Russia

July 23 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Ukraine's counteroffensive "has failed" as he hosted Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, his close ally, for talks in St Petersburg on Sunday.

"There is no counteroffensive," Russian news agencies quoted Lukashenko as saying.

Putin replied: "It exists, but it has failed."

Ukraine began its long-anticipated counter-offensive last month but has so far made only small gains against well entrenched Russian forces who control more than a sixth of its territory after nearly 17 months of war.

MOSCOW, July 22. /TASS/: Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is carrying out "polonization" of Ukraine in hopes that this would allow him to stay in power for longer, Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said on his Telegram channel.

"Zelensky is carrying out a process of polonization [capture of Ukraine by Poland - TASS] of his country, hoping that, in return, his masters [Washington and Brussels - TASS] will allow him to stay in power for longer," he said.

MOSCOW, July 22. /TASS/: The Russian side rebuffed Poland’s complaints over the Russian President Vladimir Putin’s remarks on Polish history and Warsaw’s ongoing policies, Russian Ambassador Sergey Andreyev said after visiting the Polish Foreign Ministry.

MOSCOW, July 22. /TASS/: Four Izvestiya and RIA Novosti reporters were injured in a Ukrainian cluster munitions strike at the Zaporozhye Region, the Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday, adding that RIA Novosti reporter Rostislav Zhuravlyov died during evacuation.

MOSCOW, July 22. /TASS/: The wounds of journalists and the death of RIA Novosti correspondent Rostislav Zhuravlev in a Ukrainian cluster munitions strike prove that the assurances of the Americans and Ukrainians about the non-use of these weapons against civilians are lies, and therefore both Kiev and Washington equally share responsibility for this crime, Russian Federation Council Deputy Speaker Konstantin Kosachev said on Saturday.

MOSCOW, July 22. /TASS/: Those who were involved in the brutal attack on Russian journalist Rostislav Zhuravlev will be held accountable, and responsibility will also be shared by the suppliers of cluster bombs to Kiev, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on Saturday.

"The perpetrators of the brutal attack on the Russian journalist will inevitably face deserved punishment. The entire extent of responsibility will also be shared by those who have sent cluster munitions to their Kiev proteges," the diplomat said.

MOSCOW, July 21 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin on Friday accused NATO member Poland of having territorial ambitions in the former Soviet Union, and said any aggression against Russia's neighbour and close ally Belarus would be considered an attack on Russia.

Moscow would react to any aggression against Belarus, which forms a loose "Union State" with Russia, "with all the means at our disposal", Putin told a meeting of his Security Council in televised remarks.

July 22 (Reuters) - A drone attack on an ammunition depot in Crimea prompted authorities to evacuate everyone in a five-km (3.1-mile) radius and briefly suspend road traffic on the bridge linking the peninsula to Russia, the Moscow-installed regional governor said on Saturday.

Sergei Aksyonov said there was an explosion at the depot in Krasnohvardiiske in central Crimea but reported no damage or casualties. Footage shared by state media showed a thick cloud of grey smoke at the site.

MOSCOW, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Traffic across the Crimean bridge has been restored after a temporary suspension due to "an unspecified reason" on Saturday morning, said authorities.

Those on the bridge and within the inspection area were requested to remain calm and follow the instructions of transport security staff, according to an official post on Telegram.

Road traffic on the bridge has been restored shortly after the suspension, it updated later.

MOSCOW, July 21. /TASS/: Russia’s Central Bank does not rule out the possibility of further increase of the key rate at the next meetings of its board of directors, the regulator’s Governor Elvira Nabiullina told a press conference following the board meeting on Friday.

"At the next meetings we admit further key rate’s increase," she said.

The rate of the possible increase of the key rate will be defined by the degree of influence of data received on assessment of development of the situation and the balance of risks for achieving the inflation target of 4% in 2024.