Champions League: CSKA win in another Russian night

AP Photo

Groups ABCD played tonight in the Champions League, another great night for Russia after Zenit's six points from two games; CSKA Moskva got off the mark with all three points in the home win over PSV by three goals to two. Musa and Seydou Doumbia put the game out of the Dutch side's reach before half time.

CSKA Moskva used the same tactic as Zenit, soaking up the pressure, giving away ball possession (39 to 61%) and launching lethal attacks. While both teams had 16 shots and PSV had eight on target against the home side's five, CSKA was three up by half-time, with an early goal by Ahmed Musa (7'), after a corner was not cleared by the visiting defence. This was followed by a brace from Seydou Doumbia (21', a header and 36', penalty).

Maxime Lestienne scored on the hour and just before the end on 88'.

Played tonight

Group A Shakhtar Donetsk 0 Paris Saint-Germain 3; Malmö 0 Real Madrid 2

Matchday 1

Real Madrid CF (Spain) 4 FC Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) 0

Paris Saint-Germain (France) 2 Malmö FF (Sweden) 0

Real Madrid 6 points, PSG 6, Malmö 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 0

Group B Man. United 2 Wolfsburg 1; CSKA Moskva 3 PSV 2

Matchday 1

VfL Wolfsburg (Germany) 1 PFC CSKA Moskva (Russia) 0

PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) 2 Manchester United FC (England) 1

CSKA 3, Man. United 3, Wolfsburg 3, PSV 3

Group C Astana 2 Galatasaray 2; Atlético 1 Benfica 2

Matchday 1

Galatasaray AŞ (Turkey) 0 Club Atlético de Madrid (Spain) 2

SL Benfica (Portugal) 2 FC Astana (Kazakhstan) 0

Benfica 6 Atlético 3, Galatasaray 1 Astana 1

Group D B. Monchengladbach 1 Man. City 2; Juventus 2 Sevilla 0

Matchday 1

Manchester City FC (England) 1 Juventus (Italy) 2

Sevilla FC (Spain) 3 VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach (Germany) 0

Juventus 6, Man. City 3, Sevilla 3, Mönchengladbach 0

Played yesterday

Champions League: Zenit matches on!

Matchday 2: Groups EFGH played tonight, another nightmare for the Premier League sides Chelsea (2-1 down at FC Porto) and Arsenal (2-3 losers at home to Olympiacos), while Russia's representative Zenit won at home against Gent by 2-1. All is well for André Villas-Boas' team.

Dzyuba opened the scoring on 35', enough to give the home team the lead at the break. Matton equalized for the Belgian visitors on 56' and Shatov closed the scoresheet on 67'. Zenit gave away ball possession (41 to 59%) but was far more efficient with 11 shots against Gent's 6 (4 on target against the visitors' single attempt on target, which resulted in a goal).

Group E Barcelona 2 Bayer Leverkusen 1; BATE 3 Roma 2

Matchday 1

Bayer 04 Leverkusen (Germany) 4 FC BATE Borisov (Belarus) 1

AS Roma (Italy) 1 FC Barcelona (Spain) 1

Barcelona 4 points; Leverkusen 3; BATE 3, Roma 1

Group F Bayern 5 D. Zagreb 0; Arsenal 2 Olympiacos 3

Matchday 1

GNK Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) 2 Arsenal FC (England) 1

Olympiacos FC (Greece) 0 FC Bayern München (Germany) 3

Bayern 6; D. Zagreb 3, Olympiacos 3; Arsenal 0

Group G M. Tel-Aviv 0 D. Kyiv 2; FC Porto 2 Chelsea FC 1

  

Matchday 1

FC Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine) 2 FC Porto (Portugal) 2

Chelsea FC (England) 4 Maccabi Tel-Aviv (Israel) 0

FC Porto 4; D.Kyiv 3;Chelsea FC 3; M. Tel-Aviv 0

Group H Lyon 0 Valencia 1; Zenit 2 Gent 1

Matchday 1

KAA Gent (Belgium) 1 Olympique Lyonnais (France) 1

Valencia CF (Spain) 2 FC Zenit (Russia) 3

Zenit 6; Valencia 3; Valencia 3; Lyon 1

  

  

Champions League Matchday 1

Group B: CSKA go down by minimum margin

A goal by Draxler after 40 minutes was enough to give Wolfsburg the three points against an organized CSKA side...but the statistics speak for themselves. Ball possession was 59% to 41% in favor of the German side, which had 18 shots against CSKA's 7 (7 on target against 3, 6 off target against 2, 5 blocked against 2).The home side also had 5 corners, while CSKA had just one. However, CSKA soaked up the pressure and came through with few wounds. In Moscow things can be different. In the other game in Group B, PSV Eindhoven beat Manchester United 2-1

In the other games, Group A: Benzema got one and Cristiano Ronaldo a hat-trick in Real Madrid's comprehensive dismantling of FC Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine), 4-0. Di Maria and Cavani scored for PSG against Malmö. Group B: Depay scored for United before home side PSV equalized through Moreno (45+2) and Narsingh (57'). Group C:

Griezmann scored a brace for Atlético in the first half in Turkey against Galatasaray, a team which attacked more but inefficiently; in the other game Benfica won in Lisbon against Kazakhstan's first ever presence in the Champions League (Astana) with goals from Gaitán and Mitroglou in the second half. Group D: A bad night for the Premier League with both Manchester teams going down. Manchester City rule the roost at home with five wins from five games but in the Champions, the first game ended in a home defeat to Juve. The first goal came from City but was an own goal by Chiellini on 57', after which the visitors scored through Mandzukic and Morata. Sevilla wrapped up a great night for Spanish teams (three games, three wins, 9 goals scored, zero conceded) with a comprehensive trouncing of Borussia Mönchengladbach with two penalties (Gameiro, 47 and Banega, 66) and the third from Konoplyanka on 84'.

  

Group A

Real Madrid CF (Spain) 4 FC Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) 0

Paris Saint-Germain (France) 2 Malmö FF (Sweden) 0

Group B

VfL Wolfsburg (Germany) 1 PFC CSKA Moskva (Russia) 0

PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) 2 Manchester United FC (England) 1

Group C

Galatasaray AŞ (Turkey) 0 Club Atlético de Madrid (Spain) 2

SL Benfica (Portugal) 2 FC Astana (Kazakhstan) 0

Group D

Manchester City FC (England) 1 Juventus (Italy) 2

Sevilla FC (Spain) 3 VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach (Germany) 0

Group H: Brilliant Zenit

Zenit came away from Valencia in Spain with a useful 3-2 win. Hulk had fired the Portuguese André Villas-Boas' side ahead by two goals at the break, on 9' and 44', before the home side came out of the tunnel inspired by Nuno Espírito Santo, the home team's Portuguese coach. João Cancelo and André Gomes pulled two goals back (55' and 73'). Three minutes, Witsel scored the winner.

Zenit played like a fox, taking advantage of the counter-attack with lethal efficiency. The team to watch?

  

Group E

Bayer 04 Leverkusen (Germany) 4 FC BATE Borisov (Belarus) 1

AS Roma (Italy) 1 FC Barcelona (Spain) 1

Group F

GNK Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) 2 Arsenal FC (England) 1

Olympiacos FC (Greece) 0 FC Bayern München (Germany) 3

Group G

FC Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine) 2 FC Porto (Portugal) 2

Chelsea FC (England) 4 Maccabi Tel-Aviv (Israel) 0

Group H

KAA Gent (Belgium) 1 Olympique Lyonnais (France) 1

Valencia CF (Spain) 2 FC Zenit (Russia) 3

Matchday 2 September 29/30
Matchday 3 October 20/21

Matchday 4 November 3/4

Matchday 5 November 24/25

Matchday 6 December 8/9

Qualifying round

  

First Leg

Sporting CP (Portugal) 2 CSKA Moskva (Russia) 1

Astana 1 (Kazakhstan) APOEL 0 (Cyprus)

Manchester United (England) 3 Club Brugge (Belgium) 1

Lazio (Italy) 1 Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) 0

BATE Borisov (Belarus) 1 Partizan Belgrade (Serbia) 0

Basel (Switzerland) 2 Maccabi Tel-Aviv (Israel) 2

Valencia (Spain) 3 AS Monaco (France) 1

Celtic (Scotland)  3 Malmö (Sweden) 2

Rapid Wien (Austria) 0 Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) 1

Skënderbeu (Albania) 1 Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) 2

Second leg (Clubs qualified in bold, losers go to Europa League)

Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) 4 Skënderbeu (Albania) 1 Aggregate 6-2

Malmö (Sweden) 2 Celtic (Scotland)  0 Agg: 4-3

Maccabi Tel-Aviv (Israel) 1 Basel (Switzerland) 1 Agg. 3-3 Maccabi pass, away goals

Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) 2 Rapid Wien (Austria) 2 Agg: 3-2

AS Monaco (France) 2 Valencia (Spain) 1 Agg: 3-4

APOEL 1 (Cyprus) Astana 1 (Kazakhstan) Agg:1-2

Partizan Belgrade (Serbia) 2 BATE Borisov (Belarus) 1 Agg: 2-2 BATE pass (away g.)

Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) 3 Lazio (Italy) 0 Agg: 3-1

CSKA Moskva 3 Sporting CP 1 Agg: 4-3

Club Brugge (Belgium) 0 Manchester United (England) 4 Agg: 1-7

  

The draw

  

Group A

FC Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) Malmö FF (Sweden) Paris Saint-Germain (France) Real Madrid CF (Spain)

Group B

Manchester United FC (England) PFC CSKA Moskva (Russia) PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) VfL Wolfsburg (Germany)

Group C

Club Atlético de Madrid (Spain) FC Astana (Kazakhstan) Galatasaray AŞ (Turkey) SL Benfica (Portugal)

Group D

Juventus (Italy) Manchester City FC (England) Sevilla FC (Spain) VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach (Germany)

Group E

AS Roma (Italy) Bayer 04 Leverkusen (Germany) FC Barcelona (Spain) FC BATE Borisov (Belarus)

Group F

Arsenal FC (England) FC Bayern München (Germany) GNK Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) Olympiacos FC (Greece)

  

Group G

Chelsea FC (England) FC Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine) FC Porto (Portugal) Maccabi Tel-Aviv (Israel)

Group H

FC Zenit (Russia) KAA Gent (Belgium) Olympique Lyonnais (France) Valencia CF (Spain)

Europa League Matchday 1

Lokomotiv brings three points back from Lisbon

Sporting Club de Portugal 1 Lokomotiv Moskva 3 in Group H was the best result of the day for the three Russian teams in the Europa League; in Group B, FC Rubin Kazan lost at FC Sion in Switzerland by 2-1, the same result as FC Krasnodar (Group C) at Borussia Dortmund.

Group B: FC Sion 2 FC Rubin Kazan 1. Konaté scored for Sion on 11' and after the break Kanunnikov equalized after 65'. However, on 82', Konaté got his second and the winner. Rubin had slightly more ball possession but Sion was far more aggressive, launching 15 shots, seven on goal, against the visitors' seven shots, three on target. At the end of the evening nobody could deny that Ryzhikov had far more work than Vanins in goal.

Group C: Dortmund 2 FC Krasnodar 1. Mamaev shot the visiting team ahead after just 12 minutes but the celebrations ended on the stroke of half time, when Ginter equalized on 45+1. The second half proceeded with more pressure from Dortmund but Krasnodar had various attacks and chances, however the save of the night was from Andriy Dykan, the Russian side's goalkeeper. Park scored the winner on 93+3.

Group H: Sporting Club de Portugal 1 FC Lokomotiv Moskva 3. Samedov stunned the Lisbon crowd on 12', set up by Niasse, and until half time, both sides had chances, although as the game went on it became clear that Baye Oumar Niasse was the man of the match and the playmaker. After the break, Montero equalized for Sporting but six minutes later Samedov got his second, again set up by Niasse. On 65', Lokomotiv scored the third, a goal from...Niasse.

  

Matchday 1 games

Group A

AFC Ajax (Netherlands) 2 Celtic FC (Scotland) 2

Fenerbahçe SK (Turkey) 1 Molde FK (Norway) 3

Group B

FC Girondins de Bordeaux (France) 1 Liverpool FC (England) 1

FC Sion (Switzerland) 2 FC Rubin Kazan (Russia) 1

Group C

Borussia Dortmund (Germany) 2 FC Krasnodar (Russia) 1

Qäbälä FK (Azerbaijan) 0 PAOK FC (Greece) 0

Group D

FC Midtjylland (Denmark) 1 Legia Warszawa (Poland) 0

SCC Napoli (Italy) 5 Club Brugge KV (Belgium) 0

Group E

FC Viktoria Plzeň (Czech Republic) 2 FC Dinamo Minsk (Belarus) 0

SK Rapid Wien (Austria) 2 Villarreal CF (Spain) 1

Group F

FC Groningen (Netherlands) 0 Olympique de Marseille (France) 3

FC Slovan Liberec (Slovakia) 0 SC Braga (Portugal) 1

Group G

FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (Ukraine) 1 SS Lazio (Italy) 1

AS Saint-Étienne (France) 2 Rosenborg BK (Norway) 2

Group H

Sporting Clube de Portugal (Portugal) 1 FC Lokomotiv Moskva (Russia) 3

KF Skënderbeu (Albania) 0 Beşiktaş JK (Turkey) 1

Group I

ACF Fiorentina (Italy) 1 FC Basel 1893 (Switzerland) 2

KKS Lech Poznań (Poland) 0 Os Belenenses (Portugal) 0

Group J

RSC Anderlecht (Belgium) 1 AS Monaco FC (France) 1

Tottenham Hotspur FC (England) 3 Qarabağ FK (Azerbaijan) 1

Group K

Asteras Tripolis FC (Greece) 1 AC Sparta Praha (Czech Republic) 1

APOEL FC (Cyprus) 0 FC Schalke 04 (Germany) 3

Group L

Athletic Club (Spain) 3 FC Augsburg (Germany) 1

FK Partizan (Serbia) 3 AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands) 2

Matchday 2 October 1

Matchday 3 October 22

Matchday 4 November 5

Matchday 5 November 26

Matchday 6 December 10

The groups

Group A

AFC Ajax (Netherlands) Celtic FC (Scotland) Fenerbahçe SK (Turkey) Molde FK (Norway)

Group B

FC Girondins de Bordeaux (France) FC Rubin Kazan (Russia) FC Sion (Switzerland) Liverpool FC (England)

Group C

Borussia Dortmund (Germany) FC Krasnodar (Russia) PAOK FC (Greece) Qäbälä FK (Azerbaijan)

Group D

Club Brugge KV (Belgium) FC Midtjylland (Denmark) Legia Warszawa (Poland) SCC Napoli (Italy)

Group E

FC Dinamo Minsk (Belarus) FC Viktoria Plzeň (Czech Republic) SK Rapid Wien (Austria) Villarreal CF (Spain)

  

Group F

FC Groningen (Netherlands) FC Slovan Liberec (Slovakia) Olympique de Marseille (France) SC Braga (Portugal)

Group G

AS Saint-Étienne (France) FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (Ukraine) Rosenborg BK (Norway) SS Lazio (Italy)

Group H

Beşiktaş JK (Turkey) FC Lokomotiv Moskva (Russia) KF Skënderbeu (Albania) Sporting Clube de Portugal (Portugal)

Group I

ACF Fiorentina (Italy) FC Basel 1893 (Switzerland) KKS Lech Poznań

 (Poland) Os Belenenses (Portugal)

Group J

AS Monaco FC (France) Qarabağ FK (Azerbaijan) RSC Anderlecht (Belgium) Tottenham Hotspur FC (England)

Group K

AC Sparta Praha (Czech Republic) APOEL FC (Cyprus) Asteras Tripolis FC (Greece) FC Schalke 04 (Germany)

Group L

Athletic Club (Spain) AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands) FC Augsburg (Germany) FK Partizan (Serbia)

  

National Championships

  

Primera Liga - Spain - 3 games

It's three wins out of three for FC Barcelona, followed by four teams on seven points: Real Madrid CF, RC Celta de Vigo, Villarreal CF and SD Eibar.

Premier League - England - 5 games

Manchester City continues its great start to the season with 15 points from five games. Leicester City FC follows on 11 points, continuing a winning streak shown at the end of last season which kept the club in the Premiership. Manchester United, much improved, shares third place with Arsene Wenger's young and exciting Arsenal side on 10 points and fellow London clubs West Ham United FC and Crystal Palace FC have nine

  

Bundesliga - Germany - 4 games

Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern München share top spot with the maximum 12 points from the opening four games, followed by CSKA's rival VfL Wolfsburg, four points behind.

Serie A - Italy - 3 games

Amazingly, only one totalist, FC Internazionale Milano, followed by a pack of six clubs on seven points: AC Chievo Verona, UC Sampdoria, Torino FC, AS Roma, US Sassuolo Calcio and US Città di Palermo.

Primeira Liga - Portugal - 4 games

In Portugal, two teams from the north and two from Lisbon occupy the four top places, FC Porto in top spot with Sporting Clube de Portugal, both on ten points, having won three and drawn one game; third is Sporting CP's arch rival in Lisbon, Sport Lisboa e Benfica one point behind and fourth is FC Paços de Ferreira, on eight.

Ligue 1 - France - 5 games

No totalists in France, with Paris Saint-Germain top on 13 points, followed by Stade Rennais FC one point behind and Stade de Reims and AS Saint-Étienne on ten points sharing third place.

Prem'yer Liga - Russia - 8 games

It's PFC CSKA Moskva clear by five points on 22 points, followed by FC Lokomotiv Moskva on 17 and third place goes to FC Zenit and FC Spartak Moskva (16)

  

Liga 1 - Romania - 10 games

FC Astra Giurgiu has 20 points, followed by FC Viitorul Constanța on 19; third place is ASA 2013 Târgu Mureș, on 17, sharing with FC Dinamo București, also on 17.

Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey

Pravda.Ru

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Instagram Starts Selling Advertising in Russia

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Russia Begins Air Strikes in Syria

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Russian aircraft destroy ISIS command posts. Video

AP photo

Russian aircraft attacked command posts of the Islamic State in Syria, officials with the Russian Defense Ministry said. 

"Today, Russian aircraft have conducted pinpoint strikes on eight sites of the terrorist group Islamic State on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic. About 20 sorties have been made," Defense Ministry spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov said. 

"As a result of the air strikes, ammunition  and fuel depots have been destroyed. Militant command posts in the mountainous area have been completely destroyed," he said.

Also read: Russia tp use Air Force in Syria at President Assad's request

As Konashenkov noted, the strikes were conducted after aerial reconnaissance, in coordination with the information obtained from the headquarters of the Syrian army. The Russian aircraft and weapons have not been used in the vicinity of civilian infrastructure, the official said. 

The Russian Defense Ministry has distributed video footage of the Russian warplanes attacking the positions of ISIS militants in the mountainous area.

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Putin taught America a lesson of multipolarity

Vladimir Putin

The US refused Bashar al-Assad's removal, as John Kerry claimed. He also admitted that the White House's policy failed. Boris Mezhuev, political scientist and Professor at the Russian Academy of Sciences told Pravda.Ru in an interview whether it can be considered as Putin's triumph.

According to him, Russia's consistency played an important role in the Syrian issue. "Russia yielded to no persuasions of stupid advisers concerning the Assad's surrender. It maintained unity with Assad, and that is the only guarantee to establish relationship with the US," Mezhuev noted.

The expert added that there can be traced the methodology of Russian victory, which is not to surrender anybody and not to discard trumps in any case.

"It is clear that one should keep to hard, strong stance. Moreover, there could be observed predictability of the allies. Russia maintained its legal relations with everyone it wanted to and did not quarreled with any of the influential players in the region. It fell out neither with the Saudi Arabia, nor Israel, Turkey, Egypt.

Such a diplomacy showed that Russia is the most compromise force. With China such an alliance is not possible. Putin showed manliness and persuasiveness, as proving his point of view," Boris Mezhuev told Pravda.Ru.

He also noted that the policy of pulling chestnuts out of the fire had failed.

The main issue now is not to let the IS enlargement. An alternative coalition of former IS sponsors may wait in the wings, and launch a great war in the Middle East after the threat, i.e. the IS leaves.

It was a striking lesson of multipolarity for the US, a lot of things will happen in America, and they will be amazed. It will be just another world, that will remind of the state of war, but specifically in this region. That is, peace is based on multipolar relations but not on the fact that "we have friends in the Saudi Arabia, and we listen only to them," the political scientist concluded.

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Iran: most developed country in Muslim world thanks to Western sanctions

AP photo

How does the Iranian economy feel after 40 years of the economic blockade? How can Russia and Iran develop cooperation in the future? Pravda.Ru conducted an interview on the subject with Rosnano investment director, Vadim Veschezerov.

"A lot has been said recently about the Russian-Iranian cooperation in the field of high technologies. Can Russia and Iran cooperate in the high-tech industry instead of oil and fruit?"

"In my view, this is exactly where we can work together most effectively. Russia and Iran are competitors when it comes to oil. Fruit is growing in many other countries of the world, not just in Iran. Iran is an interesting country, because this is the only highly developed, high-tech country of the Islamic world. In all other countries of the Islamic world, even if they have ultramodern industry, they have achieved it with someone else's help. Iran has achieved everything alone. In some areas, Iran is a big player. Iran has a very good chemical industry and the world's only independent pharmaceutical industry.

Also read: Who is stronger: Iran or the West?

"I'm not talking about the nuclear program of Iran. Unlike Pakistan and other countries, Iran had no opportunity to borrow - the country was doing everything alone."

"Has Russia lost the moment for developing cooperation with Iran? We had a unique opportunity, when Iran was living in a blockade, but now there are plenty of Americans and Europeans there.

"We have two or three years. I am personally studying the events that are now happening in the country. Unfortunately, we have very few people in Russia, who realize the peculiarities and structure of Iran, or how to build relationships with the Iranian side.

"Technically, we must explore every area where we can cooperate. In almost 40 years of blockade, the Iranians have learned to do many things and they have reached great progress, but, of course, they can not do everything. For example, their electronics is a very weak point. They are interested in chemistry, mathematics and computer science.

Not that long ago, the secretary of the Supreme Coordination Council of Free and Special Economic Zones of Iran, Akbar Torkan, named five main branches of classical economics that in his view are interesting for foreigners. They are petrochemical, automotive, power generation, steel and cement industries.

Also read: Nuclear deal and implications for Russia-Iran relations

"Any industry needs high technologies. In Iran, there is a very strong group of companies working in the field of nanotechnology - this is a priority direction for them. This area is entrusted to the Iranian Council for the development of nanotechnologies.

"We must not forget that the country has been living under the conditions of economic blockade for 40 years. They have learned not only to survive, but to develop independently. As they say: "Thank you, America. You've turned us from consumers to entrepreneurs."

"In what areas does Rosnano intend to cooperate with Iran?"

"We are most attracted to pharmaceuticals. We have something that interests the Iranian side - drugs and medical devices. In Iran, there are very interesting medical devices and medications that can be potential on the international market. In India, the pharmaceutical industry is completely built on copying others, and the Iranians have their own their developments.

Also read: US tries to protect Cuba and Iran from Russian influence

"They have a very unique system to encourage scientists and engineers to go into business. For example, if you offer a startup in the high-tech industry, the state can pay a share in the company for you. In three or four years, if you fulfill the agreement with the state, if you create a product, a medication or something else, the state will sell you this share for one real.

"Now that the sanctions are being removed, Russian energy companies have many opportunities in Iran. The USSR had built most of the Iranian energy industry - and they remember that."

Interview conducted by Said Gafurov
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Russian Defence Ministry: Air Force starts striking IS in Syria

Source: Pravda.Ru photo archive

The Russian Aerospace Forces have started delivering air strikes against the Islamic State terrorists' positions in the territory of Syria.

Igor Konashenkov, official representative of the Russian Defence Ministry claimed that the Russian planes got down to the operation and carried out surgical strikes against the IS ground targets in the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic.

The military actions have been launched in accordance with the decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.

The main targets are military equipment, communications centers, vehicles, and arms depots of the Islamic State. Sergey Shoigu, has already notified his colleagues under the Collective Security Treaty Organization of the launch of an air operation.

As Pravda.Ru reported, head of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin requested the Federation Council on Wednesday to permit the deployment of Armed Forces abroad. The Parliament approved the request.

Also read: Russia dispatches troops to Syria

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Poroshenko: Ukraine will join EU, even if Europe does not want it

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The Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko delivered a speech in the Columbia University in the City of New York.

Addressing the audience, the Ukrainian leader said about his ambitious plans after the end of his presidential term, and country's intentions to become a member of the EU.

"It does not matter whether the European states are ready to adopt Ukraine, or not. I insist: the EU will not be able to survive without Ukraine," he claimed.

Poroshenko believes that democracy has been already developed in Ukraine and thus, the EU is obliged to adopt it. Poroshenko himself wishes to become a member of the EU Parliament.

"I was once asked what I would like to do after the end of the presidential term. I responded that I wished to be a member of the European Parliament," the Ukrainian president admitted.

Pravda.Ru reported that the Ukrainian officials have got used to give Europe global pledges.

Despite technical default and mass murders of its own residents in the South-East of the country, the state migration service has recently claimed about its readiness to take and accommodate millions of refugees in order to help Europe. It has not been reported when and how it can be carried out.

Also read: Poroshenko and Yatsenyuk trade sits in Parliament for million dollars

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Petition to UK Parliament: Arrest Tony Blair for War Crimes

Arrest Tony Blair for War Crimes in the Middle East. A few reasons why. On Saturday, 26^th September Ahmed Mahdi Al Faqi was arrested and delivered to the International Criminal Court at The Hague. He is charged with war crimes, the deliberate destruction of religious or historical monuments in Mali and especially the ancient shrines of Timbuktu

"The word genocide comes to mind."

(Weapons expert Dai Williams, letter to Tony Blair warning of consequences of Iraq action, 13^th October 2002.)

On Saturday, 26^th September Ahmed Mahdi Al Faqi was arrested and delivered to the International Criminal Court at The Hague. He is charged with war crimes, the deliberate destruction of religious or historical monuments in Mali and especially the irreplaceable ancient shrines of Timbuktu, in 2012.

Felicity Arbuthnot

The ICC's Chief Prosecutor, Fatou Nesouda described the destruction in Timbuktu as: "a callous assault on the dignity and identity of entire populations and their religious and historical roots."

Timbuktu city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. During the 16^th and 17^thCenturies this academic and cultural beacon boasted one hundred and eighty schools and universities, drawing students and scholars from across the Muslim world.

"The people of Mali deserve justice for the attacks against their cities, their beliefs and their communities", states Nesouda.

On the same day as Al Faqi's arrest a petition to the British Parliament was released to: "Arrest Tony Blair for war crimes in the Middle East and for misleading the public."

Britain is a signatory to the one hundred and twenty three nation-backed ICC thus the petition's aims are possible.

