Russia plans to send mission to Venus

 Projects of Venus missions are included in the united government program of Russia’s space exploration for 2021-2030.

MOSCOW, September 15. /TASS/. Russia plans to send its own mission to Venus in addition to the planned joint mission with the USA "Venera-D," head of Russian space corporation Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin told reporters on Tuesday during the HeliRussia-2020 exhibition.

"Resuming Venus exploration is on our agenda. Firstly, we have the "Venera-D" project in cooperation with the Americans. We are also considering our own mission to Venus. We think that Venus is a Russian planet, so we shouldn’t lag behind. Projects of Venus missions are included in the united government program of Russia’s space exploration for 2021-2030," he said.

Scientific Director of the Russian Space Research Institute Lev Zeleny told TASS in May that Russia would develop a new Venus exploration program, which would include sending at least three research vehicles to the planet.

The researcher said that the first expedition within the program will be the "Venera-D" planned for late 2020s. The project will form part of the government space program. The previous comprehensive program for the study of Venus was implemented in the USSR.

Source: ITAR-TASS 20-09-2020

Population of Russia down by 316,000 people in January-July 2020 — statistics

 A total of 811,700 people were born and about 1,128,000 people died in January-July 2020.

MOSCOW, September 19. /TASS/. The population of Russia declined by about 316,300 people in January-July 2020, which is 106,600 people more than during the same period last year, according to data published by Russian State Statistics Service (Rosstat) on Friday.

According to the agency, the population of Russia declined by 209,700 people in the first seven months of 2019.

A total of 811,700 people were born and about 1,128,000 people died in January-July 2020.

Overall, the nationwide number of deaths was 1.4 times higher than the number of births in January-July 2020. Last year, it was 1.2 times higher in the same period.

Source: ITAR-TASS 19-09-2020

Belarus tightens border security

The country's president Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday that the country would close its borders with Lithuania and Poland and strengthen border control with Ukraine.

MINSK, September 18. /TASS/. Belarusian border services have tightened border security, spokesman for the country’s State Border Committee, Anton Bychkovsky told TASS on Friday.

"Border security has been tightened, the necessary measures are being taken depending on the situation in specific regions," he said.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday that the country would close its borders with Lithuania and Poland and strengthen border control with Ukraine. He called on the people of the three countries to prevent their politicians from starting "a hot war."

Source: ITAR-TASS 18-09-2020

Special Operations troops conduct live firing at Russian-Belarusian joint military drills

The drills are currently in its first stage.

MINSK, September 17. /TASS/. Servicemen participating in the "Slavic Brotherhood 2020" military drills near Belarus’s Brest performed a number of firing tasks during the initial stage of the exercise, Belarusian Defense Ministry announced Thursday.

"The airborne troops of both countries crossed a water obstacle and performed a number of firing tasks using D-30 howitzers, guided anti-tank missiles and mortars. Russian Guardsmen supported their Belarusian colleagues with 2S-9 Nona-S 120mm self-propelled artillery," the ministry disclosed.

The drills involve servicemen of the 38th Brest Guards airborne brigade of the Belarusian special operations forces and the Russian airborne troops from the 76th Guards airborne division. The drills are currently in its first stage. The second stage will take place in late September.

Source: ITAR-TASS 17-09-2020

Lukashenko says he has no intention to cede power

The incumbent president reiterated that the change of power in the country might take place not under the pressure of street protests, but in accordance with the law.

MINSK, September 10. /TASS/. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that he has no intention of ceding power and will not let it 'lie in the mud'.

"I would like to tell you in a manly way, so as not to leave a word unspoken. I’m often reproached: "He will not cede power." This is correct. That’s not what the people elected me for. <...> Power is given not to be abandoned or given away. In the mid-1990s it lay in the mud. Some wiped their feet on it. And on you, those in the law enforcement. Many of you remember this period. I do not want Belarus to get back to those days. Nobody will dare throw mud at the authorities, contrary to what they demand," the BelTA new agency quotes Lukashenko as saying at a ceremony where he introduced the country’s new prosecutor general, Andrei Shved, to his subordinates.

He reiterated that the change of power in the country might take place not under the pressure of street protests, but in accordance with the law.

"If you think that I’m holding onto power, with my hands blue with strain, for my own sake, you will strongly disappoint me. <...> Sooner or later others will take this power, but they will do so in accordance with the law, and not under pressure from street demonstrations," Lukashenko said.

In Belarus’ August 9 presidential election Lukashenko emerged the winner with 80.1% of the vote. The runner-up, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who received 10.12%, did not recognize the election returns. Right after the election returns were made public several Belarusian cities saw mass protests. During the first days there were clashes with police. The opposition’s Coordination Council has been calling for further protests. The authorities say illegal demonstrations must be brought to an end.

Source: ITAR-TASS 10-09-2020

Russian, Serbian military to arrive in Belarus for military drills on September 10-15

Servicemen from Belarus, Russia and Serbia will practice joint actions on fighting terrorism, according to the Belarusian top brass.

MINSK, September 8. /TASS/. Participants in the joint Russian-Serbian-Belarusian Slavic Brotherhood 2020 military exercise will arrive in Belarus between September 10 and September 15, the Belarusian Ministry of Defense announced in its Telegram channel Tuesday.

"The Slavic Brotherhood 2020 multinational Belarusian-Russian-Serbian military drills will take place at the Brestsky proving ground of the 38th Airborne Brigade," the ministry said. "The participants’ arrival is planned for September 10 to September 15."

The drills will be led by a Belarusian Special Forces representative. Servicemen from Belarus, Russia and Serbia will practice joint actions on fighting terrorism, the ministry noted.

On September 2, Chiefs of General Staff of Russia and Belarus Valery Gerasimov and Alexander Volfovich discussed bilateral military cooperation and preparation for the Slavic Brotherhood 2020 drills in Belarus and the Caucasus 2020 strategic drills which will take place in Russia.

The Slavic Brotherhood drills took place in trilateral format for the first time in Russia in 2015. In November 2016, Serbia hosted them, and Belarus did in 2017. In 2018, the drills once again took place in Russia.

Source: ITAR-TASS 08-09-2020

Eight Russian jets scramble to intercept three US bombers over Black Sea

The National Defense Control Center pointed out that after the US aircraft had flown away from the border of the Russian Federation, the Russian fighter jets returned to home airbases.

MOSCOW, September 4. /TASS/. Eight Russian fighter jets of the Southern Military District have been scrambled to intercept three US strategic bombers over the Black Sea, Russia’s National Defense Control Center told reporters on Friday.

According to the center, on September 4 russian radars detected three B-52N strategic bombers of the US Air Force that were approaching Russia’s sovereign airspace.

"Four Su-27 fighter jets and four Su-30 fighter jets of the Southern Military District’s air defense units on duty were scrambled to intercept the US Air Force aircraft over the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, with the aim to prevent their unauthorized incursion into the Russian airspace," the center said.

The National Defense Control Center pointed out that after the US aircraft had flown away from the border of the Russian Federation, the Russian fighter jets returned to home airbases.

"All the flights of the Russian fighter jets took place in strict accordance with international airspace rules. The US aircraft were not allowed to illegally cross the state border of the Russian Federation," the ministry added.

Source: ITAR-TASS 05-09-2020