Month: January 2019
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Severstal Vetures Wis Global Corporate Veturе Award
February 1, 2019 PAO Severstal, one of the world’s leading vertically integrated steel and mining companies, announces that its venture capital division, Severstal Ventures, has been awarded Entrant of the Year at the Global Corporate Venturing Awards. The awards ceremony was held on January 30, 2019 at the Glibak Corporate Venturing and Innovation Summit in…
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Deputy Director General of ROSATOM Nikolai Spasskiy had a meeting with Deputy Director General of the IAEA Juan Carlos Lentijo
On the 18th of July 2016 Deputy Director General of ROSATOM Nikolai Spasskiy had a meeting with Deputy Director General for Nuclear Safety and Security of the IAEA Juan Carlos Lentijo. The meeting was also attended by Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the International Organizations in Vienna Vladimir Voronkov and Deputy Chairman of…
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Rosenergoatom has obtained a license from Rostechnadzor to operate the decommissioned Bilibino-1 in its new capacity
The Federal Environmental, Industrial and Nuclear Supervision Service of Russia (Rostechnadzor) has granted a license to Rosenergoatom Joint-Stock Company (a part of the Electric Power Division of the ROSATOM) to operate the 1st power block of the Bilibino NPP, which has now been stopped for decommissioning, in a no-generation mode. The license is valid for…
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Russia’s Putin Accuses Ukraine of Meddling in Orthodox Faith
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday accused the government in Kiev of flagrantly meddling in the life of Orthodoxy in Ukraine where a new national church has broken away from Moscow’s orbit. Speaking at a Russian Orthodox Church event attended by Patriarch Kirill in Moscow, Putin said that Russia reserved the right to defend people’s rights to…
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Russia Must Pay $11.5M for Expelling Georgians, European Court Rules
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled Thursday that Russia must compensate Georgian nationals who were rounded up and deported more than a decade ago. Russia ordered the expulsion of 4,634 Georgians between September 2006 and January 2007. Georgia said the expulsions were a deliberate policy to exact revenge for the arrests of four…
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Londongrad Losing Luster as Moscow Luxury Real Estate Fires Up
Rich Russians no longer welcome in London flock back to Moscow. vespermoscow.com Moscow real estate executives Boris Azarenko and Denis Kitaev should write the U.K. Home Office a thank-you note. Their company, luxury apartment developer Vesper, is seeing a pickup in demand from wealthy Russians, as Britain’s anti-money laundering measures block many from London, once…
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Office Building Evicts Russian Troll Farm Over Repeated Bomb Threats — Reports
The infamous troll farm at the center of a major U.S. election interference scandal has been reportedly evicted from its St. Petersburg headquarters after other tenants complained about repeated bomb threats to the building. The so-called Internet Research Agency was charged in February with running a propaganda campaign to interfere in the 2016 U.S. election.…
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Russia Plays Power Broker as U.S.-Taliban Talks Gather Steam
Russia will host the Taliban and Afghan politicians opposed to President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday, Russian and Taliban sources said, promoting its role of power broker in what a U.S. official called an attempt to “muddle” the U.S.-backed peace process. Moscow snubbed the Afghan government, sources said, to ensure the participation of the Taliban who…
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Jailed Activist’s Daughter Dies in Russian Hospital
The daughter of the first activist prosecuted under Russia’s law against “undesirable organizations” has reportedly died in intensive care. Anastasia Shevchenko, a coordinator for the Open Russia pro-democracy NGO, was placed under house arrest last week over violations of the 2015 law against “undesirable organizations.” Human Rights Watch called Shevchenko the first activist to be…
