Russia

Feb 7 (Reuters) - Russia's defence minister said on Tuesday that Western arms supplies to Ukraine were effectively dragging NATO into the conflict, warning this could lead to an "unpredictable" escalation.

"The U.S. and its allies are trying to prolong the conflict as much as possible," Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a conference call with military officials.

06 Feb 2023; MEMO: Russian rescue workers will fly to Syria and Turkiye after a huge earthquake killed about 1,700 people and injured thousands more, the Kremlin said on Monday, Reuters reports.

President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Syrian leader, Bashar Al-Assad and Turkiye's Tayyip Erdogan to express his condolences over the death and destruction wrought by the magnitude 7.8 quake, the worst to strike Turkiye this century.

MOSCOW, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin offered his condolences to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad after powerful earthquakes hit Türkiye and Syria on Monday.

According to the Kremlin, Putin said that Moscow is ready to provide all the necessary assistance to both countries.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov also told journalists that Russia is ready to provide both countries with necessary assistance, including technologies that can assess building conditions following earthquakes.

MOSCOW, February 5. /TASS/: In the past 24 hours, a total of 9,410 new Covid cases were registered in Russia, making the total case count 21,996,744, with 45 fatalities, which makes the total death toll 395,279.

The number of recoveries has increased by 5,200, making the total recovery count 21,379,874.

A total of 618 patients were hospitalized in the past 24 hours, with 13 regions reporting an increase in this number, 59 reporting a decreased and 13 reporting no change.

MOSCOW, February 5. /TASS/: The units of the Southern Group of forces occupied more advantageous lines and positions during the offensive in the Donetsk direction, more than 115 Ukrainian servicemen were killed, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov told reporters on Sunday.

MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/: Moscow’s response to Kiev’s strikes at Crimea or any other Russian region "deep" inside the country can be any, but it will be hard and convincing, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said in a written interview for Nadana Fridrikhson, published on her Telegram channel.

"Our response can be any," he said, answering a question. "The President of Russia said it quite definitively."

MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/: The timeframe for a meeting of Foreign Ministers of Russia, Syria and Turkey has not been negotiated yet, but consultations on this issue continue, says Mikhail Bogdanov, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Presidential Representative for the Middle East and Africa.

"We are working on the issue of holding a ministerial meeting; we held consultations with delegations from Syria and Iran, and in contact with our Turkish partners through the embassies. This work continues. But there is no timeframe yet," the official told TASS.

MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/: Participants in the EU-Ukraine summit, held in Kiev on February 3, will be frustrated, as the goals of Russia’s special military operation will be achieved, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on Saturday.

MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/: Kiev’s decision to attack Crimea, if ever taken, might escalate the conflict and trigger Moscow to use of any kind of weapons, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev wrote on his Twitter page on Saturday.

"International law respects the will of the people," he tweeted in English, adding that Crimea is a Russian region.

Feb 4 (Reuters) - Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said the supply of more advanced U.S. weaponry to Ukraine will only trigger more retaliatory strikes from Russia, up to the extent of Russia's nuclear doctrine.

"All of Ukraine that remains under Kyiv's rule will burn," journalist Nadana Fridrikhson quoted him as saying in a written interview with her.