Russia

MOSCOW, May 22. /TASS/: The United States’ withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty harms NATO’s European member-states because it is highly likely that they would take the cue from Washington. When deprived of the possibility of conducting flights over Russia, they will become more dependent on US intelligence data, Editor-in-Chief of the Arsenal of the Fatherland journal Viktor Murakhovsky told TASS on Friday.

MOSCOW, May 22. /TASS/: There is no reason for Russia to remain a party to the Open Skies Treaty after the US withdrawal since this gives Washington an advantage in obtaining data on Russia’s Armed Forces, Deputy Director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics National Research University and expert at the Valdai International Discussion Club Dmitry Suslov told TASS.

Earlier AFP reported that US President Donald Trump had announced that the US would leave the Open Skies Treaty.

MOSCOW, May 22. /TASS/: The beginning of the second wave of COVID-19 in Russia is possible after it peaks in other countries. According to the experts questioned by TASS, it could be avoided by mass vaccination and retention of restrictive measures.

MOSCOW, May 22. /TASS/: In the past 24 hours, 8,894 people contracted the COVID-19 infection in Russia, the coronavirus prevention operational headquarters told journalists Friday, adding that this figure has stayed below 10,000 for seven days already.

The total case count in Russia reached 326,448.

The daily growth rate reduced from 2.9% to 2.8% a day ago, the HQ said, adding that 3751 patients or 42.2% show no symptoms.

22 May 2020; AFP: Russia's economy is forecast to shrink by 9.5 percent in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the same period last year, while yearly GDP will fall by five percent, economy minister Maksim Reshetnikov said on Thursday.

"The main factor of the GDP decrease this year is the internal restrictions" on the economy to stem the coronavirus pandemic, which would impact the second quarter the most, he told Russian news agencies.

MOSCOW, May 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has been taken to hospital with suspected coronavirus, Russian media report.

He was flown to Moscow on Wednesday for treatment after developing flu-like symptoms, said Interfax news agency quoting a source.

“He’s in hospital in Moscow,” another source told the Ria Novosti agency.

The authoritarian leader – who previously fought against Moscow as a Chechen nationalist – is now a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

MOSCOW, May 20. /TASS/: Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky and business tycoon Igor Kolomoisky are keen to persuade the public they have different interests, the director of the Kiev Center of Political Studies and Conflictology, Mikhail Pogrebinsky, told a TASS news conference.

MOSCOW, May 21. /TASS/: A handover certificate for the Project 955A (Borei-A) first upgraded strategic nuclear-powered submarine Knyaz Vladimir will be signed on May 25, a source in Russia’s defense sector told TASS on Thursday.

MOSCOW, May 21. /TASS/: The current optimization of the federal budget expenditures due to the coronavirus pandemic will have no serious impact on the implementation of state programs for the development of the Arctic and the Far East, with all key plans for 2020 being realized, the press service of the Russian ministry for the development of the Far East told TASS on Thursday.

MOSCOW, May 20. /TASS/: The Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) made the decision to grant derogation to Nord Stream 2 from norms of the EU Gas Directive on the country’s territory for the term of 20 years, Nord Stream AG (the gas pipeline operator) said on Wednesday.

The relevant application was filed on December 19, 2019.