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Coronavirus pandemic

Battling pandemic adds new dimension to cooperation in healthcare, says Lavrov

The post-pandemic socio-economic recovery is our shared priority, the Russian Foreign Minister noted

TROMSO /Norway/, October 26. /TASS/. Battling the spread of COVID-19 has added a new dimension to multilateral cooperation in the field of healthcare, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on Tuesday at the 18th Ministerial Session of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council.

"It is clear that combating the spread of coronavirus provides a new dimension to multilateral cooperation in the field of healthcare. Also, the post-pandemic socio-economic recovery is our shared priority. We appreciate the active and beneficial work of the Barents Euro-Arctic Council on these issues under the Norwegian presidency," he said.

In this regard, the top diplomat emphasized the timeliness of Murmansk Region’s initiative to discuss joint measures on combating the pandemic. "In particular, four videoconferences were held on the subject of "Barents Euro-Arctic Region versus Coronavirus" under the chairmanship of the region’s Governor Andrei Chibis," Lavrov added.

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Sergey Lavrov Russian Foreign Ministry

Military operation in Ukraine

Final statement by G7 top diplomats to call for supplying more air defenses to Kiev

Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister said Kiev required US-made Patriot systems and Italian-French Samp-T theatre antimissile systems

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Argentina applies for status of NATO’s global partner

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Colombian president displays interest in country’s entry into BRICS

Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva welcomed Gustavo Petro’s initiative, "being committed to promotion of Colombia’s candidacy"

US blocks Security Council resolution granting full UN membership to Palestine

A total of 12 countries, including Russia and China, voted in favor of the document

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

German MFA summons Russian ambassador after detention of espionage suspects — newspaper

Commenting on the men's arrest, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said: "Our security services have prevented possible explosions aimed at undermining our military assistance to Ukraine"

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"

EU summit calls to continue work on duties on Russian, Belarusian agricultural produce

The European Commission suggested introducing duties on agricultural products from Russia and Belarus earlier

Russian MFA says Russia won’t invade Ukraine, blames US for ‘aggressive plans’

Maria Zakharova said it was "absurd" to say Russia nurtured any aggressive plans about Ukraine

Kremlin condemns 'illegal' seizure of villa from Russian businessman

Dmitry Peskov underscored that Moscow has already made its position clear on this matter

Russian Aerospace Forces strike five militant hideouts in Syria’s Homs

Yury Popov said that aircraft of the so-called international anti-terrorism coalition, led by the United States, continue to set dangerous precedents in skies above Syria

Throughput capacity of railroads to Subarctic ports to be 110 mln tons — governor

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Russia-China military-technical cooperation not directed against other states — diplomat

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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

UK imposes sanctions against leading Iranian military figures — Foreign Office

Restrictions have been imposed on Sayyed Javad Musavi, commercial director of the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group (SHIG), which is responsible for the Iranian ballistics program

Kiev ordered mandatory evacuation from Kharkov Region to accommodate mercenaries

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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

Ceasefire necessary for implementation of UN humanitarian resolution on Gaza — UN envoy

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G7 foreign ministers set to call on all sides to exercise restraint in Middle East

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Israel will "most likely" respond to the recent Iranian attack

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Earlier it was reported that the German automobile concern Mercedes-Benz plans to sell its enterprise located in the Solnechnogorsk district of the Moscow region

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Russian-Turkish monitoring center in Karabakh ceases to operate — Ankara official

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German prosecutors confirm they have two suspected Russian agents in custody

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CIA chief says Ukraine could lose by end of this year — Politico

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Tokyo potentially joining US nuclear missions fraught with danger — Russian diplomat

Maria Zakharova also highlighted Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s recent US visit, adding that "it was yet again accompanied by anti-Russian outbursts"

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The organizers will present multimedia and interactive materials on main sectors of the regional economy

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

German Foreign Ministry confirms summoning of Russian ambassador

Earlier, the German Public Prosecutor’s Office said that two people had been detained on suspicion of spying for Russia

Ukrainian trace obvious in Crocus City Hall attack — Russian Prosecutor General

The law enforcement employees exert efforts to identify the instigators of this crime, Igor Krasnov said

Investments in Subarctic region to be over $32.6 bln in next decade — governor

Murmansk authorities said earlier that the capacity of the port of Lavna under construction on the western coast of the Kola Bay is planned to be involved in transshipping export cargoes from Belarus

US 'not forgetting' to help itself with aid to Ukraine — Kremlin

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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"

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

Kazakhstan to sign new agreement with Russia on border checkpoints

The previous intergovernmental agreement dated December 23, 1998 on checkpoints through the Kazakh-Russian state border will cease to have effect on the effective date of the new document

Over 40 nations want to join BRICS — Russian lawmaker

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Russia can join top three countries by lithium reserves — governor

Infrastructure is required to implement the investment project, both power transmission lines and the railroad, Andrey Chibis noted

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Ukrainian president signs law tightening mobilization rules

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Russian diplomat challenges France to stop arming Kiev amid Olympic truce talk

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

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

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Ukraine’s military loses positions near Avdeyevka, says DPR

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Iran intends to bolster military cooperation with Russia — envoy to Moscow

