Russian ambassador in Warsaw summoned to Polish Foreign Ministry

The Russain leader "stressed that he knew Ebrahim Raisi well and thought highly of him as a reliable partner who made an invaluable personal contribution to expansion of friendly relations between Russia and Iran"

The conversation with the top Russian diplomat took place on the sidelines of the state visit of the Russian leader Vladimir Putin to China

According to Peter Kuznick, Professor of History and Director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University, Zelensky’s approval rating has dropped to approximately 60%, because "the Ukrainians are tired of war"

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said that on instructions from President Vladimir Putin the General Staff had begun preparations for an exercise to be held in the near future involving missile units of the Southern Military District, aircraft and naval ships

"Taiwan's independence is a dead end. I want to emphasize that Taiwan's independence and separatism are doomed to failure no matter under what pretext or flag they are promoted," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin said

Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior fellow at Washington’s Foundation for Defense of Democracies noted that the deceased president was exactly the kind of person Khamenei wants running the country

Viktor Vodolatsky also said the liberation of Staritsa would make it possible to reduce to a minimum and later completely remove the threat of bombardments for the Belgorod Region

"The United States and its allies with their typical cynicism were loudly proclaiming their adherence to peaceful space," Vasily Nebenzya said

According to Rodion Miroshnik, the operation to liberate the LPR would be brought to an end as soon as the operation in Lisichansk was finished

Sergey Ryabkov emphasized that Russia and Iran would continue to develop their relationship gradually, including in terms of the tasks of "strengthening security"

According to Miroshnik, the Russian foreign ministry calls for bringing Ukraine’s leadership to responsibility "for violating the norms and principles of humanitarian law"

Ukrainian forces are now trying to destroy the settlement by occasionally shelling houses there with artillery, the Russian Defense Ministry said

"Having demoralized the enemy with accurate strikes from grenade launchers and, having suppressed its firepower, the paratroopers under the cover of night entered the enemy stronghold," the Russian Defense Ministry said

"The Ukrainians are losing this war," Rajmund Andrzejczak said, describing the situation as "very, very dramatic"

Deputy Director of Russian Foreign Ministry’s Latin America department Dmitry Belov stressed that Brazil is Russia’s strategic partner in Latin America

The Mausoleum of Imam Reza is located in Mashhad, the hometown of Raisi, a center of pilgrimage and one of the main shrines of the Shiites

According to Sergey Overchenko, the US and NATO are trying to "entice" the Central Asian countries into so-called partnership programs and continuing unflagging attempts to bring their military infrastructure to the region

"This concerns beatings, arson and attempted arson," Donald Tusk said

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that Russia, unlike the Ukrainian side, had never rejected any negotiations

"However, it will change nothing either for the Ukrainians or for us," Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council stressed

It is aimed against the Israel Defense Forces soldiers who are heroically fighting against vile Hamas, Netanyahu said

The US carried out a subcritical nuclear test at the proving ground in Nevada

According to Mansouri, there were three helicopters and radio contact was lost with the one carrying the president

Despite intensive strikes by the Russian Aerospace Forces and artillery, the Ukrainian military is still attempting to redeploy reserves to the town’s eastern part, according to the report

Dmitry Medvedev stressed that "subtle considerations about preventing existential threats do not work during bloody conflicts"

All passengers and crew of the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi were killed in the crash, according to Iranian Red Crescent Society head Pir Hossein Kolivand

The intelligence sources insist that Russia is purportedly planning to create a 1.5 mln-strong regular army by 2026 because it expects a standoff with NATO

According to Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, "the experiment does not contradict Russia’s understanding of a ‘subcritical’ test and therefore does not violate the provisions of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty or the US moratorium on nuclear tests"

"This is yet another example of double standards and a parade of American hypocrisy," Anatoly Antonov said

Accordint to Diario Libre, Haitian airline Sunrise Airways has resumed all domestic flights and some of the international flights on May 20

