Putin to hold annual news conference on December 20
The Kremlin press service has announced the accreditation to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annual news conference scheduled to be held on December 20.
The venue for the news conference has not been disclosed yet.
Putin’s annual news conferences have traditionally been the focus of public and media attention. During such events, the head of state answers questions on the most pressing issues live for several hours.
Putin has held his annual news conferences since 2001, with a break when he served as Prime Minister from May 2008 to May 2012. The shortest of these news conferences lasted for 1 hour and 35 minutes back in 2001, while the 2008 news conference set the record as being the longest one, lasting for 4 hours and 40 minutes.
South Korea, Russia may start talks on free trade zone agreement implementation in 2019
South Korea and Russia may start intensive negotiations on the implementation of the free trade zone agreement in 2019, South Korea’s ambassador in Moscow Woo Yoon-keun told TASS during a conference "Korea-Russia Dialogue on Economic Cooperation."
"Now the documents have already been submitted to the parliament [of the Republic of Korea]. As far as I know, the Russian side is also engaged in this, but at the government level. We hope that next year we will start intensive negotiations on the implementation of the free trade zone agreement," he said.
Russia and South Korea signed a joint statement on the establishment of a free trade zone in June 2018 during the visit of the President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-In to Moscow.
Russian, Syrian diplomats discuss preparations for Astana meeting
Russian Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and Syrian Ambassador to Russia Riyad Haddad have discussed the situation in Syria and preparations for a meeting on the Syrian settlement in Astana.
"[The parties] exchanged views in detail on the situation in and around Syria, including in the context of the upcoming 11th international meeting on Syria scheduled to be held in Astana on November 28-29."
Kazakhstan’s capital Astana hosted nine rounds of negotiations on resolving the conflict in Syria. The principal result was an agreement on setting up the de-escalation zones, which made it possible to decrease the level of violence in that country. One more meeting on Syria was held in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi.
Diplomat describes Russia’s nuclear arms control system as effective and secure
Russia’s nuclear weapons control system is effective and highly secure, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Friday.
"The system is effective in any case. Russia’s nuclear weapons control system is highly secure and effective," he said in response to a TASS question about expert statements claiming that Russian nuclear arms control system, known as the Dead Hand in the West, was ineffective.
"The names, codes and usage algorithms related to the system are not discussed even among people in the highest offices, let alone the media. No aspect of this information can be disclosed, which is obvious," the Russian deputy foreign minister said.
"Those responsible for the system certainly take the changing situation into account and make necessary changes as far as the system’s functioning is concerned," Ryabkov pointed out.
Russia’s nuclear weapons control system, called Perimetr (or Perimeter), was developed in the Soviet Union. The system’s key feature is that it is capable of automatically taking reciprocal actions if Russia comes under attack.
Reason for Mysterious Military Helicopter Flights Over Kremlin Revealed
As Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained, the Kremlin is the residence of the head of state and a high security site, so it’s perfectly normal for men responsible for the president’s safety to conduct drills there.
Russia’s Federal Protective Service (FSO), a federal government agency responsible for protection of high-ranking officials including the President of Russia, told Sputnik that the recent helicopter flight over Kremlin was part of the drills conducted there.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also confirmed this reveal, claiming that the exercise was nothing out of the ordinary.
"The Kremlin is the residence of the head of state, and while a large part of it is open to the public, it is still a high-security site. So conducting such drills is perfectly normal," Peskov said.
He declined to elaborate on the details of these drills, suggesting that such inquiries should be directed to the FSO instead.
Earlier on Thursday, two Mi-8 transport helicopters were spotted taking off from the Kremlin and flying away, with one of the helicopters apparently carrying some sort of underslung cargo.
This development puzzled many observers, as helicopter flights are generally forbidden over central Moscow.
Russia's new military transport helicopter performs debut flight
A Mil Mi-38T military transport helicopter manufactured at the Kazan Rotorcraft Factory made its debut flight under the program of preliminary trials, a TASS correspondent reported from the scene.
The helicopter’s debut flight was performed by test pilots of the Moscow-based Mil Rotorcraft Factory of Russian Helicopters Group (part of the state hi-tech corporation Rostec).
