tass--2020-10-12--Russian Army's anti-coronavirus measures helped hold Kavkaz-2020 drills — defense chief

MOSCOW , October 12 .
/TASS/ .
Anti-coronavirus measures implemented in the Russian Armed Forces helped carry out the Kavkaz-2020 ( Caucasus-2020 ) strategic command and staff drills in full , Russia ’ s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Monday .
`` An effective system of countering the pandemic was set up in the Defense Ministry within the shortest time possible .
The measures implemented helped avoid mass infection among servicemen and carry out scheduled combat training measures , including the preparations for the Kavkaz-2020 drills .
As a result , we prevented the reduction of the combat potential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defense chief said , summing up the results of the strategic military exercise .
The Kavkaz-2020 drills that ran on the territory of Russia ’ s Southern Military District on September 21-26 concluded a cycle of the troops ’ operational and combat training in 2020 , Shoigu said .
Overall , the Kavkaz-2020 drills involved almost 79,500 troops of various military branches and combat arms and also up to 250 tanks , 450 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers and 200 artillery and multiple launch rocket systems , the defense chief said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drills complied with all the requirements of the 2011 Vienna Document on the numerical strength of the personnel and military hardware of the Army , Navy and the Air Force involved in a military exercise under a single command , he stressed .
This was confirmed by the inspection groups from Germany and Denmark , and also by the joint missions of Germany , Romania and France that worked under the Open Skies Treaty during the active phase of the drills , the Russian defense chief said .

MOSCOW, October 12. /TASS/. Anti-coronavirus measures implemented in the Russian Armed Forces helped carry out the Kavkaz-2020 (Caucasus-2020) strategic command and staff drills in full, Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Monday.
"An effective system of countering the pandemic was set up in the Defense Ministry within the shortest time possible. The measures implemented helped avoid mass infection among servicemen and carry out scheduled combat training measures, including the preparations for the Kavkaz-2020 drills. As a result, we prevented the reduction of the combat potential of the armed forces," the defense chief said, summing up the results of the strategic military exercise.
The Kavkaz-2020 drills that ran on the territory of Russia’s Southern Military District on September 21-26 concluded a cycle of the troops’ operational and combat training in 2020, Shoigu said.
Overall, the Kavkaz-2020 drills involved almost 79,500 troops of various military branches and combat arms and also up to 250 tanks, 450 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers and 200 artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, the defense chief said.
The Kavkaz-2020 strategic command and staff drills complied with all the requirements of the 2011 Vienna Document on the numerical strength of the personnel and military hardware of the Army, Navy and the Air Force involved in a military exercise under a single command, he stressed.
This was confirmed by the inspection groups from Germany and Denmark, and also by the joint missions of Germany, Romania and France that worked under the Open Skies Treaty during the active phase of the drills, the Russian defense chief said.


tass--2020-10-12--COVID-19 situation in Russia 'fairly manageable,' not alarming — expert

MOSCOW , October 12 .
/TASS/ .
The situation with the spread of the coronavirus infection in Russia is quite manageable and the surge in the number of the infected is not alarming .
Yet one shouldn ’ t forget about the precautionary measures , Deputy Director for Research of the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing Alexander Gorelov told TASS .
`` If we all consolidate our efforts , if each of us thinks both about themselves and the people around , displaying social responsibility , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measures .
I repeat that one shouldn ’ t be alarmed by the numbers , while the situation is fairly manageable , '' he said , adding that the introduction of stricter limitations at this stage due to the increase in the new cases is not needed .
According to the expert , Russia is at a phase of growth of the newly detected cases , which , according to the laws of epidemiology , on average continues for 28 days , that is , about two incubation periods .
`` So , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , one can suppose that after about 20 days stabilization will begin .
< ... > A complex of sanitary-hygienic measures will allow us to resolve this issue and reach the highest [ numbers ] in the next 20 days , with a further stabilization of the epidemiological process following , '' he noted .
The expert also explained that it is difficult to make exact forecasts of the highest possible number of the infections at peak .
It may be influenced by such a factor as a cold snap which would affect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is possible to suppose that at peak we will have 17,000-18,000 infections .
This is an expected growth , after all , the segment of the population who encountered the coronavirus is still insignificant .
And then there will be a decrease .
But the epidemiological process will still continue , because even in summer we never had zero cases detected , '' the expert concluded .
To date , 1,312,310 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia , with 1,024,235 patients having recovered from the disease .
Russia ’ s latest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation .

MOSCOW, October 12. /TASS/. The situation with the spread of the coronavirus infection in Russia is quite manageable and the surge in the number of the infected is not alarming. Yet one shouldn’t forget about the precautionary measures, Deputy Director for Research of the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing Alexander Gorelov told TASS.
"If we all consolidate our efforts, if each of us thinks both about themselves and the people around, displaying social responsibility, the issue will be resolved without strict quarantine measures. I repeat that one shouldn’t be alarmed by the numbers, while the situation is fairly manageable," he said, adding that the introduction of stricter limitations at this stage due to the increase in the new cases is not needed.
According to the expert, Russia is at a phase of growth of the newly detected cases, which, according to the laws of epidemiology, on average continues for 28 days, that is, about two incubation periods. "So, considering that the growth began not today, one can suppose that after about 20 days stabilization will begin. <...> A complex of sanitary-hygienic measures will allow us to resolve this issue and reach the highest [numbers] in the next 20 days, with a further stabilization of the epidemiological process following," he noted.
The expert also explained that it is difficult to make exact forecasts of the highest possible number of the infections at peak. It may be influenced by such a factor as a cold snap which would affect the general body resistance. "Currently it is possible to suppose that at peak we will have 17,000-18,000 infections. This is an expected growth, after all, the segment of the population who encountered the coronavirus is still insignificant. And then there will be a decrease. But the epidemiological process will still continue, because even in summer we never had zero cases detected," the expert concluded.
To date, 1,312,310 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 1,024,235 patients having recovered from the disease. Russia’s latest data indicates 22,722 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.


tass--2020-10-12--Unidentified individuals attack ex-Georgian President Saakashvili in Athens

The channel cited a video provided by witnesses of the incident .
The attack took place in front of a building before the meeting .
As Saakashvili with his supporters was about to enter the hall , an unidentified man approached the politician from behind and hit him on the head a few times ; a brawl ensued .
Somebody used tear gas in the fight .
Saakashvili himself slammed the incident as a provocation .
`` We thank the Greek police for highly professional , rapid and adequate reaction , preventing the provocation , and providing the safety of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he wrote on his Facebook page .
The Georgian United National Movement political party founded by Saakashvili nominated him as Georgian prime minister on September 6 .
The ex-president agreed to head the government but only for two years .
He believes that this is enough to `` get the country out of a quagmire . ''
The parliamentary elections are due in the country on October 31 .
Saakashvili served as Georgian president between January 2004 and November 2013 .
In 2013 , he fled the country a few days before his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were launched against him shortly , with verdicts already delivered on two of them .
The former leader is facing 11 years in prison .
In December 2015 , he was stripped of Georgian citizenship .

The channel cited a video provided by witnesses of the incident. The attack took place in front of a building before the meeting. As Saakashvili with his supporters was about to enter the hall, an unidentified man approached the politician from behind and hit him on the head a few times; a brawl ensued. Somebody used tear gas in the fight.
Saakashvili himself slammed the incident as a provocation. "We thank the Greek police for highly professional, rapid and adequate reaction, preventing the provocation, and providing the safety of our compatriots during the meeting," he wrote on his Facebook page.
The Georgian United National Movement political party founded by Saakashvili nominated him as Georgian prime minister on September 6. The ex-president agreed to head the government but only for two years. He believes that this is enough to "get the country out of a quagmire." The parliamentary elections are due in the country on October 31. Saakashvili served as Georgian president between January 2004 and November 2013. In 2013, he fled the country a few days before his presidential term expired. Four criminal cases were launched against him shortly, with verdicts already delivered on two of them. The former leader is facing 11 years in prison. In December 2015, he was stripped of Georgian citizenship.


tass--2020-10-12--Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine can be widely used domestically by early November

MOSCOW , October 12 .
/TASS/ .
Russia ’ s coronavirus vaccine dubbed Sputnik V could be launched in Russia by late October-early November , head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund ( RDIF ) Kirill Dmitriev said Monday .
`` We believe that the vaccine can start being widely used in Russia by late October or early November , '' he said .
Dmitriev underlined that the vaccine production will be primarily targeted at covering domestic demand .
At the same time , the RDIF chief is hopeful that the Russian vaccine will be greenlighted in the Middle East @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we also hope that the Russian vaccine could be approved and launched in November , particularly in the Middle East , '' he said , underlining that Sputnik V is the first vaccine in the world in terms of approval and interest in it .
On August 11 , Russia became the first country in the world to register a coronavirus vaccine named Sputnik V , which was developed by Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Russian Health Ministry .
The injection passed clinical trials in June-July .
The vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that was used to create a number of other injections .
Belarus came to be the first foreign country to launch clinical trials of this breakthrough vaccine .
RDIF chief Kirill Dmitriev also named the UAE among various countries planning to launch similar trials .

