Reporter Anna Kurbatova to arrive in Moscow on Thursday night

Earlier on Wednesday, Russian TV broadcasters reported that Kurbatova had been abducted in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.

MOSCOW, August 31. /TASS/. Channel One reporter Anna Kurbatova, who has been deported from Ukraine, is safe and will arrive in Moscow on Thursday night, the Russian broadcaster said in a statement published on its website.

"Channel One reporter Anna Kurbatova, who was abducted in Kiev yesterday, is now safe and will return home soon, we expect her in our office tonight," the statement said.

On Wednesday night the reporter was deported from Ukraine with a three-year entry ban. She crossed the border through the Noviye Yurkovichi checkpoint in Russia’s Bryansk region.

Earlier on Wednesday, Russian TV broadcasters reported that Kurbatova had been abducted in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev. Later, news came that she had actually been detained by the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) which claimed that her reports were "infringing on the national interests" of Ukraine.

Anna Kurbatova comes from the southern Russian city of Stavropol. While working in Ukraine, she was receiving threats over her coverage of events happening in the country. Before she disappeared, Anna was working on a report concerning the persecution of journalists in Ukraine, while a few days ago, Channel One aired her report covering the military parade which took place in Kiev on Ukraine’s Independence Day. The reporter particularly said that the parade was "a march of dependence," while the date itself marked "a sad holiday." In her opinion, Kiev has returned "to the turbulent 90s," while Ukraine "is totally dependent on America and Europe".

Source: ITAR-TASS 31-08-2017

Installation of Crimea bridge over Kerch Strait completed

The railway arch has been hoisted to the abutments over the navigation channel and fastened reliably at the designated elevation of 35 meters above water.

SIMFEROPOL, August 29. /TASS/. Construction companies said on Tuesday they had completed installation of the arch of the Crimea bridge in the permanent position, the Crimea Bridge Information Center said.

"The operation in the sea to complete installation of the Crimea bridge arch is over," the report said.

"The railway arch has been hoisted to the abutments over the navigation channel and fastened reliably at the designated elevation of 35 meters above water."

The center said the systems of ship warning lights and air navigation signals on the arch had already been switched on.

"The final assembly (of the arches) on the navigation channel abutments will take another three weeks, in the course of which the builders will assemble the end fittings of the structure and will put them on the supporting substructures," the report indicated.

Arch spans are the largest oversize elements of the Crimea bridge. Each of them has a length of 227 meters. The railway arch span weighs 6,000 tonnes and automobile arch span, 5,000 tonnes.

After placement on the navigation channel abutmens, they will ensure the passage of ships through a spare space 185 meters wide and 35 meters in height.

The second phase of the operation the installation of the automobile bridge arch, has been scheduled for September.

The Crimea bridge is destined to have a length of 19 km. Russia is building it in the framework of a federal purpose-oriented programme titled 'The Social and Economic Development of the Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol through to 2020'.

The government provides full-size financing of the construction works.

The bridge will be open for automobile traffic as of December 2018 and for railway traffic, as of December 2019.

Source: ITAR-TASS 30-08-2017

Diplomat warns Moscow will respond if Washington hampers work of Russian consulates in US

On August 21, the US Embassy to Russia declared suspension of non-immigrant visa issues to Russian citizens.

ASTANA, August 29. /TASS/. Moscow will respond, including in kind, if Washington hampers the operation of Russian consulates general in the US, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told reporters on Tuesday.

"We want American citizens’ trips to Russia to be carried out with minimal obstacles," he stressed. "In this case, the US politics will not be a reason for responding in kind. This would be counter-productive," the diplomat added.

"First, we are ruled by the knowledge of what is beneficial to us and what we need and, second, [the desire] not to destroy anything proactively in relations with Russia or the possibility to develop contacts between people or in the sphere of economic relations development," Ryabkov noted. "So in visa sphere, despite the American far-reaching decisions, there will be no equal responses from our side, that’s for sure," he affirmed.

"If Americans strive to complicate the operation of our embassies and consulates in the US, then the issue of retaliatory measures, including responding kind, will become especially important," the senior diplomate warned.

