themoscowtimes--2020-06-20--Opening Nuclear Talks With Russia, U.S. May Also Be Ending Them

New START expires on Feb. 5 — presenting an extraordinarily tight deadline to renew a complex deal , let alone negotiate a new treaty involving a third power .
President Donald Trump 's administration has insisted , to no avail , that China join the discussions in Vienna on New START , the treaty that caps U.S. and Russian nuclear warheads .
The United States and Russia on Monday open talks on their last major nuclear agreement — but for some observers , it may simply be the beginning of the end .
Marshall Billingslea , the U.S. envoy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saying that its role will be a factor in determining if the Vienna session is constructive .
China — whose nuclear arsenal is rapidly expanding but is still far smaller than the U.S. and Russian programs — has repeatedly declined to take part , amid tensions with the Trump administration on multiple fronts .
Daryl Kimball , executive director of the Arms Control Association , a Washington-based research group , said the insistence on including China showed the Trump administration was not serious .
`` The only conclusion I can come to is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do not intend to extend New START and are seeking to display China 's disinterest in trilateral arms control talks as a cynical excuse to allow New START to expire , '' he said .
The Trump administration has already left two treaties with Russia — on overflights and on intermediate-range nuclear forces .
Russia , to be led in Vienna by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov , has proposed simply extending New START to allow time to negotiate .
But Moscow 's ambassador in Washington , Anatoly Antonov , said he was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I do n't see any positive sign . ''
New START , a Cold War legacy whose latest version was negotiated by president Barack Obama , allows the United States and Russia to deploy no more than 1,550 nuclear warheads each and cut in half the number of strategic nuclear missile launchers .
Russia , whose nuclear arsenal is a key element of power while it is vastly outspent on defense by the United States , says it wants to ensure parity with Washington .
It also wants a broader discussion with Washington @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threats to resume nuclear tests after nearly three decades .
Billingslea said last month that the United States was concerned not only about China but Russia , accusing Moscow of modernizing thousands of `` non-strategic '' nuclear weapons that fall outside New START .
`` They have adopted a highly provocative nuclear doctrine that embraces early escalation and use of nuclear weapons , '' Billingslea said , calling for any successor treaty to put more Russian arms under monitoring .

The United States and Russia on Monday open talks on their last major nuclear agreement — but for some observers, it may simply be the beginning of the end. President Donald Trump's administration has insisted, to no avail, that China join the discussions in Vienna on New START, the treaty that caps U.S. and Russian nuclear warheads. New START expires on Feb. 5 — presenting an extraordinarily tight deadline to renew a complex deal, let alone negotiate a new treaty involving a third power.
Marshall Billingslea, the U.S. envoy, has ramped up pressure on Beijing, saying that its role will be a factor in determining if the Vienna session is constructive. China — whose nuclear arsenal is rapidly expanding but is still far smaller than the U.S. and Russian programs — has repeatedly declined to take part, amid tensions with the Trump administration on multiple fronts. Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, a Washington-based research group, said the insistence on including China showed the Trump administration was not serious. "The only conclusion I can come to is that Marshall Billingslea and the Trump administration do not intend to extend New START and are seeking to display China's disinterest in trilateral arms control talks as a cynical excuse to allow New START to expire," he said. The Trump administration has already left two treaties with Russia — on overflights and on intermediate-range nuclear forces. Low hopes in Moscow Russia, to be led in Vienna by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, has proposed simply extending New START to allow time to negotiate. But Moscow's ambassador in Washington, Anatoly Antonov, said he was "quite pessimistic, as for now I don't see any positive sign." New START, a Cold War legacy whose latest version was negotiated by president Barack Obama, allows the United States and Russia to deploy no more than 1,550 nuclear warheads each and cut in half the number of strategic nuclear missile launchers. Russia, whose nuclear arsenal is a key element of power while it is vastly outspent on defense by the United States, says it wants to ensure parity with Washington. It also wants a broader discussion with Washington on arms control, including on U.S. threats to resume nuclear tests after nearly three decades. Billingslea said last month that the United States was concerned not only about China but Russia, accusing Moscow of modernizing thousands of "non-strategic" nuclear weapons that fall outside New START. "They have adopted a highly provocative nuclear doctrine that embraces early escalation and use of nuclear weapons," Billingslea said, calling for any successor treaty to put more Russian arms under monitoring.
Russian analyst Fyodor Lukyanov said that Moscow still believes in New START as a way to ensure controls and transparency. "It creates the certain level of confidence, however modest, that exists now," he said. "But it's not as if Russia is going to feel abandoned and go cry if the treaty goes away." End of era The deadlock over New START and the demise of other treaties "suggest that the era of bilateral nuclear arms control agreements between Russia and the USA might be coming to an end," said Shannon Kile of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. According to the institute's latest research, Russia possesses 6,375 nuclear warheads, including those that are not deployed, and the United States has 5,800. China was a distant third with 320 warheads. U.S. officials, however, say China is undergoing a major expansion and needs to be transparent if it wants to be treated as a major power.


