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Moscow — Kremlin-owned gas giant Gazprom plunged to a net loss of 629 billion rubles ($6.9 billion) in 2023, its first annual loss in more than 20 years, as sales to Europe plummeted in the wake of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Analysts had expected net income of 447 billion rubles ($4.9 billion) in 2023, according to Interfax news agency. The company made a net profit of 1.2 trillion ($13.1 billion) rubles in 2022, the year Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s gas exports to Europe, once its primary export market, have slumped largely because of the political fallout from the conflict in Ukraine. The company’s core profit, or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization known as EBITDA, dropped to 618.38 billion rubles ($6.7 billion) last year from 2.79 trillion rubles ($30.4 billion) in 2022, according to Reuters’ calculations.
Persons: Alexei Miller, Vladimir Putin, Ronald Smith Organizations: Gazprom, Analysts, Reuters, BCS Global Markets Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, St . Petersburg, Europe
Kremlin-owned gas giant Gazprom said on Thursday it plunged to a net loss of 629 billion rubles ($6.9 billion) in 2023, its first annual loss in more than 20 years, amid dwindling gas trade with Europe, once its main sales market. Analysts had expected net income of 447 billion rubles, according to Interfax news agency. Gazprom's 2023 loss followed a net profit of 1.2 trillion roubles in 2022. It said on Thursday it made a net loss of 364 billion roubles from sales in 2023, in contrast to a profit of 1.9 trillion roubles in 2022. Its total revenue fell to 8.5 trillion rubles last year from 11.7 trillion in 2022.
Persons: Alexei Miller, Vladimir Putin, Ronald Smith Organizations: Gazprom, Saint Petersburg, Soviet, Analysts, BCS Global Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, Europe, Soviet Union, Ukraine, Moldova, St . Petersburg, Moscow
"As for whether it is possible to say 'one way or another': you can say it any way you want. But (...) while the investigation is underway, the official authorities cannot afford to do any statements on this matter," Peskov told reporters, news agency Interfax reported. "Although I recommend that you very carefully reread President Putin's statements that he made over the last two days. Russia has presented no evidence that there was any involvement by Ukraine and Kyiv itself vehemently denies any role in the deadly attack on concertgoers. Eight suspects, nationals of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, have been remanded in custody and charged with terrorism offenses ahead of trial.
Persons: Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV, KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Putin, — Holly Ellyatt Organizations: Getty, Kremlin, concertgoers Locations: Zaryadye, Basil's, Moscow, AFP, Ukraine, Russia, Kyiv, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan
Roscosmos said on Wednesday that it detected an air leak on board the ISS that poses no threat to the crew. AdvertisementRussia's space agency said on Wednesday that its section of the International Space Station is again suffering an air leak issue, but said the problem currently poses no threat to its crew. "There is an area at the end of the International Space Station that we've seen a leak. Meanwhile, Roscosmos said it plans to build its own space station, following the example of China's independent Tiangong station. As Moscow continues to split from the West, Russian space officials have questioned the reliability of the old equipment on board the ISS.
Persons: Roscosmos, , Joel Montalbano, Montalbano, Pyotr Dubrov Organizations: NASA, Russia's Zvezda, Service, International, Space, Russian, ISS, National American Space Agency ISS, International Space, Zvezda, West Locations: Russia's, Russian, Russia, Moscow, Ukraine
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny attends a rally in support of political prisoners in Prospekt Sakharova Street in Moscow, Russia on September 29, 2019. Sefa Karacan | Anadolu | Getty ImagesWorld leaders and the wife of prominent Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny reacted with dismay and suspicion to reports of the Kremlin critic's death in a Siberian penal colony. Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny's wife, was greeted on Friday with a standing ovation as she addressed the Munich Security Conference. "Alexei Navalny has been a strong voice for freedom, for democracy, for many years, and NATO and NATO allies have called for his immediate release for a long time." "We'll be talking to the many other countries concerned about Alexei Navalny, especially if these reports bear out to be true."
