Russia

MOSCOW, March 2. /TASS/: Consequences from the coronavirus spread will be temporary and the Russian economy will eventually achieve the planned cycle, Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov told reporters on Monday.

"Any consequences of the coronavirus spread will be temporary by nature and whatever the situation and moods evolve, it should be understood that we will ultimately nevertheless achieve the anticipated economic cycle," Reshetnikov said.

MOSCOW, March 2. /TASS/: No instructions have been issued by Russian President Vladimir Putin to resume the probe into the murder of journalist Vladislav Listyev, Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

"So far, there have been no instructions or requests on that matter from the head of state," he told reporters.

MOSCOW, March 2. /TASS/: The Union of European Football Associations is closely monitoring the developments regarding the novel coronavirus global spread, the UEFA’s press service announced in a statement to TASS on Monday.

British tabloid The Sun reported earlier that the UEFA Executive Committee was set to discuss at its session this week the ongoing spread of the novel coronavirus and its possible threat to the organization of the 220 UEFA Euro Cup matches this summer.

MOSCOW, March 2. /TASS/: Construction of the lunar orbital station would reduce the risks for expeditions and would allow lunar surface missions of up to 30 days, says Energia Rocket and Space Corporation CEO Nikolay Sevastyanov.

Today, the scientific community looks into two types of lunar missions, he said. In the first one, spacemen would arrive to a low near-Moon orbit of only about 200 km, and then land on the Moon in a special landing module. According to Sevastyanov, this method would allow only for short-term missions to the lunar surface - "no more than 3 days."

MOSCOW, March 2. /TASS/: Beside super-heavy rockets, medium-and heavy-class launch vehicles would be used to deliver cargo to the Moon, says Energia Rocket and Space Corporation CEO Nikolay Sevastyanov.

According to the CEO, the Oryol crewed spacecraft would be launched using super-heavy rockets. The lunar takeoff and landing complex and lunar orbital station modules would also require super-heavy launch vehicles.

"Other cargo, such as scientific equipment and fuel, could be delivered by middle-and heavy-class rockets with lower carrying capacity," Sevastyanov said.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said it cannot guarantee the safety of Turkish aircraft over Syria, after Turkey shot down two Syrian war planes and struck a military airport, the latest clashes that have brought Moscow and Ankara closer than ever to direct confrontation.

Damascus said on Monday it was closing Syrian air space over the Idlib region, the last rebel-held sector of Syria, where fighting has escalated as Russian-backed government forces try to oust opposition fighters allied to Turkey.

MOSCOW, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The fight against terrorists in Syria will continue, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with Rossiya-1 television channel, TASS news agency reported on Sunday.

Peskov noted that Russian military facilities in Syria come under shelling by terrorists, so "fight against these terrorist elements will be continued against all the odds."

According to Peskov, Turkey was supposed to ensure inaction of these elements under the Sochi agreements.

MOSCOW, March 1. /TASS/: This past week has become the worst for the global oil market since 2008, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday.

"This past week has become the worst for global markets, since the crisis of 2008," Putin told a meeting at Vnukovo airport’s government terminal.

The Russian president noted that China’s business activity index published on Friday declined blow the minimum level of the 2008 global crisis. "In their turn, global stock indices dropped more than 10%," Putin said.

PSKOV, March 1. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin paid tribute to the servicemen of the 6th company of the Pskov airborne division, who lost their lives in a battle with militants in the Argun River gorge in Chechnya 20 years ago.

Putin arrived in Pskov, northwestern Russia, which is marking the 20th anniversary of the tragedy. The Russian leader talked to the relatives of the perished paratroopers.

MOSCOW, March 1. /TASS/: Tit-for-tat measures against Turkish mass media will follow soon, a diplomatic source in Moscow told TASS on Sunday following the detention of Sputnik Turkiye employees in Turkey.

"Response measures against Turkish media will follow," the source said.