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Russian MPs to visit Syria
A delegation of MPs from the State Duma intends to visit Syria, State Duma Spokesperson Vyacheslav Volodin told reporters at a briefing in Saint Petersburg, RBC news agency reported.
Volodin said that the Duma delegation’s trip, which he personally intends to lead, could take place “during the first half of next year”. “There has been an invitation, and it has been accepted,” Volodin emphasized.
The State Duma spokesperson said that on Friday, October 13, on the sidelines of the Assembly of …
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Russia calls Turkey's decision to not allow ships from the Crimea an 'unfriendly step'
Turkey has confirmed that it will not permit entry for ships arriving from ports in the Russian-annexed Crimea, stated a member of the Turkish Chamber of Shipping in response to Russian news agency TASS.
In response, the Russian Federation Council called the decision an “unfriendly” step.
“By its ban, Turkey may be pushing Russia to correct relations between the two countries, which could affect joint actions in Syria,” stated the Russia's First Deputy of the Federation Council on Defense and …
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Putin calls on international community to think about rebuilding Syria
The international community should already be thinking about rebuilding Syria after the war, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the opening of the Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Saint Petersburg.
“I think that the international community should already think about the post-war restoration of the state, about how, in what formats and what quantities to assist it and other countries in the region, how to promote more effectively their socio-economic development and enhance …
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Russia not invited to General Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation in Kyiv
The Russian Federation is not invited to the meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), which will take place in Kyiv, reports Interfax.
“An absolutely unprecedented incident has occurred, which the Ukrainian side – the host country – did not invite Russia – a member country – to a BSEC General Assembly meeting. This is the first such incident in the 25-year history of the BSEC,” said Russia’s delegation head, State Duma deputy Mikhail Emelyanov. …
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Syria demands that Turkish troops leave Idlib
The Syrian authorities demanded that Turkey immediately withdraw its military units from the north of the country, reports the Syrian state news agency SANA with a reference to an official source in the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry states that "the current [Turkish] aggression has nothing to do with the Astana arrangements between the guarantor countries", SANA reports.
According to Syrian authorities the deployment of Turkish troops in Idlib showed a close …
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Norway to step up the defense of its northern regions bordering Russia
The Norwegian government intends to significantly strengthen the defense of their northern border, especially in the county of Finnmark which borders the Murmansk region, as stated on Friday by the Minister of Defense of the country, Ine Eriksen Soereide, while presenting the plan for Army and the Norwegian Home Guard (Heimevernet) reforms.
It is planned to strengthen the border garrison in the municipality of Sør-Varanger, which is responsible for protecting the nearly 200-kilometer land …
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USA: Number of troops participating in Zapad-2017 military exercises was more than declared by Russia
Washington is not afraid of a possible build-up of the Russian military presence at the borders of NATO countries after the Zapad 2017 exercises, as indicated by the Permanent Representative of the United States to NATO, Kay Bailey Hutchison, in response to questions from The Washington Post.
"I cannot say for sure, but our people have been closely watching and they have no fears," the diplomat said. She added that the exercises were a "big show." "We watched it as much as we could," …
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Poland says it thwarted cyber-attack from Russia
Polish specialists have managed to repel the hacker attack from Russia, stated Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz during the Polish radio broadcast.
"This is the third time that we have encountered a cyber-attack from Russia; fortunately, Poland has managed to repel it. The attack was committed against enterprises in Ukraine that have offices in other countries. In other European countries, they had to be blocked, but not in Poland. We managed to make sure that the attack did not …
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Kyiv investigating the supply of coal from separatist-held territories to Ukraine's state-run Centrenergo
The Chervonozavodskiy District Court of Kharkiv granted the Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor's Office access to documents and contracts from the state-owned Centrenergo company regarding the import of Donbas contraband coal from Russia under the guise of South African coal, as reported by the news website Liga.net, citing the court's decisions on October 2nd – 5th.
Criminal proceedings regarding the illegal coal operations began in April 2017 in accordance with the "Abuse of power or official …
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The National Bank of Ukraine banned new Russian banknotes with images of Crimea
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has forbidden banks, their branches, and offices to conduct operations with banknotes and coins issued by the Russian Central Bank, which depict objects located on the annexed territory, as reported on the NBU website.
The ban applies to the monetary units of the Russian Federation with maps, symbols, buildings, monuments, archeological monuments, architecture, history, landscapes and any other objects located on the territory of Ukraine occupied by Russia; …