Persons: Alexei Navalny, Sefa, Yulia Navalnaya, Navalnaya, Vladimir Putin, Putin, , Kai Pfaffenbach, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin —, Navalny's, Navalny, Kamala Harris, Washington, Jens Stoltenberg, Yulia Morozova, Ursula von der Leyen, von der Leyen, Antony Blinken, Rishi Sunak, Olaf Scholz Organizations: Anadolu, Getty, Munich Security, Reuters, Ministry, Munich, NATO, IK Locations: Moscow, Russia, Munich, Germany, Vladimir, Russian
Imprisoned Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny has died, Russian state news agency Tass reported on Friday, citing the prison service of the Yamalo-Nenets region where he had been serving his sentence. The prison service reportedly said the cause of Navalny's death was still to be established. Alexey Navalny's spokesperson, Kira Yarmysh said in a Google-translated update on the X social media platform that "We don't have any confirmation of this yet. Navalny was one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's most vocal critics and had been serving a 19-year jail term. Navalny "felt unwell after a walk, almost immediately losing consciousness," Interfax reported, citing a statement from the office for the prison service of the Yamalo-Nenets region.
Persons: Alexei Navalny, Alexey Navalny's, Kira Yarmysh, Navalny, Vladimir Putin's Organizations: Court, CNBC, Department Locations: Moscow, Russian, Russia, Autonomous Okrug
(Reuters) - Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko is expected to set a world record on Sunday for the duration of space flights with nearly 2-1/2 years in total, Russian news agencies reported. Kononenko, who is the commander of the Russian space state agency Roscosmos cosmonaut corps, is conducting his fifth space flight. Upon completion of the current expedition, scheduled for Sept. 23, Kononenko will have logged 1,110 days in space. At the age of 34, Kononenko began training as part of the group of cosmonauts selected for the International Space Station (ISS) programme, according to the European Space Agency's website. In December, Roscosmos said that a cross-flight programme with NASA to the ISS had been extended until 2025.
Persons: Oleg Kononenko, Gennady Padalka, Kononenko, Roscosmos, Lidia Kelly, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Reuters, International Space, NASA, ISS, Washington Locations: Russian, Moscow, United States, Russia, Ukraine, Kyiv, Melbourne
MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. investor Michael Calvey pleaded guilty to embezzling 2.5 billion roubles ($27.7 million), Interfax reported on Thursday, citing a court of cassation. Calvey, the founder of Russia-focused private equity group Baring Vostok, was detained along with other executives in early 2019 on charges of embezzlement linked to mid-sized lender Vostochny. In 2021, he was given a five and a half year suspended sentence. Lawyers for Calvey could not be immediately reached for comment. ($1 = 90.3675 roubles)(Writing by Felix Light; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
Persons: Michael Calvey, cassation, Baring, Felix Light, Guy Faulconbridge Organizations: Calvey Locations: MOSCOW, Russia
On the same day, Russia's central bank said the impact of the measures is moderate, and they shouldn't be extended. AdvertisementRussian officials are publicly arguing about capital controls, highlighting disagreement in the country's elite class about how to handle its sanctions-stressed economy. AdvertisementIt's not the first time Russian government officials and the country's central bank have aired their disagreements in public. Elvira Nabiullina, Russia's central bank governor and Putin's top technocrat for the economy, pushed back against the criticism, saying the ruble's slide was due to changing trade flows in and out of Russia amid sanctions. Advertisement"Blaming the central bank is like a drunkard's search — looking for the guilty where the light is," she said at the time.
Persons: Putin, , Vladimir Putin, Andrei Belousov, Elvira Nabiullina Organizations: Service, Telegram Locations: Russia, Russia's, Russian
Ukraine targeted the Russian city of St. Petersburg with a drone attack overnight, Ukraine's minister of strategic industries, Oleksandr Kamyshin, told a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, according to Interfax news agency. Russia claimed on Thursday that Ukraine had attacked several areas of the country with drones, including the northwestern Leningrad region for the first time. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday night urged allied countries to ensure that sanctions against Russia are fully enforced. "The terrorist state manufactures weapons, including missiles. There are dozens of critical components in each of them that were manufactured abroad, many of which were produced by companies from the free world," he said in a post on X.
