Middle East conflict

18 Mar, 09:48

Another Israeli strike on Gaza Strip continues to unwind spiral of escalation — Kremlin

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on March 18 that it had carried out large-scale strikes on "terrorist targets" in Gaza belonging to the Palestinian movement Hamas

MOSCOW, March 18. /TASS/. Another Israeli strike on the Gaza Strip, which has led to numerous civilian casualties, is another in the series of events unwinding the spiral of escalation, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"Undoubtedly, this marks another round of tensions, which continue to unwind the spiral of escalation. This is what causes us concern, particularly regarding reports of numerous civilian casualties," he said.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on March 18 that it had carried out large-scale strikes on "terrorist targets" in Gaza belonging to the Palestinian movement Hamas. Meanwhile, Barak Ravid, a reporter for the US news website Axios, wrote on the X social media platform, citing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, that Israel had resumed military operations against Hamas in the Palestinian enclave. According to the latest data provided by the Al Arabiya TV channel, the death toll has reached 356, while 1,000 people have been injured. About half of the fatalities were reported in Gaza City.

UNESCO chief condemns killing of Russian journalists in LPR — statement

"I condemn the killing of Alexander Fedorchak, Andrey Panov, and Alexander Sirkeli and call for a thorough and transparent investigation," Audrey Azoulay said

Over 3,300 foreign mercenaries take part in armed conflict in Ukraine — investigators

"A total of 871 now have a warrant out for their arrest," the statement says

G7 countries have no right to criticize China on nuclear weapons — defense ministry

Wu Qian also called upon the G7 nations to move away from the Cold War mentality and ideological biases, and to stop dictating to others

22 Mar 2024, 06:09

Poland scrambles jets due to ‘Russia’s long-range aviation activities’

This is the second time over the last 24 hours that the Polish armed forces have used this measure

Putin calls Northern Fleet most powerful in Russian Navy

The Northern Fleet is based in Severomorsk in the Murmansk Region

European efforts to intercept the Russian-US Ukrainian agenda futile — Russian lawmaker

"Attempts to hijack the agenda from Washington and Moscow, who are currently engaged in negotiations, are entirely pointless," Maria Butina said

Ukraine not ready to sign revised minerals deal with US — lawmaker

Yaroslav Zheleznyak presented a copy of the document to prove that he was not making all this up

Far North airports to be upgraded — Putin

According to the Russian leader, sixteen airports of the Arctic zone will be modernized in coming years

13 Jun 2023, 16:57

Russia, Cuba to agree on supply of 1.64 mln tons of oil, oil products per year — Cuban PM

Manuel Marrero stressed the relevance and importance of this agreement for his country

Yesterday, 16:43

Kiev seeks to derail peace agreements — Russian mission to UN

According to Dmitry Polyansky, Russia is fully ready for a military scenario of settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, but prefers to settle it by diplomatic means

Yesterday, 20:00

Greenland essential to US international security — Trump

"We need Greenland for international safety and security,"US President said

Two days ago, 21:48

Russia, US discuss Nord Stream pipeline issue — Lavrov

According to Russian Foreign Minister, 'it will be interesting if the Americans use their influence on Europe and will force it not to reject the Russian gas'

Strengthening of partnership in line with Russian, Chinese interests — Russia’s deputy PM

Russia’s delegation at the meeting also included Deputy Minister of Economic Development Dmitry Volvach

Moldovan authorities suppress pro-Russian opposition — Kremlin

"Moldova’s current government decided to take the path of forcibly repressing political opponents, who enjoy significant support from the country's population," Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said

Russia’s top diplomat announces plan for Putin to visit India

Sergey Lavrov noted that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his first foreign visit to Russia upon his re-election last year

Russian stock market closed in the red on Thursday — market data

The MOEX Russia Index lost 1.98%, the RTS Index edged down by 1.55%

Yesterday, 22:53

Envoy explains why US chose to address Black Sea Initiative first in talks on Ukraine

Keith Kellogg said that was the easy part

UN opposes killing of journalists, calls for investigations — secretary general’s office