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Moscow Accuses BBC of ‘Violations’ in Russia – Agencies
Russia’s state communications regulator said on Thursday that the BBC World News channel had committed “certain violations” while operating in Russia, Russian news agencies reported. Russia said last month it was launching an investigation into the BBC in response to pressure it said London was applying on a Kremlin-funded broadcaster’s operations in Britain. The regulator,…
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Rosatomflot’s icebreakers steered 331 ships of 12.7 mln ton total capacity in 2018
In 2018, FSUE Atomflot’s nuclear icebreakers steered 331 ships of a total gross capacity 12.7 mln tons. As compared to 2017, the capacity of steered ships increased by 5 mln tons. With that, the number of steering operations decreased (last year it was 493 ships) due to completion of the active phase of construction in…
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Rosatomflot’s icebreakers steered 331 ships of 12.7 mln ton total capacity in 2018
In 2018, FSUE Atomflot’s nuclear icebreakers steered 331 ships of a total gross capacity 12.7 mln tons. As compared to 2017, the capacity of steered ships increased by 5 mln tons. With that, the number of steering operations decreased (last year it was 493 ships) due to completion of the active phase of construction in…
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Russian Senator Detained on Murder Charges in Parliament, Explained
Rauf Arashukov (Andrei Nikerichev / Moskva News Agency) The dramatic detention of Russian senator Rauf Arashukov, 32, on murder charges Wednesday has sent shockwaves throughout the country. The senator, who is the son of a high-ranking gas official, was detained by security forces during a live parliamentary session and has been charged with several crimes,…
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End of concrete works for the Unit No. 1 turbine hall foundation slab and of soil stabilization works at the Rooppur NPP site (Bangladesh)
January 30, 2019 saw the completion of concrete works for the Unit No. 1 of Rooppur NPP (Bangladesh) turbine hall foundation slab. The slab structure received 3813 tonnes of rebars and 24,285 cubic meters of concrete. This will be followed by wall erection works for the Unit No. 1 reactor building and auxiliary reactor compartment.…
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Zohr Gas Output Exceeds 12 bcm in 2018
In 2018, gas output at the Zohr project, which is being developed by the consortium of Eni, Rosneft, BP, and Mubadala together with Egyptian oil and gas companies, totalled 12.2 bcm. Moreover, in H2 2018, the production increased almost four times compared with the result of H1 2018, which amounted to 3.1 bcm of gas.…
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Russian Takes ‘Magic Carpet Ride’ on Snowy Streets, Riling Police (Video)
A budding Russian blogger has been fined by police for riding a traditional carpet through the snowy streets of Nizhny Novgorod, 400 kilometers east of Moscow. Videos posted by local news outlets showed two lightly dressed young men riding the carpet attached to a car, in what appears to be an affordable local alternative to…
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Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Says ‘No Progress’ on INF Talks
Russia and the United States failed to bridge their differences over a landmark Cold War-era arms treaty at last-ditch talks in Beijing, Russia’s deputy foreign minister was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies on Thursday. The impasse sets the stage for the United States to begin pulling out of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty,…
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Siberian Cave Findings Shed Light on Enigmatic Extinct Human Species
Scientists using sophisticated techniques to determine the age of bone fragments, teeth and artifacts unearthed in a Siberian cave have provided new insight into a mysterious extinct human species that may have been more advanced than previously known. Research published on Wednesday shed light on the species called Denisovans, known only from scrappy remains from…
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Russian Hackers Stole U.S. Evidence to Discredit Mueller Probe — Court Filing
