The Dispatch

Terror attack, missile hit versions ruled out in Ukrainian air crash

Ukraine's Embassy in Iran has commented on the versions of the Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 crash near Tehran airport, saying a terror attack and a missile hit have so…

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Ukrainian president says all dead on board airliner that crashed in Iran, reports that black box has been recovered

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday that all passengers and crew on board a Ukrainian airliner that crashed in Iran have been killed, citing preliminary information. In a…

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Photo Story: Russia prepares for the Russian Orthodox Christmas

People attend festival 'Journey to Christmas' in Moscow, Russia. Russians celebrated New Year's Eve on 31 December but will be celebrating Christmas on the 07 January, according to the Russian…

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Iran’s Foreign Minister Zarif in Moscow

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L) shake hands during their meeting in Moscow, Russia, 30 December 2019. Zarif is in Moscow on…

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Putin thanks Trump for information which thwarted New Year terror attack

Vladimir Putin has thanked Donald Trump for intelligence that helped avert “acts of terrorism” in Russia, the Kremlin has said. The Russian president spoke to his US counterpart on the…

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Ukraine, eastern rebels swap prisoners in move to end war

Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine began exchanging prisoners Sunday in a move aimed at ending their 5-year-long war. The move was part of an agreement brokered earlier…

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The Year in Pictures – May: Inauguration of Ukrainian President-elect Volodymyr Zelensky.

President-elect Volodymyr Zelensky (C-R) attends his inauguration in Ukrainian parliament in Kiev, Ukraine, 20 May 2019. Zelensky with 73.22 percent of the votes beaten out current President Petro Poroshenko during…

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Ukraine, separatists expected to swap prisoners on Sunday

The government in Kiev expects to swap prisoners with Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. The exchange was brokered by the Russian and Ukrainian…

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Russia to take retaliatory action against British media

Russia will take retaliatory measures against British media operating on Russian territory over what it regards as unfriendly action taken by British authorities against its own journalists, Russian news…

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China, Russia, Iran to hold joint naval drills starting Friday

China, Iran and Russia will hold joint naval drills starting on Friday in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Oman, China’s defence ministry said on Thursday amid heightened tension in…

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UPDATED: Alexei Navalny detained in Moscow, Anti-Putin activist Ruslan Shaveddinov forcibly sent to Arctic

Police in Moscow have again detained Alexei Navalny, the most prominent foe of President Vladimir Putin and the governing United Russia party. Navalny has been jailed repeatedly in recent years…

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Putin says Russia has vessel to build Nord Stream 2

President Vladimir Putin said Russia has a “pipe-laying vessel” to complete the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Germany, Kommersant daily reported citing unnamed sources on…

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US concerned with Russian mercenaries presence in Libya

The United States is “very concerned” about the intensification of the conflict in Libya, with a rising number of reported Russian mercenaries supporting Khalifa Haftar’s forces on the ground turning…

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Photo Story: Christmas decorations in Moscow

An actor during a performance near the Red Square in the Russian capital Moscow which is decorated for the New Year and Christmas holidays. Photo: EPA-EFE/YURI KOCHETKOV

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Russia plans ‘sovereign internet’ tests to combat external threats

Russia will carry out tests on Monday on the reliability of its domestic internet infrastructure in the event that the country is disconnected from the worldwide web, the communications ministry…

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Photo Story: Christmas atmosphere in full swing in Moscow

Scenes from around the Red Square in the Russian capital as people enjoy the Christmas atmosphere. Photos: EPA-EFE/YURI KOCHETKOV Click on photos to enlarge

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Man behind Moscow shooting identified

Russian media have identified the man who opened fire at the Federal Security Service (FSB) headquarters in Moscow as a 39-year-old loner and gun enthusiast. They named him as Yevgeny…

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Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annual news conference in Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin answered questions during his annual life-broadcasted news conference with Russian and foreign media at the World Trade Centre in Moscow, Russia, 19 December 2019. A total…

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Photo Story: The weather in Moscow

Russian men fish on a pond covered in thin ice, as the temperature rose to plus 2 degrees Celsius in Moscow, Russia. Photo: EPA-EFE/MAXIM SHIPENKOV

