Russia to create new high accuracy correctable trajectory shell

The trajectory-correctable shells might take the medium price niche.

MOSCOW, September 28. /TASS/. Russia’s research and industrial concern Techmash (an affiliate of Rostech) is working on the concept of a new 152-millimeter correctable trajectory shell for artillery pieces, the concern’s deputy CEO Alexander Kochkin said adding that the project had no name yet.

"Currently we are the drafting terms of reference and image of this new type of ammunition. I reckon we will get down to research and development in the near future. It will be a new 152-millimeter correctable trajectory shell for artillery pieces. The project has no name yet," he said.

As follows from Kochkin’s explanations, once out of the artillery barrel the new shell will follow an ordinary ballistic flight path most of the time. Near the target the built-in control system will be activated to correct the trajectory.

Kochkin remarked that equipping artillery shells with such control systems would be a rather tricky task due to the high dynamic impacts the shell is subject to at the moment of firing, in the process of rotation inside the artillery barrel and in flight.

"At high rotation speeds, up to 30,000 rounds per minute, optical instruments are useless. The image is blurry. Solving this problem will be a rather tricky task," he added.

Several means of correcting the flight path in the final phase were being considered, including flight control surfaces and miniaturized jet engines.

He speculated that the trajectory-correctable shells might take the medium price niche.

"They will be cheaper than guided shells of the Krasnopol type, but more expensive than ordinary shells," he said. Research into the new type of ammunition is absent from the state program for armaments, so Techmash will push ahead with research at its own expense.

Soviet predecessor

According to open sources, the V.V. Bakhirev Research and Machine-Building Institute created a correctable trajectory 152-millimeter artillery shell. It was certified and used by Soviet troops in Afghanistan.

The shell flew most of the distance to the target as an ordinary artillery ammunition piece. The homing system was activated 600 meters away from the target, spotted by the laser target finder. The shell’s trajectory was fine-tuned with impulse thrusters.

Source: ITAR-TASS 30-09-2018

Three people wounded in party congress explosion in Donetsk

Deputy Vladislav Berdichevsky wrote that unidentified device exploded.

MOSCOW, September 29. /TASS/. An explosion wounded three people during the Communist party congress in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Deputy Vladislav Berdichevsky wrote on Telegram on Saturday.

"Three people were wounded as an unidentified device exploded at the Communist party congress," he wrote.

The Ministry of State Security of the DPR confirmed that an explosion occurred. "The fact of explosion is confirmed, task forces have responded to the scene," the Donetsk News Agency quoted the source in the ministry.

Source: ITAR-TASS 29-09-2018

Russian jets scrambled 13 times in past week to intercept foreign aircraft

Reportedly there were no violations of Russia’s airspace.

MOSCOW, September 28. /TASS/. Russian jets were scrambled 13 times in the past week to prevent state border violations, the Russian Armed Forces’ Krasnaya Zvezda daily reported on Friday.

According to the data provided by the daily, 30 foreign aircraft have been registered on reconnaissance flights over the past week along Russia’s borders.

The daily reported that there were no violations of Russia’s airspace.

Source: ITAR-TASS 28-09-2018

Ukrainian leader stumbles into Russian delegation’s room at UN headquarters

Poroshenko got the doors mixed up and accidentally entered the Russian delegation’s room as he tried to escape Russian reporters.

UN, September 26. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko found himself in an embarrassing situation as he accidentally walked into the Russian delegation’s room trying to escape Russian reporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.

Poroshenko, along with his bodyguards, was moving along a corridor of the UN headquarters in New York when a group of Russian journalists approached him and tried to ask questions, including on his initiative to send a UN peacekeeping mission to the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbass.

"I’m not going to answer your questions, you are all a fake," Poroshenko replied.

However, as the Ukrainian president quickened his pace, he got the doors mixed up and accidentally entered the Russian delegation’s room. He walked out a moment later, and proceeded to the assembly hall in silence.

Source: ITAR-TASS 26-09-2018

Russian diplomat warns scrapping Sea of Azov treaty will backfire on Ukraine

Tensions flared up around the use of the Sea of Azov’s waters in May.

MOSCOW, September 25. /TASS/. Nullifying a treaty between Russia and Ukraine on cooperation in the Sea of Azov will entail serious consequences for Kiev, Director of the Foreign Ministry’s Second Department for the Commonwealth of Independent States Andrei Rudenko told reporters on Tuesday.

"If they make this decision [to exit the treaty of the Sea of Azov], then it’s up to them. Naturally, this will trigger certain consequences for both Ukraine and Russia," Rudenko cautioned.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and then Ukrainian head of state Leonid Kuchma signed the treaty between Russia and Ukraine on cooperation in the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait on December 24, 2003 in Kerch.

Based on this pact, which went into effect on April 23, 2004, the two countries defined the status of the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait recognizing them as their historic domestic waters. The document outlined the terms for transportation of merchant vessels and warships in these waters as well as Russian-Ukrainian cooperation, including their joint navigation. Any disputes related to the treaty need to be solved through "consultations and talks, and also other peaceful means."

Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, has repeatedly called for terminating this treaty. A bill on severing this agreement was registered with the parliament back in 2015. However, the Foreign Ministry and some Ukrainian security agencies cautioned the parliament against denouncing the document, saying that this would result in the blocking of Ukrainian ports in the Sea of Azov.

Tensions flared up around the use of the Sea of Azov’s waters on May 25, when Ukraine’s Border Service detained Russia’s Nord fishing vessel there. Only two sailors managed to return home, while the other crewmembers were detained because Ukraine’s Border Service considered them Ukrainian nationals residing in Crimea.

After that, Russia’s border guards stepped up their inspections of Ukrainian fishing ships, while Kiev said it was important to beef up its military presence in the Sea of Azov "to counteract to Russian border guards."

The second initiative on terminating the treaty was registered with the parliament by a group of MPs from the Self Reliance party in July 2018. However, Deputy Foreign Minister Elena Zerkal said Kiev was not planning to denounce the treaty with Russia on cooperation in the Sea of Azov since this would enable Moscow to announce its territorial claims.

Source: ITAR-TASS 25-09-2018

Belarus cooperates with Russia on visa-free regime for foreigners entering republic

Head of the Department for Citizenship and Migration Alexei Begun highlighted that Belarus "is doing all that is possible to find illegal migrants and channels of illegal migration".

MINSK, September 24. /TASS/. Belarus’ law enforcement authorities are closely cooperating with the Russian side on the 30-day visa-free entry to the republic for foreign citizens, said head of the Department for Citizenship and Migration at the Belarusian Interior Ministry Alexei Begun on ONT television channel live on Sunday.

"The Interior Ministry is taking preventive and organizational measures jointly with interested [authorities] to minimize risks. We are cooperating with our Russian colleagues to remove their concerns over the possibility of penetration of this category of people (who are banned entry to Russia - TASS) to the Russian Federation," Begun noted.

He highlighted that Belarus "is doing all that is possible to find illegal migrants and channels of illegal migration." "The Interior Ministry is constantly monitoring the migration flow and certain liberalization [of the visa regime] did not lead to a growth in criminality and violations on the part of this category of citizens," said the head of the Belarusian Interior Ministry’s department.

On July 24, 2018, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko ordered to prolong the visa-free stay for foreign citizens from five to 30 days provided they enter the country and subsequently leave it through the state border at Minsk national airport. The visa-free regime has been operating against citizens from 80 countries, including the EU states. The procedure for visa-free movement through the airport does not affect people who come to Belarus by planes from Russia, as well as those wishing to fly to Russian airports, as these flights are domestic, which do not require border control.

Source: ITAR-TASS 24-09-2018

US unlawful acts against Russia’s diplomatic property included in UN report - envoy

Vasily Nebenzya noted that the report of Antonio Guterres will be discussed in October by the sixth committee

UNITED NATIONS, September 22. /TASS/. Upon Moscow’s demand, the UN Secretary General’s report, which is due to be released in October, will include data on the US unlawful acts against Russia’s diplomatic property, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said in an interview with TASS.

"We sent to the UN Secretary General information about the unlawful acts committed by the US authorities against the property and staff members of the Russian embassy, the consulates and the permanent mission to the UN. This data has been included in the report of Antonio Guterres, which will be discussed in October by the sixth (legal) committee," Nebenzya said in an interview ahead of a high-level week of the 73rd UN General Assembly.

Nebenzya noted that the unsolved issues related to the diplomatic property continue accumulating although back in 2017 the UN General Assembly decided that all illegal restrictions against Russia’s facility should be removed.

"Access to the premises of the permanent mission in Oyster Bay has been still blocked, and most recently a significant number of our staff members were expelled under a far-fetched pretext," the diplomat said.

"Here in New York we are doing our utmost to convince the Americans to return to the path of honoring the international law," Nebenzya assured. "We will seek this during the 73rd session of the General Assembly, which has opened."

In September 2017, the US authorities closed down the Russian Consulate General in San Francisco and the trade mission in Washington, which are owned by the Russian government and enjoy diplomatic immunity, as well as the New York branch of the trade mission, which Russia had been renting, as part of anti-Russian sanctions. Moscow described Washington's motion as an overtly hostile act and urged the US authorities to turn them back immediately. On March 26, 2018, Washington announced the closure of Russia’s Consulate General in Seattle (the building was rented by Russia) and the consul general’s residence (Russia’s diplomatic property).

Speaking at a news conference in Xiamen, China, after the BRICS summit in September 2017, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would instruct the Foreign Ministry to file a lawsuit in a US court over the seizure of Russia’s diplomatic property.

Source: ITAR-TASS 23-09-2018

Some 15,000 people attend Circle of Light Festival in Moscow on first day

The Museum of the Great Patriotic War hosted the festival for the first time.

MOSCOW, September 22. /TASS/. Some 15,000 people saw a luminous laser show on the facade of Moscow's Museum of the Great Patriotic War on the first day of the Circle of Light Festival that opened on Friday, the press service of the museum said.

