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Khodorkovsky congratulating Putin on his birthday wished him ‘to separate himself from Russia’
In an interview with TV Rain (Dozhd), founder of Open Russia political initiative Khodorkovsky said he was happy to congratulate Putin on his 65th birthday. "If Vladimir Vladimirovich found the strength to separate himself from the country (from the point of view of its management), then I think our country would finally see some prospects for the future, as would Putin himself. I really wish this for him," Khodorkovsky said.
Khodorkovsky recalled that he also had congratulated the President …
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Russia conducts exercises of military aviation in the annexed Crimea
Flight crews of Su-30SM multi-role fighter planes of the Black Sea Fleet of Russia have executed sea target bombings, the press service of the Russian Defense Ministry reported. A small-sized ship was used as a target for naval aviators to fulfill the task of destroying the mock enemy.
"The results of direct hits are confirmed by telemetry and visually from unmanned aerial vehicles. To ensure the safety of combat exercises, more than 20 warships and auxiliary vessels, as well as aircraft of …
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Amnesty International demands the release of people detained at protest rallies in Russia
Amnesty International, an international human rights organization, demanded that the Russian authorities "immediately and unconditionally" release all detained protesters and investigate allegations of police abuse of power in St. Petersburg and Yakutsk, as reported by the Russian broadcast of Radio Liberty.
The Amnesty International statement notes that the rallies took place in many cities in Russia on Vladimir Putin’s birthday.
"The intention of the Kremlin is beyond doubt - to deprive the …
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US representative for Ukraine Volker and Putin’s aide Surkov held talks in Belgrade
Negotiations between Russian Presidential Assistant Vladislav Surkov and US State Department Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker were constructive, RBC news agency reports quoting Surkov as saying.
"We discussed the draft resolution of the UN on the Donbas proposed by Russia, and understanding was found on a number of positions. Most of which were recognized as surmountable," Surkov said.
He added that both sides stressed the need to carry out the Minsk deals, with the Normandy …
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Pentagon questions ability of Russia and Syria to defeat the Islamic State
Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said that he is skeptical of statements made by the Russian Defense Ministry regarding its successes in the fight against the Islamic state (IS).
TASS quotes Pahon as saying that "The efforts of the authoritarian regime of [Syrian President Bashar Assad], Russia and Iran are unlikely to lead to a complete defeat of IS."
According to Pahon, the emergence of IS "is linked, inter alia, with the repressive measures of the Assad regime." Against this background, he …