Damascus confirms US reports on air strikes at Islamic State positions — AFP

Russia’s Foreign Intelligence reported that service members from the Ukrainian army’s Unmanned Systems Forces had been deployed to Latvia to prepare attacks on Russia from the Baltic country’s territory

The ruble’s exchange rate against the dollar has fallen to its lowest since February 2023

Advances in import substitution and development have reduced the urgent need for domestic software by a factor of four in recent years, the Russian prime minister noted

Under the guidance of instructors with real combat experience, the BARS-Vladimir unit members will master firearms, tactical, engineering, and medical training, as well as the basics of electronic warfare and communications

European Gymnastics will make its own decision on lifting restrictions on Russian athletes by the end of the week

Yury Ushakov said that Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping will sign a Joint Statement on further strengthening the comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction

The document emphasizes that the license does not authorize transactions related to a number of Russian regions, including Crimea, the Donetsk People's Republic, and the Lugansk People's Republic, as well as Iran, Cuba, and North Korea

Top stories from the Russian press on Tuesday, May 19th

Esmail Baghaei said that Tehran is fully prepared for any contingency

The statement emphasized that the test launch is routine, was planned several years ago, and is not in response to current world events

A private home completely burned down in the village of Novaya Krivtsovka in the Oboyan District as a result of the attack

The American side "is still seeking to link talks on ending the war to the nuclear issue"

The situation was triggered by Brussels' decision in April to include Chinese company Yangjie in the 20th package of sanctions against Russia

In the Battlegroup North zone, the enemy lost up to 155 soldiers

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei stressed that Tehran was in constant contact other stakeholders to develop a mechanism to ensure safe passage for all nations

This will ensure the most vulnerable countries have access to energy, Scott Bessent said

The Russian leader will meet with his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, hold Russian-Chinese talks in both narrow and expanded formats

The Russian foreign minister stressed that Moscow is not trying to intrude into the negotiation process between Washington and Tehran, wishing this process every success

Narges Mohammadi was awarded "for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all"

The American researcher "provided the first comprehensive account of women’s earnings and labor market participation through the centuries"

According to the newspaper, Israeli forces control over half of the Gaza Strip

Vladimir Putin will pay an official visit to China on May 19-20

Actions by the Kiev regime may lead to more resignations in Europe, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told

Bulat Khabriev, managing investment director at VEB.RF, says that cyberattacks and UAV attacks have ceased to be abstract risks

One of them is an American Bombardier Challenger 650 Artemis II intelligence and reconnaissance jet, which took off from Romania’s Constanta

The US president added that Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and several other countries asked the US to delay strikes on Iran by two to three days, believing that a deal is close

According to preliminary information, there were no casualties or damage

Mikhail Mishustin made this statement during the Digitalization of Industrial Russia conference

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko highlighted close contacts between the two countries’ foreign ministries

Sergey Ryabkov highlighted "the escalatory narrative" from European capitals about "the looming threat of a high-intensity war" with Russia

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that any contacts between President Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping help create new momentum for the further development and expansion of relations between Moscow and Beijing

The required conditions were not specified in the media report

Top stories from the Russian press on Monday, May 18th

Kirill Dmitriev’s statement came in response to former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who said that the European Union has failed to use its diplomatic potential in the situation around Ukraine

According to preliminary information, there were no casualties or damage

Communications Director Yevgenia Yashina said the exact number of drones that attacked Energodar is being established

The platoon commander said that artillery crews of the Battlegroup North thwarted several attempts by the Ukrainian army to rotate personnel in the Sumy and Kharkov Regions, accomplishing over 350 firing missions

Masoud Pezeshkian emphasized that Tehran is conducting negotiations with honor

According to a report by RBC, attendance at theater events rose by 3.5% to 44.3 mln people

Tasnim did not elaborate on the incident

Keir Starmer said he had no intention of resigning

Yury Ushakov emphasized the significance of this encounter

According to the latest figures, the Ukrainian army lost roughly 1,175 troops in battles with Russian forces in all the frontline areas over the past 24 hours

The exercises involve Bulgaria, Canada, Portugal, Romania, the United States, and Turkey

Earlier, some US media expressed doubts if Russia would agree to take US astronaut Mark Vande Hei back to Earth amid the sanctions imposed on Russia over the situation in Ukraine

Tehran will not "retreat from the legal rights of the people and the country," Masoud Pezeshkian says

Nikolay Azarov pointed out that Ukraine tried to eliminate the Russian language and ban a significant part of its culture

There is no link between the visits to China by US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Yury Ushakov noted

The Ukrainian troops have been eliminated with aerial bombs and guided munitions

According to the report, Iran rejects many of Donald Trump's demands and refuses to make any meaningful concessions on its nuclear program

According to Hanno Pevkur, the drone entered Estonia’s airspace and was downed over Lake Vortsjarv

