Russia

Thousands of YouTube outages reported in Russia

Russian internet monitoring services reported thousands of glitches in the availability of video hosting site YouTube on Thursday, amid escalating criticism of the platform by the Russian authorities. Russian internet…

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Russia suspected Ukrainian attack on Navy Day parade, state TV says

Russia had suspicions that Ukraine planned to attack Russia during the Navy Day parade which was attended by President Vladimir Putin last month and Moscow contacted Washington about its concerns,…

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Russia detains Italian man for flying a drone near the Kremlin

An Italian man has been detained in Moscow after flying a drone near the Kremlin, state news agency TASS reported on Tuesday, citing law enforcement sources. TASS said Russian law…

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US had tried to secure Alexey Navalny’s release in historic prisoner swap with Russia

Vladimir Putin was open to releasing Alexey Navalny, the Russian leader's fiercest critic and political rival whose unexpected death in an Arctic penal colony sparked international backlash, as part of…

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Kremlin says Russia will shoot down Ukraine’s F-16 fighter jets

The Kremlin said on Thursday that Russian forces would shoot down U.S.-built F-16 fighter jets sent to Ukraine, and that the F-16s would have no significant impact on the course…

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Russia starts third stage of tactical nuclear drills

Russia has begun the third stage of drills to practise the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons, the defence ministry said on Wednesday. "In accordance with the decision of the president…

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Russian navy starts major drills involving most of its fleet

The Russian navy started planned exercises involving most of its fleet as well as 20,000 personnel and 300 ships, Russian news agencies reported on Tuesday, citing the defence ministry. The…

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City of Moscow hikes pay for contract soldiers to $60,000 a year

Residents of Moscow who sign up to fight in Ukraine will receive a down payment of 1.9 million roubles ($21,777) from the city, taking their annual pay in their first…

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Kremlin says Ukraine’s signal on talks appears to be in unison with Russia’s position

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Ukraine's signal on talks with Moscow appeared to be in unison with Russia's own position, but that more details were needed. Ukrainian Foreign Minister…

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Kremlin pledges legal action over planned EU transfer to Ukraine of interest accrued on frozen assets

The Kremlin on Tuesday called a European Union plan to use interest earned on frozen Russian assets to fund military aid to Ukraine "theft" and said it would take legal…

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Russia says its jets prevented US bombers violating border over Barents Sea

Russia's Defence Ministry said that Russian warplanes prevented two U.S. strategic bombers from violating the state border over the Barents Sea. After having detected an air target approaching the Russian…

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Russian court jails US reporter Gershkovich for 16 years

A Russian court on Friday found U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich guilty of espionage and jailed him for 16 years, state news agency RIA said, in a case that his employer,…

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Russia says it may deploy nuclear missiles in response to US weapons in Germany

Russia does not rule out new deployments of nuclear missiles in response to the planned U.S. stationing of long-range conventional weapons in Germany, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted…

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North Korean official drowned during Moscow visit, say Russian media

A North Korean official visiting Russia whose name matches that of a man cited by the secretive state's media as the leader of a military training contingent has drowned while…

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Russia’s Medvedev says Ukraine joining NATO would mean war

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the accession of Ukraine to NATO would be a declaration of war against Moscow and only "prudence" on behalf of the alliance could prevent…

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Elite North Korea military trainees visit Russia amid deepening ties

A North Korean elite military training delegation has left for a visit to Russia, the North's state media said on Tuesday, the first military exchange between the two countries since…

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Two Russian warships sent on training mission to Asia-Pacific waters

Two corvettes of the Russian navy's Pacific Fleet left the port of Vladivostok in Russia's Far East to carry out training missions in the Asia-Pacific region, the Interfax news agency…

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Hungary’s Orban arrives in Moscow to meet Putin, drawing EU rebukes

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban arrived in Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, drawing rebukes from fellow EU leaders and a warning that he did not speak…

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Russia says it will respond to Finland giving U.S. access to bases

Russia will respond to Finland's decision to grant the United States access to its military bases, a spokesman for Russia's foreign ministry said. "I can only confirm that Russia will…

