Events in Russia

[sToRmR1dR]

Russia Spotted 16 Foreign Spy Aircraft Near Border Over Past Week - Reports

Sixteen foreign aircraft have been spotted while carrying out reconnaissance activities near the Russian border over the past seven days, an infographic published by the Russian Armed Forces' official newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda showed on Friday.

Russian fighters had been scrambled four times in order to prevent foreign planes from trespassing over the past week, the data showed. The Russian airspace has not been violated, according to the outlet.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday that NATO has significantly boosted its reconnaissance activities in the Baltics and the Black Sea.

"A significant increase in NATO reconnaissance activity in the Baltics and the Black Sea region has been recorded. This year alone, the aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces have been alerted to intercept possible violators of the state border more than 120 times," the minister said at the Russia-Belarus joint military panel.

Over the past years, the NATO members have been increasing their military build-up in Eastern Europe and the Baltic countries, citing the need for protection from alleged Russian aggression. Moscow has repeatedly stated it would never attack any NATO ally. According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the Western military alliance is aware of this Russian stance but uses alleged Russian aggression as a pretext for boosting its military build-up near the Russian borders.

However, a security source has told Sputnik that Russian vigilance indicates that stealth technologies are not effective against Russian air defenses.


Russia’s Northern fleet to get first Tor-M2DT systems in November — official

The Arctic version of the Tor-M2DT air defense missile systems will for the first time enter service with Russia’s Northern Fleet in November, Russian Air Defense Force Chief Lt. Gen. Alexander Leonov has said.

"The first battalion of Tor-M2DT Arctic air defense missile systems will enter service with air defense units in the third decade of November," Leonov said, describing the Tor-M2 family as the most efficient means of combating all types of aerial targets, including low-observable unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The Tor-M2DT is the Arctic version of the Tor-M2 (NATO reporting name: SA-15 Gauntlet) air defense missile system. The system is designed for air and ballistic missile defense at the battalion level. It can be used to provide coverage for key administrative facilities and forward forces against the attacks of anti-radiation and cruise missiles, glide bombs, planes, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.

The system has 16 vertical-launched air defense missiles with a range of 12 kilometers (7.4 miles) and an altitude of up to 10,000 meters and can operate in manual and automatic modes. It monitors the airspace autonomously and downs all aerial targets that have not been identified by the friend-or-foe system.

Tor-M2DT was developed on the basis of a two-section tractor. It can operate in harsh conditions of the Arctic and the Extreme North at temperatures of down to -50°C. It has the unique DT-30 tracked chassis making it capable of passing water obstacles and cross-country areas.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Russia's FSB Says Stopped Activity of Six Members of Daesh Cell in Moscow Region

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) stopped the activities of six members of a Daesh* cell in the Moscow region, the FSB said in a statement.

"The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, jointly with Russia's Interior Ministry… conducted manhunt and investigative activities in the Moscow region to stop illegal activities of six members of an organized, deeply secret cell of the Islamic State international terrorist organization," it said, adding that the detained militants planned to carry out terror attacks in Moscow using firearms and improvised explosive devices.

"The terrorist cell was managed by emissaries in the Syrian Arab Republic — natives of the Central Asian region," the FSB said.

It said automatic weapons, reports on terror attack plans, money and instructions on how to make improvised explosive devices were seized from the militants.

The Russian Federal Security Service thwarted almost 30 terrorism-related activities, including 15 terrorist attacks, over the nine months of this year.

In 2017, these numbers included 61 terrorist-related activities, including 18 major terrorist attacks, and 56 terrorist cells disbanded.

*Daesh, also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS is a terrorist group banned in Russia

 

[Ca.]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1053367017565249537

/ 25:26

https://twitter.com/x/status/1055854064381104129

https://twitter.com/x/status/1055753400590069760

Karachentsov was one of the most popular Russian actors. He acted in tens of films, such as "Elder Son," "Dog in the Manger," "White Dew," "The Trust That Went Bust" and "A Man from the Boulevard des Capucines.".

Chukotka’s GRP to double in 2020 after launch of new gold-copper deposit
© Yevgeniy Orlov/TASS

MOSCOW, October 26. /TASS/. After launch of the Baimskoye gold-copper deposit, which is among the world’s biggest undeveloped deposits of copper and gold, Chukotka’s Gross Regional Product (GRP) will double in 2020, the local authorities say.

"We estimate the GRP in 2019 will make 79.6 billion rubles ($1.2 billion), and in 2020 it will be 162.9 billion rubles ($2.47 billion) after the Baimskoye ore deposit is launched," Head of the regional Economy Department Larisa Goncharova said during discussions at the State Duma on Thursday.

The project, about selling which to Kazakhstan’s KAZ Minerals has agreed a company of Chukotka’s former Governor Roman Abramovich, includes construction of a mining-processing plant.

In September, the Ministry of the Far East’s Development forecasted the GRP would be growing by 45 billion rubles ($680 million) a year after the project begins, expecting new investments of 360 billion rubles ($5.5 billion). In July, Chukotka’s Governor Roman Kopin said with exploitation of the Baimskaya ore zone, the regional budget would not need state subsidies any longer.

Budget for 2019-2021

Chukotka’s new budget for three years will have a surplus beginning from 2019, after a deficit in 2018, the regional government said.

The surplus within three years will exceed 3.2 billion rubles ($48.5 million). The region will use this money to settle its debts, the authorities said.

The budget’s expenses in the current year will make 29.6 billion rubles ($449 million), the revenues - 29.2 billion rubles ($443 million), while in 2019 the revenues will be above expenses - 31.6 billion rubles ($479 million) against 31.1 billion rubles ($472 million), the region’s representative told TASS.

 

[angelburst29]

Russia's FSB Says Stopped Activity of Six Members of Daesh Cell in Moscow Region

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) stopped the activities of six members of a Daesh* cell in the Moscow region, the FSB said in a statement.

"The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, jointly with Russia's Interior Ministry… conducted manhunt and investigative activities in the Moscow region to stop illegal activities of six members of an organized, deeply secret cell of the Islamic State international terrorist organization," it said, adding that the detained militants planned to carry out terror attacks in Moscow using firearms and improvised explosive devices.

"The terrorist cell was managed by emissaries in the Syrian Arab Republic — natives of the Central Asian region," the FSB said.

It said automatic weapons, reports on terror attack plans, money and instructions on how to make improvised explosive devices were seized from the militants.

Photos:
Russian forces bust large ISIS cell in Moscow region (photos)

 

[angelburst29]

Gee Whiz - The Boss even works on Sunday's - talk about "Dedication"!!!

October 28, 2018 - Russia says preparing answers to US questions on arms control pact: RIA
Russia says preparing answers to U.S. questions on arms control pact: RIA | Reuters


FILE PHOTO: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a news conference after a meeting with his Madagascan counterpart Eloi Maxime Dovo in Moscow, Russia October 22, 2018. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Sunday that Moscow has started preparing answers to the questions related to arms control pact delivered by U.S. officials, RIA news agency quoted him as saying.

“Just a week ago, a couple of days ahead of the announcement of the (U.S.) aim to leave the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty, Americans via their embassy in Moscow sent the Russian foreign ministry an extensive list of questions which are a concern to them,” Lavrov said.

President Donald Trump said on Oct. 20 that Washington planned to quit the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty which Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, and Ronald Reagan had signed in 1987.


October 26, 2018 - Russia, US clash over INF arms treaty at United Nations
Russia, U.S. clash over INF arms treaty at United Nations | Reuters


FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Ronald Reagan (R) and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev sign the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty at the White House, Washington, on December 8 1987. REUTERS/Stringer

Russia failed on Friday to get the U.N. General Assembly to consider calling on Washington and Moscow to preserve and strengthen an arms control treaty that helped end the Cold War and warned that if the United States quits the pact it could raise the issue in the U.N. Security Council.

President Donald Trump said on Oct. 20 that Washington planned to quit the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty which Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, and Ronald Reagan had signed in 1987. It eliminated all short- and intermediate-range land-based nuclear and conventional missiles held by both states in Europe.

Washington has cited Russia’s alleged violation of the treaty as its reason for leaving it, a charge Moscow denies. Russia in turn accuses Washington of breaking the pact.

Russia had proposed a draft resolution in the 193-member General Assembly’s disarmament committee, but missed the Oct. 18 submission deadline. On Friday, it called for a vote on whether the committee should be allowed to consider the draft, but lost with only 31 votes in favor, 55 against and 54 abstentions.

“In a year, if the U.S. withdraws from the treaty and begins an uncontrolled build-up of weapons, nuclear-capable weapons, we will be confronting a completely different reality,” Andrei Belousov, deputy director of Russia’s Department for Nonproliferation and Arms Control, told the committee.

He questioned whether the United States was preparing for a war, asking: “Why is it then ... do they want to leave the treaty? Why do they want to build up their nuclear capability?”

Belousov said if the United States follows through on its threat to withdraw, then Russia could raise the issue in the 15-member Security Council. However, such a move would not lead to any action as both countries have veto powers in the council.

U.S. Disarmament Ambassador Robert Wood told the committee Washington had spent some five years trying to engage Moscow on the issue of compliance and that Russia had “denied having produced or tested a ground-launch cruise missile.”

“It’s only recently that they admitted to having produced a ground-launch cruise missile but then maintained that it did not violate the range limits of the treaty,” he said.

“The U.S. has been extremely patient with Russia and our hope is that Russia will do the right thing and destroy that ground-launch cruise missile,” Wood said.

European members of NATO urged the United States on Thursday to try to bring Russia back into compliance with the treaty rather than quit it, diplomats said, seeking to avoid a split in the alliance that Moscow could exploit.


October 28, 2018 - Mattis looks to calm European allies nervous about INF treaty
Mattis looks to calm European allies nervous about INF treaty | Reuters

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Sunday that the United States was in consultation with its European allies on an arms control treaty, as NATO members urge Washington to try to bring Russia back into compliance with the pact rather than quit it.

President Donald Trump said on Oct. 20 that Washington planned to quit the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty which Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, and Ronald Reagan had signed in 1987.

Washington has cited Russia’s alleged violation of the treaty as its reason for leaving it, a charge Moscow denies. Russia in turn accuses Washington of breaking the pact and says it is working to answer U.S. questions about the pact.

“We are in consultations with our European counterparts, I was speaking about it the day before with the German defense minister, and so as I said the consultations continue,” Mattis told reporters traveling with him to Prague.

