Tag Archives: Russia

Russian MPs have given a final nod to a package of constitutional amendments proposed by President Vladimir Putin which include giving broader powers to the parliament and tightening background checks on top officials. During the third and final reading on Wednesday, the State Duma passed the bill amending Russia’s basic …

Syria’s war-torn northwestern Idlib province has reportedly witnessed “rare calm” following the implementation of a ceasefire agreement allowing the government to secure two strategic routes running through the province. A military source speaking to Russia’s RIA news agency on Friday said the truce, which was implemented at 00:01 am, is …

Moscow says Ankara has failed to live up to its commitments under a deal to enforce a demilitarized zone in Idlib, complaining that the Turkish military has allowed its observation posts to merge with terrorist fortifications in the northwestern Syrian province. In a statement released on Wednesday, Russian Defense Ministry …

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, will hold talks this week in Moscow amid mounting tensions in Syria, Turkey’s presidency said March 2. Turkey confirmed on March 2 that it had launched a full military operation against Russian-backed Syrian forces following increasing clashes in the …

A Boeing 737 airliner with 96 people on board made a hard landing in northwestern Russia on Sunday due to a problem with the chassis, emergency officials and aviation authorities said. Nobody was injured when a UTair aircraft, en route from Moscow, landed at the airport of Usinsk, a town …

According to the high-ranking official, the lawmakers are looking into obtaining weapons in exchange for Iraqi oil shipments Iraq has plans in store to send delegations to Russia, China, and Ukraine to discuss buying modern air defense systems to protect its territory from any possible aggression or violation of its …

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will take part in the Berlin conference on the Libyan settlement on Jan.19, he said at an annual news conference in Moscow on Friday. He will hold a meeting with his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio prior to the principal event, Lavrov added. Lavrov also …

Russia’s government has resigned to allow President Vladimir Putin to make sweeping constitutional changes which could allow him to remain in power after his current term. The 67-year-old has been in the top job for 20 years, longer than any other Russian or Soviet leader since Josef Stalin. Prime Minister …

The Iraqi government is willing to purchase Russian S-400 air-defense missiles amid heightened tensions in the region The Iraqi government has gravitated toward the Russian defense industry amid simmering tensions between Washington and Baghdad after the killing of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, in a move that might trigger U.S. …

Libya’s renegade Gen. Khalifa Haftar has declared a ceasefire, ending a nine-month campaign to seize the capital, Tripoli. The conditional ceasefire in the western region of the country — including Tripoli — started at 12:01 a.m. local time Sunday, according to the general’s spokesman, Ahmed al-Mismari. That’s provided that the …

An American warship was “aggressively approached” by a Russian Navy ship in the North Arabian Sea, the U.S. Navy said Friday. Navy Cmdr. Josh Frey, the spokesman for U.S. 5th Fleet, said that the USS Farragut was conducting routine operations Thursday and sounded five short blasts to warn the Russian …

Such expressions of support should not be controversial or warrant courage,’ says Washington’s UN mission The U.S. accused Russia and China on Monday of blocking a resolution condemning the attack on Washington’s Baghdad embassy. The U.S. mission to the UN said Moscow and Beijing did not allow the statement to …

Russian military police have taken control of a base near Syria’s northern city of Raqqah only a few days after US servicemen left the site, which lies in a strategic area at a crossroads linking the strategic city with the central and northern regions of the war-ravaged country. Russia’s state-run …

China says it is to dispatch a guided-missile destroyer to the joint naval drills with Iran and Russia — which are to be held to hone the trio’s maritime security and anti-piracy prowess but are also interpreted as a show of their close alliance. Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian announced …

President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia has got a strong edge in designing new weapons and that it has become the only country in the world to deploy hypersonic weapons. Speaking at a meeting with top military brass, Putin said that for the first time in history Russia is …

Russia has successfully tested Runet, a country-wide alternative to the global internet, its government has announced. Details of what the test involved were vague but, according to the Ministry of Communications, ordinary users did not notice any changes. The results will now be presented to President Putin. Experts remain concerned …

President Vladimir Putin on Monday opened a rail route linking Russia’s two biggest cities to Crimea, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014, and said it proved that the country could deliver on giant infrastructure projects. Putin inaugurated the passenger service by personally taking a train across the road and …

Boeing launched its Starliner capsule Friday on a crewless eight-day journey to the International Space Station and back, but the mission ran into early trouble with its orbit procedure. The test flight is a key part of NASA’s plans to end US dependence on Russia for space rides, with the …

At least one person has been killed after a gunman opened fire near the headquarters of Russia’s main intelligence agency in Moscow, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported. At least five people were injured in the shooting near the Federal Security Service (FSB) building on Thursday, according to the …

A packed bus ruptured a tire and skidded off a bridge, landing upside down in a frozen river in Russia, killing at least 19 passengers. Rescuers are fighting to free survivors as the vehicle remains at risk of becoming submerged. The bus fell six meters (about 20 feet) from a …