Persons: Oleksandr Kamyshin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Economic Locations: Ukraine, Russian, St, Petersburg, Davos, Russia, Leningrad
Hong Kong CNN —As Ukraine scrambles to keep international support with Russia’s invasion grinding into a third year, its leader has made clear one country he would like to see join his push for peace: China. There, Zelensky told reporters he would “very much like China to be involved” in Ukraine’s peace plan. “China thinks it is already playing an important role in moving toward peace. There is even less reason for China to ‘advance a fair peace as advocated by the West and Ukraine,’” she said. But when it comes to how Beijing may maneuver toward brokering peace in Gaza, China likely doesn’t see itself as yet having captured the opportunity “to present itself as a conflict mediator,” according to Sun.
Persons: Ukraine scrambles, , Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, Li Qiang, Zelensky –, It’s, , Yun Sun, Xi Jinping, ’ ”, Li, Wang Yi, Wang, Xi, Alex Gabeuv, Israel, , Svitlana Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, Economic, Stimson, Kyiv, Sun, West, CNN, Arab League, Palestine, Global, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, China’s, Ministry Locations: Hong Kong, Ukraine, China, Beijing, Switzerland’s Davos, Interfax, Russia, Washington, Moscow, Davos, Gaza, Russia’s, CNN China, Cairo, Africa, Israel, Palestine, United States, that’s, Berlin, Global, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, counterbalancing, Kyiv, London
However, the number of new companies in Russia with cofounders from former Soviet republics and China has soared in those two years, per Vedomosti. Companies with cofounders from former Soviet republics including Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan accounted for 59% of all new companies that established operations in Russia last year, per Vedomosti. AdvertisementCompanies with cofounders from China accounted for 25% — or 1,500 — of new companies in Russia over the first 10 months of 2023. AdvertisementMeanwhile, Russian businesses overseas have also been moving their assets home amid the pressures of Western sanctions and a push by President Vladimir Putin's regime. This still marks a huge decrease from 14% of new companies registered in 2021.
Persons: , cofounders, Mikhail Nikolayev, ACRA, Vladimir Putin's Organizations: Service, Business, cofounders, Companies Locations: Russia, Moscow, Ukraine, Soviet, China, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, India, Russian
REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Former U.S. marine Paul Whelan has been attacked by another inmate in a Russian prison while serving a 16-year sentence on espionage charges, Russia's prison service said on Wednesday, after Whelan's brother publicised the incident. After repeated requests, the prisoner hit Paul in the face, breaking Paul's glasses in the process, and attempted to hit him a second time," Dave Whelan said. The Mordovia regional prison service confirmed to the Interfax news agency that the attack on Whelan had happened. There was CCTV footage of the incident and the prison service was looking into it further before submitting a report to the police, Interfax reported. Arrested in 2018 in Russia, Paul Whelan was convicted of espionage in 2020 and handed a 16-year sentence.
Persons: U.S . Marine Paul Whelan, Maxim Shemetov, Paul Whelan, Whelan, Dave Whelan, Paul, Vladimir Putin, Evan Gershkovich, Andrew Osborn, Guy Faulconbridge, Timothy Organizations: U.S . Marine, REUTERS, U.S, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Former U.S, Russia's Mordovia, American, Mordovia, Turkey, Washington
Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who was detained and accused of espionage, stands inside a defendants' cage during his verdict hearing in Moscow, Russia June 15, 2020. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan was attacked by another inmate in a Russian prison while serving a 16-year sentence on espionage charges, Russia's prison service said on Wednesday, after Whelan's brother publicised the incident. The Mordovia regional prison service confirmed to the Interfax news agency that the attack on Whelan had happened. There was surveillance TV footage of the incident and the prison service was looking into it further before submitting a report to the police, Interfax reported. Arrested in 2018 in Russia, Paul Whelan was convicted of espionage in 2020 and handed a 16-year sentence.
