Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Dostoyevsky of 20th century, dies of heart failureAlexander Solzhenitsyn died in Moscow at age 89. President Dmitry Medvedev presented his condolences to writer’s wife and sons. Stepan Solzhenitsyn told The Associated Press his father died late Sunday of heart failure, but declined further comment. Solzhenitsyn's unflinching accounts of torment and survival in the Soviet Union's labor camps riveted his countrymen, whose secret history he exposed. They earned him 20 years of bitter exile, but international renown. And they inspired millions, perhaps, with the knowledge that one person's courage and integrity could, in the end, defeat the totalitarian machinery of an empire.

Florence researchers are about to excavate the bones of the woman they believe served as the model for Mona Lisa. Their hope is that facial reconstruction will prove once and for all if Lisa Gherardini was the subject of the Leonarda da Vinci portrait that has mesmerized viewers for centuries. The painting has long also been known as La Gioconda, linking it to Gherardini's husband, Francesco del Giocondo, who commissioned da Vinci to paint his wife. Digging will begin later this month at a convent in central Florence where Gherardini was buried in 1542, Newser reports. The team will be led by Silvano Vinceti, an art historian who last year announced that he had found the remains of the Renaissance genius Caravaggio, although his claim was disputed by other scholars.

Source: REX The US intends to return 28 documents signed by Peter the Great and Joseph Stalin in the 18th and 20th centuries to Russia.  The documents were stolen during the 1990s from Russian archives, but were later found in the United States in the course of the investigation that lasted for about six years. The US Embassy in Moscow plans to deliver the historical documents to the Russian government on March 3 in a special ceremony, despite the confrontation between the two countries.

AP photo The governments of many countries recommend their citizens to be highly careful during tourist trips to Russia. In some countries, tourists are advised not to go to Russia at all. In China, officials advise tourists to watch out for ticks in the Urals. In Ireland, people are warned about ice on the roads, whereas the authorities of Canada recommend tourists not to drink with strangers. Australian Foreign Ministry recommends not to chat with Russians on the Internet, as new acquaintances may try to obtain money for a would-be trip to Australia that may never materialize. The Chinese are advised not to travel to Russia on April 20, Adolf Hitler's birthday, not to fall victims of neo-Nazis. The authorities of Canada recommend tourists not to make friends with Russians in bars and to keep an eye on their food and drinks. Canadian officials fear that Russians may add psychotropic substances to food or drinks to rob tourists from Canada.

Russia, when signing documents for the sale of Alaska to the United States, was realizing her objective benefit, deputy director of the Historical and Documentary Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Doctor of Historical Sciences Artyom Rudnitsky said.According to him, the deal between Russia and the United States on selling Alaska was fair and aligning with international norms of that time.Rudnitsky noted during the Russian-American international conference "Dialogue of Fort Ross - Meeting in Russia" that the sale of Alaska by Russia was due to several reasons, including the fact that the colony was unprofitable. There were objective difficulties in protecting it in the event of an attack, he added. At the same time, Russia expected to make $5 million from the sale, but managed to obtain more $7 million in the end, which was considered a great achievement for that historical period. Moreover, the Alaska deal became an expression of relations between Russia and the United States. Strengthening relations with the US was important for the Russian Empire, which was in international isolation after the lost Crimean War."Do you think Russia would concede part of its territory to a country that was aggressive and hostile agains it? They treated the Americans well back then and believed that this would in no way infringe upon Russia's interests," concluded Rudnitsky. Also read: If US wants Crimea returned to Ukraine, Russi wants Alaska backPravda.Ru Read article in Russian

Source: Mil.ru To mark the Day of Airborne Forces, which Russia is celebrating on August 2, the Russian Defence Ministry published unique documents on its official website about the establishment of Airborne Forces.The documents date back to the Great Patriotic War. One of them is titled the "Main Directorate of Airborne Troops of the Red Army." The document had been drafted literally a few days before the beginning of the war in 1941. Another document determines the combat composition of airborne units that started fighting against fascist invaders in September of 1941. The publication also includes the combat characteristics of the commander of the 49th Guards Rifle Division, Colonel Margelov, who subsequently became the legendary commander of the Airborne Forces.The main symbol of Russia's Airborne Forces - the blue beret - was approved in 1969 by Marshal of the Soviet Union Andrei Grechko.

