Page 104 - Russia

Despite pressure, we are largest economy of Europe: President Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that the country has become Europe's first economy and stands at number fifth in the world in terms of purchasing power parity

N Korea to welcome Russian tourists, country's first since pandemic: Report

Russian tourists reportedly going on a ski trip to North Korea will be the first international travelers to visit the country since its borders closed in 2020 amid the global pandemic lockdown. The report, published Wednesday by the Russian state-run Tass news agency, underscores deepening cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang. It also follows the meeting last September between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a cosmodrome in Russia's Far East. Tass did not specify a timeframe but the report brough some surprise to Asia observers who had expected the first post-pandemic tourists to North Korea to come from China, the North's biggest diplomatic ally and economic pipeline. According to Tass, an unspecified number of tourists from Russia's far eastern region of Primorye will first fly to the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, where they will visit monuments such as the Tower of Juche Idea, named after the North's guiding philosophy of juche or

Russia requests UNSC meeting after US, Britain strike Houthis in Yemen

A spokesman for Yemen's Houthis said there was no justification for the US-British attack and said the Iran-backed group will continue targeting ships heading towards Israel

Zelenskyy rules out cease-fire, saying Russia could use it to rearm

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday ruled out a cease-fire in his country's war with Russia, saying the Kremlin's forces would use the pause to rearm and regroup before overwhelming Kyiv's troops. A pause on the Ukrainian battlefield will not mean a pause in the war, Zelenskyy said during a visit to Estonia. A pause would play into (Russia's) hands, he said. It might crush us afterward. Limited cease-fires have occasionally been proposed since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 but have never taken hold. Both sides are scrambling to replenish their weapons after 22 months of fighting and with the prospect of a protracted conflict. With the roughly 1,500-kilometre (630-mile) front line mostly static during freezing winter weather, they both require artillery shells, missiles and drones that enable long-range strikes. Zelenskyy noted that Moscow is allegedly buying artillery shells and missiles from North Korea and drones from Iran. Zelenskyy was in the .

Russia plans to produce over 32,000 drones each year by 2030: Report

Drones have been widely used by Moscow and Kyiv since Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and both sides are sharply increasing military production as the war drags on

Best of BS Opinion: Seizing Russia's frozen assets is the right move & more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

Seizing Russia's frozen assets is the right move

The same principle that applies to individuals committing torts should be applied to nations

Uttar Pradesh government taps Russia, Gulf markets for farm exports

Earlier, a shipment of mangoes was sent to Russia, which fetched the local farmers almost 10 times higher prices than local rates

Russia suspects supply of India-made 115mm artillery shells to Ukraine

The Ministry of External Affairs has categorically denied these claims, stating that the Foreign Minister has only held discussions on bilateral cooperation with Ukraine

Russia speeds up citizenship path for foreigners who enlist in military

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed a decree that speeds up a path to Russian citizenship for foreigners who enlist in the country's military amid the 22-month-old war in Ukraine. The move comes as Moscow is trying to replenish its troops in Ukraine by various methods, including the recruitment of migrants. Russia is a magnet for hundreds of thousands of people from poorer Central Asian countries, and many of them seek citizenship each year. Putin first allowed fast-track citizenship for foreigners who sign contracts with the Russian army in September 2022, shortly after announcing a partial mobilization to draft 300,000 reservists for Ukraine. Those immigrants who signed a contract for at least a year and take part in active hostilities for at least six months were allowed to apply for citizenship without demonstrating sufficient knowledge of Russian or the fact that they'd lived in the country for five straight years under a residency permit. Spouses and children were also

North Korea providing Russia with ballistic missiles, says US govt

US intelligence officials have determined that Russia has acquired ballistic missiles from North Korea and is seeking close-range ballistic missiles from Iran as Moscow struggles to replenish supplies for its war with Ukraine, the White House said on Thursday. Recently declassified intelligence found that North Korea has provided Russia with ballistic missile launchers and several ballistic missiles, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. Russian forces fired at least one of those ballistic missiles into Ukraine on December 30 and it landed in an open field in the Zaporizhzhia region, he said. Russia launched multiple North Korean ballistic missiles on Tuesday as part of an overnight attack, the impact of which the US was assessing, he said. Kirby said a Russia-Iran deal had not been completed, but that the US is concerned that Russia's negotiations to acquire close range ballistic missiles from Iran are actively advancing. The Biden administration has repeatedly sou