"We believe that the vaccine can start being widely used in Russia by late October or early November," he said. Dmitriev underlined that the vaccine production will be primarily targeted at covering domestic demand.
At the same time, the RDIF chief is hopeful that the Russian vaccine will be greenlighted in the Middle East already in November. "Undeniably, we also hope that the Russian vaccine could be approved and launched in November, particularly in the Middle East," he said, underlining that Sputnik V is the first vaccine in the world in terms of approval and interest in it.
On August 11, Russia became the first country in the world to register a coronavirus vaccine named Sputnik V, which was developed by Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Russian Health Ministry. The injection passed clinical trials in June-July. The vaccine is based on an already known platform that was used to create a number of other injections.
Belarus came to be the first foreign country to launch clinical trials of this breakthrough vaccine. RDIF chief Kirill Dmitriev also named the UAE among various countries planning to launch similar trials.


tass--2020-10-12--Alrosa becomes largest diamond mining company in the world, says Putin

`` Amid the pandemic , the jewelry industry and its base - the diamond mining [ industry ] - found themselves in a very difficult situation , I mean the world production at the moment .
Many of your competitors have practically stopped production , are laying off their employees , and in large numbers , on the brink of bankruptcy themselves , '' Putin said .
MOSCOW , October 12 .
/TASS/ .
Russian company Alrosa occupies a leading position in the global diamond production market during the coronavirus pandemic , Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday during @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CEO Sergey Ivanov .
According to Putin , `` Alrosa is the largest diamond mining enterprise in the country , it has now become the largest in the world '' .
Ivanov said that Alrosa expects to shortly negotiate procurement of raw diamonds to the State Precious Metals and Gems Depository with the Russian Finance Ministry .
`` We are discussing now the potential procurement of raw diamonds into the State Precious Metals and Gems Depositary of the Russian Federation jointly with the Finance Ministry of the Russian Federation .
We are confident @ @ @ @ @ @ @ final agreements in the near future , '' Ivanov said .
Such a deal during the crisis of 2008 enabled the company to stabilize the social situation and help the budget of Yakutia , the chief executive added .

"Amid the pandemic, the jewelry industry and its base - the diamond mining [industry] - found themselves in a very difficult situation, I mean the world production at the moment. Many of your competitors have practically stopped production, are laying off their employees, and in large numbers, on the brink of bankruptcy themselves," Putin said.
MOSCOW, October 12. /TASS/. Russian company Alrosa occupies a leading position in the global diamond production market during the coronavirus pandemic, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday during a meeting with the company’s CEO Sergey Ivanov.
According to Putin, "Alrosa is the largest diamond mining enterprise in the country, it has now become the largest in the world".
Ivanov said that Alrosa expects to shortly negotiate procurement of raw diamonds to the State Precious Metals and Gems Depository with the Russian Finance Ministry.
"We are discussing now the potential procurement of raw diamonds into the State Precious Metals and Gems Depositary of the Russian Federation jointly with the Finance Ministry of the Russian Federation. We are confident there that we will achieve all the final agreements in the near future," Ivanov said.
Such a deal during the crisis of 2008 enabled the company to stabilize the social situation and help the budget of Yakutia, the chief executive added.


tass--2020-10-12--Russian space chief lauds prospects of space cooperation with China

MOSCOW , October 12 .
/TASS/ .
Roscosmos , Russian space agency , and China National Space Administration ( CNSA @ @ @ @ @ trust , which opens up great prospects to pursue bilateral cooperation in space , Roscosmos @ @ @ @ @ .
`` I would like to highlight the special and trusting nature of our relations @ @ @ @ @ China National Space Administration and its head Zhang Kejian .
We also see great prospects @ @ @ @ @ he told the 71st International Astronautical Congress which is being held by videoconference .
In @ @ @ @ @ Russia and China had preliminarily agreed to build a scientific base on the Moon and @ @ @ @ @ November 2017 , Roscosmos and CNSA signed a space cooperation program for 2018-2022 .
The @ @ @ @ @ include specially established working subgroups .

MOSCOW, October 12. /TASS/. Roscosmos, Russian space agency, and China National Space Administration (CNSA) have established relations of trust, which opens up great prospects to pursue bilateral cooperation in space, Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said Monday.
"I would like to highlight the special and trusting nature of our relations with China, particularly with China National Space Administration and its head Zhang Kejian. We also see great prospects for us here," he told the 71st International Astronautical Congress which is being held by videoconference.
In July, Rogozin informed that Russia and China had preliminarily agreed to build a scientific base on the Moon and explore the satellite.
In November 2017, Roscosmos and CNSA signed a space cooperation program for 2018-2022. The program has six sections that include specially established working subgroups.


tass--2020-10-12--Moscow-Shanghai Aeroflot flight suspended for 4 more weeks due to COVID-19 aboard

SHANGHAI , October 12 .
/TASS/ .
The Chinese aviation authority has extended the suspension of Aeroflot ’ s SU-208 @ @ @ @ @ weeks after identifying cases of coronavirus infection among passengers traveling on October 9 , the @ @ @ @ @ statement published on its website on Monday .
Aeroflot will not be able to operate @ @ @ @ @ starting on October 26 .
The decision was made after 11 passengers aboard this flight @ @ @ @ @ for the coronavirus .
Earlier , on October 8 , the aviation regulator also made @ @ @ @ @ flight for a week beginning on October 19 after eight passengers arriving in Shanghai on @ @ @ @ @ positive for the presence of the novel coronavirus .
The Chinese aviation regulator is in @ @ @ @ @ s international air travel and its revised rules state that if five and more passengers @ @ @ @ @ positive for COVID-19 , the air travel in this direction is suspended for a week @ @ @ @ @ and more such passengers , air service is halted for four weeks .

SHANGHAI, October 12. /TASS/. The Chinese aviation authority has extended the suspension of Aeroflot’s SU-208 Moscow-Shanghai flight for four more weeks after identifying cases of coronavirus infection among passengers traveling on October 9, the Shanghai government said in a statement published on its website on Monday.
Aeroflot will not be able to operate this flight for four weeks starting on October 26. The decision was made after 11 passengers aboard this flight on October 9 tested positive for the coronavirus.
Earlier, on October 8, the aviation regulator also made a decision to suspend this flight for a week beginning on October 19 after eight passengers arriving in Shanghai on October 2 from Moscow tested positive for the presence of the novel coronavirus.
The Chinese aviation regulator is in charge of the country’s international air travel and its revised rules state that if five and more passengers of a single flight test positive for COVID-19, the air travel in this direction is suspended for a week. If there are ten and more such passengers, air service is halted for four weeks.


tass--2020-10-12--Azerbaijan opens criminal case against Russian blogger Semyon Pegov

BAKU , October 12 .
/TASS/ .
Azerbaijani Prosecutor-General ’ s Office has opened a criminal case against Russian blogger Semyon Pegov for illegally visiting Nagorno-Karabakh .
`` Investigation has found that Russian citizen Semyon Pegov entered into criminal collusion with a number of persons in Armenia and in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan in violation of the law On the State Border of the Azerbaijani Republic and the country ’ s Migration Code and illegally visited the city of Khankendi ( Stepanakert - TASS ) and other occupied communities illegally , without the necessary documents and bypassing the border @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the territory of Armenia… Azerbaijan ’ s Prosecutor-General has opened a criminal case over the incident .
The PGO ’ s Investigative Directorate has been instructed to probe into the incident , '' the news release runs .
The news release also claims that Pegov on his page in the Internet published `` content with calls addressed to Russian citizens to go to the area of combat operations to provide assistance to Armenia '' and `` calls aimed against the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan . ''
The news release says that the criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public calls for terrorism ) , 281.1 ( public calls aimed against the state ) and 318.2 ( illegal crossing of Azerbaijan ’ s border ) of Azerbaijan ’ s Criminal Code .
Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27 , with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh .
The area experienced flare-ups of violence in the summer of 2014 , in April 2016 and this past July .
Azerbaijan and Armenia have imposed martial law and launched mobilization efforts .
Both parties to the conflict have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Baku and Yerevan have disputed sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh since February 1988 , when the region declared secession from the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist republic .
In the armed conflict of 1992-1994 Azerbaijan lost control of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjoining regions .

