Russia

MOSCOW, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday told mothers of soldiers fighting in Ukraine not to believe everything they see on television or read on the internet, as he said there were many "fakes" circulating about what Russian calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine.

MOSCOW, Nov 24 (Reuters) - The Kremlin on Thursday denied that its attacks on Ukraine's electricity network were aimed at civilians, but said Kyiv could "end the suffering" of its population by meeting Russia's demands to resolve the conflict.

Repeated missile barrages against power infrastructure across Ukraine over the last few weeks have forced millions of people to go without light, water or heating for hours or days at a time, just as outdoor temperatures fall below freezing.

MOSCOW, November 24. /TASS/: There is growing evidence indicating that there is a confrontation between Russia and NATO in Ukraine, and the number of alliance experts involved in the conflict on Kiev's side is growing, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on Thursday.

MOSCOW, November 24. /TASS/: The Russian State Duma on Thursday adopted in the third and final reading a bill developing legislation on foreign agents. The draft law is aimed at countering foreign interference.

The document, among other things, equates information items produced by a foreign agent for minors to information which is harmful to children's health and development.

MOSCOW, November 24. /TASS/: Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar held discussions on the progress of the grain deal and the situation in northern Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

MOSCOW, November 24. /TASS/: Fifty Russian soldiers have returned from the Ukrainian captivity, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced on Thursday.

"On November 24, 50 Russian servicemen who faced a fatal danger in captivity have been returned from the territory controlled by the Kiev regime as a result of the negotiating process," the ministry said in a statement.

Military transport planes of the Russian Aerospace Forces will deliver all the released servicemen to Moscow for medical treatment and recovery at the Defense Ministry’s medical institutions, it said.

MOSCOW, November 24. /TASS/: The European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI) has demonstrated that it is unwilling to impartially assess the human rights situation in Ukraine, Russia’s human rights commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, said after attending the General Assembly of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) in Brussels.

Nov 24 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday discussed Western attempts to cap the price of Russian oil during a phone call with Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, the new Iraqi prime minister, the Kremlin said in a readout of the call.

It said Putin had told Sudani that a price cap would have serious consequences for the global energy market.

"Attempts by a number of Western countries to impose restrictions on the cost of crude oil from Russia were touched upon," the Kremlin's statement said.

MOSCOW, Nov 24 (Reuters) - The Kremlin on Thursday denied that its attacks on Ukraine's electricity network were aimed at civilians, but said Kyiv could "end the suffering" of its population by meeting Russia's demands to resolve the conflict.

Repeated missile barrages against power infrastructure across Ukraine over the last few weeks have forced millions of people to go without light, water or heating for hours or days at a time, just as outdoor temperatures fall below freezing.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian lawmakers on Thursday gave their final approval to a bill that significantly expands restrictions on activities seen as promoting gay rights in the country, another step in a years-long crackdown on the country’s embattled LGBTQ community.

The new bill expands a ban on what authorities call “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” to minors, established by legislation dubbed the “gay propaganda” law. It was adopted by the Kremlin in 2013 in an effort to promote “traditional values” in Russia.