Kiev forces violate ceasefire one time in Lugansk republic in 24 hours, militias say

According to the report, the Kiev forces opened fire from anti-tank grenade launcher.

LUGANSK, November 30. /TASS/. Ukraine’s forces violated ceasefire one time over the past 24 hours, opening fire at the territory of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic, the LPR’s mission to the Joint Ceasefire Control and Coordination Center said.

"The shelling targeted an area in the village of Logvinovo," the LuganskInformCenter reported, citing the militias. According to the report, the Kiev forces opened fire from anti-tank grenade launcher.

At a meeting in Minsk on July 17, members of the Contact Group for settlement in eastern Ukraine declared an indefinite ceasefire in Donbass starting on July 21. The agreement, in particular, includes the parties’ obligations to take additional measures to ensure compliance with the truce, and that is what the Donbass republics had called for. However, the Ukrainian army violated the new ceasefire shortly after it came into effect.

Source: ITAR-TASS 30-11-2019

Russian woman suspected of spying for Ukraine taken into custody

According to the FSB, the woman purposefully collected secret military information.

SEVASTOPOL, November 29. /TASS/. The Leninsky District Court in the Crimean city of Sevastopol has arrested a woman suspected of spying for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, a court spokesperson told TASS on Friday.

"She has been taken into custody for two months," the spokesperson said.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said earlier that a Russian woman suspected of espionage had been detained in Sevastopol. According to the FSB, "she was recruited by Ukrainian intelligence agencies at the instruction of the Main Directorate of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry and purposefully collected secret military information."

A criminal case has been opened under Article 275 of the Russian Criminal Code (high treason), which stipulates a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

Source: ITAR-TASS 29-11-2019

Apple agrees to show Crimea as part of Russia on all its apps — Russian MP

Earlier, the weather app used to list a number of Crimean cities as Ukraine's territory

MOSCOW, November 27. /TASS/. US tech company Apple has satisfied the demands of Russian MPs to show Crimea as part of Russia on all its apps, head of the Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) Committee on Security and Corruption Control Vasily Piskarev told reporters on Wednesday.

"They have brought [their services] in line with the Russian law. The error with displaying Crimean cities on the weather app has been eliminated," the MP confirmed.

He showed the photos that demonstrate that Sevastopol, Simferopol, Yalta and other cities are now shown as part of Russian territory. "Earlier, it said that this was Ukraine," the politician noted. "A corresponding reaction followed, the problem was resolved."

According to Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee for Information Policy, Information Technologies and Communications Leonid Levin, this decision by Apple shows the company’s intention to maintain its positions on the Russian market. "We can only welcome Apple’s decision to bring their map services in line with the requirements of the Russian law. With this step, the company has demonstrated its willingness to maintain and improve its positions on the Russian market," he claimed.

Levin added that the regulation of the issue had been achieved "through open dialogue between the parliament and the company’s representatives" without invoking administrative procedures.

Source: ITAR-TASS 27-11-2019

Czarist-era treasure trove discovered in downtown Moscow

According to the preliminary valuation, the treasure is valued at about $15,700.

MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/. A cache of coins from the 19th and 20th centuries that was unearthed in downtown Moscow has become one of the most valuable archaeological discoveries in the Russian capital this year. According to the preliminary valuation, they are estimated at about 1 million rubles ($15,700), Moscow City Hall’s website reported.

"The most important discovery of the year is a huge treasure of coins dating back to the era of [Czar] Nicholas II on Kostyansky Lane. In early July, archaeologists found about 60 coins depicting a face value of 5 and 10 rubles. The money dates back to the late 19th century - early 20th century," head of the Department of Moscow’s Cultural Heritage Alexei Yemelyanov was, quoted as saying in the report.

He specified that the cache was found in a tin box when clearing the basement of a building that had previously existed. According to specialists, the coins might have been kept there since the revolution or the Russian Civil War. Based on preliminary assessments, the discovery is worth about 1 million rubles. "It is one of the most valuable caches found in the capital over the last several years," the report says.

