Russia

MOSCOW, January 24. /TASS/: The temporary commission of the Federation Council for the Protection of State Sovereignty and Prevention of Interference in Russia's Internal Affairs has grounds to believe that foreign countries’ specialists are involved in organizing unauthorized rallies in Russia, the commission’s Chairman Andrey Klimov told the Vesti Nedeli news program on Rossiya-1 TV channel on Sunday.

MOSCOW, January 24. /TASS/: It is impossible to "rock the boat" in Russia because President Vladimir Putin is supported by a much larger number of people than illegal protests draw, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin" program on Rossiya-1 TV channel.

In comment on the "so-called revelation" about Putin's alleged palace, the Kremlin spokesman noted that it is beneficial to "those who want to continue rocking the boat," however, "in fact, this is not happening."

MOSCOW, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Foreign Ministry blamed the U.S. Embassy in Moscow for interference in opposition rallies in Russia, which are the country's domestic affairs.

The U.S. Embassy has shown disregard for diplomatic rules and regulations by actively posting messages on social media in support of unsanctioned protests in Russian cities, the ministry said in a statement.

"We are talking about encouraging violent actions, hypocritically declared as peaceful protests, in which the organizers cynically involved even minors," the statement read.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian police arrested more than 3,000 people Saturday in nationwide protests demanding the release of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the Kremlin’s most prominent foe, according to a group that counts political detentions.

The protests in scores of cities in temperatures as low as minus-50 C (minus-58 F) highlighted how Navalny has built influence far beyond the political and cultural centers of Moscow and St. Petersburg.

MOSCOW, January 20. /TASS/: Russian Su-57 fifth generation fighter jet should be able to win over the US-made F-35 in case of a one-on-one dogfight, thanks to its maneuverability, says Magomed Tolboyev, a renowned test pilot who celebrates his 70th anniversary Wednesday.

"Su-57 will kill [a F-35] easily, should they meet one on one. The F-35 cannot maneuver, it’s simply incapable. But it does has electronic might," Tolboyev said, adding that electronics could be disrupted even by Solar flares.

"This is why I oppose everything electronic," the pilot disclosed.

MOSCOW, January 20. /TASS/: Russia confirmed 21,152 COVID-19 cases in the past day, a new low since November 18, the anti-coronavirus crisis center told reporters on Wednesday.

The total case tally hit 3,633,952. The average growth rate reached 0.6%.

The lowest growth rates were registered in the past day in the Kostroma Region (0.1%), the Republics of Tuva and Altai (0.2%), the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region, the Magadan Region and the Jewish Autonomous Region (0.3%).

MOSCOW, January 19. /TASS/: Russia’s coronavirus recoveries grew by 23,262 in the past 24 hours. A total of 3,002,026 people have recovered by now, the anti-coronavirus crisis center told reporters on Tuesday.

According to the crisis center, recoveries have risen to 83.1% of the total number of infected individuals.

Another 2,259 patients were discharged in St. Petersburg, 1,498 in the Moscow Region, 496 in the Nizhny Novgorod Region, 428 in the Belgorod Region and 385 in the Sverdlovsk Region.

MOSCOW, January 19. /TASS/: The Nord Stream 2 project is still facing rough pressure from the United States, while the restrictions, which are illegal from the point of view of international law, are growing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.

"This international project is still facing crude, illegal pressure from the United States of America," he said.

MOSCOW, January 19. /TASS/: The situation around the case of blogger Alexey Navalny and observance of his rights within the framework of legal proceedings does not require special attention of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated to journalists on Tuesday.

"This is not the situation that requires the president’s special attention," the Kremlin representative said. He added that "rights of all Russian citizens are guaranteed by laws and Russia’s overseeing agencies; this will happen in this case as well."

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has opened a criminal case against a police officer accused of leaking data that could have helped identify the alleged poisoners of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, the RBC business daily reported on Tuesday, citing sources.

The officer could face up to 10 years in jail if found guilty of abuse of power. He was detained last month and is currently under house arrest, a court in the city of Samara told RBC.