Google, Meta, Tiktok's debts removed from Russian state bailiffs' database

But the database, accessed by Reuters on Wednesday, still includes X (formerly Twitter) and Twitch, with fines totalling 51 million roubles ($560,730) and 23 million roubles ($252,879), respectively

India has no problem in making payment for Russian oil: Hardeep Puri

Puri, who is in charge of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry, said India enjoys a buyers' position and foreign oil suppliers are making offers to its companies

Russia, Ukraine exchange prisoners of war in deal brokered by UAE

Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war under a deal sponsored by the United Arab Emirates. Ukrainian authorities said that 230 Ukrainian prisoners of war returned home. Russia's Defence Ministry said that 248 Russian servicemen have been freed from Ukrainian captivity. The ministry said that the deal was made possible thanks to mediatory efforts by the United Arab Emirates. The massive prisoner exchange followed other such deals earlier in the war, which is nearing the two-year mark.

Russian oil imports drop on pricing, not due to payment woes: Hardeep Puri

"There is no payment problem ... It is a pure function of the price at which our refineries will buy," Puri told a press conference

EU targets world's biggest diamond miner Alrosa as part of Russia sanctions

The European Union imposed sanctions on the world's biggest diamond mining company and its chief executive officer on Wednesday as part of what it called its unwavering commitment to Ukraine in the war against Russia. The move targeted Alrosa, which accounts for about 90% of Russia's diamond production, and CEO Pavel Marinychev. The EU headquarters said the company constitutes an important part of an economic sector that is providing substantial revenue to Moscow. It means Alrosa's assets in Europe will be frozen and EU citizens and companies will be barred from making funds available to the company. Marinychev, who was appointed CEO last May for three years, also faces a travel ban in Europe. The EU had already banned the import, purchase or transfer of Russian non-industrial natural and synthetic diamonds and diamond jewelry from Jan. 1. The measure applies to diamonds originating in Russia, exported from Russia, transiting through Russia and Russian diamonds processed ...

India likely to resist Pakistan's bid to be a full-fledged member of Brics

Pakistan has sought Russia's help to become a member during its Brics presidency which began on Monday with the motto of "Strengthening Multilateralism for Equitable Global Development and Security"

Brics became positive, stable force for good: China on bloc's expansion

China on Tuesday said that the BRICS has become a "positive and stable force for good" in international affairs and its expansion with five more countries showed its bright prospects and expressed its full confidence in the group's future. In August, the top BRICS leaders at the grouping's summit in Johannesburg approved a proposal to admit six countries, including Argentina, into the bloc with effect from January 1. However, Argentina's new President Javier Milei last week announced withdrawing his country from becoming a member of the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa). Playing down President Milei's move to withdraw his country from becoming a member of the BRICS, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing here that the addition of new members serves common aspiration of emerging markets and developing countries. "Let me make it very clear that we are fully confident in the BRICS' future," Wang said when asked to comment on Milei's ...

Brics expansion: Five nations including UAE, Saudi get full membership

The BRICS bloc of top emerging economies, including India, Russia and China, has announced induction of five full members into it as part of an attempt to expand its strategic heft against the backdrop of Western dominance in world affairs. As Moscow assumed the presidency of BRICS, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that the grouping has become a 10-nation body now with Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates joining it as new members. In August, the top BRICS leaders at the grouping's summit in Johannesburg approved a proposal to admit six countries, including Argentina, into the bloc with effect from January 1. However, Argentina's new President Javier Milei last week announced withdrawing his country from becoming a member of the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa). "Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates joined BRICS as new full members which is a strong indication of the growing authority of the ...

India cautious as West makes new plan for economic sanctions on Russia

US, EU could be moving to make it difficult for Russia to sell not only crude but other products