Robert Mueller (Zhang Jun / Zuma / TASS) U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office said on Wednesday that self-proclaimed hackers in Russia stole evidence in an attempt to tarnish its investigation of a firm charged with funding a Russian propaganda campaign to interfere in the 2016 U.S. election. Prosecutors said in a court filing in…
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Russian Sailors Kidnapped by Pirates in Africa Freed – Reports
Six Russian sailors held hostage by pirates have been freed in Nigeria a month after they were captured in neighboring Benin. Authorities had said pirates kidnapped six Russian sailors of the Panama-flagged container ship MSC Mandy near Benin in West Africa on the night of Jan. 1. The armed pirates reportedly plundered 24 crew members…
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Patriotic War Film Draws Record 8 million Russians
A state-funded Russian film that lionises a Soviet World War II tank and its crew has become the second highest grossing home-grown production since the collapse of the Soviet Union, part of a Kremlin-backed drive to instil patriotism in young people. The Kremlin has long put the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany at the heart of a…
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Not Your Babushka’s Museum
If you’ve heard of the All-Russian Decorative Art Museum, it was probably from someone raving about embroidered Russian shawls or colorful enameled samovars from the 19th century. Indeed, the museum has an impressive collection of historical Russian decorative art. Last year, however, the museum opened the Center of Fashion and Design, whose exhibitions have been…
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Russian Gym Teacher Quits After Goading 1st Graders to Beat Classmate
A teacher in the Moscow suburb of Khimki has quit her job after reportedly goading first graders into beating up their classmate during gym class. The eight-year-old was reportedly hospitalized with a concussion after his peers ganged up on him, encouraged by the teacher’s “let’s cut his foot off and eat it” comments. “He was…
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‘There Is No War Between Ukraine and Russia,’ Kremlin Claims
The Kremlin on Wednesday claimed that Russia is not at war with Ukraine, in a response to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s recent call for a “cold peace” between the two countries. Poroshenko made the comments while launching an uphill re-election campaign on Tuesday with a promise to steer his country toward the West and join…
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Alexey Miller and Moldova’s President Igor Dodon review ongoing and future cooperation in gas sector
Background In 2018, Gazprom’s gas deliveries to the Republic of Moldova totaled 2.9 billion cubic meters of gas, an increase of 8.4 per cent against 2017 (2.7 billion cubic meters). The contracts between Gazprom and Moldovagaz for gas supplies to and gas transit across Moldova are valid until the end of 2019. Moldovagaz is a joint Russian-Moldovan company set up by Gazprom, the Moldovan Government, and the Ministry of Industry…
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LSR Group Reports 4Q and 12M 2018 Operating Results
A new contract sales high of RUB 93 bln with a total of over one million sqm in 2018 reflecting a strengthened competitive position and balanced portfolio St. Petersburg, Russia – 28 January 2019 – PJSC LSR Group (“LSR” or the “Company”) (LSE: LSRG; MOEX: LSRG), one of the leading real estate developers and…
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LSR Group makes seventh coupon payment on its Series 001P-02 bonds
PJSC LSR Group (“LSR” or the “Company”) (LSE: LSRG; MOEX: LSRG), one of the leading real estate developers and building materials producers in Russia, today announces that it has made the seventh coupon payment on its non-convertible interest-bearing certified exchange-traded Series 001P-02 bonds. A payment of RUB 120,300,000 has been made to the bearer with…
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Polymetal International plc has been contacted by Public Joint Stock Company Bank Otkritie Financial Corporation (“Otkritie”), a shareholder having 6.93% shares in the issued capital of the Company, indicating that it would like to propose a director for appointment to the Board of Polymetal.
