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SCO has growing role in the East — Russian defense minister

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is turning into one of most important structures not only in Central Asia, but also in the East, says Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ITAR-TASS/Dmitry Astakhov

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu

© ITAR-TASS/Dmitry Astakhov

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KHUDZHAND, April 01. /ITAR-TASS/. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) turns in one of most important structures and has a growing role in international relations, visiting Russian Defense Minister General Sergei Shoigu said at a bilateral meeting with Tajik counterpart Sherali Mirzo in this Tajik city on Tuesday.

“The SCO is turning into one of most important structures, to our mind, not only in Central Asia, but also in the East,” Shoigu said.

In his words, there are many questions in the SCO that require debates and attention for 15 next years, or, according to some estimates, even for 20 years. The Russian defense minister noted that this concerned military and military-technical cooperation.

“I believe that our today’s meetings on bilateral basis and within the SCO will result in further positive steps in development of bilateral relations and within such major and serious organizations as the SCO,” Shoigu noted.

For his part, the Tajik defense minister thanked the Russian counterpart who “despite his busy and intensive working schedule accepted invitation to participate in a meeting of the defense ministers of the SCO states.” “Our bilateral relations are highly valuable for us, so, we attach major importance to meetings in this format,” Mirzo noted.

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Zelensky to have no input if Russia, US negotiate, ex-Prime Minister says

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Western air defense systems unlikely to intercept Russian missiles — France’s Le Monde

According to the French military source, Russia's recent use of the Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile should be taken in the context of possible negotiations regarding the ongoing Ukrainian conflict

Tehran to launch new centrifuges in response to IAEA anti-Iran resolution — statement

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WIPO members adopt Riyadh Design Law Treaty

The treaty is aimed at harmonization of national and regional laws and at unification of formal requirements to designs registration

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Nikolay Patrushev agreed that Trump, when he was still a candidate, "made many statements critical of the destructive foreign and domestic policies pursued by the current administration"

Russia fires ballistic, non-nuclear-tipped missile at Ukrainian aerospace plant — Putin

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

Andrey Kartapolov added that the special military operation in Ukraine "will continue its course until all tasks are completed"

Russian forces cut off key Ukrainian supply route in Velikaya Novoselka, DPR

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Lukashenko grants asylum to Schmidt persecuted on political grounds by Poland

The head of state also approved citizenship applications from foreign nationals and stateless persons residing in the country

China against double standards in international law — Foreign Ministry

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Biden’s decision to use ATACMS against Russia may 'blow up in America’s face' — US expert

According to Daniel Davis authorizing US long-range weapons to be used against Russia is "foolhardy to the highest order," "especially because there is no military upside for doing so"

Russia’s reaction to Austrian OMV’s failure to pay for gas justified — MFA

The company stated it would seek damages amounting to 230 million euro for failing to receive the contracted volume of gas from the Russian company for delivery to Germany

Russia’s Oreshnik has no analogues worldwide — Putin

"We know what kind of developments are being carried out there, but this will happen tomorrow or in a year or two, but we have such a system already today," the president said

Russian stock market indices mixed on Friday — market data

The MOEX Russia Index surged by 0.48% to 2,581.05 points

Putin’s recent statements reflect long-standing policy, expert says

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Western nations should take Putin's statement seriously, warns Hungarian PM

Viktor Orban recalled that Russia has "one of the most powerful armies in the world, which boasts the most advanced, most powerful weapons"

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

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Maria Zakharova quoted the US Senator, who called the ICC a "Kangaroo court" and ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan a "deranged fanatic"

Ex-German chancellor never expected Russia to tolerate Ukraine’s NATO membership — memoir

Angela Merkel added that another fallacy was the belief that the status "would act as a deterrent," and that Moscow "would accept these developments without taking action"

Kremlin confident Putin's statement got through to US administration

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on November 21 that the United States and its NATO allies had earlier announced that they would authorize Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons to hit inside Russia, after which American and British missiles struck Russian military facilities in the Kursk and Bryansk regions

Weapons supplied to Ukraine cannot reach Russian territory, Spanish defense minister says

The New York Times reported on November 17 that US President Joe Biden had authorized the use of US-supplied ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles for strikes inside Russia

Oreshnik can reach targets across entire Europe — missile troops commander

"Based on the tasks and the range of this weapon, it can hit targets across entire Europe, which sets it apart from other high-precision long-range weapons," Sergey Karakayev said

