The Dispatch

Foreigners allowed into Ukraine to get surrogate-born babies

Authorities have allowed foreign parents into Ukraine to collect babies who were born to surrogate mothers and stranded in the eastern European country due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ukraine’s human…

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Russia rolls out first approved COVID-19 drug as infections pass 500,000

Russia on Thursday rolled out a drug approved to treat patients suffering from the novel coronavirus, its state financial backer said, as the number of infections there surpassed half a…

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Malta and Russia pledge to improve relations between the countries

Evarist Bartolo, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation pledged to work together to improve relations between the two countries…

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Russia’s coronavirus case tally approaches 500,000

Russia on Wednesday reported 8,404 new cases of the coronavirus, taking the nationwide tally of infections to 493,657. The country's coronavirus crisis response centre said 216 people had died from…

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U.S. aircraft intercept Russian nuclear-capable bombers near Alaska

U.S. fighter jets intercepted and escorted four Russian nuclear-capable bombers during a routine flight over neutral waters near the United States, the RIA news agency reported on Wednesday, citing the…

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Arctic oil spill in Russia pollutes big lake near Norilsk

Diesel oil from a huge spill in Russia's Arctic north has polluted a large freshwater lake and there is a risk it could spread into the Arctic Ocean, a senior…

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Putin and Merkel discuss Syria, Libya, Ukraine in phone call

Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed Syria's humanitarian aid needs in a telephone call, the Kremlin said in a statement on Tuesday. Putin and Merkel also…

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Moscow authorities lift lockdown despite more than 1,000 new cases daily

Residents of Moscow began to resume their normal routines on Tuesday as a lockdown designed to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus was lifted after more than two months…

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Photo Story: Gradual reopening in Georgia

Information boards displaying currency exchange rates in Tbilisi, Georgia, 08 June 2020. The Georgian government has allowed the reopening of some types of hotels, domestic passenger traffic and exchange offices…

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Russia reopens borders for its nationals to work as deaths near 6,000

Russians needing to work, study or care for relatives abroad are to be allowed to resume international travel for the first time since late March, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said…

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Russia says it contained huge Arctic oil spill

Russia has managed to contain a massive diesel spill into a river in the Arctic, a spokeswoman for the emergencies ministry was quoted as saying. "We have stopped the spread…

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Aftermath of diesel fuel spill in Siberia

A handout photo made available by the press service of the Russian State Space Corporation ROSCOSMOS on 05 June 2020 shows the view from space of the site of the…

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Mortality data from St Petersburg has reignited questions about Russia’s official Covid-19 death toll

New mortality data from Russia’s second-largest city has reignited questions about whether the country’s official tally has discounted thousands of deaths tied to the coronavirus outbreak. On Friday, Russia reported 8,726…

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Hospitals in Armenia overwhelmed by the number of coronavirus patients

Hospitals in Armenia can no longer cope with the number of coronavirus patients, the country’s prime minister warned on Thursday. Nikol Pashinyan, who has himself tested positive, said there could…

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Protests rattle Belarus President Lukashenko before election

In the Belarusian capital Minsk, a long queue formed outside a covered food market on Sunday as people waited for hours to give their signature to opposition candidates contesting a…

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Russia’s coronavirus case tally edges past 440,000, gets more ventilators from the USA

Russia reported 8,831 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Thursday, taking the total number of infections across the country to 441,108. The country's coronavirus crisis response centre said 169…

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Russia’s Putin declares state of emergency after Arctic Circle oil spill

Russia's President Vladimir Putin has declared a state of emergency after 20,000 tonnes of diesel oil leaked into a river within the Arctic Circle. The spill happened when a fuel…

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Putin declines British invitation to take part in coronavirus summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin does not plan to take part in an online summit on a possible coronavirus vaccine being organised by the British government this week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry…

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Russia’s coronavirus case tally passes 430,000

Russia reported 8,536 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday, bringing its nationwide tally to 432,277, the third highest in the world. The death toll reached 5,215 after the…

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Russia can use nuclear weapons in response to conventional weapons attack