Persons: U.S . Marine Paul Whelan, Maxim Shemetov, Former U.S . Marine Paul Whelan, Whelan, Dave Whelan, Paul, Vladimir Putin, Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Andrew Osborn, Susan Heavey, Guy Faulconbridge, Timothy Organizations: U.S . Marine, REUTERS, Former U.S . Marine, Embassy, State Department, U.S . State Department, U.S, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Former, U.S, Russia's Mordovia, American, Mordovia, Turkey, Washington
People, including Russian law enforcement officers, walk near St. Basil's Cathedral and the Kremlin's Spasskaya Tower, as a pigeon flies over Red Square in central Moscow, Russia, March 20, 2023. It was not clear from Russian media reports which foreigners the draft legislation - if it becomes law - would apply to or what the punishment would be for not adhering to the "agreement" which foreigners would have to sign upon entry to Russia. The chairman of the Duma's CIS Affairs Committee said that the draft law was well advanced and was being worked on by the interior ministry, the government, the presidential administration as well as his committee. "The draft law on the so-called 'loyalty agreement' with migrants entering the Russian Federation is in a high degree of readiness," Leonid Kalashnikov told Interfax.
Persons: Evgenia, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Leonid Kalashnikov, Kalashnikov, Lidia Kelly, Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, TASS, Russian Federation, Fatherland, Nazi, Opposition, State Duma, Duma's CIS, Committee, Thomson Locations: St, Basil's, Moscow, Russia, MOSCOW, Ukraine, Soviet, Berlin, Europe, Melbourne
Ukraine claims one of its soldiers made the world's longest sniper kill shot. AdvertisementUkraine's Special Forces are claiming the world's longest sniper kill, saying that a Ukrainian soldier took out a Russian combatant from 2.36 miles away, according to Interfax-Ukraine. The sniper involved used the Ukraine-made Volodar Obriyu rifle — translating as "Horizon's Lord" — for the shot, according to Interfax, citing Special Forces. There is no universally verified list of longest sniper kills, though there are several generally accepted contenders. In 2022, another Ukrainian soldier was credited by the country's armed forces with the world's second-longest kill, from almost 1.7 miles away from its target.
Persons: , It's, Insider's Alia Shoaib Organizations: Service, Forces, Special Forces, Business Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Canadian, Iraq
"This super pre-emptive right will work only in specific cases, with specific companies," Chebeskov said on the sidelines of a financial forum in Moscow on Nov. 14. "The idea was that this concerns only those strategic companies in which the state already has a share," Chebeskov said. The lack of clarity and uncertain timeline highlights the unpredictable nature of regulatory changes facing investors and businesses seeking to adjust their exposure to Russia. This compares with net outflows of around $48 million in March 2022 and $69 million in February this year. Western investors have already struggled to get assets out of Russia.
Persons: Vladimir Putin, Ivan Chebeskov, Chebeskov, Rybalkin, Tskhakaya, Thomas J Brock, Carlsberg's, Putin, JP Morgan, JPM, Vijay Marolia, Brock, Sinead Cruise, Alexander Marrow, Elena Fabrichnaya, Darya Korsunskaya, Jane Merriman Organizations: Ukraine LONDON, Reuters, Nato, Dyakin, Partners, Kaiser Consulting, Investors, Morningstar Direct, Federal Property Agency, Assets, Deutsche Bank, Regal Point Capital, HSBC, Expobank, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, MOSCOW, Moscow, Russian, Magnit, London
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his press conference at the Konstantin Palace on July 29, 2023 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Russian media have already reveled in pouring cold water on the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit where Xi and Biden are due to meet Wednesday. Russian President Vladimir Putin was not invited due to U.S. sanctions so Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk is representing Russia at the summit. A range of Russian newspapers including Kommersant, Izvestia, Argumenty i Fakty, Nezavisimaya Gazeta and Komsomolskaya Pravda did not feature any news on the APEC summit or Xi-Biden talks. China's President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden at the G20 Summit in Nusa Dua on the Indonesian island of Bali on Nov. 14, 2022.
