Russia

MOSCOW, August 26. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin will speak in person at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum on September 3, presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.

"Yes, I indeed confirm that President Putin will take part in the Eastern Economic Forum. He will participate in person in the plenary session. This will be a ‘mixed plenary session,’ the President will attend personally but there will also be an element related to the video conference," Peskov said. 

MOSCOW, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Russia has yet to determine its position towards the Taliban, and will see how they act toward the Afghan population and Russian diplomats, President Vladimir Putin's spokesperson said on Thursday.

Moscow is interested in peace and stability in Afghanistan and will likely continue contacts with Washington on issues arising there, Dmitry Peskov told a briefing.

MOSCOW, August 25. /TASS/: Afghanistan’s former President Hamid Karzai, head of the country’s High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah and leader of the Islamic Party Gulbuddin Hekmatyar will join a council to rule Afghanistan that the the Taliban (outlawed in Russia) leadership intends to establish, Afghanistan’s Ariana News TV channel reported on Wednesday.

MOSCOW, August 25. /TASS/: Founder and CEO of the Russian e-commerce company Wildberries Tatiana Bakalchuk has become the new leader of Forbes’ annual rating of Russia’s richest women. The list was published on the magazine’s website on Wednesday.

According to Forbes, Bakalchuk’s fortune has skyrocketed by 1,200% over the year. Based on this indicator, she ranked second among all the world's billionaires from the Forbes 2021 ranking. Her fortune is estimated at $13 bln.

MOSCOW, August 25. /TASS/: Nord Stream 2 is an exclusively commercial project designed to make a great contribution to the energy security of Europe, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday, answering a question about how the Kremlin views the new decision of the German court on Nord Stream 2 and what measures will be taken in this regard. Nord Stream 2 AG on Wednesday lost in court a case to exempt the project from the requirements of the EU Gas Directive. 

MOSCOW, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Russia will deliver Pantsir missile defence systems to Myanmar on schedule as outlined in the relevant sales contract, the RIA news agency cited the head of Russia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation as saying on Wednesday.

The truck-mounted systems are used to shoot down aircraft, drones and cruise missiles.

Rights activists have accused Moscow of legitimising the junta, which seized power in a Feb. 1 coup, by continuing bilateral visits and arms deals. 

Moscow, Aug 25 (AP-PTI) Russia is preparing to evacuate more than 500 people on four military planes from Afghanistan - its first airlift operation since evacuations from Kabul began.

The Defense Ministry said Wednesday that it will airlift the nationals of Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine from Kabul.

Teams of medical workers will be present on each plane, the ministry said, should any of the evacuees require medical attention.

KUBINKA /Moscow Region/, August 24. /TASS/: A new air assault regiment will be formed in Crimea by December 1 this year, Russian Airborne Force Commander Colonel-General Andrei Serdyukov told TASS on Tuesday.

"The Russian president’s decree on setting up the regiment has been signed and there is an executive directive by the chief of the General Staff, which stipulates that the [air assault] regiment in Crimea will be formed by December this year," the commander said on the sidelines of the Army-2021 international military-technical forum.

KUBINKA /Moscow Region/, August 24. /TASS/: Artificial intelligence technologies are turning into a tool of geopolitical influence, Russian Security Council Deputy Secretary Oleg Khramov said, addressing the Army-2021 International Military-Technical Forum on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed on the importance of coordinating on Afghanistan during a telephone conversation on Tuesday.

The leaders noted that closer cooperation on Afghanistan would contribute to the establishment of peace and stability in the region, the Kremlin said in a statement.

"They expressed their readiness to build up cooperation in countering the spread of terrorist ideology and the drug threat emanating from Afghanistan," it added.