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Developments in Afghanistan

Turkmenistan did not evacuate Afghan embassy, Foreign Ministry says

The Turkmen diplomats are performing their duties in full in accordance with the usual working schedule of Turkmenistan’s foreign missions

MOSCOW, August 18. /TASS/. Turkmenistan did not cut its diplomatic personnel in Afghanistan, and there was no partial evacuation of embassy staff, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

"The Turkmen diplomats are performing their duties in full in accordance with the usual working schedule of Turkmenistan’s foreign missions. There were no cuts or partial evacuation of the diplomatic and consular staff," the report said.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Turkmenistan’s Embassy in Kabul and the country’s Consulates in Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif continue to work as usual. "At the same time, the outside perimeter of the embassy and consulates’ buildings are guarded by representatives of the Taliban group (outlawed in Russia - TASS)," the ministry said.

After the US announced the end of its operation in Afghanistan and the beginning of troop withdrawal, the Taliban launched an offensive against government forces. On August 15, Taliban fighters entered Kabul without encountering any resistance, establishing full control over the Afghan capital within a few hours. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said he had stepped down to prevent any bloodshed and fled the country. At present, Western nations are evacuating their citizens and embassy staff.

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Afghanistan Turkmenistan Power transfer in Afghanistan

Middle East conflict

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According to the statement, the operation "is being carried out in accordance with the Lebanese government's commitment to fulfill all the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 1701"

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According to the report, his team believes that this step could reduce the risk of an armed conflict

Slovak PM accepts Putin's invitation to attend Victory Day festivities in Moscow next year

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No further details were provided

NATO disregards all etiquette in discussing possible preemptive strikes on Russia — Lavrov

NATO Military Committee Chairman Rob Bauer earlier called for producing more weapons for precision strikes inside Russia in case a conflict broke out

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Alexander Stepanov pointed out that "this also applies to intermediate-range high-precision systems such as the Tomahawk and other weapons that NATO countries may provide to Ukraine"

Kiev troops attempted to kill British mercenary who surrendered to Russians — officer

In his words, they fired conventional 120mm mortar rounds, silent munitions and at least one FPV drone with a fragmentation charge

Lebanese premier approves roadmap for ceasefire with Israel

The implementation of the agreement will help to bring stability to the region, Najib Mikati said

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Valentina Matviyenko noted that the Federation Council is willing to further support actions aimed at protecting Russia

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Currently, the Russian Strategic Missile Forces already have over 88% of modern missile hardware in their operational inventory

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"There is a clear effort by NATO to push the conflict to even higher levels of confrontation, making it as difficult as possible for the next US administration to take any steps toward normalizing the situation and resolving the conflict," Alexander Tokovinin said

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Mikhail Kovalchuk noted that Russia should continue strengthening this potential

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The list of parties to the agreement expanded to 14

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Air raid warnings were issued for the Dahieh neighborhood in the south and the Bachoura district in the heart of the capital

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A spokesman for the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also said that London refutes the allegations against a British diplomat

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Itamar Ben-Gvir said that the agreement fails to fulfill the goal of this war - the safe return of northern dwellers to their homes

Ukraine loses 500 troops near Dzerzhinsk in DPR in past ten days — Ukrainian officer

On November 24, 2024, Denis Pushilin, the head of the DPR, said that the Russian Armed Forces were advancing in Dzerzhinsk

Russia ‘shows teeth’ with launch of Oreshnik missile while avoiding escalation — media

"Russia has shown that it has a weapon, previously unveiled, and was prepared to use it," the report says

US sanctions against Gazprombank leading to energy price growth in Europe — investor

The new round of US sanctions has become the most notable lately "but generally not critical for the Russian financial system, which has already passed through much worse time," Kyle Shostak said

Citizens of Poland, Germany, Italy apply for residence permit in Lugansk Republic

The decisions will be made in response to these applications in the near future

Ottawa Convention’s secretariat views transfer of antipersonnel mines to Kiev as violation

Receipt of a prohibited weapon would be a direct violation of the treaty by a State Party, the convention’s Secretariat said

Russian troops liberate Novaya Ilyinka community in Donbass region over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup West repelled four Ukrainian counterattacks and inflicted roughly 450 casualties on enemy troops in its area of responsibility over the past day, the Defense Ministry reported

FACTBOX: Collective Security Treaty Organization

The six member-countries are Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan

Ukraine is a failed state, Russian foreign intelligence chief says

Sergey Naryshkin stressed that Moldova is "following in its footsteps"

Russia rejects Korean scenario for freezing Ukraine conflict — foreign intel chief

Sergey Naryshkin recalled that the only way to ensure peace is to eliminate the root causes that triggered the Ukrainian conflict

Russian military engaged in tough battles with Ukrainians in Kharkov Region — official

