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Putin to visit Crimea to open Kerch Bridge to railway traffic
Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to visit Crimea on Monday, December 23, to participate in the opening of the Kerch Bridge to railway traffic.
Interfax reports that during his trip, the Russian president will meet with bridge builders, and “sector leaders will report to him on plans to develop transport infrastructure”.
The Crimean Bridge is 19 km long. It was opened to light buses and cars on May 16, 2018, and to trucks on October 1. Passenger trains will start using the railway …
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Russian Foreign Minister: Russia is willing to demonstrate Sarmat ballistic missile to US
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow has shown Washington its hypersonic “Avangard” missile, and is also willing to demonstrate its “Sarmat” ballistic missile .
“We are prepared to build these weapons and systems into the existing New START treaty,” he said during a broadcast of the program Bolshaya Igra on Russia’s Channel One, as cited by RIA Novosti.
According to the minister, during their discussion regarding the New START treaty, Russia’s representatives told the US …
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US accuses Russian mercenaries of escalating tensions in Libya
The US State Department expressed concern about the activities of the Russian private military contractor, the Wagner Group, in Libya, reports Anadolu news agency.
According to the US State Department, Russian-linked mercenaries only intensify the escalation in the region, supporting the troops of General Khalifa Haftar, who is trying to capture the capital Tripoli.
It is noted that the number of civilian casualties in Libya is increasing. Civilian objects, including hospitals and airports, …
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Swiss Allseas withdraws pipe-laying vessels from Nord Stream 2 construction zone following US sanctions
The Swiss company Allseas, which has been laying the pipes of Nord Stream 2, has withdrawn its ships from the construction zone in the Baltic Sea. Allseas declined to provide an estimate of how long the construction of Nord Stream 2 would be delayed by. A total of three of Allseas' ships were involved in the laying of the pipeline, including the "Pioneering Spirit" - the world's largest ship for assembling and transporting sea platforms and laying underwater pipelines. On December 21, Gazprom' …
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Gazprom to pay Ukraine’s Naftogaz $2.9 billion by end of 2019
Russian Gazprom and Naftogaz of Ukraine will sign an agreement to settle all reciprocal claims relating to their current contracts in accordance with the gas cooperation protocol, Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller told the press on Saturday, December 21. “The settlement agreement envisages the waiver of new claims, the withdrawal of arbitration and court claims for which there are no final decisions, and payment in accordance with the final decision of the Stockholm Arbitration Institute,” the Interfax …