If ya got 666 number on your car plate be ready to face religious activists that would use paint sprays to ruin your plate, your car, your day. At least this is what happened in Moscow a few days ago. It’s interesting that they didn’t just painted on the number plate but also deliberately painted out the “KIA” logo of the car, like they have something against this word too. Also seems 777 is not what they like as well.
Also the paint color choice was some tint of gold or bronze.
MOSCOW, June 30 (RIA Novosti) - Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev approved the final list of members for the task force on refugees from Ukraine, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak, a Russian government statement published online Monday says.
“Dmitry Medvedev approved the participants of the task force on support for people forced to leave Ukraine and temporarily accommodated in the Russian Federation,” the statement said.
The deputy head of the task force is Emergency Situations Minister Vladimir Puchkov, while other participants include the head of the Federal Migration Service Konstantin Romodanovskiy, Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin and head of the Federal Security Service Oleg Syromolotov.
Medvedev asked the task force to take action on temporary social arrangements and employment for the refugees, stressing there should be regional hubs responsible for taking in the refugees and providing acceptable accommodation.
As one of the earliest initiatives, task-force head Dmitry Kozak voiced “the objective to, before July 25, further work through issues related to the new school year in connection with the enrollment of schoolchildren and students into Russian educational institutions."
About 110,000 people have fled Ukraine to Russia since the beginning of the crisis, and more than 54,000 have been internally displaced, the chief spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), announced last week.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the government to take urgent measures to support the regions sheltering Ukrainian refugees, with Rostov Region facing the largest inflow.
Earlier this month, a delegation of the UNHCR office visited the Rostov Region and praised Russia’s contribution to accommodating refugees from Ukraine.
MOSCOW, June 30 (RIA Novosti) — The Kiev government is attempting to cover up the truth about the events in eastern Ukraine by all possible means, including putting the lives of journalists in danger, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Monday.
“Many Russian media workers have recently fallen victims of lawlessness in Ukraine. Attacks on our journalists come against the background of numerous statements by [Ukrainian] President [Petro] Poroshenko about his readiness to settle the situation in the southeast of the country, to reach a ceasefire,” the ministry said in a statement, stressing that Kiev uses “physical violence, deliberate shooting at journalists and torture,” which are forbidden under international law.
The Russian Foreign Ministry is outraged at Kiev’s approach to Russian journalists working in dangerous conditions in Ukraine, and urges an immediate stop to “such harassment and violence and to punish those responsible.”
“In reality, the Ukrainian authorities employ all means — including direct provocations that put the lives of Russian citizens in danger — to prevent attempts to reveal the truth about the events [in Ukraine] to the global community,” the statement reads.
“To date, the demands by the Russian side and other members of the international community to conduct an unbiased investigation into the attacks on our journalists and other attacks on civilians in the conflict zone remain unanswered,” the ministry concluded, stressing that Ukraine’s obligations in terms of “human rights and the rule of law” need to be fulfilled.
Cameraman from Russia’s Channel-1 television station Anatoly Klyan was killed late Sunday night by gunfire while traveling on a bus with a group of refugees outside the city of Donetsk.
The Russian Foreign Ministry demanded Kiev investigate the death of the journalist, appalled that “Ukraine’s power structures obviously do not want to de-escalate the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine and are blocking the fragile ceasefire.”
According to Reporters Without Borders, more than 200 journalists have been injured or attacked in Ukraine since the start of the year.
MOSCOW, June 30 (RIA Novosti) – Russia may still submit an inquest to the Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on the possible use of chemical weapons in eastern Ukraine, Russian Ambassador to The Netherlands Roman Kolodkin said Monday.
Kolodkin said, however, there is not yet enough proof to submit the inquest.
“In order to submit an inquest, significant grounds are needed and not just [information] from mass media. But if the information is multiplied, then perhaps we will bring up the issue. So far we are not,” Kolodkin said.
Kolodin said Ukraine has already started an investigation into the tragedy in Ukraine’s southern city of Odessa, where at least 48 people were killed.
“We’re waiting for the results. We hope that Ukraine will turn to the Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for cooperation so that their experts take part in the ongoing investigations,” Kolodin said.
