Russia

10 Dec 2018; AFP: A Russian court on Monday found a former policeman guilty of 56 murders, while he is already serving a life sentence for killing 22 women, making him one of Russia's most prolific serial killers.

The court in the Siberian city of Irkutsk found Mikhail Popkov "guilty of killing 56 people between 1992 and 2007," Irkutsk regional prosecutor's office said in a statement.

Prosecutors said Popkov "has a pathological attraction to killing people." He was also found guilty of raping 10 of the victims.

MOSCOW, December 7. /TASS/. The United States seeks to disrupt the investigation into the chemical attack by terrorists in Syria’s Aleppo on November 24 and the US State Department’s allegations that this incident was staged obviously pursue this goal, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday.

MOSCOW, December 8. /TASS/. Ukrainian sailors detained during the Kerch incident cannot be considered prisoners of war, as they are accused of committing a general crime, Head of the Investigative Department of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Mikhail Shishov said at a briefing on Saturday.

TEL AVIV, December 9. /TASS/. Israeli and Russian experts may gather for another meeting to discuss coordination on Syria in the coming days in Moscow, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a government meeting on Sunday.

"I talked to Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday. We agreed that the delegations of Russian and Israeli armies on coordination on Syria will meet as soon as possible. I hope this will be in the coming days, most likely in Moscow. And our meeting with President Putin will be held later," Netanyahu said, according to his press service.

5 Dec 2018; AFP: A defiant Vladimir Putin on Wednesday threatened to develop nuclear missiles banned under a treaty with the United States after Washington gave Moscow a deadline to comply with the key arms control agreement.

The latest spike in tensions came a day after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington would withdraw from a major Cold War treaty limiting mid-range nuclear arms within 60 days if Russia does not dismantle missiles that the US claims breach the deal.

3 Dec 2018; AFP: Oil prices soared on Monday after Russia and Saudi Arabia renewed a pact to cap output, while the US agreed to halt raising tariffs on Chinese imports, stalling a trade row that many feared could hit demand for the commodity.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday he and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman "have agreed to extend our agreement" to limit production as prices slump on global markets.

An existing deal committing OPEC and non-members to cuts expires this year.

MOSCOW, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday called on the United States to stop imposing unilateral sanctions and seek common ground with its partners.

"It seems to me that we need to achieve a positive result for ourselves, not trying to harm the partners, but trying to find joint areas of activity in order to work together more effectively," Putin said at the Russia Calling investment forum.

27 Nov 2018; AFP: A court in Crimea on Tuesday ordered two months' detention for Ukrainian sailors captured in a confrontation at sea with Russia, in a move likely to further stoke tensions between Moscow and Kiev.

The 24 sailors have been held by Moscow since Sunday, after Russian forces seized three of Kiev's ships off the coast of Crimea, sparking the most dangerous crisis between the ex-Soviet neighbours in years.

MOSCOW (AP) — The Kremlin has warned that the martial law that will go into effect in parts of Ukraine on Wednesday might trigger renewed hostilities in the separatist-held east.

The Ukrainian parliament on Monday adopted a motion by the president to impose martial law for 30 days, something that Ukraine avoided doing even when Russia annexed its Crimean peninsula or sent in clandestine troops and weapons to the war-torn east.

MOSCOW, November 26. /TASS/. The deployment of the US Aegis Ashore systems as ballistic missile defense infrastructure in Europe is a direct breach of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Monday.