BAKU, October 12. /TASS/. Azerbaijani Prosecutor-General’s Office has opened a criminal case against Russian blogger Semyon Pegov for illegally visiting Nagorno-Karabakh.
"Investigation has found that Russian citizen Semyon Pegov entered into criminal collusion with a number of persons in Armenia and in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan in violation of the law On the State Border of the Azerbaijani Republic and the country’s Migration Code and illegally visited the city of Khankendi (Stepanakert - TASS) and other occupied communities illegally, without the necessary documents and bypassing the border checkpoints, in other words, through the territory of Armenia… Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor-General has opened a criminal case over the incident. The PGO’s Investigative Directorate has been instructed to probe into the incident," the news release runs.
The news release also claims that Pegov on his page in the Internet published "content with calls addressed to Russian citizens to go to the area of combat operations to provide assistance to Armenia" and "calls aimed against the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan."
The news release says that the criminal proceedings were launched under articles 214.2 (public calls for terrorism), 281.1 (public calls aimed against the state) and 318.2 (illegal crossing of Azerbaijan’s border) of Azerbaijan’s Criminal Code.
Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The area experienced flare-ups of violence in the summer of 2014, in April 2016 and this past July. Azerbaijan and Armenia have imposed martial law and launched mobilization efforts. Both parties to the conflict have reported casualties, among them civilians.
Baku and Yerevan have disputed sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh since February 1988, when the region declared secession from the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist republic. In the armed conflict of 1992-1994 Azerbaijan lost control of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjoining regions.


tass--2020-10-12--Russian, Turkish defense chiefs discuss stabilization of situation in Nagorno-Karabakh

MOSCOW , October 12 .
/TASS/ .
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar have discussed the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh , Syria and Libya in a phone call .
`` The Russian and Turkish defense ministers discussed issues of stabilizing the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and exchanged views on the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic and Libya , '' the Russian Defense Ministry said .
The Turkish Ministry of National Defense earlier reported that the telephone conversation had taken place .
Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27 , with intense battles raging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The area experienced flare-ups of violence in the summer of 2014 , in April 2016 and this past July .
Azerbaijan and Armenia have imposed martial law and launched mobilization efforts .
Both parties to the conflict have reported casualties , among them civilians .
At the talks held at Russia ’ s initiative in Moscow , Baku and Yerevan agreed on a humanitarian ceasefire , which came into effect at 12:00 local time ( 11:00 Moscow time ) on October 10 in order to exchange detainees and the bodies of those killed @ @ @ @

MOSCOW, October 12. /TASS/. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar have discussed the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, Syria and Libya in a phone call.
"The Russian and Turkish defense ministers discussed issues of stabilizing the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and exchanged views on the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic and Libya," the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The Turkish Ministry of National Defense earlier reported that the telephone conversation had taken place.
Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The area experienced flare-ups of violence in the summer of 2014, in April 2016 and this past July. Azerbaijan and Armenia have imposed martial law and launched mobilization efforts. Both parties to the conflict have reported casualties, among them civilians.
At the talks held at Russia’s initiative in Moscow, Baku and Yerevan agreed on a humanitarian ceasefire, which came into effect at 12:00 local time (11:00 Moscow time) on October 10 in order to exchange detainees and the bodies of those killed in the fighting.


tass--2020-10-12--Four killed, three wounded in bus shooting in Nizhny Novgorod Region

MOSCOW , October 12 .
/TASS/ .
Four people were killed and three more wounded as a result of shooting @ @ @ @ @ the town of Bor in the Nizhny Novgorod Region , a source in the law @ @ @ @ @ At present it is known that there were seven people affected as a result of @ @ @ @ @ them killed and three others wounded , '' the agency ’ s interlocutor said .
@ @ @ @ @ three people were killed and several wounded .
The shooter hasn ’ t been detained @ @ @ @ @ the fact of fire opened on a bus and a bus stop in the Nizhny @ @ @ @ @ search for the suspect is underway .

MOSCOW, October 12. /TASS/. Four people were killed and three more wounded as a result of shooting on a passenger bus in the town of Bor in the Nizhny Novgorod Region, a source in the law enforcement told TASS.
"At present it is known that there were seven people affected as a result of the shooting - four of them killed and three others wounded," the agency’s interlocutor said.
Earlier the source reported that three people were killed and several wounded. The shooter hasn’t been detained yet. The police confirmed the fact of fire opened on a bus and a bus stop in the Nizhny Novgorod Region and said the search for the suspect is underway.


tass--2020-10-12--Losses in Russian non-food retail in 2020 may be 6.08 trillion rubles

MOSCOW , October 12 .
/ TASS / .
The total losses of non-food retail in Russia due to the pandemic in 2020 may amount to 6.08 trillion rubles , according to the Association of Retail Companies ( AKORT ) , which unites the largest Russian retail chains , statement released on Monday .
`` The total losses may amount to 6.08 trillion rubles , the total losses of non-food retail in 2020 ( compared to revenue in 2019 ) from restrictive measures and reduced demand , '' the association said .
As stated in the materials of the association @ @ @ @ @ @ @ light industry goods among companies - members of AKORT in the period from March 28 to June 1 , 2020 was 98 % .
In the sector of trade in electronics and household appliances , as well as in large construction hypermarkets , the companies - members of AKORT fell by up to 80 % in sales .
The association estimated the monthly losses of large non-food chains due to forced downtime from the end of March 2020 to June 2020 at about 35 bln rubles ( $ 454 mln ) , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of AKORT - about 105 bln rubles ( $ 1.4 bln ) .
In addition , more than 3 billion rubles ( $ 38.9 mln ) was allocated to non-food chains to provide employees with personal protective equipment and regular disinfection of premises .

MOSCOW, October 12. / TASS /. The total losses of non-food retail in Russia due to the pandemic in 2020 may amount to 6.08 trillion rubles, according to the Association of Retail Companies (AKORT), which unites the largest Russian retail chains, statement released on Monday.
"The total losses may amount to 6.08 trillion rubles, the total losses of non-food retail in 2020 (compared to revenue in 2019) from restrictive measures and reduced demand," the association said.
As stated in the materials of the association, the overall drop in sales of light industry goods among companies - members of AKORT in the period from March 28 to June 1, 2020 was 98%. In the sector of trade in electronics and household appliances, as well as in large construction hypermarkets, the companies - members of AKORT fell by up to 80% in sales. The association estimated the monthly losses of large non-food chains due to forced downtime from the end of March 2020 to June 2020 at about 35 bln rubles ($454 mln), and the total losses of companies - members of AKORT - about 105 bln rubles ($1.4 bln). In addition, more than 3 billion rubles ($38.9 mln)was allocated to non-food chains to provide employees with personal protective equipment and regular disinfection of premises.


tass--2020-10-12--Russia gives up large-scale participation in US lunar orbiter project

MOSCOW , October 12 .
/TASS/ .
Russia will skip large-scale participation in the US Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway ( formerly , Deep Space Gateway ) project of creating a lunar orbiter , State Space Corporation Roscosmos Chief Dmitry Rogozin said on Monday .
`` Most likely , we will refrain from large-scale participation in it [ the lunar orbital platform project ] .
We are interested in an airlock to be created by our American colleagues for the docking of the advanced Oryol manned spacecraft [ intended to be eventually used for lunar missions ] , '' Rogozin said at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ video link-up .
In its current form , the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway project is mostly needed to address US tasks , Rogozin said .
The United States proposed the concept of the Deep Space Gateway ( currently , Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway ) as a transfer facility for missions to the Earth ’ s natural satellite and for deep space flights .
In the spring of 2019 , NASA also announced the Artemis project of developing a sustainable human presence on the Moon .
The Roscosmos chief earlier said in an interview with TASS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to participate in the international Lunar Orbital Gateway project only on an equal footing with NASA .
Roscosmos also views the effort of creating a lunar orbital station on its own as quite a complex task , considering limited funding of space programs , he said .

MOSCOW, October 12. /TASS/. Russia will skip large-scale participation in the US Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway (formerly, Deep Space Gateway) project of creating a lunar orbiter, State Space Corporation Roscosmos Chief Dmitry Rogozin said on Monday.
"Most likely, we will refrain from large-scale participation in it [the lunar orbital platform project]. We are interested in an airlock to be created by our American colleagues for the docking of the advanced Oryol manned spacecraft [intended to be eventually used for lunar missions]," Rogozin said at the 71st International Astronautical Congress via a video link-up.
In its current form, the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway project is mostly needed to address US tasks, Rogozin said.
The United States proposed the concept of the Deep Space Gateway (currently, Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway) as a transfer facility for missions to the Earth’s natural satellite and for deep space flights. In the spring of 2019, NASA also announced the Artemis project of developing a sustainable human presence on the Moon.
The Roscosmos chief earlier said in an interview with TASS that the Russian space agency was ready to participate in the international Lunar Orbital Gateway project only on an equal footing with NASA. Roscosmos also views the effort of creating a lunar orbital station on its own as quite a complex task, considering limited funding of space programs, he said.


tass--2020-10-12--Number of casualties after strike on Ganja rises to 10 — Baku

BAKU , October 12 .
/TASS/ .
The number of casualties of the Armenian missile strike on the Azerbaijani city of Ganja has risen to 10 , the press service of Azerbaijan ’ s Prosecutor General ’ s Office reported on Monday .
`` On October 12 , Gunay Aliyeva who was wounded in the missile strike on Ganja died at a hospital , '' the agency ’ s statement runs .
Earlier the Prosecutor General ’ s Office reported about nine killed and 35 wounded .
According to the Azerbaijani side , the missile strike on the second largest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Azerbaijan ’ s President Ilham Aliyev reported earlier that the attack originated in the territory of Armenia ’ s Vardenis district .
His aide Hikmet Gadzhiev noted that a Scud ballistic missile was used in the strike .
Armenia ’ s Defense Ministry stated that this information did not correspond to reality .
At the talks , mediated by Russia and held in Moscow on October 9 , Azerbaijan and Armenia had agreed on a ceasefire .
It came into effect at 12.00 local time on Saturday , October 10 for humanitarian reasons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recover the bodies of those killed in fighting .
However both sides accuse each other of violating the agreements .
Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27 , with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh .
The area experienced flare-ups of violence in the summer of 2014 , in April 2016 and this past July .
Azerbaijan and Armenia have imposed martial law and launched mobilization efforts .
Both parties to the conflict have reported casualties , among them civilians .
The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Azerbaijan before the Soviet Union break-up , but primarily populated by ethnic Armenians , broke out in February 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic .
In 1992-1994 , tensions boiled over and exploded into large-scale military action for control over the enclave and seven adjacent territories after Azerbaijan lost control of them .
Talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement have been ongoing since 1992 under the OSCE Minsk Group , led by its three co-chairs - Russia , France and the United States .

