Exports of Russian-produced aviation equipment surged by 46 percent in 2017 against the previous year, according to the latest report from the trade ministry. At the same time, production level in the sector grew by 12 percent to $7.538 billion. In 2017, Russian producers built and sold 133 planes and 213 helicopters, including SSJ-100 passenger planes, the twin-engine, two-seat fighter jet Su-30S [...]

The US Treasury Department sanctions aimed at Russian-based RUSAL may have made a splash in the wrong direction, as companies from US allies in Europe have had to deal with supply disruptions. Layoffs and further difficulties are looming. [...]

The US-led strike in Syria was conducted in the wake of unverified reports about an alleged chemical attack in Douma, despite the fact that the probe into the incident was only due to start. Moscow has repeatedly called on Western states to work with investigators from the chemical weapons watchdog to determine if gas had been indeed used. [...]

The Central Bank of Russia keeps all its bullion at home, since only in Russia can its gold be completely safe, according to Anatoly Aksakov, the chairman of the State Duma Committee on Financial Markets. Answering a question about Turkey’s decision to repatriate its gold from the US Federal Reserve, Aksakov said: "We do not have a gold reserve in the US, we have only Forex (foreign exchange) re [...]

Pyongyang’s move to halt nuclear and missile tests is more the result of collective efforts, including that of Russia and China, than US threats to “wipe off the map” North Korea, a top Russian senator says. [...]

Russian servicemen have found another evidence of manufacturing of military poisonous substances by Jaish al-Islam terrorists in the Syrian town of Douma, where on April 7 a false-flag attack took place, serving as a pretext for the US and allies to blame the government and strike the country. [...]

More than 90 percent of Germans want better relations with Russia, while more than three-quarters think US President Donald Trump represents a greater threat to world peace than Vladimir Putin, a new poll says. Painting Russia as a boogeyman and a threat to the West has been the narrative of both the mainstream media and a number of Western states for some time. [...]

Following the US-led bombardment of Syria last week over an alleged chemical attack by Damascus, Russia says it has no reason to not supply its S-300 missile system to Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.  Moscow agreed with its international partners about 10 years ago to not deliver the S-300 to Damascus. [...]

Russia's Crimea is hosting the 2018 Yalta Economic Forum. The event is being held just a few weeks after several European nations decided to expel Russian diplomats and to follow Washington’s lead in toughening sanctions against Moscow. Austria wasn’t among the «hardliners». Sputnik sat down with Detlef Wimmer – the deputy mayor of Austria’s Linz. [...]

The situation in Syria is like a "terrible sci-fi film" which is guaranteed to have a bad ending "if the main character is Donald Trump," the chairperson of Germany's Die Linke party said during a discussion in the Bundestag. The Wednesday comments by Sahra Wagenknecht of Die Linke (Left Party) came on the same day that the party held a rally in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin to protest a [...]

Orders for Russian-made weaponry surged significantly in 2017 with Russia’s state weapons exporter clinching deals worth $15 billion with 53 nations, according to the company’s director general and CEO Aleksandr Mikheev. The company’s order portfolio saw fresh growth after a 2016 decline, when Rosoboronexport signed contracts worth just $9.5 billion. The current stock of orders is reportedly [...]

The Central Bank of Russia has sold $3.1 billion in US Treasury bills as of February, reducing its investment in American debt to the lowest level since March last year. Moscow still occupies the 16th position among the largest holders of US government bonds. Russia has cut its holdings for the third consecutive month. [...]

A new terminal opened at Crimea’s Simferopol International Airport on Monday, when the spaceship-like complex welcomed its first flight from Moscow. The facility is located 6km from the old airport it replaces. It was built in 22 months and covers an area of 78,000 square meters. The hub can handle 3,650 passengers per hour or 6.5 million per year. The annual passenger flow is expected to gradua [...]

Russia's Federation Council is looking to adopt counter-sanctions against the US, under which the country may ban exports of titanium components to aircraft giant Boeing, according to Russian Senator Sergey Ryabukhin. "Among the rare earth metals that Russia supplies to the United States is titanium, which is necessary for the technological cycle of production of Boeing," Ryabukhin told RIA Novost [...]

Russian lawmakers have drafted a bill suspending cooperation with US companies in the nuclear, missile and aircraft-building spheres, as well as introducing restrictions on imports of alcohol and tobacco produced in the US. “The bill is about alcohol and tobacco products and about ceasing or suspending international cooperation in the nuclear sphere, rocket engine building and aircraft building [...]

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Killing a couple of hundred of Russians is an example of one of the Trump administration’s key actions to counter Moscow along with sanctions policy and expelling diplomats, US Secretary of State nominee Mike Pompeo said during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. [...]

President Donald Trump warned Russia to “get ready” for missile strikes on Syria, in an off-the-cuff response on Wednesday morning to an alleged chemical weapons attack by Syrian government forces. The US leader tweeted: “Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and ‘smart!’ You shouldn’t be partners wi [...]

Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed hope that “common sense” will eventually prevail in the modern world, which is becoming “more chaotic.” The current international situation is very troubling, he added. “The state of world affairs invokes nothing but concerns, the situation in the world is becoming more chaotic,” Putin said on Wednesday during a ceremony to welcome new a [...]

Earlier in the day, the US President took to Twitter to call for Russia to “get ready” for “nice and new and smart” missiles in Syria as a response to the alleged chemical attack in Douma – the tweet was followed by another one, urging Moscow to stop what he described as an “arms race.” After threatening to attack Syria, POTUS scaled back the rhetoric 40 minutes later with his  [...]

Attack, offer a way out and then... blame it on the on your opponents! At least that's how it went down for Donald Trump today when he decided to take to Twitter in his attempt to intimidate Moscow - only to face-off with the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. Sputnik broke down the fiery exchange as it went down on the web. [...]

So, the world is counting the hours to see whether the US and its allies will launch a military strike on Syria. If this war plan goes ahead, the attack will be furious - and the repercussions grave, as Russia sternly warned this week. Indeed, we are talking about the very real danger that any US-led military action against Syria will rapidly escalate into a region-wide, or even world war. [...]

Responding to a threat from US President Donald Trump, who said Russia should prepare for “nice new and smart missiles” launched by America at Syria, Moscow said if the weapons were smart, they would target terrorists. “Smart missiles should fly towards terrorists, not [Syria’s] lawful government, which has spent several years fighting against international terrorism on its territory,” R [...]