Russia

MOSCOW, December 8. /TASS/: Law enforcement and intelligence officers have thwarted over 40 terrorist attacks in Russia in 2020, the National Antiterrorism Committee said in a statement on Tuesday following its joint meeting with the Federal Crisis Center.

According to the statement, Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Alexander Bortnikov, who chaired the meeting, pointed out that "the well-coordinated activities of law enforcement agencies made it possible to prevent 61 terror-related crimes, including 41 terrorist attacks."

MOSCOW, December 8. /TASS/: The Akademik Chersky pipe-laying vessel has moved away from a supposed site of continuing the Nord Stream 2 pipeline construction and is sailing in the northeast direction, MarineTraffic portal reported.

The vessel is heading to Kaliningrad, Russia’s westernmost city. The Akademik Chersky, which has been called the possible option for completing the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, approached the supposed construction site early on December 5.

MOSCOW, December 8. /TASS/: The number of confirmed COVID-19 infections in Russia over the past 24 hours has increased by 26,097, bringing the total to 2,515,09, the anti-coronavirus crisis center told journalists on Tuesday.

According to the crisis center, the relative daily growth decreased to 1%.

The lowest daily growth rates were registered in the Nenets Autonomous Region, the Republic of Altai (0.4% each), the Republic of Dagestan, the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region, (0.6% each).

MOSCOW, December 7. /TASS/: Serial deliveries of the latest T-14 ‘Armata’ tank to the Russian troops will begin in 2021, Head of the state hi-tech corporation Rostec Sergei Chemezov announced on Monday.

"Serial deliveries of the T-14 tank based on the Armata platform will begin in 2021. This is, undoubtedly, the world’s best tank today. In the future, this vehicle will become the main battle tank in the Russian Army," the Rostec chief said.

In 2019, Russia formalized all the necessary documents for the export of Armata tanks, he said.

MOSCOW, December 7. /TASS/: Russia has executed the first contract for the delivery of the S-400 air defense systems to Turkey and a second deal will depend on Ankara’s decision, head of the Rostec State Corporation Sergei Chemezov said at a briefing on Monday.

MOSCOW, December 7. /TASS/: The world is a step away from introducing COVID-19 vaccines, which are crucial today for ensuring quality healthcare, World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Russia Melita Vujnovic said on Monday during the Russian Scientific and Practical Conference with international participation "Medicine and Quality 2020". The conference is held online.

MOSCOW, December 7. /TASS/: The number of confirmed COVID-19 infections in Russia over the past 24 hours has increased by 28,142, bringing the total to 2,488,912, the anti-coronavirus crisis center told journalists on Monday.

On Sunday, 29,039 daily infections were detected which was the highest since the beginning of the pandemic.

On average, according to TASS’ calculations, over the past seven days in Russia 18.8 cases of the infection per 100,000 residents have been detected daily, a day earlier this value was at 18.6.

MOSCOW, December 6. /TASS/: Russian military medics have begun to provide aid to the local population of Stepanakert, the Russian Defense Ministry informed on Sunday.

"During the day, Russian military medics have provided aid to about 40 local residents," the ministry informed, adding that general practitioners, surgeons and other medical specialists are working on site.

MOSCOW, December 1. /TASS/: There are currently about 1.7 mln people with the HIV infection in Eastern Europe and Central Asia with 85% of them located in Russia, Special Advisor to the Joint United Nations Program on AIDS (UNAIDS) for Eastern Europe and Central Asia Michel Kazatchkine said in an interview with TASS.

MOSCOW, December 6. /TASS/: Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that the call of the US Embassy in Berlin to declare a moratorium on the construction of Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is an act of political aggression.

"No matter when or where it is, no matter what agreements legitimize it, a Russian pipeline has caused the same reaction of the US for decades - political aggression and unlawful resistance," she wrote on Saturday on Facebook.