Earlier, pottery fragments found on Gogolevsky Boulevard had been ranked as the most ancient discovery of 2019. Experts dated them back to the Neolithic age of 4,000-3,500 BC. Archeologists also found part of an 18th century figurine carved from a mammoth tusk in a northern Moscow district, where a manor of the Naryshkin princes was located. In September, a whole bishop made of bone from a chess set dating back to the 17th-18th centuries was found on Ostozhenka Street in the heart of Moscow.

Source: ITAR-TASS 26-11-2019

Putin calls United Russia a party that is not afraid of difficult decisions

The Russian President noted, that the status of the United Russia party is to serve the people for the sake of the country’s future rather than to rule.

MOSCOW, November 23. /TASS/. The United Russia party has never been afraid of assuming responsibility and making difficult decisions necessary for the country, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the party’s 19th congress on Saturday.

"The United Russia as the country’s largest and leading political party - and it has acquired this status because it has always prioritized the protection of citizens’ interests, the interests of our Motherland - has never been afraid of responsibility at the most complex twists of history, has always assumed and shouldered this responsibility and has not been afraid of difficult decisions that do not yield situational popularity and do not give extra points at elections," the Russian president said.

Such audacity is needed to ensure the country’s security, ensure the stable life of people for a long term, Putin said.

The Russian leader thanked the United Russia members for their joint work, substantive and active support. "The party has numerously displayed its willpower and proven its rightness, offered a unifying agenda based on the human’s freedom and well-being, patriotism, our traditional values, a strong civil society and a strong state," Putin stressed.

National projects

He added, that the work on implementing national projects is the most important task for the United Russia party.

"First of all, coherent and responsible work is needed for implementing the priorities of Russia’s development. Now this is the most important task for each of you, for your regional teams, for all who support the party," the Russian president said, addressing the congress delegates.

"I request you to concentrate on achieving tangible results under all national projects so that people can feel positive changes in their life and, importantly, can themselves participate in this joint work and see that all our joint efforts are aimed at positive and qualitative changes in the life of people," Putin stressed.

The main thing in the party’s work is to be together with people and know in detail their needs and problems and respond to them immediately, the Russian leader stressed.

"It is only in the daily mode of communication with people that you will be able to confirm and strengthen your competence and will prove your leadership by your deeds, attention and the care about citizens," Putin said.

Speaking about the national projects, Putin stressed that people should themselves participate in this joint work to see that such efforts are aimed at positive and qualitative changes.

"Precisely the results achieved for the sake of people rather than empty words and promises unbacked by anything should become the party’s main argument in the upcoming electoral campaigns at all the levels, from municipalities to the State Duma," the Russian leader said.

The regional problems

President noted, that members of the United Russia party should put the heat on officials to secure decisions necessary for citizens.

"You see and you know yourselves that now a dilapidated hospital, then something else is shown [in media footage]. Locally, you must see that, if officials fail to do so. You should keep constant pressure on them to secure decisions," the Russian leader said.

The party should be the leader in everything, Putin stressed.

"You should yourselves find and raise acute issues, without waiting for my next annual [Q&A] Direct Line. You should seek to solve such issues on your own, striving for justice," the Russian president said.

He added, that the status of the United Russia party is to serve the people for the sake of the country’s future rather than to rule.

"The status of the ruling party, the party of power means to hear and serve the people rather than to rule. The essence of this service relates to the future of our citizens, our children who have already been borne and will be borne in Russian families," the Russian leader said.

Source: ITAR-TASS 24-11-2019

United Russia party opens its congress in Moscow to focus on electoral issues

This congress is expected to launch the process of preparations for the federal parliamentary elections.

MOSCOW, November 23. /TASS/. The ruling United Russia party has opened its 19th congress in Moscow to focus on electoral issues ahead of the elections to the national legislature in 2021.

About 2,000 delegates are attending the party forum that is taking place at the VDNKh (All-Russian Exhibition Center) in Moscow. The congress will discuss the party’s electoral campaigns, including preparations for the elections to the State Duma (the lower house of Russia’s parliament) in 2021. The United Russia party congress is expected to launch the process of preparations for the federal parliamentary elections.