On Sunday, local militia representatives said unidentified chemical weapons had been used by the Ukrainian army in an attack on the village of Semenivka near Slaviansk in Ukraine’s east.
One of the leaders of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic told RIA Novosti Monday that people showing symptoms of chlorine poisoning had been admitted to local hospitals following the Sunday attack.
Russia’s UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said Monday Moscow was calling for an investigation into the incident.
Despite the recent extension of the temporary ceasefire independence supporters and pro-Kiev forces continued fighting in Slaviansk throughout the weekend.
Last week, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko extended the ceasefire, initially declared until Friday evening, for an additional 72 hours.
MOSCOW, June 30 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s permanent representative to NATO, Alexander Grushko, said the alliance’s extension of halting practical cooperation with Russia is unconstructive and contradicts the interests of cooperation on issues of global security.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said earlier the alliance plans to extend its non-cooperation with Russia over the issue of Ukraine and Crimea.
“Russia believes this is a non-constructive step. It contradicts the interests of cooperation in the issues of global security,” Grushko told RIA Novosti.
“If the countries of NATO are really interested in participating in international efforts under the leading role of the UN Security Council to settle crises, in the eradication of general challenges and threats, then the cooperation factor with Russia is key,” Grushko said.
Grushko stressed that despite the NATO’s recent decision Russia had not withdrawn from any sphere of cooperation with the alliance, and would continue to implement all projects aimed at ensuring international safety.
NATO froze all military and civilian cooperation with Russia in April as a response to the country’s alleged role in the Ukrainian crisis, although Russia has repeatedly denied it was in any way involved in the issue.
Despite the halt in practical cooperation, NATO said political dialogue between the two sides would still be maintained at the ambassadorial level and higher.
MOSCOW, June 30 (RIA Novosti) – Russia is calling for an investigation into the alleged use of chemical weapons against independence forces in Ukraine’s east, Russia’s UN envoy Vitaly Churkin announced Monday.
“This is horrible. This case must be investigated,” Churkin told RIA Novosti.
One of the leaders of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic told RIA Novosti earlier in the day that people showing symptoms of chlorine poisoning had been admitted to local hospitals following an attack carried out by Ukrainian special forces on Slaviansk suburbs.
On Sunday, independence forces accused the Ukrainian army of using unidentified chemical weapons in the village of Semenivka, near Slaviansk. Two independence supporters in critical condition have been hospitalized.
Fierce battles between independence supporters and pro-Kiev forces continued in Slaviansk throughout the weekend despite the recent extension of the temporary ceasefire in the east.
The initial deadline was to expire late Friday, but President Petro Poroshenko made a decision to give independence forces in the country’s east additional 72 hours to lay down their weapons.
UGLEGORSK, June 30 (RIA Novosti) – The United States has shown no interest in negotiations on the deployment of GLONASS navigation stations in the US, the head of Russian space agency Roscosmos Oleg Ostapenko said Monday.
“We see no active steps on [the American] side toward the deployment of our stations,” Ostapenko told journalists adding that the negotiations have stalled.
In response to the refusal to host Russia’s GLONASS stations, Russia earlier announced the possible suspension of US rival GPS stations within its borders. As of June 1, GPS stations in Russia cannot be used for military purposes and are fully controlled by Russian authorities.
Earlier, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said Moscow was giving Washington three months, until August 31, to conduct all necessary talks and consultations with US partners on the GLONASS issue.
The GLONASS network, which was put into operation in 1993, is considered Russia’s answer to GPS. The network provides real-time positioning and speed data for surface, sea and airborne objects.
MOSCOW, June 30 (RIA Novosti) - The test launch of Russia’s new "environmentally friendly" Angara rocket was postponed due to the loss of pressure in one of the valves within the fuel flow system, a source in the Russian space industry told RIA Novosti Monday.
"The automatic launch cancellation, according to preliminary data, occurred about 15 seconds ahead of the start. The reason is purely technical: a poorly sealed drainage pressurization valve within the oxidizer manifold. To resolve the issue, the fuel will be drained, the carrier rocket will be taken off the launch pad and moved to a maintenance area," the source informed RIA Novosti.