The State Historical Museum and the Russian Historical Society announced the all-Russian campaign to raise funds to restore the monument to Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky. The iconic monument, commonly known as Monument to Minin and Pozharsky, stands in front of the St. Bazil's Cathedral on Moscow's Red Square. The monument was the first sculptural piece that was erected in Moscow on Red Square 200 years ago in honour of the victory of the Russian militia over foreign interventionists in 1612.On February 20, 1818 in a solemn atmosphere, Emperor Alexander I and members of the imperial family unveiled the Monument to Minin and Pozharsky on Red Square. In the summer of 1931, the monument became a hindrance to demonstrations and parades, so it was moved from its historical site, from opposite the Upper trading rows, to the facade of the Intercession Cathedral. During this movement, the structure of the monument was damaged.In late 2016, the maintenance of the monument was delivered to the State Historical Museum. Experts examined the monument and came to conclusion that it required serious restoration is required. The works were preliminary evaluated at 46 million rubles.Within a year, the sculptural group will be dismantled from the pedestal on Red Square to be  transported to workshops, where the sculptures and the bas-reliefs of the monument will be restored.

Admiral Vyacheslav Popov, the former commander of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy, said that the Kursk submarine (nuclear submarine K-141 Kursk) sank in 2000 as a result of the collision with a NATO submarine. The name of the Western submarine is known almost for sure, Popov said in an interview with RIA Novosti. The ex-commander-in-chief of the Northern Fleet suggested that the submarine that collided with the Kursk was tracking the sub. The Western submarine could not ensure the required level of safety under the conditions of the sea and other circumstances, so it came too close to the Kursk. According to the admiral, the sub was later found off the coast of Norway. Popov added that the manoeuvre of the Russian nuclear submarine could also lead to the "loss of contact." According to the admiral, he can reveal the name of the NATO submarine with almost 100 percent certainty, but said that he would not do it for a number of reasons.

Former US President Bill Clinton offered Russian President Boris Yeltsin large investments in Russia in the 1990s in exchange for NATO's eastward expansion and Moscow's approval of that expansion. A number of declassified documents testifying to USA's plans to buy off Russia became available on the website of the US Presidential Library. According to the documents, Yeltsin responded to Clinton's suggestion by saying that such a measure was like a bribe in exchange for Russia's consent to NATO's expansion to the detriment of her own interests.

Ukrainian figure skaters Artem Darensky and Sofia Golichenko, who perform in pair skating, chose to speak Russian at the Beijing Olympics, despite the ban from Ukraine's Ministry of Sports, RIA Novosti reports. The athletes stated that it was up to them to decide in which language to communicate at the Olympics. "We can speak Ukrainian, Russian and English. It's just that it's really hard for us to speak Ukrainian, and in order for people to understand us more, we speak Russian,” said Darensky.

Kamila Valieva's doping test revealed the presence of three substances to improve the heart function, the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said. According to The New York Times, these drugs can be aimed at increasing endurance, if used in combination. According to USADA's chief Travis Tygart, Kamila Valieva's doping test revealed the presence of trimetazidine, L-carnitine and hypoxen. Of these three drugs, it is only trimetazidine that is included in the list of drugs prohibited for athletes. "It's a trifecta of substances — two of which are allowed, and one that is not allowed. The benefits of such a combination "seem to be aimed at increasing endurance, reducing fatigue and promoting greater efficiency in using oxygen," Travis Tygart said.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has announced its stance  on the case of Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva. The text is available on the website of the agency. WADA believes that the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which allowed 15-year-old Valiyeva to participate in the individual tournament at the Beijing Olympics, was made contrary to the Code of the agency. This will have consequences and may lead to the recurrence of similar cases in the future, WADA said.  The WADA statement stressed out that CAS had rewritten the Code of the agency, when it decided to allow Valieva to participate in the individual tournament. 

Andrei Rublev is one of the Russian tennis players banned from the Wimbledon tournament. He defeated world number one Novak Djokovic in the Serbia Open 2022 final in Belgrade today. Rublev, who is only eighth in the world rankings, beat his opponent 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 6-0.

The prosecutor on Thursday requested 9.5 years in prison for American basketball player Brittney Griner, accused of smuggling hash oil, RIA Novosti correspondent reports from the Khimki courtroom. “By partial addition, I finally ask you to appoint nine years and six months in prison with a sentence to be served in a general regime colony with a fine of one million rubles,” the state prosecutor said in his speech. Griner pleaded guilty in court, but stressed that she had no intent to commit a crime, and she "collected the bag in a hurry." During the consideration of the case, it became known that a doctor from the state of Arizona prescribed marijuana to her instead of traditional painkillers due to the side effects of the latter.

