Russia

MOSCOW (AP) — The Kremlin on Friday rebuffed allegations that a buildup of Russian troops near Ukraine reflects Moscow’s aggressive intentions, saying that Russia needs to ensure its security in response to alleged NATO threats.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed Western media reports alleging Moscow’s intentions to invade Ukraine as “hollow and unfounded attempt to incite tensions.”

“Russia doesn’t threaten anyone,” Peskov said during a conference call with reporters. “The movement of troops on our territory shouldn’t be a cause for anyone’s concern.”

MOSCOW, November 11. /TASS/: The United States and NATO have switched to practicing Black Sea deployments by whole squadrons and task forces instead of standalone combat ships, military expert, Director for Development at the Fund for Assistance to 21st Century Technologies Ivan Konovalov told TASS on Thursday.

MOSCOW, November 11. /TASS/: Moscow hopes that the "crazy idea" of sanctions against the Russian company Aeroflot lives only in bogus stories, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.

"Let's all count on the fact that such crazy ideas live only in such bogus stories," he said, speaking of the possibility of imposing sanctions against the Russian airline by the EU.

MOSCOW, November 11. /TASS/: Russia supports the mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination certificates, with the fact of being vaccinated being more important than the specific vaccine that was used. It is necessary to separate the procedures of allowing vaccines on the market and recognize the certificates, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said during a meeting with the Council of Europe’s delegation led by the Council’s Deputy Secretary General Bjorn Berge on Thursday.

MOSCOW, November 11. /TASS/: The orbit adjustment for the International Space Station (ISS) scheduled for November 16 has been cancelled, following a space debris avoidance maneuver, Russia’s federal space agency Roscosmos told TASS on Thursday.

The ISS orbit was adjusted on Wednesday night to avoid a collision with space debris, Roscosmos said.

"The avoidance maneuver was calculated by ballistics specialists of the Flight Control Center at TsNIImash (part of Roscosmos), which allowed cancelling the November 16 orbit adjustment," the Russian space agency said.

MOSCOW, November 11. /TASS/: Moscow and Paris will need to have a serious discussion of Ukraine-related issues at a meeting between the Russian and French foreign and defense ministers set to take place in Paris on November 12, Russian top diplomat Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference on Thursday.

MOSCOW, November 10. /TASS/: Tensions are rising as new challenges and threats emerge in the field of non-proliferation and global arms control, Russian top diplomat Sergey Lavrov said at a board meeting of the Russian and Belarusian Foreign Ministries on Wednesday.

MOSCOW, November 10. /TASS/: NATO reconnaissance aircraft increased the number of flights near the Russian borders in the Black Sea region over the past 24 hours, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Wednesday.

"Over the past 24 hours, reconnaissance aircraft of NATO countries increased the intensity of flights near the borders of the Russian Federation in the Black Sea region," the ministry said.

MOSCOW, November 10. /TASS/: A humanitarian catastrophe is looming over the Polish-Belarusian border while Europe departs from its declared ideals in this situation, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"The situation is indeed highly tense, a trend [is observed] of increasing tension which can only concern us. A looming humanitarian catastrophe is evident against the background of the unwillingness of our European colleagues to demonstrate the adherence to their European values," the Kremlin official told journalists on Wednesday commenting on the unfolding situation.

MOSCOW, November 10. /TASS/: Moscow and Minsk have expressed concern over NATO’s buildup near the borders of the Union State, while the alliance prefers not to pay attention to these concerns, Belarussian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei told a news conference following a joint board meeting of the Russian and Belarusian foreign ministries.