themoscowtimes--2020-06-20--4 Suspects Face Charges in Dijon Ethnic Unrest Blamed on Chechens

Prosecutors said Saturday they would charge four men in connection with violence blamed on Chechens in the eastern French city of Dijon , as local people marched calling for the resignation of the top local official .
Three of the four suspects are Russians , while the fourth is French of Russian origin , prosecutor Eric Mathais told journalists .
They were among six people arrested Thursday in connection with three nights of violence sparked by an assault on a 16-year-old Chechen boy .
Dijon was rocked by three nights of violence from last weekend , after the boy was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ district , home to many people originally from North Africa .
Twenty people were injured in the fighting , two of them seriously , including one who was shot , Mathais said .
Two men , a Russian and the Frenchman , have been charged with criminal association and intent , and with gathering to perpetrate violence and damage property , he added .
They could be jailed for up to 10 years if convicted .
The other two suspects are to face the same charges in addition to aggravated violence and property @ @ @ @ @ @ @ custody .
Many cars were set on fire and security cameras were destroyed during the clashes .
`` These people acknowledge being present during all or some of the events but deny taking part personally in the violence or causing damage , '' Mathais said .
Chechens reportedly came from all over France and from neighboring Belgium and Germany to join the fighting .
Scenes of the unrest , including men who identified themselves as `` Arabs '' in videos posted on social media and who brandished what appear to be assault rifles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shocked France and prompted questions about whether police had lost control of the situation .
On Friday , police raids in the district seized hashish , a knife and petrol bombs , Belgian license plates , gloves and ski masks .
Mathais pledged an `` active and determined '' investigation into the violence .
Meanwhile , French authorities rejected a request by Chechen representatives to hold a rally in Strasbourg in eastern France on Sunday , owing to restrictions stemming from the coronavirus epidemic .
The head of a Chechen association said they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that contrary to what some say , we are not a bunch of delinquents . ''

Prosecutors said Saturday they would charge four men in connection with violence blamed on Chechens in the eastern French city of Dijon, as local people marched calling for the resignation of the top local official. Three of the four suspects are Russians, while the fourth is French of Russian origin, prosecutor Eric Mathais told journalists.
news Kadyrov Backs Chechens Involved in Unrest in France Read more
They were among six people arrested Thursday in connection with three nights of violence sparked by an assault on a 16-year-old Chechen boy. Dijon was rocked by three nights of violence from last weekend, after the boy was assaulted by inhabitants of the deprived Gresilles district, home to many people originally from North Africa. Twenty people were injured in the fighting, two of them seriously, including one who was shot, Mathais said. Two men, a Russian and the Frenchman, have been charged with criminal association and intent, and with gathering to perpetrate violence and damage property, he added. They could be jailed for up to 10 years if convicted. The other two suspects are to face the same charges in addition to aggravated violence and property damage, and could be held in custody.


themoscowtimes--2020-06-20--Putin Hails Russian 'Hero Doctors' Who Died From Virus

Putin , who spoke ahead of next month 's controversial vote that is expected to extend his hold on power until 2036 , also promised awards and more bonuses for health personnel .
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday hailed `` hero '' doctors who died during the coronavirus epidemic , comparing them to battlefield medics from past wars .
This week the state health watchdog said nearly 500 Russian medics who tested positive for the coronavirus had died , a huge death toll compared with other countries with large outbreaks .
During a video link-up with medics across the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who had lost their colleagues and loved ones .
`` The dreadful , insidious infection has not spared your colleagues , '' he said , calling the fallen doctors `` true heroes . ''
`` The selfless feat of medical workers during the epidemic will go down in the history of our medicine and our country . ''
Putin said the medics ' work was on par with `` the valiant service of doctors and nurses '' during World War I and World War II .
On Thursday , Alla Samoilova , chief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that 489 Russian medics who tested positive for the coronavirus had died .
The agency later backtracked , saying the figure Samoilova gave was `` not official '' and was based on `` data circulating on the internet . ''
An independent website set up by medics where colleagues report deaths , the Remembrance List , now lists 463 among health personnel in the country .
Russia has registered more than 8,000 fatalities and nearly 577,000 coronavirus infections , the third-largest caseload after the United States and Brazil .
Russia 's fatality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like Italy , Spain and the United States but the number of fallen medics is huge .
Government officials and Putin himself have acknowledged problems in supplying personal protective equipment to medics .
Many hospitals have also become hotspots of the coronavirus .
Russian cardiologist Alexei Erlikh , who has helped compile the Remembrance List , said authorities would unlikely draw any lessons .
`` Next time this will happen again , '' he told AFP , stressing that Russia 's underpaid doctors should receive `` good salaries '' instead of coronavirus bonuses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he had established two special awards for medics , thanking them for saving `` thousands '' of lives .
He added that health personnel would continue to receive coronavirus bonuses in July and August .