On July 28, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that Washington should equal the number of its diplomatic and technical staff working in the US Embassy in Moscow and in consulates general in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok to the exact number of the Russian diplomats and technical staff working in the US in response to the bill on new ant-Russian sanctions adopted by the US Congress. This means that the total number of staff working in the US diplomatic and consulate entities in Russia will be reduced to 455 people. President Vladimir Putin specified that 755 American diplomats had to leave Russia.

On August 21, the US Embassy to Russia declared suspension of non-immigrant visa issues to Russian citizens. Visa issuance will be renewed on September 1, but only in Moscow. Consulates general in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok will not issue visas.

Source: ITAR-TASS 29-08-2017

Russia’s Northern Fleet receives another counter sabotage boat

Now the number of the Grachonok-class counter sabotage boats assigned to the Northern Fleet has grown to three.

MURMANSK, August 28. /TASS/. Russia’s Northern Fleet has received a new Grachonok-class counter sabotage boat, the Fleet’s press service said in a statement. According to the press service, the boat has been handed over to the counter sabotage unit deployed to the main base of the Northern Fleet’s submarine forces in Gadzhiyevo, located in the Murmansk region.

"The flag-raising ceremony on the boat was held on the sidelines of the Army-2017 International Military Forum," the statement adds.

Now the number of the Grachonok-class counter sabotage boats assigned to the Northern Fleet has grown to three. The first one of them, named "Yunarmeyets Zapolyarya," participated in the country’s main naval parade in the city of St. Petersburg.

The Grachonok-class counter sabotage boats have been developed by the Vympel Design Bureau and built at the Vympel shipyard in Rybinsk in the Yaroslavl Region, central Russia. They are designed to protect water areas and fight sabotage and terrorist groups in coastal waters. The Project 21980 counter sabotage boats are armed with large-caliber machine guns, depth charges and man-portable air defense missile systems.

The boat’s radio electronic equipment is capable of searching for moving underwater targets, including small ones, such as divers.

Source: ITAR-TASS 28-08-2017

Lugansk militia intercepts Ukrainian drone above its positions

According to spokesman of the republic’s defense authority Andrei Marochko during the past 24 hours, Ukrainian forces launched 17 mines and grenades on the republic.

LUGANSK, August 26. /TASS/. Militia of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) intercepted a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle, which observed situation around the Zhelobok settlement north-west of Lugansk, spokesman of the republic’s defense authority Andrei Marochko said on Saturday.

"Near the Zhelobok settlement during the flight above our positions, the militia downed an unmanned aerial vehicle of the 58th brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces," LuganskInformCenter quoted him.

Besides, he continued, the Ukrainian forces do not observe the truce, announced from midnight on August 25. According to him, during the past 24 hours, they launched 17 mines and grenades on the republic. "This information proves the Ukrainian leaders deliberately violate the Minsk agreements and continue preparations for escalation of the conflict in Donbass," he said.

Since the fall of 2014, participants in the Contact Group on East Ukrainian settlement have announced about a dozen of ceasefire deals. On June 24, the so-called "harvest ceasefire" came into effect - it was expected to hold until the end of August. However, shelling incidents continued to happen.

On August 23, the Contact Group members declared a "back-to-school" ceasefire in Donbass starting from August 25.

Source: ITAR-TASS 27-08-2017

West-2017 military drills purely defensive — Russian Foreign Ministry

The total number of troops and military equipment does not exceed the level subject to mandatory monitoring of certain military activities, as it is stipulated by the 2011 Vienna Convention.

MOSCOW, August 25. /TASS/. West-2017 joint military drills between Russia and Belarus are purely defensive, while the actual number of troops and military equipment involved is less than claims made by the foreign media, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

"The West-2017 combined military exercises involving the Russian and Belarusian armed forces are purely defensive," the statement reads.

"The hype over the drills is artificial and aimed at justifying the spending on NATO’s military build-up on Poland and the Baltic states in the eyes of the western audience," the statement adds.