Formula 1 (F1) has been striving to become more environmentally friendly in recent years while still remaining relevant beyond the race track. The series has included more technology that is seen in street cars, such as small-displacement engines with turbos and hybridization. However, F1's CEO, Stefano Domenicali, has said in an interview with an Italian paper that the series will "never go electric." F1 sees synthetic fuels, also known as e-fuels, as the future of the series. These lab-created fuels are already in limited production but come with an extreme cost. However, this is not a problem for motorsport. F1's goal is to have e-fuels powering the grid by 2026 and then working towards finding a way to use them in passenger cars as combustion bans start to take effect in nations in the 2030s, just as F1 hopes to become carbon neutral.

The head of the All-Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation, Irina Viner, announced that her athletes would no longer compete at international tournaments in a neutral status, TASS reports. According to Viner, until recently Russian athletes could only count on one place in victory at the Games. "What's the point of that? There's no flag, no anthem, no communication, no fans, but there's special uniforms and special music. It would be a shame if we go there. This would be very humiliating for Russia. Russian rhythmic gymnasts will not go there for certain. We will never again perform without the Russian flag and anthem," said Viner.

The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs put Russian fencers Sergei and Violetta Bida on wanted list after the athletes left for the United States. At the same time, it remains unknown which article of the Russian Criminal Code was used to put the two world medalists in fencing on wanted list. Tokyo Olympics vice-champion Sergei Bida and his wife, world medalist Violetta Bida (nee Khrapina) left Russia without permission. The athletes were active officers of the Russian Guard, but they voluntarily left Russia in 2023 and moved to the United States (to California). Sergei was a member of Dynamo Moscow and had the rank of a warrant officer of the Russian Guard; Violetta Bida was an active service member of the Ministry of Defence at CSKA Moscow.

14-year-old figure skater Maria Simonova was rushed to hospital after she fell on ice hard during a tournament in Moscow. Male skater dropped Simonova while holding her on support. The girl fell hard on ice and hit her head. After the fall, she was able to get up and finish the programme. She did not come to the traditional kiss-and-cry room after the performance and asked for help.

Too late Group E, Dinamo Moskva 6 games, six victories, 18 points, 9 goals scored, 3 against, passes through to the next round of the Europa League together with PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands). In Group H, Krasnodar had the first victory, away at Everton in the UK (city of Liverpool) but too late. Qualified for the next round: Borussia Mönchengladbach, Villarreal, Club Brugge, Torino, Besiktas, Tottenham, Red Bull Salzburg, Celtic, Inter, Dnipro, Feyenoord, Sevilla, Everton, Wolfsburg, Napoli, Young Boys, Dinamo Kiev, Steaua Bucuresti, Fiorentina, Guingamp, Legia Warsaw, Trabzonspor Played Won Drawn Lost Goals For Against Goal Difference Points

Russian federal TV channels may refuse to broadcast the 2018 Winter Olympics from South Korean Pyeongchang should the Russian delegation be suspended, the Vedomosti newspaper wrote. For the time being, Russia's three major TV channels - Channel One, Rossiya-1 (part of VGTRK) and Match TV (part of Gazprom Media) plan to broadcast Winter Olympics from South Korea. Yet, if the Russian national team is excluded from the Games, Channel One and Rossiya-1 will most likely refuse to broadcast the Olympics. Naturally, Russian people watch Olympic Games to support Russian athletes in the first place. If no Russian athletes take part in the Games, the audience of the major sports event of this winter will decease sharply, representatives of the above-mentioned channels say. It makes no sense for major channels to pay millions of dollars for the rights to broadcast the Games, if they make no money from advertising because of low ratings.