"The Mi-38T, which today performed its first flight, is the version, which the Group, the Factory and the Mil Design Bureau were making under a technical assignment approved by the Defense Ministry. This helicopter has been made on the basis of the civil rotorcraft whose production has been organized at the Kazan Rotorcraft Factory. This is the helicopter that has actually all the basic certificates of Rosaviatsiya [the Russian aviation watchdog]. This is a continuation and a possibility to enter a new market for us. This work is very important for the Group, both for the Design Bureau and the Factory, because this will help utilize the enterprise’s capacities, create jobs and ensure tax receipts in the region," Russian Helicopters Group CEO Andrei Boginsky told journalists.
By today, a contract has been signed for the delivery of two helicopters for the Defense Ministry. The first deliveries to the customer are planned to begin in 2019. Also, work is underway for promoting the new helicopter on foreign markets, the chief executive said.
"This opens prospects for work on the external market. This work with our colleagues from Rosoboronexport [state arms seller] has already begun. Jointly with them, we are offering this type of the helicopter for our foreign customers - the defense ministries of various countries," Boginsky said.
During joint special flight trials, all the systems and equipment of the Mi-38T helicopter will be checked for their compliance with the requirements of the technical assignment of Russia’s Defense Ministry. The helicopter has been developed on the basis of the certified Mi-38 civil helicopter and has been re-equipped to deal with transportation and troop landing tasks. The helicopter can also be reconfigured into an ambulance rotorcraft and supplied with additional fuel tanks for extending its flight range.
Mi-38T helicopter
As Deputy Managing Director of the Kazan Rotorcraft Factory Vadim Ligai told journalists, the helicopter can take up to 40 passengers on its board. The rotorcraft is 99% made of domestic components.
Mi-38 helicopters are equipped with TV7-117V highly efficient engines produced by the Klimov United Engine-Making Corporation. The helicopter features an integrated digital pilot navigation system with data shown on five liquid crystal displays and an explosion-proof protected fuel system. Additional landing gear struts enable the helicopter to land on soft ground and snow.
The helicopter’s cabin is furnished with easily removable seats, detachable medical equipment and roller equipment for cargo transportation.
Mi-38 helicopters can be used for transporting cargoes and passengers, carrying out search and rescue operations and making VIP transportation in various climatic conditions, including the sea, tropical and cold climate. Specialized helicopters, including the Arctic version, are planned to be produced on the basis of the Mi-38T transport rotorcraf.
Mil Design Bureau to develop fast-speed combat helicopter for Russian Army
Russia’s Defense Ministry has opted for the project of the Mil Design Bureau to create a cutting-edge fast-speed combat helicopter while the Kamov Design Bureau will continue developing the naval version of the Minoga rotorcraft, Russian Helicopters Group CEO Andrei Boginsky said on Friday.
"After examining all the proposed technical versions from the viewpoint of their readiness, as well as the scientific and technical potential and the possibilities of cooperation, the customer opted for a solution that implies achieving the speed under the goals of the specifications based on the Mil helicopter," the chief executive said.
"It should also be borne in mind that the Kamov is already making the conceptual design of the Minoga helicopter… This project is already underway. The Kamov Design Bureau has always been strong and these competences have remained and we are multiplying them in the production of special co-axial rotorcraft for their application in specific conditions and, in the first place, in the Navy," Boginsky added.
As was reported earlier, Russia’s Defense Ministry and the Moscow-based Mil Rotorcraft Factory signed a contract at the Army-2017 forum on the R&D work to develop a fast-speed combat helicopter.
Although the contract for developing a rotary-wing drone was signed with the Mil Rotorcraft Factory, both the Mil and the Kamov design bureaus took part in the tender for working out its design, Boginsky said.
"In order to give our customer a possibility to demonstrate the potential of both the Mil and Kamov Design Bureaus, we have made a decision within the Group and have agreed it with the customer that the two design bureaus should take part in this work. Correspondingly, about a dozen of concepts were offered to the customer to choose. Scientific and technical councils were held to examine the materials prepared by both design bureaus," Boginsky said.
The tender has demonstrated the readiness of both design bureaus to prove their competences, the chief executive said.
"If there are discussions, this means that there is competition … there are competences to substantiate a viewpoint of one of the two design bureaus and the customer already opts for the required version," Boginsky said.
Promising helicopter
As was reported earlier, work has been launched to develop a fast-speed helicopter for the Industry and Trade Ministry and the Defense Ministry of Russia. Then-Commander-in-Chief of Russia’s Aerospace Force Viktor Bondarev noted at the time that the helicopter was being developed for the Russian Defense Ministry, would enter its serial production from 2022 and would be able to develop a speed of up to 500 km/h.
