Lavov assures Hamburg meeting between Putin, Trump will clarify Russian-US ties

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump are expected to meet on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg.

MOSCOW, June 30. /TASS/. The meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump expected to be held on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg should clarify bilateral relations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at the Primakov Readings conference on Friday.

"Relations between Russia and the United States are particularly important in today’s world, as achieving many tasks at the global level, from ensuring strategic stability to resolving regional crises, depends on the two countries," the Russian top diplomat said.

"We see that most countries are concerned over these abnormal relations [between Russia and the United States - TASS] that have become hostage to the domestic political struggle in the US," Lavrov said. "We expect the Hamburg meeting between our presidents to clarify the prospects for Russian-US cooperation," he added.

The Russian foreign minister expressed hope that "pragmatic approach aimed at ensuring national interests through most effective methods will prevail."

Source: ITAR-TASS 30-06-2017

Putin points to growing activities of foreign secret services against Russia

According to the Russian president, "they use new methods of collecting and spreading information".

MOSCOW, June 28. /TASS/. Foreign secret services have been stepping up their activities against Russia and its allies, Russian President Vladimir Putin said while visiting the headquarters of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).

"Generally, the growing activities of foreign secret services against Russia and our allies are obvious," Putin said congratulating SVR officers on the 95th anniversary of the Russian clandestine intelligence service.

According to Putin, "they use new methods of collecting and spreading information, carry out cyber attacks, try to recruit agents to gain access to the information concerning Russia’s defense capabilities, economic potential and resources," the president added.

A number of foreign spy services provide immediate support to extremist and terrorist groupings in order to destabilize the regions adjoining the Russian border, according to Putin.

"You know perfectly the kind of challenges Russia has to grapple with," he said at the meeting.

"You also know they (foreign spy services) use terrorist and extremist groupings as instruments," Putin said. "Some of the grouping get direct assistance from the intelligences agencies of a number of countries."

Putin also said intelligence services from abroad were seeking to affect social processes in Russia.

"They're conducting operations to wield impact on the internal political and social processes in this country," has said at a meeting at the headquarters of Russia's External Intelligence Service where he had come to congratulate the officers on the 95th anniversary since the foundation of illegal intelligence.

Russia to boost intelligence service’s capacity

The good results achieved by Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service provide an important guarantee of the country’s sovereignty, Putin said.

"We will continue to boost the capacity of the intelligence service, provide it with new technical means, encourage experienced professionals and train new personnel," Putin said congratulating SVR officers on the 95th anniversary of the Russian clandestine intelligence service.

According to Putin, the good results achieved by the national secret services, and the SVR in particular, provide an important guarantee of "Russia’s sovereign development, security and stability."

Source: ITAR-TASS 29-06-2017

Kremlin says its computers not affected by hacker attack

The Petya ransomware virus attacked a number of Russian and Ukrainian companies earlier on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, June 27. /TASS/. Neither the Kremlin website nor its computer systems have been affected by today’s hacker attack, Russian president’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov told TASS on Tuesday. "Everything is operating routinely," he said.

Group-IB, a company dealing with prevention of and investigation into cybercrimes, said on Tuesday a Petya ransomware virus attacked a number of companies, such as Rosneft, Bashneft, Mars, Nivea and Mondelez International (manufacturer of Alep Gold chocolates).

The Petya virus infects computer files and extorts a $300-bitcoin ransom to unblock them. According to Group-IB specialists, this virus has been recently used by the Cobalt group to hide traces of its attack on financial institutions.

The latest large-scale attack on computers of Russian companies and government institutions was staged on May 12, when unidentified hackers tried to attack Windows OS computers in 74 countries with a WannaCry ransomware virus that extorted a $600-bitcoin ransom to unblock them. According to the Russian cybersecurity and anti-virus provider Kaspersky Lab, a total of 45,000 cyber attacks were carried out across the world. Most of the attempts at infecting computers were registered in Russia.

Some reports said that they used a hacking tool developed by the US National Security Agency.

Source: ITAR-TASS 28-06-2017

Russian submarine successfully test-fires Bulava intercontinental missile

The missile has hit all the targets at the practice range in Kamchatka.

MOSCOW, June 26. /TASS/. The Russian Northern Fleet’s Project 955 underwater missile cruiser Yuri Dolgoruky has successfully test-fired a Bulava missile from the Barents Sea and hit all the designated targets at the Kura practice range in Kamchatka, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Monday.