Polymetal International plc has been contacted by Public Joint Stock Company Bank Otkritie Financial Corporation (“Otkritie”), a shareholder having 6.93% shares in the issued capital of the Company, indicating that it would like to propose a director for appointment to the Board of Polymetal. The directors have considered Otkritie’s intention and believe it to be…
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Russian Senator Detained on Murder Charges Inside Parliament
A Russian senator has been detained on murder charges during a live session at the Federation Council building in Moscow on Wednesday. Rauf Arashukov, 32, who represents the North Caucasus republic of Karachayevo-Cherkessia, was detained inside Russia’s upper chamber of parliament, Russian state media reported, citing sources present at the session. Russia’s Investigative Committee later…
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Miratorg increased feedstuff production by 4.7% to 1.53 million tons in 2018
Miratorg increased feedstuff production by 4.7% to 1.53 million tons in 2018 Belgorod, January 29 – «Miratorg», the largest vertically integrated agricultural holding in Russia, reports increase in feedstuff production by 4.7% to 1.53 million tons in 2018 year on year. The company has already invested over 7.6 billion rubles to build from the scratch…
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Majority of Russians Believe There Is a Threat of War – Poll
A majority of Russians say they believe that a war could break out between Russia and other countries, according to a poll published Wednesday by the independent Levada Center. The fear of war among Russians has gradually subsided after the 2014 annexation of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine, when it peaked at 68 percent in…
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Maduro Tells Russian Media He Is Ready for Talks With Opposition
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Wednesday he was ready to sit down for talks with the country’s opposition and open to the possibility of third countries mediating, Russia’s RIA news agency reported. RIA released his comments as the struggle for control of Venezuela intensified with the government preparing an investigation that could lead to…
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Arrival of Russian Passenger Jet Fires Up Venezuela’s Rumor Mill
The unusual arrival of a Russian passenger plane in Caracas has set social media abuzz with rumors about its mission after the Kremlin pledged to support its ally Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro against a U.S.-backed effort to drive him from office. The Boeing 777, with space for some 400 passengers and belonging to Russia’s Nordwind…
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Crack Found in Another Russian Spacecraft, Reports Say
A crack has reportedly been uncovered on a Russian rocket during pre-launch preparations, a second defect in less than a year. The U.S. microsatellite startup OneWeb was scheduled to send its first satellite into orbit on a Russian launch vehicle on Feb. 19 as it arrived in French Guiana last week. It was the second hole…
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Former Russian Chess World Champion Vladimir Kramnik Retires
Russian chess grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik, regarded as one of the strongest players in the world, announced on Tuesday he was retiring from professional competition. Kramnik, 43, made waves in 2000 when he defeated defending champion Garry Kasparov at the World Championship. Currently ranked seventh by the World Chess Federation, he became the undisputed world champion…
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Russia Ties Lebanon in 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index — Transparency International
Russia has dropped further in an annual corruption index compiled by the Transparency International watchdog for 2018, tying with countries like Lebanon, Mexico and Papua New Guinea. Russia had consistently ranked in the bottom half of the global civil society group’s annual corruption perceptions index. Federal prosecutors said they cracked down on $27 million worth…
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PhosAgro Delegation Headed by CEO Andrey Guryev Takes Part in Opening Ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters to Launch International Year of the Periodic Table
Paris, France – Andrey Guryev, member of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO and CEO of PhosAgro, one of the world’s leading producers of phosphate-based fertilizers, took part in the official opening ceremony of the International Year of the Periodic Table held today at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, which took place with PhosAgro’s support.…
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Russian Teacher Forces Late Students to Wear Gas Masks as Punishment, Sparking Probe
A school in Far East Russia is being investigated after a teacher reportedly punished students for being tardy by forcing them to sit through the rest of class in gas masks. Parents complained that a health and safety teacher made their seventh-graders wear gas masks for being late, a children’s rights official in the republic…
