New Delhi, Nov 19: Russian President Vladimir Putin may visit India next year as part of a laid down structure between the two countries for reciprocal annual visits by their leaders, diplomatic sources said on Tuesday.
The two sides are looking at the possibility of the visit but nothing has been finalised yet, they said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited the Russian President to visit India when the two leaders held summit talks in Moscow in July.
He also visited Kazan in Russia last month to attend the BRICS summit.
Earlier Tuesday, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov in a video interaction with senior Indian Editors in Delhi referred to the strong bilateral relationship between India and Russia, and added Putin's visit is on the cards. He did not give any specific timeline or make a definitive announcement of the visit.
"We are looking forward to the visit. The dates will be mutually worked out soon," Peskov said.
The media interaction was organised by the Russian state-owned Sputnik news agency.
Asked to comment on US President Joe Biden's decision to let Ukraine strike targets inside Russia with US-supplied longer-range missiles, Peskov said Russia's military capabilities are incomparable to those of Ukraine and it's unlikely that any missile will help Ukraine
Peskov's comments came on a day when President Putin signed a revised nuclear doctrine declaring that a conventional attack on Russia by any nation that is supported by a nuclear power will be considered a joint attack on his country.
Putin's endorsement of the new nuclear deterrent policy comes on the 1,000th day after he sent troops into Ukraine on Feb 24, 2022.
"Biden administration stands for war, not for peace."
"The authority in the White House takes a decision to use their weapons against the Russian Federation, and this is a striking example of the new environment surrounding our country," Peskov said. "This makes it necessary for us to ensure that our nuclear conception is updated."
Peskov also highlighted a key aspect of the updated nuclear doctrine.
"Potential enemy must understand inevitability of nuclear response if they try to commit aggression against Russia....If a country attacks us with conventional weapons, but with the help and assistance of a nuclear state, we will treat it as a joint attack against our country, with the relevant consequences."
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Kochi (Kerala) (PTI): Police on Sunday arrested three directors of a firm accused of cheating hundreds of investors of over Rs 100 crore through a fake investment scheme linked to agricultural tourism here, officials said.
The accused were identified as Muraleedharan, Ashik Murali and Akhil Murali, all natives of Thrissur.
The arrests were made by the Kalamassery police in connection with a fraud involving ATCOS (Agri Tourism Cooperative Society), a firm headquartered at Pathadipalam here.
Police said the company had promised high returns by collecting investments from the public in the agricultural tourism sector, but allegedly cheated hundreds of people and fled with the money.
ATCOS was registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act and operated 13 branches across various districts in Kerala, besides a branch in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, officials said.
When investors failed to receive their promised returns or the invested amount, complaints were filed with the police.
Officials said around 54 cases have been registered against the firm in 32 police stations across the state, including 29 cases at the Kalamassery police station alone.
Following instructions from Kochi City Police Commissioner K S Mahesh Kumar, a special investigation team was formed under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Shehensha and Thrikkakara ACP Manoj Kumar.
The team traced the accused to an apartment in Amala Nagar in Thrissur, where they had been hiding after secretly renting the flat, officials said.
The bank accounts of the accused have been frozen, and steps have been initiated to trace their assets, officials said.
Police also conducted a raid at the company’s office at Pathadipalam and seized several documents related to the case.
The accused were produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Kalamassery, which remanded them to judicial custody and sent them to Kakkanad jail.
Police said they would seek the custody of the accused for further interrogation as the investigation continues.