Deputy spokesperson for UN Secretary General Farhan Haq said that UN 'want them to be thoroughly investigated'

Russian President Putin arrives in Murmansk on working visit

The head of state last visited the northwest Russian region in July 2023

Kiev’s special services recruiting Russians under cover of RAND Corporation — FSB

The Ukrainian recruiters pose as employees of RAND Europe, the US firm’s European arm, the FSB shared

Paris, London to send group to Ukraine to work out Ukrainian military’s future — Macron

According to the French president, "in close cooperation with the Ukrainian side, we will determine the format in which the Ukrainian army will have to exist in the future"

Putin gives go-ahead to launch Perm nuclear submarine

"Go ahead!" the Russian leader said

Yesterday, 14:59

Many questions remain regarding use of intact Nord Stream 2 line — Novak

Technically, the pipeline is in working condition, the official stressed

Ongoing Ukraine's attacks on Russia's energy facilities reveal Kiev's cynicism — senator

On Wednesday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that Ukraine continued its attacks on Russian energy facilities despite agreements to halt such strikes

Washington keeps mum about killings of Russian military correspondents

TASS submitted its request for comment regarding the killing of Russian war reporters or the activity of the Ukrainian military to the White House and the Department of State on Wednesday morning, local time

Poland prepares people for war — newspaper

"Now the frontline state is getting its population ready for war," Politico said

10 Jan 2022, 19:24

Court seizes property of wife of ex-Rive Gauche chain owner accused of embezzlement

On December 8, Inna Meyer and her husband were detained on suspicion of embezzling more than 2.4 billion rubles ($31.9 mln)

Russia displays counter-UAV laser rifle

According to the designer company, the laser beam destroys the drone body, propeller, engines, battery

27 Feb 2022, 14:15

Putin orders "special service regime" in Russia’s deterrence force

Russian President stressed that the Western countries were also taking unfriendly actions against Russia in the economic sphere

Houthis attack another US aircraft carrier in Red Sea — spokesman

According to Yahya Saria, by striking the aircraft carrier, the Houthis prevented "the enemy's attempts to redeploy its warships to the southern Red Sea and expand its aggression against Yemen

Russian politician warns Europe against flooding Ukraine with weapons

Sergey Mironov recounted how the Islamic State (IS), Al-Qaeda, and other terrorist groups banned in Russia "once spiraled out of control" in the West

Russia's envoy to UN calls for moving towards new global paradigm not dominated by West

"Russia, remaining committed to the legacy of the Yalta Conference, consistently promotes, including via the UN, the principles of the UN Charter's essential role," Vasily Nebenzya said

19 Jan 2022, 13:55

WHO experts’ visit to Sputnik V manufacturing sites on approval — Gamaleya Center

Earlier, the World Health Organization revealed that it expected further information on the Sputnik V vaccine in late January

2 Sep 2024, 10:55

Turkey applies to join BRICS — news agency

Bloomberg said that the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan believes that the West is losing its position as the geopolitical center and is interested in developing relations with various players of the multipolar world

Ukrainian lawmakers admit that new version of minerals deal tougher than last one

Verkhovna Rada deputy Alexey Goncharenko (listed as a terrorist and extremist in Russia) also lamented the fact that the previous version of the document was way more lax on Ukraine. Now, due to Zelensky’s incompetence, he has hurt every citizen in his country, Yaroslav Zheleznyak said

18 Dec 2024, 11:51

Gerasimov says international security deteriorates as West wants to keep dominating

It is reported that the Russian forces keep the initiative and advance in the whole front despite colossal aid to Kiev from the West

Ukrainian combat group hits its own mines upon escape from Sudzha — Russian army engineer

There were both wheeled and tracked vehicles with Ukrainian crews and military personnel blown up on the minefields, he specified

Deep processing industries to be created in the Arctic region — Putin

According to the Russian leader, the task is to open plants with deep processing of raw materials in the Arctic region on a strong resource base, preserving the unique Arctic nature

Iran wants to put out feelers for talks with US via mediators — authorities

Kamal Kharazi, an adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, criticized US officials for forgetting their history, accusing them of repeating past mistakes in their dealings with Iran

