Day: December 25, 2020
-
Russian Covid Art and Online Culture Highlights of 2020
When the pandemic hit Russia in the spring and the city went under an almost complete lockdown, communication and creativity did not stop. Cultural institutions launched in record time a huge variety of online activities that were different but not always worse than in-house events. And they had one great advantage: they had a rapt…
-
Russia Imposes 14-Day Quarantine for UK Arrivals Due to Mutated Virus
Russia will impose a 14-day quarantine requirement on individuals arriving from the U.K. starting Dec. 26 due to the spread of a more-contagious coronavirus strain in southeastern England, state consumer protection watchdog Rospotrebnadzor has ordered. All arriving passengers with the exception of aircraft crew members must self-isolate at home for 14 days after entering Russia,…
-
‘Russian Napoleon’ Jailed for Dismembering Lover
A decorated Russian historian has received a lengthy prison sentence for murdering and dismembering his young lover, St. Petersburg-based media reported Friday. Oleg Sokolov, 64, who taught at St. Petersburg State University, was pulled out of the Moika River with severed arms in his bag last November. He confessed to shooting his former student and…
-
Russia Jails Ex-Official 15 Years in High-Profile Corruption Case
A former Moscow region official has been sentenced to 15 years in a maximum-security prison on corruption charges Friday, more than a year after a dramatic court hearing during which he attempted to take his own life. Alexander Shestun, the former head of the Serpukhov district of the Moscow region, was found guilty of taking…
-
Russia Probes Navalny Ally for ‘Threatening Suspected Poisoner’
Russian authorities on Friday launched a criminal probe into an ally of Kremlin foe Alexei Navalny and raided her flat for allegedly threatening a man Navalny said took part in his poisoning. Investigators accused Lyubov Sobol of trespassing “with the use of violence or a threat to use it” after she rang the doorbell of…
-
Scientists Sound the Alarm Over Fast-Shrinking Caspian Sea
Western European scientists are ringing the alarm as the Caspian Sea shrinks due to climate change, saying the falling water levels presage a fast-approaching ecocide and the loss of unique local species. The Caspian Sea is the world’s largest inland body of water and borders southern Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. By the end…
-
Russian Role in C.Africa Grows Ahead of Weekend Vote
Russia’s growing role in the volatile Central African Republic was in the spotlight this week, after Moscow dispatched military instructors following a rebel threat to disrupt Sunday’s elections. Moscow has led a diplomatic and financial offensive in the deeply troubled nation since 2018 in return for concessions given to its companies to exploit the country’s…
-
Russia Slaps Foreign Media, NGOs with ‘Foreign Agent’ and ‘Undesirable Org’ Labels
Russia has listed four NGOs, two civil society groups and one media outlet as “foreign agents” and “undesirable organizations” amid a renewed crackdown on critical voices this week. The Justice Ministry labeled three AIDS service organizations and one educational affiliate of exiled oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s Open Russia pro-democracy group as “foreign agents” Monday. St. Petersburg’s…
-
ROSATOM became a leader of sustainable development indexes sized by RSPP
The Committee for Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP) December 23 announced results of calculations of sustainable development indexes (ESG indexes) “Responsibility and Openness” and “Sustainable Development Vector” of 2020. ROSATOM became a leader in both groups (43 companies won highest results in the index “Responsibility…
-
$1M of Iranian Cash Stashed in Vodka Box Stolen From Russian Foreign Ministry
A vodka box stuffed with more than $1 million of Iranian cash was stolen from the Russian Foreign Ministry building last year, the government confirmed Thursday following media reports. Russia had received the $1.5 million stashed in an Absolut vodka box and two bags via diplomatic pouch in November 2019 as a payment for consular…
-
Russian Police Raid Navalny Ally’s Flat After Trick Call
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said police early Friday raided the apartment of an ally and detained her after he tricked a security service agent into admitting he was poisoned. Navalny, 44, on Monday said he had impersonated an official in the Kremlin’s Security Council and got an admission of guilt from a toxins expert…