Blair indeed blatantly misled the public and the Parliament he headed. The disinformation was breathtaking and the result also: "a callous assault on the dignity and identity of entire populations and their religious and historical roots." The people of Iraq too deserve: "justice for the attacks against their cities, their beliefs and their communities."

On 24^th September 2002 Blair addressed Parliament. He began: "Today we published a 50-page dossier detailing the history of Iraq's WMD, its breach of UN resolutions and the current attempts to rebuild the illegal WMD programme."

It was, broadly, fifty pages of obfuscations, untruths and economies with the truth. For instance he stated that the UN weapons Inspectors met with "obstruction" e.g: " ... finally in late 1998, the UN team were forced to withdraw. As the dossier sets out, we estimate on the basis of the UN's work that there were: up to 360 tonnes of bulk chemical warfare agents, including one and a half tonnes of VX nerve agent; up to 3,000 tonnes of precursor chemicals; growth media sufficient to produce 26,000 litres of anthrax spores; and over 30,000 special munitions for delivery of chemical and biological agents ... All of this was missing or unaccounted for."

Of course no such chemical and biological agents existed - and in 1998 the UN Inspectors had fled to the safety of Bahrain on the orders of Richard Butler, who then headed the team, having been tipped off that the US and UK were to bomb Iraq again, illegally, in time for Christmas.

To clarify "obstruction." As one who was in Iraq numerous times during the UN weapons inspectors tenures and who witnessed their arrogant, discourteous, uncivil behavior towards Iraqis staggering financially under the weight of the crippling embargo. Iraq was however charged for their accommodation, vehicles, living expenses, salaries. "Obstruction" became a sick game.

"Obstructions" were noted and reported to the UN as non-co-operation on behalf of the Iraqi authorities, building a case for further bombing or invasion. These almost invariably occured when the weapons inspectors turned up unannounced, out of hours so the facility to be inspected was, naturally, deserted. They would drive away and note it as an obstruction - or if they called the owner or manager and he had to get dressed and drive for an hour to get there to let them in, that too was an "obstruction."

Other "obstructions" would be to turn up on Friday, the Sabbath, or on public holidays, when only security guards were there. They needed the permission of their boss to allow any one in to the facility. As they made the telephone call for that permission, it was noted as an "obstruction." There are uncounted other examples of the devious wickedness perpetrated in the name of the UN.

The fifty page dossier, Blair assured, confirmed: " (Saddam Hussein's) WMD programme is active, detailed and growing. The policy of containment is not working. The WMD programme is not shut down. It is up and running."

It was: " ... important we explain our concerns over Saddam to the British people ..." Moreover: " ... he has existing and active military plans for the use of chemical and biological weapons, which could be activated within 45 minutes ..."

Destroyed munitions plants had been rebuilt and: " ... In addition, we know Saddam has been trying to buy significant quantities of uranium from Africa ..."

This all was a pack of lies, the latter claim comprehensively trashed by Ambassador Joseph Wilson. Iraq has vast amounts of uranium, discovered, marked and mapped by the British in the 1950s and had they been developing a weapons programme, had no need to buy it from anywhere.

Saddam Hussein had in fact closed down his nuclear programme shortly after the 1991 attack.

As for the rebuilt munitions plants, a number of them were visited by former UN Under Secretary General, Hans von Sponeck and myself as these stories circulated, they remained in ruins or trashed, devoured by overgrown undergrowth and deserted.

Saddam Hussein, said Blair, could: "could begin a conflict" of which: " the consequences" could: "engulf the whole world." What an irony that the consequences of US and UK actions in Iraq and throughout the region in their demented "Crusade" indeed now endangers all the Middle East, North Africa and drawn in to combat the madness are countries as far away as Australia, Canada and Europe. Much of the world.

Three weeks after Blair's fantasy assurances to Parliament, weapons research expert Dai Williams wrote to him warning of the illegalities of the weapons the UK and US coalition would use:

They would be: " ... directly in contravention of Articles 35 and 55 of the 1st Protocol additional to the Geneva Conventions. They are, put simply, weapons of indiscriminate effect."

The letter, headed:

"Use of Uranium weapons in Afghanistan and Iraq: 
Hazards for civilians and ground forces", begins: "In recent weeks I have been alarmed by your support for US plans to launch another major military offensive on Iraq, ostensibly to destroy Iraqi weapons of mass destruction."

Williams makes clear it will be the UK and US who will be using weapons of mass and indiscriminate destruction: "These weapons are large radiological bombs."

"Last week I was advised of US Patent Number 6,389,977 (1997) for a 'shrouded aerial bomb.' This is the patent for a series of guided weapons using the upgraded BLU-109/B warhead. Claim 5 of this patent states:

'The shrouded aerial bomb as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the penetrating body is formed of depleted uranium.'

"This and 6 other US patents verify the development of guided weapons and sub-munitions with Uranium warheads ..."

"An additional problem is emerging from my recent investigations. It seems likely that US arms manufacturers may be using standard, not depleted uranium in new weapons i.e. Uranium metal with the same isotopic mix as natural uranium (99.3% U238, 0.7% U235). " The full Report was attached to the letter.

"This would explain why researchers in Hungary and Greece detected increased airborne Uranium dust soon after the Balkans bombing began, but that it appeared to be natural, not depleted uranium ... Independent researchers are now alert to this possibility. I hope Ministry of Defence  staff are also considering it. Unfortunately standard uranium is more radioactive than depleted uranium."

Depleted uranium has a cancer inducing, birth deforming "half-life" of 4.5 Billion years. Crimes against humanity do not come bigger.

In context, in 1991, the UK Atomic Energy Authority warned the government of the day regarding the Iraq attack that: "If fifty tonnes" of the residual radioactive dust remained "in the region" from the bombing there would be "half a million extra cancer deaths by the end of the century" ie 2000. Their prediction was an understatement.

Williams issued a stark warning:

"I guess that the UK Storm Shadow cruise missile, also suspected of using Uranium components, has been tested in Afghanistan and will be operational in a new attack on Iraq. Other known or suspected Uranium weapons not needed in Afghanistan (e.g. anti-tank systems) will also be used in large quantities in Iraq.

"The implication is that at least 1,500 tons of Uranium weapons will be used to prosecute US war plans in Iraq, greatly increasing existing Uranium contamination from 1991 and jeopordising allied troops and Iraqi civilians alike.

"Can you justify using known weapons of indiscriminate effect to defeat supposed weapons of mass destruction? The US has scant regard for international law in its military operations. What is your Government's view on knowingly using weapons of indiscriminate effect in Iraq?

"This letter puts you on notice of that issue. UK forces are accountable to you. The use of such weapons contravening international law must be a political, not military decision, preferably decided by Parliament."

The letter warns:

"Regardless of your obligations under international law ... I suggest you have moral obligations in this matter.

"How will you justify risking the slow death of tens of thousands of people whose lives will be irreversibly affected by Uranium contamination? The word genocide comes to mind. This may not concern President Bush. I hope it will concern you, your Cabinet and all MPs asked to support your plans now you are alerted to the latest evidence about Uranium weapons."

Williams concludes:

"With respect Prime Minister I suggest you need a lot more facts before you commit more UK troops to a new war in Iraq. At this time you face being drawn by the Pentagon and US Government into the greatest military scandal since Agent Orange in Vietnam."

Since Williams prophetic words former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has declared the Iraq decimation illegal stating: "I have indicated it is not in conformity with the UN Charter, from our point of view, and from the Charter point of view it was illegal."

The UN's former Chief weapons Inspector, Hans Blix has echoed this view, telling the UK Iraq Inquiry: "I am of the firm view that it was an illegal war. There can be cases where it is doubtful, maybe it was permissible to go to war, but Iraq was, in my view, not one of those."

Numerous international law experts concur, as have many legally led public Inquiries as the 2011 Kuala Lumpur War Crime Tribunal, a seven Member panel chaired by former Malaysian Federal Court Judge, Abdul Kadir Sulaiman.

 "The five panel tribunal unanimously decided that the former US and British leaders had committed crimes against peace and humanity, and also violated international law when they ordered the invasion of Iraq in March 2003."

UNESCO has described the destruction and pillage of Iraq "cultural cleansing."

If a man is deemed a war criminal for the terrible destruction of history in Mali is and delivered to the ICC, Bush and Blair - whose actions destroyed virtually the whole of Iraq, a swathe of its history and set in train the ongoing destruction, indeed genocide, should be treated no differently. Tony Blair's assertions in Parliament in 2002 were integral in the excuse for the illegal invasion and ongoing bloodbath now also engulfing Syria.

If you care for the law, for humanity, if eligible, please sign the petition.

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France starts investigation of Assad's war crimes

Source: Pravda.Ru photo archive

The French authorities initiated investigation of war crimes allegedly conducted by the regime of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2011-2013.

According to the France-Presse agency, preliminary investigation, which was started on September 15, is based on the evidence of former military policy photographer, who fled from Syria in 2013.

The photographer, whose code name is Caesar, reportedly owns 55,000 photos, which evidence bodies of tortured victims.

