Russian diplomat slams UK media's sudden blackout on Skripal case

"British journalists lapsed into silence in a day as if there had come an order for everyone to keep silent", said Maria Zakharova.

MOSCOW, April 29. /TASS/. Russia’s Foreign Ministry will not leave without attention the investigation into the poisoning of former Russian GRU Colonel Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, as Moscow has information for the public, the ministry’s Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in the Sunday Evening with Vladimir Solovyev program on Rossiya’1 television channel.

"British journalists lapsed into silence in a day as if, let’s speak openly, there had come an order for everyone to keep silent. They have all lapsed into silence. Therefore, there is no any Skripal case in the British media. It ceased to be interesting. Nobody is looking for anyone, nobody is carrying out any investigations, nobody is demanding from the British side either photos or videos of the affected persons, or as we have been told, the affected persons," Zakharova said.

"The case does not exist in the media space. Nevertheless, without any doubt, Russia’s Investigative Committee, Russia’s Embassy to the United Kingdom and Foreign Ministry will be cheering them up with news from the front. We have something to tell them," she said.

According to London, former Russian military intelligence officer Sergei Skripal, who had been sentenced in Russia for spying for the UK, and his daughter Yulia, 33, suffered the effects of an alleged nerve agent in the British city of Salisbury on March 4. Claiming that the substance used in the attack had been a Novichok-class nerve agent developed in the Soviet Union, London rushed to accuse Russia of being involved in the incident. Moscow rejected all of the United Kingdom’s accusations, saying that a program aimed at developing such a substance had existed neither in the Soviet Union nor in Russia.

The father and daughter came out of the coma. According to Salisbury District Hospital, Sergei Skripal remains under medical supervision in the hospital and his health is improving, while Yulia Skripal has been discharged and is recovering in an unspecified location.

Source: ITAR-TASS 30-04-2018

Moscow bans hostile-minded Lithuanian citizens from entering Russia

The Russian Foreign Ministry has warned Vilnius that the entry stop list remains open.

MOSCOW, April 28. /TASS/. Moscow is forced to prohibit hostile-minded Lithuanian citizens from entering Russia and warns Vilnius that the entry stop list remains open, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on its website.

"In retaliation for Vilnius’s adoption of an equivalent of the United States’ Magnitsky Act we were forced to impose a ban on trips to Russia for most hostile-minded Lithuanian citizens, including local politicians, legislators and political scientists," the Foreign Ministry said. "We are warning that Russia’s stop-list will remain open, and if Vilnius goes ahead with its provocative policies, more persons may be included in it."

"It is common knowledge it is against Russia’s rules to leave partners’ provocative actions unretaliated," the Foreign Ministry said.

Lithuania’s clone of the United States’ Magintsky Act was adopted by parliament on November 16, 2017. It complemented the Lithuanian law on the status of foreigners with an article establishing a five-year entry ban on those persons who, in Vilnius’s eyes, have committed grave or very grave crimes against the person in other countries, thus violating the universally recognized rights and freedoms, as well as on those responsible for corruption or criminal money laundering. The Lithuanian parliament put 44 names on the list.

Source: ITAR-TASS 29-04-2018

Wreckage of WW II plane unearthed in center of St. Petersburg

Military bomb disposal specialists have been brought to scene to examine the wreckage and the area for potentially explosive items.

ST. PETERSBURG, April 28. /TASS/. The wreckage of a World War II plane has been found during earthmoving work on the premises of the Lenexpo exhibition complex in the center of St. Petesrburg, the press service of the Western Military District has told TASS.

"In the process of construction work on Lenexpo premises fragments of a plane’s fuselage have been unearthed. Further examination found that the plane’s wreckage is entirely in the ground below the surface. Military bomb disposal specialists have been brought to scene to examine the wreckage and the area for potentially explosive items. Also, specialists will try to identify the crew," the source said.

He speculated it was a Baltic Fleet naval aircraft, which participated in the defense of Leningrad. After examination the plane will be dispatched for restoration.

Source: ITAR-TASS 28-04-2018

Baltic Fleet’s frigate joins Russian Navy’s Mediterranean taskforce

The Baltic Fleet’s frigate Yaroslavl Mudry and tanker Lena have joined the Russian Navy’s permanent taskforce in the Mediterranean Sea.

KALININGRAD, April 26. /TASS/. The Baltic Fleet’s frigate Yaroslavl Mudry and tanker Lena performing missions in distant waters have joined the Russian Navy’s permanent taskforce in the Mediterranean Sea, the Fleet’s press office reported on Thursday.

"The Yaroslav Mudry and the tanker Lena have completed their passage through the Strait of Gibraltar and entered the Mediterranean Sea where they will continue accomplishing combat training missions as part of the Russian Navy’s permanent taskforce," the press office said.

During their passage to the Mediterranean through the Atlantic, the crews of the Yaroslav Mudry and the Lena held shipborne damage control drills and practiced maneuvering in the areas of intensive shipping and fishing.

The Yaroslav Mudry and the Lena left Baltiysk (the Kaliningrad Region) on April 15. They set off for the Mediterranean Sea as part of a planned rotation of the Russian Navy’s permanent taskforces.