Persons: Vladimir Putin, Konstantin, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Xi, Biden, Katherine Tai, Tai, David Paul Morris, Xi's, Alexei Overchuk, Dmitry Peskov, Kamala Harris, Kent Nishimura, Komsomolskaya, Putin, — Xi, Sergei Guneyev, Ian Bremmer, Saul Loeb Organizations: Getty, U.S, Economic Cooperation, Novosti, APEC, U.S . Trade, Russian Federation, San Francisco International Airport, American, Bloomberg, Getty Images Bloomberg, Israel, Kremlin, SAN FRANCISCO, Merchant Exchange Club, Tass, Kommersant, Izvestia, Gazeta, Komsomolskaya Pravda, Sputnik, AFP, West, Analysts, Eurasia Group, China's, Afp Locations: Saint Petersburg, Russia, Russian, San Francisco, China, Beijing, Washington, Moscow, Asia, United States, San Francisco , California, Ukraine, Pacific, U.S, CALIFORNIA, Taiwan, Nusa Dua, Indonesian, Bali
At a naval base in Karachi on Saturday, the Chinese and Pakistani navies kicked off the exercise in the waters and airspace of the northern Arabian Sea in drills that include anti-submarine operations. The exercise will end on Nov. 17. During the exercise, China and Pakistan will conduct joint maritime patrols for the first time, the People's Liberation Army Daily reported on Monday. New Delhi has carefully preserved its longstanding relations with Russia, including cooperation in defence, even as its ties with Washington have grown steadily stronger. China was also not mentioned in the joint statement, even though an Indian government official said ahead of the talks that China would be one of the "key focus points".
Persons: Admiral Tributs, Admiral Panteleyev, Antony Blinken, Lloyd Austin, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Ryan Woo, Lidia Kelly, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Russian Pacific Fleet, United, People's Liberation Army, Indian, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Myanmar, India, United States, Karachi, China, Pakistan, Moscow, Russian, United, Russia, U.S, New Delhi, Ukraine, . New Delhi, Washington, San Francisco, Beijing, Melbourne
Nov 13 (Reuters) - Russian forces have killed 34 fighters and wounded more than 60 in air strikes on targets in Syria's Idlib governorate, Russia's Interfax reported late on Sunday, citing the deputy head of the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria. "The Russian Aerospace Forces carried out air strikes in the province of Idlib on targets of illegal armed groups involved in shelling the positions of Syrian government troops," Interax cited Rear Admiral Vadim Kulit as saying of the Saturday attack. Kulit said that in 24 hours, positions of Syrian government troops were attacked seven times. Kulit also reiterated frequent Russian accusations of aircraft violation in Syria's airspace by the U.S.-led coalition saying that a number of jet and drone flights were not coordinated with the Russian side. Earlier, a source told Reuters that the United States has carried out two air strikes against Iran-aligned groups in Syria.
Persons: Vadim Kulit, Kulit, Bashar al, Assad, Lidia Kelly, Robert Birsel Organizations: Russian Reconciliation Center, Russian Aerospace Forces, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Idlib, Russia's, Syria, Aleppo, Moscow, Damascus, Gaza, U.S, Russian, United States, Iran, Melbourne
(Reuters) - Russian forces have killed 34 fighters and wounded more than 60 in air strikes on targets in Syria's Idlib governorate, Russia's Interfax reported late on Sunday, citing the deputy head of the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria. "The Russian Aerospace Forces carried out air strikes in the province of Idlib on targets of illegal armed groups involved in shelling the positions of Syrian government troops," Interax cited Rear Admiral Vadim Kulit as saying of the Saturday attack. Kulit said that in 24 hours, positions of Syrian government troops were attacked seven times. Kulit also reiterated frequent Russian accusations of aircraft violation in Syria's airspace by the U.S.-led coalition saying that a number of jet and drone flights were not coordinated with the Russian side. Earlier, a source told Reuters that the United States has carried out two air strikes against Iran-aligned groups in Syria.