Pravda.Ru reported that the military conflict in Syria had claimed lives of over 220,000 people since March 2011, according to the UN data. The state army is opposed by fighters, who belong to various armed groups. The most active fighters are those of the extremist groups of the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra.

Also read: French Foreign Minister: 'It's time for Russia to get to real, but not media fight against IS'

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France did not deliver Mistral ships to Russia due to NATO's pressure

Source: Pravda.Ru photo archive

The Committee for Foreign Affairs of the Senate of France unveiled a report explaining the reason why Paris refused to deliver two Mistral vessels to Moscow.

The report says that the decision was made due to external pressure from NATO.

"There was strong external pressure from the countries of Eastern Europe within the framework of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly," the Committee's spokesman Robert del Picchia said, Pravda.Ru reports with reference to TASS.

In addition, Poland had notified France of its intention not to implement a 2.5-billion-euro contract to purchase 50 helicopters from France, should Paris decide to continue its cooperation with Moscow, the report also said.

French officials explained their decision not to deliver the Mistral vessels to Moscow on account of the Ukrainian crisis.

As a result of the breach of contractual obligations, Paris paid 949.754,849 euros to Russia and plans to resell the helicopter carriers to Egypt.

Pravda.Ru

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Russia to use Air Force in Syria at President Assad's request to destroy ISIS

Source: Pravda.Ru photo archive

Russia's Federation Council gave its consent to President Putin for the use of the Russian Armed Forces outside the territory of the Russian Federation - in Syria, chairwoman of the Upper House of the Russian Parliament, Valentina Matviyenko, told TASS, Pravda.Ru reports.

Sergei Ivanov, the head of the presidential administration, said that the Federation Council has unanimously endorsed the President's appeal. "All social and financial issues related to the maintenance of Russia's Air Force servicemen, who will be involved in this operation, will be observed and all adequate decisions regarding the matter have been made," said Ivanov.

According to the official, Russia will use only aviation in Syria. "As our President has already said, the use of the armed forces on the ground theater of operations is excluded. The military purpose of the operation is the aviation support of Syrian government forces in their counteraction to ISIS," Ivanov said.

Also read: Russian Army starts destroying Islamic State in Syria

The operation of the Russian Air Force in Syria will have a specific time frame, the head of the Kremlin administration said. "This operation of the Russian Air Force, of course, can not last indefinitely and has a well-defined time frame. Yet, I can not announce either the dates or the amount of aircraft and the types of weapons that our Air Force will use in the operation," said Ivanov.

According to Ivanov, it does not go about the question of reaching either foreign policy goals or satisfying ambitions. It goes about national interests of the Russian Federation, he said.

Representatives of the Kremlin administration said that Russia was the only legitimate party in the special operation in Syria. "The use of the armed forces is possible either under the UN Security Council resolution or at the request from the legitimate leadership of the country. In this case, Russia will be the only country that will be conducting the operation on a legitimate basis - at the request from the legitimate president of Syria," Putin' official spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Noteworthy, during the talks with his US counterpart Barack Obama at 70th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia did not have any plans to deploy ground troops in Syria.

Pravda.Ru

Putin: Russia supports and will support the Syrian government

Putin can easily bring peace to Syria

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Pentagon sacks 'special adviser' on Ukraine and Russia

Source: Pravda.Ru photo archive

Evelyn Farkas, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, will resign at the end of October.

As high officials at the American Department of Defense say, Farkas "has been deeply involved in securing $244 million in support for Ukraine", and breaching contacts with the Russian military given disagreements with Moscow.

She also contributed to the strengthening of cooperation with Georgia and supported Montenegro's joining the NATO. Today, there are deep divisions in the Administration on the supply of weaponry to the Ukrainian government, and on how to react to the Russian acts in Syria.

According to military experts, the main threat is possible use of nuclear weapons, which are present in Europe, and beginning of a nuclear war, that global leaders should avoid at any cost.

Pravda.Ru reported that the US lieutenant general Ben Hodges had recently claimed that the NATO's army has no chances to win war against Russia, in case it is unleashed after all.

The commander noted that the Aliance's arming is inferior to the Russian one and does not have a single information database to follow the positions of a potential enemy.

Also read: Russia dispatches troops to Syria

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French Foreign Minister: 'It's time for Russia to get to real, but not media fight against IS'

Source: Pravda.Ru photo archive

Laurent Fabius, Foreign Minister of France, has criticized the Moscow's stance on Syria in New York. As he said, the Russian officials talk a lot, but have not committed any planes so far.

Under the 70^th session of the UN General Assembly the head of French Foreign Ministry noted that fight against the Islamic State, which was declared by Moscow, was not quite specific.

From his point of view, international communities, as well as France, strike the IS, while Russia does nothing. According to him, Russia should get to "real", but not "media" fight against the terrorists.

As Pravda.Ru reported, the US President Obama claimed that there's a need of a new leader in Syria to unite people in the fight with the terror group of the Islamic State.

At the same time, Josh Earnest, the White House Press Secretary admitted Tuesday that the US program on the support of the Syrian "opposition" fell short of the American authorities' expectations.

Also read: Russia dispatches troops to Syria

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Russia dispatches troops to Syria

http://council.gov.ru/

The Russian Federation Council has approved deployment of the Russian Federation Armed Forces in Syria.

As Sergey Ivanov, Chief of the Presidential Administration, noted, Russia will use only Aerospace Forces in Syria.

"The Federation Council supported the President's appeal unanimously, 162 people voted for," he said.

"All the social and financial issues, related to the support of those military men of the Aerospace Forces, engaged in the operation, will be observed, and all the decisions in this respect have been already taken," Ivanov added.

Russia deploys troops in Syria exclusively in accordance with the request of the President of the country Bashar al-Assad.

"The military goal of the operation is exclusively the air support of the Syrian Armed Forces in their fight against the Islamic State," Sergey Ivanov concluded.

Also read: Putin's triumph: US refuses Assad's removal

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Putin wants Russia to be strong after he leaves

Russian President Vladimir Putin has not yet decided whether he will stay for another presidential term. According to the Russian leader, "there are rules stipulated by the Constitution, and they will certainly not be violated."

Putin is not sure whether he should take full advantage of the constitutional rights. This will depend on the state of affairs in the country, in the world and on my own sentiments," he said. However, Vladimir Putin knows exactly what he would like to Russia to be after he resigns. He wants Russia to be a competitive country with developed social and political system, flexible to changes inside and outside the country." Russia also needs to be a sovereign state, where people would be happy, while Russia's partners around the world would be willing to develop relations with Russia." Putin stressed out that Russia does not need a dictator, but "a rightful leader who would work within the scope of his powers and in the interests of the overwhelming majority of the society."

Pravda.Ru

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Putin's triumph: US refuses Assad's removal

Source: Pravda.Ru photo archive

The White House talks about "orderly transition" of power in Syria and does not call any longer to immediate removal of the country's President Bashar al-Assad.

As the US Secretary of State John Kerry claimed in an interview to CNN, "we've changed that, ...that's not gonna work. We need to have an orderly transition, a managed transition, so that you don't have fear for retribution, lost life".

He added that if Assad left the office sooner, it could generate an inward explosion, that would deprive the country of any government services.

At the same time, Kerry noted that Russia's involvement in the settlement of the Syrian crisis may become an "opportunity" for the US to settle the crisis.

Kerry also stated that political settlement in Syria is impossible without Sunnis involvement into the agreement. He added, that if Russia stood for Assad, Iran, and Hezbollah, it would turn into serious problems with the Sunni states in the region.

Head of the Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry threatened Assad in its turn with a military operation on his dethroning, unless he leaves the office of his own free will.

Also read: Russia, Iran and Syria set "shock staff"

The US Secretary John Kerry used to claim previously that Russia's support of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad promotes enlargement of the conflict in the country.

If Putin managed to convince Obama of adopting his stance on Syria, it would be the greatest political triumph of the Russian President for the 15 years in power, the American Time magazine stated. It seems, Putin reached his goal.

Also read: Putin speaks as key UN peacemaker, blasts US exceptionalism

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Champions League: Zenit matches on!

AP Photo

Matchday 2: Groups EFGH played tonight, another nightmare for the Premier League sides Chelsea (2-1 down at FC Porto) and Arsenal (2-3 losers at home to Olympiacos), while Russia's representative Zenit won at home against Gent by 2-1. All is well for André Villas-Boas' team.

Dzyuba opened the scoring on 35', enough to give the home team the lead at the break. Matton equalized for the Belgian visitors on 56' and Shatov closed the scoresheet on 67'. Zenit gave away ball possession (41 to 59%) but was far more efficient with 11 shots against Gent's 6 (4 on target against the visitors' single attempt on target, which resulted in a goal).

