Russia

KOROLYOV /Moscow Region/, October 4. /TASS/. The Soyuz MS-08 spacecraft with three participants in the prolonged space expedition 55/56 has separated from the International Space Station (ISS) and begun the journey home, Mission Control near Moscow told the media on Thursday.

"The Soyuz MS-08 has been detached from the ISS. According to the telemetry data, the procedure was normal. The commander said he had no critical remarks to make," Mission Control's spokesman said.

MOSCOW, October 4. /TASS/. Russia denies there is an agreement to exchange Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov, serving a prison term in Russia, for Russian citizens in US jails, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a news briefing on Thursday.

"We’ve taken note of reports in a number of mass media about some plans for exchanging Oleg Sentsov, convicted of plotting a terrorist attack in Russia, for Russian citizens in US custody. We reacted to these rumors with surprise."

MOSCOW, October 2. /TASS/. US foreign policy during Donald Trump’s presidency has lost an ideological footing and has turned into an instrument for attaining economic objectives, including the ones in the energy sector, Frants Klintsevich, a member of the defense and security committee in the upper house of Russian parliament told TASS on Tuesday.

He said it in a comment on the findings by US public opinion researchers, who have registered a slide of popularity rankings of the US and its President across the world.

MOSCOW, October 2. /TASS/. Russia and India plan signing more than 20 documents at the end of the talks that Russian President Vladimir Putin is going to have with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a visit to New Delhi on October 4-5, Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters on Tuesday.

"Apart from a conversation tete-a-tete, the sides will have talks with restricted attendance, then the talks in an extended format, and then a working breakfast as a continuation of the latter talks where ministers and leading businessmen will be present," Ushakov said.

MOSCOW, October 1. /TASS/. Russian Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika thinks that the US and the UK refuse extradition of Russian citizens accused or suspected of crimes, because their economies benefit from Russian billions leaving the country.

"The reasons (for refusing extradition) are not always political. These countries (the US, the UK) benefit from billions withdrawn from Russia remaining in their economy," Chaika stated.

He noted that "these countries’ officials do not care about the origin of money that our escaped citizens pour into their economy."

MOSCOW, October 2. /TASS/. Russia is looking at building a lunar station jointly with Chinese partners, CEO of Russia’s state space corporation Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, said.

"China is a serious partner. I don’t rule out that as soon as we agree the outlines of our lunar program with the Americans, it is our manned lunar program, the formation of a research station on Moon’s surface is likely to be carried out with our Chinese partners. They can be equal partners already in the coming years," he told Russia’s TV Channel One.

MOSCOW, October 1. /TASS/. Russia’s electromagnetic weapons have begun to be tested in the field, the first deputy CEO of the radio-electronic technologies concern KRET, Vladimir Mikheyev, told TASS on Monday.

He said that microwave weapon systems "exist and develop with success."

"Testing is conducted non-stop in laboratory conditions and at test sites," Mikheyev said when asked if such weapons had been tested already. He added that active research was underway into systems of protection from electromagnetic weapons.

SOCHI, September 29. /TASS/. The threat of new sanctions motivates banks to bring more euro than dollars to the country, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Economist of Russia’s VEB development bank Andrei Klepach told TASS on Saturday.

"First, they (banks) have already brought great dollar amounts. Second, the threat of sanctions exists, though I hope that the US will not assume last resort measures. In this environment, a natural and simplest step is to transfer from payments in dollars to payments in euro," he said.

MOSCOW, September 28. /TASS/. Russia may build the first manned base on the surface of the Moon in 2030, the chief of the nuclear planetology department at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Space Research Institute, Igor Mitrofanov, told TASS on Friday.

On Monday, Roscosmos corporation said Russia had plans for building its own base for space crews on the surface of the Moon. The possibility of cooperation with NASA or BRICS countries is being considered, the corporation said.

MOSCOW, September 28. /TASS/. Russia’s research and industrial concern Techmash (an affiliate of Rostech) is working on the concept of a new 152-millimeter correctable trajectory shell for artillery pieces, the concern’s deputy CEO Alexander Kochkin said adding that the project had no name yet.

"Currently we are the drafting terms of reference and image of this new type of ammunition. I reckon we will get down to research and development in the near future. It will be a new 152-millimeter correctable trajectory shell for artillery pieces. The project has no name yet," he said.