Source: ITAR-TASS 27-04-2018

Moscow demands return of all Russian diplomatic properties seized by US

The Russian diplomat slammed the intrusion into the residence of Russian Consul General in Seattle as a gross violation of the international law.

MOSCOW, April 26. /TASS/. Moscow insists on the return of all six Russian diplomatic facilities seized by the United States, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

"We insist on the return of all six facilities of Russian property seized by the US," the diplomat stressed.

According to Zakharova, Russian representatives are not allowed to these facilities even to check the work of utility systems. The US officials have recommended many times that Russia should sell this property, she noted.

"We expect that the global community will pay attention to this actual state robbery to which the US authorities have downgraded themselves," Zakharova stressed.

Intrusion into Russian Consul General in Seattle

The intrusion of US representatives into the residence of Russian Consul General in Seattle is a gross violation of the international law, Zakharova said.

"The situation is absolutely outrageous, disgusting and unprecedented. Nothing like this has ever happened in the history of bilateral relations," the diplomat said.

"Certainly, this is a gross violation by the United States of basic international rules of law, including those documented in the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the bilateral consular convention of 1964," Zakharova said.

Sources from the Russian Embassy in Washington told TASS earlier that US officials broke into the residence of Russia’s consul in Seattle, Washington, on Wednesday breaking open the entrance door lock.

On Tuesday afternoon, diplomats working at the Russian Consulate General in Seattle left the city. Senior Consul Khalit Aisin told TASS that 23 people - diplomats and their families, - departed in eleven cars. The convoy headed for Washington.

The US ordered to seal off the building of the Russian Consulate General at midnight on April 1.

The Russian Consulate General in Seattle offered consular services on the territories of Alaska, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, Wyoming, Utah, and Guam Island, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands. Henceforth, Russian citizens will have to apply for consular assistance to the consular department of the Russian embassy in Washington, DC and to the consulates general in New York and Houston, Texas.

Seizure of Russian diplomatic compounds

In late 2016, the United States imposed another round of sanctions against Russian intelligence services and a number of individuals having accused them of meddling with the US elections. The US administration also expelled 35 Russian diplomats and seized two Russian compounds in the states of New York and Maryland.

In September 2017, the Donald Trump administration closed the Russian Consulate General in San Francisco, the Russian trade mission in Washington and its branch in New York. The consulate and trade mission are Russia’s state property and have diplomatic immunity.

In late March 2018, the US administration announced it was expelling 48 Russian diplomats and 12 diplomats from Russia’s permanent mission to the UN in New York. It also closed the Russian consulate in Seattle.

Source: ITAR-TASS 26-04-2018

Putin urges public to stand firm against attempts at falsifying WWII history

"It is our duty to safeguard the truth", the Russian president said.

MOSCOW, April 25. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a message of greetings to the participants in and guests of the international forum The Great Victory Attained through Unity: Heroism of Guerillas and Underground Resistance in the Great Patriotic War, being held in Bryansk. The message was published on the Kremlin’s website on Wednesday.

"It is our duty to safeguard the truth about the heroes and firmly repel all attempts at falsifying the facts of history. I am certain that the sacrosanct memories of May 1945, of the heroic accomplishments of our fathers and grandfathers who defended the freedom and independence of the Motherland, who saved the world from Nazism, will always serve as a basis for firm partnership and neighborliness of the peoples and countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States," the message runs.

Putin said the traditional meetings held on the eve of Victory Day are a major consolidating event in the lives of CIS member-states and their peoples.

"They bring together eminent public figures, veterans, representatives of scientific and expert circles and creative and youth organizations. Their noble mission is to maintain a continued timeline and teach the younger generation to be considerate in their attitude to the ever-lasting spiritual and moral values, the heroic pages of the common history of our peoples, including the guerilla and underground resistance movement, who bravely fought against the enemy during the Great Patriotic War.

Source: ITAR-TASS 25-04-2018

Kremlin hopes Armenia will maintain order and stability

The Kremlin spokesman said drawing parallels between the current events in Armenia and the past developments in Ukraine is inappropriate.

MOSCOW, April 24. /TASS/. The Kremlin is satisfied that the situation in Armenia is not destabilizing and hopes that stability will be preserved and a political consensus will be reached, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.

"Now we see that the situation is not destabilizing, and we are satisfied," Peskov said, stressing that the events in Yerevan are a domestic affair of Armenia, which is Russia’s valuable partner.

"We hope that order and stability will be preserved in the country and soon in the foreseeable future a political configuration will be shaped that will become a consensus for all forces representing the Armenian people," he said.

Peskov has said drawing parallels between the current events in Armenia and the past developments in Ukraine is inappropriate.

"I would not draw any parallels, because this is a totally different situation, and one can hardly draw direct parallels here," the Kremlin spokesman told reporters. According to Peskov, "of course, this situation [in Armenia] is yet to be analyzed, we are keeping a close eye on it."

"Now I can say that any associations with Ukraine are inappropriate here," Peskov stressed.

Putin has not held phone conversations with either Serzh Sargsyan, who stepped down as Armenia’s prime minister, or Karen Karapetyan, who is the acting head of government, according to Peskov.