The congress started its work with a joint session of the party’s governing bodies: the Supreme and General Councils. This session will be followed by a plenary meeting, at which Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister, Chairman of the United Russia Party Dmitry Medvedev will deliver speeches.

The congress will also announce establishing six working groups within the party’s General Council, introduce a new format of the work of the United Russia’s public reception offices and set up the party’s human rights center. The congress’s program stipulates holding an annual rotation of the Supreme and General Councils.

Source: ITAR-TASS 23-11-2019

Russia plans new trials of Tsirkon hypersonic missile before yearend — source

 The tests will take place at a naval range of the Northern Fleet, the source specified.

MOSCOW, November 22. /TASS/. New tests of the latest Tsirkon hypersonic missile will take place at a naval range of the Northern Fleet before the end of the year, a source in defense circles of Russia’s North-Western Federal District told TASS on Friday.

"A Tsirkon missile is expected to be launched from the White Sea before the end of the year. The specific date will be set as soon as the technical equipment is ready," the source said.

Specialists are now making a special stand based on a pontoon, from which the latest missile will be test-fired, the source added.

The Research and Production Association of Machine-Building, which is developing the Tsirkon, declined to comment on the missile’s planned trials.

Tsirkon hypersonic missile

In his State-of-the-Nation Address to the Federal Assembly on February 20, Russian President Vladimir Putin informed that the work on the Tsirkon hypersonic missile was proceeding as scheduled. As the Russian leader stated, the Tsirkon is capable of developing a speed of Mach 9 and its striking range capability can exceed 1,000 km. The Russian leader noted that the Tsirkon could strike both naval and ground targets. Experts say the Tsirkon hypersonic missile cannot be intercepted by any existing air defense capabilities.

A source in the defense industry told TASS in late 2018 that more than ten Tsirkon launches had been carried out against naval targets to ranges of several hundred kilometers since the start of the missile’s trials. According to media reports, the missile firings from a sea platform were conducted in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Russian warships and submarines currently armed with Kalibr or Oniks cruise missiles are expected to carry Tsirkon hypersonic weapons. Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko said on November 8 there were plans to deploy Tsirkon missiles on the frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov currently undergoing modernization and on the Project 949A multi-purpose nuclear-powered submarine Irkutsk. Before that, Russian President Putin revealed that the corvette Gremyashchiy might be armed with Tsirkon hypersonic missiles.

Source: ITAR-TASS 22-11-2019

Kremlin dismisses Estonia’s territorial claims against Russia as unacceptable

Earlier, Estonian parliamentary speaker voiced a statement that Russia must return the territories mentioned in the 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty to Estonia.

MOSCOW, November 20. /TASS/. The Kremlin regards Estonia’s territorial claims against Russia as unacceptable, Russian presidential spokesman, Dmitry Peskov told the media on Wednesday.

"We believe that [this demand] is unacceptable and we cannot agree with it," Peskov said in the wake of the Estonian parliamentary speaker’s statement that Russia must return the territories mentioned in the 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty to Estonia.

Estonia’s Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu stated on Tuesday the ratification of the treaty on the border between his country and Russia at the moment had no prospects due to disagreements over the Tartu Peace Treaty. Earlier, Estonia’s Interior Minister, leader of the Conservative People’s Party Mart Helme claimed that Russia had not returned 5.2% of the original territory to Estonia yet. He added that Estonia would wait for a settlement of the dispute in accordance with international law.

As a Russian diplomatic source told TASS earlier, Helme was most probably referring to Ivangorod and part of the Pechora district. Under the Tarty Peace Treaty concluded between Russia and Estonia on February 2, 1920 those territories had belonged to Estonia. They were incorporated by Russia after Estonia joined the Soviet Union. The Russian Foreign Ministry has stressed more than once that the Tartu Peace Treaty lost force the moment Estonia joined the Soviet Union.