According to a report compiled by inspectors general of the Pentagon, the Department of State, and the US Agency for International Development, now effectively terminated, the collective West’s assistance to Kiev has amounted to more than $325 billion since February 2022

The time has come for diplomacy, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said

There were no casualties or injured

According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, the drills are set to practice readying some of nuclear forces’ units and formations for accomplishing assigned objectives

Since his official inauguration in 2013, Xi Jinping has met with Vladimir Putin more than 40 times

"It will also help reroute existing supply to countries most in need by reducing China’s ability to stockpile discounted oil," Scott Bessent believes

No information on casualties or damage has been reported yet

As calculated by Iran War Cost Tracker, basing on a Pentagon briefing for the US Congress on March 10, Washington planned to spend $1 bln for each day of the conflict

Maxim Buzhansky urged the members of the Office to focus on their own responsibilities instead of broader issues

As Yury Ushakov specified, the Chinese side will organize a formal welcome ceremony at the airport

"Global energy security is impossible without Russian energy resources," the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund said

Yury Ushakov said the Russian president will begin his meeting with Xi Jinping after the welcome ceremony in the Great Hall of the People

According to a report prepared by the inspectors general of the Pentagon, the State Department, and the now effectively dismantled US Agency for International Development, 13 other investigations have been closed

This "cannot go unaddressed," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said

Ararat Mirzoyan noted that Armenia realized that it had to choose between the European Union and the EAEU

The Russian Foreign Ministry’s ambassador-at-large says that the results of the research could have included the development of biological weapons

Guo Jiakun said the Financial Times information contradicts the facts

The nets feature an innovative "spider knot" weave

At a scheduled summit, the two leaders will discuss China-Russia cooperation and global and regional issues of mutual interest, the Chinese diplomat said

The Civil Aviation Organization of the Islamic Republic called on all international bodies to take appropriate measures in response to this incident

Automatic station "Luna-25" ceased to exist, noted in the state corporation

The decision is based on the fact that the Russian Central Bank's claim against Euroclear Bank is not recognized under EU law, and Euroclear "does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction"

"The discoveries by the two Nobel Laureates were critical for developing effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 during the pandemic that began in early 2020," the statement reads

The ex-chief of EU diplomacy said the situation is similar with the approval of new sanctions against Russia

The European Union purchased around 933 mln euros worth of LNG from Russia

Ukrainian strikes lack the coordination, tempo, and concentration on critical Russian military infrastructure, according to a report compiled by inspectors general of the US Department of War, the Department of State and the Agency for International Development

According to one of the newspaper’s sources, US President Donald Trump and his aides have grown frustrated that the US pressure campaign has not led Cuba’s leaders to agree to significant economic and political reforms

According to the FSB, two citizens of former Soviet republics were recruited by a Ukrainian Security Service agent via Telegram

The US president also made it clear that Washington may take new measures against Tehran

The Russian president says that the two countries are ready to support each other on key issues, including the protection of sovereignty

Denis Manturov noted that investment activity is having a positive impact on the development of bilateral trade

The German chancellor underscored that "the fighting must cease first"

According to the report issued by inspectors general of the US Department of War, the Department of State, and the Agency for International Development, the training commitments are coordinated by the Air Force Capability Coalition that the US co-leads with Denmark and the Netherlands

According to Alexander Stepanov, contracts are currently known to be in place for the supply of at least 290 systems of this type to Poland, 9 to Estonia, and 16 to Norway

The Russian Foreign Ministry’s ambassador-at-large added that the activities of the laboratories constitute "a deception of US taxpayers"

According to Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian Direct Investment Fund has invested in more than 50 projects with Chinese partners

Two people were injured

The Ukrainian army lost roughly 1,075 troops in battles with Russian forces in all the frontline areas over the past 24 hours

The Aviatechnolab Design Bureau said the Odyssey system extended the range of attack unmanned aerial vehicles to 70 kilometers

Alexander Stepanov warned that industrial facilities in northwestern Russia as well as taking control of Karelia may be priority objectives in the course of potential aggression against Russia

According to Boris Rozhin, the probe will transfer the issue of American military-biological activity abroad from the level of charges to the status of legal recognition

Tehran’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe Amir Hossein Hosseini also expressed hope that the conflict would be resolved diplomatically

The decision is based on the fact that the Russian regulator’s claim against Euroclear Bank is not recognized under EU legislation, and "Euroclear does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction"

CEO of Russia’s Roscosmos State Space Corporation Dmitry Bakanov noted that the details of the meeting are currently being worked out

The blackout has become the longest nationwide internet disruption ever recorded worldwide

The extent of the damage caused by the shockwave that has swept across the world like a tsunami cannot yet be accurately assessed, the Turkish president said

No information about deaths or injuries is available at this point

Viktor Medvedchuk recalled that Vladimir Zelensky's name had repeatedly popped up in corruption investigations

Russia’s Battlegroup North units continue creating the security zone on the territory of the Sumy and Kharkov Regions