Russia defends arms sales to Syria

Russia has defended its arms sales to Syria, saying it is for purely defensive purposes. The statement from Russia came after reports that Moscow had delivered advanced anti-ship missiles to the Damascus regime. According to the Guardian, Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, did not confirm it directly, but said that Moscow's weapons sales would not in any way alter the balance of forces ...

Russia to test drones to track wildlife poachers

In a bid to track its wildlife and hunt down poachers, Russia is all set to test unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at a nature reserve on the country's Pacific coast this summer. The drones in question, weigh about two kilogramme each and have a range of 60 km. They would be equipped with inexpensive cameras capable of snapping a shot every two seconds. "UAVs are silent and can fly at a very low ...

Russias GDP growth slumps to 1.6 per cent

There was just 1.6 per cent growth witnessed in the Russian GDP in the first quarter this year, which is its fifth quarterly fall, according to the country's federal statistics service. That is more optimistic, however, than deputy economic development minister Andrei Klepach's earlier estimate of growth slowing to 1.1 per cent. In April, the ministry reduced its annual GDP forecast from 3.6 ...

Russia counting on UN for post-ISAF Afghanistan plans

Moscow is counting on the UN to develop proposals regarding the international presence in Afghanistan after 2014, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday. "We consider it important to start discussing in advance what forms of (international) presence there will be in Afghanistan after 2014; we will count on the proposals that the (UN) secretary general is planning to prepare together ...

Syria conference should be held as soon as possible Ban says during visit to Russia

17 May 2013 150 Stressing that a political solution is the only way to end the Syria crisis, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today that an international conference proposed by Russia and the United States should be held as soon as possible so as not to lose momentum. "It is my sincere hope that we can convene an international conference on Syria as soon as possible to help parties come ...