Persons: Vadim Kulit, Kulit, Bashar al, Assad, Lidia Kelly, Robert Birsel Organizations: Reuters, Russian Reconciliation Center, Russian Aerospace Forces Locations: Idlib, Russia's, Syria, Aleppo, Moscow, Damascus, Gaza, U.S, Russian, United States, Iran, Melbourne
At a naval base in Karachi on Saturday, the Chinese and Pakistani navies kicked off the exercise in the waters and airspace of the northern Arabian Sea in drills that include anti-submarine operations. The exercise will end on Nov. 17. During the exercise, China and Pakistan will conduct joint maritime patrols for the first time, the People's Liberation Army Daily reported on Monday. New Delhi has carefully preserved its longstanding relations with Russia, including cooperation in defence, even as its ties with Washington have grown steadily stronger. China was also not mentioned in the joint statement, even though an Indian government official said ahead of the talks that China would be one of the "key focus points".
Persons: Admiral Tributs, Admiral Panteleyev, Antony Blinken, Lloyd Austin, Joe Biden, Xi Jinping, Ryan Woo, Lidia Kelly, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Russian Pacific Fleet, United, People's Liberation Army, Indian, Beijing Locations: BEIJING, Myanmar, India, United States, Karachi, China, Pakistan, Moscow, Russian, United, Russia, U.S, New Delhi, Ukraine, . New Delhi, Washington, San Francisco, Melbourne
Russia's stock market is seeing a streak of IPOs. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Russian IPO market is seeing a streak of firms go public, with vodka makers to gold miners to pawnshop operators selling shares for the first time. Most of the boom in the Russian stock market is being powered by retail traders, who have plowed cash into the Moscow Exchange. AdvertisementAdvertisementThat's incentivized all types of firms to make their public market debut. Western economists have cast doubt over the strength of Russia's stock market, given that foreign inflows and outflows within the Moscow Exchange are frozen.
Persons: , Yahuralzoloto Organizations: Moscow Exchange, Bloomberg, Service, Retail, Yale Locations: Moscow, Russian, Ukraine, Kaluga, Kristal
The sun is seen behind a crude oil pump jack in the Permian Basin in Loving County, Texas, U.S., November 22, 2019. Also weighing on prices, U.S. crude oil stocks rose by almost 12 million barrels last week, market sources said late on Tuesday, citing American Petroleum Institute figures. Data from China, the world's biggest crude oil importer, showed its total exports of goods and services contracted faster than expected, feeding worries about the energy demand outlook. Analysts from Goldman Sachs estimated seaborne net oil exports by six countries from oil producer group OPEC will remain only 600,000 bpd below April levels. The government eased restrictions on Oct. 6, allowing diesel exports by pipeline, but kept measures on gasoline exports.
Persons: Angus Mordant, Goldman Sachs, Warren Patterson, Ewa Manthey, Phil Flynn, Nikolai Shulginov, Brent, Stephanie Kelly, Paul Carsten, Muyu Xu, Marguerita Choy, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, bbl, YORK, Brent, ING, American Petroleum Institute, U.S . Energy Information Administration, Price Futures, Goldman, OPEC, Barclays, Thomson Locations: Loving County , Texas, U.S, Russia, China, Israel, Gaza, Beijing, OPEC, Moscow
Nov 6 (Reuters) - Russian military forces carried out air strikes on a drone warehouse in Syria's Idlib governorate, the Russian Interfax news agency reported, citing Rear Admiral Vadim Kulit, deputy head of the Russian Reconciliation Center for Syria, on Sunday. "The Russian Aerospace Forces launched an air strike ... against a warehouse of unmanned aerial vehicles of militants involved in shelling the positions of Syrian government troops," Kulit was quoted as saying. No information about the scale of the damage or potential casualties was available. The Syrian army has blamed rebels, who it says are Islamist jihadists, for attacks on government-held areas in Idlib and Aleppo provinces and denies indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas in areas under rebel control. Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Richard ChangOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons: Vadim Kulit, Kulit, Bashar al Assad, Lidia Kelly, Richard Chang Organizations: Russian Reconciliation Center, Russian Aerospace Forces, Thomson Locations: Russian, Idlib, Syria, Aleppo, Moscow, Damascus, Gaza, Melbourne
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