Group E Barcelona 2 Bayer Leverkusen 1; BATE 3 Roma 2

Matchday 1

Bayer 04 Leverkusen (Germany) 4 FC BATE Borisov (Belarus) 1

AS Roma (Italy) 1 FC Barcelona (Spain) 1

Barcelona 4 points; Leverkusen 3; BATE 3, Roma 1

Group F Bayern 5 D. Zagreb 0; Arsenal 2 Olympiacos 3

Matchday 1

GNK Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) 2 Arsenal FC (England) 1

Olympiacos FC (Greece) 0 FC Bayern München (Germany) 3

Bayern 6; D. Zagreb 3, Olympiacos 3; Arsenal 0

Group G M. Tel-Aviv 0 D. Kyiv 2; FC Porto 2 Chelsea FC 1

Matchday 1

FC Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine) 2 FC Porto (Portugal) 2

Chelsea FC (England) 4 Maccabi Tel-Aviv (Israel) 0

FC Porto 4; D.Kyiv 3;Chelsea FC 3; M. Tel-Aviv 0

Group H Lyon 0 Valencia 1; Zenit 2 Gent 1

Matchday 1

KAA Gent (Belgium) 1 Olympique Lyonnais (France) 1

Valencia CF (Spain) 2 FC Zenit (Russia) 3

Zenit 6; Valencia 3; Valencia 3; Lyon 1

Playing tomorrow

Group A Shakhtar Donetsk v. Paris Saint-Germain; Malmö v. Real Madrid

Group B Man. United v. Wolfsburg; CSKA Moskva v. PSV

Group C Astana v. Galatasaray; Atlético v. Benfica

Group D B. Monchengladbach v. Man. City; Juventus v. Sevilla

 Champions League Matchday 1

Group B: CSKA go down by minimum margin

A goal by Draxler after 40 minutes was enough to give Wolfsburg the three points against an organized CSKA side...but the statistics speak for themselves. Ball possession was 59% to 41% in favor of the German side, which had 18 shots against CSKA's 7 (7 on target against 3, 6 off target against 2, 5 blocked against 2).The home side also had 5 corners, while CSKA had just one. However, CSKA soaked up the pressure and came through with few wounds. In Moscow things can be different. In the other game in Group B, PSV Eindhoven beat Manchester United 2-1

In the other games, Group A: Benzema got one and Cristiano Ronaldo a hat-trick in Real Madrid's comprehensive dismantling of FC Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine), 4-0. Di Maria and Cavani scored for PSG against Malmö. Group B: Depay scored for United before home side PSV equalized through Moreno (45+2) and Narsingh (57'). Group C:

Griezmann scored a brace for Atlético in the first half in Turkey against Galatasaray, a team which attacked more but inefficiently; in the other game Benfica won in Lisbon against Kazakhstan's first ever presence in the Champions League (Astana) with goals from Gaitán and Mitroglou in the second half. Group D: A bad night for the Premier League with both Manchester teams going down. Manchester City rule the roost at home with five wins from five games but in the Champions, the first game ended in a home defeat to Juve. The first goal came from City but was an own goal by Chiellini on 57', after which the visitors scored through Mandzukic and Morata. Sevilla wrapped up a great night for Spanish teams (three games, three wins, 9 goals scored, zero conceded) with a comprehensive trouncing of Borussia Mönchengladbach with two penalties (Gameiro, 47 and Banega, 66) and the third from Konoplyanka on 84'.

  

Group A

Real Madrid CF (Spain) 4 FC Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) 0

Paris Saint-Germain (France) 2 Malmö FF (Sweden) 0

Group B

VfL Wolfsburg (Germany) 1 PFC CSKA Moskva (Russia) 0

PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) 2 Manchester United FC (England) 1

Group C

Galatasaray AŞ (Turkey) 0 Club Atlético de Madrid (Spain) 2

SL Benfica (Portugal) 2 FC Astana (Kazakhstan) 0

Group D

Manchester City FC (England) 1 Juventus (Italy) 2

Sevilla FC (Spain) 3 VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach (Germany) 0

Group H: Brilliant Zenit

Zenit came away from Valencia in Spain with a useful 3-2 win. Hulk had fired the Portuguese André Villas-Boas' side ahead by two goals at the break, on 9' and 44', before the home side came out of the tunnel inspired by Nuno Espírito Santo, the home team's Portuguese coach. João Cancelo and André Gomes pulled two goals back (55' and 73'). Three minutes, Witsel scored the winner.

Zenit played like a fox, taking advantage of the counter-attack with lethal efficiency. The team to watch?

  

Group E

Bayer 04 Leverkusen (Germany) 4 FC BATE Borisov (Belarus) 1

AS Roma (Italy) 1 FC Barcelona (Spain) 1

Group F

GNK Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) 2 Arsenal FC (England) 1

Olympiacos FC (Greece) 0 FC Bayern München (Germany) 3

Group G

FC Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine) 2 FC Porto (Portugal) 2

Chelsea FC (England) 4 Maccabi Tel-Aviv (Israel) 0

Group H

KAA Gent (Belgium) 1 Olympique Lyonnais (France) 1

Valencia CF (Spain) 2 FC Zenit (Russia) 3

Matchday 2 September 29/30
Matchday 3 October 20/21

Matchday 4 November 3/4

Matchday 5 November 24/25

Matchday 6 December 8/9

Qualifying round

  

First Leg

Sporting CP (Portugal) 2 CSKA Moskva (Russia) 1

Astana 1 (Kazakhstan) APOEL 0 (Cyprus)

Manchester United (England) 3 Club Brugge (Belgium) 1

Lazio (Italy) 1 Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) 0

BATE Borisov (Belarus) 1 Partizan Belgrade (Serbia) 0

Basel (Switzerland) 2 Maccabi Tel-Aviv (Israel) 2

Valencia (Spain) 3 AS Monaco (France) 1

Celtic (Scotland)  3 Malmö (Sweden) 2

Rapid Wien (Austria) 0 Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) 1

Skënderbeu (Albania) 1 Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) 2

Second leg (Clubs qualified in bold, losers go to Europa League)

Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) 4 Skënderbeu (Albania) 1 Aggregate 6-2

Malmö (Sweden) 2 Celtic (Scotland)  0 Agg: 4-3

Maccabi Tel-Aviv (Israel) 1 Basel (Switzerland) 1 Agg. 3-3 Maccabi pass, away goals

Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) 2 Rapid Wien (Austria) 2 Agg: 3-2

AS Monaco (France) 2 Valencia (Spain) 1 Agg: 3-4

APOEL 1 (Cyprus) Astana 1 (Kazakhstan) Agg:1-2

Partizan Belgrade (Serbia) 2 BATE Borisov (Belarus) 1 Agg: 2-2 BATE pass (away g.)

Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) 3 Lazio (Italy) 0 Agg: 3-1

CSKA Moskva 3 Sporting CP 1 Agg: 4-3

Club Brugge (Belgium) 0 Manchester United (England) 4 Agg: 1-7

  

The draw

  

Group A

FC Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) Malmö FF (Sweden) Paris Saint-Germain (France) Real Madrid CF (Spain)

Group B

Manchester United FC (England) PFC CSKA Moskva (Russia) PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) VfL Wolfsburg (Germany)

Group C

Club Atlético de Madrid (Spain) FC Astana (Kazakhstan) Galatasaray AŞ (Turkey) SL Benfica (Portugal)

Group D

Juventus (Italy) Manchester City FC (England) Sevilla FC (Spain) VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach (Germany)

Group E

AS Roma (Italy) Bayer 04 Leverkusen (Germany) FC Barcelona (Spain) FC BATE Borisov (Belarus)

Group F

Arsenal FC (England) FC Bayern München (Germany) GNK Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia) Olympiacos FC (Greece)

  

Group G

Chelsea FC (England) FC Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine) FC Porto (Portugal) Maccabi Tel-Aviv (Israel)

Group H

FC Zenit (Russia) KAA Gent (Belgium) Olympique Lyonnais (France) Valencia CF (Spain)

Europa League Matchday 1

Lokomotiv brings three points back from Lisbon

Sporting Club de Portugal 1 Lokomotiv Moskva 3 in Group H was the best result of the day for the three Russian teams in the Europa League; in Group B, FC Rubin Kazan lost at FC Sion in Switzerland by 2-1, the same result as FC Krasnodar (Group C) at Borussia Dortmund.

Group B: FC Sion 2 FC Rubin Kazan 1. Konaté scored for Sion on 11' and after the break Kanunnikov equalized after 65'. However, on 82', Konaté got his second and the winner. Rubin had slightly more ball possession but Sion was far more aggressive, launching 15 shots, seven on goal, against the visitors' seven shots, three on target. At the end of the evening nobody could deny that Ryzhikov had far more work than Vanins in goal.

Group C: Dortmund 2 FC Krasnodar 1. Mamaev shot the visiting team ahead after just 12 minutes but the celebrations ended on the stroke of half time, when Ginter equalized on 45+1. The second half proceeded with more pressure from Dortmund but Krasnodar had various attacks and chances, however the save of the night was from Andriy Dykan, the Russian side's goalkeeper. Park scored the winner on 93+3.

Group H: Sporting Club de Portugal 1 FC Lokomotiv Moskva 3. Samedov stunned the Lisbon crowd on 12', set up by Niasse, and until half time, both sides had chances, although as the game went on it became clear that Baye Oumar Niasse was the man of the match and the playmaker. After the break, Montero equalized for Sporting but six minutes later Samedov got his second, again set up by Niasse. On 65', Lokomotiv scored the third, a goal from...Niasse.