Mattis met Czech officials and Prime Minister Andrej Babis, who warned a cancellation of the treaty could mean a return to “cold war times”.

“It is certainly bad news, we regret that,” Babis said at a joint news conference. “(U.S-Russian) relations are not ideal, we are returning to Cold War times.”

“We have to communicate with Russia,” the Czech government leader said.

Mattis said earlier that ministers from NATO would be meeting in Brussels in December and at that point he would have some kind of “culminating point”.

European members of NATO urged the United States on Thursday to try to bring Russia back into compliance with a nuclear arms control treaty rather than quitting it itself, diplomats said, seeking to avoid a split in the alliance that Moscow could exploit.

European allies see the INF treaty as a pillar of arms control and, while accepting that Moscow is violating it by developing new weapons, they are concerned its collapse could lead to a new arms race with possibly a new generation of U.S. nuclear missiles stationed on the continent.

QUESTIONS

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Sunday that Moscow has started preparing answers to the questions related to the arms control pact delivered by U.S. officials, RIA news agency quoted him as saying.

“Just a week ago, a couple of days ahead of the announcement of the (U.S.) aim to leave the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty, Americans via their embassy in Moscow sent the Russian Foreign Ministry an extensive list of questions which are a concern to them,” Lavrov said.

Interfax news agency quoted Lavrov as saying that his ministry has sent the list to the Defence Ministry and other governmental bodies but the fact that the notice given was short “does not contribute to the sustainable dialogue and predictability (in the U.S. behavior)”.

Last week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Trump’s plans to develop new ballistic missiles after the United States quits a landmark arms control pact were “extremely dangerous”.

Mattis said he had asked his NATO counterparts after the last summit if they had any ideas on how to bring Russia back into compliance of the INF treaty, but so far none had come back to him.

Heather Conley, a former U.S. State Department official now with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said Mattis would receive a range of questions from European allies, such as when a formal notification would be made and whether it signals a new arms race.

“It just deepens the uncertainty. Our allies do not know where U.S. leadership is going, what it’s going to do from the day to day basis,” Conley said.

When asked whether he could rule out placing intermediate range missiles on the ground if Washington left the INF treaty, Mattis said: “I never rule things out like that, I also don’t rule it in.”

“There are a number of ways for us to respond, it does not have to be symmetric and it’ll be in close consultation with allies,” he added.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Work underway for potential second Putin-Trump summit, no details yet, Kremlin says

Preparations for a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump have begun but no specific decisions have been made so far, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.

"Work is beginning on the possible agenda of such a meeting, there are technical questions to be solved, which concern the meeting’s time and venue and so on," he said. "Since the meeting will take place on the sidelines of an international memorial event, it will need to be incorporated into that event’s agenda. As of now, we don’t have any details to share," the Russian presidential spokesman added.

Last week, US National Security Adviser John Bolton visited Russia and met with President Putin. Following their talks, Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov said that Putin and Trump would hold a meeting on November 11 in Paris, where celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the World War I Armistice are scheduled to take place.


Preparations begin for Putin-Trump meeting, no details yet, says Kremlin spokesman

Preparations for a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump have begun but no specific decisions have been made so far, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.

"Work is beginning on the possible agenda of such a meeting, there are technical questions to be solved, which concern the meeting’s time and venue and so on," he said. "Since the meeting will take place on the sidelines of an international memorial event, it will need to be incorporated into that event’s agenda. As of now, we don’t have any details to share," the Russian presidential spokesman added.

Peskov also said that no documents were planned to be signed at the Putin-Trump meeting. "There are no such plans," he said, when asked if the two leaders planned to sign a bilateral document at their upcoming meeting.

Last week, US National Security Adviser John Bolton visited Russia and met with President Putin. Following their talks, Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov said that Putin and Trump would hold a meeting on November 11 in Paris, where celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the World War I Armistice are scheduled to take place.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Russia’s Avangard hypersonic missile system to assume combat duty in 2019, says source

The first regiment armed with the Avangard system comprising an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and a hypersonic glide vehicle will assume combat duty until the end of 2019, a source in the domestic defense industry told TASS on Monday.

"The scheduled period for placing the lead regiment on combat duty is the end of 2019. Initially, the regiment will comprise at least two systems but eventually their number will rise to their organic quantity of six units," the source said.

As Russia’s Defense Ministry officially stated, the first Avangard hypersonic missile systems will be put on combat duty in the Red Banner Missile Division based in the Orenburg Region in the south Urals.

According to the source, the Avangard hypersonic system is expected to enter service in late 2018 - early 2019.

In compliance with the established procedure, a control launch of the glide vehicle’s carrier, the UR-100N UTTKh missile, is expected to be carried out before the hypersonic system is accepted for service. However, considering the successful previous launches of the glide vehicle itself and the existence of the reliable and already tested missile, possibly no such a launch will be conducted," the source said.

Avangard hypersonic system

The Avangard is a strategic intercontinental ballistic missile system equipped with a hypersonic glide vehicle. According to open sources, the ‘breakthrough’ weapon was developed by the Research and Production Association of Machine-Building (the town of Reutov, the Moscow Region) and was tested from 2004. The glide vehicle is capable of flying at hypersonic speed in the dense layers of the atmosphere, maneuvering by its flight path and its altitude and breaching any anti-missile defense.

The new weapon was unveiled by Russian President Vladimir Putin in his State of the Nation address to the Federal Assembly on March 1. Later, the Russian leader said during his annual Q&A session on June 7 that "the Avangard system is already in the process of its manufacture and has entered its serial production and in 2019 we are planning to deliver it to the Armed Forces."

The UR-100N UTTKh (SS-19 Stiletto) is a heavy upgrade of the UR-100 missile complex developed in the Soviet Union in the 1960s by the Design Bureau-52 led by Vladimir Chelomei. It was accepted for service in 1980. Currently, Russia’s Strategic Missile Force operates 30 silo-based missiles of this type, according to open sources. The missile has a takeoff weight of about 100 tonnes and a throw weight of around 4.5 tonnes.


Russia to set up 2 regiments armed with Avangard hypersonic missiles by 2027, says source

Russia’s state armament program stipulates deploying two regiments armed with Avangard hypersonic missile systems by 2027, a source in the domestic defense industry told TASS on Monday.

"The year 2027 is the term for deploying two regiments of six launchers each and putting them on combat duty. For the purpose of arming these regiments, the state armament program includes 12 UR-100N UTTKh missiles, each of which will be outfitted with a hypersonic glide vehicle," the source said.

As Russia’s Defense Ministry has stated officially, both regiments will make part of the Red Banner Missile Division based in the Orenburg Region in the south Urals.

According to the source, the decision on deploying only two regiments is not final. "Everything will depend on the [international] situation," the source said.


Russia to create defense belt near Sochi if Georgia joins NATO

Russia will have to create a defense belt near Sochi, if Georgia becomes a member of NATO, the director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s European cooperation department, Andrei Kelin, said in an expert discussion NATO’s Future and Russia’s Interests on the platform of the discussion club Valdai.

"We will have to create a defense belt near Sochi. We will have to spend colossal resources on preventing likely actions by a hypothetical enemy, this is inevitable," Kelin said.

He believes that Ukraine’s accession to the alliance would be an equally serious military and economic problem for Russia.

"The length of our common boarder is enormous. It is utterly unequipped, so we will have to build defense lines there and to shift the emphasis of our defense structures towards the south," he stated.

At the same time he remarked that early accession of Ukraine and Georgia to NATO was very unlikely for the time being.

"But if our western partners proceed along the road of building up confrontation, this may happen, of course, and we will have to make fundamental preparations," he concluded.


Russophobia used as tool against Russia’s foreign policy, says senate speaker

Several countries are currently using Russophobia as a tool against Russia’s independent foreign policy, Russian Federation Council (upper house) Speaker Valentina Matviyenko said during the second Moscow International Conference on combating anti-Semitism, racism and xenophobia "Protecting Future".

"Today, we are facing increasing Russophobia, which is used by certain forces in the West and some other countries as a tool to stifle Russia’s development and to counter independent foreign policy - the policy aimed at forming a multipolar world," she said, expanding on the topic of an alleged Russian threat.

In her speech, the speaker noted that "currently, many countries carry out an open policy of hostility, even hatred for representatives of other nations. Nazi criminals and their accomplices are seen as heroes." "The current Ukrainian officials are the ones who have been most successful in this regard, who basically presented this ideology as an official policy," Matviyenko stated.

The speaker added that Ukraine is not the only country where this takes place. "Zones of ethnic segregation and apartheid have virtually been established in the center of Europe. I am talking about granting about 300 thousand Russian-speaking residents of Latvia and Estonia the status of "non-citizens". Not only these people cannot participate in politics, they even have several limited rights," she concluded.


Russian, Cuban presidents to discuss strategic partnership

Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold negotiations with Cuban President of the Council of State Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez on November 2, the Kremlin press service reported.

"There are plans to discuss the state and prospects of the further consolidation of Russian-Cuban strategic partnership in various spheres and discuss opinions on current international and regional problems," the press service said.

The Cuban president’s official visit to Russia will start on November 1. His visit to Moscow will become his first visit to a foreign state beyond the Caribbean.

Under the Cuban constitution, the Cuban President of the Council of State is the state and government leader and is elected for a five-year term. Diaz-Canel, aged 57, replaced Raul Castro, 86, who had been Cuba’s president since 2008. Other candidacies to this post were not considered.

Since 2013, Diaz-Canel has served as First Vice President of Cuba, who is the second person in Cuba’s hierarchy.


CUBA ESCALATES MILITARIZATION, MAY PURCHASE $50 MILLION IN RUSSIAN ARMS

Cuba has begun to escalate its militarization, as regional developments indicate continual U.S backed destabilization. To counter this threat, Russia will lend Cuba more than $50 million for purchases of Russian military equipment, the Russian daily Kommersant reported, citing two sources in the area of technical and military cooperation of the two countries.

According to sources, the respective agreements will be signed during the 16th Intergovernmental Committee on Economy, Trade and Technical-Scientific Cooperation to be held in Havana on October 29 and 30. However, neither Russia nor Cuba confirmed the reports.

“Together with this agreement, a set of general economic documents and agreements initiated by Russia’s finance ministry will be signed, but with other values,” a source familiar with the negotiations said.

