Russia

BARNAUL, May 10. /TASS/: Relatives identified the bodies of three tourists who died in an avalanche in the Altai Republic on Monday, a representative of the regional department of Russia’s Investigative Committee told TASS on Friday.

"The bodies of the three dead that were brought to Gorno-Altaisk, have been identified," the agency’s source said.

MOSCOW, May 9. /TASS/: A ten-minute fireworks show illuminated Moscow’s skies on Thursday night to mark the Soviet Union’s victory in the Great Patriotic War over Nazi Germany with more than 10,000 salvos.

Journalists were told earlier at the Western Military District’s press service that Artillery Marshal Vladimir Mikhalkin firework division would perform the fireworks show in Moscow on May 9.

The fireworks were launched from 72 saluting guns and 18 artillery guns, and 50 kinds of fireworks were used.

MOSCOW, May 10. /TASS/: Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has held a telephone conversation with his French counterpart Edouard Philippe, the Russian cabinet’s press service said in a statement on Friday.

The parties "discussed pressing issues concerning Russian-French interaction, including trade, economic and investment cooperation," the statement reads. Medvedev and Philippe also talked about a schedule for future contacts between the two countries’ governments.

According to the press service, the telephone call was initiated by France.

MOSCOW, May 10. /TASS/: Russian voyager and survivalist Fedor Konyukhov has finished his solo rowboat voyage on board Akros, crossing the South Pacific from New Zealand to Chile for 154 days 13 hours and 13 minutes, the Ocean Rowing Society said on Friday.

"On May 09, 2019 at approx. 18:00UTC Fedor crossed the finish line of Diego Ramirez Longitude (68.68W) within vicinity of land and with this has officially completed his row across the South Pacific Ocean from west to east," the statement says adding that it took the Russian traveler 154 days 13 hours and 37 minutes to do it.

MOSCOW, May 9. /TASS/: Russia and the United States have agreed on two additional places on board of Soyuz carrier rockets for journeys of NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), Roscosmos Executive Director for Manned Programs Sergei Krikalyov told TASS.

"The documents have been approved," Krikalyov said adding that it the procedure to sign the papers took place before a recently reported incident with Crew Dragon spacecraft.

MOSCOW, May 9. /TASS/. Rescuers have found the body of the fourth tourist out of seven people who had died in an avalanche in the Altai Mountains in West Siberia, the Investigative Committee’s local branch told TASS on Thursday.

"The body of the fourth dead tourist has been found. It has not yet been delivered to Gorno-Altaisk for identification," the investigators said.

The bodies of three tourists found earlier have been identified, the investigators said.

MOSCOW, May 9. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the 71st anniversary of proclaiming the Independence of the State of Israel, the Kremlin press office reported on Thursday.

"Symbolically, this year the national holiday of your country coincides with the Day of the Great Victory, which freed the world from the fascist plague and saved the Jewish people from extermination," the Russian leader stressed in a telegram sent to the Israeli leadership.

MOSCOW, May 9. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Kremlin Wall as part of the Victory Day celebrations devoted to the 74th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two.

The Russian leader walked to the Alexander Garden after the Victory Parade ended in Moscow’s Red Square and after he talked briefly actually with each of the war veterans.

MOSCOW, May 8. /TASS/: Russia’s strategic bombers Tupolev-160 and Tupolev-95MS are being equipped with new instruments that will let them carry the latest types of cruise missiles, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a distance conference on Wednesday.

"Number one question on the agenda concerns the strategic bombers Tupolev-160 and Tupolev-95MS. Currently they are being equipped with new instruments that will let them use advanced air-launched cruise missiles," he said.

MOSCOW, May 7. /TASS/: The Aeroflot airline company has started making compensation payments to passengers of the plane that crashed at Moscow Sheremetyevo airport on May 5, a source in the company told TASS.

"We have transferred compensations in the amount of 2 mln rubles [about $30,650] to four of the injured currently in hospitals, 1 mln rubles [about $15,325] to the passenger who refused hospitalization," the source said.

Overall, the company has paid 9 mln rubles ($137,942) in compensation so far.