Seven out of 15 UN Security Council members, including Russia and China, voted in favor of the resolution, while seven voted against and Switzerland abstained

"In this case regulatory acts adopted by a criminal state cannot be considered law in its true sense," the Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council explained

"Any newly-minted Fuhrer' of the Ukrainian Reich is capable of tearing it up at any moment for opportunistic reasons," the politician noted

An air raid alert has been in effect in the Kharkov Region for almost eight hours

The dollar-to-ruble rate went down by 0.22% to 90.75 rubles, the euro-to-ruble rate fell by 0.11% to 98.63 rubles

According to adviser to the DPR head Igor Kimakovsky, the Ukrainian military abandoned most of the bodies of dead soldiers in the combat area

More than 500 foreign guests attended the inauguration of 64-year-old Lai Ching-te, including representatives from 12 countries that recognize Taiwan as a separate state

On May 19, a helicopter carrying the Iranian president crashed in Iran's East Azerbaijan Province

On May 17, Putin explained the Russian military's offensive in the direction of Kharkov by the Ukrainian military’s continued shelling of residential areas in the border regions, including Belgorod

Bilateral trade between the two countries is successfully developing, "having hit a record figure of $27 bln, though there is more to come, of course," the Kazakh leader said

The ceremony was also attended by Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Viktor Yevtukhov, Northern fleet Commander Alexander Moiseyev, and representatives of the United Shipbuilding Corporation and the shipyard

It is reported that the Ukrainian military uses the Ptakhi Madyara group of UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) operators who try to remove discovered mines from rivers

The document said that based on the evidence gathered, the prosecution has reasonable grounds to believe that both "bear criminal responsibility for the <…> war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on the territory of the State of Palestine (in the Gaza Strip) from at least October 8, 2023"

The president assured he had proof and witnesses

Negotiations being held with several countries

On May 19, a helicopter carrying the Iranian president crashed in Iran's Eastern Azerbaijan Province

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for joint efforts in the interests of "fairer and more reasonable global governance"

Vladimir Sazhin noted that the struggle for the leverage of power in the country following Raisi's death could begin in the camp of conservatives, whom the late president represented

According to the FSB, among the neutralized UAVs there were both reconnaissance and attack drones

The Russian president said Moscow stood "shoulder to shoulder" with Tehran, Kazem Jalali said

The constitutional powers of the current Ukrainian president expire on the night of May 21

The IRGC Commander Lieutenant General Hossein Salami confirmed it

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the creation of a joint Indian-Russian venture to produce Kalashnikov assault rifles in the country in March 2019

Alexander Dubinsky argues that the only situation where the president can continue to fulfill his duties after the expiration of his term is the period until the president-elected takes office

The press bureau drew attention to the fact that history has shown time and again that attempts to retain power using lies and intimidation do not work

"It runs counter to common sense to discuss any issues, let alone sign any documents with leaders who have lost their legitimacy," Vasily Nebenzya said

The Peoples' Friendship Arch in Kiev was unveiled in 1982 to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the Soviet Union and the reunification of Ukraine with Russia in 1654

"The ICC has no authority over Israel or the United States, and today's baseless and illegitimate decision should face global condemnation," the speaker said

According to Mohsen Eslami, "The Guardian Council was asked to start registering [presidential] candidates before May 28"

According to Andrey Lazarkevich, in the current situation Ukrainian servicemen prefer to surrender as prisoners of war

Encouraged by the United States and the West, the island’s separatist forces are seeking to create an information environment to sow discord between the Taiwan Strait’s coasts, Maria Zakharova noted, adding that "any pretexts, including Lai Ching-te’s ‘inauguration’ will be used"

According to Vasily Nebenzya, the conference will be focused on "the [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky peace formula, which was supported by a representative of the Kiev regime during one of the Security Council meetings last week"

"They have not lived in a state of law before and now everything will stay as it is," the politician said