Cuba may use the resources to acquire armored vehicles and helicopters. “Separately, spare parts, tools and equipment for previously purchased vehicles, such as T-62 tanks or APC-60 armored vehicles, should be purchased,” the source said.

The newspaper reported that Havana also planned to buy industrial equipment under separate contracts. In addition, cooperation may also result in a joint project for the production of light weapons.

The previous loan agreement between Russia and Cuba in that sphere was concluded in 2009 and was subsequently extended twice in 2010 and 2011. In 2017, Havana formally addressed Russia requesting the modernization of the country’s operational equipment.

Meanwhile, it was reported earlier this month that a mobile data-reception system for Russian Earth observation satellites will be installed in Cuba before the end of April 2019, according to tender documentation from the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), disclosed on the bidding website.

Roscosmos indicated that the mobile system was created in 2015, having completed state tests. The installation and start of work must be completed by April 30, 2019. It will receive data from Resurs-P, Canopus-B and Canopus-V-IK optical observation spacecraft with infra-red cameras and then transmit them to Moscow via the Luch geostationary satellite by cryptography.

In addition, Roscosmos plans to install fixed data reception stations in the Russian region of Chukotka and the Russian Progress station in Antarctica next year.

The Resurs-P spacecraft consists of three devices and is capable of capturing images of designated regions with a resolution of 0.7 meters in visible bands and near infrared.

With spacecraft data, geographic, thematic and topographic maps are created and updated, pollution and degradation of the environment are observed, and data are available for search of oil and other sources of energy. In addition, the satellite images evaluate whether or not the wheat is ready to be harvested, as well as the activity of the flora in reservoirs or the amount of salt in the soil.

It is worth noting that the new generation of Resurs satellites is also capable of detecting missile launch and flight, finding and identifying space junk and observing stars like telescopes.

Canopus-B satellites control emergencies on our planet, including natural disasters, forest fires, land use and cartography. In terrestrial orbit there are four Canopus satellites, including Canopus-V-IK, in charge of discovering fires of forest fires. There is a growing consensus that the U.S possesses technologies which can alter weather patterns, create storms, and otherwise use the hologram of natural disaster to create destruction and chaos in the target country.

In May, a subsidiary of Roscosmos, the Technical Scientific Center Geocuba and Tecnoimport signed a contract to install a measuring station for the Glonass navigation system in Cuba. With these provisions, Havana aims to begin to take measures to counter U.S threats.

Contrary to common depictions, Cuba is a rather large island, and forms a strategic barrier in the Gulf of Mexico. Cuba spans a length equal to the length of Texas, the largest of the contiguous U.S states. It spans from just south of Florida, all the way to the Yucatan Peninsula or Mexico. FRN assesses that Cuba as a forward deployed ‘giant naval base island’ for Chinese and Russian interests in a post-collapse U.S, would be a powerful and implacable barrier against any attempts to revitalize the U.S empire into Latin America by way of naval prowess.


Russian scientists find new greenhouse gas sources in the Arctic

Russian scientists during an expedition on board the Akademik Keldysh research vessel found new sources of methane emissions in the Arctic, the Ministry of Education and Science’s press service said on Friday.

Experts say thawing of the Arctic Ocean’s underwater and coastal permafrost causes massive emissions of greenhouse gases - methane and carbon dioxide. The growing emissions may affect the planet’s climate system.

"Russian scientists have found a new big area in the East Arctic’s seas with big emissions of greenhouse gases," the press service said. "They also saw that emissions in earlier found areas had become more active."

According to specialists, the new area of methane’s massive emissions from sediments has formed recently, as only a few years earlier, during previous expeditions, that field was not found. Thus, they say, the process proves continuing anomalously quick degradation of the permafrost on the ocean floor.

Scientists received another confirmation of the continuing processes as they took pictures of the Podkova (horseshoe) seep field. Seeps are areas where methane bubbles fountain from the seafloor. The field’s diameter has multiplied since the previous studies in 2014.

The Akademik M. Keldysh research vessel returned to Arkhangelsk’s port on October 25. A team of specialists from Russia’s leading scientific institutions worked for 35 days. At the East Arctic’s seas, they made a complex of bio-geo-chemical, geo-physical and geological studies.

The expedition went offshore the East Arctic seas - the World Ocean’s widest and most shallow shelf, which keeps giant resources of oil, coal, and natural gas, mostly methane.


Russia’s experience of work in Arctic attracts many countries, says official

Many countries are interested in using Russia’s experience of work in the Arctic, including in support of the Arctic zone’s low-numbered indigenous peoples, Russia’s First Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education Grigory Trubnikov told TASS on Friday.

"Russia sees as basic the solution of social tasks for the Arctic’s low-numbered indigenous peoples," he said. "Traditionally, we apply many efforts in this sphere, and many countries say they would like to use Russia’s vast experience in this matter."

Russian Arctic programs were on agenda of the Second Arctic Science Ministerial in Berlin on October 26. The event featured officials from the Arctic Region’s countries as well as representatives of the countries, which have interests in the Arctic, including France, Germany, Japan, China and South Korea.

"The forum participants discuss Arctic research," the Russian official continued. "Everyone seems to be interested in the problem of the global climate change and warming."

"Everyone is concerned about raising temperatures," he continued. "Many delegates have expressed big concern about the ice thawing and about the higher ocean level."

The forum’s participants voiced three major topics for further discussions, he said. Those are the global warming and the ice thawing, future of the people living in the Arctic zone, first of all the low-numbered indigenous peoples, and international cooperation in the region.

"Russia invites the international community to cooperate in joint applied and fundamental studies in the Arctic," the deputy minister said. "We focus on development of new technologies in the region, including ecology-friendly transport, robotics, unmanned aerial vehicles, the Earth’s remote sensing - all the technologies, which allow to develop the Arctic and keep its fragile ecological balance."

"We are very concerned about the region’s ecology safety, and here the international community should share experience and unite efforts," he said in conclusion.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

RUSSIA PREPARES ITS DEFENSES FOR WAR! DEPLOYS SAMARKAND STATE OF THE ART ELECTROMAGNETIC WEAPONS

EMP'S SENT TO POLAND'S BORDER, & 12 OTHER UNITS

The shocking and destabilizing withdrawal of the U.S from the INF treaty which previously prohibited the use of certain missiles, which are nuclear-capable, has led Russia to understand that the U.S is preparing to make war upon Russia.

Russia has declared now, officially, it is preparing its defenses, and readying its response to any aggression. To that end, Russia’s Ministry of Defense will deploy Samarkand electronic warfare systems in 13 military units, the agency said recently.

The Samarkand system is the world’s most advanced jamming and EMP weapon available. When its weapon is deployed, communications and electronics – including machines and vehicles that rely on electronics (planes, tanks, etc.) no longer function. The U.S presently lags far behind Russia in this area of technology, as well as numerous others. This appears to be due to inefficiencies and corruption in the U.S’s entirely for-profit military industrial complex.

The deployment of the systems will be carried out in strategic positions, including the European region of Kaliningrad, and these should be adopted in service by November 2019.

“This is due to the fact that our partners put Russia in very difficult conditions, considering, in perspective, the withdrawal of the United States from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, as well as the closest approximation of the US attack systems deployed in the Eastern Europe to our borders,” said military analyst Aleksandr Zhilin.

He added that “we cannot work in the same way as the Americans, who in planning do not take into account the safety and prospects of civilians.”

“We are positioning electronic warfare systems to hamper the actions of the enemy and until the last moment try to avoid the war phase without putting people at risk, including in the countries of Eastern Europe, under whose cover the Americans deploy their systems of attack,” the analyst concluded.

Despite this Russian concern for civilian safety, the US, through its eastern European proxies in Kiev and Warsaw continually to make aggressive rhetoric towards Moscow.

This is especially through Kiev who in Donbass continue a state of a frozen war against the Russian speaking minority who opposed the right-wing coup in 2014 that began to aggressively target minorities in Ukraine, not limited to the Russian minority, but also others such as the Hungarian.

With the threat against Russian minorities in Eastern Europe and NATO encroaching on Russia’s borders, the fortification of Kaliningrad and Russia’s eastern borders need to be fortified with state-of-the-art defense systems like the S-400 missile defense system and the Samarkand electronic warfare systems. It is through Russian President Vladimir Putin’s initiatives that he has modernized the Russian military from rusting equipment to technological powerhouse.

"Unbreakable Brotherhood 2018" military drills to start in Russia's Yekaterinburg

Joint military exercise of the peacekeeping forces of Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member countries "Unbreakable Brotherhood 2018" will start on Tuesday in the Russian Urals city of Yekaterinburg. Around 1,300 servicemen from six countries will participate in the drills, the press service of the Russian Central Military District said.

"The opening ceremony will be held in the military town of Yekaterinburg. Chief of CSTO Joint Staff Gen. Col. Anatoly Sidorov will attend. Right after this, peacekeepers will start practicing," the press service said.

The servicemen will practice monitoring the observation of ceasefire regime in the area of responsibility, assisting in restoration of peaceful life on territories previously held by terrorists, as well as working with police to counter mass disorder.

Practice will take place at the Sverdlovsky training range outside Yekaterinburg. The active phase of military drills starts on November 2.

"Unbreakable Brotherhood 2018" military drills will involve 300 units of military equipment and 20 aircraft, including unmanned aerial vehicles.

It was earlier reported that around 300 servicemen from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzsran and Tajikistan have arrived in Yekaterinburg. Russia is represented by the servicemen from the Central Military District, including peacekeeping units, reconnaissance, aviation, military police.


Over 1,500 servicemen destroy 'militants' at mountain drills in Russia's south

Over 1,500 servicemen have participated in the operation of destroying 'militants' at the Tarskoye training range in Russia's Caucasus republic of North Ossetia, spokesman for the Russian Southern Military District Vadim Astafyev said on Tuesday.

"During drills at the Tarskoye training range, over 1,500 servicemen conducted a practice combat operation on destroying 'terrorists' in the Caucasus mountains," Astafyev said.

The 'enemy' was surrounded and shelled from BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles, Sani mortars, Tornado-G multiple lauch rocket systems, and small arms.


Nusra Front Militant Sentenced to Jail in Russia for Terrorist Activity in Syria

A militant from Jabhat al-Nusra* terrorist group, who was involved in terrorist activity in Syria, was sentenced to 20 years in high-security prison in Russia's Sakha Republic, the press service of the Federal Security Service (FSB) regional office said on Tuesday.

