Russia

25 May 2021; MEMO: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov yesterday warned Turkey against what he said were attempts to fuel Ukraine's "militaristic sentiment" after Ankara moved to boost cooperation with Kyiv, Reuters reports.

"We strongly recommend that our Turkish colleagues carefully analyse the situation and stop fuelling Kyiv's militaristic sentiment," Lavrov said in an interview with Argumenty i Fakty newspaper.

(Reuters) --- Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny said he had been informed in prison about three new criminal investigations against him, according to a post on his Instagram account published on Tuesday.

Navalny said he had learned about the cases from an investigator who visited him in custody on Monday.

"I'm becoming a more hardened criminal every day," he joked in the post. "So don't think I'm only sitting in a cell, drinking tea and doing nothing."

MOSCOW, May 24. /TASS/: Moscow is always ready to come to Minsk’s aid especially against the backdrop of the external pressure exerted over the country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in the interview with the Argumenty i Facty newspaper.

MOSCOW, May 24. /TASS/: Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has remained tight-lipped over the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk. He said the situation should be tackled by international civil aviation structures.

"Perhaps, I’ll have to say this right of the bat. I will not provide any comments on the Ryanair flight," he told journalists on Monday.

MOSCOW, May 24. /TASS/: Russia has registered 8,406 new confirmed COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours, bringing the total count to 5,009,911 cases, the anti-coronavirus crisis center told journalists on Monday.

According to the crisis center, the relative increase of new infections is at the level of 0.17%. The lowest daily growth rates were seen in the Republic of Tuva (0.03%) and the Kamchatka Region (0.04%).

MOSCOW, May 24. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent greetings to participants, organizers and guests of the 24th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, noting that Moscow is interested in closer economic, scientific, and technical cooperation with its foreign partners and ready to share experience in various areas.

MOSCOW, May 23. /TASS/: Russia confirmed 8,951 COVID-19 cases over the past day, bringing the total case tally to 5,001,505, the anti-coronavirus crisis center told reporters on Sunday.

The COVID-19 incidence grew by 0.18% in relative terms.

The lowest growth rates were registered over the past day in the Tuva Republic (0.04%), the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region, the Kamchatka Region, the Khabarovsk Region, the Republics of Adygea and North Ossetia-Alania (0.05%).

MOSCOW, May 23. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to discuss with his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky Crimea in the context of border cooperation between the two countries’ regions, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"Our Ukrainian vis-a-vis, for example, say: we will discuss Crimea. But if to discuss Crimea in the context of developing border cooperation - Russia has border cooperation between regions and foreign countries - if in this context, I’m sure Putin will be ready," Peskov told Moscow. Kremlin. Putin program on Rossiya-1 TV channel.

MOSCOW, May 22. /TASS/: Two pilots ejected from a SU-30SM fighter jet when it was on the ground at the Saki military airfield in Crimea, both crew members are alive, a military source told TASS on Saturday.

"On Friday at 18.50, two pilots ejected from a Su-30SM at the Saki airfield in Crimea during preparations for takeoff. Both pilots are alive. The jet technician received burns," the source said.

MOSCOW, May 22. /TASS/: The US’ decision not to impose sanctions against the operator of the Nord Stream 2 project may speed up completion of the gas pipeline’s construction, Fitch group director Dmitry Marinchenko told TASS, adding that the launch of the pipeline may be expected within a couple of months.