Day: September 22, 2020
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Russian Authorities Mull Chartering China ‘Surrogate Baby Plane’
Russian authorities are considering chartering a plane from China to fly over parents who have been estranged from their babies born to surrogates in Russia due to coronavirus restrictions, they said Tuesday. With the practice banned in China, parents pay to have surrogate babies abroad, but the system has been tipped into chaos by the pandemic, which…
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Board of Directors takes note of information on Standard for Procurement of Large-Diameter Pipes
September 22, 2020, 19:55 The Board of Directors reviewed the issue of the improvement, jointly with Gazprom’s representatives, of the Standard for Procurement of Large-Diameter Pipes (LDPs) by Gazprom Group entities, which was previously developed by the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) of Russia together with the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation. It was noted at the meeting that LDPs are among Gazprom’s essential material…
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Board of Directors reviews ongoing activities for creating single operators of network facilities in NCFD
September 22, 2020, 19:50 The Gazprom Board of Directors reviewed the information on the creation of single operators of network facilities in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation that form part of the North Caucasus Federal District (NCFD), with transfer of network assets onto their balance sheet. It was noted that Gazprom pays the utmost attention to the modernization of gas facilities in the NCFD. In 2018, in accordance with…
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Gazprom continues work towards identifying ownerless gas networks in Russian regions
September 22, 2020, 19:45 The Gazprom Board of Directors reviewed the information on the measures undertaken to inventory ownerless gas facilities in Russian regions, as well as to optimize the procedure of their transfer to specialized organizations for further operation in line with the laws of the Russian Federation. It was noted that operation of ownerless gas distribution facilities (gas networks that have no lawful owners and are lacking proper technical…
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Board of Directors reviews proposals on development of gas supplies to population
September 22, 2020, 19:40 The Gazprom Board of Directors took note of the information on the implementation of a socially-oriented and cost-effective system of gas infrastructure expansion and gas supplies to serve the needs of the population. The current procedure for cooperation within the framework of gas infrastructure expansion across Russian regions delineates responsibilities among participants as follows. The administrations of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation prepare proposals…
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Head of ROSATOM Alexey Likhachev spoke at IAEA General Conference
September 21, 2020 – On September 21, 2020, ROSATOM Director General Alexey Likhachev delivered a statement at the plenary session of the IAEA General Conference, which opened in Vienna (Austria). In his speech, he stressed that in the challenging times of the pandemic and the economic crisis it triggered, “nuclear power has yet again demonstrated…
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Nuclear icebreaker Arktika is heading to Murmansk
22 September, 2020 – On September 22, Arktika, the lead universal nuclear-powered icebreaker, departed from the completion embankment of the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg towards the Murmansk sea port. The passage is planned to take about two weeks. During this time, the nuclear icebreaker will be tested in ice conditions. “Rosatomflot is expecting the…
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ROSATOM and Syrian Atomic Energy Commission signed a Memorandum of Understanding
ROSATOM and Syrian Atomic Energy Commission signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the peaceful non-energy application of nuclear technologies. The document was signed in person in Vienna on September 21. The Memorandum was signed by ROSATOM Director General Alexey Likhachev and Director General of Syrian Atomic Energy Commission Ibrahim Othman. The Memorandum addresses…
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‘A Bag of Snickers to Survive in the Forest.’ Lukashenko Critic’s Unlikely Journey From Belarus to Poland
A week after Belarus’ contested presidential elections, senior police investigator Andrei Ostapovich decided he could no longer stay silent. He had already started to lose faith in President Alexander Lukashenko and even took part in one of the first post-election protest marches. The turning point came on his first weekend shift after the Aug. 9…
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ROSATOM and the African Commission on Nuclear Energy Will Develop Cooperation in the Field of the Use of Nuclear Energy for Peaceful Purposes
The Memorandum of Understanding between ROSATOM and the African Commission on Nuclear Energy (AFCONE) on cooperation in the field of the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes was signed in Pretoria and Moscow on the 22nd of September. The Memorandum was signed by Mr. Nikolay Spasskiy, the Deputy Director General of ROSATOM, and Mr.…
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Russia’s Giant Nuclear-Powered Icebreaker Makes Maiden Voyage
Russia’s nuclear-powered icebreaker Arktika, touted as the most powerful of its kind and a symbol of Moscow’s Arctic ambitions, set off on its maiden voyage on Tuesday. Designed to transport liquefied natural gas from the Arctic, the giant vessel is 173 meters (570 feet) long and 15 meters high. “The unique domestically-built vessel will for…
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10 Russian Lawmakers Hospitalized With Coronavirus
At least 10 members of Russia’s lower house of parliament are currently hospitalized with coronavirus and more than 50 have developed antibodies, its speaker said Tuesday. State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin admonished elderly deputies for attending in-person sessions after the legislative body came back from summer recess last week. “To date the number of those…
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Abramovich Bought ‘Secret Stakes’ in Chelsea’s Rival Players – BBC
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich used offshore companies to secretly invest in football players who were rivals to his Chelsea football club, a BBC Panorama investigation published Monday said. The information was obtained during the FinCEN Files investigation, which is led by 108 media outlets worldwide and based on thousands of leaked suspicious activity reports (SARs)…
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ROSATOM participated in the international webinar ‘Technology readiness and safety of small modular reactors’
September 18, 2020 – The webinar ‘Technology readiness and safety of small modular reactors’ hosted by National Nuclear Energy Agency of Indonesia (BATAN), brought together world’s nuclear power industry major players, including ROSATOM. The webinar, moderated by BATAN Expert M.Sc.E Johanna Maria Christina Johari, was aimed to bring the audience the understanding of nuclear energy…
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Putin Recreates Soviet-Era Political Supervision Over National Guards
President Vladimir Putin has created a new post in Russia’s National Guard to ensure ideological education and political unity amid questions over the country’s return to once-abolished Soviet practices. The Russian military has gained political influence in both domestic and foreign policy since the 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and renewed geopolitical tensions with…
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Russian Authorities Storm Siberian Commune, Arrest Messianic Cult Leader
A Siberian messianic cult leader and his deputies have been detained at one of their communes on accusations of using followers’ money and psychological violence to inflict harm, Russia’s Investigative Committee said Tuesday. Armed agents were filmed storming the Church of the Last Testament’s compound in a southern district of the Krasnoyarsk region. The agents can…
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Moscow’s Weekend Marathons Cover Land and Sea
Whether you prefer running the trails or surfing the waves, this past weekend had plenty of outdoor activities for Muscovites looking to enjoy the last of the late summer weather. Around 25,000 runners participated in the eighth annual Moscow Marathon on Sunday. The 2014 Toulouse Marathon winner Sardana Trofimova beat her own previous Moscow marathon…
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Belarus Opposition Leader: We’re Not Anti-Russian
Belarus’ opposition is not anti-Russian despite its objections to recent Russian-Belarusian deals made amid mass post-election protests, exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said in an interview published Sunday. Tikhanovskaya had on the eve of last week’s meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarus’ Alexander Lukashenko vowed to “reconsider” any newly reached agreements if she…