An anonymous assistant to President Putin has had a few meetings with winter sports coaches, during which he "in a mild form" recommended to refuse from participating in the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang. According to All Sports agency, an official from the Kremlin administration, whose name remains anonymous, specified that it would have to be the athletes themselves to make such a decision. The talks of the of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) commission with representatives of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) took place in Moscow this week. The meetings were devoted to the structure of the Russian delegation during the Games in South Korea. The next day it became known that a number of prominent Russian athletes with an unblemished reputation, including biathlete Anton Shipulin, skier Sergei Ustyugov and speed skater Victor An, as well as the leaders of hockey and speed skating teams were not invited to the competitions, even though those athletes were not listed either in Richard McLaren or Denis Oswald reports. On Tuesday, the press service of the Russian Ice Skating Federation said that the IOC did not allow Russian figure skaters Ksenia Stolbova and Ivan Bukin to participate in the 2018 Winter Games without explaining the reasons. Representatives for the Russian Ice Skating Federation expressed their indignation about the absurd decision and started to defend the honour and dignity of athletes in all possible ways.The Russian Olympic Committee prepares to give a hard estimate to IOC's actions and request appropriate explanations.Following those events, Russian politicians assumed that the IOC was pushing Russia to boycott the Winter Games 2018 and exit the Olympic movement."If no explanations follow, perhaps Russian athletes will have to revise their decision regarding the participation in the Olympics in Pyeongchang. They wanted to make us boycott the Games before, but as soon as they realised that we were not going to do it, they decided to suspend clean athletes with perfect reputations. This looks like political blackmail and creates conditions for unfair victories at the Olympics," chairman of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture Mikhail Degtyarev told Sport Express newspaper. On December 5, the IOC Executive Committee decided that only clean Russian athletes would be able to perform at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang under the Olympic flag. Two special committees of the IOC have reduced the list of 500 applicants to 389 names so far. The final structure of the Russian delegation will be announced on January 28. On December 6, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia would not boycott the Games. Pravda.Ru

The opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang is to begin on Friday, February 9, at 14:00 MSK. One hundred and sixty-eight athletes from Russia will take part in the Games for sure, but their quantity may increase. The second hearing of the panel of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) was held on Feb. 8. For the time of the Olympics, judges stay in Pyeongchang. Today, they looked into the cases of 45 athletes and two coaches from Russia, who still have a chance to perform at the Games.They received such an opportunity after the first meeting, at which the CAS issued a decision that came contrary to the position of the IOC, but the decision was consistent with common sense. Having not heard any evidence to establish the guilt of several Russian athletes, the CAS sustained their appeals. Afterwards, the Russian athletes appealed against the non-admission to the Olympics.During the second hearing, CAS arbitrators considered the cases of 13 athletes and two coaches who had been acquitted. They also looked into the cases of 32 athletes who had never been suspected of violating anti-doping rules. None of them have received invitations from the IOC. They are stars of Russian sports - Anton Shipulin (biathlon), Victor An (speed skating) and Sergei Ustyugov (skier). Which abbreviation is worse: CAS, WADA, or IOC? Head coach of the Russian national luge team, Albert Demchenko, Tatyana Ivanova (sleigh) and Elena Nikitina (skeleton) had an opportunity to speak at the hearings. They told reporters later that they could not say anything about the hearings, and expressed a hope that common sense would prevail. According to Albert Demchenko, CAS arbitrators have listened to all arguments of the Russians.Earlier, skeletonist Elena Nikitina expressed the general idea of the outcast athletes. In an interview with R-Sport, she said that CAS made an independent and fair decision at first hearings contrary to that of the IOC, which gave the Russian athletes more confidence. The athlete also said that she would not mind moving into the Olympic Village even on the opening day of the Games.The head of the Russian Bobsleigh Federation, Sergei Parkhomenko, said that Russian bobsleighers would fly to South Korea as soon as they are allowed to do so. Nick Butler of Inside The Games shared insider information on Twitter. A reliable source, he wrote, informed him that the lawsuits from the Russian athletes would be sustained partially - some would be allowed to take part in the Games, but some others would not. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the IOC remain dissatisfied with the decision that CAS made during the first hearing. WADA officials said that the CAS verdict may cause anxiety and disappointment among athletes.However, it was only the Germans, who publicly supported the decision of the International Olympic Committee not to admit even acquitted Russian athletes. The head of the German delegation, Dirk Schimmelpfennig, told Munchner Merkur that the IOC rightly sticks to its original opinion, and this comes as "an important signal about the equality of all athletes - a signal about the ongoing struggle against doping."IOC President Thomas Bach stated that one needs to reform the CAS. All of a sudden, it turned out that the court in Lausanne makes the decisions that the IOC does not like, because the attacks against the Russian athletes were unfounded. Vice president of the Curling Federation of Russia, Andrei Sozin, said that the IOC behaves like a feudal lord who chooses whom of his slaves can be admitted to the Olympics. Yet, the Russians do not agree with that role that someone wants them to play. Evgeny ShurshakovPravda.Ru Read article on the Russian version of Pravda.Ru