The ministers will also consider candidates for new SCO secretary general and director of the executive committee of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Organization

This was reported by a representative of law enforcement agencies

The ministers discussed the results of Russian President Vladimir Putin's state visit to China

Russian Battlegroup North units kept advancing deep into the Ukrainian army’s defenses in the Kharkov area over the past day

The helicopter carried Governor of the East Azerbaijan Province Malek Rakhmati and Tabriz Imam of Friday Prayer Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem

According to the files of arbitration cases, the court has partially upheld RusChemAlliance’s claim for interim measures against Deutsche Bank

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin emphasized that "much more US military assistance" is on its way to Ukraine

Russian forces also hit concentrations of Ukrainian manpower and equipment in 112 areas over the past 24 hours

According to Vasily Nebenzya, the chances of moving the conflict into a diplomatic domain "look elusive"

Denis Pushilin noted that the exhibition presents only a small part of what has been destroyed by Russian troops

In addition, Ukrainian forces were facing ammunition shortages due to a stalled US aid package

The Russian president noted that the US agency had achieved its goal of changing the government but failed to see what it would evolve into

Vasily Nebenzya said that this was not the only example of lies or understatements by Western representatives

According to CEO of Laboratory PPSh Denis Oslomenko, the Baba Yaga drone flies through Starlink and cannot be supressed

"Tanks delivered fire from a distance of 800 meters under constant enemy shelling," Russia’s Defense Ministry reported

Acting Industry and Trade Minister Nooruddin Azizi noted that Afghanistan could become a convenient point for the transit of goods to the states of South Asia

As Mark Episkopos notes, sending NATO instructors to Ukraine "without a larger strategy for ending" the fighting would be "a recipe for disaster" and would "bring NATO and Russia within a hair’s breadth of open conflict"

The prime minister cited intelligence data indicating that the situation on the border is unchanged

"Shortly after the accident, we managed to speak with Tabriz’s Friday Prayer Imam," Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Mahdi Safari said

The trip laid the groundwork for many years to come, Maria Zakharova said

The prosecutor also requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant

"All states that have ratified the ICC statutes are bound to execute the Court’s decisions," the top EU diplomat said

According to Boris Dolgov, relations between Iran and Russia are developing steadily in terms of cooperation

The powers of the current Ukrainian president under the current Constitution expire on May 21

Clashes erupted in Bishkek on the night of May 18 between local residents, sparked by a fight on May 13 involving Indian and Pakistani students and locals in one of the capital's districts

It also emphasized that Russia had "a huge advantage in artillery shells," adding that "depleted Ukrainian air defenses" were unable to counter Russian air power

In the text of the letter, the volunteers recalled that they had been "selected by the Organizing Committee of the 2023 Olympic and Paralympic Games (for the 2024 Paris Olympics), each one given a mission" and had already received visas, bought tickets to France and were ready to start working

Top stories from the Russian press on Monday, May 20th

Russian force have advanced to about 1.5 kilometers and are now in Gulaypole’s suburb

Isaac Herzog pointed out that he found it unacceptable to compare Israeli political leaders with leaders of the radical Palestinian movement Hamas, whom the ICC prosecutor also wants to arrest

As Wang Yi clarified, Putin reaffirmed his commitment to the "One China" principle in a speech after his election victory

According to Sergey Ryabkov, Moscow has been registering "all public signals coming from the US administration regarding this"

Dmitry Medvedev believes that "the population of a broken Ukraine realizes this only too well," noting that Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky canceled the country’s presidential election knowing that he would likely "lose spectacularly"

Israel Katz also noted that he plans to get in touch with his counterparts from leading countries to recruit their support against the ICC

According to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s first state visit to China at the start of his new presidential term was "a complete success"

The use of depleted uranium ammunition does not violate any international treaties, expert says

The decision was made taking into account the saturation of the domestic market for motor fuel, preventing a decrease in refining volumes at individual oil refineries due to overstocking of motor gasoline