Russia develops mobile super-computer for defense industry
Ruselectronics Group (part of the state hi-tech corporation Rostec) has developed a mobile super-computer with a capacity of 2.2 petaflops that can find applications in the defense and space industries, the Rostec press office reported on Friday.
"The 1.9x1.35x1m computing module allows reaching a record peak capacity of 2.2 petaflops for computers of such dimensions and a data storage volume of up to 2.2 petabytes," Rostec said.
As the state hi-tech corporation noted, "organizations of the defense sector and the space industry, technological parks, research institutes and educational institutions are among potential customers of the new product."
The super-computer has a system of liquid cooling (its blocs are immersed into a special container), which "allows creating mobile computer centers based on standard container platforms outside specially equipped premises," the press office said.
This type of the cooling system features a low noise level, dust and humidity protection, and also fire resistance, Rostec added.
The new super-computer consumes 40% less electric power compared to its analogs on the market.
Rostec Executive Director Oleg Yevtushenko was quoted by the corporation’s press office as saying that the computer created by Vega Group (part of Ruselectronics Holding Company) can be used in outer space "for automatically identifying objects in satellite imaging, modeling spacecraft and assessing the condition of their onboard systems."
Super-computers can also be used for computations in robotics, artificial intelligence and vision processing, neural networks of deep learning, big data processing, etc.
Russian Northern Fleet’s naval group returns to base after long journey
A group of warships and service vessels of the Northern Fleet carrying out a mission in the Mediterranean Sea and in the Atlantic Ocean has arrived in Severomorsk on Friday, its press center said.
The group was made up of the missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov, the tanker Dubna, and the rescue tug SB-406.
"The Northern Fleet group of vessels has completed its long mission and sailed back to Severomorsk," according to the statement.
A solemn welcome ceremony had been held.
The long trip by the Northern Fleet group of ships started with their departure from the main base of Severomorsk on July 5. Over that time, the missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov had served as a flagship of the Main Naval Parade in the city of Kronstadt, participated in naval war games of the Russian Navy in the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas, and made a couple of business trips to the capital of Algeria and to the Spanish port of Ceuta. In addition, the cruiser performed tasks in the Mediterranean Sea between August 11 and November 12, having participated in several joint activities with a group of Russian Navy ships, permanently deployed in the Mediterranean Sea.
While on its long voyage, the crew of the Russian cruiser had conducted a few anti-submarine war games and anti-aircraft defense drills, and exercises in rendering assistance to ships in distress.
Russia gives Arctic archipelago clean bill of health decades after Soviet-era nuke testing
An expedition by the Northern Fleet (NF) to Novaya Zemlya showed that wildlife and the natural surroundings there have fully recovered after nuclear tests had been conducted on the archipelago during the Soviet times, NF Commander Nikolai Yevmenov told reporters on Friday.
"I can say that the myth about Novaya Zemlya as a radioactive waste repository of the Arctic, which keeps popping up in the Western media now and then, has been completely debunked based on the results of our experts’ work. The archipelago’s natural environment has successfully overcome the aftermath of this nuclear testing," he added.
Researchers have conducted radioactivity measurements along the entire route of the expedition, and no abnormally high levels of contamination have been documented.
Yevmenov pointed out that the consequences of the archipelago’s development, namely abandoned territories, previously inhabited by people, as well as scrap metal and litter areas, cause greater damage to the islands’ environment. The Northern Fleet’s environmental protection battalion is working to clean it up. This year alone, the NF environmental protection units have collected more than 360 tonnes of scrap metal on Kotelny Island, and on the Novosibirsk Islands archipelago, and prepared it for recycling. In total, the Northern Fleet removed over 3,000 tonnes of scrap metal from the Arctic Islands over the last two years for further recycling.
Novaya Zemlya is a Russian archipelago in the Arctic, lying between the Barents and Kara Seas. A test site was deployed there during the Soviet period, where numerous nuclear detonations had been carried out.
Primorsk port receives export applications for 37 mln tonnes of oil in 2019
Transneft-Port Primorsk, an affiliate of the Russian pipeline operator Transneft and an oil shipper from Primorsk Port, received export shipment requests of oil companies amounting to 37 mln tonnes in 2019, chief executive of the company Maxim Kudinov told reporters on Friday.