The first launch of the light-class Angara-1.2PP rocket, manned by a Russian Aerospace Defense Forces crew from the Plesetsk space center in northern Russia’s Arkhangelsk Region, was initially intended to get the second stage of the rocket carrier to a projected ballistic trajectory, with a planned landing on the Kamchatka Peninsula.
For Russian Federation strategic security reasons, the universal Angara module rocket was designed and manufactured by Russian enterprises within Russia. Missile launches endorsed by the Defense Ministry and the Russian Space Agency are to be carried out from Plesetsk, and prospectively from the new Vostochny cosmodrome.
The maiden launch failed for technical reasons, and was first postponed to, June 28, the backup date, and then again due to the need to conduct a thorough investigation into the causes of launch cancellation.
ROSTOV-ON-DON, June 30 (RIA Novosti) – The governor of Russia’s Rostov Region declared a state of emergency for 40 more municipal districts in the region due to an influx of refugees.
“By the decree of Vasily Golubev a state of emergency has been declared in 40 more cities and districts due to an increase in citizens arriving to the regions from Ukraine,” the regional government said Monday.
A state of emergency has now been declared across the entire region. The measure is aimed at facilitating the work of temporary accommodation centers and ensuring sustenance for the refugees. In early June, a state of emergency was declared in 15 territories bordering Ukraine.
Amid simmering tensions in the Ukrainian east, where violent clashes between pro-Kiev forces and independence supporters continue, thousands of civilians are leaving their homes and seeking shelter in neighboring Russia.
According to recent estimates by the Russian Emergencies Ministry, over 17,000 Ukrainians have been accommodated in Russian temporary accommodation centers.
About 110,000 people have fled Ukraine to Russia since the beginning of the crisis, and more than 54,000 have been internally displaced, the chief spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), announced last week.
Russian President Vladimir Putin urged the government to take urgent measures to support the regions that are sheltering Ukrainian refugees, with Rostov Region facing the largest influx.
Earlier this month, a delegation of the UNHCR office visited the Rostov Region and praised Russia’s contribution to accommodating refugees from Ukraine.
MOSCOW, June 30 (RIA Novosti) — All crew and passengers aboard the Mi-8 helicopter that crashed in Russia’s Far Eastern Khabarovsk Territory earlier in the day are alive, a spokesman for Russia’s Federal Forestry Agency (Rosleskhoz) said Monday.
“They made contact — everyone is alive. The helicopter burned up,” Rosleskhoz spokesman Vladimir Dmitriyev said, confirming earlier reports from law enforcement sources that the crashed Mi-8 caught fire.
The helicopter, with at least 14 people on board, crashed shortly before noon in a remote Far Eastern area. Sources from Russian law enforcement agencies suggested there were a total of 17 people onboard the Mi-8 transport helicopter, four crew members and 13 passengers, but the emergencies ministry confirmed there were just 14 people on the aircraft.
The Mi-8 is a multipurpose helicopter suitable for a range of constantly expanding tasks, as the aircraft is modernized by equipping it with a wide range of additional hardware. The Soviet-designed helicopter performs well in various conditions and temperatures, and is easy to operate and maintain. The Mi-8 is one of the world’s most widely used transport helicopters.
HARBIN, June 30 (RIA Novosti) - The United States “has come to its senses after its sanction fever” and is prepared to increase its purchases of Russian rocket engines, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said Monday.
Rogozin said earlier that Russia could respond to US sanctions by halting deliveries of RD-180 and K-33 rocket engines to the United States.
“The Americans even buy K-33 and RD-180 engines from us and are now ready to buy even more engines from us once they came to their senses after their ‘sanction fever,’” Rogozin said during the first day of the First Russian-Chinese EXPO in northeastern China.
According to Rogozin, China is also interested in Russian rocket engines.
“[The Chinese] also need these engines to deliver more serious payloads and we’re interested in these [engine] deliveries,” the deputy prime minister said.
Earlier in March, US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel ordered the country’s air force commanders to reconsider cooperation with Russia in the military and technical sphere and to reduce dependence on Russian rocket engines.
According to Frank Kendall, the Pentagon’s chief weapons buyer, the US still cannot find a proper replacement for the Russian-manufactured engines.
According to Bloomberg, the development of a rocket engine to replace the RD-180 used to launch the American Atlas V rocket, would cost the US $1.5 billion and take up to six years.
