Russia

NIZHNY TAGIL /Sverdlovsk Region/, August 12. /TASS/: Russia’s Defense Minister, Army General Sergei Shoigu inspected the latest models of heavily armed robotic vehicles based on the T-72B3 tank during his visit to Uralvagonzavod defense manufacturer on Monday.

The defense chief checked how Uralvagonzavod was fulfilling the defense procurement plan, visited the workshop for the assembly of tanks and listened to reports by the enterprise’s management during his working trip to the troops of the Central Military District.

MOSCOW, August 12. /TASS/: Russia’s latest Mil Mi-28NM attack helicopter has received the capability to strike two targets at a time with missiles, Air Force Commander, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Russia’s Aerospace Force Sergei Dronov said in an interview with the Defense Ministry’s newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda on Monday.

The interview comes as Russia is celebrating Air Force Day on August 12.

MOSCOW, August 12. /TASS/: Ankara expects the second S-400 squadron to be delivered to Turkey in August or September, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Monday, as cited by the Hurriyet newspaper.

"The second S-400 squadron is expected to be delivered in August or September," he said. According to Akar, "since the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty has been terminated, Turkey will have an increasing need for the S-400 systems."

MOSCOW, August 10. /TASS/: The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) has registered 151 cases of possible anti-doping rule violations from January to July 2019, RUSADA Deputy Director General Margarita Pakhnotskaya told TASS on Saturday.

According to the submitted data, RUSADA revealed more anti-doping rule violations in the first seven months of 2019 than throughout 2018 (151 and 146 respectively).

Pakhnotskaya added that in July the agency’s inspectors reported 49 suspected anti-doping rule violations.

MOSCOW, August 10. /TASS/: The Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Sides in Syria has registered militants’ movement near the Idlib de-escalation zone, the center’s head, Major General Alexei Bakin, told reporters.

MOSCOW, August 11. /TASS/: Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will pay a two-day visit to Turkmenia, where he will participate in the first Caspian Economic Forum and meet President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, press service of the Russian government reports.

The main program of the Forum is scheduled on Monday. The Russian Prime Minister will speak at the plenary session of the Forum and visit the International Exhibition of Innovative Technologies of Caspian States where Russia’s display will be presented.

MOSCOW, August 11. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated the Muslims of Russia on the Eid al-Adha Islamic holiday, also known as the Festival of Sacrifice, wishing them peace, happiness and prosperity, according to a telegram published on the Kremlin’s website on Sunday.

MOSCOW, August 11. /TASS/: The fire outbreak and subsequent explosion near the city of Severodvinsk occurred when testing a missile on a sea-based platform, Communications Department of the Russian state corporation Rosatom told TASS.

MOSCOW, August 11. /TASS/: Foreign forces used YouTube video hosting during the August 10 authorized rally on Moscow’s Sakharov Avenue in order to manipulate Russian citizens, encouraging them to violate law, the chairman of the Federation Council’s temporary commission for the protection of state sovereignty and prevention of interference in Russia’s internal affairs, Andrei Klimov, said in a statement.

MOSCOW, August 10. /TASS/: An earthquake of 5.4 magnitude has rocked the eastern part of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East, US Geological Survey reported on Saturday.

The earthquake's epicenter lay in 50 km to the south-west of the Ust-Kamchatsk settlement (population of around 4,000 people) at the depth of 43 km.

No injuries or damages were reported.