Russia

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Two police officers were killed on Tuesday in a shootout with militants in the capital of Russia’s southern region of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, the republic’s leader, wrote on social media.

The National Anti-Terrorism Committee had reported the incident earlier, saying the militants had been planning to launch unspecified attacks.

MOSCOW, October 12. /TASS/: Russia declared two staff members of Bulgaria’s Embassy in Moscow personae non gratae, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday.

"On October 12, Bulgarian Ambassador Atanas Krystin was invited to the Russian Foreign Ministry where he was given the ministry’s note on declaring two staff members of the Bulgarian Embassy in Moscow personae non gratae," the ministry said.

This step is "a retaliatory tit-for-tat measure," according to the ministry.

MOSCOW, October 12. /TASS/: Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not rule out that medical professionals could be redistributed between Russia’s regions to fight the coronavirus pandemic in the event of their shortage.

He told reporters that this had been done "during the first outbreak when medical workers from Moscow visited many regions, and medical professionals from other regions were likewise sent to those areas where the situation was more complex."

MOSOW, October 12. /TASS/: The system of fighting coronavirus created in Russia makes it possible to refrain from going over to a full lockdown, despite the current increase in the number of cases, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.

MOSCOW, October 11. /TASS/: Russia is cherishing hope to continue cooperation with the United States in the field of cyber security, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin" TV program on Rossiya-1 TV channel on Sunday.

The Russian leader noted that his call on Washington to resume cooperation in the cyber security area remained unanswered.

MOSCOW, October 11. /TASS/: Armenia’s Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan may meet with co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group in Moscow on October 12, Armenian Ambassador to Russia Vardan Toganyan told TASS on Sunday.

"I cannot yet tell for sure because all of this is being prepared in the emergency mode, but yes, indeed, a meeting with the co-chairs in Moscow was planned, now it is being specified. So after some time there may be an understanding whether there will be a separate meeting with the co-chairs or not," he said.

MOSCOW, October 11. /TASS/: Russia recorded 13,634 coronavirus cases in the past day, the highest rate since the start of pandemic, the anti-coronavirus crisis center reported on Sunday.

The coronavirus growth rate rose to 1.1% from 1% over the past two days. Russia’s total case tally reached 1,298,718.

The lowest growth rates in the past 24 hours were registered in the Chechen Republic (0.3%), the Chuvash Republic (0.4%), in the Moscow and Tula Regions, the Republics of Tuva, Tatarstan, Bashkiria and the Chukotka Autonomous Region (0.5%).

MOSCOW, October 10. /TASS/: Toxic substances from the Novichok group were developed in no less than 20 Western countries and they currently have 140 substance options, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a commentary on Saturday.

"As for the chemical warfare agent called Novichok in the West, its structure and mass-spectrum were presented for the first time in 1998 in the spectral database of the American Standards Institute," the commentary says.

MOSCOW, October 10. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that there are no friends in big politics.

"Actually, there are no friends in big politics," Putin said in an interview for the Moscow. The Kremlin. Putin program.

An excerpt from the program was posted on journalist Pavel Zarubin’s Instagram account on Saturday.

MOSCOW (AP) — With Russia’s mediation, Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to a cease-fire in Nagorno-Karabakh starting at noon Saturday following two weeks of heavy fighting that marked the worst outbreak of hostilities in the separatist region in a quarter-century.

The countries’ foreign ministers said in a statement that the truce is intended to exchange prisoners and recover the dead, adding that specific details will be agreed on later.