Russia

MOSCOW, August 7. /TASS/: The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Russia grew by 22,320 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of infected to 6,424,884, the federal anti-coronavirus crisis center reported on Saturday.

The increase in new cases totaled 0.35% in relative terms.

MOSCOW (AP) — Wildfires in Russia’s vast Siberia region endangered several villages Saturday and prompted authorities to evacuate residents of some areas.

In northeastern Siberia, 93 active forest fires burned across 1.1 million hectares (2.8 million acres) of Sakha-Yakutia, officials said, making it the worst affected region of Russia.

A fire engulfed dozens of houses in the village of Byas-Kuel, and all village residents were evacuated, according to the local task force dealing with the emergency.

MOSCOW, August 6. /TASS/: Russian Ministry of Justice included the Anti-Corruption Foundation, the Citizens’ Rights Protection Foundation and the Navalny’s Headquarters movement, all deemed extremist by a court earlier, to the registry of banned organizations, the Ministry told TASS Friday.

ST. PETERSBURG, August 6. /TASS/: Nordwind Airlines will launch direct flights from the Pulkovo Airport of St. Petersburg to Germany’s Stuttgart from August 22, Northern Capital Gateway, the management company of the Pulkovo Airport, told reporters on Friday.

"The air service between St. Petersburg and Stuttgart will open from August 22 on Sundays. The time en route will be about three hours," the company said.

MOSCOW, August 6. /TASS/: The Russian Economic Development Ministry projects an increase in exports of non-resource goods from the country by 15-20% by the end of 2021 in annual terms, the ministry’s department director Lilia Shchur-Trukhanovich told an online conference on Friday.

"In 2020, [Russian] exports of non-resource goods increased by 4% compared with 2019. We understand that it was a very difficult year, nevertheless there was an increase. We have a more optimistic outlook for this year. We suggest that the growth will be around 15-20%," she said.

MOSCOW, August 6. /TASS/: The Russian Government should approve the integrated plan for achievement of 2030 national development goals by October 1 and incorporate strategic initiatives in the socioeconomic development sphere of the country into the plan. Russian President Vladimir Putin gave such assignment after the meeting of the Council on Strategic Development and National Projects in July, the Kremlin’s website says on Friday.

MOSCOW, August 5. /TASS/: Crimea’s status as part of Russia is not subject to discussion, Russian Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Alexander Bikantov said at a briefing on Thursday.

"The matter of Crimea is closed once and for all. How can one view other countries’ statements on a matter that is closed and is no more? It cannot be taken seriously," he said, when asked to comment on a statement by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.

MOSCOW, August 5./TASS/: The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has withdrawn from the monitoring of the upcoming elections to the State Duma lower house of parliament, and its further assessments concerning the September election will hardly deserve attention, Russian Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Alexander Bikantov told a briefing on Thursday. 

MOSCOW, August 5./TASS/: The offensive by the Taliban movement (outlawed in Russia) in Afghanistan is losing steam and it has no resources for seizing major cities, including Kabul, Russian Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesman Alexander Bikantov told a briefing on Thursday. 

"The Taliban has no resources to capture and hold the major cities, including the country’s capital city Kabul. Their offensive is gradually running out of steam," he said.

Government troops have managed to regain control over the lost districts in some provinces, the diplomat stressed.

MOSCOW, August 5. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin explained the scale of wildfires and flash floods in the country by climate change.

The head of state promised during his meeting with the government to hold a separate meeting on combating wildfires and flash floods on August 6.

"All this is largely connected to the climate change - both global and in our country," Putin noted.

According to the President, during the last 44 years, the average yearly temperature in the country has been increasing 2.8 times faster "than in the global dimension."