Kremlin says Putin, Medvedev did not discuss constitutional amendments
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday he has never heard Russian President Vladimir Putin discussing constitutional amendments with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
"I know nothing about this, I have never heard about this," Peskov said in reply to a question on whether such discussion has taken place.
Peskov declined to comment on Medvedev’s remark on possible constitutional amendments in an article, devoted to the 25th anniversary of the Russian constitution.
In his article published by the Zakon magazine, Medvedev said the amendments to Russia’s key law may concern only updating the status of government bodies and developing rights. "The constitutional amendments can be certainly aimed at updating the status of government bodies, developing rights but should never reduce the level of protecting individuals or undermine the basis of the country’s democratic system," the premier said.
"I personally had to present the proposals aimed at improving the system of government bodies [on extending the term of powers of the Russian president and the State Duma and the report of the Russian government to the Duma]," he said. "But these were pin-point changes and did not concern the rights of individuals."
Medvedev noted that sometimes calls are made to amend the constitution or even adopt a new one. "Certainly, these changes may be explained by the challenges of the time, and the constitution stipulates a clear order of changes," Medvedev stressed. "Our founding fathers envisaged this mechanism."
Increasing NATO Forces Near Russian Borders Will Only Increase Tensions - MoD
Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the Russian General Staff, has told NATO Allied Command Operations' Supreme Allied Commander Europe Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti that NATO presence near Russian borders was not reducing tensions, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
"The military commanders have exchanged opinions on the situation in European and global security. Gen. Valery Gerasimov has noted increasing NATO military presence near Russian borders, which does not promote a reduction of tensions.
The sides have informed each other about the most important operational training activities planned for 2019. They have confirmed commitment to maintaining contacts," the statement read.
Gerasimov and Scaparrotti held a meeting in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku.
The relations between Moscow and the alliance remain tense, as Washington announced that the United States would suspend its INF Treaty obligations, while NATO foreign ministers collectively declared for the first time that Russia’s 9M729 missile violates the INF treaty and that it was now up to Moscow to preserve the accord. Russia, however, denied those accusations, stressing it was just a pretext for the US to leave the treaty.
Memory of Great Patriotic War should consolidate Russian society, says Putin
The memory of the Great Patriotic War (World War II) should consolidate the Russian society and the state, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a session of the Victory organizing committee devoted to the preparation for the 75th anniversary of the Victory.
"The memory of what happened in the Great Patriotic War years should consolidate our society and our state for the future," Putin said.
He called the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Victory that will be held in 2020 a great event both for Russia and the whole world.
The head of state called for a direct, practical and effective support in the work of the corresponding committee headed by chief of the Department of Presidential Affairs Alexander Kolpakov in order "to prepare this event (the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Victory) in a proper way.".
Russian Parliament to vote on online fake news bill
A package of bills on fines of up to one million rubles for violating the ban on spreading false "socially significant" allegations disguised as authentic reports through the mass media and on the Internet has been submitted to the State Duma. A corresponding document was placed in the electronic data base of the lower house of parliament on Wednesday.
The bill proposes a ban on publishing in the mass media and on the Internet "untruthful socially significant information disguised as authentic reports, which poses a threat to people’s lives and health and is fraught with mass violations of public order and security, disruption in the operation of crucial life support facilities, transport and social infrastructures or other grave consequences."
Under the bill violations of this ban will be interpreted as administrative offenses punishable with fines under the Code of Administrative Offenses (30,000-50,000 rubles, an equivalent of $450-$750 for individuals and 400,000-1,000,000 rubles, an equivalent of $6,000-$15,000 for legal entities).
The law on the mass media will interpret the spreading of socially important disinformation fraught with grave consequences as a violation of the freedom of mass media.
Struggle with online information
As follows from the explanatory note, in the modern context of booming information technologies the uncontrolled spreading of false information disguised as authentic reports may entail a wide range of consequences:
not only reputational losses for individuals and organizations, manipulation with public opinion, and financial gains, but also real risks to the life and health of people, mass unrest and threats to state, public or ecological security.
"The awareness of the negative aspects of spreading false information makes government institutions in many countries look for ways of preventing them. The European Commission is working on a common European strategy of resisting on-line disinformation," the document runs.
The proposed amendments to Russian legislation "reaffirm legal guarantees against the abuse of the freedom of speech, which may pose a threat to state and public security.".
Russian Defense Ministry: 80% of this year’s autumn recruits fit for military service
Eight out of every ten young men enlisting in the Russian Armed Forces in the autumn of 2018 have been found medically fit for military service, which is more than the 2017 autumn conscription campaign, Russian General Staff’s Main Organization and Mobilization Directorate Lieutenant General Yevgeny Burdinsky said at a briefing at a Moscow conscription office on Wednesday.
