Day: August 14, 2019
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Armed FSB Officers Search Office of Russian Rights Group
Russian security officers armed with automatic rifles searched on Wednesday the Moscow offices of a rights group that represents the interests of Russian nationals in the European Court of Human Rights, the group said. Members of the Federal Security Service (FSB) searched an office used by Justice Initiative and its partner organisation Astreya and confiscated…
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‘Top 100 Influential Russian Muslims’ Ranking Released by Local Media
A Russian media outlet has for the first time compiled a ranking of the country’s 100 most influential Muslims, with UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov featured alongside tycoons, government officials and spiritual leaders. An estimated 20 million Muslims make up Russia’s second-largest religious minority, comprising about 14% of the overall population. Seven of Russia’s 85…
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On This Day Writer Dmitry Merezhkovsky Was Born
Dmitry Merezhkovsky was born in St. Petersburg in 1866 in a family of a government official. In his teen years, and with his mother’s support, he was already writing poetry and contemplating the religious questions that would come to occupy him throughout his life. From 1884 to 1889, he studied philology and history at the…
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The Kremlin Sees Signs of Foreign Interference All Around
During a recent session of the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament, officials whipped themselves into a frenzy over a worrisome development: foreign powers trying to meddle in the country’s elections. The elections in question were for the Moscow City Duma, a toothless body with little or no ability to influence affairs in Russia’s…
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Zohr Gas Output Increases 3.6 times in H1, up to 11.3 bcm
The consortium of Eni, Rosneft, BP, and Mubadala Petroleum together with Egyptian oil and gas companies continues the successful implementation of the Zohr gas project on the Mediterranean offshore. In H1 2019, the production on the field amounted to 11.3 bcm of gas, which is 3.6 times more than in the same period last year.…
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Russian Village Cancels Evacuation Despite Radiation Spike
Locals from the closed military settlement at Nyonoksa on the White Sea coast were earlier this week told that they would have to leave the area on Wednesday morning. Russian military authorities explained to locals that the evacuation was planned in advance and had nothing to do with last week’s missile explosion, the local 29.ru…
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Russian Scientists Told to Beware Foreign Contacts, Academic Says
Russian authorities have recommended for scientists to avoid communicating with their foreign colleagues, a prominent academic has complained in an open letter. The Russian Science and Higher Education Ministry reportedly distributed a decree in July advising scientists to brief the ministry in detail about upcoming meetings with foreign counterparts and to seek approval from bosses…
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FC Porto Blocked Russians From Watching FC Krasnodar Victory, TV Channel Says
Update: FC Porto has denied the allegations. Comment added below. Football fans in Russia were abruptly blocked from watching FC Krasnodar spring a major upset against FC Porto Tuesday after the Portuguese side reportedly spiked the price for broadcasting rights before the game, Russia’s Match TV sports broadcaster has alleged. The Russian side secured a…
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Moscow Court Allows Opposition Candidate to Run Following Protest
The Moscow city court canceled a decision by the election commission to bar a Russian opposition candidate, Sergei Mitrokhin, from running in a municipal election in September, TASS news agency reported. The court ruled in favor of Mitrokhin three days after tens of thousands of protesters turned out at a rally in Moscow, in which…
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Russian Senator Slams Police Crackdown on Moscow Protests as ‘Illegal’
An ex-special forces commander and current Russian senator has called a recent police crackdown on protests in Moscow “illegal and incompetent” while the Kremlin has voiced support for the tough response. Russian authorities detained hundreds of people and launched criminal cases against dozens at a series of election protests in Moscow over the past month.…