Putin, who spoke ahead of next month's controversial vote that is expected to extend his hold on power until 2036, also promised awards and more bonuses for health personnel.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday hailed "hero" doctors who died during the coronavirus epidemic, comparing them to battlefield medics from past wars.
This week the state health watchdog said nearly 500 Russian medics who tested positive for the coronavirus had died, a huge death toll compared with other countries with large outbreaks.
During a video link-up with medics across the country, Putin expressed condolences to those who had lost their colleagues and loved ones.
"The dreadful, insidious infection has not spared your colleagues," he said, calling the fallen doctors "true heroes."
"The selfless feat of medical workers during the epidemic will go down in the history of our medicine and our country."
Putin said the medics' work was on par with "the valiant service of doctors and nurses" during World War I and World War II.
On Thursday, Alla Samoilova, chief of the state health watchdog Roszdravnadzor, said that 489 Russian medics who tested positive for the coronavirus had died.
The agency later backtracked, saying the figure Samoilova gave was "not official" and was based on "data circulating on the internet."
An independent website set up by medics where colleagues report deaths, the Remembrance List, now lists 463 among health personnel in the country.
Russia has registered more than 8,000 fatalities and nearly 577,000 coronavirus infections, the third-largest caseload after the United States and Brazil.
Russia's fatality rate is low in comparison to countries like Italy, Spain and the United States but the number of fallen medics is huge.
Government officials and Putin himself have acknowledged problems in supplying personal protective equipment to medics.
Many hospitals have also become hotspots of the coronavirus.
Russian cardiologist Alexei Erlikh, who has helped compile the Remembrance List, said authorities would unlikely draw any lessons.
"Next time this will happen again," he told AFP, stressing that Russia's underpaid doctors should receive "good salaries" instead of coronavirus bonuses.
On Saturday, Putin also said he had established two special awards for medics, thanking them for saving "thousands" of lives.
He added that health personnel would continue to receive coronavirus bonuses in July and August.


themoscowtimes--2020-06-21--Russia Passes 580K Coronavirus Cases as Death Toll Tops 8K

Moscow lifted restrictions including compulsory travel passes on June 8 , a move welcomed by residents who rushed out to enjoy the streets and parks .
Many other regions are lifting lockdown restrictions as Russia is preparing to hold a July 1 national vote despite the pandemic .
President Vladimir Putin is seeking public backing for constitutional amendments that would allow him to stay on at the Kremlin beyond his current term .
Critics have cast doubt on Russia 's low official mortality rate and accused authorities of under-reporting to play down the scale of the crisis .
Russia attributes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testing which has identified many cases with mild or no coronavirus symptoms .
The Health Ministry is now adjusting how it reports numbers to include all deaths believed to be related to the virus even if the direct cause of death was another condition or the patient tested negative .
Former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin , a liberal politician known for his outspoken comments , said Russia 's health system requires more funds and modernization in many regions .
`` Medicine is significantly underfunded even according to the current norms and also it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who heads the Audit Chamber that examines government spending , said in an interview with the state-run TASS state news agency .
`` We will carry out a check and show these figures , '' he added .
Nevertheless the economist said Russia `` is not doing a bad job with the pandemic , '' crediting the role of the military , which has built emergency facilities .

The highest number of new cases were in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Russia's fatality rate has remained low compared to other badly-hit countries, raising speculation that Moscow could be underreporting figures.
Russian authorities began easing anti-virus measures in June ahead of a massive World War II military parade in Moscow and a nationwide vote on constitutional reforms that now allow President Vladimir Putin to stay in power until 2036.
Both events were initially postponed due the epidemic.
Moscow opened cinemas and theaters on Aug. 1. In the capital, masks are mandatory in stores and on public transport but not in the streets.
Several institutes in Russia are working on a coronavirus vaccine.
The Russian Defense Ministry has said it developed a "safe" vaccine following clinical trials on a group of volunteers.
The trials are ongoing, and the Defense Ministry expects clinical trials to be fully completed in the coming weeks.
AFP contributed reporting to this article.