Source: ITAR-TASS 20-11-2019

Teams of Iskander-M missile systems strike enemy forces in Urals drills

The exercises involve about 100 items of armament and military hardware.

YEKATERINBURG, November 19. /TASS/. The teams of Iskander-M tactical missile systems from Russia’s Central Military District delivered strikes against a notional enemy force during drills in the Sverdlovsk Region in the Urals, the District’s press office reported on Tuesday.

"The teams performed a march to the designated area where they equipped the launch positions and went on combat alert. The personnel held electronic missile launches, practicing multiple and sole strikes against vital facilities and targets making up a notional enemy’s combat potential to a range of up to 200 km," the press office said in a statement.

The teams also practiced assignments to operate launchers and transporter-loader vehicles while the drivers sharpened the skills of driving in different types of terrain, the statement says.

The drills aim to increase the efficiency of operating Iskander-M systems and involve about 100 items of armament and military hardware, according to the statement.

The Iskander-M tactical missile system is designated to strike adversary low-sized and site targets to a range of up to 500 km — missile launchers, multiple launch rocket systems, long-range artillery, aircraft and helicopters at aerodromes, command posts and communications centers.

Source: ITAR-TASS 19-11-2019

Russia starts moving Ukrainian warships seized in Kerch Strait – source

The vessels will be handed over to Ukraine at Cape Tarkhankut after crossing the Crimean Bridge’s arches.

ROSTOV-ON-DON, November 17. /TASS/. Russia began moving Ukrainian Navy warships, which were seized in the Kerch Strait on November 25, 2018, a source in the Southern Federal District’s emergency services told TASS.

"The operation on moving [the vessels] has started," the source said.

Earlier, Andrei Yermak, aide to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, told the Novoye Vremya daily that the process of returning the Ukrainian small armored boats Berdyansk and Nikopol, as well as the Yany Kapu tugboat, detained last year by Russia in the Kerch Strait, was at its final stage.

Crimea24 TV channel reported that at the moment the warships were being transported by motorboats of the Russian Federal Security Service’s branch in Crimea. The vessels will be handed over to Ukraine at Cape Tarkhankut after crossing the Crimean Bridge’s arches.

On November 25, 2018, three Ukrainian warships, en route from Odessa to Mariupol, illegally crossed Russia’s state border, entered Russia’s territorial waters in the Kerch Strait and started performing dangerous maneuvers. Despite the repeated warnings and demands to stop, the Ukrainian vessels continued their way, forcing Russia to use weapons. All three Ukrainian ships were detained in the Black Sea, along with 24 Ukrainian sailors.

On September 7, Moscow and Kiev carried out a "35 for 35" exchange of detainees, which included the 24 Ukrainian sailors detained in the Kerch Strait.

Source: ITAR-TASS 17-11-2019

Most crimes in Russia committed by the unemployed - Exterior Ministry

According to the ministry, almost 433,000 people do not have a stable source of income.

MOSCOW, November 16. /TASS/. Almost 680,000 people have been arrested in Russia in 2019 for committing various crimes, while most of these people do not have a stable source of income and every third is detained under the influence of alcohol, the Russian Exterior Ministry statistics shows.

Among those arrested, males comprise a majority, women account for 109,000 detainees, 30,000 are students and 27,000 are teenagers. Meanwhile, crime rates among the underage children and students have dropped.

According to the ministry, most of the criminals (almost 433,000 people) do not have a stable source of income, while 230,000 were intoxicated when committing crimes. Among the 680,000 people detained, 383,000 people have already committed other crimes before.

Source: ITAR-TASS 16-11-2019

Russian Black Sea Fleet conventional sub takes to sea for drills after repairs

Before its deployment, the submarine’s crew practiced assignments to prepare the sub for its departure for the sea.

MOSCOW, November 15. /TASS/. The Black Sea Fleet’s Project 636.3 diesel-electric submarine Novorossiysk has taken to the sea for drills after its repairs, the Fleet’s press office reported on Friday.