"No, the president has not so far had [contacts with Sargsyan or Karapetyan]," Peskov said.

On Monday evening, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev held a phone conversation with Karapetyan, who earlier served as Armenia’s first deputy prime minister.

Armenia’s former president Serzh Sargsyan was elected as prime minister by the parliament on April 17. He tendered resignation on Monday after opposition protests in the country intensified.

Mass protests against his nomination began in the Armenian capital of Yerevan and other cities on April 13.

On Monday, Armenia’s opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan told a rally on Republic Square that he would continue talks on a peaceful power transition with acting head of government Karen Karapetyan.

Source: ITAR-TASS 24-04-2018

Massive military drills kick off in Russia's west

The crews of tactical, army and transport aviation of the Western Military District will practice over 50 missions, including repelling a notional enemy’s air attack.

MOSCOW, April 23. /TASS/. Over 1,000 troops and more than 100 aircraft and helicopters of Russia’s Western Military District are taking part in the drills to practice over 50 missions, the District’s press office reported on Monday.

"The crews of tactical, army and transport aviation of the Western Military District will practice over 50 missions, including repelling a notional enemy’s air attack, the elements of conducting combat operations and reconnoitering the terrain, and also delivering massive air strikes against ground targets and columns of military hardware," the district’s press office reported.

The drills involve more than 1,000 troops and more than 100 aircraft and helicopters, including Sukhoi Su-27, Su-30SM and Su-35 fighter jets, Su-34 fighter bombers, Mil Mi-24, Mi-28N, Mi-35 and Kamov Ka-52 attack helicopters.

As part of checks following the end of the winter training period, Air Force and Air Defense Army Commander of the Western Military District Lieutenant-General Alexander Duplinsky will inspect the district’s aviation units and formations.

Special commissions will also check the units’ combat and mobilization readiness and the level of their professional training and cohesion.

Source: ITAR-TASS 23-04-2018

USSR People’s actress Nina Doroshina dies of cardiac arrest - Sovremennik Theater

She died at home overnight into April 21.

MOSCOW, April 21. /TASS/. Nina Doroshina, a big name actress famous thanks to a role in the Soviet ‘Love and Pigeons’ movie, has passed away following a cardiac arrest, Moscow’s Sovremennik Theater said in a statement on Saturday.

"Today, Nina M. Doroshina passed away at the age of 84. She died at home overnight into April 21 following a cardiac arrest," the statement said.

The day and time of visitation will be announced later.

"Nina M. can be justly called a prominent actress," who become "a truly national heroic figure after the ‘Love and Pigeons’ movie came out," Sovremennik said.

Source: ITAR-TASS 22-04-2018

Military vehicles for Victory Day parade have arrived in Moscow

The column has been redeployed from the training site in the Moscow Region’s Alabino to the temporary site.

MOSCOW, April 21. /TASS/. The convoy of military vehicles that will take part in the Victory Day parade on Moscow’s Red Square on May 9, has arrived at a temporary site in Moscow, press service of Russia’s Defense Ministry said.

"The column convoy that is going to take part in the Victory Day parade on Red Square on May 9, has been redeployed from the training site in the Moscow Region’s Alabino to the temporary site in Moscow," the ministry said.

The convoy of more than 100 wheeled military vehicles includes Tigr infantry mobility vehicles, BTR-82A armored infantry fighting vehicles, Iskander-M mobile short-range ballistic missile systems and YARS intercontinental ballistic missile systems, Pantsir-S and S-400 air defense systems and Typhoon Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) armored vehicles.

The column of track machines has T-34-85 and T-72BZ tanks, BMP-3, BMD-4M and BMD-MDM amphibious infantry fighting vehicles, Msta-S and Koalitsiya self-propelled howitzers and Buk-M2 and Tor-M2 surface-to-air missile systems.

Source: ITAR-TASS 21-04-2018

Lavrov praises dialogue with Austria

The top diplomat says Russia highly appreciates relations with Austria.

MOSCOW, April 20. /TASS/. Russia highly appreciates a frank dialogue on both bilateral and multilateral issues with Austria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said ahead of talks with his Austrian counterpart Karin Kneissl on Friday.

"At the moment when Europe and international relations in general undergo difficult times in economy, politics, such a direct, frank and friendly dialogue and a fair discussion on all emerging issues is the most effective response to the demands of the modern age," Lavrov stressed.

"We value that we have this sort of relations with Austria," Lavrov noted.

According to the top Russian diplomat, the two countries have "a solid tradition of bilateral relations."

Russia closely cooperated with former Austrian Foreign Minister and incumbent Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, including on bilateral issues and the activity of such international organizations as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), he said.

"We expect continuity in our relations," Lavrov said, noting that the visit of Kurz to Russia on February 28 confirmed this.

Source: ITAR-TASS 20-04-2018

Syria hands over two unexploded cruise missiles to Russia found after US strike — source

On April 14, the United States, the UK and France delivered missile strikes on Syria’s military and civilian infrastructure facilities.

DAMASCUS, April 19. /TASS/. Two cruise missiles found unexploded by the Syrian military after the US missile strike on April 14 have been handed over to Russia, a source in the Syrian defense ministry told TASS on Thursday.

