Russian radars track 27 foreign spy planes and three drones near state borders over week

According to the Russian Defense Ministry’s Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper, no violations of the Russian state border were allowed.

MOSCOW, January 29. /TASS/. Russian radars tracked 30 foreign aircraft that conducted air reconnaissance near Russia’s state borders over the past week, the Russian Defense Ministry’s Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper reported on Friday.

The paper’s infographics show that 27 foreign spy planes and three drones conducted air reconnaissance along Russia’s state borders in the past week.

The flights by foreign spy aircraft were tracked by Russian radar stations. No violations of the Russian state border were allowed, according to the newspaper, which cited information from the Russian Defense Ministry.

Also, one MiG-31 fighter jet was repaired and delivered to the troops under the defense procurement plan, the infographics show.

Last month, Aerospace Force Deputy Commander-in-Chief Lieutenant-General Andrei Yudin reported that Russian air defense quick reaction alert forces detected and intercepted over 1,300 foreign spy planes in 2020.

According to Yudin, the Russian fighter aircraft from air defense quick reaction alert forces were scrambled over 170 times in 2020 to intercept foreign planes near Russia’s borders.

Source: ITAR-TASS 29-01-2021

Anti-ship system Bastion conducts drills in Crimea as US destroyer visits Black Sea

The Bastion battalion performed a set of standard tasks and drills in field conditions.

SEVASTOPOL, January 28. /TASS/. A mobile coastal defense anti-ship system Bastion has carried out a march to a deployment site in Crimea within the framework of an exercise being held against the backdrop of the US destroyer Donald Cook’s visit to the Black Sea, the Black Sea Fleet’s information support office said on Thursday.

Combat crews arrived in the designated area, readied the systems for combat and carried out preparations for virtual fire. The Bastion battalion performed a set of standard tasks and drills in field conditions, the news release says.

In the next phase of the battalion’s drills the Donald Cooke Bastion battalion will practice cooperation with a Black Sea frigate. Fifteen vehicles and 100 troops are participating in the exercise.

The mobile system Bastion armed with anti-ship missiles Oniks was authorized for service in 2010.

According to the International Institute of Strategic Studies, the Russian Navy has 40 such systems. One Bastion battalion is capable of defending more than 600 of the coast. Oniks missiles have a range of up to 500 kilometers. Firing positions may be as far as 200 kilometers away from the coastline.

Russia’s National Defense Command Center said on Saturday the Black Sea Fleet was monitoring the US destroyer USS Donald Cook. Previously the destroyer visited the Black Sea on November 23 last year. The Black Sea Fleet tracked its movements then, too.

Source: ITAR-TASS 28-01-2021

New Kalibr-armed ship to join Russia’s Black Sea Fleet on January 30

The event will be attended by the Black Sea Fleet command.

MOSCOW, January 22. /TASS/. On January 30, Russia’s Black Sea Fleet will be reinforced with a small missile ship Graivoron, equipped with the Kalibr-NK universal missile complex, Russian Defense Ministry announced Friday.

"A ceremony to commission the Graivoron into the Black Sea Fleet will take place in Sevastopol," the Ministry said, adding that the event will be attended by the Black Sea Fleet command.

"Ships of this project have increased displacement and are armed with precision long-range missile weapons - the Kalibr-NK universal missile system, intended for destruction of naval and coastal targets," the Ministry of Defense said.

The Graivoron will become the fourth Project 21631 ship in the Black Sea. There are already three ships of this project in the Fleet: the Vyshniy Volochek, the Orekhovo-Zuyevo and the Ingushetia.

Source: ITAR-TASS 23-01-2021

Russia to supply air defense systems Pantsir-S1 to Myanmar

The command of Myanmar’s armed forces has shown interest in other advanced weapon systems of Russian manufacture.

NAY PYI TAW, January 22. /TASS/. Russia will supply to Myanmar a batch of missile and artillery air defense systems Pantsir-S1, unmanned aerial vehicles Orlan-10E and radars.

The agreement was signed at a ceremony attended by Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, who is in Myanmar on an official visit, and the Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar’s armed forces, Min Aung Hlaing. Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin inked the agreement for Russia.