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Alexander Suvorov
Alexander Vasilievich Suvorov was born on November 13 (24), 1729/30 in Moscow, in the family of the Ensign of the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky Regiment Vasily Ivanovich Suvorov. His grandfather, Ivan Grigorievich, was the general clerk of the Preobrazhensky order, who was in charge of political investigations. Suvorov’s father, Vasili Ivanovich Suvorov (1708-1775), started…
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Russian Finance Ministry Says Venezuela Must Repay Its Debt to Moscow on Time
Russia expects Venezuela will probably have problems servicing its sovereign debt to Moscow, Russia’s Deputy Finance Minister said on Tuesday, after Washington imposed sweeping sanctions on Venezuela’s state oil firm in a move the Kremlin called illegal. The Trump administration on Monday imposed restrictions on the PDVSA oil company, aimed at curbing the OPEC member’s crude exports…
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Russian Town Installs Giant Fans to Disperse Smog
Local officials have installed giant fans to chase away air pollution in a Russian mining town that has been plagued by toxic air for months. Smog first engulfed the town of Sibai in November after suspected emissions from an abandoned copper mine, sparking protests. Local authorities began to issue medical masks and activated charcoal to…
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Kremlin Considers U.S. Sanctions on Venezuela Illegal Interference
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that U.S. sanctions on Venezuela’s state oil company amounted to illegal and open interference in the Latin American country’s domestic affairs. Moscow is assessing the impact of the sanctions on Russia and intends to use all legal mechanisms at its disposable to protect Russia’s interests in Venezuela in light of…
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Top Russian Executive Fired Over Sexually Explicit Gaming Stream – Reports
A senior state corporation manager has been fired after boasting about his sexual relations with junior employees during a gaming stream leaked online, Russian media reported Tuesday. A Twitch livestreaming platform video appeared on Monday purporting to show Ruslan Gorring, the deputy head of a state mineral exploration corporation, cursing out other players. The nearly…
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Enter the Curious World of Viktor Pivovarov
This is the last week to see Viktor Pivovarov’s exhibition “Moscow Album” at The Multimedia Art Museum. Pivovarov, alongside pioneering artists such as Ilya Kabakov and Erik Bulatov, was one of the leaders of the Moscow conceptualist movement in the 1970s and 1980s. A conceptualist is made Pivovarov, who turned 82 this month, was born…
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Russia Expects Venezuela Will Struggle to Remunerate Moscow
Russia expects Venezuela will probably have problems servicing its sovereign debt to Moscow, Russia’s Deputy Finance Minister said on Tuesday, after Washington imposed sweeping sanctions on Venezuela’s state oil firm in a move the Kremlin called illegal. The Trump administration on Monday imposed restrictions on the PDVSA oil company, aimed at curbing the OPEC member’s crude exports…
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Russian Art Thief Confesses to Stealing Painting to Settle Debts — Reports
The suspect in one of the most brazen art heists in recent history has confessed to having stolen prominent artist Arkhip Kuindzhi’s painting over the weekend to pay for his debts, Russian media have reported. Kuindzhi’s 1908 “Ai Petri, Crimea” was briefly stolen from Moscow’s Tretyakov Gallery on Sunday before police recovered it in a…
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Billionaires in Moscow Try Building Dynasties for Post-Putin Era
Russia last saw major fortunes change hands via inheritance more than a century ago. Roman and Arkady Abramovich Nick Potts / FA Bobo / PIXSELL / PA Images With Vladimir Putin now in his last consecutive presidential term, post-communist Russia’s first generation of billionaires is starting to test his commitment to private property by giving…
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Russia Moves to Decriminalize ‘Unavoidable’ Corruption, Following Putin’s Proposal
Russia’s Justice Ministry has proposed exempting officials in “exceptional circumstances” from anti-corruption regulations in new draft legislation, following a plan set by Russian President Vladimir Putin last year. Russia ranks among the world’s most corrupt countries, with Transparency International’s annual corruption perceptions index ranking it in 138th place this year out of 180 countries. Read More Putin…
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Russia’s Health Ministry Wants to Import Marijuana for Research
Russia’s health ministry has said that it wants to legalize the import of hashish and marijuana for research purposes, according to a recently published draft bill. Russia bans the circulation of drugs, including marijuana and other cannabinoids whose use is legalized in certain U.S. states and European countries. Hashish contains higher concentrations of the psychotropic…