"The Project 955 Borey-class underwater missile cruiser Yuri Dolgoruky has made a successful launch of a Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile from the designated area of the Barents Sea towards the Kura practice range in Kamchatka. The launch was made from the submerged position in compliance with a combat training plan," the Defense Ministry said.

"The parameters of the Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile’s flight trajectory were practiced in the normal regime. According to the confirmed data of the registering equipment, the warheads of the intercontinental ballistic missile performed a full cycle of the flight and successfully hit the designated targets at the practice range," the Defense Ministry said.

The previous launch of a Bulava missile was carried out on September 27 when the submarine Yuri Dolgoruky performed an experimental salvo launch of two ICBMs from the White Sea towards the Kura practice range in the Russian Far East.

The warheads of the first missile performed a full cycle of the flight program and successfully hit the designated targets at the practice range. The second missile self-liquidated after performing the first stage of the flight program.

The submarine Yuri Dolgoruky is the Project 955 Borey-class lead vessel. The underwater cruiser is armed with a set of Bulava sea-launched intercontinental ballistic missiles and also with torpedoes.

The sub can be armed with cruise missiles. It has a full displacement of 24,000 tonnes, is about 160 meters long and 13 meters wide.

The R-30 Bulava is a solid-propellant ballistic missile developed specially for Project 955 submarines. It can deliver 10 warheads of 150 kilotonnes each to a distance of 10,000 kilometers.

Source: ITAR-TASS 27-06-2017

Russia begins winter cargo deliveries to Arctic

In 2016 the Far Eastern Shipping Company delivered to Chukotka’s ports and to ports of the Northern Sea Route 78,000 tonnes of cargo.

VLADIVOSTOK, June 26. /TASS/. The Far Eastern Shipping Company (FESCO) began serving transportation of cargo for winter to Russia’s Arctic; this year the company uses three times more vessels, FESCO’s press service said on Monday.

During this season, seven vessels will deliver cargos to Pevek and the Arctic ports, and the Vasiliy Golovnin (general cargo ship) will be working along the Northern Sea Route, the press service added.

"Seven own vessels of the ice class, including a wood, container and multipurpose cargo vessels, will deliver the goods to Chukotka’s Pevek and to the Arctic ports; the cargo will be unloaded and taken ashore by self-propelled barges and tractors; the diesel-electric Vasiliy Golovnin will be serving deliveries along the Northern Sea Route," the company said. "In the Arctic deliveries last year participated the Admiral Makarov icebreaker, cargo vessels FESCO Pevek and FESCO Primorye."

FESCO’s all vessels, serving the summer navigation along the Northern Sea Route, take special training programs, which cover all risks related to working in the north. The transport group participates in the summer deliveries of cargo for winter periods in the Arctic every year and delivers food, fuel, coal, non-food products, construction materials, and equipment.

In 2016, during the summer navigation in the Arctic’s eastern part, FESCO’s fleet provided work of 31 vessels, which delivered to Chukotka’s ports and to ports of the Northern Sea Route 78,000 tonnes of cargo and exported from their 67,000 tonnes.

Source: ITAR-TASS 26-06-2017

Putin visits Crimean youth camp Artek

Artek head Alexei Kasprzhak told the president about the work to restore the camp in 2015 and 2016, as well as plans for the development of the complex.

GURZUF, June 24. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the children’s camp Artek in Crimea ahead of the Samantha’s Smile holiday session on Saturday.

Telling the president about the world’s largest holiday youth camp, Artek head Alexei Kasprzhak briefed Putin on development plans and promised to show some of the facilities, noting that "the weather is favorable" for the visit. Although, Putin asked him jokingly: "Is it?" since there was a short but heavy shower when he arrived at the camp.

In the children’s canteen, Putin tasted a traditional Russian dish, the blini and said they were delicious. Also, Putin wished a happy birthday to a child holidaying in Artek. Then, he was shown round the gym, a campus building and a standard room for children’s accommodation.

Accompanying the president, Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets drew his attention to photo stands demonstrating the Artek condition just a few years ago, when "everything was falling apart," according to her.

"As you rightly said, the area was meant to be carved up and grabbed piece by piece," Putin responded.

Apart from that, Putin oversaw the construction site of Solnechny (Sunny) camp from the viewing platform and was shown round the oldest square of the international youth center where first tents used to be put up and first Artek lineups used to take place.