"According to updated information, the total number of spectators, who saw the luminous show on September 21 on the facade of the Museum of the Great Patriotic War reached some 15,000," the museum said. Earlier it said nearly 6,000 people attended the show.

The Museum of the Great Patriotic War hosted the festival for the first time. The guests saw the stories about the unification of Russian lands around the capital during several centuries and about domestic gunmakers.

The building’s facade turned into a screen of 270 meters in length and 25 meters in height. The overall area of the image reached 7,000 square meters. Spectators will be able to see luminous shows every evening until September 25.

The eighth Circle of Light festival will be held at six other venues - the Krylatskoye Rowing Canal, the parks of Tsarytsyno Palace and the Kolomenskoye Estate, Teatralnaya Square, as well as the Mir concert hall and the Digital October center.

Entrance will be free but those wishing to see the indoor shows will need to pre-register.

The first Circle of Light Festival was held in October 2011, featuring more than 360 installations. The major venues of the event were Red Square and Manezhnaya Square, and Gorky Park. Some 300,000 people attended the show.

Source: ITAR-TASS 22-09-2018

Third battalion of S-400 air defense systems enters duty in Crimea

Similar systems went operational in Feodosiya in January 2017 and in Sevastopol in January 2018.

MOSCOW, September 21. /TASS/. A third battalion of air defense systems S-400 Triumf has entered duty in Crimea, the Black Sea Fleet’s spokesman told the media on Friday.

"Combat crews of the S-400 air defense missile systems organic to the Air Force and Air Defense group of the Southern Military District have entered duty in Yevpatoria," Rulyov said.

Similar systems went operational in Feodosiya in January 2017 and in Sevastopol in January 2018.

The air defense system S-400 Triumf is meant for hitting current and future means of air attack including strategic bombers and ballistic and cruise missiles as well as surface targets. The system is capable of intercepting targets as a far away as 600 kilometers and hit them at a distance of 400 kilometers and an altitude of up to 30 kilometers.

Source: ITAR-TASS 21-09-2018

Russia's Iskander-M missile systems deployed in Kyrgyzstan for drills

About a thousand of Russian servicemen will take part in Issyk-Kul military drills.

MOSCOW, September 19. /TASS/. Russia’s Iskander-M mobile short-range ballistic missile systems were for the first time ever redeployed from Urals to Kyrgyzstan to take part in the upcoming international counter-terrorism exercise, Issyk-Kul Antiterror-2018, the press service of Russia’s Central Military District said on Wednesday.

"Iskander-M mobile short-range ballistic missile systems were for the first time ever deployed in Kyrgyzstan. During the drills, Urals missile crews will carry out a strike on a simulated base of terrorists at the Edelweiss mountain training range," the press service said.

About a thousand of Russian servicemen will take part in Issyk-Kul Antiterror-2018 exercise of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), scheduled to take place on September 24-24 at the Edelweiss training center in Kyrgyzstan.

Operational-tactical Iskander-M fires super maneuverable quasi ballistic stealth missiles (50 km altitude) with electronic warfare, designed to pierce the adversary’s missile defense and destroy targets at a distance of 500 km.

Source: ITAR-TASS 19-09-2018

Kremlin says issue of Crimea’s sovereignty off the table

The presidential spokesman rreiterated that "a settlement in southeastern Ukraine may be achieved only as a result of the implementation of the Minsk accords".

MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. The issue of Crimea’s sovereignty is closed for Russia, and Moscow is not reviewing this matter in the context of a settlement for southeastern Ukraine, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov reported. He responded to a request by reporters to comment on the intentions of some Ukrainian politicians to revert to the matter of their country’s territorial integrity based on the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances.

The Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances was signed by Russia, the UK, the US and Ukraine in 1994 as a security guarantee for Kiev after it signed on to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Among other items, the document stipulates Ukraine’s territorial integrity. The reporters asked about the observance of this provision on "the Crimean part."

"There is no ‘Crimean part,’ nor can there be one," Peskov said.

The presidential spokesman reconfirmed Moscow’s position that "a settlement in southeastern Ukraine may be achieved only as a result of the implementation of the Minsk accords."

"All the countries share the opinion that this document has no alternative and are guided by the necessity to carry it out," he stated.

"The implementation of the document is being stalled by Kiev," Peskov emphasized.

Source: ITAR-TASS 18-09-2018

Russia presents audio recording proving Ukraine’s complicity in MH17 tragedy

The Russian Defense Ministry has presented an audio recording proving Ukraine’s complicity in the MH17 disaster in 2014, the Defense Ministry’s spokesman Igor Konashenkov told the media.

MOSCOW, September 17. /TASS/. Russian Defense Ministry has figured out that videos showing the movement of a Buk missile system from Russia to Ukraine, presented by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) looking into the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 crash in eastern Ukraine, were fabricated, ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov told reporters.

According to him, Russian experts thoroughly studied those videos and came to the conclusion that they had been fabricated.

