The press secretary of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, has contracted COVID-19. He confirmed this information to Interfax news agency.

"Yes, I'm sick. I'm being treated for it," he said.

Putin's 52-year-old spokesman is in hospital, but it has not been reported which one.

Earlier, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin tested positive for COVID-19. He is in self-isolation.

This diagnosis was also confirmed by the head doctor of the infectious disease hospital which was …

On Tuesday, May 12, Polish President Andrzej Duda signed an updated National Security Strategy, Polskie Radio reports.

Polish National Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said that other provisions relating to the activities of the Polish army would be developed on the basis of this document. The Minister stressed that the National Security Strategy deals with threats to which Polish military should respond.

"This threat is, of course, widely known. This is Russia's aggressive policy. We …

The Swedish government has approved the construction of the offshore section of the Baltic Pipe pipeline, through which Norwegian gas will go to Poland, reported the Polish gas pipelines operator Gaz-System, which is building the pipeline together with the Danish company Energinet SOV.

About 85 kilometer of pipeline will be in Sweden's exclusive economic zone. In general, the length of the underwater part of the pipeline, which will be laid on the bottom of the Baltic Sea, will be about 275 …

Russia has tested a new hypersonic air missile from a Tu-22M3 bomber, reports TASS, citing a source in the Russian defense industry.

"Recently, tests of a new hypersonic missile have been carried out from the Tu-22M3," the source said.

According to him, the missile is being developed for the upgraded version of the Tu-22M3M aircraft. He added that work on the new munition began several years ago. The missile tests are to be completed along with work on the upgraded Tu-22M3M bomber.

The …

The man, whom the Czech special services suspect of delivering ricin poison to Prague to poison municipal politicians, is Andrei K., reports Seznam Spravy. According to Seznam Spravy, the man leads the "diplomatic representation of one of the Russian federal agencies" in the republic.

On April 26, the newspaper Respekt reported that a Russian man with a diplomatic passport arrived in the Czech Republic carrying ricin. The newspaper claimed, citing its sources, that the man wanted to poison the …

Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said that the Georgian people face famine if relations between Kyiv and Tbilisi deteriorate because of his appointment to the post of Head of the National Reform Council of Ukraine.

According to Saakashvili, Tbilisi needs Kyiv more than Kyiv needs Tbilisi. He also noted that most of what people buy in Georgian shops, "for example, cereals, buckwheat, meat products, sausage, milk, is imported from Ukraine."

"If Georgia disappears for Ukraine, it …

The Russian deep-sea vehicle "Vityaz-D" for the first time plunged to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov told reporters.

"This is the result of effective cooperation as part of the project of Russian Foundation for Advanced Research Projects in the Defense Industry, headed by Rubin Design Bureau, as well as active support for the project by the Navy. We expect that the new scientific and design elite of the defense industry will grow while working on such …

President Volodymyr Zelensky expects from Mikheil Saakashvili, whom he appointed as the head of the National Reform Council, results in deregulation and improvement of customs.

"I expect the results of Saakashvili's work not on the second day after his appointment, but in the coming months they should be. The results are about deregulation in business and customs reform," said Zelensky at a briefing during a working trip to the Carpathian Mountains, as cited by Ukrinform.

According to …