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Zelensky’s actions make Ukraine vulnerable to coup, says politician

"Democratic institutions in the country have been destroyed, rendering dialogue between the government and the people impossible," Viktor Medvedchuk said

German politician slams Ukraine’s ‘irresponsible’ strike on Russia with UK-made missiles

"A diplomatic search for balance and mutual understanding should be the goal, instead of further escalation," Alice Weidel said

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

Zelensky fine with conflict continuing due to Western help — Slovak PM

Robert Fico pointed out that "more and more evidence show that the West seeks to prolong the war in Ukraine for various reasons"

Any escalation scenario possible in Ukraine conflict — Medvedev

According to the politician, Western nations need to understand that they are fighting on Ukraine’s side

Russia’s steel production plunged in October — WSA

China produced 81.9 mln metric tons in October, up 2.9% on an annualized basis

Russia forced to roll out new weapons as West fuels conflict, Minsk says

According to Belarusian Security Council State Secretary Alexander Volfovich, "the West does not support peace, it supports war"

West builds up military presence near Russia’s Arctic borders — presidential aide

According to Nikolay Patrushev, the "imposed sanctions restrictions are aimed at thwarting the implementation of Russia’s Arctic projects"

US-led coalition aircraft violate Syrian airspace ten times in past day

Apart from that, one violation of the deconfliction protocols of December 9, 2019 linked with the flights by the US-led coalition unmanned aerial vehicles was reported

Russia hammers Ukrainian military-industrial facilities, energy sites over week

Russian forces liberated seven communities in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past week, the Defense Ministry reported

Decision on strikes inside Russia seals US puppet Zelensky’s fate — commentator

The New York Times reported earlier, citing sources, that US President Joe Biden had authorized the use of US-made ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles for strikes inside Russia

US admiral says Washington should be ready for talks with Russia, China

The Department of State and other US agencies "should continue to engage our competitors in real and substantive dialogue," Rear Admiral Thomas Buchanan said

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Over the day, the enemy lost more than 150 people, while five Ukrainian servicemen surrendered

Zelensky begs ‘for his country to be flattened’ — US journalist

"Ukraine should be forever grateful that President Putin is calm, rational and kind - because Zelensky is practically begging for his country to be flattened," American political commentator Jackson Hinkle said

US not seeking confrontation with Russia, but will continue assistance to Kiev — Pentagon

Department of Defense Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh also claimed that Washington, while helping Ukraine, is not attempting to turn the conflict into a large-scale regional confrontation that spills beyond the country’s borders

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Illegal decisions on Russian property in Finland will not go unanswered — diplomat

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"As a result, the goals that the enemy apparently set have not been achieved," the Russian leader said

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Russia will continue developing pipe gas supplies and will "continue supplying competitive energy resources to partners and the whole world," Pavel Sorokin noted

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The important message in Vladimir Putin’s speech was that "Russia does believe that the West has shifted from a proxy-war to direct war" and that the parties find themselves in "a global conflict" now, Dmitry Suslov said

NATO enters conflict, Russia has every right to attack its targets now — expert

Col. (Ret.) Lawrence Wilkerson confirmed to TASS that the launch of ATACMS missiles would be impossible without "US/NATO satellite feeds and/or personnel"

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

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US missile defense base in Poland long among Russian army’s targets — Foreign Ministry

Maria Zakharova stated that the US-NATO construction project, ongoing for nearly a decade with complete disregard to Russian security concerns, has consistently been a focus of Russia's attention

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The meeting was co-chaired by India’s Secretary (Defense Production) Shri Sanjeev Kumar and Russia’s First Deputy Director of the Federal Service for Military Technical Cooperation Andrey Boytsov

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

"Russia has repeatedly stated that such actions will receive a response – and it will be a stronger one," Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin stressed

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The overall death toll from Israeli bombardments and artillery attacks since the outbreak of the current escalation in October 2023 has reached 3,642, with 15,356 people being wounded

Bank of Russia lifts official dollar rate to 102.58 rubles for November 23-25

The Central Bank said on June 13 that it would fix official dollar and euro rates against the ruble on the basis of reports of banks on results of transactions in the over-the-counter currency market

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

According to th statement, London is promoting new rounds of escalation

Kremlin clarifies notification process for Oreshnik missile launch

"An automated warning was sent 30 minutes before the launch," Dmitry Peskov said

Zelensky shook up by Russia’s response to permission to attack it — Lavrov

According to the Russian foreign minister, the West is directly involved in the use of long-range weapons against Russia, as not a single missile could be launched without its involvement