The Russian Defense Ministry has held a press conference dedicated to the MH17 crash, presenting a detailed analysis of those videos and proof of their being fabricated.

The Russian Defense Ministry has presented an audio recording proving Ukraine’s complicity in the MH17 disaster in 2014, the Defense Ministry’s spokesman Igor Konashenkov told the media.

General Konashenkov said the audio recording of a conversation between Ukrainian military servicemen was made back in 2016 in the Odessa Region during the Rubezh-2016 exercise and published in the Ukrainian mass media.

"If so, we’ll … [a synonym of the verb ‘shoot down’ - TASS] another Malaysian Boeing," one of the Ukrainian military servicemen said in the conversation.

The missile

The missile which downed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was made in the town of Dolgoprudny outside Moscow in 1986, delivered to a military unit deployed to Ukraine and was never brought back to Russia, Chief of the Russian Defense Ministry’s Missile and Artillery Department Lieutenant General Nikolai Parshin told reporters.

According to him, the missile fragments presented by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) looking into the MH17 crash carried the numbers of the missile’s nozzle and engine. "Once we had the noozle and engine numbers, we were able to find out the missile’s number," he said.

"There are documents in the archives of the Dolgoprudny Research Institute, which made it possible to find out the missile’s tail number. It came out that the missile was assembled on December 24, 1986, and delivered by rail to the military unit number 20/152, officially named the 223rd Air Defense Missile Brigade. It was deployed to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic’s Ternopol Region, which was part of the Subcarpathian Military District," he added.

According to the general, the military unit was never withdrawn to Russia.

MH17 crash

The Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, a Boeing-777 passenger plane travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, was shot down on July 17, 2014, over Ukraine’s eastern region of Donetsk. The crash killed all the 283 passengers and 15 crewmembers. There were nationals of ten states among the dead. The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) looking into the crash comprises representatives of the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Malaysia and Ukraine.

On May 24, the Team gave an update of the state of affairs in the criminal investigation, claiming that "the BUK-TELAR that was used to down MH17, originates from the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile brigade... a unit of the Russian army from Kursk in the Russian Federation."

Russia’s Defense Ministry rejected all the allegations and said that none of the missile systems belonging to the Russian Armed Forces had ever been taken abroad.

Nevertheless, on May 25, Australia and the Netherlands issued a statement saying that they "hold Russia responsible for its part in the downing of flight MH17." The two countries called on Russia to hold talks in order to find an appropriate solution and warned that the case could be submitted to an international court or organization.

Source: ITAR-TASS 17-09-2018

Ukraine’s SBU backed by western special services behind DPR leader’s murder - acting head

"The act of terror was committed with involvement of the SBU’s 5th foreign counterintelligence department," Pushilin was quoted by the Donetsk news agency as saying.

DONETSK, September 15. /TASS/. Law enforcers of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) have found out that the assassination of DPR leader Alexander Zakharchenko was prepared by officers of Ukraine’s Security Service (known as the SBU) with participation of western special services, DPR acting head Denis Pushilin said on Saturday.

"As of now, our law enforcement agencies have carried out an investigation. We have an absolute understanding who did it. The act of terror was committed with involvement of the SBU’s 5th foreign counterintelligence department," Pushilin was quoted by the Donetsk news agency as saying.

Moreover, after having analyzed residues of the explosive substance, it was established that cutting-edge technology had been applied on it, which Ukraine does not possess, Pushilin has added claiming that it proves western special services were involved in preparations for the assassination.

A suspect detained over the assassination of Alexander Zakharchenko, leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, works with the Ukrainian Security Service (known as the SBU), Pushilin said.

"The person detained in the Alexander Zakharchenko murder case is an SBU employee," he said.

Earlier in the day, the DPR acting head said that a suspect in Alexander Zakharchenko's murder had been detained and questioned.

Alexander Zakharchenko, who stood at the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic since 2014, died on August 31 when an explosion ripped through a caf· in downtown Donetsk. His bodyguard was also killed in the attack and twelve more people were wounded. On September 7, the DPR People’s Council (parliament) appointed Speaker Denis Pushilin as the republic’s acting head.

Source: ITAR-TASS 16-09-2018

Hatching military scenario for Donbass will be a disaster for Ukrainian people — Lavrov

Lavrov said the situation in Ukraine was discussed at his talks with Maas in great detail.

BERLIN, September 14. /TASS/. Russia is warning those who would like to implement a military scenario in Donbass, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a news conference following talks with his German counterpart Heiko Maas on Friday.

"I would like to strongly warn those who are hatching a military scenario. It would be a disaster for the Ukrainian people, because it may really undermine Ukrainian statehood. Waging a war on one’s own citizens is impermissible," he stated.

Lavrov said the situation in Ukraine was discussed at his talks with Maas in great detail.

"We are unanimous that there is no alternative to the Minsk Accords. What is to be done to move on towards their implementation is being considered in practical terms at the level of assistants to the leaders of the Normandy quartet countries. I do hope that some positive shifts may occur in this format, in the Contact Group in the near future," Lavrov said.