Primorsk Port is the largest Russian oil loading port on the Baltic Sea and the endpoint of the Baltic Pipeline System.
"We are above the target for 2018. If we speak about oil, then 38 mln tonnes are expected as of the year-end and the communicated plan for the next year is 37 mln tonnes. Concerning oil products - 15 mln tonnes. This covers export throughput net of Vysotsk [Port - TASS] for this year and the communicated plan for the next year is 15.8 mln tonnes," the chief executive said.
Agreements with oil companies are at the coordination and signing stage so far, Deputy Vice President of Transneft Vladimir Nazarov noted.
The shipment capacity of the port of Primorsk is 60 mln tonnes per year for crude oil and 25 mln tonnes per year for oil products. 43.9 mln tonnes of oil and 13.6 mln tonnes of oil products were shipped to tankers in 2017.
Moscow Bolshoi is being searched after anonymous bomb threat call
Emergency services are inspecting the building of the Moscow Bolshoi theater after an anonymous bomb threat call, a source in the emergency services told TASS.
Emergency services have received an anonymous message a bomb has been planted in the Moscow Bolshoi. Police operatives with dogs are searching the building for explosive devices and suspicious items, the source said without elaborating if evacuation had been ordered.
Bomb threat alarm at Moscow Bolshoi was false
The bomb threat alarm at Moscow’s Bolshoi on Friday evening was false, a source in the emergency services has told TASS.
"No suspicious items or explosive devices have been found in the building. The bomb threat call was false," the source said.
Three convicts get prison terms for plotting terrorist attacks at FIFA Confederations’ Cup
The Moscow district military court on Friday convicted three terrorists who had been prevented from staging bomb attacks at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia.
Ibragim Gakayev and Adam Gakayev were found guilty and sentenced to seven years in a maximum security penitentiary. Their accomplice Fokshan Golub was sentenced nine years in a maximum security penitentiary.
The National Anti-Terrorist Committee last February said a terrorist attack had been prevented during the FIFA Confederations Cup, adding that the Gakayev brothers and their accomplices had been detained in Moscow.
The Kremlin press service has announced the accreditation to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annual news conference scheduled to be held on December 20.
The venue for the news conference has not been disclosed yet.
Putin’s annual news conferences have traditionally been the focus of public and media attention. During such events, the head of state answers questions on the most pressing issues live for several hours.
Putin has held his annual news conferences since 2001, with a break when he served as Prime Minister from May 2008 to May 2012. The shortest of these news conferences lasted for 1 hour and 35 minutes back in 2001, while the 2008 news conference set the record as being the longest one, lasting for 4 hours and 40 minutes.
South Korea, Russia may start talks on free trade zone agreement implementation in 2019
South Korea and Russia may start intensive negotiations on the implementation of the free trade zone agreement in 2019, South Korea’s ambassador in Moscow Woo Yoon-keun told TASS during a conference "Korea-Russia Dialogue on Economic Cooperation."
"Now the documents have already been submitted to the parliament [of the Republic of Korea]. As far as I know, the Russian side is also engaged in this, but at the government level. We hope that next year we will start intensive negotiations on the implementation of the free trade zone agreement," he said.
Russia and South Korea signed a joint statement on the establishment of a free trade zone in June 2018 during the visit of the President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-In to Moscow.
Russian, Syrian diplomats discuss preparations for Astana meeting
Russian Presidential Envoy for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and Syrian Ambassador to Russia Riyad Haddad have discussed the situation in Syria and preparations for a meeting on the Syrian settlement in Astana.
"[The parties] exchanged views in detail on the situation in and around Syria, including in the context of the upcoming 11th international meeting on Syria scheduled to be held in Astana on November 28-29."
Kazakhstan’s capital Astana hosted nine rounds of negotiations on resolving the conflict in Syria. The principal result was an agreement on setting up the de-escalation zones, which made it possible to decrease the level of violence in that country. One more meeting on Syria was held in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi.
Diplomat describes Russia’s nuclear arms control system as effective and secure
Russia’s nuclear weapons control system is effective and highly secure, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Friday.
"The system is effective in any case. Russia’s nuclear weapons control system is highly secure and effective," he said in response to a TASS question about expert statements claiming that Russian nuclear arms control system, known as the Dead Hand in the West, was ineffective.
