Russia

MOSCOW, December 17. /TASS/: Russian scientists are ready to build a reusable space launch system with a single-stage-to-orbit carrier rocket in eight years, the director of the Polytechnic Institute of the South Urals State University, which takes part in the project, said.

MOSCOW, December 17. /TASS/: Russian and Laotian troops switched to the active phase of the Laros-2019 joint drills at the Ban Peng training ground in Laos, the press office of Russia’s Eastern Military District reported on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, December 17. /TASS/: A large batch of methadone, a drug banned in Russia, worth more than 5.8 bln rubles ($93 mln) was seized by customs officers at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport, the Federal Customs Service said on Tuesday.

"A large batch of undeclared drug methadone, which was shipped from Germany to Tajikistan, was discovered in early December 2019 by the Vnukovo customs. The price of this cargo on the black market could exceed 5.8 bln rubles," the service said.

MOSCOW, December 16. /TASS/: In order to weaken US presence in Syria, it is necessary to strike terrorist groups active in the area and persuade local groups cooperating with the US to support the Syrian government instead, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview with the SANA news agency published on Monday.

"First, the Americans rely on terrorists. The terrorists must be attacked, this is a priority for us in Syria. Striking the terrorists weakens the American presence one way or another," al-Assad said.

VOSTOCHNY SPACEPORT /Amur Region/, December 16. /TASS/: Twenty launches of the Soyuz carrier rocket are planned for 2020, according to a video shared by state space corporation Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Rogozin at a press conference at the Vostochny cosmodrome on Monday.

"Twenty launches of the Soyuz carrier rocket," according to the video.

It was also noted in the video that the work on the construction of carriers is in full swing.

MOSCOW, December 16. /TASS/: Some 12,000 foreign malicious resources, which were used for cyber attacks against Russia, have been taken down this year, Deputy Director of the National Coordination Center for Computer Incidents Nikolai Murashov said during a press conference on Monday.

"In 2019, a successful effort was carried out to take down more than 12,000 foreign information resources used for inflicting damage to our country. Upon the requests of foreign partners, more than 7,000 such information resources were curbed on Russian soil," Murashov said.

MOSCOW, December 16. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a message of congratulations to his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on the occasion of Kazakhstan’s national holiday, Independence Day, the Kremlin press service reported on Monday.

The Russian head of state pointed to "Kazakhstan’s accomplishments in the socio-economic, scientific, technical and many other areas, the country’s standing in the international arena and its constructive role in tackling topical regional and global issues."

MOSCOW, December 16. /TASS/: The share of modern missile systems in the Russian Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN) will reach 100% by 2024, RSVN Commander Colonel-General Sergey Karakaev told the Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star) newspaper.

"By 2024, the share of modern missile systems will reach 100%, meaning that the Strategic Missile Forces will cross the line after which they will no longer have any obsolete Soviet-produced missile systems," Karakaev said.

MOSCOW, December 16. /TASS/: Russia's position on the global arms market is strengthening, despite intensified sanctions regime and unfair competition, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday.

"Exports of Russian arms and military equipment is growing: this year, items worth $13 bln were shipped. This is more than $2 bln more than the same period last year," he said. "Russia’s position on the global arms market is strengthening, despite intensified sanctions regime and unfair competition," Putin noted.

MOSCOW, December 15. /TASS/: Social adaptation of Donbass defenders, the international community informing about the situation there and young people’s patriotic education topped the agenda of the fifth congress of the public organization Union of Donbass Volunteers held at the Zhukov hall of Moscow’s Victory Museum on Saturday.

Vladislav Surkov, an aide to the Russian president, attended the congress.