Russia

MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/: NATO military exercises in the Baltic States, Poland, and in the Black and Baltic Seas indicate that the Alliance is preparing for a large-scale conflict, Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasinov told foreign military attaches on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, September 14. /TASS/: Russia’s Sukhoi Su-57 multirole stealth fighter has touched down in Turkey for Technofest 2019 techno festival, due to be held in Istanbul on September 17 through 22, Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) told TASS on Saturday.

"The multipurpose fighter jet Sukhoi Su-35 has arrived at Turkey’s Ataturk airport to take part in the Technofest exhibition," the spokesperson said.

The UAC press service added that other Russian aircraft - both passenger and special - were expected to arrive for Technofest, but it did not specify their models.

MOSCOW, January 26. /TASS/: The launch of Soyuz 2.1a rocket with Meridian-M military satellite from Plesetsk, northern Russia, was cancelled over a malfunction of the booster’s electrical equipment, two sources in the rocket and space sector told TASS on Sunday.

"The launch was cancelled over a problem with the booster’s electrical equipment," one of the sources said.

MOSCOW, January 25. /TASS/: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has signed a decree to approve a draft protocol on amending an agreement with Russia on gas supplies.

SEVASTOPOL, January 25. /TASS/: The Black Sea Fleet’s minesweepers Kovrovets and Ivan Golubets held drills in the Black Sea, the Fleet’s press office reported on Saturday.

MOSCOW, January 24. /TASS/: Russian Helicopters (a Rostech subsidiary) developed a new version of the Mi-8AMTSh-VN Special Forces helicopter with enhanced weapons, says CEO Andrey Boginsky.

Last summer, Russian Helicopters signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense to furnish 10 original version helicopters to the Russian Special Operations Forces.

"We already have an upgraded appearance of the AMTSh-VN. Let’s say, it has expanded its options and capabilities - not so much the vehicle itself, but its extra equipment," Boginsky said.

MOSCOW, January 23. /TASS/: The Stril Explorer ship is performing Nord Stream 2 route surveys for Nord Stream 2 AG, press service of the gas pipeline operator told TASS on Thursday.

US President Donald Trump on December 20, 2019 signed the US defense budget providing for sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 and companies that participate in the project.

MOSCOW, January 25. /TASS/: Moscow has not altered its policy on the situation in Ukraine, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday.

"As for the alleged change in the policy on the situation in Ukraine, this has nothing to do with reality and reflects only a personal viewpoint of the person who speaks about that," Peskov said.

MOSCOW, January 25. /TASS/: Moscow views the expulsion of Russian diplomats from Bulgaria as an unfriendly and a provocative step and warns the Bulgarian authorities about tit-for-tat measures, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

"We qualify this step by official Sofia as an outright unfriendly and provocative step that runs counter to the constructive and traditionally mutually respectful nature of Russian-Bulgarian relations. We reserve the right to take tit-for-tat measures," the statement says.

MOSCOW, January 24. /TASS/: The Russian Defense Ministry will make competitions of the International Army Games even more fascinating and entertaining this year, increasing complexity of tracks and judges’ demands, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told a meeting of the games’ organizing committee.

"To make combats even more entertaining, we raised the complexity of tracks and the judges’ demands, combined certain challenges and introduced new elements to the competitions," he said.