Russia

MOSCOW (AP) — A new Russian intercontinental ballistic missile is capable of carrying several hypersonic weapons, a senior Russian military officer said Sunday.

Col. Gen. Sergei Karakayev, the commander of the Russian military’s Strategic Missile Forces, said in televised remarks that the new Sarmat ICBM is designed to carry several Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles.

MOSCOW, April 23. /TASS/: Russia’s COVID-19 case tally rose by 8,729 over the past day to 18,128,691, the anti-coronavirus crisis center reported on Saturday.

In relative terms, the figure reached 0.05%.

As many as 2,682 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Russia over the past day, 0.8% fewer than in the previous day. The number of hospitalized patients declined in 44 regions, while in 35 other regions the figure increased. A day earlier, 2,660 people were rushed to hospitals.

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.

MOSCOW, April 22. /TASS/: China resolutely opposes any discrimination and politicization of sports and jointly with Russia will stand shouldering the true spirits of sports, as well as supporting each other, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui said on Friday.

Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin held a meeting on Friday with ambassadors to Russia representing member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which is comprised of China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

MOSCOW, April 22. /TASS/: Russia's financial position is stable, default is out of the question, Head of VTB Andrey Kostin said in an interview with Rossiya 24 TV channel.

"Real default is out of the question. Russia’s financial position always was and still is very stable, reserves of the Bank of Russia exceed the entire state external debt. There would be no problems with settlements if there was at least some rational policy from our Western partners," he said.

MOSCOW, April 22. /TASS/: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that he briefed the Kazakh side in detail on progress in the Russian special operation in Ukraine and shared opinions of the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations, which proceed very slowly.

MOSCOW, April 21. /TASS/: Russian-Ukrainian talks are accompanied by Kiev’s aggressive rhetoric and the Ukrainian delegation’s stance still wiggles from side to side, the director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s second department of the CIS countries, Alexey Polishchuk, told TASS in an interview.

"At the ongoing negotiations the Ukrainian delegation’s stance is wiggling from side to side. Just as before, the negotiating process is accompanied by aggressive rhetoric in Kiev and in the West, Western arms supplies and the sending of instructors and mercenaries," he said.