TASS

One of the worst ecological disasters in the region in years has been caused by the oil spill following the sinking of two tankers in the Black Sea, now covering almost 50 kilometers of coastline.

A Russian helicopter with 22 people on board, including three crew members, has gone missing in the Kamchatka Peninsula in the far east of the country, state media reported on Saturday. The Mi-8T helicopter, operated by Vityaz-Aero airline, had taken off from a site near the Vachkazhets volcano, heading to the village of Nikolaevka, located 25 kilometers away.

Since Tuesday morning, there has been intense activity around Belgorod, near Russia’s southern border with Ukraine. Russian Telegram channels, citing their security service connections, report that Ukrainian forces are attempting an incursion, having already attacked a border station in the area.

Last night, over 15 police officers were killed in a series of attacks in Dagestan, a southern Russian region, according to reports from Russian news agencies. The attacks, which also caused civilian casualties, occurred simultaneously in two cities on June 23. Gunmen targeted a synagogue, an Orthodox church, and a police post.

More than 19 police officers and several civilians, including an Orthodox priest, were killed by armed militants in Russia's southern republic of Dagestan on Sunday, its governor Sergei Melikov said in a video statement early Monday.

The gunmen opened fire on two Orthodox churches, a synagogue and a police post in two cities, according to the authorities.

The US and British embassies in Moscow have issued warnings of potential terrorist attacks targeting large gatherings in the Russian capital. The US Embassy urged American citizens to avoid crowded areas in Moscow over the next 48 hours, citing unspecified extremist threats.

Russia's FSB security service said Thursday it had killed ISIL militants who were planning a "terrorist attack" on a Moscow synagogue, Russian state news agencies reported.

The FSB said an ISIL cell based in Kaluga, southwest of Moscow, had been planning to shoot Jewish worshippers at a synagogue in the capital.

MOSCOW - In an interview for Russia's TASS news agency, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has said he intends to maintain an independent policy of not imposing sanctions against Russia despite colossal pressure from the West.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan will hold talks in Moscow "in the nearest future," the TASS news agency reported on Monday, citing Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

Turkey is trying to persuade Russia to return to a deal that allows for the export of grain via Ukraine's Black Sea ports.

The Russian Embassy in Cyprus will soon start providing consular services in the Turkish-occupied north of the divided island, according to a telegram from the Russian state news agency TASS citing an embassy spokesperson.