MOSCOW, June 30 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law allowing Russian banks to transfer data directly to the US tax authorities, according to the corresponding document published online.
The legislation creates the legal conditions necessary for Russian financial institutions to register online with the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and subsequently fulfill their obligations under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA).
The US FATCA requires foreign banks to supply the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) with information on American taxpayers’ bank accounts. Under FATCA, signed into law in 2010, financial institutions worldwide are required to report details on the accounts and transactions of US taxpayer clients to the IRS and act as fiscal agents for the US, with the right to charge a 30 percent tax on their passive income related to the United States. Banks can be sanctioned if they do not join FATCA.
As under Russian law, banks are not allowed to disclose information to foreign government institutions, the US was previously in negotiations with Russia on signing an intergovernmental agreement that would simplify the process for all banks acceding to FATCA requirements.
However, the negotiations fell apart due to a rift in the countries' relationship following the buildup of the political crisis in Ukraine. The Russian Ministry of Finance therefore tackled the problem unilaterally by amending Russian legislation.
According to the provisions of the new law, Russian banks may direct American taxpayer information to the US tax body upon client consent, whereby the bank’s customers refusing to disclose the required details to the respective Russian bank can legally be denied service. Before submitting the FATCA-required information, Russian banks will have to report to the Central Bank of Russia and the relevant government agency on financial control, both of which reserve the right to deny further disclosure of any such information.
The law enters into force upon its official publication.
MOSCOW, June 30 (RIA Novosti) - Ukrainian refugees seeking shelter in Russian temporary accommodation centers have now exceeded 17, 000 people, a spokesman for the Russian Emergencies Ministry Alexander Drobyshevskiy said Monday.
"Currently, 245 temporary accommodation centers are home to 17,010 people, including 7,239 children. Additionally seven mobile temporary accommodation facilities have been established with a total capacity of 3,500 people," Drobyshevskiy said, stressing that the refugees from the south-eastern regions of Ukraine are provided with all the necessary basics.
According to Russian Children’s Rights Ombudsman Pavel Astakhov, 290 people, including 116 children, have been sent from the Rostov region of Russia bordering with Ukraine to other parts of Russia over the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 3049 people. The refugees are traveling further to Tula, Stavropol, Volgograd and other recepient hubs throughout the country. A total of 44 regions across Russia currently shelter Ukrainian refugees, according to Astakhov.
The flow of refugees from south-eastern regions of Ukraine increased dramatically in June in light of continuing military operation led by Kiev's special forces against independence supporters in the east. Russia has set up air passages for the evacuation of refugees from the border regions.
Since mid-April, Kiev authorities have been conducting a special military operation in the east of Ukraine to suppress the independence movement. The violence intensified after the Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics declared independence from Ukraine in May.
MOSCOW, June 30 (RIA Novosti) – Rossiya Segodnya International News Agency extends condolences to the family and friends of cameraman Anatoly Klyan killed late Sunday in an attack in Ukraine's Donetsk, as well as to the entire crew of Russia’s Channel-1 television station.
Two weeks ago we lost two colleagues from VGTRK media holding, now the disaster came to one more Russian channel.
Many of us knew Anatoly Klyan personally, worked with him both in Moscow and during numerous business trips, including in hot spots.
He was 68 years old, 40 years of his life he devoted to television.
Anatoly died with a camera in his hand. Even fatally wounded he kept working till the end.
We express our deep condolences to his family and friends and colleagues from Channel-1.
Earlier in the month, two other employees of VGTRK media holding - reporter Igor Kornelyuk and sound engineer Anton Voloshin - were killed in a mortar attack near the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk.
MOSCOW, June 30 (RIA Novosti) – Russian investigators on Monday launched a criminal case over the killing of yet another cameraman in Ukraine’s eastern republic of Donetsk, Russian Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said.
“This criminal case will soon be combined into one earlier launched on the use of military force by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, armed members of Ukraine’s National Guard, as well as the use of banned weaponry and methods in time of war,” Markin said, adding that the case also includes the use of banned weaponry in time of war.