"We would like to point out that it is these actions that raise military tensions in Europe - a fact that the western ‘soldiers of the pen and mic’ have been complaining about recently," the ministry said.

Number of troops

The Russian Foreign Ministry rejected the allegations which said that the number of the troops expected to participate in the military exercises had been deliberately understated, while the drills’ transparency was not ensured.

"The total number of troops and military equipment does not exceed the level subjected to mandatory monitoring of certain military activities, as it is stipulated by the 2011 Vienna document," the Russian Foreign Ministry added. According to the statement, "the drills, scheduled to take place on September 14-20, will involve up to 12,700 troops [7,200 Belarusian and 5,500 Russian, including 3,000 troops in Belarus], as well as around 70 planes and helicopters, up to 680 pieces of military equipment, including about 250 tanks, around 200 cannons, multiple launch rocket systems and mortars, and up to ten ships."

"It is far less that the claims being made by the media in connection with the upcoming military exercises," the statement says.

At the same time, the Russian Foreign Ministry pointed out that Belarus, acting on its own initiative, had invited representatives of the United Nations, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), NATO, Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), as well as diplomats and military observers from Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Estonia, Sweden and Norway, to monitor the drills. Moreover, Belarus held a briefing on the sidelines of the OSCE Forum for Security Cooperation. "We welcome the steps taken by Belarus," the Russian Foreign Ministry noted.

Russian military experts, in turn, held a briefing dedicated to the drills in NATO headquarters on July 13. Until the end of August, the Russian Defense Ministry planned to organize another briefing for foreign diplomats and military experts accredited in Russia.

The drills

West-2017 military drills, scheduled to take place at six training ranges in Russia and Belarus on September 14-20, will involve around 12,700 troops. The number of troops expected to participate in the drills is less than that stipulated by the 2011 Vienna document (13,000). This is the reason why it is not mandatory to invite foreign observers to monitor the military exercises.

However, a number of western countries have been voicing their concern over the upcoming drills.

Source: ITAR-TASS 26-08-2017

Russian Defense Ministry reveals declassified documents on Battle of Stalingrad

The website also features German command’s documents on the course of the fighting.

KUBINKA /Moscow region/, August 25. /TASS/. The Russian Defense Ministry has made public historical documents related to the Battle of Stalingrad during the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany, the ministry reported on Friday.

"In the run-up to celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi troops in the Battle of Stalingrad in 2018, the Russian Defense Ministry’s official website has launched a multimedia section featuring unique archival documents reflecting the initial stage of that bloody battle during the Great Patriotic War. Documents from the Russian Defense Ministry’s Central Archive that have been declassified recently will tell website visitors about the unprecedented heroism of city defenders, about steps taken to rescue the population and evacuate the industrial equipment," the ministry said.

According to the Russian Defense Minsitry, a handwritten text of a telegram of Don Front Commander, Colonel-General Konstantin Rokossovsky, to the Supreme Command Headquarters about capturing Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus, commander of the 6th German Army, will be published for the first time.

The website also features German command’s documents on the course of the fighting and the Red Army units that confronted German troops in Stalingrad.

"The materials summarizing the unique experience of Stalingrad’s defenders will be of interest to website visitors. One of the documents posted on this website is a detailed description of the fighting by assault teams operating in the city. They were established for the first time in the Red Army units, which defended Stalingrad," the ministry noted.

The documents posted on the ministry’s official website are also available to the participants in the Army-2017 International Military-Technical Forum. The Russian Defense Ministry’s Central Archive prepared and demonstrated at the forum a selection of unique archival documents dating back to the WWII era.

Source: ITAR-TASS 25-08-2017

Strategic bombers of Russian Air Force make flights over Pacific Ocean, Sea of Japan

Russian strategic missile carriers were accompanied by aircraft of the Air Force of the Republic of Korea and Japan Air Self-Defense Force.

MOSCOW, August 24. /TASS/. Russia’s Tu-95MS strategic bombers have made scheduled flights over the neutral waters of the Pacific Ocean and several seas, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Thursday.