"The medical fitness rate is 79%, which exceeds the rate recorded during the 2017 autumn conscription campaign (78.6%)," he said.
"A stable upward trend in medical fitness for military service is being sustained thanks to the implementation of measures in accordance with the 2020 Concept of the Federal System of Training for Military Service," Burdinsky added.
The general inspected the conscription office, met with 18 recruits and answered their questions. Most requests concerned the conscripts’ wish to carry out military service in research and sporting units, which have been becoming more and more popular.
Russia’s Pacific Fleet to get corvettes and submarines armed with cruise missiles
Russia’s Pacific Fleet will soon get six diesel-electric submarines, eight corvettes and also a destroyer, nuclear-powered subs and small missile ships armed with cruise missiles, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Sergei Avakyants said in an interview with the Defense Ministry’s newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda on Wednesday.
"Until the end of 2018, we are planning to accept the Project 20380 corvette Gromky for service. This is the second corvette of this Project specially built for the Pacific Fleet under the rearmament program," the admiral said.
The warship is currently at the final stage of shipbuilders’ sea and state trials. The naval flag will be hoisted aboard the corvette in late December, the Pacific Fleet commander said.
Next year, the Pacific Fleet will be reinforced with the Project 20385 corvette Gremyashchiy. The crew has already taken its place on the warship whose construction is nearing completion in a planned manner, he noted.
"This ship is the first carrier of Kalibr cruise missiles for the Pacific Fleet and the personnel were trained taking into account this factor.
Overall, let me repeat, we expect to get 8 such corvettes from the industry," the admiral said.
The Shipyard in Komsomolsk-on-Amur in the Russian Far East will build four Project 22800 small missile ships armed with Kalibr and Oniks cruise missiles for the Pacific Fleet.
The large anti-submarine warfare ship Marshall Shaposhnikov will also get the strike missile complex during its modernization.
The Pacific Fleet is also reinforcing its submarine component.
Thus, the Fleet will get six newest Project 636.3 diesel-electric submarines, the first of which is due to join the Fleet already in 2019. Also, modernization continues to arm Project 949A nuclear-powered underwater missile cruisers with Kalibr cruise missiles, the commander said.
Moscow among best cities to visit during New Year holidays, says mayor
© Anton Novoderezhkin/TASS
Moscow is one of the best cities of the world to visit in the New Year and Christmas holidays, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.
"Moscow is on all international tourist ratings and recommendations for visiting in the New Year and Christmas holidays and is generally considered to be one of the best cities for tourists," Sobyanin said at the opening of a new hotel complex, Radisson Blu Olympiyskiy Hotel.
It became possible mainly due to Moscow Seasons, a cycle of street festivals held throughout the year, and a great number of international festivals which attract millions of people from around the world, he said.
"More than 60 million people visited Moscow festivals this year, much more than at the World Cup. So, we have potential for further development," the mayor noted.
According to materials of the Moscow Mayor’s Office, the festival "Journey to Christmas" and other Moscow Seasons festivals are especially popular among tourists. Since early 2018, 65.8 million Muscovites and visitors to the city have visited them, the Mayor’s Office reported. The World Cup, which attracted about 4.5 million tourists, also became an important long-term factor for increasing Moscow’s tourism attractiveness, the Mayor’s Office said.
The Mayor’s Office reiterated that with each year Moscow becomes increasingly recognized as one of the largest global tourism centers. By the end of 2017, Moscow was ranked second among the most photographed cities of the world, according to Instagram: the issue concerns shots posted on the network and tagged "Moscow." In addition, CNN included Moscow in the top 10 fantastic places for autumn trips in 2018, the Mayor’s Office reported.
Balneotherapy Attracts Tourists to the Krasnodar Region, Russia
Balneotherapy, as well as spa treatments is attracting increasing numbers of tourists to the Krasnodar Region’s Black Sea resorts all year round, including during the low season.
The first season of the Southern Resort program, in 2017-2018, led to a 7 to 10 percent increase in the number of tourists visiting the region.
The increase in spa resort demand can be seen not only among middle-aged tourists, but young people as well, the regional Ministry of Resorts said.
"Spa resorts in seaside towns can combine a beach vacation with therapeutic and wellness programs," a ministry representative said.
"Wellness tourism is fully developed in the towns of Anapa, Gelendzhik, Goryachy Klyuch and Sochi, as well as in the Apsheronsky, Yeisky, Labinsky, Mostovsky and Tuapsinsky districts."
