Russia

MOSCOW, October 20. /TASS/: Two Russian Tupolev Tu-95MS strategic missile-carrying bombers performed a scheduled flight over the neutral waters of the Arctic and the northern part of the Far East, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday.

"Two Tu-95MS strategic missile-carrying bombers of long-range aviation performed a scheduled flight in the airspace over the neutral waters of the Chukchi, Beaufort, Bering and Okhotsk Seas. The flight lasted about 12 hours," the statement says.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Tuesday it would be ready to freeze its total number of nuclear warheads if the United States did the same in order to extend their New START nuclear agreement by a year.

The New START accord was signed in 2010 and is due to expire in February. It is the last treaty limiting the two countries’ strategic nuclear arsenals.

The United States last week rejected a Russian proposal to unconditionally extend the pact for one year, saying that any such proposal that did not envisage freezing all nuclear warheads was a “non-starter”.

MURMANSK, October 19. /TASS/: The Northern Fleet’s large anti-submarine warfare ship Vice-Admiral Kulakov and support vessels called at a Greek port to replenish supplies and make ceremonial visits, the Fleet’s press office announced on Monday.

"Today the large anti-submarine warfare ship Vice-Admiral Kulakov, the medium sea tanker Akademik Pashin and the rescue tug Altai made a business call at the Greek port of Piraeus as part of their long-distance deployment missions," the press office said in a statement.

MOSCOW, October 19. /TASS/: The new Russian private space firm Success Rockets is planning to create three satellite constellations of various designation, with one of them to comprise over 500 satellites, according to the company’s presentation obtained by TASS on Monday.

MOSCOW, October 19. /TASS/: Aeroflot will resume flights from Moscow to Tokyo on November 5, the airline said. The carrier will also increase the number of flights to Belarus, Switzerland and the Maldives.

"From November 5, regular flights to Japan will resume. The first flight to Tokyo is scheduled for November 5, 2020, flights at the first stage will be operated once a week, then twice a week, on Thursdays and Saturdays (back on Saturdays and Sundays)," the airline said in a statement.

MOSCOW, October 19. /TASS/: Russia ranks 43rd in the world in the coronavirus incidence rate per 100,000 residents and 105th in the COVID-19 mortality rate, deputy head of the Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing Elena Yezhlova said.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Monday that Moscow hoped talks with the United States would continue despite Washington rejecting a Russian proposal to unconditionally extend the last treaty limiting the two countries’ strategic nuclear weapons.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the demise of the New START accord, which was signed in 2010 and is due to expire in February, would have “harmful” consequences.

MOSCOW, October 18. /TASS/: More than 304,000 people remain under medical supervision in Russia over a suspected coronavirus infection, the sanitary watchdog said on Sunday.

"Some 304,000 people remain under medical supervision in Russia," the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing reported.

More than 53.8 mln COVID-19 tests have been carried out, including 544,000 tests in the past day, according to the sanitary watchdog.

MOSCOW (AP) — It’s Friday night in Moscow, and popular bars and restaurants in the city center are packed. No one except the staff is wearing a mask or bothers to keep their distance. There is little indication at all that Russia is being swept by a resurgence of coronavirus infections.

“I believe that everyone will have the disease eventually,” says Dr. Alexandra Yerofeyeva, an internal medicine specialist at an insurance company, while sipping a cocktail at The Bix bar in Moscow. She adds cheerfully: “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

MOSCOW, October 17. /TASS/: The United States is deliberately trying to distort the reasons for Russia’s refusal of Washington's proposals on extending the New START Treaty (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said in an interview with Channel One on Saturday.

"It is sad that the US is trying to turn everything upside down, trying to make it seem as if Russia wants to destroy everything," he said.