Russia

MOSCOW, February 2. /TASS/: A Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket has been launched from the Plesetsk spaceport in Russia’s Arkhangelsk region, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

"A combat crew of the Space Forces of the Aerospace Forces successfully launched a medium-class Soyuz-2.1a rocket carrying a spacecraft in the interests of the Russian Defense Ministry from Launchpad 4 at Site 43 at the Defense Ministry’s test spaceport in the Arkhangelsk region at 10:00 am Moscow time on Saturday, February 5," the statement reads.

MOSCOW, February 5. /TASS/: The Bloomberg news agency’s publishing error about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine makes it clear how dangerous West-triggered tensions are, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS on Saturday.

"It hardly was a provocation, there is no need to exaggerate it," he said, adding that the agency had apologized for the error.

MOSCOW, Feb. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia's sovereign wealth fund) announces that the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against coronavirus has been granted full permanent approval by Russia's Health Ministry. It had previously held temporary emergency use authorization (EUA) from the Russian regulator.

MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/: It is necessary to fulfill some previous agreements in order to hold new meetings of the leaders of the Normandy format, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Friday.

"We wanted this meeting to take place several years ago, and we believe that it should have been held a long time ago and that [such meetings] need to take place on a regular basis," the Kremlin spokesman noted.

MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/: Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has called on the UK prime minister to stop disseminating fabricated ideas about the alleged threat of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

"UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson posted a video on the government’s official account in social networks, where he tells viewers about Russian troops near the border with Ukraine and threatens with ‘very real’ perspectives of an imminent Russian aggression," she said. "Stop intimidating people, stop spreading fake news and threats."

MOSCOW (AP) — When the U.S. and NATO rejected the Kremlin’s security demands over Ukraine last week, fears of an imminent Russian attack against its neighbor soared.

But instead of sending armored armadas across the Ukrainian border as the U.S. and its allies worried, Moscow bombarded Western capitals with diplomatic letters about an international agreement that the Kremlin sees as a strong argument for its position in the standoff.

MOSCOW, February 3. /TASS/: Russian ambassador to the UK Andrey Kelin on Thursday said the UK is more sensible about the purported Russian threat to Ukraine, compared to the US.

"They are more about news hype, but they don’t issue the kind of calls that emanate from Washington, such as preparation for war," he said on Channel One. "They go about the situation in a more sensible way, although alarmist statements - what if there’s war - are voiced quite often."

MOSCOW, February 3. /TASS/: Argentina is one of Russia’s key partners in Latin America, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a press conference following talks with his Argentine counterpart Alberto Fernandez on Thursday. 

"I would like to point out that Argentina is one of Russia’s key partners in Latin America. For over 150 years, our countries have been maintaining good and friendly relations based on equality, respect, and concern for each other’s interests," Putin said.

MOSCOW, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Russia accused the United States on Thursday of ramping up tensions and ignoring Moscow's calls to ease a standoff over Ukraine, a day after Washington announced it would deploy nearly 3,000 extra troops to Poland and Romania.

Ukraine says Russia has built up115,000 troops near its borders, stoking fears of a looming attack. Moscow denies any such plan, but Washington said on Wednesday it would send extra forces to shield eastern Europe from any crisis spillover. 

MOSCOW (AP) — American and European officials may be staying away from the Beijing Winter Olympics because of human rights concerns, but Russian President Vladimir Putin will be on hand even as tensions soar over his buildup of troops along his country’s border with Ukraine.

Putin’s talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday will mark their first in-person meeting since 2019 and are intended to help strengthen Moscow’s ties with China and coordinate their policies in the face of Western pressure. After, the two will attend the Games’ opening ceremony.