Europe

MOSCOW, June 20. /TASS/: The State Duma at a plenary session on Tuesday adopted in the second and third readings a bill to rename the Day of Military Glory (September 3) to the Day of Victory over Militaristic Japan and the end of World War II.

The document was introduced by a group of deputies last June. The changes are to be made to the law On the Days of Military Glory and Commemorative Dates of Russia. The Day of the End of World War II, celebrated on September 3, will now be officially referred to as the Day of Victory over Militaristic Japan and the end of World War II.

MOSCOW, June 20. /TASS/: Russian forces destroyed eight Ukrainian ammunition depots over the past day during the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Tuesday.

During the last 24-hour period, operational/tactical and army aircraft, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groupings of forces struck 98 Ukrainian artillery units at firing positions, manpower and military equipment in 112 areas, the spokesman said.

BRUSSELS, June 20. /TASS/: NATO’s Exercise Air Defender is sending a message that the alliance is ready to defend every inch of its territory, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on a visit to the exercise’s headquarters at Jagel Air Base in Germany on Tuesday.

"This is the biggest air exercise in NATO's history," he said in comments broadcast by the NATO press office. "This exercise sends a very clear message that NATO is ready to defend every inch of allied territory and to defend every inch of allied airspace."

MINSK, June 20. /TASS/: Both Baku and Yerevan understand that the West has no real intention of promoting a peaceful settlement between them, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.

BRUSSELS, June 20. /TASS/: The EU does not have enough materials to expand ammunition production and is forced to import them, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said.

"Today I can tell you that in order to increase the capacity of producing warfare, ammunitions, we lack critical materials that are no longer available inside Europe and have to be imported. This weakens our strategic autonomy, it poses economic risks and threatens our security," he said when presenting the first EU Economic Security Strategy.