"The names, codes and usage algorithms related to the system are not discussed even among people in the highest offices, let alone the media. No aspect of this information can be disclosed, which is obvious," the Russian deputy foreign minister said.
"Those responsible for the system certainly take the changing situation into account and make necessary changes as far as the system’s functioning is concerned," Ryabkov pointed out.
Russia’s nuclear weapons control system, called Perimetr (or Perimeter), was developed in the Soviet Union. The system’s key feature is that it is capable of automatically taking reciprocal actions if Russia comes under attack.
Reason for Mysterious Military Helicopter Flights Over Kremlin Revealed
As Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained, the Kremlin is the residence of the head of state and a high security site, so it’s perfectly normal for men responsible for the president’s safety to conduct drills there.
Russia’s Federal Protective Service (FSO), a federal government agency responsible for protection of high-ranking officials including the President of Russia, told Sputnik that the recent helicopter flight over Kremlin was part of the drills conducted there.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also confirmed this reveal, claiming that the exercise was nothing out of the ordinary.
"The Kremlin is the residence of the head of state, and while a large part of it is open to the public, it is still a high-security site. So conducting such drills is perfectly normal," Peskov said.
He declined to elaborate on the details of these drills, suggesting that such inquiries should be directed to the FSO instead.
Earlier on Thursday, two Mi-8 transport helicopters were spotted taking off from the Kremlin and flying away, with one of the helicopters apparently carrying some sort of underslung cargo.
This development puzzled many observers, as helicopter flights are generally forbidden over central Moscow.
Russia's new military transport helicopter performs debut flight
A Mil Mi-38T military transport helicopter manufactured at the Kazan Rotorcraft Factory made its debut flight under the program of preliminary trials, a TASS correspondent reported from the scene.
The helicopter’s debut flight was performed by test pilots of the Moscow-based Mil Rotorcraft Factory of Russian Helicopters Group (part of the state hi-tech corporation Rostec).
"The Mi-38T, which today performed its first flight, is the version, which the Group, the Factory and the Mil Design Bureau were making under a technical assignment approved by the Defense Ministry. This helicopter has been made on the basis of the civil rotorcraft whose production has been organized at the Kazan Rotorcraft Factory. This is the helicopter that has actually all the basic certificates of Rosaviatsiya [the Russian aviation watchdog]. This is a continuation and a possibility to enter a new market for us. This work is very important for the Group, both for the Design Bureau and the Factory, because this will help utilize the enterprise’s capacities, create jobs and ensure tax receipts in the region," Russian Helicopters Group CEO Andrei Boginsky told journalists.
By today, a contract has been signed for the delivery of two helicopters for the Defense Ministry. The first deliveries to the customer are planned to begin in 2019. Also, work is underway for promoting the new helicopter on foreign markets, the chief executive said.
"This opens prospects for work on the external market. This work with our colleagues from Rosoboronexport [state arms seller] has already begun. Jointly with them, we are offering this type of the helicopter for our foreign customers - the defense ministries of various countries," Boginsky said.
During joint special flight trials, all the systems and equipment of the Mi-38T helicopter will be checked for their compliance with the requirements of the technical assignment of Russia’s Defense Ministry. The helicopter has been developed on the basis of the certified Mi-38 civil helicopter and has been re-equipped to deal with transportation and troop landing tasks. The helicopter can also be reconfigured into an ambulance rotorcraft and supplied with additional fuel tanks for extending its flight range.
Mi-38T helicopter
As Deputy Managing Director of the Kazan Rotorcraft Factory Vadim Ligai told journalists, the helicopter can take up to 40 passengers on its board. The rotorcraft is 99% made of domestic components.
Mi-38 helicopters are equipped with TV7-117V highly efficient engines produced by the Klimov United Engine-Making Corporation. The helicopter features an integrated digital pilot navigation system with data shown on five liquid crystal displays and an explosion-proof protected fuel system. Additional landing gear struts enable the helicopter to land on soft ground and snow.
The helicopter’s cabin is furnished with easily removable seats, detachable medical equipment and roller equipment for cargo transportation.
Mi-38 helicopters can be used for transporting cargoes and passengers, carrying out search and rescue operations and making VIP transportation in various climatic conditions, including the sea, tropical and cold climate. Specialized helicopters, including the Arctic version, are planned to be produced on the basis of the Mi-38T transport rotorcraf.
