Russia

MOSCOW, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his administration to consider an apparent new system to ban "toxic" internet content, although details were not released.

The new system, contained in a list of presidential orders on the Kremlin website, was described as a "self-regulated register of toxic content" which would be used "to protect minors". The Kremlin would review it by June 1.

The order, with Thursday's date, was first reported by Russian media on Saturday.

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian lawmaker is encouraging residents of the rebel-controlled areas of Ukraine to join the Russian army, a sign that Moscow is continuing to try to integrate those territories as much as possible amid Western fears that Russia is planning to invade Ukraine.

Viktor Vodolatsky said Saturday that residents of the regions controlled since 2014 by Russia-backed rebels fear assaults by Ukrainian forces and that those who hold Russian passports would be welcomed in the military.

MOSCOW, January 28. /TASS/: Brent oil futures prices with delivery in April 2022 gained 2.09% to $90.01 a barrel on the London-based ICE today, according to trading data.

Brent oil prices were at such level for the first time since October 2014.

Later on, Brent futures climbed to $90.95, up 1.5%.

At the same time, the euro and the dollar are in the red during the trading session on the Moscow Exchange.

MOSCOW, January 28. /TASS/: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in a telephone conversation with Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock shared Russia’s first impressions of the US and NATO’s response to security guarantee proposals.

MOSCOW, January 28. /TASS/: The US and NATO did not take Russia’s principal concerns in their responses to Moscow’s proposals on guarantees of security, Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed out during his phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, the Kremlin said in its statement Friday.

MOSCOW, January 28. /TASS/: Moscow has decided to expand the retaliatory list of EU representatives banned from entering the country, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated on Friday.

MOSCOW, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Russia said on Friday that a planned expulsion of 27 Russian diplomats from the United States in January would leave 184 staff members at the Russian embassy.

The United States has demanded that 55 Russian diplomats leave the country this year. Twenty-seven had to leave this month, and the rest are required to return to Russia by June 30, the Russian embassy said in a post on its Facebook page.

MOSCOW, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- If the United States were to impose more sanctions against Russia, the country would risk severing relations with Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday.

"Regarding the threat of (new) sanctions, the Americans were told during the contacts of the presidents that the package (of new sanctions) being considered by Washington, including a complete shutdown of those financial and economic systems controlled by the West, would be equivalent to breaking off ties," Lavrov said.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia said Friday it will not start a war in Ukraine but warned that the U.S. and NATO have ignored its demands and left little room for compromise in the crisis.

President Vladimir Putin told French President Emmanuel Macron that the West has failed to consider Russia’s key conditions of halting further NATO expansion, stopping the deployment of alliance weapons near Russian borders, and rolling back its forces from Eastern Europe, the Kremlin said.

GORKI, January 27. /TASS/: The people of Ukraine will eventually elect a national leadership that will fix the relations with Russia and will recognize a number of geopolitical realities, including Crimea, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview Thursday.