Russia

MOSCOW, February 19. /TASS/: Russia’s Defense Ministry plans to sign a new contract in the summer for the delivery of several dozen Sukhoi Su-34 frontline bombers to the Aerospace Force with their combat capabilities expanded under the Sych experimental design work, a source in the defense industry told TASS on Wednesday.

ST. PETERSBURG, February 19. /TASS/: Turkey’s possible military operation in the Syrian province of Idlib would be the worst scenario, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked what Moscow’s reaction would be if Ankara launched an operation in Syria.

"Let us not expect the worst scenario to become a reality," he said.

The Kremlin spokesman added that "if it is an operation against Syria’s legitimate authorities and armed forces, it will definitely be the worst scenario."

19 Feb 2020; MEMO: Turkish and Russian delegations yesterday concluded a two-day meeting in the Russian capital, Moscow, on ways to ease tension in the Syrian governorate of Idlib without reaching a concrete “breakthrough”.

The two-day closed meeting at the Russian Foreign Ministry ended without an official statement being issued by either side.

MOSCOW (AP) — In October 2016, the head of Russia’s largest oil company traveled to the birthplace of Hugo Chávez, in the empty, sweltering plains of Venezuela, to unveil a giant bronze statue of the late socialist leader that he and his longtime friend, Russian President Vladimir Putin, commissioned from a prominent Russian artist.

MOSCOW, February 18. /TASS/: Moscow hopes to get a clearer picture of the recent clash in Donbass before making any conclusions, says Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

"We hope that we would be able to clarify the details shortly, before jumping to any conclusions," he said.

He admitted that the Kremlin indeed "saw the information that in the early hours [of Tuesday] a clash occured between Lugansk People’s Republic Militia and Ukrainian Armed Forces."

MOSCOW, February 18. /TASS/: New revelations about the MH17 crash in Ukraine in 2014 just go to prove that the Russian side was right, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, commenting on the leaked document of the Dutch Military Intelligence and Security Service saying that the incident took place in the region where no Buk missile systems were deployed at the time of the tragedy.

NIZHNEVARTOVSK, February 18. /TASS/: Russia and Syria have been taking steps to counter the Western-imposed economic blockade of the Arab republic, Syria’s Ambassador to Moscow Riyad Haddad told a forum Tuesday in the Western Siberian city of Nizhnevartovsk.

"It’s noteworthy that Russia together with the Syrians is fighting the economic blockade imposed by Western powers and is also providing our people with all kinds of support and humanitarian assistance," the Syrian diplomat told a plenary session of the Third International Youth Research and Practical Forum "Oil Capital."

MOSCOW, February 18. /TASS/: Russia will use a new upper stage developed for the Angara-A5 heavy carrier rocket also for the Soyuz-5 launch vehicle to deliver payloads into orbit, a source in the domestic space industry told TASS on Tuesday.

"The upper stage for the Angara will also be used for the Soyuz-5," the source said.

MOSCOW, February 18. /TASS/: More than 2.5 tonnes of narcotics were seized by Russian transport police last year, the Interior Ministry told TASS.

"In 2019, [transport police] officers seized more than 2.5 tonnes of drugs, which is 2.6 times more than a year before," the ministry said.

Throughout the year, the officers escorted more than 550,000 trains, including more than 150,000 inter-regional trains and 400,000 commute trains.

"As a result, the amount of crime on trains shrank," the ministry noted.

MOSCOW, Feb 18 (NNN-TASS) – Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, raised doubts about the efficiency of the U.S. plan for a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, known as the “Deal of the Century.”

Washington’s proposal for a solution through unilateral concessions favour Israel, Lavrov said, in an interview with Italian newspaper, La Stampa, which was published by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Monday (yesterday).