Since 2001 a legal and regulatory base has been created for effective and mutually beneficial military-technical cooperation, which makes steady progress. Russia has supplied to Myanmar 30 planes MiG-29, twelve combat training jets Yakolev-130, ten helicopters Mi-24 and Mi-35P, eight air defense missile systems Pechora-2M and also radars, armored vehicles and artillery pieces. A contract has been concluded for providing six Sukhoi-30SME planes. Some have been delivered already.

Military hardware undergoes repairs and maintenance at Myanmar’s joint special center for all types of equipment, both aircraft and armored vehicles.

Bilateral cooperation saw intensive development over the past five years. Myanmar’s delegations regularly participate in the international army games and combat training activities. Last year Myanmar’s contingent took part in the Kavkaz-2020 exercise. Also, in 2018 an inter-governmental agreement was concluded on simpler procedures for Russian naval ships visiting Myanmar’s ports.

The command of Myanmar’s armed forces has shown interest in other advanced weapon systems of Russian manufacture.

Source: ITAR-TASS 22-01-2021

Russia’s Supreme Court rules attending football match is good reason to miss work

According to the court’s decision, if the employee warned the manager in advance and, even more so, agreed to take an unpaid day off, it should not count as a missed day of work.

MOSCOW, January 15. /TASS/. The Russian Supreme Court has ruled that it is illegal to fire employees for attending a football match under condition that the employee agreed to take an unpaid day off, the court’s press service told TASS.

"The Supreme Court studied the case of a Yeisk resident who was dismissed for missing a working day for travelling to attend a football match. According to the court’s decision, if the employee warned the manager in advance and, even more so, agreed to take an unpaid day off, it should not count as a missed day of work. In this case, the planned and organized trip to a football match is a sound reason to leave the workplace before the end of working hours," the agency was told.

Source: ITAR-TASS 16-01-2021

Child's body found at site of avalanche at a ski base in Norilsk - volunteer

Earlier, rescuers found the body of the child's mother.

MOSCOW, January 9. /TASS/. Rescuers found a dead child under a mass of snow at a ski base in Norilsk, volunteer Maxim Inikhov, who is involved in the search operation, told TASS.

"Yes, they have just found another body - [it is the body of] a one and a half year old child," he said.

Thus, as a result of the avalanche, two people died. Earlier, rescuers found the body of the child's mother. The search for the boy's father is underway. The eldest son was rescued from the avalanche and is now in the hospital.

Search and rescue operations are ongoing, involving more than 200 people, including volunteers.

According to the Emergencies Ministry, at about 00:30 (8:30 pm Moscow time), the regional investigating authorities received a message about an avalanche in the area of Gora Otdelnaya ski resort in Norilsk, Krasnoyarsk region. Four houses were snowed in. During the search activities, rescuers recovered the body of a 38-year-old woman and a 14-year-old teenager, who was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Source: ITAR-TASS 09-01-2021

Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline construction to resume in Danish waters January 15

The Danish Energy Agency has received a new schedule from Nord Stream 2 AG for the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the kingdom's exclusive economic zone, which is a condition for the continuation of the project.

STOCKHOLM, January 7. /TASS/. The Danish Energy Agency has received a new schedule from Nord Stream 2 AG for the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the kingdom's exclusive economic zone, which is a condition for the continuation of the project, the ministry told TASS on Thursday.

The company will resume pipe-laying on January 15. "Yesterday, the Danish Energy Agency received a schedule for the further construction of Nord Stream 2. Work on laying the pipeline is scheduled to resume in Danish waters on January 15, 2021," said the head of the press service, Ture Falbe-Hansen.

As the DEA explained, before the resumption of work, Nord Stream 2 AG must submit an adjusted schedule, however the office does not need to approve it. According to information released earlier, the barge Fortuna will begin laying pipes along two parallel branches of Nord Stream 2 in the exclusive economic zone of Denmark. Work on the construction of a 2.6 km section of the gas pipeline in the exclusive economic zone of Germany was completed at the end of December.

The Nord Stream 2 project contemplates the construction of two pipeline strings with a total capacity of 55 bln cubic meters per year from the coast of Russia through the Baltic Sea to Germany. To date, 94% of Nord Stream 2 has been finished. The construction was suspended at the end of 2019 when the Swiss pipe-laying company Allseas stopped work due to US sanctions.

