Day: September 14, 2020
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Russia to Field 3 New Parties in 2021 State Duma Race
Three newly registered political parties will be able to take part in Russia’s State Duma elections next year without collecting the required voter signatures, Central Election Commission chief Ella Pamfilova said Monday. While the For Truth, New People and Green Alternative parties have varying ideological platforms, some analysts have linked their appearance to a Kremlin strategy…
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Russia Considers Stripping Coronavirus Bonuses From Medics Who Refuse Vaccine – Reports
Russian health officials have proposed depriving medics of promised coronavirus payouts if they refuse to vaccinate against the infection, the Medvestnik medical news website has reported. President Vladimir Putin this spring promised monthly bonuses ranging from $300 to $1,000 for doctors and other medical professionals treating Covid-19 patients. Russian doctors have since reported being underpaid…
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Navalny Taken Off Ventilator as Novichok Recovery Continues – German Hospital
Alexei Navalny has been removed from his ventilator and is able to get out of bed, Berlin’s Charité hospital said Monday as the prominent Kremlin critic’s condition continues to improve after what Germany said was a poisoning by the Novichok nerve agent. Last week, Charité announced that Navalny had been taken out of his medically induced…
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On and Off the Trans-Siberian Train: The Drag Racer
Vladivostok, Far East Sergei, 28 years old I was born on Sakhalin. I’m a drag racer. The culture of drag racing came to us from the USA. It’s simple: two cars line up, then race for a quarter mile (402 meters). The faster car wins. A time under 10 seconds is considered to be fast,…
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Macron Urges Putin To Shed Light on ‘Attempted Murder’ of Navalny – Presidency
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday urged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to urgently shed light on the “attempted murder” of opposition figure Alexei Navalny, after French tests confirmed the use of the Novichok nerve agent, the Elysee said. Macron told Putin in telephone talks that it is “imperative that all light be shed, without…
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Belarus Opposition Leader Criticizes Putin’s Talks With ‘Usurper’ Lukashenko
Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskya has criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to hold talks with “usurper” Alexander Lukashenko rather than the Belarusian people. Tikhanovskaya’s statement comes ahead of one-on-one talks between Putin and Lukashenko in Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi on Monday. The talks follow a month of mass protests that broke out…
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Remote Learning Takes Toll on Russian Schoolkids’ Mental Health – Poll
Online learning in the coronavirus era has affected the mental health of an overwhelming majority of Russian schoolchildren, according to a survey cited by the RBC news website Monday. Russian schools went on a three-week holiday in mid-March at the start of the pandemic, switching to distance learning entirely as the number of cases spiked…
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French, Swedish Labs Confirm Navalny’s Novichok Poisoning, Germany Says
Three labs have independently confirmed that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with the Novichok nerve agent, Germany said Monday, renewing calls for Russia to explain the incident. Germany said earlier this month it had “unquestionable proof” that Navalny, 44, was poisoned with Novichok when he fell ill after boarding a flight in Siberia on…
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Putin Backs Lukashenko as Belarus Leader Vows Closer Ties
President Vladimir Putin on Monday backed embattled Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko and promised a $1.5 billion loan as the Belarusian strongman vowed to strengthen ties with Moscow. Lukashenko thanked Putin and vowed to stick closer to “elder brother” Moscow during one-to-one talks at the Russian president’s residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi that…
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Putin Backs Lukashenko’s ‘Eventual Succession’ in Belarus – Bloomberg
Russian President Vladimir Putin will encourage steps toward an “eventual succession” in Belarus but will not accept the opposition coming to power through street protests, Bloomberg reported Sunday. Moscow doesn’t trust embattled Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko but is “determined” not to see protesters topple his rule, Bloomberg cited five unnamed sources close to the Kremlin…