"Two cruise missiles that did not detonate during the US missile strike on Syria overnight to April 14 were found by the Syrian military. Both are in rather good condition. These missiles were handed over to Russian officer the day before yesterday (April 17)," the source said, adding that both "were sent to Russia by plane yesterday (April 18)."

TASS has no official confirmation of this information from the Russian defense ministry.

US President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter on April 11 that Russia should get ready for a missile attack on Syria, claiming the missiles will be "nice and new and smart".

On April 14, the United States, France and the United Kingdom delivered a massive strike on Syrian targets in bypassing of the United Nations Security Council. According to the Russian defense ministry, the missile strike was in the small hours on Saturday. The ministry reported that a total of 103 cruise and air-to-surface missiles had been fired, 71 of them were shot down by Syria’s air defense units. Three civilians were wounded. Neither of the missiles appeared in the zone of responsibility of Russian air defense systems in Tartus and Hmeymim. Russian missile defense systems were not used.

The United States, the UK and France said the strikes had been a response to an alleged chemical attack in Syria’s Douma on April 7 reported by some non-governmental organizations, including White Helmets.

The Russian foreign ministry dismissed that as fake news. The Russian defense ministry stated that White Helmets were an unreliable source, notorious for disseminating falsehoods. The Russian center for the reconciliation of conflicting parties on April 9 examined Douma to find no traces of chemical weapons. Earlier, various official Russian agencies repeatedly warned that preparations had been underway in different parts of Syria for provocations and simulations of chemical attacks that would be blamed on government forces.

OPCW inspectors arrived in Syria on April 14 to collect samples to either confirm or dismiss reports on the chemical attack.

Source: ITAR-TASS 19-04-2018

Russia calls on West to stop meddling with OPCW work in Syria

SANA news agency said earlier that OPCW experts had arrived in Douma on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, April 17. /TASS/. Moscow calls on Western countries to stop meddling with the work of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in Syria (OPCW), Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday, commenting on the French Foreign Ministry’s allegations that Russia and Syria are impeding the work of the OPCW mission.

She said that such position of the French Foreign Ministry "is surprising." "We call on Western countries that staged the illegitimate strike on Syria to stop manipulating public opinion and meddling with the work of international organizations," she stressed.

"First, it was Russia that called for an immediate OPCW inspection," she recalled. "Second, not being the organizer of the mission, the Russian side offered all possible assistance to it. And now, the inspectors have reached Douma (a city in Syria and site of a presumable chemical attack - TASS)."

She noted that it had taken that long of the OPCW inspectors to reach Douma because there still were militants in that city and the United Nations wanted additional security guarantees. "I don’t see why the French Foreign Ministry is speaking for the OPCW and its inspectors. If the inspectors had any problems, they would have made a statement on that matter themselves," she said.

SANA news agency said earlier that OPCW experts had arrived in Douma on Tuesday and had immediately begun their fact-finding mission. They are expected to assess the situation and collect information about the April 7 alleged chemical attack reported by a number of non-government organizations, including the White Helmets described by the Russian Defense Ministry as unreliable source of information.

Source: ITAR-TASS 18-04-2018

FSB exposes IS cell plotting terrorist attacks in Russia’s Rostov region

The cell’s leader detonated an explosive device and died while being detained.

MOSCOW, April 17. /TASS/. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has exposed a cell of the Islamic State terror group (outlawed in Russia), whose members were planning to carry out terrorist attacks in the Rostov region upon orders from Syrian emissaries, the FSB press service said.

The cell’s leader detonated an explosive device and died while being detained, but another three perpetrators were apprehended.

"The Federal Security Service has exposed a clandestine cell of the Islamic State international terrorist organization (outlawed in Russia), whose members were following orders by IS emissaries based in Syria, planning to use firearms and improvised explosive devices to carry out high-impact terrorist attacks in the Rostov region," the FSB said.

According to the FSB, the operation to detain the cell’s members also involved police officers. Firearms, a homemade explosive device and munitions were seized from the three detained members of the IS cell, as well as means of communication and electronic data storage devices containing terrorist propaganda materials. "During the operation, the cell’s leader put up armed resistance, detonated an identified improvised explosive device and suffered fatal wounds," the FSB added.

An Ak-74 rifle, hand grenades and instructions for making explosive devices were also found.

Source: ITAR-TASS 17-04-2018

Russia has fitting response to any US attempts to exert pressure on it - Foreign Ministry

The arms race in the world has become a dangerous reality, Vladimir Yermakov said.

MOSCOW, April 15. /TASS/. Russia has an opportunity to come up with a fitting response to any US attempts to exert pressure on it, Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Department Vladimir Yermakov said on Sunday at the Assembly of the Council for Foreign and Defense Policy.

"Now, in 2018, we can now see that the military-technological balance has radically changed in Russia’s favor," the diplomat stressed. "We have a fitting response to any US attempts to exert pressure on us".

The arms race in the world has become a "dangerous reality" today because of the actions by Western countries, Yermakov added.

"The current situation is characterized by the shrinking space for constructive interaction at an unprecedented scale. The principal cause is unwillingness by the US and its allies to recognize the objective realities of the emerging polycentric world order," the diplomat noted.