Mil Design Bureau to develop fast-speed combat helicopter for Russian Army
Russia’s Defense Ministry has opted for the project of the Mil Design Bureau to create a cutting-edge fast-speed combat helicopter while the Kamov Design Bureau will continue developing the naval version of the Minoga rotorcraft, Russian Helicopters Group CEO Andrei Boginsky said on Friday.
"After examining all the proposed technical versions from the viewpoint of their readiness, as well as the scientific and technical potential and the possibilities of cooperation, the customer opted for a solution that implies achieving the speed under the goals of the specifications based on the Mil helicopter," the chief executive said.
"It should also be borne in mind that the Kamov is already making the conceptual design of the Minoga helicopter… This project is already underway. The Kamov Design Bureau has always been strong and these competences have remained and we are multiplying them in the production of special co-axial rotorcraft for their application in specific conditions and, in the first place, in the Navy," Boginsky added.
As was reported earlier, Russia’s Defense Ministry and the Moscow-based Mil Rotorcraft Factory signed a contract at the Army-2017 forum on the R&D work to develop a fast-speed combat helicopter.
Although the contract for developing a rotary-wing drone was signed with the Mil Rotorcraft Factory, both the Mil and the Kamov design bureaus took part in the tender for working out its design, Boginsky said.
"In order to give our customer a possibility to demonstrate the potential of both the Mil and Kamov Design Bureaus, we have made a decision within the Group and have agreed it with the customer that the two design bureaus should take part in this work. Correspondingly, about a dozen of concepts were offered to the customer to choose. Scientific and technical councils were held to examine the materials prepared by both design bureaus," Boginsky said.
The tender has demonstrated the readiness of both design bureaus to prove their competences, the chief executive said.
"If there are discussions, this means that there is competition … there are competences to substantiate a viewpoint of one of the two design bureaus and the customer already opts for the required version," Boginsky said.
Promising helicopter
As was reported earlier, work has been launched to develop a fast-speed helicopter for the Industry and Trade Ministry and the Defense Ministry of Russia. Then-Commander-in-Chief of Russia’s Aerospace Force Viktor Bondarev noted at the time that the helicopter was being developed for the Russian Defense Ministry, would enter its serial production from 2022 and would be able to develop a speed of up to 500 km/h.
Russia develops mobile super-computer for defense industry
Ruselectronics Group (part of the state hi-tech corporation Rostec) has developed a mobile super-computer with a capacity of 2.2 petaflops that can find applications in the defense and space industries, the Rostec press office reported on Friday.
"The 1.9x1.35x1m computing module allows reaching a record peak capacity of 2.2 petaflops for computers of such dimensions and a data storage volume of up to 2.2 petabytes," Rostec said.
As the state hi-tech corporation noted, "organizations of the defense sector and the space industry, technological parks, research institutes and educational institutions are among potential customers of the new product."
The super-computer has a system of liquid cooling (its blocs are immersed into a special container), which "allows creating mobile computer centers based on standard container platforms outside specially equipped premises," the press office said.
This type of the cooling system features a low noise level, dust and humidity protection, and also fire resistance, Rostec added.
The new super-computer consumes 40% less electric power compared to its analogs on the market.
Rostec Executive Director Oleg Yevtushenko was quoted by the corporation’s press office as saying that the computer created by Vega Group (part of Ruselectronics Holding Company) can be used in outer space "for automatically identifying objects in satellite imaging, modeling spacecraft and assessing the condition of their onboard systems."
Super-computers can also be used for computations in robotics, artificial intelligence and vision processing, neural networks of deep learning, big data processing, etc.
Russian Northern Fleet’s naval group returns to base after long journey
A group of warships and service vessels of the Northern Fleet carrying out a mission in the Mediterranean Sea and in the Atlantic Ocean has arrived in Severomorsk on Friday, its press center said.
The group was made up of the missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov, the tanker Dubna, and the rescue tug SB-406.
"The Northern Fleet group of vessels has completed its long mission and sailed back to Severomorsk," according to the statement.
A solemn welcome ceremony had been held.