"The Tu-95MS strategic missile carriers of the Aerospace Forces carried out scheduled flights over the neutral waters of the Pacific Ocean, the Sea of Japan, Yellow and the East China Seas. Along the route long-range aircraft were accompanied by Su-35S fighters of the Eastern Military District, as well as by the A-50 airborne early warning and control aircraft of the Military Transport Aviation, "the ministry said.

"At certain stages of the flight, Russian strategic missile carriers were accompanied by aircraft of the Air Force of the Republic of Korea and Japan Air Self-Defense Force," the ministry added.

The Defense Ministry also reported that during the flights strategic bombers carried out refueling in the air.

Source: ITAR-TASS 24-08-2017

Israel supports Russia’s participation in Sobibor memorial project in Poland

Netanyahu recalled that the uprising at the Sobibor camp was led by a Soviet officer of Jewish descent.

SOCHI, August 23. /TASS/. Israel supports Russia’s participation in the memorial project at the site of what was the Nazi death camp Sobibor in Poland, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.

"We, including myself never forget the historical role Russia and the Soviet army played in the victory over Nazism," Netanyahu said.

"The Israeli parliament reaffirmed this just recently. As you know very well, Mr. President, this is the reason why I initiated the idea of erecting a special monument in Netanya commemorating the Liberator Soldier, the soldier of the Soviet army. You attended the inauguration of that monument. In that context Israel cannot oppose Russia’s participation in a very important project at the former concentration camp Sobibor."

Netanyahu recalled that the uprising at the Sobibor camp was led by a Soviet officer of Jewish descent. He thanked Putin for his personal decision to extend assistance to World War II veterans residing in Israel. "Holy cause," Putin remarked.

Sobibor camp

The death camp at Sobibor functioned from May 1942 to October 1943. According to different estimates 150,000 to 250,000 Jews from Poland and other European countries were put to death there.

The concentration camp ceased to exist after an uprising by its inmates led by Soviet officer Aleksandr Pechersky.

Russia was invited to join the project for the museum’s renovation in 2013, initiated by Poland, Israel, the Netherlands and Slovakia whose representatives have seats on the organizing committee. Russia accepted the invitation.

In July 2017 Warsaw said that the project’s International Steering Committee had excludedRussia from the list of participants.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow reacted with surprise to the news the Netherlands, Slovakia and Israel had changed their mind.

Victory day in Israel

On June 26 the Israeli parliament approved in the third, final reading a bill on celebrating the day of victory over Nazi Germany. As follows from a statement published on the Knesset’s website, the day of victory over Nazis in World War II will be officially marked in Israel on May 9 and included in a list of public holidays.

Source: ITAR-TASS 23-08-2017

Fire in Russia’s Rostov-on-Don fully contained

30 private houses on an area of around 10,000 square meters were affected by a fire.

MOSCOW, August 21. /TASS/. The fire in the Russian southern city of Rostov-on-Don has been fully contained, a source in the Emergencies Ministry’s Southern Regional Center told TASS.

As of 18:53 Moscow time (15:53 GMT), the fire affecting 10,000 square meters in the city of Rostov-on-Don has been contained," the source said.

Meanwhile, spokesperson of the Donenergo energy company Anna Larchenko told TASS that more than 1,200 people in the fire area in downtown Rostov-on-Don remained without electricity.

"Because of the fire, two transformer substations located in the fire area had to be shut down," she explained adding that power supply would be restored as soon as the Emergencies Ministry’s firefighters contained all the hot spots.

According to earlier reports, 30 private houses on an area of around 10,000 square meters were affected by a fire in Rostov-on-Don. There have been no reports of fatalities, while 36 people requested medical assistance, seven were hospitalized. A state of emergency has been declared, rescue workers evacuated more than 650 people from the neighboring houses.

Source: ITAR-TASS 22-08-2017

UPDATE:

Rostov-on-Don inferno claims life of one victim

The identification process is currently underway

MOSCOW, August 22. /TASS/. One person has died in a large fire in the heart of Rostov-on-Don. His body was found by rescuers, the press service for the Main Directorate of the Emergencies Ministry for the Rostov Region told TASS on Tuesday.

