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FU.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry speaks to reporters during a briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S.  U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry optimistically discussed expanding American coal exports to Ukraine and other energy matters during a lengthy phone call this month with a Russian prankster who Perry thought was Ukraine's prime minister. Perry actually was talking with comedians known in Russia for targeting celebrities and politicians with audacious stunts, Energy Department spokeswoman Shaylyn Hynes said in a written statement. Pranksters Vladimir Krasnov and Alexei Stolyarov are sometimes called the "Jerky Boys of Russia," after an American duo who put out recordings of their prank phone calls in the 1990s. They have made faux calls to British singer Elton John, who thought he was speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and others. "These individuals are known for pranking high-level officials and celebrities, particularly those who are suppor

Iraqi Vice President Nouri al-Maliki (Photo by Reurters) Iraqi Vice President Nouri al-Maliki has called for “substantial” Russian military and political presence in the terror-ravaged country, saying this would bring “balance” to the entire region. “It’s well known that Russia has historically strong relations with Iraq, therefore we would like Russia to have a substantial presence in our country, both politically and militarily,” said the senior Iraqi official during a Monday meeting with speaker of Russia’s upper house of parliament, Valentina Matviyenko, in Moscow, RT reported. “This way, a balance would be established that would benefit the region, its peoples and its countries” added Maliki, saying his country believes “in Russia’s role in solving most of the key international issues as well as improving stability and balance in our region and worldwide.” Matviyenko, in turn, welcomed Baghdad’s desire to boost ties with Moscow and said, “Russia is also determined to expand

Russian President Vladimir Putin.Adam Berry/Getty Images A  New York Times investigation  found that Russia renewed 6 Trump trademarks in 2016 The trademarks were approved for renewal while Russia was actively meddling in the US election Trump has repeatedly said he has no more business dealings with Russia, but intellectual property law experts told The Times that unused trademarks can hold significant value The report comes as the Trump campaign is under multiple active investigations for possible collusion with Russia during the 2016 election Last year, the Russian government approved the renewals of six trademarks for President Donald Trump that were about to expire,  according to a New York Times investigation  on Sunday. Four of those renewals were officially registered by Russia on Election Day. The Times found that the Kremlin approved applications for the trademarks' renewal beginning in April 2016 and ending in December of that year, according to records maintained by

Moscow (Sputnik) Apr 26, 2017 In an interview with Sputnik, Russian military expert Viktor Baranets specifically touted unprecedented the damage range of Russia's next-generation S-500 Prometey missile system, which is currently undergoing state tests. Earlier this week, Pavel Sozinov, chief engineer of the Russian defense corporation Almaz-Antey, said that Russia's next-generation S-500 surface-to-air missile system would be able to engage targets in the upper layer of the atmosphere, 100 kilometers [62 miles] above the Earth's surface. The S-500, designed by Almaz Antey, is said to have a range of 600 kilometers (more than 370 miles). The system can simultaneously intercept up to ten ballistic and hypersonic missiles traveling at a speed of up to 7 kilometers per second. Speaking to Sputnik, Viktor Baranets pointed, in particular, to the unique performance characteristics of the new Russian missile system. "The S-500 will be capable of hitting targets at an alt

'Admiral Kuznetsov' to get new cruise missiles, flight deck WIB SEA  April 26, 2017  Robert Beckhuse Russia’s rusty aircraft carrier  Admiral Kuznetsov  has been back at her home port near Murmansk since February following a 2016 combat deployment off the Syrian coast.  Kuznetsov  took a beating from heavy use and what’s next is a long-awaited refit, of which we now have a few details. First of all, the  Kuznetsov  is not technically an aircraft carrier—according to the Russian Navy’s definition—but a clumsily-titled “heavy aircraft-carrying missile cruiser” owing to her 12 Granit anti-ship cruise missiles. The retrofit will replace these with Kalibr-NK land-attack missiles, substantially boosting range, and fitted inside universal vertical launchers also capable of firing P-800 Oniks anti-ship missiles,  according to Tass . Russian warships have on several prior occasions fired Kalibr missiles at Syrian rebel and Islamic State targets in Syria. In addition, the Russian N