"In accordance with the Fleet’s combat training plan, the Black Sea Fleet submarine Novorossiysk has taken to the sea for a set of drills as part of accomplishing the assigned mission," the press office said in a statement.

Before its deployment, the submarine’s crew practiced assignments to prepare the sub for its departure for the sea, load ammunition and organize protection and defense during its anchorage at the moorage wall, the statement says.

The submariners also practiced the submarine’s control during its surfacing and submerging in the normal and emergency modes, according to the statement.

TASS earlier reported citing a source that specialists of the Sevastopol-based Sevmorzavod Ship-Building Center and the Admiralty Shipyard in St. Petersburg repaired the Black Sea Fleet’s Project 636.3 submarine Novorossiysk in late July 2019. This was the sub’s first major repairs after it entered service in 2014.

Project 636.3 (Varshavyanka-class) submarines are referred to the third generation of diesel-electric subs. These submarines are considered among the world’s most noiseless vessels. They develop a speed of up to 20 knots, can dive to a depth of about 300 meters and their sea endurance is 45 days. The sub has a crew of 52 men and displaces about 4,000 tonnes.

Varshavyanka-class subs are armed with Kalibr cruise missiles. They are also furnished with modern radar and communications systems, sonars and 533mm torpedoes.

Source: ITAR-TASS 15-11-2019

Russia’s 1st two Avangard hypersonic missile systems to assume combat duty — source

Work is underway to prepare and place the missiles into silos, according to the source.

MOSCOW, November 13. /TASS/. The first two UR-100N UTTKh intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) outfitted with the Avangard nuclear boost-glide vehicle will go on experimental combat duty in coming weeks. Work is underway to prepare and place the missiles into silos, a source in the defense industry told TASS on Wednesday.

"In late November - early December, two UR-100N UTTKh missiles equipped with the hypersonic glide vehicles from the first regiment of Avangard systems will assume experimental combat duty in the Dombarovsky division of the Strategic Missile Force," the source said.

Work is currently underway in the positioning area "to prepare both missiles and place them into the silos, check the operation of the regiment’s protected command post and carry out other measures," the source added.

Russia’s Strategic Missile Force declined to comment over the phone on the information provided by the source. TASS has sent an inquiry to the Defense Ministry of Russia.

As another source in the defense industry told TASS in October last year, two Avangard regiments with six silo-based missiles each were due to assume combat duty in Russia.

Then-Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov announced in March 2018 that a contract had been signed on the serial production of Avangard hypersonic missile systems. Commander of Russia’s Strategic Missile Force Sergei Karakayev reported in December 2018 that the first Avangard hypersonic missile systems would assume combat duty at the Dombarovsky missile division in the Orenburg Region in 2019.

Avangard hypersonic system

The Avangard is a strategic intercontinental ballistic missile system equipped with a hypersonic glide vehicle. According to open sources, the ‘breakthrough’ weapon was developed by the Research and Production Association of Machine-Building (the town of Reutov, the Moscow Region) and was tested from 2004. The glide vehicle is capable of flying at over 20 times the speed of sound in the dense layers of the atmosphere, maneuvering by its flight path and its altitude and breaching any anti-missile defense.

The new weapon was unveiled by Russian President Vladimir Putin in his State of the Nation Address to the Federal Assembly on March 1 last year. The Russian leader told a board meeting of the Defense Ministry in late 2018 that Russia had launched serial production of Avangard hypersonic missile systems. Putin stressed at the time that the Avangard, along with Sarmat missiles and Kinzhal and Peresvet missile systems, would boost the potential of the Army and the Navy to guarantee Russia’s security for decades to come.

Source: ITAR-TASS 13-11-2019

Court sentences Crimean members of Hizb ut-Tahrir

The convicts received sentence between 7 and 19 years in a high-security colony.

ROSTOV-ON-DON, November 12. /TASS/. The Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don on Tuesday sentenced six Crimean citizens, accused of being involved in activity of the Hizb ut-Tahrir international terrorist group outlawed in Russia, to between 7 and 19 years in a high-security colony, a TASS correspondent has reported.