BAKU, October 12. /TASS/. The number of casualties of the Armenian missile strike on the Azerbaijani city of Ganja has risen to 10, the press service of Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General’s Office reported on Monday.
"On October 12, Gunay Aliyeva who was wounded in the missile strike on Ganja died at a hospital," the agency’s statement runs.
Earlier the Prosecutor General’s Office reported about nine killed and 35 wounded.
According to the Azerbaijani side, the missile strike on the second largest Azerbaijani city occurred on October 11. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev reported earlier that the attack originated in the territory of Armenia’s Vardenis district. His aide Hikmet Gadzhiev noted that a Scud ballistic missile was used in the strike.
Armenia’s Defense Ministry stated that this information did not correspond to reality.
At the talks, mediated by Russia and held in Moscow on October 9, Azerbaijan and Armenia had agreed on a ceasefire. It came into effect at 12.00 local time on Saturday, October 10 for humanitarian reasons, in order to trade detainees and recover the bodies of those killed in fighting. However both sides accuse each other of violating the agreements.
Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The area experienced flare-ups of violence in the summer of 2014, in April 2016 and this past July. Azerbaijan and Armenia have imposed martial law and launched mobilization efforts. Both parties to the conflict have reported casualties, among them civilians.
The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory that had been part of Azerbaijan before the Soviet Union break-up, but primarily populated by ethnic Armenians, broke out in February 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1992-1994, tensions boiled over and exploded into large-scale military action for control over the enclave and seven adjacent territories after Azerbaijan lost control of them. Talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement have been ongoing since 1992 under the OSCE Minsk Group, led by its three co-chairs - Russia, France and the United States.


tass--2020-10-12--Nord Stream 2 pipe supply vessel headed to Baltic Sea

MOSCOW , October 12 .
/ TASS / .
The supply vessel Ivan Sidorenko , which is planned to be used to deliver pipes during the completion of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline , left the port of Svetly near Kaliningrad and headed for the Baltic Sea , according to the ship tracking portal MarineTraffic .
It remains unknown where exactly the ship is headed .
In September , the Ivan Sidorenko arrived at the German port of Mukran , where pipes for Nord Stream 2 are stored , and returned back to the Russian port .
The pipe-laying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the possible option for the gas pipeline completion , is now also anchored in the Baltic Sea off the coast of the Kaliningrad region .
The Ivan Sidorenko is designed to supply floating drilling rigs with consumables - pipes , cement , drilling brines , spare parts , fuel , water and food .
It can also be used to assist ships in distress .
The Nord Stream 2 project envisages the construction of two pipeline strings with a total capacity of 55 bln cubic meters per year from the coast of Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ To date , 93.5 % of Nord Stream 2 has been finished .
The construction was suspended at the end of 2019 when the Swiss pipe-laying company Allseas stopped work due to US sanctions .

MOSCOW, October 12. / TASS /. The supply vessel Ivan Sidorenko, which is planned to be used to deliver pipes during the completion of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, left the port of Svetly near Kaliningrad and headed for the Baltic Sea, according to the ship tracking portal MarineTraffic.
It remains unknown where exactly the ship is headed.
In September, the Ivan Sidorenko arrived at the German port of Mukran, where pipes for Nord Stream 2 are stored, and returned back to the Russian port.
The pipe-laying vessel Akademik Cherskiy, which was called the possible option for the gas pipeline completion, is now also anchored in the Baltic Sea off the coast of the Kaliningrad region.
The Ivan Sidorenko is designed to supply floating drilling rigs with consumables - pipes, cement, drilling brines, spare parts, fuel, water and food. It can also be used to assist ships in distress.
The Nord Stream 2 project envisages the construction of two pipeline strings with a total capacity of 55 bln cubic meters per year from the coast of Russia through the Baltic Sea to Germany. To date, 93.5% of Nord Stream 2 has been finished. The construction was suspended at the end of 2019 when the Swiss pipe-laying company Allseas stopped work due to US sanctions.


tass--2020-10-12--Authorities say ready to use lethal weapons to uphold order in Minsk

MINSK , October 12 .
/TASS/ .
Belarusian First Deputy Interior Minister Gennady Kazakevich said Monday that law enforcement officers stand ready to use lethal weapons to uphold public order in Minsk .
`` The protests that largely shifted to Minsk have become organized and highly radicalized .
In light of this , officers of the internal affairs agencies and servicemen of the internal troops will not leave the streets and will use special equipment and lethal weapons if need be , '' he said in a video address published by the agency ’ s official Telegram channel .
Kazakevich @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the protests are slowly dying down in territory and scale . ''
However , the Minsk protests became radicalized according to the agency .
`` The rallies in the capital last Sunday prove that .
In the daytime and in the evening , there were stones , bottles , knives and shivs .
As we got closer to the night , there were barricades and burning tires .
This has nothing in common with a civil protest , '' the official added .
According to him , attempts are made to throw Belarus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , make it go down the regretful path of countries that lived through color revolutions . ''
Earlier on Monday , spokesperson for the national Interior Ministry , Olga Chemodanova reported that around 11,000 people took part in the protests in Minsk on October 11 , leading to 713 detentions by law enforcement agents .

MINSK, October 12. /TASS/. Belarusian First Deputy Interior Minister Gennady Kazakevich said Monday that law enforcement officers stand ready to use lethal weapons to uphold public order in Minsk.
"The protests that largely shifted to Minsk have become organized and highly radicalized. In light of this, officers of the internal affairs agencies and servicemen of the internal troops will not leave the streets and will use special equipment and lethal weapons if need be," he said in a video address published by the agency’s official Telegram channel.
Kazakevich noted that the ministry sees that "the protests are slowly dying down in territory and scale." However, the Minsk protests became radicalized according to the agency. "The rallies in the capital last Sunday prove that. In the daytime and in the evening, there were stones, bottles, knives and shivs. As we got closer to the night, there were barricades and burning tires. This has nothing in common with a civil protest," the official added. According to him, attempts are made to throw Belarus "into the chaos of the 1990s, make it go down the regretful path of countries that lived through color revolutions."
Earlier on Monday, spokesperson for the national Interior Ministry, Olga Chemodanova reported that around 11,000 people took part in the protests in Minsk on October 11, leading to 713 detentions by law enforcement agents.


tass--2020-10-12--Lavrov says Turkey backed agreements on Nagorno-Karabakh reached in Moscow

MOSCOW , October 12 .
/TASS/ .
Turkey has supported the agreements on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement reached at the trilateral consultations in Moscow , Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters at a news conference on Monday .
`` Responding to the question about contacts with our Turkish colleagues , I got in touch with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and informed him that we count on support for our efforts .
On Sunday , we had another telephone conversation , during which support for the Moscow document was confirmed , '' he said .
When asked about the possibility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ talks , Lavrov recalled that the joint statement made by the Russian , Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers `` confirmed that the formats of the negotiation process of the OSCE Minsk Group remained unchanged . ''
`` This is a fairly large group of countries , but it has delegated the powers to conduct negotiations and the powers of mediation to three co-chairs - Russia , the United States and France .
As a matter of fact , those statements that were heard from world capitals over the past few days emphasized the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ co-chairs < ... > whose special representatives are in Moscow , '' Lavrov stressed .
He added that Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan would have a meeting with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs later in the day .
Last Thursday , the co-chairs met in Geneva with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov .
Lavrov stressed that the agreements reached in Moscow were also welcomed by Azerbaijan ’ s President Ilham Aliyev .
Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27 , with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the summer of 2014 , in April 2016 and this past July .
Azerbaijan and Armenia have imposed martial law and launched mobilization efforts .
Both parties to the conflict have reported casualties , among them civilians .
At the talks held at Russia ’ s initiative in Moscow , Baku and Yerevan agreed on a humanitarian ceasefire , which came into effect at 11:00 Moscow time on October 10 in order to exchange detainees and the bodies of those killed in the fighting .
However , both sides accuse each other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

MOSCOW, October 12. /TASS/. Turkey has supported the agreements on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement reached at the trilateral consultations in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters at a news conference on Monday.
"Responding to the question about contacts with our Turkish colleagues, I got in touch with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and informed him that we count on support for our efforts. On Sunday, we had another telephone conversation, during which support for the Moscow document was confirmed," he said.
When asked about the possibility of considering some new formats of settlement talks, Lavrov recalled that the joint statement made by the Russian, Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers "confirmed that the formats of the negotiation process of the OSCE Minsk Group remained unchanged."
"This is a fairly large group of countries, but it has delegated the powers to conduct negotiations and the powers of mediation to three co-chairs - Russia, the United States and France. As a matter of fact, those statements that were heard from world capitals over the past few days emphasized the commitment to the mandate of the three co-chairs <...> whose special representatives are in Moscow," Lavrov stressed.
He added that Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan would have a meeting with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs later in the day. Last Thursday, the co-chairs met in Geneva with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov. Lavrov stressed that the agreements reached in Moscow were also welcomed by Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev.
Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The area experienced flare-ups of violence in the summer of 2014, in April 2016 and this past July. Azerbaijan and Armenia have imposed martial law and launched mobilization efforts. Both parties to the conflict have reported casualties, among them civilians.
At the talks held at Russia’s initiative in Moscow, Baku and Yerevan agreed on a humanitarian ceasefire, which came into effect at 11:00 Moscow time on October 10 in order to exchange detainees and the bodies of those killed in the fighting. However, both sides accuse each other of failure to abide by the agreement.