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Photo Story: Moscow lights up for the holidays

People walk along a seasonally decorated street with huge light sculptures of polar bears installed at the Gorky Park in Moscow, Russia. Russians are preparing to celebrate New Year's Eve…

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Turkey agrees to cooperation with Russia to end war in Libya

Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu has disclosed that Ankara had agreed to a Russian proposal on joint work to end the war in Libya. The Turkish minister explained during his participation…

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U.S. Senate passes resolution recognizing Armenian genocide, angering Turkey

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution that recognizes as a genocide the mass killings of Armenians a century ago, a historic move that infuriated Turkey and dealt a blow…

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Photo Story: Funeral held in Russia of former Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov

Servicemen carry the coffin of former Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov after a funeral ceremony in Christ the Saviour cathedral in Moscow, Russia, 12 December 2019. Yuri Luzhkov was…

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Statement by the German Foreign Office on the expulsion from Russia of two German diplomats

The Spokesperson of the Federal Foreign Office issued the following statement on Russia’s announcement today that it will expel two German Embassy staff members: "The German Government has noted…

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Reports of fire on Russia’s only aircraft carrier

Russia’s only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, caught fire on Thursday during maintenance work in Russia’s Arctic port in Murmansk, with three people wounded. One source told the TASS news…

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Russia expels two German diplomats

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday summoned the German ambassador to announce the expulsion of two diplomats. It comes a week after two Russian officials were told to leave Germany in connection…

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Talks in Paris between Ukraine and Russia aim to end eastern conflict

The leaders of Russia and Ukraine will hold their first face-to-face talks in an attempt to tackle five and a half years of conflict in east Ukraine. More than 13,000…

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Rally in Minsk against Belarus-Russia deeper integration

Belarusian people hold a placard during a rally against the Belarus-Russia integration program in Minsk, Belarus, 07 December 2019. Belarusian and Russian authorities are expected to sign a new agreement…

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Putin speaks by phone with von der Leyen

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday and congratulated her on her new position, according to the Kremlin. The two leaders also…

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Police in Georgia prevent opposition activists from picketing parliament

Georgian police erected steel fences around the parliament and government buildings on Thursday to prevent dozens of opposition activists from picketing the area in a dispute over electoral reform. The…

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Photo Story: Religious service marking the Day of Saint George in Georgia

Georgian people light candles during an Orthodox religious service marking the Day of Saint George at a church in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Saturday 23 November 2019. Every year people flock…

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Russian Watchdog Detects ‘Radiation Incident’ in South China Sea

The Russian government’s consumer protection watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said Friday it has detected a “radiation incident” in the South China Sea. “Based on data received from the Global Environmental Monitoring System,…

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Photo Story: Monument of Mikhail Kalashnikov unveiled in St. Petersburg

A view of the monument of the famous inventor of weapons Mikhail Kalashnikov after an opening ceremony of the monument, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the inventor in Artillery…

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Tanker driven ashore during a heavy storm near Odessa, Ukraine

The tanker ‘Delfi’, was driven ashore during a heavy storm near the Black Sea port of Odessa, Ukraine, on the evening of Friday 22 November 2019. The tanker from Moldova…

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Russia bans sale of smartphones without Russian-made software

Russia has passed a law banning the sale of certain devices that are not pre-installed with Russian software. The law will come into force in July 2020 and cover smartphones,…

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Photo Story: Christmas decoration set up in front of the Kremlin

Workers install decoration on a Christmas tree in front of the Kremlin in Moscow. Muscovites are preparing to celebrate New Year's Eve on 31 December and Christmas which is observed…

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Ukrainians mark the anniversary of the Euromaidan Revolution in Kiev

Ukrainians lay flowers at the memorial for Maidan activists or 'Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred', who were killed on the Maidan during anti-government protests in 2014, not far from Independence…

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Ukrainian ships captured by Russia back in the Ukraine

The Ukrainian naval boats 'Berdyansk' and 'Nikopol' stand in the port of Ochakiv near Odesa, Ukraine, on the night of the 20 November 2019. On the morning on 25 November…