"Our forces continue their coordinated efforts to liberate the Kharkov Region from the enemy," Vitaly Ganchev said

Russian troops liberate Kopanki community in Kharkov Region over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup West inflicted roughly 440 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed three enemy ammunition depots

Russia designs Titan rifle for commandos

The rifle is reliable with precise and dense fire

US must stop escalating Ukrainian conflict, says Russian senior diplomat

Sergey Ryabkov advised the new US administration and President-elect Donald Trump to treat this issue "with all seriousness"

Key energy facility in Ternopol Region almost completely destroyed

Vyacheslav Negoda noted that a power shortage will remain in the region for a long time

Pentagon not yet assessed damage caused by use of Russia’s newest Oreshnik missile

"When we have more to provide, we will," Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said

No existing missile defense system can counter Oreshnik — US expert

Theodore Postol also vehemently rejected suggestions that the Oreshnik system represents previous outdated developments of Moscow

Press review: Russia to avenge Kiev's new strike as experts analyze US-EU trade risks

Top stories from the Russian press on Wednesday, November 27th

Oreshnik becomes serious problem for Ukraine — Polish general

According to Waldemar Skrzypczak, satellite reconnaissance failed to detect the launch and flight of this missile

Giving Ukraine regular nuclear weapons 'technically impossible,' analyst says

According to Boyan Chukov, some Western politicians don’t take seriously these warnings from Russia about a proportionate response

Ukraine launches second strike on Novaya Kakhovka after emergency services arrive

According to Governor Vladimir Saldo, two vehicles have been damaged

Ukraine loses more than 250 servicemen in Kursk area over day — top brass

The Russian armed forces continue to defeat the Ukrainian formations on the territory of the Kursk Region, the Defense Ministry added

Germany orders closure of Russia’s Channel One bureau in Berlin

According to Ivan Blagoy, his bureau received the corresponding documents, a 10-page report that substantiates the move, citing EU sanctions, from the German authorities on Tuesday

Austria ready to host Ukraine talks — chancellor

According to reports, US president-elect Donald Trump mentioned Nehammer's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which took place shortly after the start of the special military operation in Ukraine

US needs Ukraine's rare earth metals, including lithium — Lavrov

The Russian foreign minister noted that American companies had already bought up most of the fertile land

Trump focused on solution to Ukrainian conflict — national security adviser

Mike Waltz compared the scope of the tragedy to World War One, describing it as "trench warfare" with hundreds of thousands of victims

Ukrainian forces attempt to assassinate Novaya Kakhovka head, his deputy with drones

Ukraine tracked two service cars and dropped munitions on them after the vehicles approached the administration building

US no longer objects to use of S-400 air defense systems by Turkey, Defense Minister says

According to the Pentagon, these missile air defense systems could help revealing certain specifications of jet fighters and thus negatively affect their combat capabilities

Ukraine requests UN Security Council meeting on November 27 — Russian mission

According to Dmitry Polyansky, "the Kiev regime keeps fighting windmills and does not abandon attempts to persuade the world community this struggle is very serious"

British mercenary taken into custody and Ukraine's losses: situation in Kursk Region

The Ukrainian armed forces lost over 250 troops, four tanks, four infantry fighting vehicles, three armored combat vehicles, eight motor vehicles and two mortars in the past day

Kiev failed to inform Ottawa Convention signatories about its plans to violate it

The Ukrainian delegation has not yet informed on this development, the convention’s Secretariat said

West tired of Ukrainian conflict, while Russia ready to continue it — magazine

The article noted that the West "no longer has the political will to help Ukraine win by military means" and is trying to achieve peace through negotiations with Russia"

Russian forces entrap Ukrainian troops near Svatovo in LPR — military expert

Ill-thought-out command and control of Ukrainian troops has demoralized enemy forces and increased the number of desertions among its personnel in that frontline area, Andrey Marochko said

Trump’s team, Biden administration sign memorandum of understanding

This engagement allows to begin critical preparations for transition of power

US, NATO on brink of being recognized as parties to conflict with Russia — diplomat

According to Sergey Ryabkov, the West harbors a dangerous delusion that it can defeat Russia strategically

Mideast situation keeps deteriorating due to Israel’s aggressive policies — Lavrov

In his words, Israel’s desire to ensure its security at the expense of the security of others, while benefiting from the unwavering support it gets from the United States, leads nowhere

Russia expects US to continue warning about ballistic missile launches as well — diplomat

According to Sergey Ryabkov, such mutual notifications are a "stabilizing factor in the current extremely dangerous situation"

Europe's inability to resolve Ukrainian conflict on its own 'is a disgrace' — expert

Ab Gitelink noted that Europe "needs a right-wing conservative businessman in the White House in order to put an end to the war on European territory"