  

Matchday 1 games

Group A

AFC Ajax (Netherlands) 2 Celtic FC (Scotland) 2

Fenerbahçe SK (Turkey) 1 Molde FK (Norway) 3

Group B

FC Girondins de Bordeaux (France) 1 Liverpool FC (England) 1

FC Sion (Switzerland) 2 FC Rubin Kazan (Russia) 1

Group C

Borussia Dortmund (Germany) 2 FC Krasnodar (Russia) 1

Qäbälä FK (Azerbaijan) 0 PAOK FC (Greece) 0

Group D

FC Midtjylland (Denmark) 1 Legia Warszawa (Poland) 0

SCC Napoli (Italy) 5 Club Brugge KV (Belgium) 0

Group E

FC Viktoria Plzeň (Czech Republic) 2 FC Dinamo Minsk (Belarus) 0

SK Rapid Wien (Austria) 2 Villarreal CF (Spain) 1

Group F

FC Groningen (Netherlands) 0 Olympique de Marseille (France) 3

FC Slovan Liberec (Slovakia) 0 SC Braga (Portugal) 1

Group G

FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (Ukraine) 1 SS Lazio (Italy) 1

AS Saint-Étienne (France) 2 Rosenborg BK (Norway) 2

Group H

Sporting Clube de Portugal (Portugal) 1 FC Lokomotiv Moskva (Russia) 3

KF Skënderbeu (Albania) 0 Beşiktaş JK (Turkey) 1

Group I

ACF Fiorentina (Italy) 1 FC Basel 1893 (Switzerland) 2

KKS Lech Poznań (Poland) 0 Os Belenenses (Portugal) 0

Group J

RSC Anderlecht (Belgium) 1 AS Monaco FC (France) 1

Tottenham Hotspur FC (England) 3 Qarabağ FK (Azerbaijan) 1

Group K

Asteras Tripolis FC (Greece) 1 AC Sparta Praha (Czech Republic) 1

APOEL FC (Cyprus) 0 FC Schalke 04 (Germany) 3

Group L

Athletic Club (Spain) 3 FC Augsburg (Germany) 1

FK Partizan (Serbia) 3 AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands) 2

Matchday 2 October 1

Matchday 3 October 22

Matchday 4 November 5

Matchday 5 November 26

Matchday 6 December 10

The groups

Group A

AFC Ajax (Netherlands) Celtic FC (Scotland) Fenerbahçe SK (Turkey) Molde FK (Norway)

Group B

FC Girondins de Bordeaux (France) FC Rubin Kazan (Russia) FC Sion (Switzerland) Liverpool FC (England)

Group C

Borussia Dortmund (Germany) FC Krasnodar (Russia) PAOK FC (Greece) Qäbälä FK (Azerbaijan)

Group D

Club Brugge KV (Belgium) FC Midtjylland (Denmark) Legia Warszawa (Poland) SCC Napoli (Italy)

Group E

FC Dinamo Minsk (Belarus) FC Viktoria Plzeň (Czech Republic) SK Rapid Wien (Austria) Villarreal CF (Spain)

  

Group F

FC Groningen (Netherlands) FC Slovan Liberec (Slovakia) Olympique de Marseille (France) SC Braga (Portugal)

Group G

AS Saint-Étienne (France) FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (Ukraine) Rosenborg BK (Norway) SS Lazio (Italy)

Group H

Beşiktaş JK (Turkey) FC Lokomotiv Moskva (Russia) KF Skënderbeu (Albania) Sporting Clube de Portugal (Portugal)

Group I

ACF Fiorentina (Italy) FC Basel 1893 (Switzerland) KKS Lech Poznań

 (Poland) Os Belenenses (Portugal)

Group J

AS Monaco FC (France) Qarabağ FK (Azerbaijan) RSC Anderlecht (Belgium) Tottenham Hotspur FC (England)

Group K

AC Sparta Praha (Czech Republic) APOEL FC (Cyprus) Asteras Tripolis FC (Greece) FC Schalke 04 (Germany)

Group L

Athletic Club (Spain) AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands) FC Augsburg (Germany) FK Partizan (Serbia)

  

National Championships

  

Primera Liga - Spain - 3 games

It's three wins out of three for FC Barcelona, followed by four teams on seven points: Real Madrid CF, RC Celta de Vigo, Villarreal CF and SD Eibar.

Premier League - England - 5 games

Manchester City continues its great start to the season with 15 points from five games. Leicester City FC follows on 11 points, continuing a winning streak shown at the end of last season which kept the club in the Premiership. Manchester United, much improved, shares third place with Arsene Wenger's young and exciting Arsenal side on 10 points and fellow London clubs West Ham United FC and Crystal Palace FC have nine

  

Bundesliga - Germany - 4 games

Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern München share top spot with the maximum 12 points from the opening four games, followed by CSKA's rival VfL Wolfsburg, four points behind.

Serie A - Italy - 3 games

Amazingly, only one totalist, FC Internazionale Milano, followed by a pack of six clubs on seven points: AC Chievo Verona, UC Sampdoria, Torino FC, AS Roma, US Sassuolo Calcio and US Città di Palermo.

Primeira Liga - Portugal - 4 games

In Portugal, two teams from the north and two from Lisbon occupy the four top places, FC Porto in top spot with Sporting Clube de Portugal, both on ten points, having won three and drawn one game; third is Sporting CP's arch rival in Lisbon, Sport Lisboa e Benfica one point behind and fourth is FC Paços de Ferreira, on eight.

Ligue 1 - France - 5 games

No totalists in France, with Paris Saint-Germain top on 13 points, followed by Stade Rennais FC one point behind and Stade de Reims and AS Saint-Étienne on ten points sharing third place.

Prem'yer Liga - Russia - 8 games

It's PFC CSKA Moskva clear by five points on 22 points, followed by FC Lokomotiv Moskva on 17 and third place goes to FC Zenit and FC Spartak Moskva (16)

  

Liga 1 - Romania - 10 games

FC Astra Giurgiu has 20 points, followed by FC Viitorul Constanța on 19; third place is ASA 2013 Târgu Mureș, on 17, sharing with FC Dinamo București, also on 17.

Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey

Pravda.Ru

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Russia closes its sky for Ukrainian airplanes

In response to Ukraine's decision to close airspace for Russian airlines, Russia is closing its airspace for Ukrainian airlines as well. Russia's Ministry for Transport has instructed the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency to inform Ukrainian airlines that they will not be allowed to fly into Russia's air space from October 25.

The move comes as a mirror response to the decision of the Ukrainian administration to close the Ukrainian airspace for Russian airlines from the beginning of winter navigation, namely from October 25th. Ukraine ha made the decision single-handedly, in violation of existing air traffic rules and regulations. In accordance with the decree signed by Ukrainian President Poroshenko, all Russian airlines have been banned completely or partially from entering the air space of Ukraine.

Pravda.Ru

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Soros obliges Europe to adopt million Muslim migrants a year

AP Photo

The American billionaire George Soros, who owns the Soros Fund, offered Europe his own way to tackle refugeese problem.

He believes that the EU countries should adopt up to a million Muslim migrants annually.

Soros noted that if Europe is ready to carry it out, he will support this initiative and allocate his funds to the European governments as long-term bonds.

According to him, the Muslim refugees, that arrive to Europe, may choose jobs and further accommodation on their own, as well as claim social safety net along with other citizens.

The United Nations states the current influx of 8,000 refugees per day entering the continent is merely "the tip of the iceberg."

Also read: Angela Merkel calls US to take refugees

Pravda.Ru

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Prioritizing Foreign Agenda Is Mistake for Russia (Op-Ed)

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Russia Unlikely to Launch Full-Scale Intervention in Syria – Analysts

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Ukraine Contact Group’s subgroups resume work

MOSCOW, September 29. /TASS/. Contact Group’s subgroup on security has resumed work in Minsk, a source close to the negotiations told Luhansk Inform Center on Tuesday.

Donetsk News Agency earlier reported that the subgroup on political issues has also resumed work in the Belarusian capital.

On Monday, the two subgroups held meetings behind closed doors. No statements were made on the results of the meetings.

The Contact Group is expected to hold a meeting in the evening on Tuesday. Key issues on the agenda are local election in Donbas and withdrawing weaponry of less than 100mm caliber from the contact line.

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Visa to stop guaranteed service operations in Russia

The Visa International payment system has notified Russian banks it will stop providing guaranteed service operations on their cards from October 1, Russian media reported.

"Visa announced that from October 1 it does not guarantee the processing of authorization requests for local operations [in Russia – Ed.]," the Russian daily Kommersant cited an unnamed source. In effect, Visa is avoiding the responsibility for refusing to process transactions, for which it would have to pay a new guarantee fee to Russia’s Central Bank, the source added.

Visa confirmed it had notified the banks, according to Kommersant.

READ MORE: Visa may avoid huge Russian fines over data compliance as regulator eases terms

All Russian banks have to switch to Russia’s national system of payment cards (NSPC) by October 1. As for international payment systems, those who want to work in Russia, have to transfer local processing operations to NSPC.

