Russia & CIS

The Commander of the Russian Air Force praised the Russian Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter as the world’s best; the comments came during the aerial acrobatics contest “Aviadarts 2015” in the city of Voronezh, in the South-West of Russia.

Russia's association football governing body voted to oust its president after a heated debate about the organization's financial woes.

Representatives of the Belgorod Archdiocese of the Russian Orthodox Church have issued a statement denouncing a painting created in the style of an Orthodox icon featuring Joseph Stalin and Soviet WW2 generals.

Over 140 pilots of operational and tactical aviation, army air forces, long-range and military transport aviation from the Far East, Siberia, Urals, North Caucasus and the Polar Region compete in the sky as part of the “Aviadarts-2015” contest for the best aerobatic team.

Speaking to reporters on a plane during his return to Moscow from Gorno-Altaisk after meeting with Kazakh Foreign Minister Yerlan Idrisov, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov showed off a very cool-looking brown jacket featuring the famed raising of the Soviet flag over the Reichstag and the words "Victory: 1945-2015."

Nine people, according to preliminary data, were injured as a result of a large fire in St. Petersburg, a spokesman for the regional Interior Ministry told RIA Novosti.

Russia's Admiral Nakhimov nuclear-powered battle cruiser will return to service after being upgraded by 2018, the Russian Navy's Shipbuilding Department's deputy head said Saturday.

Russian Navy jets forced a US Navy ship into the eastern Black Sea after it was noticed heading into Russia's territorial waters.

Russia’s analogue of the French Mistral-class carrier is in its final phase of design and will be probably laid down soon afterwards, according to the head of the Navy Ship Building Directorate; the decision to buy the vessels from France was made under “certain circumstances”; six years ago Russia was already capable of building them.

Moscow has handed a list of officials banned from entering Russian territory to the embassies of EU countries, the Russian online newspaper Kommersant reported.

The first of six new patrol ships designed to combat piracy in the Horn of Africa under the Russian Navy's project will enter into service by the end of 2016, according to Captain Ι Rank Vladimir Tryapichnikov.

The Orphan Sky – the debut novel by the renowned Hollywood composer, singer, pianist and Baku native Ella Leya – was launched on 27 May at Waterstone’s flagship store in Piccadilly, London.

Deputy Head of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, Director of the Administration’s Foreign Relations Department Novruz Mammadov commented on the FIFA presidential election held on Friday.

Anar Mammadov has been appointed the honorary consul of Macedonia in Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan`s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has met newly-appointed Ambassador of Mexico to Azerbaijan Juan Rodrigo Labardini Flores, AzerTag reports.

About 150 children completed free training in basic skills of golf.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the Islamic Republic will insist on the principles it has already announced in negotiations with the P5+1 countries over Tehran’s nuclear program.

Main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu said the presidential post was currently empty as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan used the word “we” to refer to the deputy candidates of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in a rally he held on May 28.

The Ministry of Defense has released a report.

Gold sales to Switzerland have once again helped Turkey narrow its trade gap, this time dramatically to $4.96 billion in April from $7.3 billion for the same month the previous year, according to figures released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) on May 29.