“An employee of a Russian TV channel became the most recent victim of the Ukrainian authorities that blatantly ignore the generally accepted international rules on the protection of civilians during an armed conflict. The Investigative Committee will continue to collect evidence pertaining to these crimes and will take all possible measures as permitted by law, to punish every culprit involved in the crime,” Markin said.
A cameraman from Russia’s Channel-1 television station, Anatoly Klyan, was killed late Sunday night by gunfire while traveling by bus with a group of refugees outside the city of Donetsk.
Earlier in June, two employees of Russia’s state-run VGTRK media holding lost their lives in a mortar attack near the Ukrainian city of Luhansk. According to the Reporters Without Borders, more than 200 journalists have been injured or attacked in Ukraine since the start of the year.
Violence in southeastern Ukraine has been on the rise since the beginning of the punitive operation launched by Kiev authorities in mid-April. The special operation has already claimed multiple lives, including civilians, children and journalists on their professional duty.
Some say hurricanes or tornadoes are not possible in the center of Russia – Moscow city. However in 1904 there was an event that shocked most of the witnesses. The giant pillar of cycling air raised on the suburbs of Moscow and swept thru what is now the territory of a Moscow and was mainly the suburbs of Moscow at time.
Tens or hundreds of houses demolished, overthrown train cars and carriages. All these preceded with a hail size of a goose egg. The photo above might be the only photo of the actual hurricane pillar, however inside there are plenty of more photos of this natural event aftermath.
They say that this church was the first building on the way of the hurricane, it got its roof and the crosses on top of the domes destroyed.
A village “Chagino” (now part of modern Moscow) was totally demolished.
Lyublino Moscow district – the park around the mansion got totally wrecked.
A theater building nearby, was also damaged. The local newspaper wrote the following:
“At around 4 p.m. the park of the Lyublino gradually ceased to exist as was witnessed by the people. The trees fell down, the roofs were removed from where they belonged, the Earth trembled.”
Train station nearby got damaged. Six train cars overthrown.
The thick trees got their trunks twisted under the power of the wind.
How did a restaurant in Russia looked around hundred years ago. What type of gentlemen frequented the place and how the interiors looked like? Is it something similar to newly made often kitschy eateries after almost eighty years of Soviet people eating in state-owned Stolovaias (all restaurants in USSR belonged to the Soviet state). If you are curious about those things (like I am) then you have a chance to take a look at “Luna-park”. This is how a restaurant in Moscow was called in the beginning of the 20th century, before the Revolution. And this guy on the photo is its owner as you probably has guessed already. Photos can be viewed in higher resolution by the click.
That’s an entrance to the place.
And this is how it looked at time.
This is still an entrance.
And that’s main dining hall.
That’s a place where visitors could leave their coats.
And that’s summer tables.
BRUSSELS, June 27 (RIA Novosti) - The European Council on Friday said it would give Moscow three days to de-escalate the situation in Ukraine, or it will impose new sanctions against Russia, according to a statement published Friday.
The European Council also set conditions for the de-escalation.
"The European Council expects that by Monday 30 June the following steps will be taken: Agreement on a verification mechanism, monitored by the OSCE, for the ceasefire and for the effective control of the border; return to the Ukrainian authorities of the three border checkpoints (Izvarino, Dolzhanskiy, Krasnopartizansk); release of hostages including all of the OSCE observers; launch of substantial negotiations on the implementation of President [Petro] Poroshenko's peace plan," the statement reads.
The European Council said it regrets that the ceasefire, “while being respected by the Ukrainian authorities,” has not led to the full cessation of military hostilities and called upon the sides to “genuinely commit to the implementation of the peace plan and to cement the cessation of the military activities.”
European Union leaders urged Russia to “actively use its influence over the illegally armed groups and to stop the flow of weapons and militants across the border, in order to achieve rapid and tangible results in de-escalation.”
The European Council said it was prepared to convene at any moment to impose new sanctions against Russia over the Ukrainian crisis, should the council find it necessary.
“The Council will assess the situation and, should it be required, adopt necessary decisions. The European Council underlines its commitment to reconvene at any time for further significant restrictive measures," the statement reads.
Earlier Friday, Russia’s ambassador to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, told RIA Novosti in an interview that the EU had no intention or political will to expand sanctions against Russia.