"The awaremess (by Western countries - TASS) of the impossibility to extend the period of their unilateral domination in global affairs provokes nervousness and leads to such inappropriate actions as sanctions, coercion and unethical inter-state behavior. All that leads to growing tensions in inter-state relations," the diplomat stressed. "From this perspective, the arms race, is, of course, a very dangerous reality rather than bluff. It has a substantial subversive impact on the global stability and international security.".

Arms Control

Yermakov added that new legally binding international arms control agreements are hardly possible in the foreseeable future.

"The only valid legally binding international obligation in disarmament is Article 6 of the Non-Proliferation Treaty," Yermakov said. "We can hardly count on something more in the foreseeable future".

According to Yermakov, the existing legal arms control regulations no longer suit the US, hence its attempts to undermine the existing agreements. "The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) is called into question, there is an uncertainty with the prospects for the treaty on strategic offensive arms. The threat of the emergence of weapons in outer space is becoming increasingly more evident. The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty has no chance of coming into force, while the Biological Weapons Convention has been deadlocked," Yermakov stressed.

He also expressed the view that the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty stands no chance of coming into force.

"The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) is called into question, there is an uncertainty with the prospects for the treaty on strategic offensive arms. The threat of the emergence of weapons in outer space is becoming increasingly more evident. The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty has no chance of coming into force. The Biological Weapons Convention has been deadlocked," Yermakov said describing the situation in arms control.

New START Treaty

One can talk about the possibility of extending the New START Treaty, which came into force in 2011 and was expected to be in effect for ten years only after the US fully complies with the provisions of this treaty, Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Department Vladimir Yermakov said on Sunday at the Assembly of the Council for Foreign and Defense Policy.

"It will be possible to discuss whether it can be extended only after they return to fully complying with the letter and spirit of the treaty," he said.

Source: ITAR-TASS 16-04-2018

Diplomat blasts Pentagon ‘lie’ that OPCW experts were denied access to Eastern Ghouta

Earlier, the Pentagon stated that Russia and Syria were trying to deny access to OPCW’s experts and hoped that the Syrian government would let them come to the location of the alleged attack

MOSCOW, April 14. /TASS/. The Pentagon report that experts from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) were denied access to Eastern Ghouta is utterly false, Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman stated on her Facebook page on Saturday.

"The Pentagon has justified the US strikes on Syria before the OPCW was supposed to have made any conclusions on the nature of the chemical attack by saying that Damascus had denied the experts access to Eastern Ghouta," Zakharova reported.

"This is a lie. Damascus approved the arrival of the OPCW experts. They were supposed to receive Syrian visas upon crossing the Lebanese border. They would have faced no obstacles," the diplomat noted. "It seems like this is why they attacked before the arrival of the experts," Zakharova stressed.

Earlier, the head of the Pentagon stated that Russia and Syria were trying to deny access to OPCW’s experts and hoped that the Syrian government would let them come to the location of the alleged attack.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the missile strike against Syria’s military and civilian infrastructures was carried out by US warplanes and naval ships in cooperation with the British and French air forces between 03:42 and 05:10 Moscow time on Saturday. As the ministry reported, the Syrian air defenses shot down 71 out of 103 missiles fired by the US-led coalition. Earlier, Washington, London and Paris said these strikes were in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack in Douma, a suburb of Syria’s capital. The incident reportedly occurred on April 7.

A number of NGOs, including the White Helmets, disseminated reports on the alleged incident. The Defense Ministry warned that the White Helmets are notorious for spreading falsified information. Representatives of the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of the Opposing Sides held a probe in Douma on April 9 but found no traces of chemical weapons use. OPCW experts were due to begin their investigation at the scene of the alleged chemical attack on Saturday.

Source: ITAR-TASS 15-04-2018

Putin: Russia strongly condemns attack against Syria

By its actions, the United States is increasingly exacerbating the humanitarian catastrophe in the country, Vladimir Putin stated.

MOSCOW, April 14. /TASS/. Russia strongly condemns the attack on Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday.

"Russia strongly condemns the attack on Syria where Russian servicemen are helping the legitimate government in the war on terrorism," the Kremlin press office quoted Putin as saying.

"Through its actions, the United States is increasingly exacerbating the humanitarian catastrophe in Syria and bringing suffering upon civilians, and actually collaborating with terrorists who have been tormenting the Syrian people for seven years and provoking a new wave of refugees from that country and the region as a whole," Putin said.

According to Vladimir Putin, the United States used a staged chemical attack against civilians to carry out a strike.

"Once again, just like a year ago when the US attacked the Shayrat Airbase in Syria, a staged chemical attack against civilians was used as a pretext, this time in Douma, a Damascus suburb. Russian military experts who visited the site of the alleged incident found no traces of the use of chlorine or other chemical agents. Not a single local resident confirmed that a chemical attack had taken place," the Kremlin press service quotes him as saying.

Source: ITAR-TASS 14-04-2018

Court rules to block Telegram messenger in Russia

The messenger will be blocked immediately.