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Bloggers, journalists may now be labelled ‘foreign agents’ in Russia

Rights activists warned of greater curbs on media and online freedom in Russia as MPs backed a controversial bill that could lead bloggers and independent journalists to be labelled "foreign…

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Photo Story: Christmas decoration set up in Minsk

Belarussian communal workers over the weekend set up a framework for a Christmas Tree in downtown Minsk, Belarus. Photo: EPA-EFE/SERGEY DOLZHENKO

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Belarus holds parliamentary polls

Belarusians head to the polls Sunday to elect members to the ex-Soviet republic's rubber-stamp parliament. The elections are being closely watched by the West to see how much President Alexander…

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Deadly shooting at a college in Russia

A handout photo made available by the Investigative Committee of Russia shows an exterior view of a Amur College of Construction and Public Utilities building in Blagoveshchensk, Amur Region, Russia,…

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UN court says it has jurisdiction in Ukraine-Russia case

In a legal victory for Kiev, the United Nations’ highest court ruled Friday that it has jurisdiction in a case brought by Ukraine alleging that Russia breached treaties on terrorist…

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Troop withdrawals in eastern Ukraine to start today

Troop withdrawals in a village in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine will begin on Saturday at 1000 GMT, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said in…

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Russian helicopters patrolling Syrian-Turkish border

Russia has deployed military helicopters to patrol an area near Syria’s border with Turkey in order to help protect Russia military police working on the ground, the Interfax news agency…

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Photo Story: Preparations for historical Battle of Moscow parade

Russian soldiers in historical uniforms pose during the re-enactment of a scene as they take part in a rehearsal of the 78th historical parade marking the anniversary of the Battle…

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High-ranking police chief gunned down in Moscow

A gunman killed two men in Moscow on Saturday, with Russian authorities confirming one of them was high-ranking police officer from the southern state of Ingushetia, Ibragim Eldzharkiev. The second…

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Bulgaria and Ukraine issue formal protest over Macron’s migration remarks

Bulgaria and Ukraine issued diplomatic protests over remarks by Emmanuel Macron about migrants coming to France from those countries. In an interview published Thursday in conservative weekly magazine Valeurs Actuelles the…

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Russia says it’s already too late to replace new START treaty

Russia said on Friday there was no longer enough time left for Moscow and Washington to negotiate a full-fledged replacement for the New START nuclear arms control treaty before it…

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Turkey, Russia start joint patrols in northern Syria

Turkish and Russian troops are jointly patrolling a Syrian region under a deal that halted a Turkish incursion against Kurdish fighters. The patrols aim to check that all fighters have…

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New Russian controls on the internet

A law introducing new controls on the internet has come into force in Russia amid concerns it may be used by the government to silence its critics. The so-called "sovereign…

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Ukraine and separatist troops begin withdrawal from Luhansk town

The Ukrainian army and pro-Russian separatists on Tuesday said they had begun withdrawing troops from a key area of war-scarred Luhansk in Ukraine's eastern Donbass region. Large parts of the eastern…

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Russian agent Maria Butina arrives in Moscow

Maria Butina (R) smiles after her arrival at Sheremetievo Airport in Moscow, Russia, 26 October 2019. According to media reports, Russian Maria Butina was released from US prison on 25…

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Russia sends state-of-the-art air defence system to Serbia

Russia's defence ministry announced that it has sent its advanced air-defence S-400 missile system to Serbia for a joint exercise. The S-400 and a Pantsir anti-aircraft gun and missile system will be deployed at Batajnica base outside…

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Russian soldier shoots dead eight fellow soldiers

Russian serviceman shot dead eight fellow soldiers and injures two more on base in Siberia, officials say. The Russia news agency Interfax said that the soldier, a conscript, was detained.…

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Turkey, Russia broker deal on further withdrawal of Kurdish YPG

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a joint news conference with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that the two leaders had agreed to a further withdrawal of Syrian…

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Photo Story: The mining dam tragedy in Russia

Handout photos made available by Russian Emergencies Ministry shows Russian rescue workers on site after a mining dam of the gold mining technological reservoir burst on the Seiba River near…

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