The EU has adopted and repeatedly expanded the sanctions list to people they believe played a role in “violating Ukraine’s territorial integrity.” A total of 61 Russian and Ukrainian nationals have been hit with EU travel bans and asset freezes over the crisis. Several Crimean enterprises have also been targeted by the EU sanctions.
Moscow has repeatedly stated that the language of sanctions is “inappropriate and counterproductive” and warned its western partners about the “boomerang effect” sanctions would have.
MOSCOW, June 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is interested in restoring close ties with Libya in trade and energy and expanding military and technical cooperation, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday.
“We are closely examining developing relations with Libya. We support the efforts taken by the Libyan authorities to stabilize the situation in the country and ensure national reconciliation,” Putin said during a diplomatic accreditation ceremony for 14 foreign ambassadors to Russia broadcast on Rossiya-24.
On Wednesday, Libyans chose 200 members of the new parliament, including 32 women, from 1,628 candidates. The Libyan people are hoping the General National Congress will put an end to violence and political chaos in the country.
The Russian Foreign Ministry earlier welcomed the Libyan authorities’ decision to hold parliamentary elections, saying the move could further promote the political process in the country.
Last month, the situation in Libya escalated sharply after so-called militants from General Khalifa Haftar’s rebel group attacked Islamists in Benghazi killing dozens.
Following the civil war and the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi, the situation in Libya remains tense. A large number of armed tribal groups continue to operate in the country. In some areas, the equipment and combat capabilities of these units is significantly superior to that of the police.
MOSCOW, June 27 (RIA Novosti) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday Moscow is open to renewed anti-terrorism cooperation with the United States, but added the ball is now in the US’ court.
“We had quite an effective bilateral mechanism with the Americans, which combined various departments that were employed in the fight against terrorism. Last year that mechanism was frozen by our American colleagues and now we clearly sense their interest…to renew close cooperation in anti-terrorism. We are ready for that, it’s up to [our] American colleagues,” Lavrov said.
The deadly Boston bombing attack in April 2013 highlighted the need for closer anti-terrorism cooperation between Moscow and Washington. A year later in early April, NATO foreign ministers announced their decision to suspend all contact with Russia following a split over the crisis in Ukraine.
Now it is feared the freeze may undo the nations’ anti-terror efforts in turbulent Middle Eastern countries such as Afghanistan.
“Because NATO decided to curtail cooperation with Russia, this will unfortunately directly impact the combat efficiency of the Afghan Army. Evidently, this is a shortsighted approach from NATO partners that will hurt themselves,” Russia’s Afghan ambassador Andrei Avetisyan told reporters earlier in the day.
A similar warning came earlier from NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who said he hoped the suspension would not affect Russia’s participation in joint international projects in Afghanistan, including training anti-drug officials in the country.
The planned withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan by the year-end is feared might destabilize the Central Asian region, as it could allow the Taliban to act with impunity. The Pentagon plans to leave a residual force behind, along with three military bases, to maintain peace and security in Afghanistan.
MOSCOW, June 27 (RIA Novosti) – Some 110,000 people have fled Ukraine to Russia this year, while 54,400 others have been displaced within the country, Melissa Fleming, chief spokeswoman of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said Friday.
“Since the start of the year around 110,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Russia, and 750 have requested asylum in Poland, Belarus, Czech Republic and Romania,” the spokesperson said at a press briefing in Geneva.
“In Ukraine, UNHCR is seeing a rise in displacement. We now estimate that 54,400 people are internally displaced,” Fleming added.
Amid violent clashes between independence supporters and government-backed forces conducting a military operation in eastern Ukraine, many local citizens have chosen to leave their homes and seek shelter in neighboring Russia.
According to Russia’s Federal Migration Service, more than 400,000 Ukrainians are currently staying in the Russian regions bordering Ukraine, with Russia’s Rostov Region receiving the bulk of the flow of refugees. At least 1,863 Ukrainians have applied for refugee status in Russia.
The US is turning a blind eye to the humanitarian crisis in southeastern Ukraine. On Tuesday, in response to a question at a press briefing on whether Washington believes Russian reports of large numbers of refugees from Ukraine are incorrect, US State Department spokesman Marie Harf said, "Yes, incorrect."