President Vladimir Putin issued a decree on Tuesday stipulating that Russia's military can use nuclear weapons in response to an attack involving only conventional weapons. Russia can proceed with such…

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Armenian PM tests positive to coronavirus as country tops 10,000 cases

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Monday he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus and that members of his family were also infected. "I didn't have any symptoms,…

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Russia to roll out its first approved COVID-19 drug next week

Russia will start administering its first approved antiviral drug to treat coronavirus patients next week, its state financial backer told Reuters, a move it described as "a game changer" that…

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Moscow eases lockdown despite large amount of virus cases

Shopping malls and parks in Moscow reopened on Monday as the Russian capital eases coronavirus restrictions despite having the world’s third-largest caseload, with 405,843 infections. The relaxation of the confinement…

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Russia plans coronavirus vaccine clinical trials in two weeks

Russian scientists plan to start clinical trials within two weeks on a vaccine to combat the novel coronavirus, the health minister was quoted as saying on Saturday as authorities approved…

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Russia says coronavirus infections pass 400,000

Russia on Sunday reported 9,268 new cases of the novel coronavirus, raising the national tally to 405,843. Officials said 138 people had died of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by…

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Russia reports record one-day rise in coronavirus deaths

Russia on Friday reported 232 deaths from the new coronavirus in the last 24 hours, a record one-day amount that pushed the nationwide death toll to 4,374. Officials said 8,572…

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Russia’s coronavirus death toll passes 4,000

Russia on Thursday reported 174 deaths from the new coronavirus in the previous 24 hours, matching its record daily rise for fatalities and taking the overall death toll to 4,142.…

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Photo Story: Hungarian helping hand in the Ukraine

Members of a Hungarian folk band wear and distribute embroidered face masks as protection against the coronavirus to passers-by in the center of Uzhhorod, Ukraine. Via EPA-EFE/Janos Nemes

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Russia insists it has not sent military personnel to Libya

Russia has not sent military personnel to Libya and the Russian upper house of parliament has not received a request to approve such a dispatch, Interfax on Wednesday cited Vladimir…

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Another dangerous confrontation between US and Russian aircraft over the Mediterranean

Russian pilots intercepted a US Navy aircraft in an "unsafe and unprofessional manner" on Tuesday for the third time within four days, claimed the US Naval Forces Sixth Fleet. Two…

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Russia registers record one-day rise in coronavirus deaths

Russia said on Tuesday 174 people with the coronavirus had died in the past 24 hours, a record one-day amount that pushed the nationwide death toll to 3,807. Officials reported…

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Putin in rare Kremlin appearance as Russia plans to relax restrictions

President Vladimir Putin made a rare lockdown appearance in the Kremlin on Monday after officials said improvements in the coronavirus situation may allow Russia to re-open some tourist resorts soon and relax…

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Russian fighters flown out of western Libya after Haftar retreat

Russian fighters in Libya were flow out a town south of Tripoli by their Libyan allies after retreating from frontlines at the capital, the town's mayor said. The reported departure…

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Russia reports 9,434 new coronavirus infections

Russia said on Saturday that 9,434 new cases of the novel coronavirus had been reported in the last 24 hours, pushing its nationwide tally to 335,882. The country's coronavirus crisis…

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Russia reports record daily rise in new coronavirus deaths

Russia on Friday reported 150 new fatalities from the novel coronavirus in the past 24 hours, a record daily rise, taking the country's official nationwide death toll from the virus…

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Chechen leader Kadyrov taken to hospital with suspected coronavirus

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has been taken to hospital with suspected coronavirus, Russian media report. He was flown to Moscow on Wednesday for treatment after developing flu-like symptoms, said Interfax…

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Russian doctors facing hostility, mistrust

There are no daily public displays of gratitude for Russian doctors and nurses during the coronavirus crisis like there are in the West. Instead of applause, they face mistrust, low…

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Russia’s official coronavirus death toll passes 3,000 mark

Russia's official coronavirus death toll rose to 3,099 on Thursday after officials said 127 people had died in the last 24 hours. Russia's authorities reported 8,849 new cases of the…