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has suspended Russia from all international competitions - including Olympic Games and world championships - for four years. Russian athletes will receive the right to participate in them if it is confirmed that they are "clean." However, they will be able to perform only under the neutral flag (including at the World Cup in Qatar in 2022). In addition, Russia will not be allowed to host major world championships, nor will it be able to apply for them, while Russian officials will not be able to attend them. The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) will lose the right to test athletes for doping.Russia will thus miss: 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing2022 World Cup in Qatar2021 World Student Games  2023 World Student GamesBecause of the ban, Russia probably will not be able to host the 2020 World Chess Olympiad, 2020 and 2021 World Ice Hockey Championships, the 2021 Women Hockey World Championship, the 2021 Beach Soccer World Cup, the 2022 Volleyball Men's World Championship, the World Wrestling Championship in 2022, the 2023 Summer Universiade-2023, the World Ice Hockey Championship in 2023 and other competitions. Their venues will be rescheduled, while Russian athletes will be able to take part in those tournaments only in neutral status, if proved clean.145 athletes, whose doping samples disappeared from the database of the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory, were thus removed from competitions. The names of the athletes remain unknown. Russia delivered the database to WADA in January 2019 in order to lift all restrictions on participation in international competitions. Having studied the base, WADA experts came to conclusion that someone had made changes to it. The story continued until the beginning of 2019, although by that time the Russian Investigative Committee had seized the base as material evidence on the case of the former head of the Moscow anti-doping laboratory, Grigory Rodchenkov.The head of RUSADA, Yuri Ganus, called WADA's new claims a "tragedy." Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev called it an "anti-Russian series." Ganus suggested that it was Russian sports officials, who authorized changes to the database of doping samples to protect the reputation of former athletes, who currently take high positions. PM Dmitry Medvedev called WADA's sanctions "a continuation of the anti-Russian hysteria that has taken a chronic form."WADA originally wanted to bar Russian athletes from international sports competitions entirely. The head of the WADA Compliance Review Committee (CRC), Jonathan Taylor, said that the agency was seriously considering a possibility to remove Russian athletes from competitions entirely, but former athletes assumed that representatives of a new generation of Russian athletes should have an opportunity to participate in competitions."Russia may appeal against WADA's decision within 21 days. In the next ten days, the RUSADA Supervisory Board will announce whether Russia is going to file a lawsuit at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev believes that Russia should fight, but the head of RUSADA, Yuri Ganus, said that Russia would have no chances to win such a lawsuit. Almost a year ago, Yuri Ganus warned President Putin of the imminent sanctions. However, the Kremlin simply said that Ganus was overreacting as he was not familiar with the process to deliver the data to WADA.The report from the CRC said that there was a whole team working at the Moscow anti-doping laboratory, for the purpose to conceal changes in the database before delivering it to WADA. It is believed that the team was editing the data related to the winners of the Sochi-2014 Games, who retained their medals following the trial.As a result, WADA found inconsistencies between the two versions of the databases from the Moscow laboratory. WADA received the first version of the database from Grigory Rodchenkov, the former head of the agency, who had fled Russia. The second version was received from the Russian authorities in exchange for restoring the status of RUSADA. During the interval, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation sealed the laboratory as part of the federal investigation. The Russian authorities of the Russian Federation claim that nobody had manipulated the database.

When flying at full speed, Russia's state-of-the-art Avangard hypersonic vehicle is invisible to radar. “This is the only hypersonic unit in the world that can be used at intercontinental range and has a speed of Mach 28. In a nutshell, this is  a vehicle to deliver conventional or nuclear weapons that flies in the form of a fireball as its surface heats up to colossal temperatures at such speed producing plasma on the surface of the vehicle,” Yuri Knutov military expert, director of the Museum of Air Defense Forces Yuri Knutov told lenta.ru publication.  Plasma absorbs electromagnetic radiation making the unit invisible to radar, the expert added. 

More than 100 tons of gold were found on Sovinoye deposit in Chukotka (a region in the Far East of Russia). This is the largest deposit to have been discovered since the collapse of the USSR in 1991, Atomredmetzoloto Company (ARMZ), a mining division of Rosatom state corporation said. Drilling operations were carried under continuous permafrost conditions all the year round, the company said. In just three years, 123 wells were drilled (more than 32 km in total). At the moment, all prospecting, topographic-geodetic, geological-geochemical and geophysical works on the deposit have been completed. Rosatom invested more than 1 billion rubles to create a mining cluster based on the Sovinoye deposit. The project provides for the creation of an industrial complex for the extraction and processing of gold ores with the further production of alloyed gold bars.