The ruling was issued by the Far Eastern District Military Court in Yakutia.

"[Russian] citizen Mirvokhidov Mirsokhidzhon, born in 1991,… was sentenced to 20 years in high-security prison," the press service said.

It added that the man was involved in terrorist activity in Syria and was trained at the Jabhat al-Nusra camp.

The terrorist was detained as he tried to enter Russia with forged documents.

*A terrorist organization, banned in Russia and a number of other countries.


Russian, French diplomats discuss Ukraine, strategic stability

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko and Special Representative of the French Government on relations with Russia Jean-Pierre Chevenement discussed bilateral relations, Ukraine and issues of strategic stability, the Russian Foreign Ministry informs.

"They have discussed current issues on the bilateral agenda and some international issues, including the situation in Ukraine, the ways to overcome negative trends in the sphere of European security. They have stressed the importance of efforts aimed at maintaining strategic stability," the ministry informed.

The sides have confirmed their interest in the development of bilateral dialogue in the spirit of traditional friendship between Russia and France, the Russian foreign ministry added.


Dry Dock Sinks at Russian Plant, Aircraft Carrier Avoids Any Damage (VIDEO)

The Russian Navy's aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov suffered no damage after an incident at the 82nd shipbuilding plant in Murmansk, the plant's spokesperson told Sputnik on Tuesday.

A floating dry dock PD-50 sank at the shipbuilding plant which performed repairs on Admiral Kuznetsov, according to the spokesperson. No casualties have been reported following the incident.

"The vessel suffered no damage after the incident at the 82nd [shipbuilding] plant," the spokesperson said.

Admiral Kuznetsov has been towed to a repair yard outside the 35th shipbuilding plant in Murmansk where its repairs will continue.

 

[angelburst29]

Dry Dock Sinks at Russian Plant, Aircraft Carrier Avoids Any Damage (VIDEO)

The Russian Navy's aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov suffered no damage after an incident at the 82nd shipbuilding plant in Murmansk, the plant's spokesperson told Sputnik on Tuesday.

A floating dry dock PD-50 sank at the shipbuilding plant which performed repairs on Admiral Kuznetsov, according to the spokesperson. No casualties have been reported following the incident.

"The vessel suffered no damage after the incident at the 82nd [shipbuilding] plant," the spokesperson said.

Admiral Kuznetsov has been towed to a repair yard outside the 35th shipbuilding plant in Murmansk where its repairs will continue.

The Admiral Kuznetsov Aircraft Carrier was in Dock "for upgraded repairs and to get new air defense systems, in particular, the Pantsyr-M surface-to-air missile complex." The warship is equipped with a ski-jump and two aircraft elevators. It has a crew of 1,300 while the air group’s personnel numbers 660 men.


Tues. October 30, 2018 - Russia's only Aircraft Carrier damaged after floating Dock sinks
Russia's only aircraft carrier damaged after floating dock sinks | Reuters


A view shows a shipyard following an incident, which involved the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov (not pictured) and a floating dock (R), in the town of Roslyakovo near Murmansk, Russia October 30, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer

Russia's only aircraft carrier was damaged while undergoing repairs in the north of the country after the floating dock holding it sank in the early hours of Tuesday morning and a crane crashed onto its deck.

The Admiral Kuznetsov has seen action in Russia’s military campaign in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad with its planes carrying out air strikes against rebel forces.

It was being overhauled on one of the world’s biggest floating docks in the icy waters of the Kola Bay near Murmansk close to where Russia’s Northern Fleet is based and was due to go back into service in 2021.

Maria Kovtun, Murmansk’s governor, said in a statement that a rescue operation had been launched and 71 people evacuated after the floating dock holding the ship had begun to sink.

The warship had been successfully extracted from the dock before it completely sank, she said.

Investigators, who said they had opened a criminal investigation into the incident that would look at whether safety rules had been violated, said one person was missing and four others were being treated for hypothermia after being plucked out of the water.

Alexei Rakhmanov, head of Russia’s United Shipbuilding Corporation, told the TASS news agency that the ship’s hull and deck had been damaged, although what he called the vessel’s vitally important parts had not been harmed.

Yevgeny Gladyshev, a spokesman for the shipbuilding factory which operated the floating dock, told the RIA news agency that unspecified equipment had been damaged but that much of the deck had been spared because it had been removed during repairs.

The floating dock had been hit by a power outage which had caused its water tanks to fill up rapidly, prompting it to sink, the factory said.

The Admiral Kuznetsov gained notoriety in Britain when then Secretary of Defence Michael Fallon dubbed it the “ship of shame” in 2017 when it passed through waters close to the English coast on its way back from the Mediterranean belching black smoke.


October 30, 2018 - Floating dock at Murmansk shipyard sinks, four people injured
Floating dock at Murmansk shipyard sinks, four people injured

The floating dock where Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov was being upgraded, has sunk completely, a source in emergencies services told TASS on Tuesday.

"The floating dock has already sunk completely," the source said. It was earlier reported that the floating dock sank partially.

According to latest reports, four people were injured in the incident, one of them is in serious condition. The Admiral Kuznetsov was towed to another shipyard in Murmansk.

"Despite an emergency, the Admiral Kuznetsov was floated. The schedule for its repairs was not disrupted," spokesman for the Zvezdochka shipyard Yevgeny Gladyshev said.


July 25, 2018 - Russia’s sole aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov to enter 7-month trials after upgrade
Russia’s sole aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov to enter 7-month trials after upgrade

During the upgrade, the aircraft carrier is set to get new air defense systems, in particular, the Pantsyr-M surface-to-air missile complex.

© Lev Fedoseev/TASS

Russia’s sole aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov will undergo 7-month trials after its repairs and upgrade, Zvyozdochka Shipyard CEO Sergei Marichev told TASS on Wednesday.

"In mid-April this year, a contract was signed for the repairs and some modernization works that will last two years and a half, after which seven-month trials are scheduled," the chief executive said.

‘In the first place, large-scale repairs of the warship’s main propulsion unit are planned along with the replacement of boilers, the repair and recovery of main geared-turbine assemblies, power plant compartments, the equipment of turbine and diesel-driven generator units and refrigerating mechanisms. This is a very large and technologically complex volume of work," he stressed.

Zvyozdochka Shipyard specialists started repairs and upgrade works on the aircraft carrier even before the contract was signed, the chief executive said.

The Shipyard has already drawn up a schedule of all the works and started working out technological documentation. The operations of dismantling, unloading and dispatching equipment to defense machine-building enterprises are proceeding ahead of schedule, Marichev noted.

"Repair works under the contract have been launched in full since May within the framework of the documentation received," the chief executive said.

The basic volume of works will be carried out at the dockside of Zvyozdochka’s branch - the 35th Ship Repair Enterprise in Murmansk in north-west Russia, he added.

"At a certain moment, the ship will be delivered to the dock for dismantling the line of shafts and screws, carry out their flaw detection and repairs, repair the sea valves and make coating of the hull’s underwater part. This operation is planned in Roslyakovo, in the PD-50 floating dock," Marichev said.

Aircraft carrier’s repairs
The shipbuilders signed a contract with Russia’s Defense Ministry in April this year on the repair of the Project 11435 heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov.

As Russian Navy Deputy Commander-in-Chief Viktor Bursuk said earlier, repairs on Russia’s sole aircraft carrier started in May this year and the Navy expects to get the upgraded warship back in 2021.

During its upgrade, the aircraft carrier is set to get new air defense systems, in particular, the Pantsyr-M surface-to-air missile complex. Also, the aircraft carrier will be furnished with new powerplant, new boilers, pumps and flight control systems.

The Admiral Kuznetsov
The Project 11435 heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov is designed to gain superiority at sea and in the air in the areas of the fleet’s operation to ensure the fleet’s combat sustainability, deliver air strikes against enemy targets and support troops’ landing operations.

The warship entered service in 1990. It displaces 58,000 tonnes and has a length of 304.5 meters. The aircraft carrier has a full speed capacity of 200,000 horsepower and develops a speed of up to 30 knots. Apart from the air task force of 24-26 fighter jets and 12 helicopters, the Admiral Kuznetsov is armed with anti-ship and air defense missile systems.

The warship is equipped with a ski-jump and two aircraft elevators. It has a crew of 1,300 while the air group’s personnel numbers 660 men.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

"Unbreakable Brotherhood 2018" military drills to start in Russia's Yekaterinburg

Joint military exercise of the peacekeeping forces of Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member countries "Unbreakable Brotherhood 2018" will start on Tuesday in the Russian Urals city of Yekaterinburg. Around 1,300 servicemen from six countries will participate in the drills, the press service of the Russian Central Military District said.

Post-Soviet security bloc’s drills kick off in Urals

The joint drills of the peacekeeping forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member countries dubbed "Unbreakable Brotherhood 2018" kicked off in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg on Tuesday.

The opening ceremony was held on the territory of the 32nd cantonment while the maneuvers will be conducted at the Sverdlovsky practice range.

"The aim is to check the readiness of the CSTO peacekeeping contingent to accomplish missions, improve the skills of the personnel and master the professionalism of officers of command and control bodies," Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff Colonel-General Anatoly Sidorov said at the opening ceremony.

"In 2018, the troops of the Central Military District are going through especially tense operational and combat training: they have already taken part in five international drills," Deputy Commander of the Central Military District Lieutenant-General Yuri Petrov said.

The Unbreakable Brotherhood-2018 drills involve about 1,300 troops, 300 pieces of military hardware and 20 various aircraft, including unmanned aerial vehicles.

About 300 servicemen have arrived in Yekaterinburg from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Russia will be represented by a peacekeeping battalion, reconnaissance, military police and logistics units, field mobile command posts and aircraft.


Putin, Moldovan president to discuss cooperation on October 31

Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks with his Moldovan counterpart Igor Dodon in Moscow on October 31, the Kremlin press service said in a statement.

According to the statement, the two leaders are expected to "discuss trade, economic and humanitarian cooperation between Russia and Moldova, as well as pressing regional issues.".


