The Russian Upper House speaker says the country’s authorities are preparing to quit the Council of Europe as Russian politicians are “tired” of constant reprisals from the body. Russian Upper House speaker Valentina Matviyenko made the announcement at a Thursday meeting with the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Liliane Maury Pasquier, adding that she [...]

New Delhi wants to encourage Russian investments and has invited the country’s companies to explore business opportunities and strengthen bilateral economic ties, Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu has said. [...]

The Ruble-traded MOEX stock index is enjoying a bumper week as it reaches all-time highs on an almost-daily basis.The growth is linked to the strengthening Russian currency despite a threat of new US sanctions and high oil prices. [...]

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has authorized the addition of 33 Russian defense and intelligence officials and entities to the ever-growing US sanctions list and also targeted a Chinese military entity for buying Russian arms. [...]

WASHINGTON - The US Navy 6th Fleet is informed about the deadly crash of the Russian Il-20 in the Mediterranean near Syria and is ready to provide assistance at sea to any country if needed, the 6th Fleet's public affairs officer, Cmdr. Kyle Raines, told Sputnik. [...]

The growing budget deficit will force the US government to borrow $56 billion more this quarter than expected. Curiously, the amount is close to what Russia sold in US Treasury securities in April and May. Citing surging spending and falling tax receipts, the US government will borrow the most money since the 2008 financial crisis. [...]

The tragic loss of a Russian military aircraft with 15 personnel onboard, off the Syrian coast, has to be seen in the context of the Arab country being attacked. Attacked by the Israeli air force and facing an unprecedented buildup of NATO warships. Yet, Syria – the victim of aggression – is the one being blamed. [...]

Russian military police have been deployed to de-escalation zones across Syria since late 2016 to help maintain security in the war-torn country amid the ongoing operations by the Syrian military and its allies to clear Syria of a collection of mostly jihadist militants. [...]

TEL AVIV - Israeli Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin is in Moscow following Monday's crash of a Russian Il-20 aircraft in Syria, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Jonathan Conricus told Sputnik. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he sent Air Force Commander Amikam Norkin to Moscow after the incident with a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance plane in order to prese [...]

In early August, the United States announced a new round of sanctions against Russia over its alleged involvement in the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in UK's Salisbury in March. US President Donald Trump has given the Department of Treasury the authority, under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), to impose sanctions on Russia, the White [...]

ST.PETERSBURG Israel is unlikely to freely use Syrian airspace in the wake of the crash of a Russian Il-20 military aircraft over the Mediterranean Sea, Yakov Kedmi, a former high-ranking Israeli intelligence official, told Sputnik. "There was an agreement between Israel and Russia that the actions of Israel in Syria's airspace would not endanger lives of Russian troops. [...]

What is the bigger story? The West Against the Rest or The West Against Itself? The Illiberal Quartet of Xi, Putin, Rouhani and Erdogan is in the line of fire of haughty homilies about Western “values.” Illiberalism is arrogantly and provocatively depicted in the West repeatedly as a Tartar Invasion 2.0. But closer to home Illiberalism is responsible for the social, civil war in the U.S. as Tr [...]

The Russian military's conclusion that the missile that brought down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 contained Ukrainian serial numbers is important information that should be considered in the international probe, analysts told RT. On Monday, the Russian military announced that the serial numbers found on debris of the Buk missile that downed MH17 over eastern Ukraine show it was produced in 198 [...]

The recent growth in the Russian currency has helped the ruble-traded MOEX index reach an all-time high on Tuesday. The index rose to 2,390 points for the first time in history after the ruble strengthened to 67.7 against the dollar and 79.1 against the euro. Earlier in September, the Russian currency had suffered a deep plunge against reserve currencies amid a new US sanctions threat. [...]

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) - Mexican President-Elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Monday held talks with Russian Ambassador to Mexico Viktor Koronelli and discussed bilateral Russian-Mexican relations, local media reported. According to the Quadratin news portal, Lopez Obrador and Koronelli discussed possible cooperation projects, including in infrastructure. [...]

GENEVA (Sputnik) - Refusal to provide accreditation to certain diplomats to fill a vacant position in diplomatic missions is common practice, fueling a diplomatic scandal is senseless, Russian Ambassador to Switzerland Sergei Garmonin told Sputnik. [...]

The Russian military says an Israeli raid on Syria triggered a chain of events that led to its Il-20 plane being shot down by a Syrian S-200 surface-to-air missile. Moscow reserves the right to respond accordingly. On Monday evening, four Israeli F-16 fighter jets attacked targets in Syria’s Latakia after approaching from the Mediterranean, a statement by the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tue [...]

India has cleared the way for its biggest deal yet with Russia, with Delhi reportedly set to sign a deal to purchase $2.2 billion worth of Russian ships. It comes despite US sanctions aimed at deterring business with Moscow.  After revitalizing defense ties with the US earlier this month, India has now turned to Russia to acquire four new warships for its Navy, sources quoted by the Economic Time [...]

The serial numbers found on debris of the Buk missile which downed Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine show it was produced in 1986, the Russian military said. The projectile was owned by Ukraine, they added. There are two serial numbers found on fragments of the missile, which shot down the passenger airliner in June 2014 according to an international team of investigators led by [...]

A Russian military Il-20 aircraft with 14 service members on board went off the radars during an attack by four Israeli jets on Syria’s Latakia province, the Russian Defense Ministry said. [...]

A US military high-altitude Global Hawk drone has reportedly been spotted flying an hours-long spy mission over eastern Ukraine and off the shore of Crimea along with another American surveillance plane. [...]

In an unprecedented traverse of Russia’s Northern Sea Route, a heavy 3,600-container ship is taking advantage of rising summer temperatures and melting ice in the polar regions of the Arctic Ocean to cut two weeks off its delivery time from South Korea to St. Petersburg, Russia. [...]