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Ukrainian president says the country’s lockdown may be eased earlier than planned

Ukraine may move its plans to ease lockdown forward, citing positive trends in the rate of new coronavirus cases, its President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday. In a news conference marking…

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Russia’s coronavirus infections pass 300,000, deaths near 3,000

Russia reported 8,764 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, its lowest daily rise since May 2, taking the total number of documented infections to 308,705. The country's coronavirus response centre said…

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Exxon revives sale of stake in giant Azeri oilfield

Exxon Mobil has relaunched the sale of its stake in Azerbaijan's largest oilfield, the company said on Tuesday, as banking and industry sources said the move was drawing interest from…

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Poland expects Russia to continue delivering gas to Europe

Poland expects Russia to continue sending the same or similar amounts of gas it did before their transit deal expired earlier this week according to auction results and potential delays in the…

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Photo Story: Russia’s new cases below 10,000 for third day in a row

Russia has reported 8,926 new cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, pushing its nationwide case tally to 290,678. The daily rise in cases was for the third day…

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Russia reports over 9,000 new coronavirus infections

Russia reported 9,709 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus on Sunday, a rise from 9,200 new cases reported the previous day. Russia's coronavirus taskforce said the overall number of…

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Busy bee as life blossoms in Belarus

A bee flies over a flower of spring blooming tree at the Central Botanical Garden in Minsk, Belarus, 15 May 2020. The temperature in Minsk is 16 degrees Celsius, local…

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Surrogate births in Ukraine waiting for their parents

Nurses care for newborn babies at a hotel in Kiev, Ukraine, 16 May 2020. The 51 babies born to surrogate mothers in the Ukrainian BioTexCom clinic wait for their foreign…

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Make a wish…

A girl blows on dandelions seeds as she is silhouetted against the sunset in Moscow, Russia, 15 May 2020, while a lockdown to combat the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus…

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Masks… in Russia

A man wearing a protective face mask walks past a military store in St. Petersburg, Russia, 15 May 2020. The restrictions imposed due to COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic caused by the…

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Photo Story: Trapped in Moscow

A Kyrgyz woman with her baby walks in front of Kyrgyzstan embassy in Moscow, Russia, on the 14 May 2020. Kyrgyz citizens who, because of restrictions due to the Coronavirus…

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Photo Story: Russia reports 10,598 new coronavirus infections

Russia on Friday reported 10,598 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, pushing its nationwide case tally to 262,843. Russia’s coronavirus taskforce said 113 people had died over the last…

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Ukraine’s top grain producing region may cut 2020 grain output by 70%

Ukraine's major grain producing region of Odessa has lost around 500,000 hectares of winter crops due to severe drought and its harvest could fall by nearly 70%, a top regional…

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Photo Story: Tribute for the fallen Russian medical workers

An elderly woman looks at a makeshift memorial to medical workers who have died from COVID-19 in front of the local health department in central St. Petersburg, Russia. Russia recorded…

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Photo story: Ukrainian artists attract attention to their dire situation

The light rays are seen over Ukrainian capital during art-performance named 'Stop the culture's quarantine!' in Kiev, Ukraine, 12 May 2020, amid the ongoing coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Ukrainian artists try…

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Russia reports over 10,000 new cases for 11th consecutive day

Russia reported 10,028 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, bringing its total to 242,271, according to data released by the country’s virus response headquarters. The country has recorded 2,212 Covid-19 related…

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Ventilator fire kills five coronavirus patients in Russian hospital

A fire apparently started by an overloaded ventilator killed five novel coronavirus patients in an intensive care unit in a Russian hospital on Tuesday, news agencies reported. Russia's emergency ministry confirmed…

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Russia reports 10,899 new coronavirus cases, surpasses UK tally

Russia on Tuesday reported 10,899 new cases of the novel coronavirus in the last 24 hours, bringing the nationwide total past that of Britain to 232,243, the third highest total worldwide.…

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Photo Story: Over 11,000 new cases in Russia

Russia has reported a record rise in the number of new coronavirus infections with 11,656 new cases in the last 24 hours. The Russian government attribute the spike in cases…

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