Moldova’s president to discuss strategic partnership with Russia during visit to Moscow

Moldovan President Igor Dodon will travel to Moscow for an official visit on Wednesay to discuss issues related to strengthening strategic partnership with Russia. Dodon told TASS on Tuesday that during his visit to Moscow he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, Speaker of Russia’s State Duma (lower house of parliament) Vyacheslav Volodin and Russian Presidential Envoy for Trade and Economic Relations with Moldova Dmitry Kozak.

"This is my first official visit to Moscow over the past year and a half. The upcoming talks with focus on strengthening friendly, strategic relations of partnership with the Russian Federation. The results of the visit are anticipated in and outside Moldova. These are both the economic agents in our country that expect the conditions for supplying their goods to the Russian market to be simplified and more than half a million compatriots who work in Russia permanently," the president said.

According to Dodon, in addition to the problem of bringing Moldovan products back to the Russian market and Moldova’s migrant workers, the situation at the talks on the Transnistrian settlement and other bilateral issues will be discussed during his visit to Moscow.

The Moldovan president is also expected to meet with students of Lomonosov Moscow State University and representatives of leading Russian media. Moldova’s delegation includes head of Gagauzia (Moldova’s autonomous region) Irina Vlakh, leader of the Party of Socialists Zinaida Greceanii and Ambassador to Russia Andrei Neguta.


Putin says Russia will never forget historic Crimean referendum on reunification

Russia will always remember the success of the March 2014 referendum in Crimea and Sevastopol on reunification, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the events held on Tuesday to mark the 25th anniversary of the country’s electoral system.

The Russian leader drew attention to the words of a member of the Sevastopol election committee that the local residents will never forget the day of the referendum on reunification with Russia.

‘We will also never forget and the whole of Russia will never forget," Putin said.

"I’m confident that in the future, when years will pass, people will still recall who did this and who organized this," the Russian president said, expressing his gratitude to representatives of the Crimean electoral system.

The Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, a city with a special status on the Crimean Peninsula where most residents are Russians, refused to recognize the legitimacy of the authorities that came to power amid riots during the February 2014 coup in Ukraine.

Crimea and Sevastopol adopted declarations of independence on March 11, 2014. They held a referendum on March 16, 2014, in which 96.77% of Crimeans and 95.6% of Sevastopol voters chose to secede from Ukraine and join the Russian Federation. President Vladimir Putin signed the reunification treaty on March 18, 2014.


Putin calls for end to election rigging

Russian President Vladimir Putin called to put an end to any attempts of "foul play" and rigging election results in the country, he said during an event timed to the 25th anniversary of the Russian electoral system.

"Nobody has the right to hinder the citizens’ right to free expression, to distort the position expressed during the voting," the Russian leader stressed. "Any unlawful intrusion of the election process, of the public and political life, any attempt of foul play in this area must be stopped decisively."

According to the president, the country’s electoral system is constantly improving. He added that the Russian electoral system has to "adapt to the growth of political culture, to the development of modern technologies, to meet society’s demands and expectations, to correspond to the level of its development and the readiness to take responsibility for the state of affairs in a settlement, a city, a region or in Russia as a whole." However, these changes must reinforce the principles of openness, fairness and transparency of the election process and its independency from any attempts at interference, both foreign and domestic, said Putin.

"The electoral system is only effective when people have trust in it and know that their voices will be heard," Putin added. "And of course, we must preserve this trust, we must respect and value the opinion and the position of our citizens."

"All changes to the electoral system have always been aimed at strengthening democratic institutes and expanding representation of the people in our political system," the Russian leader stressed.

Putin noted that in recent years, Russia has established a fully functioning legislative base for preparing and holding elections at various levels, which guarantees the electoral rights of Russian citizens. The Russian leader stated that in the last 25 years, there have been 14 electoral campaigns - seven presidential and seven parliamentary campaigns, as well as thousands of local elections.

"The election commissions have accumulated huge practical experience at all levels. I would like to state especially that elections are now in demand for our citizens, and are seen as a natural, necessary participation in the life of the state, not only as an indisputable right, but as a real influence on development of priorities for a city, a region, a settlement and the whole country," the president said. He thanked all members of central election commissions for their professionalism and responsibility.

The Russian leader reminded that the Russian constitution "was literally born in agony", during the beginning of the onslaught of terrorism, the civil war in the Caucasus and an acute domestic crisis, which led to many casualties. He stressed that the signing of the constitution has become "a milestone" and firmly established the country’s development as a free, sovereign and law-based state.

Work of election commissions members

Putin has commended the hard work of election commissions members, who have to work "in a glass house" during the elections.

"I know very well, I’ve seen the pressure that you [members of election commissions] face during election campaigns." "I have never seen people satisfied with election results, there are always disputes, often very intense ones," Putin noted.

The president added that members of election commissions are living "in a glass house" during the elections, under strict supervision of the public. "It’s not an easy story," he said.

Putin then addressed the members of election commissions. "A special responsibility rests on your shoulders, a special task. However, your work ensures the stability of public power, because only when citizens trust the formation of governmental institutions, we can expect that in the end, they will support the authorities’ actions in the interest of all Russian society and aimed at strengthening the Russian statehood.".


No plans for Putin-Netanyahu meeting in Paris, says Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s agenda for his November 11 visit to Paris does not include a bilateral meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but the two leaders may hold a brief conversation during the day’s events, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"The Paris visit’s agenda includes only one bilateral meeting, which will be with [US President Donald] Trump," he said, adding that preparations for the meeting "are underway." "Apart from that, Putin is scheduled to attend memorial events [marking the 100th anniversary of the World War I Armistice - TASS], so he will have an opportunity to hold brief conversations with other participants, including Netanyahu," the Russian presidential spokesman noted.

"A bilateral meeting [between Putin and Netanyahu] will depend on the decisions that the [Russian President] and the [Israeli] prime ministers will make, but the current agenda does not include it," Peskov said. According to him, "the president will be unable to arrive in France one day prior [to the celebrations] as he has other plans, and France has prepared a lot of activities that will take place on the very day [of the memorial events]." "This is why there is currently no clear understanding in this regard," the Kremlin spokesman concluded.

On Monday, Israeli media reported that the country’s prime minister intended to meet with the Russian leader in Paris. Netanyahu said on October 7 that he had held a telephone conversation with Putin and arranged a meeting with him, which would be their first one following the downing of Russia’s Ilyushin Il-20 aircraft crash over the Mediterranean Sea on September 17.



Russian, North Korean diplomats discuss situation on Korean Peninsula

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov held consultations with North Korea’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Shin Hong-chul on Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"The sides discussed the state and prospects of the development of bilateral relations, including cooperation in practical spheres. They also shared opinions on the situation on the Korean Peninsula," the diplomatic mission reported.

Shin Hong-chul is officially visiting Russia. Speaking at a meeting on Monday devoted to the 200th anniversary of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences, he stated that Pyongyang highly values Russia’s help in supporting peace on the Korean Peninsula and hopes for further cooperation on this issue.


Syrian children to study at Russian cadet schools for free

Russia will grant children from Syria a possibility to study at cadet schools of the Defense Ministry for free, according to a bilateral agreement posted on the Russian government’s legal information web portal on Tuesday.

The document was signed in Moscow on September 20 and entered into force on October 20, 2018.

As the agreement stipulates, the Syrian children will study on the basis of contracts concluded by the authorized bodies of Russia and Syria and pursuant to the curricula developed for Russian cadets of these schools. The cadet schools will offer classroom instruction in the Russian language for Syrian children.

The Syrian children will study on a gratuitous basis. The education expenses will be borne by the Russian side. At the same time, enrollment to cadet schools will be on a competitive basis. Candidates for the studies will be selected by the Syrian side.


Russia’s Security Service Detains 18 Members of Daesh Sleeper Cell in Tatarstan (+Video)

Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) released a footage showing the moment it arrested several individual who were allegedly acting under the guidance of Deash (ISIL or ISIL) terroir group in the Republic of Tatarstan.

According to FSB, a total of 18 cell members were detained. The agents also confiscated weapons, extremist literature and identity documents.

FSB's press release said that the members of the sleeper cell were planning to carry out attacks in Russia, and afterwards join ISIL in Syria.

Dry Dock Sinks at Russian Plant, Aircraft Carrier Avoids Any Damage (VIDEO)

The Russian Navy's aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov suffered no damage after an incident at the 82nd shipbuilding plant in Murmansk, the plant's spokesperson told Sputnik on Tuesday.

Sunken floating dock in Murmansk will take at least six months to recover — source

The operation to recover the sunken floating dock PD-50 in Murmansk will be rather tricky and may take six months to one year to accomplish, a source in the defense-industrial complex has told TASS.

"The enormous size and displacement of the floating dock as they are, the operation to recover it will be rather tricky. A great deal will depend on whether it lies flat or on the side. The moment it sank the floating dock developed a list, so most probably it is on the side, which will complicate the operation. The experience of recovering a sunken nuclear submarine (The Kursk) indicates, that the operation to recover the floating dock may take at least six months or last for a whole year," the source said.

Apart from the PD-50 Russia has another floating dock, PD-1, of approximately identical parameters in Severodvinsk. It is capable of accommodating large surface ships, such as The Admiral Kuznetsov or The Pyotr Veliki.

The floating dock of the 82nd repair plant in Murmansk sank the moment The Admiral Kuznetsov was being pullout out. Four workers suffered hypothermia and were taken to hospital. One of them also had a stomach injury. One person went missing.

The Admiral Kuznetsov

The Defense Ministry concluded the repair contract with the ship repair plant Zvyozdochka in April 2018, hoping to have it back in 2021.

The heavy aircraft carrying cruiser The Admiral Kuznertsov, project 11435, joined the Northern Fleet at the beginning of 1991. Its full displacement is 59,100 tonnes, and length, 306 meters. It is capable of developing a speed of 29 knots. The Admiral Kuznetsov is armed with up to 50 planes and helicopters and anti-ship and air defense missile systems and artillery pieces.

The Admiral Kuznetsov is the Russian Navy’s largest ship and sole aircraft carrier.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Special commission to decide on sunken floating dock’s future - Russian deputy premier

The Russian authorities are setting up a commission to investigate the sinking of the PD-50 floating dock in Northern Russia and to decide on whether it should be lifted from the seabed, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov said on Tuesday.

"Instructions have already been given to set up a commission that would carefully look into the causes, calculate damages and outline response measures. Of course, the situation is unpleasant, but no one is ensured against them," he told reporters in Havana after a meeting of the Russian-Cuban commission on trade and scientific cooperation.