Source: ITAR-TASS 08-01-2021

Russian peacekeepers defuse over 20,000 explosives in Karabakh

Since the beginning of their activities in Nagorno-Karabakh, Russian engineering units have cleared almost 435 hectares of land, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

MOSCOW, January 7. /TASS/. Since the beginning of their activities in Nagorno-Karabakh, Russian engineering units have cleared almost 435 hectares of land and more than 20,000 explosive objects have been neutralized, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Thursday.

"During the operation, the engineering units of the Russian peacekeeping forces cleared almost 435 hectares of land, about 165 km of roads, 618 housing buildings, including 22 socially significant objects. 20,650 explosive objects were neutralized," the statement said.

Russia’s peacekeepers are in Nagorno-Karabakh in accordance with the agreements confirmed by the November 9 joint statement on a full ceasefire in the region made by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Source: ITAR-TASS 07-01-2021

Russia’s Ground Forces to take part in nine international exercises in 2021

Eight of which will be held in Russia

MOSCOW, January 1. /TASS/. Russia’s Ground Forces will take part in nine international drills in 2021, eight of which will be held in Russia, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

"Nine joint military exercises involving Russia’s Ground Forces and foreign troops are scheduled to take place in 2021 as part of international defense cooperation," the statement reads.

According to the Defense Ministry, Russia is expected to host six bilateral drills, including Russian-Algerian drills, the Indra-2021 Russian-Indian exercise, the Friendship-2021 Russian-Pakistani exercise, the Laros-2021 Russian-Laotian drills, Russian-Vietnamese tank exercises and Russia-Sri Lankan anti-terrorism exercise.

"In addition, the Peace Mission 2020 joint anti-terrorist drills involving Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries and the Unbreakable Brotherhood 2021 exercise involving the peacekeeping forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization are also expected to take place in Russia," the statement said.

The ministry added that Russian troops would also participate in the Selenga 2021 Russian-Mongolian exercise.

"All exercises will be aimed at boosting peacekeeping and counterterrorism efforts," the Russian Defense Ministry emphasized.

Source: ITAR-TASS 02-01-2021

Shipbuilders deliver cutting-edge corvette to Russian Navy

The corvette will soon be relocated to the Pacific Fleet to the place of its permanent operation, according to Navy Commander-in-Chief Nikolai Yevmenov.

ST. PETERSBURG, December 29. /TASS/. The Project 20385 lead corvette Gremyashchiy has been accepted for service in the Russian Navy.

The ceremony of raising the Russian Navy’s St. Andrew’s flag was held at the Severnaya Shipyard in St. Petersburg.

"Today is a remarkable event for the Navy. On the eve of the New Year, a new ship completely unique by its technical characteristics has been handed over. The corvette will soon be relocated to the Pacific Fleet to the place of its permanent operation," Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Nikolai Yevmenov said at the delivery ceremony.

Six more corvettes of this class will be built for the Pacific Fleet and will be eventually armed with Tsirkon hypersonic missiles, the Navy chief said.

The Gremyashchiy is the Project 20385 lead corvette laid down at the Severnaya Shipyard on February 1, 2012 and floated out in June 2017. The corvettes of this Project developed by the Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau are designated to detect and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships, provide for troop landing and cope with numerous green-water tasks.

Project 20385 corvettes displace 2,200 tonnes, have an operating range of 3,500 miles and their sea endurance is 15 days. They are armed with Kalibr-NK universal missile systems, Redut anti-aircraft missile launchers and Paket anti-submarine warfare technology.

Compared to the ships of the previous Project 20380, the Gremyashchiy carries Kalibr-NK and/or Oniks cruise missiles. Project 20385 envisages a hangar for a Ka-27 helicopter.

The corvette was named after the Northern Fleet’s legendary destroyer Gremyashchiy that fought during the Soviet Union’s 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany. For its successful operations at sea during the war, the destroyer was awarded the Guards title while its commander, 1st Rank Captain Anton Gurin was bestowed with the Hero of the Soviet Union title.

Source: ITAR-TASS 01-01-2021