The Krasnodar Region is home to 193 health resorts, balneotherapy clinics and holiday centers offering spa services, of which 140 are open year-round. Also, there are more than 50 pump rooms with mineral water, 11 of which are open to the public. The largest number of pump rooms is available in Anapa (16), Sochi (12) and Gelendzhik (9). There are five pump rooms in Anapa, three in Sochi, and one in Goryachy Klyuch, Krasnodar and Labinsk each.
Year-Round Wellness
"Local mud and mineral waters are used in spa therapy," the ministry said. "There are more than 50 hot springs in the region, most of which are located in the Mostovsky, Otradnensky, Apsheronsky and Labinsky districts, and over 40 mineral water deposits can be found along the coast and in the mountain and foothill areas.
Anapa, as well as the Yeisky and Krymsky districts are home to many therapeutic mud deposits. All this puts the Krasnodar Region's spa resorts among the leaders in Russia."
Health resorts in the Krasnodar Region offer treatment and rehabilitation
under over 500 programs that cover almost all known diseases.
The ministry developed a Southern Health Resort program in 2017 to provide high-quality recreation and wellness programs for tourists, as well as to ensure year-round resort occupancy, which runs from October 1 to May 1.
"Initially, the program included over 40 health resorts, balneological clinics and holiday centers offering treatment in 11 districts in the region," the ministry said.
"They offered weekly wellness tours and three-week treatment programs. Later, this number grew to 56 spa and health resorts in the region that offered 5 to 50 percent discounts on weekly wellness tours and two- and three-week treatment programs."
A drinking gallery in Goryachy Klyuch health resort / © SPUTNIK / VITALIY TIMKIV
According to the ministry, implementation of the program helped increase tourism by 7 to 10 percent during the low season at the resorts that took part in the Southern Health Resort program.
"The program was also recognized one of the best for advancing spa resort services in Russia and was recommended by the Federal Agency for Tourism for use at other resort areas in Russia," the ministry said.
Increase in the Number of Users
"In 2018, the Southern Health Resort program opened on October 1 and runs until May 1, 2019," the ministry said. "Today, the program operates through 65 resorts, balneological clinics and holiday centers in 12 cities and districts in the Krasnodar Region including Anapa, Gelendzhik, Goryachy Klyuch, Krasnodar, and Sochi, as well as the Gulkevichsky, Yeisky, Kanevskoi, Labinsky, Mostovsky, Slavyansky and Tuapsinsky districts."
The program includes weekly wellness tours and two- and three-week treatment programs with 5 to 50 percent discounts. Short tours include a set of wellness procedures designed to improve physical fitness.
The two- and three-week vouchers include a greater number of medical procedures depending on the disease. The price depends on the program's package tours, resort grade, room category, meal plan and the number of procedures.
According to the regional authorities, more than 16.5 million tourists visited the Krasnodar Region from early 2018 to December 1, which is 6 percent more than the same period in 2017. In the summer, over 10 million holidaymakers visited the region's resorts, which is 5 percent higher than the 2017 summer season.
For example, during the FIFA 2018 World Cup alone about 800,000 guests from Sweden, Iceland, Switzerland, Germany, South Korea, Italy, Argentina and other countries visited Sochi, Anapa, Gelendzhik and Krasnodar during the tournament. Krasnodar alone saw the number of tourists almost triple during this period. In addition, more than 55,000 tourists, including foreign visitors, took part in the tourist festival, Russia's Ancient Legacy, which opened the summer holiday season this year.
According to regional ministry estimates, about 16.7 million vacationers will have visited the region by late 2018.
According to the Russian Agency for Tourism, Russia boasts a number of therapeutic resources unmatched anywhere in the world. The popular Czech Karlovy Vary resort has a little over 60 types of mineral waters, and the famous German spa resort Baden-Baden about 20, but
Russia's Mineralniye Vody resort in the Caucasus has over 100 water sources of 30 types with varying chemical composition, mineralization and temperatures.
According to the regional Ministry of Resorts, another project, The Golden Ring of the Bosporus Kingdom, is expected to increase the tourist flow to southern Russia by an estimated 10 percent and will extend average tourist stay by 15 percent.
According to Governor Veniamin Kondratyev, the project initiated by the Krasnodar Territory will incorporate the cultural and historical legacy of the four southern regions of Russia and showcase thier potential on the global tourist market.
The Federal Agency for Tourism has included the program on the list of top 10 Russian itineraries designed for foreign tourists. The Golden Ring of the Bosporus Kingdom covers about 30 historical landmarks and modern tourist attractions related to the history of the Bosporus. They are located in 10 cities in southern Russian regions including the Krasnodar Region, the Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol and the Rostov Region.
"The Krasnodar Region is also developing the Wine Roads of the Bosporus Kingdom route as part of that project," the ministry said. "The region has more than 60 small and large wineries that receive hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over Russia and other countries."