An F-35 fighter pilot and ground crew member check out their plane before a training mission at Hill Air Force Base in Ogden, Utah, March 15, 2017. (Photo by AFP) The US Air Force is deploying F-35 jets to Estonia, putting the service’s newest fighter jets even closer to Russia’s doorstep. F-35A stealth Joint Strike Fighters flew from a base in the United Kingdom to Estonia, which has an almost 200-mile-long border with Russia. The advanced aircraft flew from Hill Air Force Base in Utah to Royal Air Force’s Lakenheath airfield earlier this month. Officials noted at the time that the Air Force also planned several “out and back” flights to other NATO nations that would help familiarize pilots with the region. ‘F-35 on first operational deployment to Europe’ The fighter jets arrived at the Ämari Air Base on Tuesday and will remain in the Baltic country for “several weeks.” The move was seen by Estonian defense officials as a gesture underscoring the US commitment to its NATO part

The Ukrainian military hopes it can keep more of its soldiers alive when its new unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) hits the battlefield. This is the Phantom. It’s designed to help minimize the number of soldiers required to fight against the heavily-armed rebels backed by Russia in the Dombass region, where a nearly three-year civil war has claimed the lives of more than 3,100 Ukrainian troops. One of the key features of the Phantom is its anti-tank missile system, called Barrier, and its 12.7 mm caliber machine gun. The machine gun and Barrier are capable of engaging light and heavily-armored targets from 100 to 5,000 meters, according to  Ukroboronprom , the Ukrainian company that makes the Phantom. Besides its offensive power, the Phantom can drive on sand, thanks to its hybrid all-wheel drive engine, hydraulic brake system and independent suspension. And if you’re thinking about the Phantom being hacked somehow, it is fitted with a secure radio channel. I reached out to Ukraine’s M

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Bonn, February 16, 2017. Source: Flickr / MFA Russia U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Washington is ready to seek new common ground for cooperation with Moscow, Reuters reported "As we search for new common ground we expect Russia to honor its commitment to the Minsk agreements and work to de-escalate violence in Ukraine," Tillerson said after meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. In his turn, Lavrov noted, that they "have discussed the situation in bilateral relations, which were seriously undermined by the Obama administration." "Tillerson has confirmed readiness to overcome this period expressed by President Trump during the phone talks with President Putin," Lavrov added. The first meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary  of State Res Tillerson was held in the German city of Bonn on the sidelines of th

The SSV-175 Viktor Leonov is seen docked at a Havana port. (file photo) American officials say a Russian intelligence-gathering ship has been spotted patrolling off the East Coast of the United States, the first such operation since President Donald Trump took office, according to a report. The vessel was 70 miles off the coast of Delaware on Tuesday, heading north at 10 knots, an official told Fox News on condition of anonymity. The US territorial sea extends 12 nautical miles from the baseline, and that means the Russian ship was patrolling in international waters, the network said. The destination of the ship was not immediately known. The ship, the SSV-175 Viktor Leonov, last sailed near the US in April 2015, an official said. The Leonov, which is outfitted with high-tech electronic spying gear, is capable of intercepting signals, known as SIGINT, as well as measuring US Navy sonar capability, another official said. The ship is also armed with surface-to-air missiles. “It’

Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova, who recently presented her own brand of chocolate candies Shugarpova, donated over 2.28 million rubles (over $39,400) to orphanages in Russia. Sharapova posted a picture on her FaceBook account on Feb. 13 with her and Yang Seok, President and CEO of LOTTE, both holding a donation check worth over 2.285 million rubles. "With Mr. Yang Seok, President and CEO of LOTTE RUS, presenting the charity donation project: portion of the sales received from Sugarpova products sold at the mini-bar of Lotte Hotel Moscow to support orphanages in Russia," the tennis player wrote in a comment to her picture. Sharapova is Russia’s most decorated tennis player having won a total of five Grand Slam tournaments, namely Australian Open in 2008, French Open in 2012 and 2014, Wimbledon in 2004 and US Open in 2006. She is also a silver medal winner of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and the 2008 Federations Cup champion. Currently serving a provisional suspe