MOSCOW, April 13. /TASS/. Moscow’s Tagansky court satisfied the demand of Russia’s telecommunications watchdog and blocked access to the Telegram messenger in Russia over its failure to furnish keys to the Federal Security Service to decrypt user messages, a TASS correspondent reported from the courtroom.

"The court ruled to satisfy the demand of Roskomnadzor," Judge Yulia Smolina said. The access to Telegram will be denied and there won’t be technical conditions for sending messages.

The court’s decision must be implemented instantly, the judge said.

"The ban on access to information will be in force until the FSB’s demands are met on providing keys for decrypting user messages," Smolina said.

FSB vs Telegram

In summer 2017, the FSB’s representatives said members of international terrorist organizations in Russia actively used the Telegram messenger, which enables terrorists to have chats with a high level of encrypted information.

According to the FSB, Telegram was used by the suicide bomber and plotter of the terrorist attack in St. Petersburg's metro in April 2017, which killed 15 people.

The security agency sent to Telegram’s CEO Pavel Durov a request to provide information for decoding messages for six phone numbers that are using this messenger. The request remained unanswered.

In October 2017, a Moscow court imposed an 800,000 ruble ($13,000 at the current exchange rate) fine on Telegram over its refusal to meet the FSB’s demand. Despite the company’s attempt to appeal the decision, the fine was considered as legal.

In December 2017, Telegram filed a lawsuit with the Russian Supreme Court on declaring invalid the FSB’s order, which establishes the procedure of furnishing decryption keys. According to the company, the security agency had no powers to issue such an order as it runs counter to the law demanding a court judgement for an access to user messages.

On March 20, the Supreme Court turned down the lawsuit. The court’s decision that the FSB order is legal has not entered into force as it had been made only in the first instance.

Source: ITAR-TASS 13-04-2018

Kremlin cautions against moves that whip up further tension in Syria

Moscow is closely watching Washington’s statements on Syria, the Kremlin spokesman noted.

MOSCOW, April 12. /TASS/. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned on Thursday that steps on stirring up tensions around Syria are very destructive, calling to avoid them.

"We still believe that it is very necessary to avoid any steps which can trigger mounting tensions in Syria," Peskov told reporters.

"We believe that this could have a very destructive impact on the entire Syrian settlement," he stressed.

Moscow is closely watching Washington’s statements on Syria, Peskov noted.

On Monday, US President Donald Trump vowed that he would be making major decisions "over the next 24 to 48 hours" about the United States’ swift action against the Syrian authorities following the suspected chemical weapons attack on civilians in Douma. Moscow warned Washington of serious consequences of a possible US strike on Syria should Russian citizens be affected.

A number of non-government organizations, including the White Helmets, allege that a chemical weapons attack took place in Eastern Ghouta’s town of Douma on April 7. The White Helmets claimed that the attack had particularly involved chlorine-filled bombs. According to the White Helmets, dozens died in the attack, while 500 people "reached the medical centers with symptoms of exposure to chemicals."

The Russian Foreign Ministry slammed the statement as a bogus story, while Russia’s Defense Ministry pointed out that the White Helmets were not a reliable source of information as they were known for spreading fabricated news.

On April 9, officers from the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Sides in Syria visited Douma but did not find any traces of chemical weapons.

Russian officials have warned many times about upcoming provocations and staged chemical weapons attacks in Syria.

Source: ITAR-TASS 12-04-2018

Russia warns US against Syria strike

A Russian diplomat says Moscow has warned the US against launching strikes on Syria.

MOSCOW, April 10. /TASS/. Moscow has warned Washington of serious consequences of a possible strike on Syria if it causes casualties among Russian citizens, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov said on Tuesday.

"Russia has warned US representatives, both publicly and via corresponding channels, including military ones, about serious consequences that might follow possible strikes [on Syria], if Russian citizens are hurt in such strikes, accidentally or not," he said in an interview with Euronews.

According to the Russian diplomat, the United States’ possible strikes after an alleged chemical attack in Syria’s Douma will be "a response to something that never happened."

US President Donald Trump said on Monday he would make a decision on how Washington would respond to the suspected chemical attack in Syria’s Douma in 24 to 48 hours.

Some non-governmental organizations, including White Helmets, claim that chemical weapons were used in Douma, Eastern Ghouta, on April 7. According to the statement uploaded to the organization’s website on April 8, chlorine bombs were dropped on the city to kill dozens and poison other local civilians who had to be brought to hospital.

The Russian Foreign Ministry dismissed that as fake news. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that White Helmets were an unreliable source, notorious for disseminating falsehoods. The Russian center for the reconciliation of conflicting parties on April 9 examined Douma to find no traces of chemical weapons. Earlier, various official Russian agencies repeatedly warned that preparations had been underway in different parts of Syria for provocations and simulations of chemical attacks that would be blamed on government forces.

Source: ITAR-TASS 11-04-2018

Russia won't cave into Western pressure, Kremlin vows

Russia always acts in line with its interests, the Kremlin spokesman said.

MOSCOW, April 10. /TASS/. Moscow will not give in to the Western countries’ pressure and change its policies, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"Russia does nothing under pressure. Russia always acts in line with its interests," he said, adding that President Vladimir Putin had pointed it out many times.