The deputy premier said that the commission will be set up by the Russian Navy, because the floating dock belonged to the Russian Defense Ministry, and will definitely include representatives of Russia’s defense industry.

He said it was possible that the dock will be lifted from the seabed and repaired.

"This is up to the commission to decide, but the ‘yes, answer is more likely than ‘no,’" he said.

According to the senior Russian official, the incident will not affect the repairs of the Admiral Kuznetsov heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser, which are to be completed in 2021. "We will do our best not to delay the date," he said.

Meanwhile, the press service of the Russian Industry and Trade Ministry said an inter-departmental commission will be set up to investigate the matter.

"The reasons for the incident will be determined based on findings by an intergovernmental commission, comprising representatives of the Russian Trade Ministry, the Russian Defense Ministry and companies involved. The exact causes can be determined only after the floating dock is lifted," the ministry said in a statement.

The decision on whether the PD-50 floating dock should be repaired and put back into operation will also be made after it is lifted.

"The overall damage will be determined based on the findings of the above-mentioned commission. The costs of the operation to lift floating dock and restore it will be compensated by the side that will be found guilty of allowing the incident to happen," the document said.


Putin, Lavrov to deliver speeches at 6th World Congress of Russian Compatriots

Russian President Vladimir Putin will deliver a speech on Wednesday during a plenary session of the 6th World Congress of Russian Compatriots.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is also expected to attend the two-day forum, to be held at the World Trade Center in Moscow. The conference will gather 400 delegates from 98 countries, representing regional groups of Russian compatriots living abroad, as well as high-ranking political and public figures.

The previous meeting of the congress was held in Moscow in November 2015. During the upcoming conference, the participants are expected to sum up the results of their activities in the past three years and outline guidelines for future cooperation. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin earlier said that the discussion would focus on countering anti-Russian sentiments and Russophobia.

Significance of congress

Commenting on the upcoming event, Karasin underlined the forum’s importance in establishing channels for cooperation between the Russian diaspora and Moscow.

"The congress is necessary for strengthening the ties of compatriots with their historic motherland," the diplomat said. "Leaders and activists of the diaspora have send numerous letters to the ministry, in which they express their desire to adopt pressing and future-oriented decisions during the congress."

According to the Russian diplomat, the agenda of the congress was shaped not only by governmental commissions but also by members of regional conferences and the public, who could submit their proposals via social networking sites.

"Jointly, we managed to discover an array of sensitive topics. This includes further consolidation of the Russian community abroad, the issues of protecting the rights and legitimate interests of the diaspora, problems of Russian-language education abroad, the development of our compatriots’ media, including electronic ones," the deputy foreign minister said.

Another important issue to be raised at the forum will be the Russian diaspora’s life amid rapidly changing international situation and tensions between Russia and the West.

World Congress of Russian Compatriots

The first World Congress of Russian Compatriots was held in Moscow in November 2001. The opening ceremony of the event, which gathered delegates from 47 countries, was attended by Vladimir Putin.

Starting from 2006, the event is held once in three years. Every congress gathers several hundreds of delegates. Different editions of the congress were attended by the head of state, the foreign minister, parliamentary speakers and the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

Traditionally, the event focuses on measures to promote Russian language and culture abroad, consolidate the Russian diaspora abroad. Special attention is paid to the problem of falsification of history, first of all to attempts to play down the role of the Soviet Union in the victory over the Nazi Germany.


Russian, Pakistani special forces hold joint drills in Russian mountains

During a joint Russian-Pakistani military exercise, Friendship-2018, Russian special forces and their Pakistani colleagues practiced an operation against a sabotage and reconnaissance group operating in mountainous terrain, the press service of the Southern Military District said on Wednesday.

"The personnel performed its reconnaissance tasks wearing advanced combat gear, Ratnik," a spokesperson said.

Special forces of the Russian military district conducted reconnaissance of the simulated adversary’s movements, organized an ambush and camouflaged their firing locations. The adversary’s sabotage group was ambushed and destroyed, one of its members was captured alive.

Following the demonstration, Russian and Pakistani servicemen have jointly trained under a similar scenario at another mountainous terrain of the Cherat training range.

The drills, aimed at strengthening and developing military cooperation between the two states, are being held in line with the plan of international military cooperation.


At Least 1 Killed, 3 Wounded in Blast at Russian FSB Office in Arkhangelsk

The cause of the explosion is yet unclear. All employees were evacuated from the building, while Russia's special services are inspecting the scene.

At least one person was killed and three others hospitalized after an explosion that went off in the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) building in the northwestern city of Arkhangelsk, the region's governor, Igor Orlov, said on Wednesday following a meeting of regional emergency services.

According to the official, the blast went off inside the FSB building near the entrance. Orlov said that officials were working to determine the identity of the dead person and the type of the explosive device, and pledged to bolster security of all public and state buildings in Arkhangelsk Oblast.

The causes of the explosion "are being looked into," noted Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee. Local media report that the FSB building has been evacuated and police have cordoned off the area.

Russian, Cuban presidents to discuss strategic partnership

Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold negotiations with Cuban President of the Council of State Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez on November 2, the Kremlin press service reported.

Russia, Cuba lay foundation for long-term cooperation during Havana talks — deputy premier

Russia and Cuba agreed on a wide range of areas for partnership following the session of the Russian-Cuban trade and scientific cooperation on Tuesday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov said.

"A vast program for future cooperation has been outlined. All projects that we had discussed have a long-term strategic nature and will define the future of the Cuban economy for decades - cooperation in the spheres of energy, industry, healthcare and agriculture. More preconditions were created to ensure the growth of trade and its diversity in the next few years," Borisov said at the closing ceremony of the commission’s 16th meeting.

He said the sides also agreed on the construction of power generation facilities in Cuba, as well as on modernization of production facilities and railway infrastructure with the use of Russian technologies.

The Russian deputy premier added that the policy of sanctions by third states, which affect Russia and Cuba, can play a positive role in strengthening bilateral ties.

"We are used to living under the pressure of sanctions, our nations cannot be scared by that. The sanctions have a reverse side as well, which opens possibilities for filling the market with own products. And now we have taken the path of export, which includes the export of Russian technologies to Latin American countries," Borisov said.

Final document

The signing of the commission’s final act may take place during Cuban leader Miguel Diaz-Canel’s visit to Moscow this week, the commission’s co-chairman Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz said.

"The signing of the final act on the commission’s work will be held later, because experts still continue working on the document. It is quite possible that it will be signed during our leader’s stay in Moscow," the Cuban official said. "The commission’s meeting, on one hand, sums up the results of the enormous work that has been done, and on the other serves as a starting point for further work on cooperation projects."

Although the final version of the document is yet to be prepared, participants of the talks have already signed a number of agreements on cooperation and partnership in various spheres. For example, the RM Rail company signed a 50-million-euro deal with Cuban company TRADEX on the delivery of 837 rail freight cars in 2019-2021.

The 16th session of the Russian-Cuban intergovernmental commission on trade and scientific cooperation, under the chairmanship of Borisov and Vice President of the Cuban Council of Ministers Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz, took place in Havana on October 29-30 to discuss business projects and cross-industry cooperation.


Russia signs $260mln contracts with Cuba, deputy PM says

Russia and Cuba inked contracts to the tune of more than $260 mln in the framework of a joint commission for trade and economic and scientific-technical cooperation, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov said after the commission’s 16th session in Havana.

"Modernizing three energy units worth nearly $100 mln, the second stage of modernizing a metallurgy plant - that’s around $60 mln and supplying rail cars to the tune of over $100 mln. These are serious contracts," Borisov said.

On Tuesday, the PM Reil trading company, which is part of Russian Machines corporation owned by Basic Element, signed a contract with Cuba’s TRADEX state enterprise for transport supplies on delivering 837 rail cars in 2019-2021. Cuba’s Energoimport and Russia’s Inter RAO export signed a memorandum on finalizing a deal on financing a project for modernizing three 100 MW energy units in Cuba. The partners inked a contract on supplying to Cuba 15,000 LED lamps and their parts manufactured in Russia. Cuba’s Acinox Comercial and Russia’s Industrial Engineering agreed on modernizing a metallurgic plant in Las Tunas, central-eastern Cuba.

The business projects were discussed during the two-day 16th session of the joint commission for trade and economic and scientific-technical cooperation chaired by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov and Cuban Vice President of the Council of Ministers Ricardo Cabrisas Ruiz.

Russia plans to continue signing contracts with Cuba during the visit of its leader Miguel Diaz-Canel to Moscow this week, Borisov said.

"Our project on modernizing Cuba’s railways is vital and in high demand," Borisov said, noting that some issues need to be solved, including on tax benefits for Russian enterprises. "We agreed that we will dot the i’s during the visit," he said.

Cuba’s new President Miguel Diaz-Canel is due to pay an official visit to Russia on November 1. The next day he is scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss enhancing bilateral strategic partnership in various areas and exchange views on topical international and regional issues.

This will become the first visit of the Cuban leader to a foreign country outside the Caribbean Basin.

Miguel Diaz-Canel replaced Raul Castro as President of Cuba’s Council of State and President of the Republic of Cuba in April 2018. Since 2013, Diaz-Canel had been the First Vice President of Cuba’s Council of State and the Council of Ministers, Cuba’s second-highest political position.

 

[angelburst29]

At Least 1 Killed, 3 Wounded in Blast at Russian FSB Office in Arkhangelsk

The cause of the explosion is yet unclear. All employees were evacuated from the building, while Russia's special services are inspecting the scene.

At least one person was killed and three others hospitalized after an explosion that went off in the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) building in the northwestern city of Arkhangelsk, the region's governor, Igor Orlov, said on Wednesday following a meeting of regional emergency services.

October 31, 2018 - Russia opens terrorism investigation after teenager blows himself up
Russia opens terrorism investigation after teenager blows himself up | Reuters


Emergencies Ministry members, law enforcement officers and investigators work at the site of an explosion at an office of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) in the city of Arkhangelsk, Russia October 31, 2018. REUTERS/Region 29

Russia opened an investigation into suspected terrorism after a 17-year-old youth blew himself up on Wednesday in the lobby of an office belonging to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) in the north of the country.

Russia’s Investigative Committee said the unnamed teenager had detonated a homemade bomb in the lobby of the FSB, the country’s main domestic security and intelligence service, in the city of Arkhangelsk. It said he had died on the spot.