Russian President Vladimir Putin told the government Wednesday to develop urgent measures to support Russian regions that have seen an inflow of refugees from the violence-struck Ukrainian regions.
PLESETSK, June 27 (RIA Novosti) – Friday’s test launch of Russia’s new eco-friendly Angara rocket was automatically terminated, according to the commander of the Aerospace Defense Forces, Major-General Alexander Golovko.
“An automated cancellation of the launch took place. It is being analyzed. After the analysis, the report will be submitted in due order,” Golovko reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Technical reasons” are blamed for the incident, according to the commander of the Aerospace Defense Forces.
While the second launch attempt is scheduled to be carried out in 24 hours, President Putin has ordered an explanation for the launch failure be detailed in one hour.
“Work without hurrying and chaos. Analyze everything very carefully and let me know in an hour,” Putin told Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu during a video link.
The launch of the light-class Angara-1.2PP rocket was to be carried out at 3.15 p.m. Moscow time (11:15 GMT) by a Russian Aerospace Defense Force crew from the Plesetsk space center in northern Russia’s Arkhangelsk Region.
New Angara rockets, Russia's first new space vehicle design since the Soviet era, have been in development since 1994. Angara space launch vehicles are capable of launching between 2,000 kg and 40,000 kg into low-Earth orbit.
The rocket has a liquid-oxygen and kerosene powered first stage and hydrogen-oxygen fueled second stage, so-called green fuels that make the rocket both more ecologically friendly and safer for support personnel than the country’s current largest rocket, the Proton.
Angara is designed to complement the country’s venerable Soyuz rocket, currently the only vehicle in the world capable of launching astronauts to the International Space Station.
MOSCOW, June 27 (RIA Novosti) - Possible new sanctions against Russia may result in negative consequences for US business, Bloomberg reported Friday citing senior US politicians.
US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Moscow earlier this week that the US and EU were preparing a new round of sanctions against Russia in case they were necessary to de-escalate the Ukraine crisis.
According to Bloomberg, US President Barack Obama risks Republican attacks if he imposes new sanctions on Russia, with some Republicans saying: “You’re killing American business” with new economic penalties, former US Defense Secretary William Cohen told the agency.
Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, the top-ranking Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, said: “There are times where our foreign policy interests trump individual mercantile interests, and now is one of those times,” commenting on the need for more sanctions.
John Feehery, a Republican political strategist, said the effect of new sanctions on the midterm elections would likely be limited. “On its own, it’s not going to have that much of an impact,” the strategist said, adding: “I can see bigger implications if it all turns drastically wrong.”
Linda Dempsey, vice president of international economic affairs for the manufacturers’ group, said the moves would hurt American business, without damaging Russia.
“Our competitors in Europe and Asia are going to easily fill the void,” Dempsey said.
US companies that would be most affected by new sanctions targeting the energy sector include Halliburton, Exxon Mobil and National Oilwell Varco, the report said.
The US Chamber of Commerce and National Association of Manufacturers launched a campaign earlier this week warning Washington against adopting new sanctions against Russia, saying the actions would harm American manufacturers and cost American jobs.
The US has imposed sanctions on a number of Russian officials and companies following the country’s reunification with Crimea. Washington has also repeatedly threatened Moscow with tougher economic sanctions. Russia’s Foreign Ministry has called the measures counterproductive and warned of the boomerang effect they might have.
White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said Thursday Russia is taking some positive steps, but unilateral sanctions are not off the table.
MOSCOW, June 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russian companies plan to implement prospective projects in Pakistan, including in energy and metallurgy, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday.
“We pay great attention to developing cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” Putin said during a diplomatic accreditation ceremony for foreign ambassadors to Russia broadcast on Rossiya-24.
“Russian companies are ready to fulfill prospective projects, including in the energy and metallurgy industry, in the sectors that were created with the help of specialists from [Russia],” the Russian president said.
Putin stressed that the important task is fighting terrorism and illegal drug trafficking.
Earlier this month, head of the Russian delegation at the Eurosatory 2014 international defense and security exhibition Igor Sevastyanov said Russia plans to supply Pakistan with Mi-35 combat helicopters to fight drug trafficking.