When asked if the economic difficulties Russia had been facing in the past several days in the wake of new US sanctions could influence Moscow’s position, the Kremlin spokesman admitted that "the situation requires adjustments." "This issue has the necessary attention," Peskov added.

Source: ITAR-TASS 10-04-2018

Russia's government vows to provide support to companies falling under US sanctions

MOSCOW, April 9. /TASS/. The Russian government is going to support companies that have fallen under the US sanctions. The issue has already been discussed, Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich told reporters on Monday.

"We constantly support these companies. We are very attentive to our leading companies, they have many thousands of employees, providing very important jobs for our country. In the current situation, if their position worsens, of course, we will provide support and in advance have already discussed some things," he said.

Source: ITAR-TASS 09-04-2018

Activists renovate Soviet WWII memorial cemetery in southern Poland

A total of 641 Red Army soldiers, mostly unidentified, are buried in Proszowice.

\WARSAW, April 8. /TASS/. Activists of the Commonwealth of Kursk movement, which restores military and historical monuments in Poland, have completed an effort to repair a Red Army cemetery in the south of the country, the movement’s leader Jerzy Tyc said.

"Today, the Commonwealth of Kursk has completed repairs of a Soviet cemetery in Proszowice," Tyc wrote on his Facebook page on Saturday.

A total of 641 Red Army soldiers, mostly unidentified, are buried in Proszowice. The renovated cemetery will be officially unveiled on April 14.

The Commonwealth of Kursk is the only non-governmental organization in Poland that repairs WWII monuments and burial sites of Soviet soldiers, who died liberating the country from Nazi Germany.

Source: ITAR-TASS 08-04-2018

Russia’s 5th-generation fighter jets to fly over Red Square during Victory Parade

This year, the military parade will involve 73 crews of tactical, long-range, military transport and army aviation

MOSCOW, April 6. /TASS/. A pair of Russia’s cutting-edge Su-57 fighter jets will fly for the first time over Moscow’s Red Square during the Victory Parade on May 9, the Defense Ministry announced on Friday.

"This year, the military parade will involve 73 crews of tactical, long-range, military transport and army aviation… Two Su-57 planes will take part in the parade," the ministry said.

Apart from the 5th-generation fighter jets, strategic Tu-160 and Tu-95MS missile-carrying aircraft, Tu-22M3 long-range bombers, Il-78 aerial refueling tankers and Il-76MD military transport planes will fly over Moscow’s Red Square on Victory Day.

The parade flight formation will include Mi-26, Mi-8, Mi-28N, Ka-52 and Mi-35 helicopters, Su-35S, Su-30SM. MiG-29 and MiG-31BM fighter jets, Su-34 and Su-24M bombers while Su-25 attack aircraft will traditionally emit the smoke in the colors of the Russian flag.

As Russia’s Defense Ministry said, all the Aerospace Force’s crews involved in the parade had redeployed by Friday from the places of their permanent basing to operational aerodromes. Combat aircraft will take off from eight airfields in the Moscow, Tver, Saratov, Kaluga, Voronezh, Lipetsk and Nizhny Novgorod Regions to fly to the Victory Parade.

"Army aviation crews will fly at an altitude of 150 meters and at a speed of 200 km per hour. The crews of tactical, long-range and military transport aircraft will fly at an altitude of 300 to 500 meters at a speed of up to 600 km per hour," the Defense Ministry of Russia said.

Su-57 fighter

The Russian fifth-generation Perspective Aviation Complex of Frontline Aviation (PAK FA) fighter jet took to the skies for the first time in 2010.

As was reported in August 2017, Russia’s PAK FA fifth-generation fighter jet received the serial index of Su-57. The cutting-edge fighter performed its first flight with a new engine on December 5, 2017.

The experimental design work on the most advanced fighter jet should be completed in 2019 and its deliveries to the troops should begin at that time. As the United Aircraft Corporation’s chief executive said, the pre-production batch will consist of 12 such planes.

Source: ITAR-TASS 07-04-2018

Kremlin ready to search for alternative to Telegram

Earlier on Friday, the Russian media watchdog filed a lawsuit against Telegram.

MOSCOW, April 6. /TASS/. Telegram is a convenient tool to communicate with journalists but if it is blocked, the need will arise to search for an alternative, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"There are a lot of messaging services, Telegram is a very convenient one, we have been particularly using it to communicate with journalists," the Kremlin spokesman told reporters. "It will be a pity if no consensus is reached [between Telegram and supervisory bodies] but as far as we understand, it has not happened yet," he added.

"A law is a law, and if it is violated and no measures are taken, we will search for an alternative that would fulfill our requirements in the best possible way," Peskov said.

Telegram’s lawyer Ramil Akhmetgaliyev said earlier that the company was technically unable to provide decryption keys to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). He added that the company did not plan to fulfill the FSB’s demand as it was unconstitutional.

"Telegram’s position has not changed - the FSB’s demand to provide decryption keys for messages is unconstitutional, it is not based on law and can be fulfilled neither technically nor legally, which means that the demand to block Telegram is baseless," Akhmetgaliyev said.

By the same token, he declined to comment on legal and technical details, noting that he had not seen the Russian media watchdog’s lawsuit. "Everything depends on the text of the lawsuit, we haven’t read it yet so we cannot provide further comments," the lawyer added.

