SERGEI SHOIGU

Russia’s defense chief has signed a roadmap for closer military ties with China, pointing to increasingly frequent U.S. strategic bomber flights near both countries’ borders.

Russia's defense chief on Tuesday signed a roadmap for closer military ties with China, pointing to increasingly frequent U.S. strategic bomber flights near both countries' borders. During a video call, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe “expressed a shared interest in stepping up strategic military exercises and joint patrols by Russia and China,” according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said the strike was carried out "with surgical precision" and posed no threat to the space station.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has observed military exercises in coordination with Belarus that have raised concerns in bordering countries.

The leader of Myanmar’s military junta has attended an international conference in Moscow, an appearance that reflects Russia’s eagerness to develop ties with the junta despite international criticism.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says his foreign minister and his defense minister will head the candidates' list for the dominant United Russia party in September's parliamentary election.

Russia's defense minister said the announcement was in response to a growing number of flights by U.S. strategic bombers near Russia's borders and deployments of NATO warships.

Russia’s defense minister says the military will form 20 new units in the country’s west this year to counter what he described as a growing threat from NATO.

The Russian military will form 20 new units in the country's west this year to counter what it claims is a growing threat from NATO. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made the announcement Monday at a meeting with top military officials.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced plans to visit Ukraine in the aftermath of a tense stand-off with Russia.

The Russian military says that its troops have returned to their permanent bases after concluding massive drills, the maneuvers near Ukraine that have drawn Western concerns.

Russian troops have begun pulling back to their permanent bases after a massive buildup that caused Ukrainian and Western concerns.

Russia’s defense minister has ordered troops back to their permanent bases after a massive exercise in Crimea but said that they should leave their heavy weapons behind for another exercise in western Russia.

Growing cease-fire violations and a massive Russian military buildup are causing tensions to rise in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

President Joe Biden is calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to “de-escalate tensions” following a Russian military buildup on Ukraine’s border.

Russia’s defense minister says the country’s massive military buildup in the west is part of readiness drills amid what he described as threats from NATO.

In this photo made available on Sunday, March 21, 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin looks at a photographer in a taiga forest in Russia's Siberian region. Putin and Russia Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu are spending the weekend in Siberia, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. In taking a tough stance on Russia, Biden has said the days of the U.S. “rolling over” to Putin are done. Last week, the U.S. national intelligence director’s office released a report finding that Putin authorized influence operations to help Trump’s reelection bid. The Biden administration warned that Russia would face sanctions soon over its attempt to influence the election and the massive SolarWinds hacks.

Putin said he will get vaccinated against the coronavirus on Tuesday, months after widespread vaccination has started in Russia. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)MOSCOW – President Vladimir Putin said he will get a coronavirus vaccine shot on Tuesday, several months after widespread vaccination started in Russia. Putin, 68, told a meeting with government officials and vaccine developers on Monday that he will get his shot “tomorrow,” without specifying which coronavirus vaccine out of the three authorized for use in Russia he will take. Dozens of countries have approved the use of Sputnik V and signed deals with Russia to get shipments of the shot. Even despite deliberate discrediting of our vaccine, various hoaxes and sometimes outright nonsense, more states all around the world express interest in our vaccine," Putin said.

Ethnic Armenians return to a normal life after a Russia-brokered cease-fire was signed between Armenia and Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)MOSCOW – The president of Azerbaijan said Saturday he hopes the ceasefire that ended a six-week war with Armenia this month will lead to improving relations between the countries. The delegation, which included Russia's foreign and defense ministers, also visited the Armenian capital, Yerevan. Russia and Azerbaijan also agree on the need to create conditions for ethnic conciliation in the region, Lavrov said. Azerbaijan has been angered to discover the wholescale ruination of towns that came under Armenian control in the 1990s war.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko speaks during a meeting with the country's political activists in Minsk, Belarus, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020. Sergei Naryshkin, director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, claimed in a statement carried by Russian news agencies Wednesday that the U.S. has funded the Belarusian opposition and encouraged the protests. The Belarusian opposition has condemned Moscow for offering the Belarusian strongman a financial lifeline, warning that it would tarnish future ties between the countries. “Lukashenko is the legitimate president of Belarus,” Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu arrived in Belarus Wednesday for talks on deepening military cooperation.

Scientists said the frozen vaccine would be suitable for current global vaccine supply chains while the freeze-dried version could be used in hard-to-reach areas. In the context of regulatory approval, the design and size of (an early) study is not anywhere near sufficient for widely recognized standards of approval. It remains unclear whether they were among the volunteers in clinical trials or accessed the vaccine in some other way. Michael Head, a senior research fellow in global health at Britains University of Southampton, agreed the Russian vaccine appeared to be promising, but that further studies were needed. Head was not linked to the Russian research.