The long trip by the Northern Fleet group of ships started with their departure from the main base of Severomorsk on July 5. Over that time, the missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov had served as a flagship of the Main Naval Parade in the city of Kronstadt, participated in naval war games of the Russian Navy in the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas, and made a couple of business trips to the capital of Algeria and to the Spanish port of Ceuta. In addition, the cruiser performed tasks in the Mediterranean Sea between August 11 and November 12, having participated in several joint activities with a group of Russian Navy ships, permanently deployed in the Mediterranean Sea.
While on its long voyage, the crew of the Russian cruiser had conducted a few anti-submarine war games and anti-aircraft defense drills, and exercises in rendering assistance to ships in distress.
Russia gives Arctic archipelago clean bill of health decades after Soviet-era nuke testing
An expedition by the Northern Fleet (NF) to Novaya Zemlya showed that wildlife and the natural surroundings there have fully recovered after nuclear tests had been conducted on the archipelago during the Soviet times, NF Commander Nikolai Yevmenov told reporters on Friday.
"I can say that the myth about Novaya Zemlya as a radioactive waste repository of the Arctic, which keeps popping up in the Western media now and then, has been completely debunked based on the results of our experts’ work. The archipelago’s natural environment has successfully overcome the aftermath of this nuclear testing," he added.
Researchers have conducted radioactivity measurements along the entire route of the expedition, and no abnormally high levels of contamination have been documented.
Yevmenov pointed out that the consequences of the archipelago’s development, namely abandoned territories, previously inhabited by people, as well as scrap metal and litter areas, cause greater damage to the islands’ environment. The Northern Fleet’s environmental protection battalion is working to clean it up. This year alone, the NF environmental protection units have collected more than 360 tonnes of scrap metal on Kotelny Island, and on the Novosibirsk Islands archipelago, and prepared it for recycling. In total, the Northern Fleet removed over 3,000 tonnes of scrap metal from the Arctic Islands over the last two years for further recycling.
Novaya Zemlya is a Russian archipelago in the Arctic, lying between the Barents and Kara Seas. A test site was deployed there during the Soviet period, where numerous nuclear detonations had been carried out.
Primorsk port receives export applications for 37 mln tonnes of oil in 2019
Transneft-Port Primorsk, an affiliate of the Russian pipeline operator Transneft and an oil shipper from Primorsk Port, received export shipment requests of oil companies amounting to 37 mln tonnes in 2019, chief executive of the company Maxim Kudinov told reporters on Friday.
Primorsk Port is the largest Russian oil loading port on the Baltic Sea and the endpoint of the Baltic Pipeline System.
"We are above the target for 2018. If we speak about oil, then 38 mln tonnes are expected as of the year-end and the communicated plan for the next year is 37 mln tonnes. Concerning oil products - 15 mln tonnes. This covers export throughput net of Vysotsk [Port - TASS] for this year and the communicated plan for the next year is 15.8 mln tonnes," the chief executive said.
Agreements with oil companies are at the coordination and signing stage so far, Deputy Vice President of Transneft Vladimir Nazarov noted.
The shipment capacity of the port of Primorsk is 60 mln tonnes per year for crude oil and 25 mln tonnes per year for oil products. 43.9 mln tonnes of oil and 13.6 mln tonnes of oil products were shipped to tankers in 2017.
Moscow Bolshoi is being searched after anonymous bomb threat call
Emergency services are inspecting the building of the Moscow Bolshoi theater after an anonymous bomb threat call, a source in the emergency services told TASS.
Emergency services have received an anonymous message a bomb has been planted in the Moscow Bolshoi. Police operatives with dogs are searching the building for explosive devices and suspicious items, the source said without elaborating if evacuation had been ordered.
Bomb threat alarm at Moscow Bolshoi was false
The bomb threat alarm at Moscow’s Bolshoi on Friday evening was false, a source in the emergency services has told TASS.
"No suspicious items or explosive devices have been found in the building. The bomb threat call was false," the source said.
Three convicts get prison terms for plotting terrorist attacks at FIFA Confederations’ Cup
The Moscow district military court on Friday convicted three terrorists who had been prevented from staging bomb attacks at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia.
Ibragim Gakayev and Adam Gakayev were found guilty and sentenced to seven years in a maximum security penitentiary. Their accomplice Fokshan Golub was sentenced nine years in a maximum security penitentiary.
The National Anti-Terrorist Committee last February said a terrorist attack had been prevented during the FIFA Confederations Cup, adding that the Gakayev brothers and their accomplices had been detained in Moscow.