24 Apr 2020, 14:36

Military medics to help treat coronavirus patients in Moscow Region

The Army must today support those who are in a difficult situation, including defense enterprises, Russian Defense Minister Army General Sergei Shoigu said

European bureaucracy cannot defeat Russia, Moscow’s envoy says

Politico reported earlier that Kallas was facing criticism from a number of European officials over her belligerent rhetoric against Moscow

If US appoints new president of Ukraine, it will ruin the country — Russian legislator

"This would represent a continuation of the same colonial scenario and further accelerate Ukraine's collapse," Viktor Vodolatsky said

‘Coalition of the Willing’ aims to extend anti-Russian sanctions — Polish PM

"I’ve raised the question of looking for ways to make a common EU approach to Russia possible, even if Hungary is not interested," Donald Tusk said

Russia faces large-scale tasks in the Arctic region — Putin

"We will have to strengthen transport and logistical infrastructure, expand capabilities of the economy and the business with compulsory protection of sensitive Arctic ecosystems," the head of state added

US seeks to secure ceasefire in Ukraine by April 30 — newspaper

The media outlet named 10 priority areas of Donald Trump's work in the first 100 days of his presidency and noted that only one goal had been reached so far

Siberia, Ural to have railway approach to Arctic — Putin

"Regions of Siberia, Ural, Northwest Russia will have the direct access to the north, to Arctic ports, making it possible to reduce the load on the Trans-Siberian Railway," the Russian leader stressed

Americans must reflect on why Kiev's military hits civilians with US weapons — Russian MFA

"I believe it is important for American civil society to reflect on why they remain silent," Maria Zakharova said

Yalta to host diplomatic congress on future world order

According to the organizers, the delegates will address pressing geopolitical challenges "at a time of a shifting balance of power, dialogue and cooperation between the leading world powers"

IN BRIEF: Ukraine continues to attack Russian energy sites

TASS has compiled the main information about the attacks

Press review: Kiev challenges Black Sea deal as the US reasserts China as its top rival

Top stories from the Russian press on Thursday, March 27th

US plans to increase its Arctic military presence — Russian presidential adviser

"Today, airfield infrastructure for aircraft capable of carrying nuclear and high-precision weapons is under construction in the [Arctic] region, in addition to currently active ballistic missile warning systems and reconnaissance satellite control stations," said Anton Kobyakov

China ready to actively cooperate with Russia, Iran at sea — defense ministry

"Starting from 2019, China, Iran and Russia have successfully held five joint maritime exercises," Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Wu Qian recalled

Yesterday, 08:49

Channel One says war reporter Prokofyeva dies in Belgorod Region

Anna Prokofyeva was 35 years old

Pharaoh tomb 3,600 years old discovered in Egypt — media

Archaeologists first discovered a pharaoh's tomb at Abydos more than 10 years ago, providing evidence of a "lost" royal dynasty at the site

Yesterday, 10:00

Press review: Russia and US advance Black Sea deal as nuclear divide deepens in Europe

Top stories from the Russian press on Wednesday, March 26th

Two days ago, 22:12

Zelensky understands that his days are numbered — Lavrov

In Russian Foreign Minister's words, he remains popular only among 'a part of the population that shares radical, ultra-right, revanchist and Banderite views'

Russia sees no grounds for strategic stability dialogue with US — MFA

Sergey Ryabkov pointed out that "there have been recent signals from Washington at the highest level that the topic, as it was formulated by US President [Donald Trump], of denuclearization of the countries that are on Washington's radar when it comes to nuclear arms control should be considered"

Russia’s Battlegroup Dnepr destroys 80 Ukrainian troops in past day

"As many as 80 [Ukrainian] military personnel, five motor vehicles, an artillery gun, an electronic warfare station and an ammunition depot were destroyed," the ministry said

Yesterday, 03:52

Nuclear weapons previously held by Ukraine belonged to Russia — Trump’s special envoy

Richard Grenell called it 'an uncomfortable fact'