Source: ITAR-TASS 15-09-2018

Russian president, Hungarian PM to meet in Moscow on September 18 — Kremlin

Vladimir Putin will hold negotiations with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Moscow on September 18.

MOSCOW, September 14. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold negotiations with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Moscow on September 18, the Kremlin press service reported.

"Key issues of the further development of Russian-Hungarian cooperation, as well as major international issues, will be discussed," the press service said.

Source: ITAR-TASS 14-09-2018

Putin: Russia will continue to strengthen armed forces so that they can defend sovereignty

Putin called Russia a peace-loving state, which does not and cannot have aggressive plans.

TSUGOL FIRING RANGE /Trans-Baikal Territory/, September 13. /TASS/. President Vladimir Putin said that Russia will continue to strengthen its armed forces so that they are able to defend the sovereignty of the country and support allies. He said this while inspecting the troops at the Tsugol firing range, where the Vostok 2018 exercise was held.

"It is our duty to our country and homeland to be ready to defend its sovereignty, security and national interests, and if necessary - to support the allies," Putin said.

"Therefore, we will continue to strengthen our armed forces, equip them with latest weapons and technologies, to develop international military cooperation," he added.

Putin called Russia a peace-loving state, which does not and cannot have aggressive plans.

"Russia is a peace-loving state. We do not and cannot have aggressive plans," the head of state said.

"Our foreign policy is aimed at constructive cooperation with all countries that are interested in it," he added.

"That's why 87 observers from 59 countries attend these maneuvers and I welcome all of them," the president said.

On Vostok 2018

Putin praised the level of holding the active stage of the Vostok 2018 military exercise.

"Today, the most active stage of the exercises is completed at the Tsugol training ground in Trans-Baikal territory. You held it at high level: all units and formations fulfilled their assigned tasks," the head of state said.

The Vostok 2018 exercise, the largest in Russia’s modern history, is being held in the territories and offshore areas of Russia’s far eastern regions and the adjacent Pacific Ocean water areas on September 11-17 as part of the Russian Armed Forces training plan for 2018 under the supervision of Russian Defense Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu. It involves 300,000 troops, over 1,000 aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles, up to 36,000 tanks, armored personnel carriers and other vehicles, up to 80 ships and supply vessels.

Source: ITAR-TASS 13-09-2018

Iskander-M systems to strike targets hundreds of kilometers away during Vostok drills

The massive Vostok-2018 exercise is being carried out from September 11 to 17.

MOSCOW, August 12. /TASS/. As part of the large-scale Vostok-2018 drills, missile units from the Urals will conduct live firing from Iskander-M tactical operational missile systems at the Kapustin Yar training ground in southern Russia, the Russian Defense Ministry’s press service said on Wednesday.

"Earlier, Iskander-M missile crews were redeployed to the Astrakhan Region by rail," the ministry said in a statement. "During one of the episodes of the drills, Iskander-M missile crews will carry out a missile strike to destroy targets at a distance of several hundred of kilometers."

In a separate episode, units of Engineer Troops of the Russian Armed Forces will create various types of river crossings in Siberia’s Trans-Baikal Region to ensure passage of about 200 military vehicles from Russia and China.

The massive Vostok-2018 exercise is being carried out from September 11 to 17 under the command of Russian Defense Minister Army General Sergei Shoigu on the soil and in the waters of Russia’s Far East and in the neighboring waters of the Pacific Ocean. A total of about 300,000 servicemen are taking part in them, as well as more than 1,000 planes, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles, along with as many as 36,000 tanks, armored fighting vehicles and other cars, and up to 80 ships and support vessels.

Source: ITAR-TASS 12-09-2018

Russian embassy will not give up on efforts for Butina's release

The Russian Embassy in Washington says they will visit Maria Butina in jail this week

WASHINGTON, September 11. /TASS/. Russia’s Embassy in Washington will continue to protect the rights of Russian woman Maria Butina, who is currently kept in custody in the United States on charges of acting as an unregistered agent of the Russian government, the embassy said in a statement following a court session on the case.

"We will visit Maria in prison this week. We will keep advocating her lawful rights and demand from the U.S. authorities to release her," the embassy said in a statement.

The officials in the embassy drew attention to the point of the US prosecution.

"The arguments published by the U.S. prosecution (looks more like legal grounds for Russophobia) deserve a careful analysis in order to fully understand this theatre of absurd surrounding Maria. For instance, the prosecution carefully counted the number of our diplomatic notes sent to the State department on Maria’s case, as well as the number of consular visits to Maria in prison by our Embassy’s officials. The numbers allowed the prosecution to claim that the Russian citizen is "valuable" to her country," according to the statement.

The diplomatic mission stressed that Butina is not they visit in prisons in the US. The diplomats warned that if the US prosecution continue to act this way, it will submit another nota to the Department of State.