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Western Intelligence Accused of Preparing for Russia’s Breakup
A top Russian official has accused Western intelligence agencies of preparing for the possibility of civil war and the breakup of the country into separate regions. In 2017, U.S.-funded media reported on a movie about a Siberian secessionist movement spearheaded by billionaire philanthropist George Soros and the State Department. Soros and the U.S. are routinely…
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To Mourn or Celebrate? St. Petersburg Divided Over Anniversary of Leningrad Siege
Seventy-five years after the Leningrad siege ended, the city’s residents won’t be told how to remember. Daniel Kozin / MT There are no individual graves at the Piskaryovskoye Cemetery in northern St. Petersburg. So, the crowds of mourners who brought wreaths threw them in one big pile at the feet of “The Motherland,” a towering…
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A Daring Theft in a Moscow Museum
When the news broke Sunday night of the theft of a painting at Moscow’s Tretyakov Gallery, it first seemed like a low-tech version of the “The Thomas Crown Affair.” At 6 p.m. on Sunday, in the very popular show of works by 19th-century landscape painter Arkhip Kuindzhi — that is, one of the busiest times…
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Moscow Hit by Freak Snowstorm, in Photos
Alexander Avilov / Moskva News Agency Moscow was hit with its heaviest snowfall in nearly 70 years over the weekend, Russian media reported. While snow piled up on the pavements and snowplows hit the streets, many Muscovites rejoiced. The snowstorm started on Saturday morning and continued uninterrupted for some 37 hours, the weather news website Meteonovosti reported. …
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Gazprom and OMV discuss relevant cooperation issues
Background OMV AG is Gazprom’s main partner in Austria. The companies cooperate in gas production, transportation and supplies. Since 2017, OMV has been partnering with Gazprom in the Yuzhno-Russkoye oil, gas and condensate field development. In June 2018, an Agreement was signed to extend until 2040 the existing contract between Gazprom Export and OMV Gas Marketing & Trading GmbH for Russian gas supplies to Austria. In November 2018, an Amendment to the contract on gas supplies to Austria…
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The Kremlin Denies Sending Russian Mercenaries to Venezuela
The Kremlin has denied reports that private military contractors who carry out secret missions for Russia flew into Venezuela to reinforce security for its leader in the face of mass protests. Global superpowers split into two camps last week after the United States, Europe and Latin American allies backed opposition leader Juan Guaido declaring himself…
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St. Petersburg Named Russia’s Most LGBT-Friendly City
Russia’s cultural capital, St. Petersburg, has also distinguished itself as most tolerant of the LGBT community, according to the results of a recent survey. Russia banned “homosexual propaganda” among minors in 2013, leading the courts to ban gay pride events and public polling show surging anti-LGBT sentiment. In recent weeks, authorities in the North Caucasus…
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ROSATOM Starts Testing of Accident Tolerant Fuels for Light Water Reactors
First Russian-made experimental nuclear fuel assemblies based on accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) have been loaded for testing into the water loops of MIR research reactor at the State Research Institute of Atomic Reactors in Dimitrovgrad, Ulyanovsk Region. This work is a part of the project of TVEL Fuel Company of ROSATOM to develop Russian accident tolerant…
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Russian Official Fired for Forcing Teachers to Clear Snow in Freezing Weather
A public official has been dismissed following reports that she had forced teachers to remove snow in freezing weather, authorities in the Saratov region southeast of Moscow said Monday. Reports and footage of women identified as Saratov school teachers shoveling snow into wicker bags sparked outrage across Russia over the weekend. Heavy snowfall and slow…
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U.S. Lifts Sanctions on Rusal, Other Firms Linked to Oligarch Deripaska
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on Sunday lifted sanctions on aluminum giant Rusal and other Russian firms linked to oligarch Oleg Deripaska, defying a Democratic-led push in the U.S. Congress to maintain the restrictions. Earlier this month, 11 of Trump’s fellow Republicans in the U.S. Senate joined Democrats in a failed effort to keep the…
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Russian Police Turn Up Painting Stolen From Moscow’s Tretyakov Gallery
Russian police have recovered a painting by prominent artist Arkhip Kuindzhi stolen from a Moscow gallery on Sunday and detained the suspected thief, TASS state news agency said on Monday, citing a police official. A 31-year-old man told police where he had hidden the painting, TASS quoted a spokeswoman for the Russian Internal Ministry, Irina Volk,…