Yesterday, 16:37

Europe moving away from idea of sending troops to Ukraine — Reuters

In addition to Kiev's position and Washington's stance, the initiative to send European troops is hampered by fierce opposition from Russia and logistical constraints, the sources said

Yesterday, 15:06

US offered Riyadh to monitor ban on strikes against energy facilities — Zelensky’s office

The deputy head added that the final decision on who will conduct the monitoring has not been made yet

Russia to put new generation icebreakers into service — Putin

Russia already has the largest icebreaker fleet globally, the head of state noted

Putin describes floating out of Perm nuclear sub as milestone for Russian Navy

"It is supposed to enter service with the Russian Navy and to start performing its combat tasks next year," the president added

Russian forces strike Ukrainian military airfield, weapons enterprise over past day

Russia’s Battlegroup North inflicted roughly 80 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed two enemy artillery guns in its area of responsibility in the Belgorod direction over the past day, the ministry reported

7 Mar 2023, 14:28

А-50 plane that was attacked never flew into Ukraine — Lukashenko

On Tuesday, Lukashenko announced an agent of Ukrainian special services and his accomplices had been detained in Belarus for their involvement in the sabotage attack on the A-50 aircraft at the Machulishchy airfield near Minsk

US will not withdraw troops from Europe or fold nuclear umbrella — expert

Dmitry Suslov noted that Donald Trump administration aims to reduce the strength of US forces in Europe to levels that existed before the onset of the Ukrainian conflict

Russia should not expect love or friendship with the West — Crimean parliament speaker

Vladimir Konstantinov emphasized that friendship has no place in politics

Yesterday, 10:53

Chinese expert doubts US role as mediator in peace talks on Ukraine

Meanwhile, profound disagreement on a permanent ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine remains, and the most complex talks are yet to come, Sun Qi warned as he referred to territorial disputes and US military assistance to Ukraine

New draft of Kiev’s deal with Washington covers all Ukrainian natural resources — lawmaker

Under the US proposal, Ukraine will have to allocate revenues from its resources, while the aid Washington has provided to Kiev since 2022 will be considered a US contribution to the fund

Russia needs to strengthen infrastructure, protect environment in Arctic — Putin

The president added that it is necessary to consistently improve the urban environment, enhance the settlements of the Far North, and generally raise the quality of life, "so that they could have interesting, good, well-paid jobs, as well as access to modern education and healthcare services, making the Arctic truly comfortable and attractive to live in"

FACTBOX: Russian tourists die in submarine incident near Egypt’s Hurghada

TASS has gathered the key information about the incident

British PM urges not to lift, but to strengthen sanctions against Russia

Keir Starmer also noted that the session, attended by nearly 30 states, focused on the determination to support Kiev and secure peace in Ukraine, including plans for military operations on land, in the air, or at sea

Russia will do its best to maintain status of powerful seafaring nation — Putin

"We will build new surface ships and submarines, and improve their performance" and "they need to correspond to present-day standards and to be, of course, combat-ready and effective in the near term," he said

Participants of Ukraine summit in Paris oppose lifting anti-Russian sanctions — Macron

The French president pointed out that the European Union has no legal basis for seizing frozen Russian assets

19 Jan 2022, 15:47

Russian delegation declares start of ‘countdown’ in wait for adoption of Russian proposals

"There arrives a moment of truth when the West either accepts our proposals or other ways will be found to safeguard Russia’s security," the head of the Russian delegation at the Vienna Negotiations on Military Security and Arms Control Konstantin Gavrilov said

Russia to press for proper reaction to killings of journalists — MFA

Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also took the UN to task for saying that it does not possess a special mandate to carry out an investigation

Arctic cooperation affected by West’s course towards confrontation with Russia — Putin

The president went on to say that certain Western politicians and party leaders flaunt their green agenda and environmental concerns, but "do quite the opposite in reality"

Yesterday, 00:38

Lavrov describes NATO secretary general as ‘laughable and pathetic’

Russian Foreign Minister noted that Mark Rutte 'does not want even to speak on the subject'