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Senior Russian diplomat says US must take heed of discussions on nuclear doctrine

A senior Russian diplomat, in an interview published on Thursday, urged the United States to pay attention to discussions under way on possibly altering Moscow's nuclear doctrine to suit changed…

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US, Russia defense chiefs speak as tensions rise over Crimea attack

The U.S. and Russian defense chiefs spoke by telephone on Tuesday in rare communication between the two powers and with tensions rising after Moscow blamed Washington for a deadly Ukraine…

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Moscow Bans 81 EU Media Outlets Including 4 From Malta

Russia said Tuesday it is blocking access to 81 EU media outlets as a "retaliatory measure" after Brussels last month imposed broadcasting bans on several Russian state media. "Counter-restrictions are…

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International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Russia’s Shoigu and Gerasimov

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Sergei Shoigu, the former Russian defence minister, and leading Russian general Valery Gerasimov on Tuesday for alleged crimes committed during Russia's invasion…

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Kremlin announces Russia is revising its nuclear doctrine

Russia, the world's biggest nuclear power, has started updating its nuclear doctrine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, citing an earlier statement by President Vladimir Putin. "President Putin has…

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Orthodox priest, multiple police killed in gunmen attack in Russia’s North Caucasus

Gunmen opened fire at a synagogue, an Orthodox church and a police post in attacks across two cities in Russia's North Caucasus region of Dagestan on Sunday, killing an Orthodox…

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Russia in talks with partners on deployment of long-range weapons

Russia is discussing with its closest partners the issue of deploying long-range weapons, TASS state news agency reported on Wednesday, citing Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. Ryabkov told TASS…

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Russia’s Pacific Fleet begins deployment to exercise involving 40 ships

The Pacific Fleet of the Russian navy will hold exercises between 18 and 28 June in the waters of the Pacific Ocean, the Sea of Japan and the Sea of…

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Putin says Russia will cease fire if Ukraine pulls troops from four regions

President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia would cease fire and enter peace talks if Ukraine dropped its NATO ambitions and withdrew its forces from four Ukrainian regions claimed…

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Russia rehearses delivering tactical nuclear weapons with dummy warheads

Russian drills to deploy tactical nuclear weapons for combat involved the special delivery of dummy nuclear warheads to forward storage points and an airfield where they were loaded on to…

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Russians told to mobilise to inflict ‘maximum harm’ on West in response to sanctions

One of Russia's top security officials called on Thursday for Russians to mobilise to inflict "maximum harm" on Western societies and infrastructure as payback for increasingly tough sanctions being imposed…

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Russian Nuclear Sub, Frigate Operating Off East Coast of the United States

A nuclear Russian submarine carrying guided missiles with a range of 1,000 nautical miles is operating off the East Coast as part of Russian missile drills in the Atlantic.Kazan, a…

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What are tactical nuclear weapons and why is Russia and its ally Belarus holding drills?

Russia and its ally Belarus are carrying out exercises to practise the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons. What are these weapons, how might they be used and what do we…

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Russia broadens tactical nuclear weapons drills

Russia said on Wednesday that soldiers and sailors from its northern Leningrad military district bordering NATO members Norway, Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania took part in drills to deploy…

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Putin set to visit North Korea

Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit North Korea and Vietnam in the coming weeks, Russia's Vedomosti newspaper reported on Monday, with an official telling Reuters the Vietnam visit was planned…

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Russian politicians revel in EU election defeats for Macron, Scholz

Russian politicians gloated on Monday over heavy defeats for the parties of French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in European Parliament elections, and the Kremlin said right-wing…

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Putin warns of deploying missiles if West arms Ukraine, cites nuclear risk

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday he could deploy conventional missiles within striking distance of the United States and its European allies if they allowed Ukraine to strike deeper…

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Russia ready to strike French military trainers in Ukraine

Russia responded with a new threat of escalation on Tuesday to reports that France could soon send trainers to help the Ukrainian military. “No instructor involved in training the Ukrainian…