"We can say with confidence that if the situation continues, the prosecution will lose count of our official appeals to the US Department of State. "Evaluation" of our official activities undertaken by the U.S. prosecution will be the subject of a separate diplomatic note - it’s a promise," the diplomats said.

On Monday, a high-level US court has refused to change pre-trial restrictions for Butina and place her under house arrest. Tanya Chutkan, a judge of the US District Court for the District of Columbia, turned down the appeal filed by Butia’s attorney Robert Neil Driscoll, who demanded Butina be placed under house arrest with electronic monitoring of her whereabouts. Apart from that, the court prohibited both prosecutors and defense lawyers to release any information related to the case, thus banning Driscoll to speak with the press.

Butina case

Maria Butina, 29, entered the US in August 2016 on a student visa and took up studies at the American University. She received the master’s degree in international relations in May 2018.

She was arrested in Washington DC on July 15. The Russian gun rights activist faces charges of conspiracy for conducting activities in the interests of a foreign state. According to the US Department of Justice, she is suspected of acting "as an agent of Russia inside the United States by developing relationships with US persons and infiltrating organizations having influence in American politics, for the purpose of advancing the interests of the Russian Federation."

In a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on July 21, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov demanded Butina’s early release from custody stressing that charges against her were trumped-up. For her part, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow would continue work to protect Butina’s rights and legitimate interests.

Source: ITAR-TASS 11-09-2018

Kiev may launch massive mop-up operation in Donbass, expert warns

According to the expert, the instigators have been calling to take cues from Croatia, which took control of the rebellious Serbian regions by force.

MOSCOW, September 10. /TASS/. Ukraine’s authorities may carry out a massive mop-up operation in the self-proclaimed Donbass republics causing much more deaths than in 2014, Director of the Russian Center for Current Policy Alexei Chesnakov told TASS on Monday.

"I would like to be wrong, but for some reason I’m sure that at some moment Kiev will make a decision to launch a massive invasion of the territory controlled by people’s militias. First, that’s because sponsors from overseas have been actively inciting Ukraine into such steps. Second, there are enough mad people in Ukraine," Chesnakov noted.

According to the expert, the instigators have been calling to take cues from Croatia, which took control of the rebellious Serbian regions by force. "By the way, during those events the Croatians killed both Serbs and also the UN contingent personnel. If this happens [in Donbass] there will be more much more deaths than during the 2014 Ukrainian war. But the final decision "in the Croatian way" is unlikely to happen," the expert stressed.

Like in 2014, Ukraine will be forced to peace and "they will again rub its nose into the Minsk agreements." "This will be good for Kiev. The events may develop further leading to the recognition of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic by Russia like this was with South Ossetia and Abkhazia after the risky undertaking by [former Georgian President Mikhail] Saakashvili," he said.

Source: ITAR-TASS 10-09-2018

Russia’s MC-21 aircraft to be ready for public viewing in late 2018-early 2019 — minister

Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said that the aircraft’s interior will also be available for viewing.

MOSCOW, September 7. /TASS/. /TASS/. Russia’s MC-21 aircraft will be ready for public viewing in late 2018 - early 2019, Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov told TASS.

He added that the aircraft’s interior will also be available for viewing.

At the same time, head of United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) Yury Slyusar told journalists, that in Russia the plane can be shown to a wide audience for the first time in 2019.

"It (the plane with an interior - TASS) will be ready at the end of this year - the beginning of the next year and after that it will make sense to bring the plane with the interior to an exhibition," Manturov said.

Earlier it was reported that MC-21 would be first open for public viewing at the air show in China this autumn.

According to Manturov, it was decided to postpone the presentation in order not to interrupt the trials, which are currently underway.

"They made a decision (to show the plane already with the interior - TASS), taking into account the fact that the exterior of the plane has been shown already, nothing new can be shown now," he said.

He added that the MC-21 model will be shown at the air show in China (Airshow China 2018, held from November 6 to 11 - TASS).

The MC-21 aircraft is a medium-range passenger narrow-body aircraft. It is the second large-scale Russian project after Sukhoi Superjet 100. MC-21 has been developed by the Irkut Corporation and the Yakovlev Design Bureau of UAC. The MC-21 made the maiden flight in Irkutsk on May 28, 2017.

It is planned to produce two versions of the aircraft: MC-21-200 (from 132 to 165 seats) and MC-21-300 (from 163 to 211 seats). It is also planned to create a version of MC-21-400, which can accommodate up to 250 people.

At present, the MC-21-300 aircraft is being developed. The first shipments of the aircraft are planned for 2019, the start of serial production is scheduled for 2019.

Source: ITAR-TASS 09-09-2018

Russian diplomat slams Western calls for cooperation over Skripal case as absurd

The Russian Foreign Ministry even had to publish its requests addressed to the British side, Maria Zakharova said

MOSCOW, September 7. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has dismissed as absurd the recent calls upon Russia coming from a number of Western countries for cooperation with Britain over the Skripal affair.

