Russia

MOSCOW, April 20. /TASS/: Russia’s Energia Space Rocket Corporation has been assigned the task of making the first basic module for a new Russian orbital station ready in 2025. Head of the State Space Corporation Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin said on Tuesday.

"Work is already underway on the first basic module for the new Russian orbital service station. The Energia Space Rocket Corporation has been set the task of ensuring its readiness for the launch into the designated orbit in 2025," Rogozin wrote in his Telegram channel.

MOSCOW, April 20. /TASS/: The situation unfolding on the International Space Station could trigger serious consequences, even a disaster in the future, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov told Rossiya-1 TV channel.

"We cannot endanger the life of [cosmonauts]. The situation, which is today linked to the ageing structures and iron, could trigger irreversible consequences and even a disaster. This must be prevented," Borisov said speaking about the need to create a Russian orbital station.

SEVASTOPOL, April 20. /TASS/: Over 20 Black Sea Fleet warships held a joint exercise with the crews of Su-25SM3 attack aircraft of the Southern Military District’s Air Force and Air Defense Army in a final inspection of the Fleet’s forces after the winter training period, the Fleet’s press office reported on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, April 20. /TASS/: Two employees of the Bulgarian embassy in Moscow have been declared personae non grata in response to the expulsion of Russian diplomats from Bulgaria, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

"On April 20, Bulgarian Ambassador Atanas Krastin was invited to the Russian Foreign Ministry where he received a ministry’s note declaring first secretary of the embassy’ consular service N. Panayotov and first secretary of the embassy’s trade and economic service Ch. Kristozov personae non grata. These men must leave Russia within 72 hours," it said.

MOSCOW, April 20. /TASS/: Russian President Vladimir Putin does not plan to hold talks with the Czech government over the aggravation of Russian-Czech relations, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.

"There are no such plans," the spokesman said, answering a corresponding question.

Moscow views Prague’s move to expel Russian diplomats as harmful to bilateral relations.

MOSCOW, April 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Russia’s defence ministry said Monday it had killed “up to 200 fighters” in Syria during air strikes on a “terrorist” base northeast of Palmyra, where fighters were planning attacks ahead of presidential polls next month.

“After confirming data through multiple channels on the location of terrorist facilities, Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft carried out air strikes,” the ministry said in a statement.

(Reuters) --- For a possible summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden to take place, a lot depends on the United States' further actions, RIA cited Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying on Tuesday.

Despite the dire state of relations, the Kremlin has not ruled out Biden's proposal for a summit between the two leaders in Europe.

(Reuters) --- Russia will soon have more than 120,000 troops on Ukraine's border, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Tuesday, calling for new Western economic sanctions on Moscow.

Kyiv, Washington and NATO have been alarmed by the large build-up of Russian troops near Ukraine and in Crimea, the peninsula that Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Western officials say the concentration of forces is now larger than during that annexation.

MOSCOW (AP) — The U.S. ambassador in Moscow said Tuesday he will head home for consultations — a move that comes after the Kremlin prodded him to take a break after Washington and Moscow traded sanctions.

Ambassador John Sullivan said in a statement that he is returning to the United States this week to discuss U.S.-Russian ties with members of President Joe Biden’s administration. He emphasized that he would come back to Moscow within weeks.

MOSCOW, April 19. /TASS/: The speaker of Russia’s Federation Council, Valentina Matviyenko, has said she believes that Russia has entered a post-covid period. She was speaking at a meeting of the scientific and expert council under the office of the FC speaker, devoted to the development of the cyber environment as a space of security, rule of law and sustainable development, Matviyenko.

"I believe that postcovid period is already a reality. I am very glad to see all of you face to face," Matviyenko said.