Russia

MANZHEROK /Altai Republic/, September 7. /TASS/: The transaction between Sberbank and Mail.ru Group that are currently setting up a joint venture, is to be closed by the end of the year, Chief Executive Officer of Russia’s top lender Herman Gref told reporters on Saturday.

"In terms of timing, the deal is to be closed by the end of the year, no earlier than November, in November or December," he said.

MOSCOW, September 7. /TASS/: The mutual return of Ukrainian and Russian citizens has been conducted, Russian Human Rights Ombudsperson Tatyana Moskalkova said on Saturday.

"Today we can finally say safely that the mutual return of Ukrainian and Russian citizens has been conducted," she said.

The swap was based on the ‘35 for 35’ formula, Moskalkova said. "35 people from one side and 35 people - from the other," she said.

MOSCOW, September 7. /TASS/: The pre-election silence day, during which all campaigning is prohibited, began in Russia ahead of the single voting day of September 8.

On Sunday, elections of various levels will take place in all Russian regions.

The election blackout begins in every region at midnight local time on Saturday, September 7. All kinds of campaigning, including party events and rallies, handout of leaflets and political advertising on TV and radio are prohibited.

MOSCOW, September 7. /TASS/: The reentry capsule of Russia’s Soyuz MS-14 manned spacecraft with no crew but an anthropomorphic robot on board landed in the designated area in steppes of Kazaskhtan on Saturday.

"Landing done," said a spokesperson for the central research and development institute of machine building (TsNIIMash), which incorporates the Russian Mission Control Center.

A search team has already discovered the landing site, a mission control center official said on Friday in a conversation with Russian cosmonauts.

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian lawyer who has defended a Ukrainian imprisoned for spying says a widely anticipated exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine is underway.

A prisoner exchange could be a significant step toward easing Russia-Ukraine relations and raising chances for resolving the conflict in Ukraine’s east where fighting between troops and Russia-backed separatists has killed more than 13,000 people since 2014.

Buses from a Moscow prison believed to be carrying Ukrainian prisoners arrived at the capital’s Vnukovo airport on Saturday.

MOSCOW (AP) — A seemingly second-tier local election has evolved into a major challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin, triggering the biggest protests against his rule in seven years and causing divisions among his top lieutenants.

Although the protests were sparked by the exclusion of some opposition and independent candidates from the ballot for the Moscow city council election to be held Sunday, they also reflect growing discontent after Putin’s nearly two decades in power.

MURMANSK, September 6. /TASS/: The Northern Fleet’s flotilla that is making a long-distance voyage to the Arctic left the Yenisei Gulf and entered the Kara Sea, the fleet’s press service said in a statement released on Friday.

VLADIVOSTOK, September 6. /TASS/: By claiming that the Red Army brought about alleged repression, Bulgaria is rewriting history and this stance taken by Sofia points to an ominous trend, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in an interview with TASS on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum on Friday.

MOSCOW, September 6. /TASS/: Two Sukhoi Su-34 fighter bombers have collided on Friday over the Russian Lipetsk Region in an accident caused by the pilots’ error, a special commission will determine the extent of the jet crews’ responsibility, a source in the region’s power structures told TASS.

VLADIVOSTOK, September 6. /TASS/: Russia and China plan to hold consultations between the press services of both countries’ foreign ministries in order to discuss the interference of foreign media in their domestic affairs, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in an interview with TASS on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).

"We have just planned them," she said. "I think they will take place this fall. We have to agree on the dates."