"The defendants have been found guilty," the judge said.

Muslim Aliyev was sentenced to 19 years behind bars, Inver Bekirov to 18 years, Vadim Siruk and Emir-Usein Kuku to 12 years, Refat Alimov to 8 years, Arsen Dzepparov to 7 years.

Depending on their role, the individuals were suspected of being involved in the activity of a terrorist organization, plotting and committing a crime by a group of persons, and an attempt to carry out a crime, and a forcible seizure of power. According to investigators, Aliyev and Bekirov were the organizers of the terrorist cell, while the others were its alleged members.

At their gatherings, the individuals called for a total Islamization and were involved in recruiting new members and inciting extremist activity. The defendants have pleaded not guilty and plan to challenge the decision.

"We will appeal this as an illegal act. We fully disagree with it," one of the lawyers, Sergei Loktev, told reporers.

Hizb ut-Tahrir international pan-Islamist political organization was outlawed as a terror group in Russia by the decision of the Supreme Court on February 14, 2003.

Source: ITAR-TASS 12-11-2019

Coal exports from Russia remain at $12.3 bln

In physical terms, coal exports over the nine months of this year increased by 4.9% compared to last year to 153,488 mln tones.

MOSCOW, November 11. /TASS/. In January - September 2019, Russia's exports of coal remained at the level of the same period in 2018 and amounted to $12,335 bln, the Federal Customs Service said on Monday.

In physical terms, coal exports over the nine months of this year increased by 4.9% compared to last year to 153,488 mln tonnes.

Imports of coal during the reporting period decreased by 1.9% to $286 mln. In real terms, coal imports decreased by 2.4% to 16,032 mln tonnes.

Source: ITAR-TASS 11-11-2019

Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport named in honor of pioneering Soviet aircraft designer Tupolev

Seventy-eight world records were set flying Tupolev’s planes and 30 distinctive flights were carried out, including the rescue of the SS Chelyuskin’s crew and nonstop flights to the US across the North Pole.

MOSCOW, November 8. /TASS/. Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport officially adopted the name of the legendary chief designer of the USSR’s aircraft industry, Andrei Tupolev. The ceremony was dedicated to the 131st anniversary of his birthday.

The history of Vnukovo Airport is closely linked to the name of the aircraft designer. The Tu-104, Tu-114, Tu-124, Tu-134, Tu-154, Tu-204 and the Tu-204-300 made their first passenger flights from this airport, and the first jetliner, Tupolev's Tu-104KB, the monument to which was mounted at the airport’s entrance, became one of Vnukovo Airport's symbols.

"The entire life of this person is an achievement <...>. Under his guidance, the design bureau created about 100 planes, 70 of which went into production. Chkalov’s renowned feat was made on an ANT-25 airplane, which Andrei Nikolaevich [Tupolev] also designed. This is a special day for us, we consider it a great honor and will try to carry the name of this legendary designer with honor," First Deputy Director General of Vnukovo Airport Dmitry Yerzakovich promised.

Seventy-eight world records were set flying Tupolev’s planes and 30 distinctive flights were carried out, including the rescue of the SS Chelyuskin’s crew and nonstop flights to the US across the North Pole.

A bust to the legendary aircraft designer was also unveiled on Friday. Tupolev’s grandson and Advisor to Tupolev’s Director General (likewise named) Andrei Tupolev was also present at the event. "Grandpa would have been very pleased that the airport is named in his honor, he always paid great attention to civil transportation, and I still remember how grandpa and then [my] father lived for this work. They had no Saturdays, no Sundays, nor any free evenings," the grandson of the aircraft designer said. He noted that being a talented scientist, designer and leading a team of thousands of engineers, product engineers, test pilots, technicians and workers, "Andrei Nikolaevich [Tupolev] always remained a very simple and friendly person who loved his family, nature, company and friends."

The airport was bestowed with the aircraft designer’s name under the Russian president’s order after summing up the results of the "Great Names of Russia" contest.

