Russian President Vladimir Putin does intend to visit China in 2020, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed to RIA Novosti, commenting on a statement by China’s Vice Foreign Minister.

The fact that China is expecting a visit from Putin next year was mentioned previously by Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng in a statement published by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. He noted that the Russian and Chinese leaders have met on several occasions in recent times, the most recent being an …

During a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky noted the importance of the fact that Russia returned to Ukraine the ships that were captured in Kerch Strait last year. At the same time, in a statement published on Facebook, Zelensky said that it is necessary to return all equipment  and documentation that were taken from the ships..

The Kremlin's press service confirmed the conversation between the two presidents.

Boats Berdyansk, …

Eduard Matyukha, an employee of Ukraine’s Chief Intelligence Directorate, has returned to Kyiv after operating in the Donbas for more than five years.

At one point, he was even the “people’s mayor” of Horlivka which is controlled by pro-Russian militants, and he later held senior positions in the Communist Party of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), TSN reports.

Matyukha said that he spent five years in Horlivka without his family. His wife knew nothing about her husband’s …

Russian diplomatic mission's press officer Andrei Ganenko said that the Internet shutdown, which lasted for several days, had disrupted the work of the Russian Embassy in Iran, reports RBC.

"There was no normal communication with Moscow. Therefore, there was no possibility to issue visas for Iranian citizens as usual," he said. Ganenko noted that currently, everything is restored, and the Embassy operates as usual.

Earlier, RIA Novosti reported, citing Ganenko, that the Internet at the …

Various Russian news outlets have identified three people from the video of a Syrian soldier being executed that was recently published by Novaya Gazeta.

Novaya itself tentatively identified one of the mercenaries as Stanislav D., a former police officer from Stavropol Krai, who filmed the incident. After the publication of the article, the man’s wife closed her account on the Russian social network VKontakte and changed her surname to her maiden name.

The second participant in the reprisal …

According to Israeli news agency Nziv.net, Moscow was informed about the latest Israeli missile strikes on the outskirts of Damascus. The reason for that is allegedly tacit agreement between Moscow and Tel Aviv that gives Israel the right to attack Iranian military forces located in Syria.

"Israeli-Russian coordination is based on the mutual interest of both countries. Israel is interested in the fight against Iranian entrenchment in Syria. At the same time, the Israeli fight against Iran in …

The Russian Navy, together with the South African and Chinese warships, will hold anti-piracy exercises in late November, reported by RIA Novosti with reference to the press service of the Russian Northern Fleet.

The Russian cruiser Marshal Ustinov will also participate in the military drills and has already arrived in Cape Town. The military will work out anti-piracy and anti-terrorist operations at sea, as well as actions to assist victims of a disaster.

Cruiser Marshal Ustinov was joined …

Iran has asked Russia for a $2 billion loan, announced Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak on Saturday after meeting with his Iranian colleague Reza Ardakanian.

Tehran needs the money for a number of projects, including the construction of a thermal and a hydroelectric power plant, a railway line, and carriages for its metro system, Reuters cites Novak as saying.

The figure named by the Iranian energy minister ahead of his trip to Moscow was somewhat larger, at $5 billion.

However, Novak …