Second round of Russia-US consultations may take place in Riyadh in mid-April — source

"Technical consultations between Russia and the United States are to continue," the source said

EU outraged over being excluded from discussions on Nord Stream pipelines — Politico

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Channel One that Moscow and Washington were discussing the Nord Stream issue

Two days ago, 20:34

Europe engages in ‘freeloading’ in cases with Ukraine, Yemen, NATO — Trump

US president said that 'the European Union has been absolutely terrible to us'

Putin visits Arkhangelsk nuclear submarine

This advanced fourth-generation multipurpose nuclear submarine entered service with the Russian Navy on December 27, 2024

Ukraine to suggest plan of European military deployment within 7-10 days

At the same time, Zelensky admitted that the question of Ukraine’s NATO membership is out of discussion

Two days ago, 16:45

West 'swallowed' Ukrainian UAV attack on Russian territory on March 11 — Lavrov

On that day Ukraine launched a record number of drones against central Russia, including Moscow and the surrounding region - nearly 340 drones, the foreign minister recalled

Putin says US Greenland ambitions nothing to sneer at

In his words, the United States has entertained the idea since the 1760s

UNESCO chief condemns killing of Russian journalists in LPR — statement

"I condemn the killing of Alexander Fedorchak, Andrey Panov, and Alexander Sirkeli and call for a thorough and transparent investigation," Audrey Azoulay said

Lithuania's territorial claims against Russia justify Moscow's actions — Kremlin

Earlier, the Lithuanian president referred to Kaliningrad as part of "Little Lithuania"

Yesterday, 11:38

Keys to the homeland: how Putin became president

On the occasion of today’s anniversary, TASS reflected on the circumstances that garnered Putin the support of the Russian people

Ukraine's own air defenses shoot down half of Kiev's aircraft declared lost — Rada MP

Maryana Bezuglaya noted that the findings of the investigation into the loss of one of the first F-16 fighter jets delivered to Ukraine last August have yet to be made public

Russia says concerned over Kiev’s bill granting sweeping power to police

"It seems that the Kiev regime is planning a scenario worse than the sniper shootings during the Maidan," Maria Zakharova concluded

Paris summit fails to reach consensus on military mission to Ukraine — Macron

The French president acknowledged that the format of the "support forces" would also require additional discussions

Teenage Russian actress placed on Ukraine's undesirable persons database

The girl, only 14 years old, becomes one of the youngest individuals on the list

Yesterday, 13:02

Inflation, sanctions, enhancement of life standards: Mishustin’s address to State Duma

"Russia is among the world’s four largest economies in terms of purchasing power parity," the Russian Prime Minister stated

Sending NATO 'peacekeepers' to Ukraine risks military confrontation with Russia — diplomat

According to Maria Zakharova, London and Paris are still nurturing plans for military intervention in Ukraine, disguising it as a certain peacekeeping mission

US involved in at least two conflicts in which reporters knowingly killed — news outlet

US journalist Max Blumenthal believes that America is "in complete moral free fall"

Gagauzia head urges Putin to help with her release

According to Yevgenia Gutsul, Chisinau is disregarding all principles of democracy and international law, consistently and methodically provoking internal confrontation

Russia’s new ambassador to US arrives in Washington

Earlier, an aircraft carrying Darchiev landed at Washington’s Dulles International Airport

United States’ urge to negotiate indicates inability to defeat Russia — lawmaker

This means only one thing for us, that we must multiply all our efforts in opposing the West in economics, in the military field, in diplomacy, and in basic issues of morality," Alexander Babakov stated

Top US diplomat points to ‘agreement in principle’ on Black Sea ceasefire

The Kremlin on Tuesday released a statement following the March 24 expert consultations with Washignton

Polish PM Tusk says no decision made to send troops to Ukraine at Paris meeting

Donald Tusk noted that "it is already clear that the United Kingdom, France and some other countries" are ready to send a mission in Ukraine to "monitor the observance of peace"

Russia-US dialogue opens opportunities for non-confrontational coexistence — MFA

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov called the contacts "only the beginning of a long and difficult process to improve relations"