Source: ITAR-TASS 09-11-2019

Arctic helicopters to carry out year-round patrols in easternmost Russia

The pilots have undergone the required training for flights in the Extreme North.

MOSCOW, November 8. /TASS/. Arctic helicopters of Russia’s Eastern Military District have set off for the easternmost aerodrome of Anadyr where they will carry out constant patrols, the District’s press office reported on Friday.

"The Mi-8AMTSh-VA helicopters, which are capable of operating in Arctic conditions and have recently arrived for an army aviation large unit of the Eastern Military District stationed in Khabarovsk, have set off for their permanent base, the Ugolniye Kopi aerodrome in the town of Anadyr," the press office said in a statement.

The flight crews of the new rotorcraft will carry out year-round patrols, changing each other, the press office specified.

The Mi-8AMTSh-VA choppers will replace Mi-8AMTSh ‘Terminator’ transport and attack rotorcraft, which have been performing missions for cargo and personnel delivery in the Arctic for several years now.

Therefore, the air group that makes flights to Cape Schmidt and Wrangel Island will be reinforced with rotorcraft suited for local climatic conditions.

The helicopters have been delivered to the army aviation large unit in Khabarovsk from the flight personnel combat employment and re-training center in the town of Torzhok in the central Russian Tver Region. The pilots have undergone the required training for flights in the Extreme North.

Source: ITAR-TASS 08-11-2019

Police detain man suspected of plotting terror attack in Moscow — source

The man was detained at the end of the last week in a Moscow’s southwestern suburb, according to the source.

MOSCOW, November 5. /TASS/. A man suspected of plotting a terror attack in Moscow has been detained by the police, a source in Moscow’s law enforcement agencies told TASS on Tuesday.

"The police detained a national of one of the CIS Central Asian republics on suspicion of plotting a terror attack in Moscow," the source said, adding that the man had been detained at the end of the last week in a Moscow’s southwestern suburb.

According to the source, a criminal case was opened on charges of threats of an explosion, arson or other actions that may entail human deaths (part 1, article 205 of the Russian Criminal Code), which carry a punishment of from ten to 15 years in prison.

On November 3, Moscow’s Cheryomushki district court placed the man in custody till January 1, 2020. Investigation is underway to identify his possible accomplices.

Source: ITAR-TASS 05-11-2019

Butina says being in US prison was "a torture"

The Russian national pointed out, that she had been convicted only because she was Russian.

WASHINGTON, November 4. /TASS/. Russian national Maria Butina, who has recently been released from a US prison, in an interview with CBS said that being in jail was "a torture." The interview was recorded shortly before the Butina’s release.

According to the interviewer, Butina particularly wanted to talk about "the conditions in the Washington DC jail where she was first held." "Cockroaches were everywhere, she claimed. No mattresses or blankets," the interviewed added.

"It is a torture. It is not normal for a human being to be locked for 23, 20, 22 hours in a cell by your own. Do you really think for not filing the paper you deserve 18 months of incarceration, four months in solitary confinement, and all this experience in jail? Is that the way?" Butina said.

"God found me. He was always there. And helped me to go through all these tough days," the Russian added. Russian Orthodox priest Viktor Potapov visited Maria in prison and provided her with religious literature.

The reason of the imprisonment

Maria Butina also made it clear that she had been convicted only because she was Russian.

The interviewer pointed out that the judge had said Butina’s crime "was a threat to our democratic institutions." Maria responded that "it is very sad for me, because it shows how broken the justice system in the United States is." According to her, the judge was "absolutely wrong." "You cannot charge a person with a crime for collecting information with not specifying what information. I have never collected any sensitive or classified information," the Russian noted.

When asked to comment on the charges that she had been "making connections with Republicans" in order to "influence US policy," Butina pointed out that "if I were not Russian, that would be called social networking."

"It’s all conspiracy theories. There is absolutely no proof of any of that, and I am not aware of any actions like this," Maria added, rejecting allegations that there were some "government person" behind her.

