Russia

KALININGRAD, August 26. /TASS/: The combat teams of the Baltic Fleet’s Bastion coastal defense missile systems practiced striking enemy surface ships in drills on the Baltic coast of Russia’s westernmost Kaliningrad Region, the Fleet’s press office reported on Monday.

"The combat teams of Bastion coastal defense missile systems practiced assignments to detect and track notional targets, and also performed electronic missile launches, notionally destroying precision weapon ‘carriers’ represented by the simulated enemy’s surface ships," the press office said in a statement.

MOSCOW, August 26. /TASS/: The project for the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is 75% complete, the project operator Nord Stream 2 began laying the final part, the company said on Monday.

"1,855 km of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was laid along the bottom of the Baltic Sea in the waters of Russia, Finland, Sweden, and Germany. This is 75% of the total length of the two lines. Thus, Nord Stream 2 AG proceeded to laying the final quarter of the gas pipeline," the statement said.

MOSCOW, August 26. /TASS/: The United States has warned participants in the upcoming international exhibition in Damascus of possible sanctions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.

"We have heard that the United States threatens participants in this exhibition with sanctions, saying that any presence at this event would mean support to the Syrian regime, as it put it," he said. "It is a familiar rhetoric we hear in respect of Syria and a number of other countries which have their own stance rather than dance to someone else’s tune."

MOSCOW, August 26. /TASS/: The Research and Production Association of Machine-Building (part of Tactical Missiles Corporation) has carried out work to restore the Soviet underground coastal defense missile system Utyos in Crimea and will eventually rearm it with new missiles, Company CEO and Chief Designer Alexander Leonov told TASS on Monday.

The repair work on the Utyos coastal defense missile system was completed just recently and was required because the compound operated by the Ukrainian Navy in 1996-2014 had fallen into disuse, the chief executive said.

MOSCOW, August 26. /TASS/: The Kremlin thinks it impossible to speak about the revival of the Group of Eight format without consensus of all the Group of Seven nations on that matter, Russia president’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

MOSCOW, August 26. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed concerns about the slow growth of real incomes.

"Given the increase in wages in the economy, real incomes of people are growing slowly. This raises concern," the Russian leader said, opening a meeting on economic issues.

At the same time, the president noted that there are positive factors. In particular, he said, inflation is gradually approaching the target. "Now it is about 4.5% in annual terms," he stressed.

MOSCOW, Aug 26 (NNN-BERNAMA-TASS) — The second round of US sanctions imposed on Russia over the so-called Skripal case is entering into force.

Experts interviewed by TASS believe that the new restrictions won’t harm Russia’s economy more than trade wars, including the one between the US and China, and oil market volatility.

The new sanctions prohibit US banks “from participating in the primary market for non-ruble denominated Russian sovereign debt and lending non-ruble denominated funds to the Russian government.”

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia’s state weather agency said on Monday it had found the radioactive isotopes of strontium, barium and lanthanum in test samples after a mysterious accident during a test at a military site earlier this month.

The deadly accident on Aug. 8 caused a brief rise in radiation levels in the nearby city of Severodvinsk. President Vladimir Putin later said the mishap occurred during testing of what he called promising new weapons systems.

MOSCOW, August 25. /TASS/. Secretary of Russia’s Security Council Nikolai Patrushev will visit Malaysia and Singapore on August 27-30 for consultations of security matters, the press service of the Russian Security Council said on Sunday.

"Nikolai Patrushev will visit Malaysia and Singapore on August 27-30 to hold Russian-Malaysian and Russian-Singaporean consultations on security issues," the press service said.

MOSCOW, August 25. /TASS/: Missile formations of Russia’s Baltic Fleet have held drills in the Kaliningrad Region for eliminating a notional enemy’s subversive groups and stealthily deploying Iskander tactical missile systems, the Fleet’s press office reported on Sunday.