Kazem Jalali noted that Iran had demonstrated its ability to ensure security and nudge the region toward a de-escalation

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

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Shoigu visits presentation of over 30 promising weapons, including robotic vehicles

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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

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Putin points to high risk of new epidemic outbreaks

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France-Russia relations hit rock bottom — ex-envoy to Paris

Alexander Orlov noted that recently French President Emmanuel Macron "has made a number of questionable moves that have increased the divide" between both countries

Germany moves to exclude Russia from concentration camp liberation celebrations

According to Maria Zakharova, Moscow "regards this provocative attack as the latest move by the German side aimed at further twisting history, painting the course and outcome of World War II in an anti-Russian manner"

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

Iran done with retaliation, calls for efforts to stop Israel from reckless steps — MFA

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Court arrests man accused of blowing up car of former SBU officer in Moscow

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EU plans to invest first profits from Russian assets in military aid to Kiev

"I think that the decision has been taken by the member-states - all 27 have agreed that we use the windfall profits following our proposal," Ursula von der Leyen 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

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"

Ukraine convicts 12th world chess champion for recognizing Donetsk, Lugansk republics

The two other State Duma members mentioned in the verdict alongside Karpov are Viktor Kazakov and Georgy Karlov

Energy prices help US economy to develop better than Europe — IMF

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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

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

Major Western investor accuses Zelensky's office of extorting millions of euros

Arnulf Damerau said that he provided details of the meeting, along with evidence and a list of names of those involved, to US and European intelligence agencies

Kiev lacks both troops and equipment near Chasov Yar in DPR, says retired general

Military commanders of Ukrainian army brigades "lack both personnel and the required amount of equipment" while Russian troops enjoy a considerable superiority, especially in artillery, Sergey Krivonos noted

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

Russia will not 'shake up' relations with Argentina due to its partnership with NATO — MFA

According to Sergey Ryabkov, Russia and Argentina maintain a good dialogue at various levels

Russian Railways to triple tourist passenger flow to 3 mln people by 2030

The country faces the task of doubling the flow of passengers in excursion trains by 2030 compared with 2023, while Russian Railways sets tripling the number of passengers as a goal, Ivan Kolesnikov noted

Investigation into Crocus terrorist attack underway, traces lead to Ukraine — diplomat

Maria Zakharova noted the need to "wait for official information from the investigation"

MiG-31I fighters receive air refueling system

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

Ukraine attacks ZNPP training center again, drone neutralized

"No one was injured as a result of the attack," the news release said

Serial production of missiles for S-500 air defense systems begins in Russia — source

State trials of S-500 are under way at a testing range in southern Russia

Water in Kurgan above dam, breaking records

More than 100 employees of the Russian Ministry of Emergencies are fencing the shores and filling the least reliable dam segments

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

EU border checkpoint closest to Russia’s St. Petersburg to cut its working hours

The changes were attributed to reconstruction works on the Russian side of the checkpoint Ivangorod

Iran to review nuclear doctrine in case of Israeli aggression — IRGC

Ahmad Haghtalab pointed out that the Iranian Army and other security forces protect Iranian nuclear facilities using the most advanced equipment, so "national nuclear centers are completely safe"

French president says creating Israeli-type air defense network for Ukraine impossible

Emmanuel Macron added that Europe’s resources are limited, and the European Union will continue helping Kiev keeping in mind its own reserves

No plans to ‘get involved in combat role’ in Ukraine, White House official says

Asked if it was because of Russia’s nuclear weapons, Kirby repeated that the circumstances were different

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

Robert Fico believes Moscow will win in its confrontation with Kiev

Cuba expects to welcome over 200,000 Russian tourists in 2024 — minister

Juan Carlos Garcia Granda expressed hope that in a short term the number could climb to half a million

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

Founder of neo-Nazi cell in Crimea flees to Georgia — source

According to the official, the investigation established that Mikhail Maurov planned to travel to Ukraine to join the ranks of a right-wing Ukrainian organization called the Freedom of Russia Legion

Ukraine struggles to garner support for Swiss conference — Russian Foreign Ministry

"There are increasingly fewer people willing to discuss this subject with Kiev’s envoys, let alone going there," Rodion Miroshnik stressed

Gazprom CEO and Belarus’ Ambassador to Russia discussed Russian gas supplies — company

OJSC Gazprom Transgaz Belarus is a 100% subsidiary of PJSC Gazprom in the Republic of Belarus

French, US, British nukes all interwoven — Russian diplomat

Maria Zakharova described France’s decision to place its aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, directly under NATO control as a symbolic move marking the end of "the era of an independent Paris in the international arena"

Crimea’s revenues rise to $1.12 bln over past ten years

Sergey Aksenov noted that the increase in budget revenues helped use a large amount of funds on the development of priority areas, including environmental protection, education, health care, and road construction

Polish premier refuses to hand over his country’s Patriot systems to Ukraine

Donald Tusk said that German Chancellor’s call to send more air defense systems to Kiev had no relation to Poland, provided the country's geographical position near the frontline

Germany fails to present evidence in case of espionage suspects — Russian embassy

The Russian embassy has called attempts to probe into the alleged involvement of Russian special services in the development of rumored plans for attacks on military facilities in Germany "absurd and ridiculous"