"I never sought to influence your policies. I came here on my own because I wanted to learn from the United States and go back to Russia to make Russia better," Butina emphasized.

Butina case

Butina, 30, was arrested in Washington on July 15, 2018, ahead of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump in Helsinki. She was charged with conspiracy to act as a foreign agent in the United States. American intelligence services argued that the Russian citizen carried out this activity without being registered as an agent of a foreign state at the Department of Justice.

On December 13, 2018, Butina pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the US law governing foreign agents operating in the country and signed a plea bargain. On April 26, 2019, she was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Moscow stated that the charges had been trumped-up, and demanded her release.

Butina's sentence ended on October 25. She was released from prison and deported to Russia.

The Russian initially went to the United States for a college course and obtained a master’s degree in international relations from American University in Washington.

Source: ITAR-TASS 04-11-2019

Ukraine's militants violate ceasefire 13 times in one day – DPR

The total number of projectiles used by the UAF is 142.

DONETSK, November 3. /TASS/. The Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) have violated the ceasefire 13 times during the past day, having launched more than 142 projectiles on the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), head of the DPR group in the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of the Ceasefire (JCCC) Ruslan Yakubov said on Sunday.

"Over the past day, the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) violated the ceasefire 13 times," the Donetsk news agency quoted him as saying. "The total number of projectiles used by the UAF is 142."

According to Yakubov, ten settlements of the DPR came under fire from the Kiev security forces. For shelling, the Ukrainian side used mortars of 120 and 82 mm caliber, infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers, grenade launchers, small arms, including large-caliber ones. As a result of shelling in the village of Staromikhaylovka in the west of Donetsk, the roof of the house is damaged.

At a meeting in Minsk on July 17 the participants declared that a comprehensive and termless ceasefire will start operating in Donbass on July 21. The ceasefire statement included the key obligations of the sides on additional measures for observing the ceasefire. However, Ukraine’s servicemen violated the agreement later in the day by shelling the village of Novaya Tavriya in the southern DPR with small arms.

Source: ITAR-TASS 03-11-2019

Trials of Angara carrier rockets to continue, says Russian space agency

Serial production of Angara will be started in 2023 at the Polyot Production Association.

MOSCOW, November 2. /TASS/. Air trials of Angara carrier rockets will continue, a source in the press service of Russia’s State Space Corporation Roscosmos told TASS on Saturday, adding that serial production is planned to start in 2023.

"According to production plans of the state corporation Roscosmos, serial production of Angara carrier rockets is being set up and will be started in 2023 at the Polyot Production Association (Omsk). Currently resumption of air trials of that promising rocket is being prepared," the source said.

Source: ITAR-TASS 02-11-2019

Construction of Moscow-Kazan highway to start in 2020

It will be fully completed by 2027.

MOSCOW, November 1. /TASS/. The construction of the new toll highway between Moscow and Kazan will start in 2020, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Maksim Akimov said on Friday, adding that it is planned to fully complete the construction by 2027.

"Works will start at the beginning of 2020, meaning the construction of new sections from Moscow to Vladimir, which is 145 kilometers, including bypasses of Balashikha and Noginsk," he said. "The new highway will be fully ready by 2027," the deputy PM added.

The new project envisions the construction of the highway divided into stages and starting from two flagship sections - from Moscow to Vladimir bypassing Vladimir, the construction of which is planned to be launched in 2020, as well as the southern bypass of Kazan. The works are planned to be completed by 2024. "The third stage will start in 2021 - the section from Vladimir to Arzamas, which will be completed by 2025. In 2022, we will start connecting those sections - from Arzamas to Kanash," Akimov said.

"Pre-project development is underway for extension of the highway from Kazan to Yekaterinburg. That goes far beyond 2024, beyond the current political cycle, nevertheless this work should be done," he added.

The project on construction of the Moscow-Kazan highway is included in the comprehensive plan for upgrade and expansion of trunk infrastructure through 2024 and is part of the Europe-Western China corridor being constructed now.

Source: ITAR-TASS 01-11-2019