Investigators said they had identified the teenager as a resident of the city, which is around 1,000 km (620 miles) north of Moscow, but did not name him.

Three FSB employees were wounded in the blast, the Investigative Committee said in a statement.

It published what it said was a CCTV image of the bomber in the lobby of the building. The picture showed a young man with his right hand inside a bag that he was holding with his left hand.

Pictures posted on social media by witnesses after the blast showed what looked like a body lying on the floor outside the heavy wooden entrance doors to the FSB building.

A spokesman for the Investigative Committee said the investigation would be handled by Moscow and that Russia’s top investigator, Alexander Bastrykin, wanted the teenager’s motive and other details to be established as soon as possible.

That would involve looking into who he was in contact with and his family circumstances, the spokesman added.

Russian media published an unconfirmed warning posted by the bomber on social media before the blast. The bomber described himself as a communist anarchist and said he had decided to act because the FSB was fabricating cases and torturing people.

Earlier this month, an 18-year-old student killed at least 19 people and injured dozens at a college in the Black Sea region of Crimea. He went through the building randomly shooting at fellow pupils before killing himself.


October 31, 2018 - Russia Terror Probe after Teen Suicide Attack on FSB
Russia Terror Probe after Teen Suicide Attack on FSB

Russia said it had launched a probe into terrorism after a 17-year-old blew himself up at a regional headquarters of the FSB security service on Wednesday, wounding three employees.

The bomber took an explosive device into the FSB building in the northern city of Arkhangelsk and a blast occurred inside the entrance just before 9 am (0600 GMT), the National Anti-Terror Committee said.

Authorities have cordoned off streets around the building, with police and experts combing the area for clues.

Attacks on police and security services are common in Russia’s restive Northern Caucasus but are very rare in the rest of the country.

Investigators identified the bomber as a 17-year-old local resident.

“According to preliminary information, the person who came into the building took an unidentified item out of a bag which after a period of time exploded in his hands, as a result of which he sustained fatal injuries,” the committee said.

Investigators said they opened a probe into terrorism and illegal possession of ammunition.

Three FSB employees were hospitalized with various injuries after the blast in the city, which is located more than 1,000 kilometers (800 miles) north of Moscow, the committee said in a statement.

“One man is in surgery,” a spokeswoman for the regional FSB told AFP.

President Vladimir Putin — himself a former FSB officer — was informed about the explosion, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters but declined to speculate on the cause.

Regional governor Igor Orlov, who inspected the scene, had said the explosion was not part of a drill gone wrong. “Things are very serious,” he said in comments confirmed by his spokesman to AFP.

Orlov added that the authorities were working to establish the type of the explosive used. “We are taking measures to increase security of all public and state buildings in Arkhangelsk region.”

 

[sToRmR1dR]

CUBA ESCALATES MILITARIZATION, MAY PURCHASE $50 MILLION IN RUSSIAN ARMS

Cuba has begun to escalate its militarization, as regional developments indicate continual U.S backed destabilization. To counter this threat, Russia will lend Cuba more than $50 million for purchases of Russian military equipment, the Russian daily Kommersant reported, citing two sources in the area of technical and military cooperation of the two countries.

Putin, Cuba’s leader to discuss military cooperation

Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of Cuba’s Council of State and Council of Ministers, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, will discuss cooperation in the military-technical sphere at the talks on November 2, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

"As for the upcoming contacts with the President of Cuba’s Council of State and Council of Ministers, it can certainly be assumed that the military-technical cooperation issue will be high on the agenda," Peskov said.

The Kremlin spokesman declined to comment on whether the provision of loans for the purchase of military equipment to Cuba would be discussed during the meeting. "I cannot provide you with more detailed information. Military-technical cooperation will be on the agenda," he said answering a question on the issue.

On November 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks with Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, the President of Cuba’s Council of State and Council of Ministers. The Kremlin press service earlier reported that the two leaders are expected to discuss the current state and prospects for deepening bilateral cooperation in various areas and exchange views on pressing global and regional issues.

According to the Cuban Constitution, the president of the Council of State is the head of state and government and is elected for a five-year term. Diaz-Canel Bermudez, 57, replaced 86-year-old Raul Castro who was Cuba’s leader since 2008.


Cuban crisis 2.0? Moscow eyes military bases in Cuba after US INF pullout

Moscow’s response to Trump’s plans to quit the INF treaty could be to reinstall military bases in Cuba, the State Duma defense committee head said. He also predicted “a new Cuban crisis” if the US and Russia fail to come to terms.

The US is planning to walk away from the crucial Cold War-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, and Russia’s response may well be in the spirit of those times – namely, reactivating military facilities in Cuba. That is according to Vladimir Shamanov, the head of the State Duma defense committee and a former Airborne Troops commander.

Indeed, the Cuban government has to allow the Russian military back, and this is more about politics than defense issues, Shamanov speculated.

“Assessing this scenario is underway, and [policy] proposals will come next,” he told Russia’s Interfax News Agency without elaborating.

This issue may be raised when Cuba’s new president, Miguel Diaz-Canel, visits Russia in early November. Diaz-Canel, a fresh face of Cuba’s Communist Party, is wary of foreign military presence, but “politics is living matter,” Shamanov said.

“Cuba has its own interests and it was hurt by US sanctions,” he added.

Previously, the retired Airborne General urged Moscow and Washington to come to terms and get back to reconciliation.

“If we don’t stop it now and don’t talk, we actually may create conditions similar to those [which led to the] Cuban crisis,”he was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a major confrontation that brought the United States and the Soviet Union to the brink of nuclear war in early 1960s. During the standoff, Moscow stationed Soviet nuclear-tipped missiles in Cuba in response to the deployment of similar-class American missiles in Turkey.

Throughout the course of the Cold War, Russia operated a signals intelligence facility in Lourdes, Cuba. Opened in 1967, it was said to be the largest Soviet listening station abroad, with 3,000 personnel running the facility. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Lourdes base was downscaled, but continued operating up until 2001, when it stopped all operations.

Restoring Russia’s military presence in Cuba would make a lot of sense, Viktor Murakhovsky told RT. He said reactivating the Lourdes base should not require substantial funding, but it would allow the gathering of “interesting intelligence about Cuba’s neighbor.” He noted, however: “The times when we deployed missiles in Cuba will not come back.”

Konstantin Sivkov, another military expert and a retired Navy officer, disagreed, stating it is unlikely the Russian military will return to the island. “[In the 1960s] we were forced to make this decision [to deploy missiles to Cuba] because we didn’t have enough intercontinental ballistic missiles. Now we have.”

US President Donald Trump sent shockwaves earlier in October when he promised to withdraw from the INF treaty, citing the evergreen ‘Russia violated agreements’ argument. Russia fired back, stating the US itself had breached the milestone accord by deploying ground-based missile interceptors in Eastern Europe.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1054266631805919232

Then-US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed the deal in 1987, and it went into effect the next year. This was the first time in history the two superpowers agreed to dismantle the entire class of ballistic missiles and conceded to mutual inspections.

Gorbachev himself recently attacked Trump, whose goal, he claimed, was to free the US “from any obligations, any constraints, and not just regarding nuclear missiles.”

The first and only Soviet president said in an opinion piece for the New York Times that a new arms race is on and urged Russia to take “a firm but balanced stand.”

Putin, Lavrov to deliver speeches at 6th World Congress of Russian Compatriots

Russian President Vladimir Putin will deliver a speech on Wednesday during a plenary session of the 6th World Congress of Russian Compatriots.

Russia to protect rights of compatriots abroad amid growing tensions, says Putin

Russia will strongly protect the rights and interests of compatriots living abroad amid growing global tensions, President Vladimir said, addressing the Sixth World Congress of Compatriots on Wednesday.

"The global situation is difficult, tensions are rising, unpredictability is growing, the foundations of international law are being undermined, years-long agreements between countries are collapsing - and unfortunately, hatred against Russia and other forms of radical nationalism are being used," Putin said. "We will strongly protect your rights and interests, taking advantage of all existing bilateral and international mechanisms, we will also continue to provide support to the Fund for the Support and Protection of the Rights of Compatriots Living Abroad," the Russian leader added.

Putin particularly mentioned countries where the rights of Russian compatriots were violated. "Let’s be honest, we know that in Ukraine, the Baltic states and some other countries, history is being re-written, the fight against monuments and the Russian language is on," he said. "People are being intimidated and terrorized, their natural desire to preserve their ethnic roots is labeled as crime and separatism, while the right to freedom of expression and the right to preserve traditions are blatantly violated," Putin added. "Some of our compatriots are prevented from acquiring certain professions for political reasons. Many feel the consequences of this severe pressure," the Russian president noted.

Putin commended the activities of the Fund for the Support and Protection of the Rights of Compatriots. According to him, the organization has participated in the establishment of 26 legal assistance centers in 20 countries, provided grant support to 200 projects and carried out more than 50 activities, particularly arranging trainings for human rights activists. Over 70,000 people, including those living in countries such as Syria, Yemen and Libya, have received legal assistance. Putin added that preserving and promoting the Russian language and providing support to Russian language teachers remained among the country’s priorities. According to him, educational literature and fiction books are supplied to educational facilities in other countries, and support is provided to winners of Russian language competitions.

Putin also hailed the Russkiy Mir (or Russian World) Foundation, which plans to hold an assembly meeting in the city of Tver on November 2-3.


Putin launches giant gem mine in Russia’s Far North (VIDEO)

A new diamond deposit has opened in Russia's northeastern region of Yakutia. The project is run by Alrosa, the world's largest diamond mining company.

“Russia is a country of enormous natural wealth, and diamonds of Yakutia are another national treasure of which we are proud. The launch of the new field is another step towards improving the quality of life of the population in the Far North and strengthening Russia's leadership in the global diamond market,” said Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched the project on Wednesday.

The Verkhne-Munskoye diamond field is the largest investment project for Alrosa. The company will invest 60 billion rubles (shy of $1 billion at the current exchange rate) by 2042. The field will produce about 1.8 million carats of diamonds a year, and its reserves are enough to continue mining operations for more than 20 years (till 2042).