Putin put his signature on the memorable plaque of the Grand Artek Alley. "It will become an object d’art," the camp director promised.

The Artek international children’s holiday canter incorporates ten camps, as nine of them have been refurbished. The number of camps is expected to total ten at the end of 2018. The new holiday camp Solnechny (Sunny) is expected to accommodate simultaneously 1,000 children with a total area of 6.1 hectares.

Source: ITAR-TASS 25-06-2017

Ukrainian Army units shell Donetsk Republic in first hours of newceasefire

"At this moment, we've registered two violations of the ceasefire provisions, two of them at the Mariupol section," the source sad. "Small arms were used there."

DONETSK, June 24. /TASS/. Ukrainian armed forces opened fire at the Mariupol, Donetsk and Gorlovka sections of the Line of Contact in Donbass, a source in the defense forces of the self-proclaimed unrecognized.

"At this moment, we've registered two violations of the ceasefire provisions, two of them at the Mariupol section," the source sad. "Small arms were used there."

Several violations were registered ar the Donetsk section, with several tank shells and mortar mines launched at the town of Dokuchayevsk,

The enemy used small arms near Gorlovka twice.

On Wednesday, members of the Contact Group for settling the armed civil conflict in eastern Ukraine reached agreement on a yet another ceasefire along the Line of Contact in Donbass. It was dubbed 'bread ceasefire' as it coincided with the start of the harvesting season in the region.

The ceasefire that took effect at 00:00 hours would officially last through to Augusy 31.

Source: ITAR-TASS 24-06-2017

Russian fighters scrambled 14 times in past week to intercept foreign aircraft — ministry

According to the report, a total of 23 reconnaissance flights were carried out in the vicinity of the Russian border last week by aircraft of seven countries.

MOSCOW, June 23. /TASS/. Fighter jets of Russia’s Aerospace Forces were scrambled 14 times during the past week to intercept foreign reconnaissance aircraft near Russian borders, the Russian Defense Ministry said in its weekly infographics published by the Krasnaya Zvezda paper on Friday.

A week ago, the Defense Ministry reported 18 such incidents.

According to the report, a total of 23 reconnaissance flights were carried out in the vicinity of the Russian border last week by aircraft of seven countries. The bulk of those flights was performed by United States’ RC-135 jets and RQ-4B Global Hawk drones, which approached Russian borders 10 times in total.

On Wednesday, June 21, Sweden summoned Russia's ambassador after a Russian Su-27 fighter jet approached a Swedish reconnaissance plane in international airspace above the Baltic Sea to a distance which the Swedish Defense Ministry described as "extremely narrow."

On Thursday, June 22, Poland’s F-16 Viper fighter intercepted a Russian Tu-154 VIP aircraft carrying Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. The Polish fighter jet had to retreat after a fully armed Su-27 Flanker jet zoomed in and displayed its weapons.

Source: ITAR-TASS 23-06-2017

Russians to remember fallen heroes in 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War

On this day, national flags fly at half-mast, and all entertaining events and television programmes are cancelled.

MOSCOW, June 22. /TASS/. Commemoration events to remember those perished in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 will be held across Russia on June 22, the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow.

The nationwide Memory Vigil. Eternal Flame commemoration event will be held this night in many Russian cities.

It will be 26th such event in Moscow. The flower laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow’s Alexander Garden near the Kremlin will start at three in the morning. After the ceremony, participants will observe a minute of silence.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will take part in the wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb to the Unknown Soldier, the Kremlin press service said.

Traditionally, he will be accompanied by the prime minister, government and presidential administration officials, lawmakers, senior military command, religious leaders.

As part of the Memory Vigil, as many as 1,418 candles symbolizing each day of that war will be lit along the Krymskaya Embankment. Traditionally, the first such candle was lit at 21:30 Moscow time on June 21 by a WWII veteran and the last one, dedicated to the last day of the war, will be lit by a grandchild of a war participant. The candles will stay lit till midnight on June 23.

The Memory Candle event will be staged in many Russian cities in the small hours on Thursday, the time when Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union without declaration of war on June 22, 1941.

Throughout the day, various other events, from commemoration marches to concerts, will be organized in Russian cities.

On this day, national flags fly at half-mast, and all entertaining events and television programmes are cancelled.