"Yesterday’s statement by a number of countries at the UN Security Council’s meeting in which they urge Russia to start interaction with the British investigation looked totally absurd. Absolutely, it’s a looking glass world. It begins to look like sheer nonsense. We even had to publish our requests addressed to the British side. True, this does not quite match the diplomatic rules, but the things that London has been doing do not agree with any practice at all," Zakharova told a news briefing on Friday.

On September 6, Germany, Canada, the United States and France issued a joint statement to demand that Russia should begin to cooperate in the investigation of the Salisbury incident. In the meantime, Moscow declared its readiness to interact with London over the Skripal affair from the outset.

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday briefed the British parliament on some conclusions of the probe into the Salisbury incident to declare that two Russians whom the British special services regarded as GRU agents were suspected of an attempt on the Skripals’ lives. According to the investigators, the two men were moving about the country with passports issued in the names of Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov.

If the British version of the incident is to be believed, former GRU Colonel Sergei Skripal, convicted in Russia of spying for Britain, and his daughter Yulia were affected by a Novichok class nerve agent in Salisbury. London argued that Moscow was highly likely involved in the incident. Russia strongly dismissed all speculations on that score, adding that programs for making such a substance had never existed in the Soviet Union or Russia.

Source: ITAR-TASS 08-09-2018

Russian special operations forces train to fight pirates during Mediterranean drills

Units of Russia’s Special Operations Forces took part in major drills of the Navy and the Aerospace Forces in the Mediterranean Sea.

MOSCOW, September 7. /TASS/. Units of Russia’s Special Operations Forces took part in major drills of the Navy and the Aerospace Forces in the Mediterranean Sea, and trained how to fight pirates and release hostages, the Defense Ministry told reporters on Friday.

"The Special Operations Forces’ units accomplished tasks on redeploying the SOF forces and means to various operations directions, trained steps on countering saboteurs in the areas where the Russian Navy task force is based," the ministry said.

During one of the drills' stages, the SOF units jointly with the marine infantry, naval task force and forces of the Navy’s marine aviation trained how to accomplish tasks on preparing the area for amphibious assault landing, countering pirates at the sea and releasing hostages, it said.

The SOF units also defended combat formations and coastal facilities from saboteurs and protected the entry channel to the harbor from hidden mine planting, according to the ministry.

The Russian Navy and Aerospace Forces launched military drills in the Mediterranean on September 1 for the first time. The exercise will last until September 8. The drills involve 26 warships led by Marshal Ustinov missile cruiser and warplanes, including Tu-160 strategic bombers.

Source: ITAR-TASS 07-09-2018

DPR’s southern villages come under mortar shelling by Ukrainian troops

Fifteen 120mm caliber mines were fired.

DONETSK, September 6. /TASS/. Two villages in the south of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) came under mortar shelling by Ukrainian troops on Wednesday evening, a spokesman for the DPR’s mission to the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC) reported.

"Ukrainian troops opened mortar shelling at the settlements of Leninskoye and Kominternovo in the south of the republic. Fifteen 120mm caliber mines were fired," the spokesman said, adding that one residential hose was hit by a shell in Kominternovo. "No casualties among civilians were reported," the spokesman said.

The so-called back-to-school ceasefire came come into force in Donbass from midnight August 29. It was agreed by the Trilateral Contact Group on the settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine on August 22, ahead of a new academic year. The ceasefire was violated three hours after it came into effect as Ukrainian troops shelled Gorlovka’s suburbs.

Since the outbreak of the conflict in Donbass, the parties have agreed more than 20 ceasefires. The longest one of them was reported in 2016 when the ceasefire stayed in place for six weeks in a row.

Source: ITAR-TASS 06-09-2018

Russian media watchdog in dialogue with Google on advertising unauthorized protests

Further developments will depend on the dialogue’s results, the regulator's chief says

MOSCOW, September 5. /TASS/. Google has been holding talks with Russian authorities concerning videos advertising unauthorized protests during the election campaign, head of Russia’s media watchdog Alexander Zharov said in an interview with the Kommersant FM radio station on Wednesday.

"The situation is perfectly clear - advertisement tools, including the pre-rolls of the You-Tube video-sharing website belonging to the Google company, are used for promoting unauthorized activities in a number of Russian cities, where elections are scheduled to be held on the Unified Election Day," he said. "The Central Election Commission, the media watchdog, the Federal Antimonopoly Service and the Prosecutor General’s Office have expressed their concern to Google, as these unauthorized activities voice political demands and may influence the elections’ results, which means that it is a blatant interference in Russia’s electoral process," Zharov added.

"Google is in dialogue with Russian authorities. Further developments will depend on the dialogue’s results," he noted.

Source: ITAR-TASS 05-09-2018

Russia vows to help Donetsk People’s Republic investigate Zakharchenko assassination

Law enforcement agencies of the Donetsk republic have already detained several suspects.

MOSCOW, September 3. /TASS/. Russia will help the authorities of the self-proclaimed unrecognized Donetsk People’s Republic [DPR] in investigating the assassination of the DPR Prime Minister, Alexander Zakharchenko, Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov told reporters on Monday.