State testing of the Stretta laser range system may begin in April, a source in the Russian military-industrial complex told TASS. "State tests of the Stretta system are to begin on April 1 of this year. They will last for about three months,” the source told the agency. There is no official confirmation to this information, though.

On Thursday, March 21, the Soyuz-2.1a rocket with the Soyuz MS-25 manned spacecraft was supposed to blast off from launch pad No. 31 (Vostok) at Baikonur Cosmodrome. The rocket launch was aborted at the last moment. The countdown was stopped approximately 20 seconds before the start time. "Attention at the launch complex. The launch was automatically aborted. Bring the units of the launch complex to their original condition. Prepare to be parked for 24 hours,” the announcer of the broadcast hosted by Roscosmos said. The launch was dedicated to the 90th anniversary of Soviet cosmonaut and first man in space Yuri Gagarin.

Russian engineers developed a wireless headphone jammer that is going to be put to the test at railway crossings. Students from the Institute of Radio Engineering Systems and Control of Southern Federal University developed a jamming device that turns off wireless headphones at railway tracks. The micro-controller of the device detects the Bluetooth signal from the headphones in its range and reboots the 2.4 GHz frequency on which Bluetooth and Wi-Fi operate. This causes the sound in the headphones to disappear, and the person will be able to hear the train or the alarm at the crossing.

The first launch of the Angara-A5 heavy launch vehicle from the newly built launch complex at the Vostochny Cosmodrome was aborted two minutes before lift off. The rocket with the Orion upper stage and test payload was supposed to take off for the first time from Vostochny on Tuesday, April 9, at 12:00. The launch was postponed. The launch of the Angara rocket was postponed till Wednesday, April 10, Roscosmos chief Yuri Borisov said.

Boston Dynamics presented the new robot. The company refused from the old hydraulic platform to introduce the new electric one under the same name, Atlas. The new robot is completely electronic, there are no hydraulic systems involved. The new robot will be stronger and more maneuverable as all developments of the previous generation of the robot will be improved. The company is ambitious to introduce humanoid robots and create infrastructure for them, including software.

The Bulava sea-based intercontinental ballistic missile was put into service. The works on the missile started in the late 1990s. Several test launches of the Bulava ballistic missile ended with a failure. The Russian Armed Forces have adopted the sea-based intercontinental ballistic missile Bulava, Yuri Solomonov, the General Designer of the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering said, TASS reports. "On May 7 of this year, a decree was signed to bring the Bulava missile system into service,” he said.

A powerful solar flare that caused a massive ejection of solar matter on June 2, 2024, may cause a very string magnetic storm on Earth. The plasma cloud will reach our planet on Tuesday, June 4th. The June 2 X-class flare (the most powerful one) has become the third highest-level flare in the past 24 hours caused by active region 3697. This area caused a powerful flare in 2017 and the strongest magnetic storm since 2005. A total of five X-class flares were recorded in just three days from the moment the area appeared on the side of the Sun facing the Earth. The most dangerous flare occurred on May 29, but the ejection passed by the planet.

The United States has stopped research into new cancer treatments in Russia, Andrey Kaprin, oncologist at the Russian Ministry of Health, General Director of the National Medical Research Center of Radiology said. According to the expert, the United States independently refused to continue research into new cancer therapy. In particular, the US stopped cooperation on protocols. The corresponding decision of the United States has not affected cancer patients in Russia. On the contrary, domestic fundamental science was given a powerful impetus for development, he noted. "The most important thing that we have come to realise is that we need to create our own,” said the oncologist.

The UFL-2M laser system, which is often called the "Tsar Laser" due to its unique technical specifications and power performance, will be fully operational by approximately 2028-2029, Valentin Kostyukov, Director of the Russian Federal Nuclear Center said in an interview with Russia-24 TV channel. "We have launched the first stage of physical foundations associated with engineering systems," Kostyukov said, admitting that the system will yield results in the next four to five years. The UFL-2M laser system was developed at the Sarov Nuclear Center. The system is needed for modeling and designing new types of nuclear weapons. It is used to study the processes that occur at the moment of explosion. There are only three countries in the world that have such technology: the United States, France, and Russia.

