Russia

MOSCOW, July 21. /TASS/: Russian forces destroyed a Ukrainian command post in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and an enemy fuel warehouse in the Zaporozhye area over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Friday.

MOSCOW, July 21. /TASS/: Russia’s Central Bank has sharply increased its key rate after a long pause - by 1 percentage point to 8.5% per annum, noting reinforced inflationary pressure in the economy, according to a statement released on Friday.

MOSCOW, July 21. /TASS/: Plans may be in the works to use an intended Polish-Lithuanian-Ukrainian joint military unit as an occupation force in western Ukrainian territories, and any Polish forces entering Lvov are certain to remain there, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a working meeting of the Security Council.

MOSCOW, July 21 (Reuters) - Russian investigators on Friday detained prominent Russian nationalist Igor Girkin, who had publicly accused President Vladimir Putin and the army top brass of not prosecuting the war in Ukraine harshly or effectively enough.

The move, reported by his wife, his lawyer and the RBC news outlet, suggests the authorities have wearied of his criticism of what they call Russia's "special military operation".

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.

MOSCOW, July 21 (Reuters) - Russia's Defence Ministry said on Friday that its Black Sea Fleet had practised firing rockets at surface targets in a live fire exercise, two days after it warned that ships heading to Ukraine's Black Sea ports could be considered military targets.

Russia issued its warning earlier this week after it quit the Black Sea grain deal on Monday, revoking security guarantees for ships carrying Ukrainian grain.

(AP) --- By pulling out of a landmark deal that allowed Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea, Russian President Vladimir Putin is taking a gamble that could badly damage Moscow’s relations with many of its partners that have stayed neutral or even been supportive of the Kremlin’s invasion of its neighbor.

MOSCOW (AP) — Mercenaries from Russia’s military company Wagner on Thursday launched joint drills with the Belarusian military near the border with Poland following their relocation to Belarus after their short-lived rebellion, a move that prompted Warsaw to redeploy its troops.

The Belarusian Defense Ministry said that the weeklong maneuvers will be conducted at a firing range near the border city of Brest and will involve Belarusian special forces. The ministry added that Wagner’s combat experience will help modernize the Belarusian military.

19 July 2023; MEMO: Russia warned that, from Thursday, any ships travelling to Ukraine's Black Sea ports will be seen as possibly carrying military cargoes after Ukraine said it was setting up a temporary shipping route to try and continue its grain exports, Reuters reports.

MOSCOW, July 19. /TASS/: Fake news about Moscow and Washington allegedly discussing Ukraine continue to circulate, including, among other means, as a way of destabilizing Russia from within, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Channel One television on Wednesday.

Earlier, Russia dismissed as fake allegations purporting that, in April, US officials held secretive talks on Ukraine with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.