Russia

MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/: Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and his Kyrgyz colleague Mukhammedkalyi Abylgaziev have discussed the measures taken to fight the coronavirus, including humanitarian deliveries of COVID-19 test systems to Kyrgyzstan, the Russian government informed on Wednesday.

MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/: Moscow’s second Western district military court has sentenced a Russian national involved in the financing of the Islamic State (IS, terrorist organization outlawed in Russia) to 14 years behind bars, the press service of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) directorate for Moscow and the Moscow Region informed TASS.

MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/: The Moscow Health Department approved an algorithm for home treatment of patients who were tested positive for coronavirus but have a light form of the disease. The department published the order to that effect on its website on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/: Russia will speed up test launches of the hypersonic missile Zircon from naval ships: launches from submarines will begin in 2020 to proceed in parallel with launches from the frigate The Admiral Gorshkov, two sources in the defense-industrial complex have said.

"The schedule of the hypersonic missile’s test launches from naval ships will be tightened. The Yasen submarines will begin firing drills this year, alongside the continuing series of launches from The Admiral Gorshkov," a source said.

MOSCOW, March 25 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A 7.5-magnitude quake hit off Russia’s Kuril Islands on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake hit at a depth of 59 kilometres, around 1,400 kilometres northeast of the Japanese city of Sapporo, USGS added.

The US National Tsunami Warning Center said it was “analyzing the event to determine the level of danger”.

“This earthquake has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami in the source region,” it added.

(Reuters) - Russian authorities lifted a tsunami warning in the Pacific far east on Wednesday after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the Kuril Islands, the RIA news agency reported, citing a representative of the Sakhalin Tsunami Centre.

Residents in the town of Severo-Kurilsk in Russia’s Sakhalin region had earlier been evacuated to a safe zone on higher ground, emergency services said, adding that a wave of about 50 cm (20 inches) had reached the shores.

MOSCOW, March 24. /TASS/: Russia has been invited to a G20 emergency summit on the coronavirus, scheduled to take place on March 26, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS.

When asked if the Kremlin had received an invitation to the event, he answered in the affirmative, adding that "preparations are underway."

G20 leaders are expected to hold a video conference on March 26 to discuss the coronavirus pandemic, Japan’s Kyodo News Agency reported on Tuesday, citing Japanese government sources.

MOSCOW, March 24. /TASS/: At least 100,000 people, who contracted the coronavirus around the world, have recovered and have been discharged from hospitals, according to TASS data based on official statements by the authorities and experts in the coronavirus-hit countries.

The majority of recovered patients are in China, where the coronavirus pandemic started and where the peak of the outbreak has passed. Other countries registering the most cases are Iran, Italy and Spain. In Russia, 495 cases have been confirmed and 17 people have been discharged from hospitals.

MOSCOW, March 24. /TASS/: The teams of Buk-M3 surface-to-air missile systems struck air targets during drills at the Kapustin Yar practice range in the Astrakhan Region, the press office of Russia’s Southern Military District reported on Tuesday.

"The anti-aircraft gunners conducted launches from Buk-M3 surface-to-air missile systems against high-altitude fast-moving targets that simulated the flight of the notional enemy’s tactical aircraft. Overall, about 10 targets were hit," the press office said in a statement.

MOSCOW, March 24. /TASS/: Two Tupolev Tu-95MS strategic missile-carrying bombers of Russia’s Aerospace Force performed a scheduled flight in the airspace over the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan and the north-western part of the Pacific Ocean, the Defense Ministry of Russia reported on Tuesday.

"The flight lasted more than nine hours," the ministry said in a statement.

At some stages of their route, the Russian bombers were shadowed by fighters of the Japanese Air Force, the ministry said.