Defense ministers of five European nations to meet in Berlin on November 25

The French interior ministry said earlier that an emergency meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council will be held on November 26 following Russia using its new missile against a Ukrainian defense sector facility

Ukraine conflict entering decisive phase, Polish PM says

According to Donald Tusk, "no one knows how the conflict will end"

Belarusian president believes humanity is on the brink of World War III

Alexander Lukashenko also emphasized that a real information war has been underway for a long time

Good relations between Moscow, Riyadh helping oil market stability — Medvedev

"Our friends are living in the Arab world," the politician noted

Houthis say they attacked Israeli military base with hypersonic missile

The Israel Defense Forces said on Thursday evening that it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen before it entered the Israeli airspace

West irrational, fails to understand it cannot intercept Russia's new missiles — Kneissl

The former Austrian foreign minister stressed that she "counted on rational Western decision-makers, but irrationality is unfortunately on the rise among them"

Oreshnik missile to change course of Ukrainian conflict, Medvedev believes

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

Eliminating best enemy units: Defense Minister visits special op area

Andrey Belousov stressed that Russian troops have accelerated their advance in the special military operation zone and have effectively disrupted Kiev's 2025 military campaign

US decision to allow missile strikes deep into Russia fuels global escalation — Slovak PM

Robert Fico also rejected the belief that this escalation would not impact "those living far away, in Spain, England, or America"

Putin says Oreshnik missile system cutting-edge innovation by Russia, not Soviet byproduct

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

Ukrainian defense line in Donbass may soon collapse — expert

"Those are very important logistical hubs and defence outposts for the Ukrainian armed forces, and losing them will give Russia the advantage to move forward to cities like Kramatorsk and Slovyansk," Marina Miron emphasized

Enemy has no countermeasures for Russia’s Oreshnik missile — Putin

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Over 1,200 children from Dagestan remain in refugee camps in Middle East

The humanitarian mission for the repatriation of Russian children from the Middle East began in 2018 and is coordinated by the Russian children’s ombudswoman’s office

Russian forces successfully advancing in all areas in special military op zone — Putin

The Russian president said that "all the goals we set for ourselves are being achieved"

Chinese pandas sent back home after years in Finland

In September, a zoo in the Finnish city of Ehtaeri decided it had little choice but to return a pair of pandas given to Finland after the 2017 visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Helsinki

Ukrainian frontline may 'collapse' under onslaught of Russian forces — BBC

According to the experts, Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s borderline Kursk Region turned out to be a "strategic catastrophe" amid "manpower shortages"

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Here are the key statements, made during the meeting

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Russia got the support of 129 countries in a November 20 vote in New York at the 40th plenary session of the UN General Assembly

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Moscow used its new Oreshnik medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile in response to the West’s decision to authorize strategic-depth strikes on Russia

Russia uses aerial bombs to destroy Ukrainian positions near DPR’s Konstantinovka — source

According to the report, at least 15 Ukrainian servicemen were killed as a result of the attack

US administration chooses to escalate Ukraine conflict — Kremlin

Earlier, Putin stressed that the Ukrainian army is unable to fire the latest Western-made long-range missiles on its own without support from NATO satellite feeds and the involvement of the bloc’s military

Russia encircles largest Ukrainian fortification in southern DPR — security services

"The enemy positioned in the fortified area in Velikaya Novoselka in the south of the DPR is already trapped in a kill zone," the source said

Putin stays open to contacts to reach 'peaceful track' — Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a televised address to the nation on November 21, announcing that in response to the West’s decision to authorize strategic-depth strikes on Russia, Moscow used its new Oreshnik medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile for the first time

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

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Press review: US lets Kiev use anti-personnel mines and Iran may halt uranium enrichment

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China urges restraint after Russia, Ukraine's exchange of attacks — foreign ministry

Lin Jian also reaffirmed Beijing's position on the Ukrainian issue

Bundeswehr prepares plan for Operation Germany in case of war with Russia — newspaper

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Russia's Oreshnik missile poses significant threat to West, Turkish expert warns

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US, West have no capabilities to intercept new Russian hypersonic missile — expert

"There is more in the Russian arsenal than many believe," said Karin Kneissl, the former Foreign Minister of Austria