Source: ITAR-TASS 22-06-2017

Defense chief notes Russia’s western borders heating up as NATO activity surges

On June 21, NATO’s F-16 fighter jet attempted to approach a plane carrying Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu over neutral waters of the Baltic Sea.

KALININGRAD, June 21. /TASS/. Situation near Russia’s western borders tends to worsen due to the growing military activity of the North Atlantic Alliance in Eastern Europe, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Wednesday.

Earlier on Wednesday, NATO’s F-16 fighter jet attempted to approach a plane carrying Shoigu over neutral waters of the Baltic Sea. A TASS correspondent, who was onboard the plane, said Russia-s Su-27 fighter aircraft drove the F-16 away.

"The situation near our western borders tends to deteriorate. This is linked to the increasing military activity of NATO countries in Eastern Europe. The North Atlantic Alliance is stepping up its presence in the Baltic states. The infrastructure of their sea ports, airfields and other military facilities is being advanced," Shoigu told a meeting of the defense ministry.

Shoigu noted that NATO is completing the creation of four multinational battalions near Russia’s borders. "In the Baltic countries and Poland, the formation of four battalion-size tactical groups is nearing completion, with the total of 5,000 troops with weapons and military equipment," he said.

The US continues deploying the European elements of missile shield, he noted. "By 2018, in addition to the missile shield base in Romania there are plans to launch a similar facility in Poland," Shoigu said.

"The intensity of the alliance’s operational and combat training is increasing. The alliance’s BALTOPS 2017 and Saber Strike 2017 large-scale exercises are currently underway near the Russian borders. Taking part in them are more than 10,000 military servicemen, more than 70 warships and auxiliary vessels and about 70 aircraft, including B-52 strategic bombers," Shoigu said.

"All these developments demonstrate the Western partners’ blatant reluctance to abandon their anti-Russian policy," he emphasized.

According to him, "apart from using political, information and economic pressure, some countries also seek to employ military force in order to achieve their political goals."

"The steps that our western counterparts take lead to the destruction of the global security system, increase mutual distrust and force us to take retaliatory measures, particularly in the western regions of the country," Shoigu said. "We have been improving the army’s operational strength and the military basing system," the Russian defense minister added.

NATO decided at its summit in Warsaw in July 2016 to deploy four multinational battalions to the Baltic countries and Poland. Each of these battlegroups consists of around 1,000 people. Canada is leading the battlegroup in Latvia, while Germany and the United Kingdom will lead similar forces in Lithuania and Estonia, respectively. The United States commands a NATO battlegroup in Poland. The missile defense base in Romania was launched in May 2016.

Source: ITAR-TASS 21-06-2017

Russia cuts deconfliction channel with Washington after US downs Syrian jet

Russia will regard any flights within the area of its air force group's operation in Syria as legitimate targets

MOSCOW, June 19. /TASS/. Moscow is terminating its communication channel with the United States under a memorandum for preventing incidents in Syria's skies, as a consequence for the US downing a Syrian Su-22 plane, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Monday.

"As of June 19 this year, the Defense Ministry of the Russian Federation has ended its interaction with the US side under a memorandum for preventing incidents and providing for safe flights during operations in Syria and demands that the US command carry out a careful investigation and report about its results and the measures taken," the statement reads.

"The shooting down of a Syrian Air Force jet in Syria’s airspace is a cynical violation of Syria’s sovereignty. The US’ repeated combat operations under the guise of ‘combating terrorism’ against the legitimate armed forces of a UN member-state are a flagrant violation of international law, in addition to being actual military aggression against the Syrian Arab Republic," the ministry said.

Russia will regard any flights within the area of its air force group's operation in Syria as legitimate targets, the ministry stressed. 

"Any aircraft, including planes and drones of the international coalition, detected in the operation areas west of the Euphrates River by the Russian air forces will be followed by Russian ground-based air defense and air defense aircraft as air targets," the report said.

The ministry explained the reasons for suspending the memorandum. According to the ministry, at the moment the Syrian warplane was hit by the US fighter, Russia’s Aerospace Forces were carrying out missions in Syria’s airspace; "However, the coalition command did not use the existing communication line between the air commands of Al Udeid Air Base (Qatar) and Khmeimim Air Base to prevent incidents in Syria’s airspace."

"We consider the actions of the US command as a deliberate default on their obligations under the memorandum on on preventing incidents and providing for safe flights during operations in Syria signed on October 20, 2015," the Defense Ministry stressed.