tass--2020-10-12--Direct air service between Russia and Serbia restored — Belgrade airport

BELGRADE , October 12 .
/TASS/ .
Direct scheduled flights between capitals of Russia and Serbia have started again , the press service of the Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport told TASS on Monday .
`` Direct air service between Moscow and Belgrade has been restored .
Direct flights since October are made twice per week , on Thursdays and Sundays .
You should approach Air Serbia and Aeroflot for more detailed information about the flights , '' the press service said .
`` The air traffic has not been restored until now , '' Air Serbia told TASS .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so far .
No flights have been planned until the year-end because of the current situation .
We look forward to encouraging information but we have no data for the time being when the air service can be restored , '' the airline ’ s spokesperson said .
At the same time , one of Belgrade ticket sales offices of Aeroflot confirmed the fact of flights restart to TASS .
`` Yes , we have tickets for direct flights en route Belgrade - Moscow .
Flights are made on Thursdays and Sundays , @ @ @ @ @ @

BELGRADE, October 12. /TASS/. Direct scheduled flights between capitals of Russia and Serbia have started again, the press service of the Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport told TASS on Monday.
"Direct air service between Moscow and Belgrade has been restored. Direct flights since October are made twice per week, on Thursdays and Sundays. You should approach Air Serbia and Aeroflot for more detailed information about the flights," the press service said.
"The air traffic has not been restored until now," Air Serbia told TASS. "Air Serbia has no flights to Russia so far. No flights have been planned until the year-end because of the current situation. We look forward to encouraging information but we have no data for the time being when the air service can be restored," the airline’s spokesperson said.
At the same time, one of Belgrade ticket sales offices of Aeroflot confirmed the fact of flights restart to TASS. "Yes, we have tickets for direct flights en route Belgrade - Moscow. Flights are made on Thursdays and Sundays," an office employee said.


tass--2020-10-12--Gazprom considers US sanctions non-market methods of ousting Russia from EU market

MOSCOW , October 12 .
/TASS/ .
Threats of US sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 project are attempts to oust Russia from the European gas market with non-market instruments , Director General of Gazprom Export Elena Burmistrova said on Monday .
`` Unfortunately , there is an additional threat which is increasingly affecting our cooperation .
This is the political standoff in general , and in particular the threat of US sanctions against Nord Stream 2 .
US LNG suppliers have unbalanced the European market and failed to stabilize it .
Now the United States is trying to oust @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the face of these threats , I am pleased to see the united opposition from governments in key countries which buy our gas in the EU , '' she said .
`` We are well aware of all the risks and are ready to deal with them .
Despite all the challenges , we continue to develop our business successfully and systematically .
As the largest gas producer and supplier in the world , Gazprom has a safety margin , a stability reserve which Alexey Miller , Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that with our international partners , we can improve the stability of the entire European gas market .
Let us achieve this by working together , '' she added .
In early June , a bill was introduced to the US Senate to extend sanctions against Nord Stream 2 .
The Nord Stream 2 project includes construction of two lines of a gas pipeline with a total capacity of 55 bln cubic meters per year from the Russian coast through the Baltic Sea to Germany .
To date , Nord Stream 2 is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the gas pipeline was suspended in December 2019 afterthe Swiss Allseas refused to lay the pipes due to possible sanctions from the United States .
As a result , Russian pipelayers were sent to European shores

MOSCOW, October 12. /TASS/. Threats of US sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 project are attempts to oust Russia from the European gas market with non-market instruments, Director General of Gazprom Export Elena Burmistrova said on Monday.
"Unfortunately, there is an additional threat which is increasingly affecting our cooperation. This is the political standoff in general, and in particular the threat of US sanctions against Nord Stream 2. US LNG suppliers have unbalanced the European market and failed to stabilize it. Now the United States is trying to oust Russia by using non-market instruments. In the face of these threats, I am pleased to see the united opposition from governments in key countries which buy our gas in the EU,"she said.
"We are well aware of all the risks and are ready to deal with them. Despite all the challenges, we continue to develop our business successfully and systematically. As the largest gas producer and supplier in the world, Gazprom has a safety margin, a stability reserve which Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, mentioned recently. I am sure that with our international partners, we can improve the stability of the entire European gas market. Let us achieve this by working together," she added.
In early June, a bill was introduced to the US Senate to extend sanctions against Nord Stream 2.
The Nord Stream 2 project includes construction of two lines of a gas pipeline with a total capacity of 55 bln cubic meters per year from the Russian coast through the Baltic Sea to Germany. To date, Nord Stream 2 is 93% complete.
The construction of the gas pipeline was suspended in December 2019 afterthe Swiss Allseas refused to lay the pipes due to possible sanctions from the United States. As a result, Russian pipelayers were sent to European shores


tass--2020-10-12--Top EU diplomats adopt political decision to impose sanctions in Navalny case

BRUSSELS , October 12 .
/TASS/ .
The foreign ministers of 27 EU members have adopted a political decision to introduce sanctions against natural persons or legal entities deemed responsible for the alleged poisoning of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny , TASS was told by a source in one of the delegations to the EU Council which is currently holding a meeting in Luxembourg .
`` The ministers passed a political decision to introduce restrictions against those responsible for poisoning Navalny , '' the interlocutor said .
According to the diplomat , the list of people and organizations that could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meeting .
`` EU ambassadors will work on the list at the coming meetings in Brussels or starting with Wednesday , in other words , '' he added .
At the same time , another diplomat told TASS that the EU is facing a legal issue of lacking suspects to impose sanctions against for alleged involvement in the Navalny incident .
To avoid this problem , the EU countries are considering the possibility to create a separate mechanism that will slap sanctions against some Russian officials for efforts to stifle `` a transparent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than specifically for `` using chemical weapons . ''
Earlier , DPA agency reported that the top EU diplomats agreed to launch the necessary preparations to introduce new sanctions against Russia .
Alexey Navalny was rushed to a local hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk on August 20 after collapsing on a Moscow-bound flight from Tomsk .
He fell into a coma and was put on a ventilator in an intensive care unit .
On August 22 , he was airlifted to Berlin and admitted to the Charite hospital .
On September @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Navalny ’ s test samples , German government toxicologists had come to the conclusion that the blogger had been affected by a toxic agent belonging to the Novichok family .
On October 6 , the OPCW confirmed that biomarkers of the cholinesterase inhibitor found in Navalny ’ s blood and urine samples have similar structural characteristics as the toxic chemicals added to the Chemical Weapons Convention ’ s Annex on Chemicals in November 2019 .
At the same time , this cholinesterase inhibitor is not listed in the Annex on Chemicals to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minister Sergey Lavrov recalled that neither Germany nor the OPCW had provided any evidence to Russia and , moreover , only keep redirecting Moscow to one another for information .
The minister added that Germany had ignored four requests of the Russian Prosecutor General ’ s Office on the case , thus brushing international law aside , and expressed confidence that the `` evidence '' would not be provided by Berlin after all .
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has repeatedly said that Russia was ready for comprehensive cooperation with Germany .
He pointed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ detected in Navalny ’ s system prior to his transfer to Berlin .

BRUSSELS, October 12. /TASS/. The foreign ministers of 27 EU members have adopted a political decision to introduce sanctions against natural persons or legal entities deemed responsible for the alleged poisoning of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny, TASS was told by a source in one of the delegations to the EU Council which is currently holding a meeting in Luxembourg.
"The ministers passed a political decision to introduce restrictions against those responsible for poisoning Navalny," the interlocutor said.
According to the diplomat, the list of people and organizations that could face sanctions was not adopted at the meeting. "EU ambassadors will work on the list at the coming meetings in Brussels or starting with Wednesday, in other words," he added.
At the same time, another diplomat told TASS that the EU is facing a legal issue of lacking suspects to impose sanctions against for alleged involvement in the Navalny incident. To avoid this problem, the EU countries are considering the possibility to create a separate mechanism that will slap sanctions against some Russian officials for efforts to stifle "a transparent investigation" into the Navalny incident rather than specifically for "using chemical weapons."
Earlier, DPA agency reported that the top EU diplomats agreed to launch the necessary preparations to introduce new sanctions against Russia.
Alexey Navalny was rushed to a local hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk on August 20 after collapsing on a Moscow-bound flight from Tomsk. He fell into a coma and was put on a ventilator in an intensive care unit. On August 22, he was airlifted to Berlin and admitted to the Charite hospital.
On September 2, Berlin claimed that having examined Navalny’s test samples, German government toxicologists had come to the conclusion that the blogger had been affected by a toxic agent belonging to the Novichok family.
On October 6, the OPCW confirmed that biomarkers of the cholinesterase inhibitor found in Navalny’s blood and urine samples have similar structural characteristics as the toxic chemicals added to the Chemical Weapons Convention’s Annex on Chemicals in November 2019. At the same time, this cholinesterase inhibitor is not listed in the Annex on Chemicals to the Convention.
On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recalled that neither Germany nor the OPCW had provided any evidence to Russia and, moreover, only keep redirecting Moscow to one another for information. The minister added that Germany had ignored four requests of the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office on the case, thus brushing international law aside, and expressed confidence that the "evidence" would not be provided by Berlin after all. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has repeatedly said that Russia was ready for comprehensive cooperation with Germany. He pointed out that no poisonous substances had been detected in Navalny’s system prior to his transfer to Berlin.