I would like to assure the public that WHO will not endorse a vaccine thats not effective and safe, Tedros said. Russia became the first country in the world to approve a COVID-19 vaccine in August after licensing a shot that had only been tested in several dozen people. On Friday, Russian scientists published data from early studies suggesting their vaccine was safe and prompted an antibody response, but the results were limited and experts said the shot had not yet proven to work. The Russian vaccine, known as Sputnik V, is now being tested in about 40,000 people and is being offered in parallel to key workers like doctors and teachers. China has reportedly begun inoculating some high-risk groups with one of its experimental coronavirus vaccine while the large studies to prove its efficacy and safety are ongoing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, second left, and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, left, arrive to attend the military parade during the Navy Day celebration in St.Petersburg, Russia, Sunday, July 26, 2020. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)MOSCOW President Vladimir Putin said the Russian navy will get 40 new ships and vessels this year, as he attended a naval parade in St. Petersburg on Sunday marking the Navy Day in Russia. The parade in St. Petersburg and the nearby town of Kronshtadt featured 46 ships and vessels and over 4,000 troops and aimed to demonstrate the growing power of our navy, Putin said Friday. He said 40 ships and vessels of different classes will enter service this year, and that the Russian navy will be equipped with hypersonic weapons to boost its combat capabilities. Opening the parade, he said that six more vessels for the far-sea zone were laid down at Russia's three leading shipyards in the past few days.

WASHINGTON Russia's defense minister on Friday declared a new hypersonic weapon, which is said to be capable of striking the United States, ready for war. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a conference call with Russian military leaders that the first missile unit equipped with the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle entered combat duty. Avangard can travel at least five times the speed of sound, or about one mile per second. It was one of the six new weapons that Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled in March 2018. At the time, the Russian leader claimed the hypersonic weapon was capable of reaching targets at 20 times the speed of sound and that it could strike "like a fireball."

(CNN) - A deepwater submersible that caught fire Monday was nuclear-powered, according to Russia's President Vladimir Putin. According to a Kremlin transcript released Thursday, Putin asked Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu about the status of the vessel's "nuclear power unit." "Mr. President, the nuclear power unit has been sealed off," Shoigu, who had visited Severomorsk, replied. In the Kremlin transcript released Thursday, he told the President that assistance measures were being given to the sailors' families. Twenty people were killed on board a Russian nuclear submarine in 2008, when a fire extinguishing system was triggered accidentally.

A top secret Russian military submarine hit by a fire earlier this week was nuclear powered, Russia has admitted, with the country's defense minister saying the nuclear reactor has been contained. Russia has been accused of something of a cover-up after it failed to reveal details of a fire on a military submarine that led to the deaths of 14 sailors. A conversation between President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, published by the Kremlin website on Thursday, reveals that the submarine was nuclear powered. Putin asks Shoigu directly in a transcript of the conversation: "What about the nuclear power unit?" Shoigu replies: "Mr President, the nuclear power unit has been sealed off and all personnel have been removed.

(CNN) - A fire aboard a Russian deepwater submersible killed 14 Russian crew members, state news agencies reported Tuesday, citing the Ministry of Defense. The fire was later extinguished, Tass reported, hailing the "selfless actions of the team" on board. An investigation into the incident is being carried out by the Russian navy's commander-in-chief, state news agency RIA-Novosti reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to oversee the probe, Tass reported. Twenty people were killed on board a Russian nuclear submarine in 2008, when a fire extinguishing system was triggered accidentally.

Fire broke out on one of the Russian navy's deep-sea research submersibles, and toxic fumes from the blaze killed 14 sailors aboard, Russia's Defense Ministry said Tuesday, although it released few details about the disaster or the vessel involved. But Russian media reported it was the country's most secret submersible, a nuclear-powered vessel designed for sensitive missions at great depths. BBC News analysis cites Russian news agency RBK as saying the vessel was an AS-12 nuclear-powered sub, however, there has been no official confirmation. The vessel is now at Severomorsk, the main base of the Russian Northern Fleet, BBC News reported. ReutersThe Losharik, which entered service in 2010, is the most advanced and most obscure Russian submarine.

Fire broke out on one of the Russian navy's deep-sea research submersibles, and toxic fumes from the blaze killed 14 sailors aboard, Russia's Defense Ministry said Tuesday, although it released few details about the disaster or the vessel involved. But Russian media reported it was the country's most secret submersible, a nuclear-powered vessel designed for sensitive missions at great depths. Some Russian media said the vessel was an AS-12 nuclear-powered sub, however, there has been no official confirmation, BBC News reported. GettyThe Losharik, which entered service in 2010, is the most advanced and most obscure Russian submarine. Russia's President Vladimir Putin, left, and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu discuss the incident with a Russian deep-sea submersible on Tuesday, July 2, 2019.