military cargo routes

Georgian president says she will veto law on foreign agents

According to Salome Zourabichvili, she is certain that the parliamentary majority will override her veto

G7 countries to prevent Iran from producing, purchasing weapons

The G7 finance ministers and Central Bank chiefs also condemned "the unprecedented attack against Israel by Iran"

Iran tells US about April 13 attack on Israel, it does not want escalation — top diplomat

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian added that prior to the attack, Tehran said that it would not target US military infrastructure in the Middle East "except in a situation where the United States wants to take military measures in support of Israel"

Ukrainian president signs law tightening mobilization rules

According to Rada Deputy Speaker Alexander Korniyenko, some of the law’s provisions will take effect after its publication, while most of them will enter into force in a month

Crimea, Donbass to forever remain within Russia, Slovak PM tells national parliament

Robert Fico believes Moscow will win in its confrontation with Kiev

US retrieves weapons previously banned under INF treaty — Russian ambassador

Anatoly Antonov emphasized that such steps were another powerful blow to strategic stability

Industrial building damaged, civilian injured after drone crash in Russia’s Rostov Region

On Thursday night, air defenses destroyed three drones near Kamensk-Shakhtinsky in the Rostov Region

Protesters give Georgian government one hour to revoke foreign agents bill

Earlier on Wednesday, Georgia’s parliament passed the foreign agents bill in the first reading

EU leaders urge to adopt proposal on using incomes from frozen Russian assets for Ukraine

The EU, the US, Japan and Canada have frozen Russian assets worth a total amount of around $300 bln

EU isolated in its 'blossoming garden,' reluctant to let strangers in — Russian diplomat

Vasily Nebenzya also pointed at the European Union’s double standards with regard to refugees from Ukraine and the Global South

Yerevan's refusal to delimit borders with Baku to escalate regional tensions — PM

Nikol Pashinyan pointed out that the demarcation process also involves risks, but they are manageable, after which "Armenia will become ten times stronger"

EU summit urges to provide air defense systems and all necessary military aid to Kiev

The document also says that the EU and its member states will step up humanitarian support and civil protection assistance to Ukraine

Ukraine turns from sovereign country into Western protectorate, Hungarian PM says

Viktor Orban noted that there should be a buffer zone between NATO and Russia and Ukraine could serve as one

US not going to be in armed conflict with Russia — official

The President of the United States has made that very clear

Israel plans to send 'painful message' to Iran in response to attack — newspaper

According to the report, Israel’s war cabinet will meet on April 16 for a third straight day

US deliberately fuels tensions in Asia — Russian envoy to Washington

According to Anatoly Antonov, the United States are creating new closed groups and military-political alliances in the Asia-Pacific region and this way "are trying to return the world to the worst times of the Cold War and brinkmanship on the brink of a nuclear conflict"

DPR leader reports heaviest fighting near Avdeyevka, Chasov Yar

According to Denis Pushilin, it is too early to say when the city could be liberated

Decision on peacekeepers’ pullout made by top leadership of Azerbaijan, Russia — official

"The defense ministries of Azerbaijan and Russia are taking the necessary measures to implement the decision," Hikmet Hajiyev added

Iran may break through Israel’s air defenses in major attack by drones, missiles — expert

Iran has the region’s largest arsenal of ballistic missiles, estimated to number in the low thousands, Behnam Ben Taleblu noted

Both main US parties threatened Telegram, co-founder says

"So we got two letters that said: whatever we do, we would be violating the US Constitution," Pavel Durov said

Ovechkin may beat legendary Gretzky’s goal record starting next NHL season

The contract of the 38-year-old Ovechkin with NHL Washington Capitals is valid until the end of June 2026

EU vows new sanctions against Iran, calls on Mideast conflict parties to show restraint

The European Union is also poised to impose new sanctions on Iran, related to drones and missiles

Russia says its forces repel four Ukrainian counterattacks in Kupyansk area

The Ukrainian army losses were up to 70 servicemen, three motor vehicles, a D-30 howitzer, 2 Plastun-3000 electronic reconnaissance stations and a Nota electronic warfare station

Russian artillery thwarts Ukrainian army’s rotation near Kupyansk — underground resistance

The Ukrainian army used the outbuilding as an ammunition depot, which accommodated about 15 fighters at the time of the air strike, spokesman Sergey Lebedev specified

Putin points to high risk of new epidemic outbreaks

The Russian president pointed out that Moscow’s "program of assistance to the African countries in sanitary and epidemiological well-being provides for the delivery of ten mobile high-containment biological laboratories"

Situation with air service between Russia and Dubai stabilizing — air transport agency

Domestic airlines completed about 30 flights between airports in Russia and Dubai

US assured Israel that Iranian drones will be intercepted — US journalist Hersh

He also said that the US military contacted Russia and the United Kingdom while evaluating the potential of the Iranian attack

Xi Jinping proposes four principles for resolving Ukrainian crisis

The Chinese leader had an in-depth exchange of views on the Ukrainian crisis with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who is on an official visit to Beijing

Humanitarian efforts in Gaza doomed without durable ceasefire — Russia’s UN envoy

Vasily Nebenzya is convinced that the work of the UNRWA is indispensable under these circumstances

Israel planned to strike back at Iran on April 15, but decided to postpone, Axios reports

Israel told the US administration about the decision to wait, according to a US official

Iranian president warns of 'terrible response' to any action against country

Ebrahim Raisi opined that the UN Security Council and the organization as a whole "failed to fulfill their minimum legal obligations to condemn the [Israeli] attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus"

Russia maintains constructive dialogue with both Iran, Israel — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov mentioned a recent phone call between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian

West, Kiev indulge in nuclear blackmail by demanding control of ZNPP — Russian MFA

"Without noticing it themselves, they spoke the language of an ultimatum," Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova underlined

Number of people convicted of high treason in Russia last year revealed

In 2022, 16 individuals were convicted of high treason and one was convicted of spying

Russia bans 235 Australian local government officials from entering country — MFA

"Taking into account the fact that Canberra does not intend to give up its anti-Russian course and continues to introduce new sanctions, work on updating the Russian stop list will continue," the ministry said

Ukrainian front may collapse this summer — newspaper

According to the newspaper’s assessments, Russia "has never been closer to its goals" in the special military operation zone

New US bill calls for $26 bln in assistance to Israel

The bill also includes a proposal to earmark $2.4 billion to fund US Armed Forces operating in the Middle East in response to threats against Israel