Russia

MOSCOW, October 29. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a working visit to Budapest on Wednesday, October 30, at the invitation of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the Kremlin press service reported on Tuesday.

"During the talks, it is planned to discuss issues related to Russian-Hungarian cooperation, primarily trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian ties, and also exchange views on a number of pressing global and regional issues," the press service said.

SEVASTOPOL, October 29. /TASS/: The crew of the Black Sea Fleet’s missile corvette Orekhovo-Zuyevo and the personnel of Bal coastal defense anti-ship systems held joint drills to fight a notional enemy’s warships, the Fleet’s press office reported on Tuesday.

"The crew of the Black Sea Fleet’s small missile ship Orekhovo-Zuyevo and the combat teams of the Bal coastal defense anti-ship missile systems held drills with the electronic launches of missiles against naval targets," the press office said in a statement.

VLADIVOSTOK, October 29. /TASS/: Military diplomats from 55 nations arrived to Russia’s Far Eastern city of Vladivostok to familiarize themselves with equipment and training facilities of the Russian Pacific Fleet, the fleet’s press service said on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, October 29. /TASS/: Moscow proceeds from the fact that reaching agreements with Kiev on the transit and supply of gas is possible only in the absence of any judicial claims, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Tuesday.

"Russia stated its position yesterday (at the trilateral consultations of Russia, the EU and Ukraine on gas on Monday - TASS). Of course, it implies in particular that some judicial claims should certainly be removed from the agenda if we’re talking about an agreement," the Kremlin spokesman said.

MOSCOW, October 28. /TASS/: Moscow has been closely following the visit of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to the Zolotoye settlement in Donbass, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.

"Of course, we have been following the situation closely. The talks that took place have shined a light on the existing issues, showing their primary source," he said. Peskov noted that if Zelensky manages to make the Ukrainian nationalists follow his directives, the preparations for the Normandy Four summit can be sped up.

MOSCOW, October 28. /TASS/: A court in the Moscow Region on Monday ruled to arrest a college student who planned to murder his classmates.

"The Zaraisk City Court ruled to place Boris Banin suspected in an attempted murder of two or more people (part 2, article 105 of the Russian Criminal Code) under arrest till December 23," the press service of the Moscow Region Court told TASS.

According to investigators, Banin planned to shoot and kill his college mates and a lecturer during class time. A handgun, presumably a Makarov pistol, was seized from him during the arrest.

MOSCOW, October 28. /TASS/: Washington’s potential withdrawal from the Open Skies Treaty could become a sad turn of events, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters on Monday.

"I have only read what you have read [about the US potential withdrawal from the treaty]. This [pullout] would be sad," Lavrov noted.

MOSCOW, October 28. /TASS/: Moscow’s law enforcement agencies have successfully countered attempts of staging mass riots in the Russian capital, the city mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, told a meeting devoted to preventing crimes on Monday.

The Moscow mayor recalled that dozens of peaceful demonstrations and rallies took place in Moscow but several unauthorized events were also held.

MOSCOW, October 28. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued instructions to the government to look into amendments stipulating criminal responsibility for propagating or soliciting the use of drugs over the worldwide web.

"Take additional measures to counter the illegal trafficking of drugs and psychotropic substances, which include amendments to Russia’s legislation, by establishing criminal responsibility for the propaganda or incitement to use drugs, psychotropic substances or their analogues via the Internet," the instruction reads.

MOSCOW, October 28. /TASS/: Deaths from strokes in Russia have halved over the past 10 years, in particular thanks to the creation of special regional and municipal centers, Russian Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova said on Monday in an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda radio.