On June 18, a US fighter jet from the international coalition shot down a Su-22 fighter of the Syrian Air Force using an air-to-air missile. The Syrian warplane was carrying out a combat mission to provide air cover for government troops units, which mounted an offensive against the Islamic State terror group (outlawed in Russia) near the populated locality of al-Rasafeh. The Syrian jet was destroyed by the attack. The pilot ejected over the area controlled by terrorists, his fate is unknown.

Source: ITAR-TASS 20-06-2017

EU prolongs sanctions against Crimea for one year

LUXEMBOURG, June 19. /TASS/. The European Union has prolonged for one year restrictions against Crimea and Sevastopol. The decision was made by the EU foreign ministers at a meeting in Brussels, the EU’s press-service said.

The sanctions were prolonged until June 23, 2018.

The sanctions against Crimea and Sevastopol were prolonged for one year without a discussion. Moreover, the EU Council’s statement was published before the ministers of the 28 EU countries gathered for the session. The corresponding political decision was agreed at a meeting of the EU ambassadors in Brussels on June 6.

The sanctions include prohibitions on: imports of products originating in Crimea or Sevastopol into the EU; investment in Crimea or Sevastopol, meaning that no Europeans nor EU-based companies can buy real estate or entities in Crimea, finance Crimean companies or supply related services; tourism services in Crimea or Sevastopol, in particular, European cruise ships cannot call at ports in the Crimean peninsula, except in case of emergency; exports of certain goods and technologies to Crimean companies or for use in Crimea in the transport, telecommunications and energy sectors and related to the prospection, exploration and production of oil, gas and mineral resources. Technical assistance, brokering, construction or engineering services related to infrastructure in these sectors must not be provided either.

Source: ITAR-TASS 19-06-2017

Ukrainian military shells Lugansk Republic 12 times over 24 hours

The Ukrainian army conducted fire from 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers and small arms, the LPR defense authorities said.

LUGANSK, June 18. /TASS/. The Ukrainian army has shelled the territory of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) 12 times over the past twenty-four hours, the LPR defense authorities said on Sunday.

"The shelling attacks targeted the districts of Pervomaisk, Slavyanoserbsk, the township of Kalinovo, the villages of Molodyozhnoye, Rayevka, Sokolniki, Vesyolenkoye and Oboznoye," the news agency Luganskinformcenter quoted a spokesman for the LPR defense authorities as saying.

The Ukrainian military conducted fire from 120mm and 82mm mortars, grenade launchers and small arms, the spokesman said.

Since the autumn of 2014, the Contact Group seeking to find a solution to the conflict in southeast Ukraine’s region of Donbass has negotiated more than ten ceasefires but none lasted for long, with the parties accusing each other of breaking them down.

Ahead of the International Day for Protection of Children, the parties to the conflict had agreed to another ceasefire that came into force at midnight on June 1. Nevertheless, the shellings continue.

Source: ITAR-TASS 18-06-2017

Kiev forces shell Donetsk republic over 70 times

"The fire was opened at 20 settlements of the republic," the DPR operation command told the Donetsk News Agency.

DONETSK, June 17. /TASS/. Ukraine’s forces violated ceasefire 71 times over the past 24 hours, shelling the territory of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, the DPR operation command said on Saturday.

"The fire was opened at 20 settlements of the republic," a spokesman told the Donetsk News Agency.

During the shellings, the Kiev forces used artillery weapons, tanks, mortars, infantry combat vehicles, armored fighting vehicles, grenade launchers and small arms. Several houses were damaged in Lozovskoy village in the Kuybyshevsky district and the Alexandrovka village in the Petrovsky district of Donetsk.

Earlier in the day, the administration of Yasinovataya reported that the Kashtanovoye village was cut off power after this morning’s shelling, and the Krasny Partisan village was partly left without electricity.

Ahead of the International Day for Protection of Children, the parties to the conflict had agreed to another ceasefire that came into force at midnight on June 1. Nevertheless, the shellings continue.

Source: ITAR-TASS 17-06-2017

Russia at final stage of developing advanced electronic warfare system

The onboard defense system comprises integrated technical means designed to identify and classify the threat of the protected object’s destruction, and also to neutralize it.

MOSCOW, June 16. /TASS/. Russia’s Radio-Electronic Technologies Group (KRET), part of the state hi-tech corporation Rostec, is at the final stage of developing the most advanced defensive aids system Khibiny-U, Adviser to the KRET first deputy CEO Vladimir Mikheyev told TASS on Friday.

