Russia

May 11 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that Moscow did not want war in Europe, but that Western countries were keen to see Russia defeated in its military campaign in Ukraine.

"If you are worried about the prospect of war in Europe - we do not want that at all," Lavrov said at a news conference in Muscat after talks with his Omani counterpart.

"But I draw your attention to the fact that it is the West that is constantly and persistently saying that in this situation, it is necessary to defeat Russia. Draw your own conclusions."

May 11 (Reuters) - Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev accused the United States on Wednesday of waging a “proxy war” against Russia after the House of Representatives approved a $40 billion aid package for Ukraine, and said the U.S. economy would suffer.

Writing on the messenger app Telegram, Medvedev said that the bill approved by the House on Tuesday was a bid “to deal a serious defeat to our country and limit its economic development and political influence in the world.”

MOSCOW, May 10. /TASS/: Russia’s coronavirus cases rose by 4,531 to 18,237,227 in the past 24 hours, the anti-coronavirus crisis center told reporters on Tuesday.

Russia’s coronavirus growth rate was 0.02%, or the lowest since April 20, 2020.

As many as 1,000 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, down 17.9% from the previous day. Hospitalizations declined in 47 regions of the country and rose in 27 regions.

MOSCOW, May 10. /TASS/: The Russian Emergencies Ministry has reported 4,000 wildfires in the country so far this year, Acting Emergencies Minister Alexander Chupriyan said at a meeting with the Russian president on Tuesday.

"About 4,000 wildfires have been reported in Russia since the start of this year," Chupriyan said.

MOSCOW, May 10. /TASS/:MOSCOW Russia and Algeria plan to sign a treaty confirming a new quality of bilateral relations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.

"All these years we have been actively developing trade and economic cooperation," Lavrov said at a meeting with his Algerian counterpart Ramtane Lamamra.

Lavrov noted that given "the rapidly developing friendly ties" in order to maintain the high level of cooperation the countries plan to sign "a new inter-state strategic document, which will reflect the new quality of our relations."

MOSCOW, May 10. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed five acting governors in the Tomsk, Saratov, Ryazan, Kirov Regions and in the Mari El republic, according to decrees published on the Kremlin website on Tuesday.

In the Tomsk Region, Vladimir Mazur, deputy head of the Russian Presidential Department for Domestic Policy, will succeed Sergey Zhvachkin, who has been in office for two terms since 2012 and resigned earlier in the day, as acting governor.

May 10 (Reuters) - Four Russian regional governors resigned on Tuesday as the country braces for the impact of economic sanctions.

The heads of the Tomsk, Saratov, Kirov and Mari El regions announced their immediate departures from office, while the head of Ryazan region said he would not run for another term.

Elections are scheduled to take place in all five regions in September.

MOSCOW, May 8. /TASS/: More than 19,800 people, including 970 children, were evacuated from dangerous regions in Ukraine, and from the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics to Russia during the day, Mikhail Mizintsev, chief of Russia’s National Defense Management Center, said on Sunday.

MOSCOW, May 9. /TASS/: Russia’s coronavirus cases rose by 5,030 to 18,232,696 in the past 24 hours, the anti-coronavirus crisis center said on Monday.

Russia’s coronavirus growth rate was 0.03%.

As many as 1,218 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, down from 1,308 the day before. Hospitalizations declined in 42 regions of the country and rose in 34 regions.

Moscow’s COVID-19 cases surged by 268 to 2,763,989 in the day, according to the anti-coronavirus crisis center. St. Petersburg’s coronavirus cases increased by 312 to 1,522,591.

MOSCOW, May 9. /TASS/: Ukraine’s General Staff with direct participation of advisers from the US and the UK plotted provocation to seize Snake Island, but it was foiled by Russia’s forces, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Major-General Igor Konashenkov said on Monday.