RUSSIA-UK RELATIONS British actor and writer Stephen Fry joked about Russian hacking at the opening ceremony of the 70th British Academy Film Awards. Source: imago stock&people/Global Look Press British actor and writer Stephen Fry joked about Russian hacking at the opening ceremony of the 70 th  British Academy Film Awards. “Let’s crack on with the awards themselves and find out who the Russians have decided has won,” Fry said, Metro news UK  reported on Feb. 12.  In suggesting that the Russians might have messed with the results of the BAFTA vote, Fry humorously referred to allegations that Russian hackers influenced the result of the 2016 presidential elections in the United States, which resulted in the election of Donald Trump as president. It was one of many remarks about the American president, who is despised by left-leaning groups. The comedian also called Meryl Streep, “One of the greatest actresses of all time,” adding that, “only a blithering idiot would think oth

A journalist stands at the remains of the Temple of Bel in the historic city of Palmyra, in Homs Governorate, Syria. Source: Reuters The Syrian army continues its offensive on Palmyra with the support of the Russian air task force, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Feb. 13. "The Syrian government troops are continuing their offensive towards Palmyra with the support of Russia’s aviation. A distance of less than 20 km remains to be covered. Over the past week, Russian warplanes have conducted over 90 sorties in the Palmyra direction," the Defense Ministry said in a statement obtained by  TASS . In the course of their offensive, the Syrian government troops have destroyed over 180 militants’ objectives, including more than 60 strongholds, 15 depots with armaments, munitions and military hardware, 43 armored fighting vehicles, and also jeeps armed with large-caliber machine guns, the statement said. "The terrorists’ losses in manpower have amounted to over 200 men,

Russian special forces arrived in the western countryside of Palmyra on Saturday evening and are expected to help Syrian forces retake the ancient city in the coming days The (second) fall of Palmyra to ISIS came as a shock to almost everyone. (We are not trained in military matters, but apparently the major takeaway from this catastrophe is: controlling the high ground around Palmyra is the key to controlling the actual city.) There's no dispute that Palmyra has been a major embarrassment for Russia. The liberation of the city was supposed to symbolize the effectiveness of Russian/Syrian/Iranian military cooperation and signal a turning point in the war. Assad needed to take Palmyra to convince his people that the fight for Syria wasn't futile. Putin needed it to show the Russian people that the military operations in Syria were producing results. A convoy of Russian special forces arrived in the western countryside of Palmyra on Saturday evening after traveling from the

Three Turkish soldiers were "accidentally" killed and 11 wounded on Thursday when a Russian air strike targeting jihadists in Syria hit a building where the troops were deployed, the Turkish army said. With Moscow and Ankara cooperating ever more closely on Syria, President Vladimir Putin quickly reached out to Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to express condolences and promise better future coordination. The Russian plane had been seeking to hit targets of Islamic State (IS) jihadists but "by accident three of our heroic soldiers were martyred when a building was bombed where our units were," the Turkish army said in a statement. It said that of the 11 injured, one was badly wounded. Putin contacted Erdogan to express his "sadness and condolences," it added. "Russian officials have said that the incident was an accident," the army said, adding an investigation is being carried out by both sides. In Moscow, the Kremlin said Putin

It’s widely known that a smoke detector is a good ionizing radiation source, as they contain a small amount of americium-241, a side product of nuclear reactors. But what about other sources? [Carl Willis] got hold of an old Soviet era smoke detector and decided to  tear it down and see what was inside . This, as he found out, isn’t something you should do lightly, as the one he used ended up containing an interesting mix of radioactive materials, including small amounts of plutonium-239, uranium-237, neptunium-237 and a selection of others. In true hacker fashion, he detected these with a gamma ray spectroscope he has in his spare bedroom, shielded from other sources with lead bricks and copper and tin sheets. The high-energy gamma ray detector that Carl Willis used to analyze the soviet smoke detector, located in his spare bedroom. He digs further into this analysis, using the ratio of plutonium to americium to determine the age of the source, concluding that the radioactive materi

A Russian engineer with physical impairment has designed and developed an Iron-Man style arm. Maxim Lyashko and his team recently illustrated their vision for hi-tech yet affordable prostheses through a bionic arm developed in his lab in Moscow. The invention called Max-Bionic is believed to be the country’s first 3D printed bionic arm. Lyashko lost his arm during an accident in 2013 that prompted him to come up with a cheaper option than prosthetics developed in other countries. The bionic arm can be operated via an external power source and through what is called “phantom management”. This means that the prosthesis is programmed to respond to a person’s thoughts with the movement they intend to create.  The developer is also proud of how autonomous the whole production process has been. The prosthesis is rated at 15-hundred dollars while foreign products with the same function cost 25-thousand dollars and higher.