"We are moving forward and are currently at the final stage of developing new technologies, for example, the Khibiny-U," Mikheyev said.

The Khibiny-U is the next-generation modification of the onboard defense system with expanded capabilities by the frequency band, the range of targets and other parameters, he said.

A contract with Russia’s Defense Ministry for developing the Khibiny-U onboard electronic warfare system was signed at the MAKS aerospace show outside Moscow in 2013. It was reported that the contract for carrying out R&D work to develop the fighter jets’ defense system against surface-to-air missiles and conducting all types of trials was worth 1.6 billion rubles ($28 million at the current exchange rate).

The onboard defense system comprises integrated technical means designed to identify and classify the threat of the protected object’s destruction, and also to neutralize it.

Source: ITAR-TASS 16-06-2017

Putin denies Russian cyber attacks amid US presidential election

The US media have been making allegations that Wikileaks received this information from alleged Russian-backed hackers, however, no evidence to prove the allegations has been put forward so far.

NEW YORK, June 15. /TASS/. Russia did not use hacker attacks to influence the results of the US presidential election campaign in 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with US filmmaker Oliver Stone.

On Thursday, Salon.com published extracts from the interview with Putin's answers translated into English.

"Some hackers indeed revealed problems that existed within the Democratic Party, but I don’t think it has influenced in any serious manner either the electoral campaign or its outcome," Putin insisted.

"Yes, these unrecognized hackers, they have brought to light the problems that existed, but they didn’t tell any lies, they were not trying to deceive or fool anyone. And the fact that the Chairwoman of the Executive Committee of the Democratic Party has resigned testifies to the fact that she has admitted it’s true? So hackers are not the ones to blame. These are internal problems of the United States.

These people who tried to manipulate public opinion shouldn’t have tried to create an image of Russia as an enemy. They should have instead apologized to the electorate, but they didn’t do that," the Russian president said.

The crisis situation in the ranks of the leadership of the Democratic Party emerged in July 2016, when more than 19,000 e-mail messages and more than 8,000 other documents were posted on the WikiLeaks website, including correspondence of the key figures of the Democratic National Committee.

As a result of the scandal, the committee’s chairperson Debbie Wasserman Schultz had to step down because the documents indicated that the members of the committee had tried to support Clinton during the primaries and also to discredit Sen. Bernie Sanders, her competitor in the struggle for the post of the party's official presidential candidate.

The US media as well as some officials have been making allegations that Wikileaks received this information from some Russian-backed hackers, however, no evidence to prove the allegations has been put forward so far.

Stone conducted a dozen interviews with Putin between 2015 and February 2017 for his four-part documentary. The Putin Interviews premiered on Showtime TV channel in the United States on June 12 and will continue through June 15.

Source: ITAR-TASS 15-06-2017

Putin says Washington seeks to prevent any rapprochement between Moscow and Kiev

The Russian leader assumes that some politicians in the US may see the rapproachment between Moscow and Kiev "as some kind of threat".

NEW YORK, June 14. /TASS/. Attempts to prevent the rapprochement between Moscow and Kiev dominate the US policies in eastern Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in the second part of The Putin Interviews documentary, aired by Showtime on Tuesday night.

"The philosophy behind the US policies in this region is that the rapprochement between Russia and Ukraine must be prevented by all means, because someone sees it as some kind of threat. Someone thinks that this is a source of Russia's might and any rapprochement of Russia and Ukraine must be prevented by all means," he said.

"But it seems to me that many of our partners in the US and Europe were guided by these reasons, not by the freedom of choice for the people of Ukraine," he said.

Source: ITAR-TASS 14-06-2017

Daily Mail calls Crimea Russia’s territory sparking debate

The newspaper published a story about the detonation of a World War II-era bomb in Crimea.

LONDON, June 12. /TASS/. The Daily Mail, the United Kingdom’s second biggest-selling daily newspaper, has referred to the Crimean Peninsula and Sevastopol as Russia’s territory, triggering a debate among its readers.

he newspaper published a story on Monday about the detonation of a World War II-era bomb in Crimea.

"The dramatic incident took place in the port city of Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula, in south-western Russia," it read.

One of Russian readers of the newspaper wrote on the website’s forum "thanks" for recognizing Crimea as part of Russia. Ukrainian readers reacted emotionally insisting that Crimea is the territory of their country.

The Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, a city with special status on the Crimean Peninsula, where most residents are Russians, refused to recognize the legitimacy of authorities who took power amid riots during the February 2014 coup in Ukraine.

Crimea and Sevastopol adopted declarations of independence on March 11, 2014. They held a referendum on March 16, 2014, in which 96.77% of Crimeans and 95.6% of Sevastopol voters chose to secede from Ukraine and join Russia.

President Vladimir Putin signed the reunification treaty on March 18, 2014. The document was ratified by the national legislature, the Federal Assembly, on March 21, 2014. Despite the convincing results of the referendum, Kiev refused to recognize Crimea as part of Russia.

Source: ITAR-TASS 13-06-2017

Russian diplomat advises West to stop obsessing over Crimea

The foreign ministry's spokeswoman noted there is "an obsessive drive to avoid facing facts that problems are being resolved.

ALUSHTA, June 11. /TASS/. It is high time that the West face facts on Crimea, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Sunday at the first international media forum dubbed "Open Crimea: with one's own eyes".

"I do not think an erroneous image of Crimea remains," she said replying to a question about the West’s perception. "Efforts are still being carried out at propping up those issues, which the West points to as essential, please note in particular 'points to' - extolling them as their focal point, and not those which do exist."

The diplomat noted there is "an obsessive drive to avoid facing facts that problems are being resolved, and to avoid seeing that these dynamics are absolutely positive," she said, adding that major achievements, which are not a common phenomenon in the world, had been made within a short time period.

"The West’s persistency in turning a blind eye to Crimea is astounding," she stressed. "It is high time to open up one's eyes, and that is why events like these are organized."

The two-day forum will be devoted to Crimea’s development in historic, geopolitical, international, legal, information and cultural spheres. The event will feature activists and journalists from Armenia, Germany, the UK, France, the Netherlands, Italy, India, Cuba, Lebanon, Kuwait, Syria, and other countries.

Source: ITAR-TASS 12-06-2017

Man who opened fire from shotgun in township near Moscow eliminated to police

A resident of the township of Kratovo who killed four people was eliminated by the police and National Guard in the course of a special operation.

MOSCOW, June 11. /TASS/. A resident of the township of Kratovo, east off Moscow, who opened fire from a shotgun and killed four people was eliminated by the police and National Guard in the course of a special operation, Irina Volk, an official spokesperson told TASS.

"The joint operation of the Interior Ministry and National Guard forces is over," she said. "The gunman has been eliminated.".

Source: ITAR-TASS 11-06-2017

Ukrainian security service prohibits entry to German politician for visiting Crimea

On April 26, a German delegation visited Crimea in the framework of a popular diplomacy project entitled ‘Truth about Crimea to the Citizens of Europe: Reality vs. Myths’.

KIEV, June 10. /TASS/. Ukraine’s state security service SBU has banned an entry of Ukraine for the former State Secretary of the Defense Ministry, the incumbent member of the Christian Democratic Union, Willy Wimmer for a trip to Crimea.

The SBU said it in an answer to a query by the UNN news agency.

"As on the day of acceptance of the query, the SBU passed a decision to ban entry of the country’s territory for Willy Wimmer for a period of five years," the report said.

On April 26, a German delegation visited Crimea in the framework of a popular diplomacy project entitled ‘Truth about Crimea to the Citizens of Europe: Reality vs. Myths’.

About fifteen politicians, reporters, bloggers, and businessmen arrived in Crimea then. Willy Wimmer was on the delegation along with Andreas Maurer, a regional deputy in Osnabruck and the chairman of the left-wing caucus (Die Linke) in the city hall of Quakenbruck, and Yuri Goempel, the chairman of the ethnic-cultural autonomy of Crimean Germans.

On March 16, 2014, the authorities of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol held a referendum on the issue of reunification with Russia after an interval of 60 years. More than 80% of registered voters came to the polls and of that number, 96.7% in Crimea and 95.6% in Sevastopol voted in favor of reunification.

On March 18, 2014, President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty on accession of the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol to the Russian Federation, and both houses of Russian parliament ratified it on March 21.

In spite of more than convincing results of the referendum, Kiev and its outside supporters, primarily the U.S. and the EU, refuse to recognize the results of voting.

Source: ITAR-TASS 10-06-2017