The system was established in 2014 to ensure smooth operation of electronic payments across Russia, after Visa and MasterCard blocked specific US-sanctioned Russian banks from using their payment systems.

MasterCard transferred the processing of Russian operations to the country’s national payment system on time, thus avoiding penalties. Visa, however, failed to meet the deadline and had to pay a guarantee fee, which was later returned. The official size of the fee was not disclosed but experts estimated the sum at $50 million.

READ MORE: ​National Russian card payment system established

Since then, Russian banks have been working with Visa in two ways – directly and through NSPC. Nevertheless, according to the law, all card payments in the country should be made through NSPC starting next month.

The officials at NSPC along with market participants are confident that Visa’s new approach won’t lead to crashes in the system, according to Kommersant. A disclaimer of warranties from Visa "will not disrupt card holder's transactions", NSPC said.

Visa press service responded by reasuring its Russian cardholders, saying that Visa cards will continue to work in Russia as usual, before and after October 1.

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Russian court to question Ukrainian ex-pilot, no polygraph to be used

ROSTOV-ON-DON, September 29. /TASS/. Former Ukrainian military pilot Nadezhda Savchenko, charged with complicity in killing Russian journalists in eastern Ukraine, will be questioned by a court in southern Russia on Tuesday, her lawyer Mark Feygin has said.

No lie detector will be used during the questioning, the lawyer said. "On Tuesday, there will be no polygraph, most likely this will be a questioning," Feygin said.

A polygraph test is a separate procedure that does not take place during the court hearing, he explained. The procedure is held simultaneously with a psychiatric examination based on a court ruling.

The trial of Savchenko began in the Donetsk city court in the Rostov region on September 22. Savchenko denied her guilt, saying that the case against her is "lie." The Ukrainian also told the court she planned to pass a lie detector test to prove her innocence.

The court allowed Savchenko to give evidence at any moment. The questioning could take the whole day, the lawyer said.

Savchenko, 34, is charged with complicity in the murder of two Russian journalists in eastern Ukraine last summer. Savchenko also stands charged with attempted murder of civilians who could suffer as a result of artillery fire and illegally crossing the Russian border.

Russian investigators say that Savchenko, the gunner of a Mi-24 helicopter, joined the notorious Aidar battalion during combat operations in the much-troubled Luhansk region of Ukraine in June 2014.

Upon noting the position of a filming crew of the Russian State Broadcasting Company and other civilians, Savchenko allegedly reported the data to mortar-equipped personnel who opened fire on the crew and the civilians. As a result, correspondent Igor Kornelyuk and sound engineer Anton Voloshin were killed.

If found guilty, Savchenko faces up to 25 years in prison.

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Poland sends army to secure possible Nazi gold train

The Polish Army has sent military engineers to where a lost Nazi train full of stolen gold and jewelry may be located near the town of Walbrzych in western Poland. They must ensure the safety of any subsequent excavations.

"Our goal is to check whether there's any hazardous material at the site," said Colonel Artur Talik, who is leading the search that began on Monday and is expected to last till Saturday.

Talik’s troops are using mine detectors and ground-penetrating radar to study the location of the potential treasure.

The discovery of the buried gold train was announced last month by two enthusiasts, Piotr Koper and Andreas Richter, a Pole and German respectively. They said they had found an almost 100-meter train carriage buried about nine meters underground. The carriages mostly contain weapon prototypes, but there may be historic documents, precious minerals and art objects as well, according to a local legend.

Two such trains are said to have disappeared in the area in 1945, where the Nazis constructed a network of secret underground tunnels. The trains are presumed to be booby-trapped, which sparked safety concerns and prompted the participation of the military.

READ MORE: Treasure hunter says he has found 100 tons of Soviet gold hidden from Nazis during WWII

Koper and Richter, whose announcement drew international attention, agreed to share the location of the alleged treasure for a 10-percent share. They provided ground penetrating radar images as proof of their find, but it is yet to be confirmed independently.

The explorers are under investigation for alleged use of radar equipment without proper permission.

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France to send Mistral equipment to Russia by late November

MOSCOW, September 29. /TASS/. France will send the Russian equipment from the Mistral helicopter carriers to Russia before the end of November. The equipment cost exceeds $10.57 million, a source in the military-technical cooperation system told TASS on Tuesday.

"We have agreed with the French that before the end of November they will dismantle under our control and send to Russia all the Russian equipment installed on the two Mistrals," the source said.

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IMF downgrades 2015 economic forecast on Russia to minus 3.8% of GDP

WASHINGTON, September 29. /TASS/. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) downgraded its economic forecast for Russia as it projects recession of 3.8% in GDP for 2015 and of 0.6% for 2016 in its new analytical research prepared to annual meeting, TASS correspondent reports with reference to informed sources.

In end-June, IMF experts forecasted recession of 3.4% for 2015 and 0.2% growth for 2016 while in April the organization also projected the Russian economy will decline by 3.8% this year.

The downgrade is largely due to recent falls in oil prices on the global markets.

The IMF also expects inflation to reach 15.8% in Russia this year and 8.6% - in 2016.

All in all, the fund’s projections are in line with those given by the Russian authorities. The Central Bank said on September 11 it expects recession in Russian to stand at 3.9-4.4% of GDP this year and at 0.5-1.0% of GDP next year. Earlier the Economic Development Ministry slightly downgraded its projection on GDP decline for 2015 - to 3.6% from 3.3%.

The new report will be officially presented by the International Monetary Fund on October 6.

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UN expects Putin's speech to trigger productive discussion on anti-IS fight

UNITED NATIONS, September 29. /TASS/. The UN Secretariat hopes that the proposal of Russian President Vladimir Putin on setting up a broad international coalition to fight against the Islamic State and other terrorist groups will launch a fruitful discussion involving the member-states of the organization, UN Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq has said.

"He [Putin] has made a proposal, the other member States are here to hear it and I believe they will react accordingly, but that’s the start of what we hope will be a productive discussion," Haq told a TASS correspondent.

"Regarding his specific proposals, that needs to be discussed among member states and we welcome that that discussion is going to begin here... during this week at the General Assembly."

The diplomat stressed that the UN has already made clear the need for "international solidarity" against the IS terrorist group. "We will continue to encourage that solidarity."

He agreed that understanding grows within the international community that the terrorism threat needs serious attention.

"That’s what these General Assembly plenaries are for. It’s for them to discuss, air out their specific view on how they handle crises and to try to come to some sort of an agreement and we hope that that will happen," he said.

Putin said at the session of the UN General Assembly on Monday that the activity of any state in bypassing the UN Charter is illegitimate and called to establish an international anti-terrorist coalition. The Russian leader also said the UN Security Council should consider a possibility of adopting a resolution on coordinating all the forces fighting against the IS.

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Broken ties with Baltic states adversely affect Russia and countries in region — president

MOSCOW, September 29. /TASS/. Broken economic ties with the Baltic states adversely affect both Russia and the countries of the region, Russian President Vladimir Putin told US journalist Charlie Rose in an interview with CBS and PBS.

"The broken ties, first of all, in the economy, adversely affect all of us, including Russia," Putin said. "So, I am deeply convinced that we should abandon the phobias of the past, look forward into the future and, while acting on the basis of international law, establish good-neighbourly and equal relations," he added.

The Russian leaders stressed that Moscow would like to "build friendly and partnership relations" with the Baltic states since "many Russians have been living there since the collapse of the Soviet Union."

"They are being discriminated there, their rights are being violated. Do you know that many Baltic states have invented something new in the international law? What citizenship-related notions did the international law have before? The answer is: a citizen, a foreigner, a stateless person and dual nationals, or people with dual citizenship," Putin said. "The Baltic republics have invented something totally new. Do you know what? They use the word ‘non-citizens’ for people who have been living for decades in the territory of Baltic states and have been deprived of a number of political rights. They cannot participate in the election campaigns; they have limited political and social rights. Everybody keeps quiet about it, as if this is the way it should be," he continued.

"Of course, this cannot but cause a certain reaction. I assume that our colleagues from both the United States and the European Union will proceed from current humanitarian law and ensure political freedoms and rights of all people, including those who are living in the territory of Baltic states after the disintegration of the Soviet Union," Putin said.

The Russian president reminded that Russia and the Baltic states have common supply and power system since the Soviet times. He added that "there are plans to separate the Baltic states from the common power system of the former Soviet Union and to integrate them into the European system."

"In practice, it means that a number of zones will emerge between several regions of the Russian Federation, where we will have no power transmission lines, since previously we used to have a loop transition through the Baltic countries. And it means that we will have to reform the system, spending billions of dollars, as well as our European partners who will also have to spend billions of dollars to integrate the Baltic countries into their power grid. What for? If we really seek some kind of joint work and integration, not just by words but also by deeds, what is the use of all this? And this is the case in many areas - they do the opposite of what they say," Putin explained.

The president expressed hope that "these all are growth-related problems" and that "common sense - in this or other area - will prevail in the end."

"We all are interested in an open development, without any prejudice; this refers particularly and, perhaps, primarily to the Baltic countries, for them it is more important than for Russia," Putin concluded.

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