Earlier on Friday, the Russian media watchdog filed a lawsuit against Telegram for failing to act on an official request to furnish the keys to decrypt user messages within the prescribed time limit.

Source: ITAR-TASS 06-04-2018

No NATO representatives left in Moscow to expel, says Russian diplomat

NATO cut back its Russian diplomatic mission staff to 20 from 30 people in solidarity with the UK over the Skripal poisoning.

ST. PETERSBURG, April 5. /TASS/. NATO’s secretariat has no representatives in Moscow who could be expelled in response to the alliance’s similar actions, but a great number of military attaches of its member states have already left Russia, said Andrei Kelin, Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department for European Cooperation, on Thursday.

"NATO as an alliance has almost no one in Moscow today," he said. "We didn’t close NATO’s information center in Moscow, but there are only one or two technical employees there now. There are no secretariat representatives there. We have currently no one to expel or dismiss."

"NATO is an assembly of states," he continued. "Tit-for-tat measures were taken for a whole number of states. Not just diplomats, but a great number of military attaches as well have left Moscow."

Earlier, NATO cut back its Russian diplomatic mission staff to 20 from 30 people in solidarity with the UK over the Skripal poisoning. Some NATO member states declared the expulsion of Russian diplomats. Russia mirrored moves against them by declaring an identical amount staff in their embassies personae non gratae.

Source: ITAR-TASS 05-04-2018

Putin seeks to pave new ways for global cooperation in war on terror

The Russian president warned that the Islamic State terror group is still clinging to its remaining potential.

MOSCOW, April 4. /TASS/. The Islamic State terror group (outlawed in Russia) retains its potential, so there is a need to work out new ways of global cooperation to reinforce the successes achieved in the fight against terrorism, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a welcome address to the participants and guests of the Seventh Moscow Conference on Global Security, which was read out by Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev.

"In spite of its defeat, this terror group clearly still has significant destructive potential and an ability to promptly change its tactics and carry out attacks in various parts of the world," Putin said, adding that "other extremist groups also pose a great danger." "Under these circumstances, we all should consider new ways of multilateral cooperation, which would make it possible to reinforce the successes achieved in the war on terror and prevent this threat from spreading further," the Russian leader pointed out.

Putin stressed that the Moscow Security Conference rightfully enjoyed high authority on the international stage. He also noted that the 2018 event involved representatives from nearly 100 countries, including defense ministers, general staff chiefs, prominent researchers and experts, as well as high-ranking officials from the United Nations and other international organizations. Putin was confident that discussions would prove substantive and fruitful, allowing the conference’s participants to exchange experience and analytical insights, and making a considerable contribution to collective efforts aimed at ensuring global security and stability.

Source: ITAR-TASS 04-04-2018

Espionage cell dismantled: FSB spy catchers bust ring passing secret military maps

Investigative operations were conducted simultaneously in Crimea, Siberia and the Urals.

YEKATERINBURG, April 3. /TASS/.The Sverdlovsk Region’s branch of the Russian Federal Security Service (the FSB), together with its other offices in Crimea, the city of Sevastopol and the Omsk Region, have thwarted the illegal transfer of classified maps designed for military use to a foreign party, the press service of the FSB’s Directorate in the Sverdlovsk Region reported on Tuesday.

"[The FSB] has foiled the activities of a cell of individuals involved in the illegal collection of topographic materials designed for military use to subsequently transfer them to a foreign party. Investigative operations were conducted simultaneously at the apartments of three Russian citizens and a Ukrainian national in the cities of Yekaterinburg, Simferopol and Omsk, during which electronic and paper copies of confidential topographic maps of the Russian Armed Forces’ General Staff were uncovered and confiscated," the press service said.

The PR office added that the detained individuals had been given official warnings against acts that lay the groundwork for committing crimes under the "High Treason" and "Espionage" sections of Russia’s Criminal Code.

"All the detainees admitted that through their actions, they created a threat to Russia’s security and vowed they would refrain from such acts in the future. One of these individuals was earlier charged with a criminal offense under the High Treason section of Russia’s Criminal Code," the press service noted.

Source: ITAR-TASS 03-04-2018

Russian military put on alert during drills in Armenia

Special attention will be paid to carrying out tactical activity of motorized infantry with support of artillery, air defense forces and aviation.

ROSTOV-ON-DON, April 2. /TASS/. Troops from the Russian military base in Armenia have been put on alert during the drills and will be deployed to the Alagyanz highland training ground, a spokesman for the Southern military district, Vadim Astafyev, said on Monday.

"During the weeklong drills at the Alagyanz training ground the troops will perform exercises on driving in conditions of mountainous and rocky highland area, live firing from small arms, grenade launchers, armaments infantry combat vehicles, tanks, artillery and anti-aircraft weapons," Astafyev said.

Special focus will be made on carrying out tactical activity of motorized infantry with support of artillery, air defense forces and aviation.

The military exercises in the Transcaucasus region involve more than 1,000 troops and nearly 300 pieces of special military hardware, including fighter aircraft, army aircraft and drones.

Source: ITAR-TASS 02-04-2018