"A body has been recovered on Chuvashskaya St, 76, during washing-down. The identification process is currently underway," the press service said.

A large fire sparked in Rostov-on-Don’s historical center at about 13:00 Moscow time on Monday, setting dwelling houses on about 10,000 square meters ablaze. The fire engulfed about 120 buildings, 100 of which are residential facilities. About 600 people were evacuated from homes, more than 400 of whom were injured in the fire.

A state of emergency was declared in the city.

Police launched a criminal case under the article of the Russian Criminal Code "Intentional destruction or damage to property of other persons."

Source: ITAR-TASS 22-08-2017

Russian Arctic National Park to set up reserve area on Novaya Zemlya

In order to expand the tourist options, the park authorities consider using the Defense Ministry's runways for civil aircraft and constructing helicopter pads.

VORKUTA, August 21. /TASS/. The Russian Arctic National Park has all required permissions for organizing a reserve on the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago and hopes the area would be ready before the yearend, the Park's Director Alexander Kirilov said.

"We have received all the approvals for organization of a reserve area, all the documents are at the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources, and thus we are hoping to finalize soon the procedure of a reserve area... Everything is done at the regional level... I believe, before end of the year [2017] we shall manage organizing it," he told TASS.

The Russian Arctic National Park is the northernmost and the biggest natural reserve in Russia. It unites the Franz-Joseph Archipelago and the northern part of the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago. TASS wrote earlier, the reserve is organized on the Severny Island of the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago and the neighboring waters of the 12-mile area.

The reserve will take 1,046,234.3 hectares, thus the total area of the Russian Arctic National Park would be more than nine million hectares, and it once again will become the biggest reserve in the world.

Park's future

The Park plans opening a museum center, which will use all the modern technologies, the director said. The Park will continue developing the territory and its field bases, both on Novaya Zemlya and on Franz Josef Land.

"We are working on new ways to bring tourists to the territory, first of all we have to consider the anthropology affect to see how many people could Franz Josef land accommodate without damaging the Arctic nature," the director said.

In 2011-2016, more than 5,000 tourists visited the Park, where almost 95% were foreigners, he continued. First of all those are guests from China and Germany. The number of tourists remains stable for years and could be explained by the high prices on tours - not many can afford a trip worth two million rubles ($34,000). Within the current year, the 50 Let Pobedy nuclear icebreaker will make five voyages to the North Pole to bring tourists to Franz Josef Land.

The cost of renting the icebreaker is five million rubles a day ($85,000), the tour is 12 days long. This explains the high prices, the director explained.

In order to expand the tourist options, the Park considers using the Defense Ministry's runways for civil aircraft and constructing helicopter pads.

Alternative energy

Another direction in the National Park's development is use of alternative energy resources. Sollar panels have been delivered to the Gukera Island, and the installation would be over before the year [2017] ends, the director said.

A solar-wind power plant has solved the problem of electricity for the local residents of the country’s backbone area - the Zhelaniye Cape of the Russian Arctic national park - the northern part of the Northern Island of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, which is considered to be a border between the Barents and Kara Seas. In 2015, on the cape appeared the northernmost facility for generating electricity of renewable sources.

"The idea to use alternative energy was from the very beginning, from the moment the park was organized, though we doubted it would be working. The conditions are unusual, not like in the areas for which alternative energy is used most often - the midland and the south, where it works fine. In 2013, we had an experiment: we brought to the cape the equipment for tests. The results were good, especially in solar energy," the park’s director said.

It took about one month to install the 24 solar panels and two wind generators. The batteries now produce up to eight kilowatts and every field season, which usually is from early July to late September, the park saves about 1,000 liters of fuel and cuts the emissions. This year, with additionally installed solar batteries, the Zhelaniye Cape will have the system of 36 batteries. On the cape, the produced power was such "that for two months we did not have to use traditional generators, we received sufficient electric energy for the field base," the Park's director said. "And we did not limit ourselves - even had welding works."