"Yes, certainly, the Russian government made public its official position on the issue," he said. "We’ll help with investigation of the crime."

Zakharchenko, who stood at the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic as of 2014, died on August 31 when an explosion ripped through a cafe in downtown Donetsk. His bodyguard died together with him.

The same explosion wounded the DPR tax and duties minister, Alexander Timofeyev.

In all, twelve people got wounded.

Law enforcement agencies of the Donetsk republic detained several people suspected of involvement in the assassination who said the authorities in Kiev had played a leading role in this crime.

On the face of it, Ukraine’s state security service SBU refuted any involvement in the incident on its part.

The DPR convened an emergency meeting of the territorial self-defense committee immediately. It appointed Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Trapeznikov to perform the duties of Acting Head of the Republic.

Source: ITAR-TASS 04-09-2018

Ukraine’s army planning offensive under command of foreign instructors, says DPR

According to the DPR’s reconnaissance data, after assault drills, Ukraine’s 79th assault airborne brigade is about to be pulled from the Nikolayev region to the conflict zone in Donbass.

KIEV, September 2. /TASS/. Ukraine’s army command is preparing an offensive on positions of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) with the use of three army brigades and the Azov paramilitary battalion under control of foreign instructors, Daniil Bezsonov, a spokesman for the DPR operations command, said on Sunday.

According to the DPR’s reconnaissance data, after assault drills, Ukraine’s 79th assault airborne brigade is about to be pulled from the Nikolayev region to the conflict zone in Donbass. The Azov group, formally a unit of Ukraine’s National Guard, is engaged in exercises to drill the skills of combat actions in populated localities.

"So, it seems that the command of Ukraine’s ‘unified forces operation’ allocates the central role in an offensive to the 36th marines brigade, 56th mechanized infantry and 79th assault airborne brigades. Nazis from the Azov group will be tasked to back the offensive in the rear. All these operations will be commanded by the military from the United States and Canada, or, in other words, by NATO military," the Donetsk News Agency quoted him as saying.

According to Bezsonov, a big number of Ukrainian servicemen have reportedly reached the village of Urzuf on the Sea of Azov’s coast, while high-ranking US and Canadian military arrived to the command of Ukraine’s Vostok army group. "We don’t rule out that foreign servicemen will take part in the planned offensive," he said.

On September 1, the DPR operations command said citing reconnaissance data that Ukrainian army had begun preparations for an offensive to be launched on September 14.

Source: ITAR-TASS 03-09-2018

Putin’s aide calls late PM of Donetsk republic real hero

Vladislav Surkov said that "it is a great honor to be Zakharchenko's friend".

DONETSK, September 2. /TASS/. The Prime Minister of the self-proclaimed unrecognized Donetsk People’s Republic [DPR], Alexander Zakharchenko, who died on Friday in a terrorist explosion in Donetsk, was a tough guy and a real hero who selflessly devoted himself to resolving the problems of rank-and-file people, President Vladimir Putin’s aide Vladislav Surkov said in an address published on Sunday.

"On this difficult day, I will tell you once again what I told you on your birthdays, namely, that you a real tough guy, a real hero, and that it is a great honor to be your friend," the address said.

"You are always in a hurry, Sasha [the familiar first name from Alexander - TASS] - from your office to the frontline, from the frontline to the miners, then to the farmers, then to the opening of a school," Surkov said. "But could you do otherwise when the problems, the solution of which people expected from you, were so many?"

"It is too early, but if there is no other way out, I will tell you what I always did: bye, brother, and take care," he indicated.

Alexander Zakharchenko died on Friday from an explosion in a downtown restaurant in Donetsk. His bodyguard died, too.

Another twelve persons, including the tax and duties minister of the DPR, Alexander Timofeyev, were wounded.

Source: ITAR-TASS 02-09-2018

Donbass will not forgive Zakharchenko’s murder — acting head of LPR

"The banner of struggle, lifted by Alexander Zakharchenko, will never fall," Lugansk People's Republic acting head Leonid Pasechnik said.

LUGANSK, September 1. /TASS/. The eastern Ukraine’s region of Donbass will not forgive the murder of Alexander Zakharchenko, the leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, the acting head of another eastern Ukrainian republic LPR said.

"This act of terror is a yet another reminder that the terrorists will stop at nothing in their cruel, fierce fight against freedom and independence," Lugansk People's Republic acting head Leonid Pasechnik said, adding that "the banner of struggle, lifted by Alexander Zakharchenko, will never fall."

Zakharchenko, who had been Prime Minister of the DPR since 2014, died in an explosion in downtown Donetsk on Friday. He was 42 years old. The blast left two people dead and nine injured, including DPR minister of taxes and duties, Alexander Timofeyev, and the head of a local youth organization, Natalya Volkova. DPR Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Trapeznikov was appointed acting head of the republic.

DPR law enforcement agencies have already detained several suspects in the blast, who confirmed the Kiev government’s involvement, the DPR interim head said. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) earlier denied any role in the blast.

Source: ITAR-TASS 01-09-2018