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Conflict in Syria

Turkey plans to set up another 12 observation posts in Syria — Erdogan

Currently, Turkey has 12 observation posts in the Idlib de-escalation zone in Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Alexei Nikolsky/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

© Alexei Nikolsky/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS

ISTANBUL, October 18. /TASS/. Turkey will set up another 12 checkpoints in Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters on Friday. A TASS correspondent was present at the news conference.

"The slide shows the ‘safe zone’ [planned by Ankara]. The locations where we will be establishing observation posts are highlighted in blue," Erdogan said. He answered 'yes' to a reporter’s question on whether there would be 12 of them.

Read also

Turkey to resume Syria operation if agreement with US fails to be implemented — Erdogan

Currently, Turkey has 12 observation posts in the Idlib de-escalation zone in Syria. According to Erdogan, Ankara has retaken 1,300 square kilometers from terrorists.

"I spoke to [Turkish] National Defense Minister [Hulusi Akar] this morning, and he told me that [the agreement with the US to suspend Operation Peace Spring in Syria] is being implemented without any problems," he added.

On October 9, Ankara launched its Peace Spring military operation in northern Syria. The operation aims to establish a buffer zone in Syria’s northern regions, along the Turkish border, where Syrian refugees could return from Turkey. Syria’s SANA news agency slammed Ankara’s operation as an act of aggression. The international community has condemned Ankara’s actions.

On October 17, the United States and Turkey reached an agreement to suspend the military operation. Turkey agreed to cease fire for 120 hours to give Kurdish units of the Syrian Democratic Forces time to leave the area of the border security zone Ankara is seeking to create.

Syrian President Bashar Assad said earlier on Friday that in terms of international law, Turkey’s offensive is nothing but "aggression and the Syrian people have the legal right to resist occupational troops with all the means that they have."

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Syrian conflict

Military operation in Ukraine

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Russian embassy warns UK about dangers of calling for Moscow’s ‘defeat’

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Western countries should 'be afraid, tremble' after Putin's statement — lawmaker

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Russia to view F-16 fighter jets in Ukraine as threat in nuclear sphere — Lavrov

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Here are the key statements, made during the meeting

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The Russian Defense Ministry announced earlier in the day that the country’s latest Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile hit all the targets at a major Ukrainian military-industrial enterprise in Dnepr (Dnepropetrovsk) with its MIRVed warheads

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Warehouse with containers of flammable liquids on fire in Barnaul — Emergencies ministry

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Russian armed forces defeat Ukrainian assault Battalion Shkval in DPR

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Russia’s Permanent Representative to the Vienna-based international organizations Mikhail Ulyanov said that what has been done by the White House is very dangerous

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Mira Rapp-Hooper mentioned the US administration’s version, according to which North Korea has allegedly sent troops to engage in active combat in Ukraine

Ukraine should consider territorial concessions to Russia in return for peace — magazine

Foreign Policy pointed out that Western officials should stop insisting in public speeches on the need to achieve a strategic defeat for Russia

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Russia entitled to use weapons against military sites of states attacking it — Duma

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Oreshnik missile to change course of Ukrainian conflict, Medvedev believes

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said it in an interview

Russian military to warn Ukrainian civilians of future Oreshnik attacks — Kremlin

Earlier, the Russian Armed Forces carried out a precision strike on Ukraine’s Yuzhmash defense industry facility in retaliation for the use of US-and UK-made weapons for strikes on Russia

Russian MFA withholds public comment on nominee for new ambassador to US

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin relieved Anatoly Antonov of his duties as Russian ambassador to the US

Taiwan reports 25 Chinese aircraft, 7 ships approaching island

The Taiwanese army responded by employing aircraft, navy vessels, and coastal missile systems to monitor the targets

NATO countries engaged in full-fledged war against Russia — Medvedev

According to him, the alliance is "fully engaged" in the Ukrainian conflict

Putin congratulates Serbian film director Kusturica with seventieth birthday

Counsellor of the Russian Embassy in Serbia Natalia Klischenkova read the text of the telegram to Kusturica

Lukashenko tells Putin situation is "starting to get tense with Wagner"

The Belarusian leader noted that they want to go to Warsaw

UK mercenary taken prisoner in Russia’s Kursk area — source

"A mercenary from Britain has been taken prisoner in the Kursk area," the person said

Russian forces gain foothold in Chasov Yar’s industrial zone — expert

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Ukraine was warned about possible missile strike — Pentagon

Department of Defense Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh gave no answer to the question of how could Ukraine prepare for this kind of attack

Gazprombank’s UnionPay cards no longer serviced in several countries

Moscow not ruling out Trump’s meeting with North Korean leader

The restart of the negotiating process between the United States and North Korea "on previous conditions appears problematic", Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said

Biden’s actions on Ukraine meant to 'muck things up' for Trump — Lavrov

According to the Russian foreign minister, such behavior is "typical of the Democrats"

Putin invites Tajik leader to attend celebration of 80th anniversary of victory in WWII

He recalled that Tajikistan will hold presidency in the Commonwealth of Independent States next year

Russia will not artificially impede process of terrorist status lifting from Taliban

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said that completion of legal procedures of removing the terrorist organization’s status from the Taliban Movement will attribute a positive impetus to Russian-Afghan interaction in various spheres

Cooperation with Russia will play important role in upgrade of Indian armed forces — MFA

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NATO pours with weapons prohibited by INF Treaty to Asia — Russian Foreign Ministry

"This vector highlighted as early as by the Republicans was legally formalized under the Democrats administration and resulted in the dramatic surge of militarization in Asia," Andrey Rudenko said

Trump to tap Richard Grenell as US special envoy on Ukraine — agency

Grenell would play a key role in Trump's efforts to halt the conflict if he is ultimately selected for the post

West’s trying to turn Seoul into accomplice of Zelensky regime — Russian Foreign Ministry

Andrey Rudenko stressed that bilateral cooperation between Russia and the DPRK "is built in accordance with the generally recognized norms of international law and is not directed against any third countries"