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Putin to Assad: Invite Trump to Damascus
During his recent visit to Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin advised his Syrian colleague Bashar al-Assad to invite US President Donald Trump to Damascus, according to a story presented on the TV channel Russia 1 during the program “Moscow. Kremlin. Putin”. The topic came up while the leaders of the two countries were meeting with Patriarch John X of Antioch and discussing a statement about the Apostle Paul, who went to Damascus.
Commenting on the story, Assad joked that if Trump were to …
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Russian Defense Ministry accuses US destroyer of ‘violating’ maritime navigation rules
The Russian Defense Ministry has denied information that the Russian Black Sea Fleet reconnaissance ship Ivan Khurs, which is based in annexed Sevastopol, came dangerously close to USS Farragut (DDG 99), reports Russian media, citing the Russian Defense Ministry.
"The statement of representatives of the 5th Fleet of the U.S. Navy that the Russian Navy ship came “dangerously" close to the destroyer Farragut in the Arabian Sea is not true. It was the U.S. Navy destroyer that on January 9, 2020, …
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Merkel: construction of Northern Stream 2 gas pipeline has to be completed
At a briefing after the talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that it is necessary to complete the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which should allow Russian gas to flow to Germany bypassing the Ukrainian gas transportation system.
"We talked about the Nord Stream project, of course. This project is legitimized through new European legislation. We need to see it through. Germany and other European countries will benefit from the Nord Stream. Everyone is …
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Finland begins air patrols of border with Russia
Helsinki has decided to monitor the border from the air in order to combat illegal infiltration into its territory from the Russian Federation.
To do this, border guards will use helicopters and aircraft, reports YLE.
Forests in the east and north, where border guards are less likely to be protected compared to other Finnish territories, will be particularly carefully patrolled.
Earlier it was reported that Finland has become more likely to grant asylum to Russians.
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DPR militants involved in ‘coup’ in Abkhazia
The administration of the Abkhazian President, Raul Khajimba, accused members of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) of the coup attempt, reports Interfax.
Abkhazia’s officials are trying to determine how these people arrived and stayed in the region.
According to the publication Echo of the Caucasus, one of the organizers of the rally on January 8-9, which led to protesters capturing Khajimba’s administration office, was Ahra Avidzba, aka "Abkhaz" who fought against Ukraine as part …