Russia

MOSCOW, January 14. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed Boris Gryzlov as new Russian Ambassador to Belarus, according to the presidential order, published at the official legal information website Friday.

"Appoint Gryzlov Boris Vyacheslavovich as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Belarus," the document says.

Another presidential order relieves Yevgeny Lukyanov of his duty as the ambassador, which he occupied since March 2021.

MOSCOW, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday spoke highly of the "unique architecture of Russia-China ties" and Russia's and China's joint efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation and solve international problems.

The annual summits of the national leaders, meetings of the heads of government, and sessions of various commissions at the level of deputy prime minister (premier) "have proved to be very efficient," Lavrov said during his press conference summarizing Russian diplomacy in 2021.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia raised the stakes Thursday in its dispute with the West over Ukraine and NATO’s expansion when a top diplomat refused to rule out a military deployment to Cuba and Venezuela if tensions with the United States escalate.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said he could “neither confirm nor exclude” the possibility of Russia sending military assets to Latin America if the U.S. and its allies don’t curtail their military activities on Russia’s doorstep.

MOSCOW (AP) — Special envoys from Turkey and Armenia met in Moscow on Friday for a first round of meetings aimed at ending decades of bitterness between their countries and establishing diplomatic ties. Both countries said the meeting was conducted in a “positive and constructive atmosphere.”

Although Turkey was among the first countries to recognize Armenia’s independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the two neighbors share a bitter relationship and have no diplomatic ties.

MOSCOW, January 13. / TASS /: The Russian Roscosmos state space agency and NASA are in talks on extending the operation of the International Space Station (ISS) until 2030, CEO of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin said on Thursday.

"The talks with NASA on extending the operation of the ISS until 2030 are underway," Roscosmos CEO noted. Rogozin also mentioned that the US sent an official notification relating to the extension of using ISS until 2030 on December 31.

MOSCOW, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The peacekeeping forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) have begun the handover of socially significant facilities to Kazakh law enforcement agencies, the Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday.

"In accordance with the plan developed by the command of the CSTO Collective Peacekeeping Forces and the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the transfer of socially significant objects guarded by peacekeepers to law enforcement agencies of the country began," it said in a statement.

MOSCOW (AP) — A senior Russian diplomat warned on Thursday that a Russian military deployment to Cuba and Venezuela can’t be excluded if tensions with the United States mount.

MOSCOW, January 12. /TASS/: Natural gas reserves in Europe’s underground gas storages (UGS) are at their lowest level during the long-term monitoring period and withdrawals are already above a half of the volume injected last year, Gazprom said on Wednesday.

"Gas reserves in European UGS are at their lowest levels for this season throughout the long-term monitoring history," the company said.

MOSCOW (AP) — Kazakh authorities said Wednesday they detained 1,678 more people in the past 24 hours over their alleged participation in the violent unrest that rocked the former Soviet nation last week, the worst since Kazakhstan gained independence three decades ago.

The additional detentions, reported by authorities in Almaty, the country’s largest city that was hit the hardest by the turmoil, brought the total number of arrests to about 12,000. More than 300 criminal investigations into mass unrest and assaults on law enforcement officers have been opened.

MOSCOW, January 11. /TASS/: Russia’s Kamaz-Master Team crew of Eduard Nikolaev won the 9th Stage of the 2022 Dakar Rally in the truck category, while his teammate Sotnikov’s crew crossed the finish line in 2nd place.

Nikolaev and his crew of Yevgeny Yakovlev and Vladimir Rybakov won the 287 kilometers distance in 2 hours 38 minutes and 43 seconds.