Russia

MOSCOW, November 7. /TASS/: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a phone call with Secretary General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization Hussein al-Sheikh that Russian nationals need to be evacuated from the Gaza Strip as soon as possible.

MOSCOW, November 7. /TASS/: France has scuttled Russia’s participation in the 42nd session of the UNESCO General Conference by not issuing visas to members of the Russian delegation, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Russia's foreign ministry said on Tuesday that a remark by an Israeli junior minister who appeared to express openness to the idea of Israel carrying out a nuclear strike on Gaza had raised a huge number of questions.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday suspended Heritage Minister Amihay Eliyahu, from a far-right party in the coalition government, from cabinet meetings "until further notice".

Asked in a radio interview about a hypothetical nuclear option, Eliyahu had replied: "That's one way."

MOSCOW, November 6. /TASS/: The Anglo-Saxon forces are pushing the Middle East towards a big war, which is leading to a surge in terrorism and millions-strong refugee flows, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"We can see the Anglo-Saxons literally pushing the Middle East to the brink of a big war," he pointed out, addressing the Znanie (Knowledge) marathon at the International RUSSIA EXPO.

MOSCOW, November 6. /TASS/: Russia’s Saint Petersburg (SPB) Stock Exchange has suspended trading in foreign securities for compliance procedures, which will take at least seven working days, according to a statement.

The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) blacklisted the SBP Exchange on November 2.

"The SPB Exchange is in contact with Russian and foreign counterparties to establish a framework, given the current situation. We expect that consultations will take at least seven working days," the statement reads.

MOSCOW, November 6. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin has not announced a decision to seek another term in office yet, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS.

When asked to comment on a Reuters report that Putin had allegedly decided to run in the March 2024 presidential election, Peskov said: "Putin has not made any statements on the matter yet." "An election campaign has not yet been announced," he added.

Russia Nov 6 (Reuters) - A large group of Russia's former Wagner mercenaries has started training with special forces from the southern Russian region of Chechnya, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on Monday.

Wagner played a prominent role in some of the fiercest fighting of Russia's war in Ukraine, but its future was thrown into question when its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash in August, two months after leading a brief mutiny against the Russian defence establishment.

MOSCOW, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin has decided to run in the March presidential election, a move that will keep him in power until least 2030, as the Kremlin chief feels he must steer Russia through the most perilous period in decades, six sources told Reuters.

After defusing an armed mutiny by the leader of the Wagner mercenary group in June, Putin has moved to shore up support among his core base in the security forces, the armed forces and with regional voters outside Moscow, while Wagner has been brought firmly to heel.

VLADIVOSTOK, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Jewish Autonomous Region (JAR) in Russia's Far East is ready to accept refugees from both sides of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, JAR Governor Rostislav Goldstein said Sunday.

"For us, every life is important. And we are ready to accept in the Jewish Autonomous Region those who come with peace. Refugees from both sides of the conflict can benefit from all the support measures," he wrote on Telegram. "Anyone who needs help will be able to find shelter in the Jewish Autonomous Region."

MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian military on Sunday reported a successful test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile designed to carry nuclear warheads from a new nuclear submarine.

The report comes as tensions are soaring between Russia and the West over the fighting in Ukraine. Adding to those tensions, President Vladimir Putin last week signed a bill revoking Russia’s ratification of a global nuclear test ban in a move that Moscow said was needed to establish parity with the United States.