Russia

MOSCOW, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Russia on Sunday started imposing additional import tariffs of 25-40 percent for a range of U.S. goods, according to the Russian government.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev last month signed a government order setting the new tariffs, stipulating that it would become effective 30 days after its official publication on July 6.

5 Aug 2018; AFP; Moscow has appointed US actor Steven Seagal as a special envoy, dealing with humanitarian links with the United States, the Russian foreign ministry announced Saturday.

"Stephen Seagal has been appointed special representative of the ministry of foreign affairs of Russia on Russian-American Humanitarian Ties," the foreign ministry said on its website

"The task is to promote the further development of Russian-American relations in the humanitarian sphere, including interaction in the field of culture, art, public and youth exchanges and more," it added.

ROSTOV-ON-DON, August 3. /TASS/. The family of Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who is serving his 20-year sentence in an American prison in the city of Danbury, Connecticut, will not be able to visit him this summer, ahead of his daughter’s school year, and the trip was postponed, the pilot’s wife, Viktoria, told TASS.

The pilot’s family, who lives in Rostov-on-Don, have not seen him for about seven years.

MOSCOW, August 3. /TASS/. Around 890,000 Syrian citizens can return to their home country in the coming months, Head of Russia’s National Defense Control Center Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev said on Friday.

"According to data provided by the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, about 890,000 civilians are expected to return to Syria in the coming months," Mizintsev said at a meeting of the interdepartmental coordination headquarters supervising the return of refugees to Syria.

MOSCOW, August 4. /TASS/. A Mi-8 helicopter has crashed in the north of Krasnoyarsk region, East Siberia, killing 18 people aboard, a source at the emergency services told TASS.

"There were three crewmembers and 15 passenger abroad the Mi-8 that belonged to Utair airline," he said. "All of them died."

A well-informed official in the law enforcement agencies told TASS the helicopter had taken off from the town of Igarka, located on the River Yenisei to the north of the Arctic Circle.

By Elena Teslova

2 Aug 2018; AA; MOSCOW; Russian lawmakers have criticized a U.S. move to impose sanctions on two Turkish Cabinet members as "counterproductive and destructive".

Alexay Chepa, the deputy head of the International Committee of the State Duma, said in an interview with Anadolu Agency on Wednesday that imposing sanctions had become "kind of a U.S. routine".

"Every day we hear some news that the U.S. either impose sanctions or announces a trade war against those who do not want to act as the U.S. wants," Chepa said.

The 2018 Tank Biathlon contest is underway in Russia as part of the 4th International Army Games.

Russia’s team finished first on the second day of the international Tank Biathlon competition. Teams from Serbia and Iran finished second and third, respectively.

The Games are being held on 24 training grounds in seven countries in a period from July 28 through August 11. Taking part are 189 teams from 32 world nations. The program includes competitions in 28 disciplines.

SOCHI, July 31. /TASS/. The international meeting on Syria in Russia’s Sochi will promote peace in that country, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hosein Ansari told TASS on Tuesday.

DVORIKI /Vladimir Region/, July 30. /TASS/. The Russian Federation possesses the information about military plans of the US and other countries against it, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday in his speech before the participants of the Russian educational youth forum Terra Scientia.

MOSCOW, July 30. /TASS/. Russia may resume the production of super-heavy Antonov An-124 cargo planes. They will be digitalized and will carry new PD-35 engines, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov said on Monday.

"The resumption of the production of An-124 planes will be linked with the possibilities of PD-35 engines that are made in the United Engine-Building Corporation. But there will be nothing new. We will simply digitalize the An-124 with new engines," Borisov said.