Russia

MOSCOW (AP) —Russian air defenses downed dozens of Ukrainian drones in occupied Crimea and southern Russia on Friday, officials said, as Kyiv pressed its strategy of targeting the Moscow-annexed peninsula and taking the 22-month war well beyond Ukraine’s borders.

Air raid sirens wailed in Sevastopol, the largest city in Crimea, and traffic was suspended for a second straight day on a bridge connecting the peninsula, which Moscow seized illegally a decade ago, with Russia’s southern Krasnodar region. The span is a crucial supply link for Russia’s war effort.

MOSCOW(AP) — Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war under a deal sponsored by the United Arab Emirates.

Ukrainian authorities said that 230 Ukrainian prisoners of war returned home. Russia’s Defense Ministry said that 248 Russian servicemen have been freed from Ukrainian captivity. The ministry said that the deal was made possible thanks to mediatory efforts by the United Arab Emirates.

There was no immediate acknowledgment from the UAE, which has maintained close business ties to Moscow throughout Russia’s war on Ukraine

MOSCOW, January 2. /TASS/: The Bitcoin prices surged above $45,000 during the trading session for the first time since April 5, 2022, according to Coindesk data.

As of 04:05 a.m. Moscow time, the cost of bitcoin grew by 6.33% to $45,173. By 04:09 a.m. Moscow time, bitcoin continued to grow and was at $45,374 (+6.93%).

MOSCOW, January 2. /TASS/: Russia is closely watching the situation in the wake of an explosion on Roosevelt Island in New York City, Russian Consul General in New York Alexander Zakharov said in a comment for Rossiya-24 television.

"So far, there has been no [information] about any injuries, moreover among Russians, from among students of a university located on that island. We will watch the situation closely," he said.

Calls were received for reports of "a building shaking and explosion" at 5:54 a.m. local time (10:54 a.m. GMT) on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, January 3. /TASS/: Russian air defense forces shot down two Ukrainian Tochka-U missiles and seven Olkha MLRS projectiles over the borderline Belgorod Region, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported.

MOSCOW, December 31. /TASS/: The number of casualties during the shelling of Belgorod by the Ukrainian armed forces totaled 131 people of whom 24 people died including 4 children, the Russian Health Ministry reported.

"As a result of the shelling of Belgorod from Ukraine, 131 people were wounded, including 18 children. Of these, 24 people died, including four children," the statement says.

MOSCOW, January 1. /TASS/: Restrictions on the importation of Russian diamonds into G7 countries and restrictions on deliveries of diamonds to the European Union under the EU’s 12th package of sanctions have taken effect as of today, January 1, 2024, but experts surveyed by TASS doubt that the ban will be very effective.

MOSCOW, January 1. /TASS/: Several OPEC+ countries, including Saudi Arabia and Russia, have begun voluntarily reducing their oil production by an aggregate additional volume of 2.2 mln barrels per day (bpd) in January. The policy will be in force throughout the first quarter and, depending on market conditions, the petroleum producers’ cartel may begin progressively returning reduced volumes to the market.

MOSCOW  (AP) —Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Russia’s “united society” in his prerecorded New Year’s address to the nation, the country’s state news agencies reported Sunday.

Putin addressed Russians in a video that ran under four minutes long, significantly shorter than the New Year’s speech he gave last year, according to state news agency RIA Novosti. Millions of people were expected to watch the new address when it airs on TV as each Russian time zone region counts down the final minutes of 2023 on Sunday.

MOSCOW, December 30. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin has been informed about Ukraine’s shelling attack on the Russian city of Belgorod, Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.

"President Vladimir Putin has been briefed about Ukraine’s strike on residential quarters in Belgorod," he said, adding that the president ordered to send a Russian health ministry team led by Minister Mikhail Murashko and emergencies ministry’s rescuers to the city to help those affected.