The deposit aims at ensuring reliable diamond production and providing workplaces for local residents. The project’s implementation was complicated by its remoteness from the existing infrastructure. The Verkhne-Munskoye field is located 170 kilometers from the mining plant, and building a new plant was unprofitable for Alrosa. The company solved the problem by constructing a service lane.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1056051615894003712

“The start of mining operations at Verkhne-Munskoye Diamond Field is a great event for our company and our Northern industry-based towns. Verkhne-Munskoye field will compensate the decrease in production at other facilities, in particular, it will replace the retired capacities of Mir,” Alrosa CEO Sergey Ivanov said.


New diamond deposit in Yakutia can consolidate Alrosa’s global leadership, says Putin

Verkhne-Munskoye diamond deposit, launched in Yakutia on Wednesday, will consolidate Alrosa’s position as a global leader in diamond mining, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Commissioning this field will certainly consolidate Alrosa, our leading diamond mining company, as a global leader. It already has 27% of global diamond production," Putin said.

According to him, the deposit will create new jobs and contribute to all budget levels, including the budget of Yakutia.

Putin noted that during the implementation of this project it is necessary to pay special attention to environment and health, as well as labor protection issues of all employees of the deposit. "This work is set until 2040-2042, the amount of work will be enormous," he said. "I know that everything has been examined, but, nevertheless, in the course of operation, I ask you to pay special attention to environmental issues, as well as to health and labor protection," Putin added.

First Deputy Prime Minister, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said at the launch ceremony that the deposit would allow to produce more than 2 mln carats of diamonds every year, which is "around 7% of the total diamond output of Alrosa."

Alrosa CEO Sergey Ivanov said that investment in the project will reach around 60 bln rubles ($913.13 mln), actual investments have already exceeded 16 bln rubles ($243.47 mln).


Putin to discuss relations development prospects, joint projects with German business

Russian President Vladimir Putin was met on Thursday with representatives of the largest German companies and active members of the Eastern Committee of German Economy, press service of the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

"Issues will be discussed that are related to the state and development prospects of trade and economic relations between Russia and Germany, implementation of large-scale joint projects, including in energy sphere and industrial cooperation, digital economy and agriculture," the press service said.

Putin met representatives of the German business community last time in October 2017.


Minsk, Moscow mulling response to US military presence in Poland — Belarusian president

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has said Minsk and Moscow are mulling a proportionate response to plans to deploy a US military base called Fort Trump to Poland.

"Of course, that worries us. Politicians in Poland say they are willing to spend billions of dollars to deploy US weapons there and create a certain Fort Trump there. Of course, we are not fools. Together with our key ally (Russia - TASS) we are thinking about how we could counter all that," Lukashenko said at a meeting of the Munich Security Conference Core Group on Wednesday, a TASS correspondent reported.

"Naturally, we are mulling an adequate response in this situation, how else?" he added.

According to the Belarusian president, those who "brandish nuclear warheads do not think about their own security and their people’s security." "Does [US President] Donald Trump really think about Belarus when making a statement on quitting the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty? He may not even know that Belarus exists and that there are millions of people there who just want to live a normal life," he pointed out.

He also believes that Trump’s statement on Washington’s withdrawal from the INF Treaty is a kind of a political stunt and that "this will never happen." "If they withdraw from the treaty, it won’t get us anywhere," he said, adding that "even contemplating this possibility is harmful."


Moscow is ready to improve dialogue with Tbilisi

Russia will work to improve relations with Georgia after the election of Georgia’s new president, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin told journalists on Wednesday.

"We will see the election results and then we will work to improve our bilateral relations to the extent the Georgian side is ready for it," he said.

According to preliminary results, independent presidential candidate Salome Zurabishvili, who was supported by the ruling Georgian Dream Party and secured 38.64% of votes, won the October 28 election. She was followed by Grigol Vashadze of United National Movement and 10 ally organizations, who secured 37.74% of votes. They entered the second round that, according to the Central Election Commission, will be held not later than on December 2.


Russian diplomat emphasizes EU finally waking up to threat of resurging Nazism

The European Union is starting to realize that the threat of Nazism resurging is real and that it can no longer sweep the matter under the rug, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday, commenting on the European Parliament’s adoption of a resolution on the rise of neo-fascist violence in Europe on October 25.

"The Russian Foreign Ministry has traditionally tried to refrain from commenting on the European Parliament’s work. However, in this case, we deem it possible to make an exception, since the adoption of this resolution indicates that the European Union is finally beginning to realize that the threat of Nazism’s resurgence is real and can no longer maintain a wall of silence on this problem," the diplomat emphasized.

"We highlight the harsh tone of this document. It contains references to specific instances of neo-Nazi violence and hate, in addition to racist and xenophobic crimes in Europe, including annual gatherings in Riga honoring ex-Waffen-SS members and Ukrainian nationalists’ thuggery," Zakharova went on to say. "European Parliament members recognize that Nazism, racism and xenophobia are becoming routine in the EU. What’s more, neo-Nazi organizations feel particularly at home in some of its member-states."

The Russian diplomat welcomed the appeal addressed to EU members to strongly condemn and punish those who commit hate crimes and use the language of hatred, including statements made by politicians and officials at all levels and in any media outlets.

"For a long time now, we have been drawing the attention of Europeans and the global community as a whole to this dangerous trend," Zakharova stressed. "At the heart of this work is the Russia-initiated UN General Assembly Resolution on combating the glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fueling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, which, by the way, is mentioned in the preamble to the aforementioned European Parliament resolution."

The diplomat hoped that the EU was aware of the threat of rising Nazism and would start to fight it effectively. "We anticipate that along with European Parliament members, all EU member-states will recognize the threat of Nazism’s resurgence in Europe and will combat its manifestations in every possible way," she stressed.

 

[sToRmR1dR]

Putin to discuss Russian-German economic relations at meeting with German businesses

Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a meeting with representatives of largest German companies, the Kremlin press service said. The meeting will focus on developing trade and economic relations between Russia and Germany, and implementing large-scale joint projects.

"On November 1, Vladimir Putin will meet with representatives of largest German companies and of the German Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations. They will discuss issues of the conditions and prospects for developing trade and economic relations between Russia and Germany, implementing large-scale joint projects, including in the spheres of energy, industrial cooperation, digital economy and agriculture," the Kremlin press service said.

TASS reports that among those invited to the meeting are the chairman of the German Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations Wolfgang Buechele and its executive director Michael Harms, chairman of the board of the Russian-German Chamber of Commerce Matthias Schepp, as well as representatives of companies Nord Stream, Knauf Gips, Volkswagen, BASF, Uniper, and others.

On top of the agenda

One of the largest projects implemented by the Russian side with participation of German companies is the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, two lines of which are planned to be built by the end of 2019. Russian Gazprom's partners in this project are Germany's Wintershall and Uniper, Austria's OMV, France's Engie and British-Dutch Royal Dutch Shell.

US speak out against the new gas pipeline connecting Russia and Europe as it bypasses transit countries. Washington threatens imposing sanctions against the project, including against its European participants. The Russian authorities think that this opposition to the project might be connected to US attempts to boost deliveries of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe, which is considerably more expensive than Russia's pipeline gas. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Nord Stream 2 is mainly a commercial project. She added that Ukraine should maintain its role as a transit country when the new gas pipeline is opened.

Russian-German trade

Germany is one of Russia's traditional key trade partners. In 2017, the bilateral turnover grew for the first time since the imposition of anti-Russian sanctions in 2014. The turnover increased by 22.8% and reached $50 bln. In the first eight months of 2018, the volume of bilateral trade has grown by almost 25% compared to the same period last year. Russian exports to Germany grew by 35% and reached $22.1 bln, while imports increased by 12% to $16.9 bln.

Putin, Moldovan president to discuss cooperation on October 31

Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks with his Moldovan counterpart Igor Dodon in Moscow on October 31, the Kremlin press service said in a statement.

Moldova’s president says talks with Putin were a breakthrough

Moldova’s President Igor Dodon believes that his Wednesday meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin was a breakthrough.

"It is my second official visit to Russia. It is a breakthrough, primarily thanks to the decisions we made today," Dodon said in an exclusive interview with TASS First Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman.

"They are the decisions that have been long awaited by citizens of the Republic of Moldova," he said.

According to Dodon, decisions were related to four practical fields.

"First, it is export. As you know, our manufacturers have begun to return to the Russian market in the past eighteen months, thanks to adopted agreements. Today, we agreed that some goods, namely vegetables and fruit, canned fruit and vegetables along with wine products, will be exempt from duties for six months starting from January 1, 2019 so that these goods can get to the Russian market," Dodon said.

"The second decision was about Moldovan citizens. More than 500,000 of our citizens work in Russia. Of those, about 200,000 have somehow breached migration requirements. We have agreed that in the coming months, amnesty will be announced under Articles 26 and 27 of Russia’s migration legislation," the Moldovan president said.

"We have agreed to consider that the year of 2019 should be declared as Moldova’s Year in Russia, while 2020 as Russia’s Year in the Republic of Moldova," he said.

"Apart from that, I asked to increase the number of state-funded places for guys from Moldova who are eager to study in Russia. I was told that the request would be considered," Dodon said.

"And finally, I put forward a proposal that the Russian side would view a possibility to fund infrastructure projects bridging the left and right banks [of the Dniester River]. For example, why not repair the road connecting Chisinau and Tiraspol? Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin] said that the idea was interesting and they were ready to tackle it," the Moldovan president concluded.

 

[angelburst29]

Putin extends a hand in "conditions and prospects" for developing trade and economic relations with Germany ... and Merkel slaps "an extension of sanctions" on Russia???


Nov. 1, 2018 - Germany will back extension of sanctions against Russia: Merkel
Germany will back extension of sanctions against Russia: Merkel | Reuters


Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and German Chancellor Angela Merkel attend a meeting at Mariinsky palace in Kiev, Ukraine November 1, 2018. Mikhail Palinchak/Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS

Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that Germany would push for an extension of Western sanctions against Russia in December because Moscow had failed to fully implement a Ukraine peace deal brokered in Minsk in 2015.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that Germany would push for an extension of Western sanctions against Russia in December because Moscow had failed to fully implement a Ukraine peace deal brokered in Minsk in 2015.

“The Minsk agreement is not being fulfilled and we’re only making inching progress if at all and sometimes we’re going backwards,” Merkel said during a visit to Kiev, where she met with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

“So based on the situation we have today, Germany will push for an extension of the sanctions in December too,” she said, adding that among the violations of the Minsk peace deal were elections planned for Nov. 11 in areas controlled by Moscow-backed separatists.