A similar system, though without wind generators, will be installed at Bukhta (Bay) Tikhaya, which is yet further to the north - on the Gukera Island of the Franz-Josef Land. Another large-scale project for renewable sources of energy will begin at the Omega Park on the Zemlya Alexandry (Franz Josef Land). Here, 240 solar panels will produce up to 15 kilowatts. At Omega, this system will not only produce electric energy, but will also heat the base - using the solar energy, the facilities there will have electricity in spring, summer and autumn.

Source: ITAR-TASS 21-08-2017

Netanyahu expects to meet with Putin in Sochi on August 23 — Israeli premier’s office

The Kremlin has not yet confirmed if such a meeting is planned.

TEL AVIV, August 19. /TASS/. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 23 in Sochi to discuss the situation on the Middle East, the administration of the head of the Israeli government reported.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi on Wednesday to discuss developments in the region," the statement said.

In the office of the Israeli Prime Minister noted that "over the past two years, Netanyahu has repeatedly met with Putin to discuss bilateral and regional issues in order to prevent undesirable incidents between the Israeli and Russian air forces in Syria, which is still being successfully implemented."

The Kremlin has not yet confirmed if such a meeting is planned.

Source: ITAR-TASS 20-08-2017

Putin, Medvedev emphasize need to restore cultural facilities in Crimea

Russian President admitted that since financial support had not been enough, it was impossible "to do a lot within a year or two, or even three".

SEVASTOPOL, August 19. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev at a meeting with scientists and public figures in the Crimean city of Sevastopol emphasized the need to step up the work to restore cultural facilities in the region.

"We understand perfectly well that Crimea and Sevastopol have not been receiving enough financial support for decades," Medvedev said at the meeting. "Our goal is to focus on restoring cultural facilities in Sevastopol, and Crimea in general, in order to ensure that they are at the same level with such facilities in other Russian regions," he added.

The prime minister also pointed out that "the budget is rather a complicated thing, the government never has much money." "But taking into account the historical decision concerning Crimea’s reunification with Russia and in accordance with the president’s instructions, we will try to assess the issues that have been pointed out in order to provide financing to the programs [aimed at supporting Crimea and Sevastopol]," Medvedev said. Besides, in his words, significant amounts of money are planned to be allocated in accordance with the program dubbed Russian Culture.

Putin, in turn, thanked participants in the meeting for their years-long fruitful activities. He admitted that since financial support had not been enough, it was impossible "to do a lot within a year or two, or even three." "However, together we will do it," the president said.

Putin added that finding solutions to many problems mentioned at the meeting "requires much time, but it still needs to be done." "The work has been underway, but we would like to step it up, provided that does not lower the quality of work," he said.

Source: ITAR-TASS 19-08-2017

Muscovites bring flowers to Spanish embassy

The diplomatic mission says they consider opening a condolences book.

MOSCOW, August 18. /TASS/. Muscovites are bringing flowers to the Spanish embassy as a sign of solidarity over the terrorist attack in Barcelona on August 17.

At the porch there are a few bouquets of carnations and roses, including a flower basket with a mourning ribbon reading "From government of Moscow."

Here are also candles mourning the victims. The flags of Spain and the EU are at half-mast.

The diplomatic mission says they consider opening a condolences book. "We soon will contact Madrid and will let you know the decision," the embassy told TASS.

Source: ITAR-TASS 18-08-2017

Ex-German chancellor says Russia will not change stance on Crimea

Schroeder supported leader of Germany’s Free Democratic Party Christian Lindner who called for seeing Crimea’s status as "a long-term temporary phenomenon".

MOSCOW, August 17. /TASS/. German people are interested in building normal relations with Russia, former German Chancellor, member of the German Social Democratic Party Gerhard Schroeder said in an interview with the Swiss newspaper Blick published on Thursday.

According to the politician, the debate on Crimea’s status will end in nothing and should not be linked to other issues.

Schroeder supported leader of Germany’s Free Democratic Party Christian Lindner who called for seeing Crimea’s status as "a long-term temporary phenomenon."

