Russia

MOSCOW, December 21. / TASS /: The US is building up a forward military presence near Russia’s borders, deploying about 8,000 troops in Eastern Europe, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said at the expanded meeting of the Defense Ministry Board on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, December 21. /TASS/: Series production of the regional turboprop passenger airplane is planned to be kicked off in 2025, Russian Minister of Industry Denis Manturov said on Tuesday.

"We plan to launch series production of the nine-seat Baikal since 2023 and the 44-seat turboprop regional passenger airplane in 2025," he noted.

19-seat L-410 airplanes localized for production in Yekaterinburg are already supplied to operators in order to expand the network of regional routes, Manturov said.

MOSCOW, December 21. /TASS/: All attempts by Western countries to isolate Russia in the international arena are futile, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said at the expanded board meeting of the Russian Defense Ministry on Tuesday.

"The [Russian] Ministry of Defense cooperates with the Armed Forces of 109 countries. It demonstrates the futility of attempts by Western countries to isolate Russia in the international arena," he said.

MOSCOW, December 21. /TASS/: The first patients who were diagnosed with the Omicron strain in Russia have recovered and have been discharged from hospitals, Head of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing Anna Popova said on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, December 21. /TASS/: The price of gas in Europe in the course of exchange trading continues to beat historical records and has already exceeded $ 2,100 per 1,000 cubic meters according to the data of the London stock exchange ICE on Tuesday afternoon.

The price of January futures on the TTF hub in the Netherlands increased to $ 2,120 per 1,000 cubic meters, or 181.47 euros per MWh (based on the current exchange rate of the euro to the dollar, prices for ICE are presented in euros per MWh).

MOSCOW, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Russia said on Monday it urgently needed a response from the United States on its sweeping security demands and again warned of a possible Russian military response unless it saw political action to assuage its concerns.

Moscow, which has unnerved the West with a troop buildup near Ukraine, last week unveiled a wish list of security proposals it wants to negotiate, including a promise NATO would give up any military activity in Eastern Europe and Ukraine.

MOSCOW, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday blamed the West for escalating tensions in Europe, saying it had incorrectly assessed the outcome of the Cold War.

Speaking to senior military officials, Putin said Russia would respond "adequately" to any Western aggression and would develop its army further.

"Why did they expand NATO and renounce the missile defence treaties? They are to blame for what is happening now, for the tensions building up in Europe," Putin said.

MOSCOW, December 20. /TASS/: Arab investors withdrew from the capital of the Russian Helicopters company after receiving a 50% stake in the company’s design bureau, Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov told reporters on Monday.

"They [the UAE investors] are no longer shareholders of Russian Helicopters but together with Russian Helicopters they are 50% shareholders in a separate company for the development of the VRT-500 light helicopter and the VRT-300 unmanned aircraft system," he said.

MOSCOW, December 20. /TASS/: Russia is ready for a military response if NATO keeps ignoring Moscow’s security concerns, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Monday.

"I said that we would find forms to respond, including by military and military-technical means [if NATO ignores Moscow’s concerns again]," the high-ranking Russian diplomat told TASS.

"I reaffirm this. We will have to balance the activities that are of concern to us, because they increase the risks, with our countermeasures," Ryabkov said.

MOSCOW, Dec 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — All 128 miners were evacuated from a Siberian coal mine on Sunday after fire sensors were triggered, Russia’s emergencies ministry said, just weeks after a blast at a mine in the same region killed 51 people.

The SUEK coal company, which owns the Ruban mine in Russia’s Kemerovo region, said sensors had detected an increase in carbon monoxide emissions, caused by a seam heating up, but it had not ignited and there was no fire.

“All 128 people got out to the surface, there are no casualties,” the emergencies ministry said in a statement.