tass--2020-10-12--TASS photo correspondent detained when covering Minsk protests

Putin says no friends in big politics Earlier Russian President said that `` there have been cases showing the deficit @ @ @ @ @ you will , kindness in the relations at the official inter-State level ''

Biden says alternative to sanctions against Russia would be Third World War
"Russia will pay a serious price for this short term and long term, particularly long term," the US leader stressed
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tass--2020-10-12--Armenian foreign minister stresses need for Karabakh truce verification mechanism

MOSCOW , October 12 .
/TASS/ .
A verification mechanism is needed to check truce observance in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict area , Armenia ’ s Foreign Minister Zograb Mnatsakanyan said on Monday .
`` Azerbaijan is not observing its ceasefire commitments .
In this sense , I want to stress the importance of introducing a verification mechanism to help achieve this regime , '' Armenia ’ s top diplomat said at a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow .
Following the consultations on the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh held in Moscow on Russia ’ s initiative on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a humanitarian ceasefire to start at 12:00 p.m. on October 10 to exchange prisoners and bodies of those killed in the conflict .
However , both sides accuse each other of breaching the truce .
Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27 , with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh .
The area experienced flare-ups of violence in the summer of 2014 , in April 2016 and this past July .
Azerbaijan and Armenia have imposed martial law and launched mobilization efforts .
Both parties to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them civilians .
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the highland region of Nagorno-Karabakh , a disputed territory that had been part of Azerbaijan before the Soviet Union break-up , but primarily populated by ethnic Armenians , broke out in February 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic .
In 1992-1994 , tensions boiled over and exploded into large-scale military action for control over the enclave and seven adjacent territories after Azerbaijan lost control of them .
Talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Group , led by its three co-chairs - Russia , France and the United States .

MOSCOW, October 12. /TASS/. A verification mechanism is needed to check truce observance in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict area, Armenia’s Foreign Minister Zograb Mnatsakanyan said on Monday.
"Azerbaijan is not observing its ceasefire commitments. In this sense, I want to stress the importance of introducing a verification mechanism to help achieve this regime," Armenia’s top diplomat said at a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow.
Following the consultations on the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh held in Moscow on Russia’s initiative on October 9, Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed on a humanitarian ceasefire to start at 12:00 p.m. on October 10 to exchange prisoners and bodies of those killed in the conflict. However, both sides accuse each other of breaching the truce.
Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The area experienced flare-ups of violence in the summer of 2014, in April 2016 and this past July. Azerbaijan and Armenia have imposed martial law and launched mobilization efforts. Both parties to the conflict have reported casualties, among them civilians.
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the highland region of Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory that had been part of Azerbaijan before the Soviet Union break-up, but primarily populated by ethnic Armenians, broke out in February 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.
In 1992-1994, tensions boiled over and exploded into large-scale military action for control over the enclave and seven adjacent territories after Azerbaijan lost control of them. Talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement have been ongoing since 1992 under the OSCE Minsk Group, led by its three co-chairs - Russia, France and the United States.


tass--2020-10-12--Legal norms in the way of EU imposing sanctions in light of Navalny case — source

BRUSSELS , October 12 .
/TASS/ .
The European Union has faced a legal issue of lacking suspects to impose sanctions against specific people and organizations in Russia in light of the incident involving Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny , a diplomatic source in one of the EU members in Brussels told TASS .
`` The EU must impose sanctions on Navalny case since the accusations of using chemical weapons can not be left without consequences .
However , to draft a list of at least ten specific natural persons to impose sanctions against , the valid link between them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ established .
Otherwise , any of the people on the list could easily appeal these sanctions in court .
A few ways to address these problems are being studied now , '' the diplomat noted .
According to him , `` all EU members support introducing targeted sanctions , however , time is needed to come up with them . ''
To avoid this collision , the EU countries are considering the possibility to create a separate mechanism that will introduce sanctions against some Russian officials for efforts to stifle `` a transparent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than specifically for `` using chemical weapons . ''
The source confirmed that the EU intends to blacklist several Russian officials in government and power structures who Brussels believes to be accomplices in this case .
They will not be allowed to enter the EU for a year , while all their assets in the EU will be frozen .
The sanctions could be extended after a year .
All people sanctioned by Brussels can challenge the decision of the EU Council in the European Court of Justice .
Alexey Navalny was rushed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city of Omsk on August 20 after collapsing on a Moscow-bound flight from Tomsk .
He fell into a coma and was put on a ventilator in an intensive care unit .
On August 22 , he was airlifted to Berlin and admitted to the Charite hospital .
On September 2 , Berlin claimed that having examined Navalny ’ s test samples , German government toxicologists had come to the conclusion that the blogger had been affected by a toxic agent belonging to the Novichok family .
On October 6 , the OPCW @ @ @ @ @ @ @ found in Navalny ’ s blood and urine samples have similar structural characteristics as the toxic chemicals added to the Chemical Weapons Convention ’ s Annex on Chemicals in November 2019 .
At the same time , this cholinesterase inhibitor is not listed in the Annex on Chemicals to the Convention .
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier said that Russia was ready for comprehensive cooperation with Germany .
He pointed out that no poisonous substances had been detected in Navalny ’ s system prior to his transfer to Berlin .

BRUSSELS, October 12. /TASS/. The European Union has faced a legal issue of lacking suspects to impose sanctions against specific people and organizations in Russia in light of the incident involving Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny, a diplomatic source in one of the EU members in Brussels told TASS.
"The EU must impose sanctions on Navalny case since the accusations of using chemical weapons cannot be left without consequences. However, to draft a list of at least ten specific natural persons to impose sanctions against, the valid link between them and Navalny’s poisoning should be established. Otherwise, any of the people on the list could easily appeal these sanctions in court. A few ways to address these problems are being studied now," the diplomat noted.
According to him, "all EU members support introducing targeted sanctions, however, time is needed to come up with them."
To avoid this collision, the EU countries are considering the possibility to create a separate mechanism that will introduce sanctions against some Russian officials for efforts to stifle "a transparent investigation" into the Navalny incident rather than specifically for "using chemical weapons."
The source confirmed that the EU intends to blacklist several Russian officials in government and power structures who Brussels believes to be accomplices in this case. They will not be allowed to enter the EU for a year, while all their assets in the EU will be frozen. The sanctions could be extended after a year. All people sanctioned by Brussels can challenge the decision of the EU Council in the European Court of Justice.
Alexey Navalny was rushed to a local hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk on August 20 after collapsing on a Moscow-bound flight from Tomsk. He fell into a coma and was put on a ventilator in an intensive care unit. On August 22, he was airlifted to Berlin and admitted to the Charite hospital.
On September 2, Berlin claimed that having examined Navalny’s test samples, German government toxicologists had come to the conclusion that the blogger had been affected by a toxic agent belonging to the Novichok family.
On October 6, the OPCW confirmed that biomarkers of the cholinesterase inhibitor found in Navalny’s blood and urine samples have similar structural characteristics as the toxic chemicals added to the Chemical Weapons Convention’s Annex on Chemicals in November 2019. At the same time, this cholinesterase inhibitor is not listed in the Annex on Chemicals to the Convention.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier said that Russia was ready for comprehensive cooperation with Germany. He pointed out that no poisonous substances had been detected in Navalny’s system prior to his transfer to Berlin.


tass--2020-10-12--Russia, US discuss New START, but talking about agreements is too early

MOSCOW , October 12 .
/TASS/ .
It is too early to say anything definite about the chances Russia and the US may agree to extend the Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms ( New START ) , but the two parties are pushing ahead with contacts along these lines , Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media on Monday .
`` It is too early to say anything about some final agreements , '' Peskov said , adding that `` contacts at the level of experts are continuing . ''
Peskov stressed that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was a `` priority in contacts with the Americans . ''
`` Of course , it is in the interests of both countries and the whole world a consensus be achieved , '' Peskov said .
He stressed that `` the stances [ of both parties ] are well known and so are the main stumbling blocks . ''
Earlier , US media quoted sources as saying that the United States hoped to clinch an arms control deal with Russia within weeks .
The Treaty between the United States of America and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms ( the New START Treaty ) entered into force on February 5 , 2011 .
The document stipulates that seven years after its entry into effect each party should have no more than a total of 700 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles ( ICBM ) , submarine-launched ballistic missiles ( SLBM ) and strategic bombers , as well as no more than 1,550 warheads on deployed ICBMs , deployed SLBMs and strategic bombers , and a total of 800 deployed and non-deployed ICBM launchers , SLBM launchers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Treaty will remain in force for 10 years , until 2021 , unless it is replaced before that date by a subsequent agreement on the reduction and limitation of strategic offensive arms .
It can also be extended for no longer than 5 years ( that is , until 2026 ) by the parties ’ mutual consent .
Moscow has repeatedly called on Washington not to delay prolongation of the treaty it describes as the gold standard in the area of disarmament .
In an interview with the Financial Times in late June @ @ @ @ @ @ @ once this treaty ceased to exist , `` then there would be no instrument in the world to curtail the arms race .
`` .