"The chairman of the Free Democratic Party turned out to be more sharp-eyed that those who believe that demonizing Russia will help them in their election race. The German people needs normal relations with Russia, and Lindner realized that," Schroeder said. "Nothing will change in the Crimean issue, while the remaining issues should be tackled separately."

"I would like to help improve relations between Russia and the EU. To do so, we need both parties, and I am ready to make my modest contribution," said Schroeder who led the German government from 1998 to 2005.

Source: ITAR-TASS 17-08-2017

Moscow indignant at Ukraine’s expelling Russian journalist

On August 14, Ukraine expelled Russia’s VGTRK Media Group journalist Tamara Nersesyan for causing a "threat to the country’s security".

MOSCOW, August 15. /TASS/. Russia is indignant at Ukraine’s expelling a Russian journalist and demands Kiev observe its liabilities in the sphere of the freedom of mass media, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

"Official Kiev continues its policy of hampering activities of the mass media and systematically supplements the list of foreign journalists banned from entry to Ukraine," the ministry said. "On August 14, Ukraine’s Security Service officers detained Tamara Nersesyan, a correspondent of Russia’s VGTRK broadcaster. After hours of questioning, she was taken to the Russian border late at night. She had to walk to the Russian border by foot."

These actions of the Ukrainian authorities stemmed from the decision of the Ukrainian Security Service, which qualified reports of the Russian journalist as a "threat to Ukraine’s security and territorial integrity," the ministry noted.

"Notably, this is not the first incident when Ukraine expelled journalists under such pretext. Earlier, in July, the Ukrainian Security Service expelled from the country a journalist of Russia’s Rossiya-1 and Rossiya-24 television channels, Maria Knyazeva," the ministry reminded.

Russia calls on "the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Desir, to pay attention to the Ukrainian authorities’ policy towards journalists and give a principled assessment to their activities," the ministry added.

Source: ITAR-TASS 16-08-2017

Russia’s FSB prevents sabotage activities in Crimea

The Russian Federal Security Service has also detained a Ukrainian agent for plotting sabotage.

MOSCOW, August 15. /TASS/.  An agent of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) has been detained in Crimea for plotting sabotage activities, the press center of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said in a statement on Tuesday.

"The Federal Security Service has prevented sabotage activities against a number of Crimean infrastructure and welfare facilities," the statement reads. "During investigative activities, officers of the FSB department in Crimea and the city of Sevastopol detained an agent of the Ukrainian Security Service’s Kherson regional branch, who was dispatched to Crimea in order to carry out acts of sabotage," the FSB press center added.

The detainee, Gennady Limeshko, is a Ukrainian citizen coming from the Kharkov region. In the past, he served as a senior scout in a Ukrainian military unit taking part in the so-called anti-terrorist operation in Donbass.

On August 9, Limeshko arrived in Crimea to implement the SBU’s orders to damage powerlines between the town of Sudak and the Novy Svet settlement that could lead to a power outage affecting an area with a population of more than 50,000. He had been also tasked to set forests in the Sudak area on fire and create conditions for landslides blocking the highway connecting Sudak and Novy Svet. Limeshko also planned to set on fire a public utility facility in the Rybachye settlement area.

"On August 12, 2017, Limeshko was detained by officers of the Federal Security Service while attempting to destroy a powerline near the highway connecting Sudak and Novy Svet," the FSB press service added.

Two TNT blocks were seized from the Ukrainian, as well as a trigger mechanism for explosive devices, a hand grenade, containers with flammable mixtures, a handsaw for filing through electricity poles and a digital photo camera to document his activities and present a report to his seniors at the Ukrainian Security Service.

"The FSB department in Crimea and the city of Sevastopol has launched a criminal case. An investigation is underway to establish the possible accomplices of the Ukrainian saboteur," the FSB press center said.

Source: ITAR-TASS 15-08-2017

Russian diplomat calls not to speculate on possible closure of Russian consulate in US

It was Washington’s deliberate choice not to open a fourth consulate in Russia, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

MOSCOW, August 13. /TASS/. There are no grounds for speculation about possible closing of a Russian consulate in the United States to redress diplomatic balance, as it was Washington’s deliberate choice not to open a fourth consulate in Russia, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Sunday.