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Russia warns US against ‘fatal’ miscalculation in Ukraine

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Monday the United States could face "fatal consequences" if it ignored Moscow's warnings not to let Ukraine use weapons provided by Washington…

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Russia says it may take extra nuclear deterrence steps if US puts missiles in Europe/Asia

Russia may take extra steps in the area of nuclear deterrence if the United States deploys intermediate and short-range missiles in Europe and Asia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told…

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Lavrov says China could arrange Russia-Ukraine peace conference

China could arrange a peace conference in which Russia and Ukraine would participate, the RIA news agency cited Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying on Thursday. Lavrov said such…

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Russian official says Ukrainian drones can strike deep into Russia but Moscow is safe

Ukrainian drones have the capability of striking up to 2,500 kilometres (1,553 miles) into Russia, but the capital Moscow has been protected from their strikes, a senior Russian airforce official…

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Putin warns West not to let Ukraine use its missiles to hit Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West that NATO members in Europe were playing with fire by proposing to let Ukraine use Western weapons to strike deep inside Russia, which…

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Putin’s fear of rebellion could be behind arrests of Russian generals

Indrek Kannik, head of the International Center for Defense and Security (ICDS), says the arrests of Russia's defense ministry and military leadership may be related to Vladimir Putin's fear of…

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Two more Russian officials arrested in widening military corruption probe

Russia has arrested two more top figures - the deputy head of the army's General Staff and a senior procurement official at the defence ministry - in a widening bribery…

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Russia says EU will feel ‘full measure’ of retaliation over frozen assets plan

The European Union will feel the "full measure" of Russian retaliation over its plan to use income from frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova…

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Russia says it will strike British targets if UK weapons are used to hit its territory

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that Moscow will retaliate with strikes on British targets if British weapons are used by Ukraine to strike Russian territory. Zakharova…

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Chechen leader meets Russia’s Putin, offers more troops for Ukraine

The leader of Russia's Chechnya region, Ramzan Kadyrov, said early on Thursday he had met President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin and offered to send more fighters to help Moscow…

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Russia deletes draft proposal to change Baltic Sea border

A Russian defence ministry proposal to revise Russia's maritime border in the eastern Baltic Sea was deleted from an official portal after creating confusion and concern among NATO members such…

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Kremlin criticises EU plan to use revenue from frozen assets

Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesperson, said today that Russia would regard the seizure of revenue from its frozen assets in the EU as a violation of all norms of the…

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Russian defence ministry proposes revising Baltic Sea border

Russia's defence ministry has proposed a revision to the borders of Russian territorial waters in the Baltic Sea, according to a draft government decree, drawing a rebuke from NATO-member Finland.…

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Russia starts exercise to simulate launch of tactical nuclear weapons

Russian forces have started the first stage of exercises ordered by President Vladimir Putin to simulate preparation for the launch of tactical nuclear weapons, the Defence Ministry said. Moscow has…

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Kremlin says military will hold nuclear exercises in appropriate timeframe

The Kremlin said on Monday that exercises involving non-strategic nuclear weapons that President Vladimir Putin has ordered would be held "in the relevant timeframes" and that this was a matter…

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Putin says Russia is carving out a buffer zone in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region

President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russian forces advancing in Ukraine's Kharkiv region were creating a "buffer zone" to protect Russian border regions, but said capturing the city of…

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Russian infantry enters Ukraine border town

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy postponed all his foreign trips as the battlefield situation continued to deteriorate on Wednesday and Kyiv said fighting raged in the northeastern border town of Vovchansk in…

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Russia suspends two airports’ traffic over drone threat

Russia said on Wednesday that a major airport near the city of Kazan, 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) from Ukraine, had been temporarily closed after the region was targeted by a…

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Putin backs China’s Ukraine peace plan, says Beijing understands the conflict

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an interview published early on Wednesday, said he backed China's plan for a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis, saying Beijing had a full understanding…

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Lavrov warns Russia ready if West wants to fight for Ukraine

If the West wants to fight for Ukraine on the battlefield, Russia is prepared for it, acting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying. "It's their right -…

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