MOSCOW, October 12. /TASS/. It is too early to say anything definite about the chances Russia and the US may agree to extend the Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (New START), but the two parties are pushing ahead with contacts along these lines, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media on Monday.
"It is too early to say anything about some final agreements," Peskov said, adding that "contacts at the level of experts are continuing."
Peskov stressed that the issue of extending the New START was a "priority in contacts with the Americans."
"Of course, it is in the interests of both countries and the whole world a consensus be achieved," Peskov said. He stressed that "the stances [of both parties] are well known and so are the main stumbling blocks."
Earlier, US media quoted sources as saying that the United States hoped to clinch an arms control deal with Russia within weeks.
The Treaty between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms (the New START Treaty) entered into force on February 5, 2011. The document stipulates that seven years after its entry into effect each party should have no more than a total of 700 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) and strategic bombers, as well as no more than 1,550 warheads on deployed ICBMs, deployed SLBMs and strategic bombers, and a total of 800 deployed and non-deployed ICBM launchers, SLBM launchers and strategic bombers.
The New START Treaty will remain in force for 10 years, until 2021, unless it is replaced before that date by a subsequent agreement on the reduction and limitation of strategic offensive arms. It can also be extended for no longer than 5 years (that is, until 2026) by the parties’ mutual consent.
Moscow has repeatedly called on Washington not to delay prolongation of the treaty it describes as the gold standard in the area of disarmament.
In an interview with the Financial Times in late June 2019 Russian President Vladimir Putin said that once this treaty ceased to exist, "then there would be no instrument in the world to curtail the arms race.".


tass--2020-10-13--COVID-19 situation in Russia is rather alarming, says Health Ministry’s expert

MOSCOW , October 13 .
/TASS/ .
The situation with the coronavirus infection in Russia is rather alarming , Vladimir @ @ @ @ @ on infectious diseases of the Russian Healthcare Ministry stated on Tuesday .
`` As of @ @ @ @ @ cases over the 24 hours .
Indeed , the situation is rather alarming , '' @ @ @ @ @ 2020 : Challenges , Solutions , Consequences international academic and research online conference at the @ @ @ @ @ Economy and Public Administration ( RANEPA ) .
According to the latest statistics , about @ @ @ @ @ infected worldwide and more than 1.08 mln deaths have been reported .
To date , @ @ @ @ @ confirmed in Russia , with 1,031,785 patients having recovered from the disease .
Russia ’ @ @ @ @ @ fatalities nationwide .
Earlier , the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus situation .

MOSCOW, October 13. /TASS/. The situation with the coronavirus infection in Russia is rather alarming, Vladimir Chulanov, chief non-resident expert on infectious diseases of the Russian Healthcare Ministry stated on Tuesday.
"As of today, it is 13,868 cases over the 24 hours. Indeed, the situation is rather alarming," he said at the Pandemic 2020: Challenges, Solutions, Consequences international academic and research online conference at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA).
According to the latest statistics, about 37.8 mln people have been infected worldwide and more than 1.08 mln deaths have been reported. To date, 1,326,178 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 1,031,785 patients having recovered from the disease. Russia’s latest data indicates 22,966 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.


tass--2020-10-13--Tikhanovskaya gives Belarus authorities two weeks to meet opposition's demands

VILNIUS , October 13 .
/TASS/ .
Former Belarusian presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya announced that the Belarusian opposition intends to move to active actions in two weeks ’ time if its demands are not met .
`` We declare a national ultimatum on October 25 , '' she wrote on her Telegram channel .
Tikhanovksaya added that the opposition expects the national authorities to comply with all their demands before this date , including incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko ’ s resignation , while law enforcement agencies should stop dispersing protests and release all arrested opposition figures .
Tikhanovskaya claims that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demands , the opposition will organize strikes , block off roads and will call on their supporters to stop purchasing goods in state shops .
Nationwide demonstrations have engulfed Belarus following the August 9 presidential election .
According to the Central Election Commission ’ s official results , incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko won by a landslide , garnering 80.10 % of the vote .
His closest rival in the race , Svetlana Tikhanovskaya , came in second , with 10.12 % of the ballot .
However , she refused to recognize the election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Lithuania .
After the results of the exit polls were announced late on August 9 , mass protests erupted in downtown Minsk and other Belarusian cities .
During the early post-election period , the rallies snowballed into fierce clashes between the protesters and police .
The current unrest is being cheered on by the opposition ’ s Coordination Council , which has been beating the drum for more protests .
In response , the Belarusian authorities have castigated the ongoing turmoil and demanded that these unauthorized demonstrations be stopped .

VILNIUS, October 13. /TASS/. Former Belarusian presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya announced that the Belarusian opposition intends to move to active actions in two weeks’ time if its demands are not met.
"We declare a national ultimatum on October 25," she wrote on her Telegram channel. Tikhanovksaya added that the opposition expects the national authorities to comply with all their demands before this date, including incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko’s resignation, while law enforcement agencies should stop dispersing protests and release all arrested opposition figures.
Tikhanovskaya claims that if the authorities fail to meet these demands, the opposition will organize strikes, block off roads and will call on their supporters to stop purchasing goods in state shops.
Nationwide demonstrations have engulfed Belarus following the August 9 presidential election. According to the Central Election Commission’s official results, incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko won by a landslide, garnering 80.10% of the vote. His closest rival in the race, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, came in second, with 10.12% of the ballot. However, she refused to recognize the election’s outcome, and left Belarus for Lithuania. After the results of the exit polls were announced late on August 9, mass protests erupted in downtown Minsk and other Belarusian cities. During the early post-election period, the rallies snowballed into fierce clashes between the protesters and police. The current unrest is being cheered on by the opposition’s Coordination Council, which has been beating the drum for more protests. In response, the Belarusian authorities have castigated the ongoing turmoil and demanded that these unauthorized demonstrations be stopped.


tass--2020-10-13--Over 180 protesters detained in Belarus on Monday

`` Some 186 citizens were detained for violating the law on mass events and committing other crimes , '' the @ @ @ @ @ massive protests dubbed `` The March of Pensioners '' on Monday drew several thousand , @ @ @ @ @ The demonstrators marched nearly 5 km along Independence Avenue , protesting against the government ’ @ @ @ @ @ demanding the authorities ’ resignation .
During the protests police fired stun grenades from an @ @ @ @ @ `` only after protesters started pelting them with bottles and batons , '' the spokesperson @ @

"Some 186 citizens were detained for violating the law on mass events and committing other crimes," the spokesperson said.
The most massive protests dubbed "The March of Pensioners" on Monday drew several thousand, according to unofficial data. The demonstrators marched nearly 5 km along Independence Avenue, protesting against the government’s policy and carrying posters demanding the authorities’ resignation.
During the protests police fired stun grenades from an Osa gun and tear gas "only after protesters started pelting them with bottles and batons," the spokesperson said.


tass--2020-10-13--New space expedition to deliver equipment to orbital outpost to detect air leak

BAIKONUR /Kazakhstan/ , October 13 .
/TASS/ .
The crew of the manned Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft that will travel to the International Space Station ( ISS ) on October 14 will bring additional equipment to detect an air leak aboard the orbital outpost , Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergei Ryzhikov said at a pre-flight press conference on Tuesday .
`` We will take additional equipment with us to trace the air leak more accurately and more thoroughly , '' the cosmonaut said .
The next expedition ’ s crew will also take an additional upgraded sealant to plug the air leak , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said that additional oxygen supplies were normally delivered by Progress freight spacecraft .
The cosmonauts aboard the space station are now trying to find the air leak in the transfer compartment of the Russian Zvezda module .
A source told TASS in August that the ISS ’ Russian-American crew was carrying out work to locate the air leak .
As Roscosmos later told TASS , the cosmonauts have come to the conclusion that the air leakage happens in the Russian Zvezda module .
The life and health of the crewmembers are not endangered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Space Programs Sergei Krikalyov said , an additional air supply may be required to be delivered to the space station , if the air leak can not be eliminated quickly .
A Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket with the manned Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft is set to blast off from Site No .
31 ( Vostok launch pad ) of the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan at 08:45 a.m. Moscow time on October 14 to deliver Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Ryzhikov and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and NASA astronaut Kathleen Rubins to the orbital outpost .
Currently , Roscosmos cosmonauts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ astronaut Chris Cassidy are working aboard the orbital outpost .