India and China evince interest in the Russian nuclear power plant project on the Moon, TASS reports with reference to Rosatom chief Alexey Likhachev. "The new solution that we are asked to implement is a version of a lunar nuclear power plant with an energy capacity of up to half a megawatt,” Likhachev said at the Eastern Economic Forum. In May, Roscosmos Director Yuri Borisov said that a Russian-made nuclear installation for a joint Russian-Chinese station would be sent to the Moon after 2036. Borisov also said that the development of a nuclear power plant for a joint lunar station with China had already begun.

Russian specialists designed the Buran cargo drone that can be used to deliver cargo to the front line, developer company Kotlin-Novator told the Izvestia newspaper. The UAV weighs about 80 kilograms and can reach speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour. If unloaded, the drone can stay airborne for 45 minutes. The six rotor hexacopter can deliver up to 80 kilograms of ammunition, water, and other cargo to supply troops on the front line.

Chinese manned spacecraft Shenzhou-19 with three taikonauts on board was successfully launched into low-Earth orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, UDN Global reports. The spacecraft blasted off on October 29 at 23:27 Moscow time, or October 30 at 04:27 local time. A Long March 2 °F-19 launch vehicle was used for the liftoff. About ten minutes into the flight, the Shenzhou-19 manned spacecraft successfully separated from the rocket and flew into orbit. There are three crew members on board the Shenzhou-19. They will conduct 86 scientific experiments in space, including experiments in the field of medicine, biology, fundamental physics of microgravity, materials science and space technology, the agency notes.

Russia will use Buk and Pantsir air defense systems against Israeli Air Force aircraft. Analysts say that Russian officials have repeatedly declared that Israeli aviation poses a threat to the Russian military in Syria. According to British publication Rai Al Youm, Russia may use its complexes to cover the Syrian sky from Israeli air raids. Experts of the publication note that Israel, while striking Iranian groups in Syria, endangers the Russian military.

In the aftermath of a car accident, your actions count. Doing the 'right' things can increase your safety and the safety of the people around you, get you the medical attention you need, and increase your chances of winning compensation. Staying Calm Unfortunately, many people are overwhelmed by the emotional turmoil and trauma of a car accident, rendering them incapable of acting rationally. This is somewhat understandable; after a car accident, you may be in shock, your adrenaline might be surging, and you might be in a great deal of physical pain.  However, it’s important to stay as calm and rational as possible. If you can, take a deep breath, focus on your next objective, and try not to overthink the situation.

Alexander Perendzhiev, a member of the expert council of Russian Officers, candidate of political sciences, gave his assessment to the warning from American analysts about the likelihood of NATO troops entering Ukraine. According to him, the direct intervention of the United States and the North Atlantic Alliance in the Russian special operation in Ukraine will change the course of the operation and provoke a full-scale war with Russia. The presence of American and NATO military personnel on the territory of a neighboring country is a threat to the existence of the Russian Federation as a state, the political scientist explained. In this case, Moscow will resort to nuclear weapons, he stressed.

My Thought of the Day  A Pentagon enforcement agent twice had arrived in Cyprus to make sure our government complies with all the American instructions on sanctions against Russia in support of Ukraine and also to insist on the prosecution of Greek Cypriots and Companies who continue to disobey their instructions! The Cyprus government promised to prosecute all of those found guilty. That’s a pre-condition for purchasing arms from America! The EU on the other hand behaves in a much worse manner; not only Cyprus it’s ordered to impose EU sanctions against Russians at the detriment of its own economy, but it also demands social, judicial and economic obedience on how to run the country. If that’s not bad enough, Cyprus it’s also punished with massive fines for rule breaking! Meanwhile, Turkey is busy with the Islamization of the occupied northern part of our island! Last week it turned its attention to desecrate the most sacred Christian monastery of Apostolos Andreas and has proceeded to turn part of it into a Muslim prayer mosque. This is a blatant insult to all Orthodox Greeks and an inexcusable desecration to the Hellenic Orthodox faith. The Cyprus government has decided to make an “official complaint” to the UN, knowing it would amount to nothing! And, here we are! From one frying pan straight into another!  Is Cyprus a free nation or a subservient state incapable of producing a strong decisive government to run the country and develop its own policies free from foreign meddling but instead, bows subservience to the EU—and now the United States doctrine— by showing absolute submissiveness? Is there hope for a country governed by such a mentality? Andreas C ChrysafisAuthor/Artist/WriterAugust 1 2023

Well-known editor and journalist, former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of India Mobasher Jawed Akbar is confident that India is a bridge for conflicting countries. "The ability to be someone's friend, to help both parties understand each other, is a unique position that we can't give up," he says. Mobasher Jawed Akbar also spoke about the economic prospects for cooperation between India and Russia.

