Russia

MOSCOW, August 15. /TASS/: IKEA closed the online sale in Russia for buyers and corporate clients, the Swedish retailer said on its website.

"We completed the online sale of IKEA goods for our buyers and corporate clients. The basket, the list of purchases and the personal account are not accessible on the website," the company said.

All orders made before the end of online sales will be processed, issued or delivered in August and September, the retailer said.

Aug 15 (Reuters) - Russia says it will do "everything necessary" to allow specialists from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to visit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine amid fears over the plant's safety due to shelling.

Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the biggest in Europe, was captured by Russia in March shortly after its invasion of Ukraine. The plant has come under fire in recent days, with Moscow and Kyiv blaming each other for the shelling, which they both say risks a nuclear accident.

Aug 15 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Moscow values its ties with countries in Latin American, Asia and Africa and that it is ready to offer modern weapons to its allies.

"(We) are ready to offer our allies the most modern types of weapons, from small arms to armored vehicles and artillery to combat aviation and unmanned aerial vehicles," Putin said at the opening ceremony of the "Army-2022" forum near Moscow.

MOSCOW (AP) — Lawyers for American basketball star Brittney Griner have filed an appeal of her nine-year Russian prison sentence for drug possession, Russian news agencies reported Monday, amid talks between the U.S. and Russia that could lead to a high-profile prisoner swap.

Griner, an eight-time all-star center with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and two-time Olympic gold medalist, was convicted Aug. 4 after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.

MOSCOW, August 14. /TASS/: The final agreement on restoration of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program may be reached as early as next week in the event of favorable development of events, Russian Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov told TASS in an interview.

MOSCOW, August 14. /TASS/: The Russian armed forces have liberated the settlement of Udy in the Kharkov Region as a result of offensive operations, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Sunday.

"As a result of offensive operations by the Russian armed forces, the settlement of Udy in the Kharkov Region has been completely liberated," the spokesman said.

MOSCOW, August 14. /TASS/: The Russian side is ready for a professional conversation and concrete steps to exchange prisoners with the United States, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Sunday.

MOSCOW, August 14. /TASS/: The United States’ plans to isolate Russia in the world have failed, which explains Washington’s attempts to label Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism with the hands of others, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Sunday.

"They are using others to materialize their idea [to add Russia to this list]. As a matter of fact, the Baltic states have already spoken out on this topic," she said in an interview with the Voskresny Vecher (Sunday Evening) with Vladimir Solovyov program on the Rossiya-1 television channel.

MOSCOW, August 13. /TASS/: Russia has warned the US about the points of no return, after which a rupture of diplomatic relations is possible, Alexander Darchiev, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's North American Department, told TASS in an interview.

MOSCOW, August 13. /TASS/: Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Russia grew by 28,694 in the past day and 60 coronavirus patients died of the infection, the anti-coronavirus crisis center reported on Saturday.

A day before, Russia reported 27,810 coronavirus cases and 57 fatalities, which totaled 18,852,976 and 383,071, respectively.

Coronavirus recoveries in Russia grew by 16,874 in the past 24 hours compared to 14,320 a day before, totaling 18,121,135, the latest figures suggest.