"If they start telling you that parity has stayed upset for year and now it is time to redress it, to answer Russia’s unfriendly actions - it is an absolute bluff targeting those who are out of the subject," the said in an interview with the Sunday evening news roundup on the Rossiya-1 television channel.

"The point is that many year ago we offered the Americans to open a fourth consulate in Russia but they did not do that. So, all the questions are to addressed to them. That is why there is no room for speculations on that matter," she stressed.

"Misbalance was created not out of Russia’s whim," she said. "After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the additional, fourth, consulate that ensured parity between Russia and the United States remained in Ukraine. Moscow offered Washington to open an extra, fourth, consulate to keep the parity but Washington did not consider it necessary."

Earlier, Russia’s Kommersant daily said citing anonymous diplomatic sources that the United States was looking at a possibility of closing one of Russia’s four consulates to redress parity as Russia has four consulates general in the United States, namely in New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Houston, whereas the United States has only three consulates in Russia - in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok.

A White House National Security Council official told TASS that the US authorities were still considering options of how to reply to Moscow’s decision to cut the number of US diplomatic personnel in Russia.

Source: ITAR-TASS 14-08-2017

Ukrainian military more than 20 times violate ceasefire in Donetsk Republic - command

Under fire were districts in 13 settlement, said republic’s command.

DONETSK, August 13. /TASS/. Ukraine’s Armed Forces over the past 24 hours 23 times opened fire on territory of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), the republic’s command said on Sunday.

"Under fire were districts in 13 settlements," the Donetsk News Agency quoted the command’s representative.

On June 21, Martin Sajdik, the special envoy of the OSCE chairman-in-office said ‘peace and quiet order’ would cover the entire harvesting season from June 24 through to August 31 and therefore the parties to the Minsk talks decided to call it a ‘bread ceasefire’.

Ceasefires have been declared many a time in Donbass since the spring of 2014, when the armed civil conflict broke out in eastern Ukraine. The conflicting sides agreed them at beginning of school year, before Christmas, before Easter, on the eve of the Children’s Day and so on. Officials voiced hopes the ceasefires would grow into indefinite ones but none of the declared periods of truce would last long - the shelling resumed after a couple of weeks, in a few days or even hours.

Source: ITAR-TASS 13-08-2017

Lavrov warns US against meddling in Russian elections

The Russian diplomat reiterated that Moscow is guided by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

DVORIKI VILLAGE /Vladimir region/, August 11. /TASS/. Moscow will not allow Washington’s meddling in the elections held in Russia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a meeting with the participants in the Russian Educational Youth Forum dubbed Terra Scientia on the Klyazma on Friday.

On September 10, Russia will hold a single voting day, with a total of 5,800 regional and municipal elections taking place across the country. The Russian presidential election will be held six months later.

"I am unaware of the US Embassy’s plans, but there were many incidents when American diplomats were involved in illegal activities. Our relevant services should take appropriate measures," Lavrov said.

According to Russia’s top diplomat, many Russian citizens are working at the US Embassy. In accordance with the Vienna Convention, the US Embassy staff hired in Russia can only perform technical work (working as drivers, typists or stenographers) and cannot be involved in "diplomatic activities, including the political aspects."

"However, it was not uncommon for US Embassy’s hired staff members to travel to various regions, conduct opinion polls asking people what they thought about a governor and the federal center. In such situations, we politely ask our American counterparts to terminate these people’s contracts," Lavrov stressed.

"I believe this is in line with the American traditions. They probably do not consider this to be meddling, because they are allowed to do anything, and that’s in their blood. I hope that after all these unsubstantiated accusations against us ]regarding the alleged meddling in the US presidential election - TASS], because they failed to provide hard facts within 10 months, the acuteness of the issue for the American establishment will make them think twice," the Russian foreign minister said.

"However, if this happens, we have our own laws, the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which says explicitly and specifically what diplomats can do and what they cannot do," Lavrov noted. "We will be guided by it and by our laws."

Source: ITAR-TASS 12-08-2017