BAIKONUR /Kazakhstan/, October 13. /TASS/. The crew of the manned Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft that will travel to the International Space Station (ISS) on October 14 will bring additional equipment to detect an air leak aboard the orbital outpost, Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergei Ryzhikov said at a pre-flight press conference on Tuesday.
"We will take additional equipment with us to trace the air leak more accurately and more thoroughly," the cosmonaut said.
The next expedition’s crew will also take an additional upgraded sealant to plug the air leak, Ryzhikov added.
The Roscosmos cosmonaut also said that additional oxygen supplies were normally delivered by Progress freight spacecraft.
The cosmonauts aboard the space station are now trying to find the air leak in the transfer compartment of the Russian Zvezda module. A source told TASS in August that the ISS’ Russian-American crew was carrying out work to locate the air leak.
As Roscosmos later told TASS, the cosmonauts have come to the conclusion that the air leakage happens in the Russian Zvezda module. The life and health of the crewmembers are not endangered. As Roscosmos Executive Director for Manned Space Programs Sergei Krikalyov said, an additional air supply may be required to be delivered to the space station, if the air leak cannot be eliminated quickly.
A Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket with the manned Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft is set to blast off from Site No. 31 (Vostok launch pad) of the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan at 08:45 a.m. Moscow time on October 14 to deliver Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Ryzhikov and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and NASA astronaut Kathleen Rubins to the orbital outpost.
Currently, Roscosmos cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner and NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy are working aboard the orbital outpost.


tass--2020-10-13--Terrorists killed in Chechnya came from Syria to conduct terror attacks — Chechen leader

GROZNY , October 13 .
/TASS/ .
Terrorists who were killed in a special operation in Grozny had come to Chechnya from Syria to carry out terror attacks , the North Caucasus republic ’ s leader Ramzan Kadyrov wrote on his Telegram channel on Tuesday .
`` Lately these `` devils '' have been in hiding outside Russia and they holed up in Syria and other countries .
Now after receiving an order from their Western sponsors , they came back and decided to carry out a number of terror attacks , '' Kadyrov wrote .
According to him , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wanted list .
Kadyrov also published the data on the neutralized gunmen .
Three of them are natives of Grozny , who were registered in the Chechen Republic , and the fourth one was also registered in Chechnya , but no data on his birthplace is available .
Earlier , the press center of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee reported that four gunmen , who opened fire at the law enforcement officers , were neutralized in Grozny .
According to updated information , two law enforcement officers were killed and another one was wounded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those killed will be provided assistance .

GROZNY, October 13. /TASS/. The terrorists who were killed in a special operation in Grozny had come to Chechnya from Syria to carry out terror attacks, Ramzan Kadyrov leader of Russia’s North Caucasus republic wrote on his Telegram channel on Tuesday.
“Lately these “devils” have been in hiding outside Russia and they are holed up in Syria and other countries. Now after receiving an order from their Western sponsors, they came back and decided to carry out a number of terror attacks,” Kadyrov wrote.
According to him, the militants had been on a wanted list for a long time. Kadyrov also published the data on the neutralized gunmen. Three of them are Grozny natives, who were registered in the Chechen Republic, and the fourth one was also registered in Chechnya, but no information on his birthplace was released.
Earlier, the press center of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee reported that four gunmen, who opened fire on law enforcement officers, were neutralized in Grozny. According to updated information, two law enforcement officers were killed and another one was wounded in the counter-terrorism operation.
The relatives of those killed will be provided with assistance.


tass--2020-10-13--Number of coronavirus cases in Finland rises to 12,449

HELSINKI , October 13 .
/TASS/ .
The number of coronavirus cases in Finland increased by 287 per day and reached 12,449 , the Finnish National Institute for Health and Social Development said on Tuesday .
Since the beginning of the pandemic , 346 deaths have been recorded in the country .
According to the latest estimates of the Institute , the situation with the pandemic in the country has begun to deteriorate .
The growth rate of new cases on Tuesday is the highest in several months .
Finland closed its borders from March 19 to May 13 to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Since September 19 , the country has allowed entry without the need to be in quarantine from countries where the number of coronavirus cases is 25 per 100,000 people in the last two weeks .
From October 1 , for countries with this threshold exceeded , entry can be allowed without a 14-day quarantine with two negative tests for coronavirus - the first must be done before the trip , the second - after arriving in the country .
This measure will affect only the EU countries , the Schengen zone , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drawn up by the EU , and will not apply , in particular , to Russia and the United States .
The border of the country for tourists from Russia will remain closed until at least November 10 .
In late December 2019 , Chinese officials informed the World Health Organization ( WHO ) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan , in central China .
Since then , cases of the novel coronavirus - named COVID-19 by the WHO - have been reported in every corner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On March 11 , 2020 , the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic .

HELSINKI, October 13. /TASS/. The number of coronavirus cases in Finland increased by 287 per day and reached 12,449, the Finnish National Institute for Health and Social Development said on Tuesday.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, 346 deaths have been recorded in the country. According to the latest estimates of the Institute, the situation with the pandemic in the country has begun to deteriorate. The growth rate of new cases on Tuesday is the highest in several months.
Finland closed its borders from March 19 to May 13 to prevent the spread of the virus. Since September 19, the country has allowed entry without the need to be in quarantine from countries where the number of coronavirus cases is 25 per 100,000 people in the last two weeks. From October 1, for countries with this threshold exceeded, entry can be allowed without a 14-day quarantine with two negative tests for coronavirus - the first must be done before the trip, the second - after arriving in the country. This measure will affect only the EU countries, the Schengen zone, and states from the list of third countries drawn up by the EU, and will not apply, in particular, to Russia and the United States.
The border of the country for tourists from Russia will remain closed until at least November 10.
In late December 2019, Chinese officials informed the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, in central China. Since then, cases of the novel coronavirus - named COVID-19 by the WHO - have been reported in every corner of the globe, including Russia. On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.


tass--2020-10-13--Sweden, France stay mum on Russia’s requests in Navalny case, Moscow says

MOSCOW , October 13 .
/TASS/ .
Russia is yet to receive any response to requests sent to authorities in Sweden in France , whose laboratories were chosen by Germany to analyze test samples of Alexey Navalny , Russian opposition figure .
Russia can not comprehensively investigate the situation without these responses , the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a comment Tuesday , issued to refute an article published in the Times of Malta .
The ministry noted that the editorial in the newspaper that calls for more sanctions against Russia in light of Navalny ’ s alleged poisoning bears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is claimed that the results of the tests carried out in Germany , France and Sweden point to Navalny ’ s poisoning with a substance from the Novichok family .
< … > The Russian investigation into what happened to Navalny can not be full without clear and concise responses to our requests made to Berlin and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons .
Moreover , there is no reaction to the requests made both by the Russian Prosecutor General ’ s Office and through the Chemical Weapons Convention and addressed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Germans sent the samples they had to laboratories of these countries for tests in violation of all universally accepted legal criminal procedures , '' the comment reads .

MOSCOW, October 13. /TASS/. Russia is yet to receive any response to requests sent to authorities in Sweden in France, whose laboratories were chosen by Germany to analyze test samples of Alexey Navalny, Russian opposition figure. Russia cannot comprehensively investigate the situation without these responses, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a comment Tuesday, issued to refute an article published in the Times of Malta.
The ministry noted that the editorial in the newspaper that calls for more sanctions against Russia in light of Navalny’s alleged poisoning bears little resemblance to reality. "It is claimed that the results of the tests carried out in Germany, France and Sweden point to Navalny’s poisoning with a substance from the Novichok family. <…> The Russian investigation into what happened to Navalny cannot be full without clear and concise responses to our requests made to Berlin and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Moreover, there is no reaction to the requests made both by the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office and through the Chemical Weapons Convention and addressed to authorities in Sweden and France, as Germans sent the samples they had to laboratories of these countries for tests in violation of all universally accepted legal criminal procedures," the comment reads.


tass--2020-10-13--Russia’s state commission approves next expedition’s crew for flight to orbital outpost

BAIKONUR /Kazakhstan/ , October 13 .
/TASS/ .
Russia ’ s state commission approved the crew of the 64th long-term expedition to the International Space Station ( ISS ) , the State Space Corporation Roscosmos announced on its website on Tuesday .
A Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket with a manned Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft is set to blast off from Site No .
31 ( Vostok launch pad ) of the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan at 08:45 a.m. Moscow time on October 14 .
`` The basic crew of the manned Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft comprises Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Ryzhikov and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back-up crew includes Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei , '' the statement says .
The Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle is expected to orbit the manned Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft in about nine minutes after the lift-off .
The spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the orbital outpost ’ s Rassvet module at 11:52 a.m. Moscow time on the same day .
Therefore , the flight will for the first time proceed using the two-orbit scheme .
During the new expedition , Russian cosmonauts Ryzhikov and Kud-Sverchkov will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including four new probes .
Three scientific experiments will be carried out without the crew ’ s participation .
The cosmonauts are also set to make two spacewalks .
One of them will take place in November 2020 and the other in February 2021 .
Both spacewalks will be needed for undocking and dumping the Pirs module next year .
This is required for vacating the place for Russia ’ s new Nauka ( Science ) module that will be launched in April 2021 .
Currently , Roscosmos cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are working aboard the orbital outpost .

BAIKONUR /Kazakhstan/, October 13. /TASS/. Russia’s state commission approved the crew of the 64th long-term expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), the State Space Corporation Roscosmos announced on its website on Tuesday.
A Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket with a manned Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft is set to blast off from Site No. 31 (Vostok launch pad) of the Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan at 08:45 a.m. Moscow time on October 14.
"The basic crew of the manned Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft comprises Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Ryzhikov and Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and NASA astronaut Kathleen Rubins. The back-up crew includes Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei," the statement says.
The Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle is expected to orbit the manned Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft in about nine minutes after the lift-off. The spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the orbital outpost’s Rassvet module at 11:52 a.m. Moscow time on the same day. Therefore, the flight will for the first time proceed using the two-orbit scheme.
During the new expedition, Russian cosmonauts Ryzhikov and Kud-Sverchkov will carry out 55 research studies and experiments, including four new probes. Three scientific experiments will be carried out without the crew’s participation. The cosmonauts are also set to make two spacewalks. One of them will take place in November 2020 and the other in February 2021.
Both spacewalks will be needed for undocking and dumping the Pirs module next year. This is required for vacating the place for Russia’s new Nauka (Science) module that will be launched in April 2021.
Currently, Roscosmos cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner and NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy are working aboard the orbital outpost.