DPRK Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui arrived in Vladivostok, Russia, on October 29. From Vladivostok, the minister traveled to Moscow, a message posted on the official Telegram channel of the Russian Embassy in North Korea said. The North Korean Foreign Minister is visiting Russia as part of the strategic dialogue that took place between the leaders of the two countries in the June 2024 summit. Choe Son-hui's visit to Moscow is taking place in the midst of discussions in the West about the alleged involvement of DPRK military personnel in combat operations in Ukraine. On October 18, South Korean intelligence said that 1,500 North Korean soldiers were already at Russian training grounds in the Far East, from where they would be sent to Ukraine. The intelligence service later reported a larger number — 3,000 soldiers.

US President Joe Biden may take drastic actions before he resigns, Alexander Yakovenko, a member of the scientific council at the Security Council of the Russian Federation and former Russian Ambassador to the UK believes. "Biden and his administration are still in power as a lame duck. In December 2016, Barack Obama similarly decided to sharply aggravate relations with Russia by expelling 35 Russian diplomats. The same can be expected now, especially in Ukraine,” Yakovenko said. Trump will take up US foreign affairs before his inauguration while trying to push the current administration out of decision-making processes, Yakovenko suggested.

US President-elect Donald Trump allowed for a possibility of talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin after his victory in the US presidential election. He has already spoken with 70 world leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but Putin was not among them, Trump said. "I think we'll talk," US President-elect Donald Trump said. In an interview with NBC, Trump also noted that he had agreed to have lunch with US President Joe Biden in the near future.

London will additionally transfer about a hundred Brimstone missiles, artillery guns and ammunition, British Secretary of State for Defence John Healey said earlier. It was previously reported that the UK would transfer 100 missiles for F-16 aircraft to Ukraine at the end of the summer. The transfer of the fighters has allegedly begun. In the fall of 2022, London transferred Brimstone-2 missiles with increased range and laser guidance to the Armed Forces o Ukraine. In February 2024, the UK announced plans to transfer another 200 homing Brimstone missiles to Ukraine. The Brimstone family includes several modifications of missiles. They are launched mainly from aircraft, helicopters or unmanned vehicles to strike sea and land targets, including moving ones. One Brimstone missile costs about 175,000 pounds sterling ($234,500).

Not that long ago, the Teikovo missile unit (Guards Order of Kutuzov missile division) took mobile ground-based Yars missile systems for exercises. The manoeuvres included marches at a distance of up to 100 kilometers, dispersal and change of positions, organization of combat security and camouflage. The goal of the exercises was to improve the training and coherence of personnel of the Strategic Missile Forces.

On the first day of October, Iran fired more than 200 missiles at Israel. The missiles reached their targets in 10-12 minutes. According to the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces said, the attacks were conducted to hit Navatim and Netzarim air bases, where F-35 aircraft, radars and tank assembly centers are based. It is believed that Iran used new Fattah-2 hypersonic missiles for the attack. The hypersonic ballistic missile flies at a speed of about 6,000 km per hour (up to 5 Mach); its flight range amounts to 1,400 km.

Did Iran conduct an underground nuclear test on October 5? Iran will build a nuclear bomb anyway, and the US and Israel will have to occupy it not to let it happen. Iran May Have Conducted an Underground Nuclear Explosion An earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale was recorded in the desert of Iran's Semnan province at 10:45 a. m. on October 5, Iranian news agency Mehr reported. The US Geological Survey said that the epicenter of the earthquake was only 10 kilometers below the ground. Iranian sources announced different number — 12 kilometers. What puzzles experts most is that the earthquake had no early warning issued.

The West has been cutting its funding for Ukraine. Next year loans remain doubtful. European heavyweights have announced a reduction in funding for Ukraine. France, which promised 3 billion euros in aid to Ukraine this year, has cut it by 1 billion, or by one-third. This is due to budget problems — budget deficit for 2024 may amount to about six percent of France's GDP, which is unacceptable according to EU rules. French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu clarified in an interview with Politico that he did not plan to request additional funds for Kyiv from parliament until the end of this year.