Russia

MOSCOW, February 7. /TASS/: Since 2008, the US enforced apprehension of 53 Russian nationals in third countries, says Russian Foreign Ministry report on human rights, published Friday. According to the report, those apprehended face prejudice and suffer psychological abuse.

"Since 2008, a total of 53 Russian nationals have been apprehended in third countries on American orders. The Russian nationals extradited to the US usually face prejudice from American investigators and judges," the ministry says. "They suffer psychological abuse.

MOSCOW, February 7. /TASS/: Russia’s Foreign Ministry has thanked the rescue services of Estonia and Finland for prompt assistance extended to Russian sailors, who suffered a shipwreck off Estonia last night.

MOSCOW, February 7. /TASS/: Defense of Israeli national Naama Issachar, sentenced in Russia for drug smuggling and pardoned by the president, is going to file an appeal against the sentence and turn to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), the defense said in a statement.

MOSCOW, Feb 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Russian leader Vladimir Putin ordered the closure of pharmacies accused of hiking prices of face masks, as demand soars over fears that the deadly coronavirus could spread.

Speaking at a government meeting, Putin said profiteering from the brisk sales of masks was wrong and pharmacies that engage in price gouging should be punished.

“They should be stripped of their licences to carry out their work, that’s all,” said the 67-year-old leader.

MOSCOW, Feb 7 (NNN-XINHUA) — Russia will continue close coordination with Turkey and Iran to achieve lasting stability and security in Syria’s Idlib, where violence has surged dangerously, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

“We reaffirm our commitment to the agreements and mutual understandings reached within the Astana format, providing for the need to fight terrorist groups in Syria with respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country,” it said in a statement.

MOSCOW (AP) — NASA astronaut Christina Koch, who spent nearly 11 months in orbit to set a record for the longest spaceflight by a woman, landed safely Thursday in Kazakhstan along with two International Space Station crewmates.

The Soyuz capsule carrying Koch, station Commander Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov, touched down southeast of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, at 3:12 p.m. (0912 GMT).

MOSCOW, February 6. /TASS/: Kremlin hopes that the United States stops demonizing Russia using it in its domestic political battles and it will provide for the normalization of bilateral relations between the countries, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Thursday.

Asked at a news conference to comment on the US Senate refusal to declare impeachment to President Donald Trump, Peskov replied that Russia "has traditionally held the stance of having no right for interfering in the US domestic affairs."

MOSCOW, February 6. /TASS/: Russia has not yet received responses from the United States and the United Kingdom to its proposal to hold a summit of the UN founding countries this year, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.

"There has been no response from Washington and London yet," he said.

MOSCOW, February 6. /TASS/: Increasing terrorist activities in Syria have led to the death of Russian and Turkish military experts, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Thursday that some of its troops had been killed in militant attacks in Syria’s Idlib province - its first confirmation of casualties in the current round of fighting.

Attacks on Russian military positions and on Syrian government forces were continuing from a Turkish-controlled zone in the region, the Kremlin said.

“There has recently been a dangerous increase in tension and a surge of violence in Idlib,” it said. “Russian and Turkish military experts were tragically killed,” the Foreign Ministry said, without giving a number.