The head of Russia’s Rostec Corporation, a high-tech industrial producer and exporter, Sergei Chemezov, earlier stated that supplies of military equipment to Pakistan were to resume, including Mi-35 helicopters.
At the same time, a source in Pakistan’s foreign ministry told RIA Novosti that Russia never fully adhered to the embargo on military deliveries to Pakistan.
MOSCOW, June 27 (RIA Novosti) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has lauded Germany as Russia’s most important partner in promoting peace and global stability.
“We value the cumulative potential of Russian-German relations, and the high level of our trade and economic cooperation. Germany is one of leading EU nations, our biggest partner in enhancing peace, global and regional stability,” Putin said during a diplomatic accreditation ceremony for 14 foreign ambassadors to Russia broadcast on Rossiya-24.
The Russian president said Moscow was committed to strengthening every aspect of its bilateral ties with Berlin and emphasized the significance of German-Russian cultural exchanges, which promote cross-border language and literature studies.
Russian and Ukrainian leaders have long been in phone talks over the crisis in Ukraine, a country that plays a crucial role as a transit hub for Russian natural gas on its way to Europe, notably Germany.
On Thursday, Putin held a phone conversation with his German counterpart, Chancellor Angela Merkel, in which they sought to establish controls to ensure the warring parties in Ukraine uphold the current ceasefire.
VIENNA, June 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russia expects the forthcoming expert-level consultations and ministerial talks with Ukraine and the EU on Kiev’s association with the bloc will be a step toward reaching common ground, a deputy Russian foreign minister said Friday.
“We have so far seen no real wish to listen to Russian concerns. We would like to hope that the forthcoming rounds of technical and expert consultations and ministerial-level meetings will be a step toward finding mutual understanding,” Alexei Meshkov said at the OSCE Annual Security Review Conference in Vienna.
The ministerial-level talks between the EU, Russia and Ukraine are scheduled for July 11, while the expert-level consultations on the issue in Brussels are to be held this week.
“We see no danger in the primarily economic deals that this association agreement comes laden with. That’s why there is a need for a substantive, technical and expert dialogue on how to avoid deteriorating the economic climate in Russian-Ukrainian relations amid the signing of this deal and what steps the sides should take,” Meshkov said.
Some approaches should be revised and in some cases transition periods, primarily regarding Ukraine’s switch to EU regulations, should be increased, the deputy said, adding that the move could disrupt cooperation between Ukrainian and Russian companies.
Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova and the European Union signed association agreements that envision the creation of a free-trade zone with the EU during a summit in Brussels Friday.
Shortly after, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said integration with the EU is a sovereign right, but Russia will take all measures necessary to protect its market from the possible negative consequences of such an agreement.
MOSCOW, June 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russia has always been and remains a reliable supplier of energy resources to Europe and is prepared to fulfill its obligations in the future, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday.
“Our country has always been and remains a reliable supplier of energy resources to Europe," Putin said during a diplomatic accreditation ceremony for foreign ambassadors to Russia broadcast on Rossiya-24.
Putin said that at the beginning of the week he visited Austria, which was the first western country to sign a purchase agreement on natural gas from the former Soviet Union.
“For almost 50 years we have been steadily exporting energy resources to European governments, fulfilling our obligations on time and completely and we firmly plan on doing business like that in the future," Putin said.
Gazprom is a key gas supplier to the European market, meeting more than a quarter of the EU’s total gas needs. The Ukrainian gas transit system transports around 60 percent of Russia’s Europe-bound gas.
Earlier this week, Russia’s Gazprom and Austrian oil and gas company OMV signed a shareholder pact on the South Stream Austria joint venture, defining the construction plan and use of the respective gas pipeline.
The offshore part of the South Stream pipeline, seen as an alternative export route for EU destined gas, is to run from Russia across the Black Sea to the Bulgarian coast and further onward to Austria’s Baumgarten through Serbia and Hungary, with a total capacity of up to 63 billion cubic meters.
The project stalled when the European Commission expressed concern that Russia’s bilateral agreements with European transit countries, namely Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovenia, violate the EU Third Energy Package.
Speaking in Vienna Tuesday, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak reassured the press that the pipeline construction will be implemented on schedule, as the current problems and issues are simply “working problems."