Europe

MOSCOW, April 23. /TASS/: Russian air defense systems shot down Ukrainian Su-25 aircraft in the Kharkov region. At the same time, Pantsir-S crew shot down two Tochka-U tactical missiles in the air around the settlement of Chernobaevka, Major General Igor Konashenkov announced on Saturday.

"Russian air defense systems shot down Su-25 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Forces in the Novaya Dmitrovka area of the Kharkov region," he said.

MOSCOW, April 23. /TASS/: US Boeing X-37 orbital spacecraft may carry reconnaissance tools or weapons of mass destruction, Director General of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin said on Saturday.

"It may carry some kind of reconnaissance tools or weapons of mass destruction. This is a new category of carriers of mass destruction weapons. Attacks from space pose the most serious danger," he said in an interview with Rossiya 24 TV channel, mentioning the vehicle returning from space.

MOSCOW, April 23. /TASS/: The Federal Air Transport Agency has extended temporary flight restrictions at 11 airports in the southern and central parts of the Russian Federation until May 1, the Agency reported on Saturday.

MOSCOW, April 23. /TASS/: The United States is preparing provocations to accuse the Russian side of using chemical, biological, or tactical nuclear weapons, Chief of Russian Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Protection Force Igor Kirillov announced on Saturday.

"The Russian Ministry of Defense has information about the United States preparing provocations to accuse the Russian Armed Forces of using chemical, biological, or tactical nuclear weapons," he said.

LONDON, April 23 (Reuters) - Russia's top state investigative body said on Saturday it was looking into a Russian media report alleging that sabotage experts from Britain's SAS special forces have been deployed to western Ukraine.

The Special Air Service is an elite military force trained to conduct special operations, surveillance and counter-terrorism. Russia's RIA Novosti news agency on Saturday quoted a Russian security source as saying about 20 SAS members had been sent to the Lviv region.

ZURICH, April 23 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Ukrainians lined up for food handouts in central Zurich on Saturday as wealthy Switzerland struggles to cope with the arrival of around 40,000 refugees since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February.

Refugees in official accommodation receive some financial support from the state, although this is often not enough to live on in a country where the cost of living is among the highest in the world.

AMSTERDAM, April 23 (Reuters) - Amsterdam's Schiphol airport urged travellers to stay away for several hours on Saturday as a strike by ground personnel at the start of a school holiday caused chaos at Europe's third-busiest airport.

"The terminal is too full at the moment ... Schiphol is calling on travellers not to come to the airport anymore," airport authorities said in a statement issued shortly before noon (1000 GMT).

Almost three hours later the airport said passengers were welcome again but would still face long waiting times and possible delays or cancellations.

LONDON, April 23 (Reuters) - Russia said on Saturday it plans to deploy its newly tested Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles, capable of mounting nuclear strikes against the United States, by autumn.

The target stated by Dmitry Rogozin, head of the Roscosmos space agency, is an ambitious one as Russia reported its first test-launch only on Wednesday and Western military experts say more will be needed before the missile can be deployed. 

BRUSSELS, April 23 (Xinhua) -- The European Council said Saturday that it has reached a provisional political agreement with the European Parliament on a new legislation to combat hate speech, disinformation and other harmful content online.

The legislation, named the Digital Services Act (DSA), "aims to protect the digital space against the spread of illegal content, and to ensure the protection of users' fundamental rights," the European Council said in a press release.

ROME, April 23 (Xinhua) -- The eastward expansion of the U.S.-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) toward Russia is a major root cause of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which could take a heavy toll on the European economy, an Italian economist has said.

NATO EXPANSION RED LINE FOR RUSSIA

Michele Geraci, former undersecretary of state at the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, told Xinhua in an exclusive interview that the military alliance's moves have created two main problems for Russia.