Year: 2020

There have been 599,075 cases of coronavirus infection reported in Russia so far and 8,359 deaths. June 23: 3 things you need to know today Starting Tuesday, Moscow’s indoor dining, fitness clubs, swimming pools and public sports and recreation facilities will reopen after being closed for months due to the coronavirus. More than one-quarter of Russians know at least…

A court in Moscow on Tuesday upheld U.S. investor Michael Calvey’s house arrest on fraud charges despite the revelation that he has a malignant tumor. Calvey faces embezzlement charges that he says are being used to pressure him in a business dispute. A Moscow court had ruled last month to extend the house arrest of…

Criminal investigators in St. Petersburg have attempted to question an activist who used children’s toys to protest against a vote on constitutional amendments that would allow President Vladimir Putin to extend his rule into 2036. Sonya Ulyasheva, a spokeswoman for the Vesna democratic movement, had posted photographs of the toy protests as on offshoot of the #MiniProtest…

Russian health workers treating coronavirus patients across the country say they are being pressured by their superiors to vote on constitutional amendments that would allow President Vladimir Putin to stay in power through 2036. “We simply don’t have a choice,” a doctor at the Syktivkar Republic Infectious Diseases hospital in Russia’s remote northern republic of…

Russia’s state statistics agency published higher coronavirus death figures for April than previously reported because it receives more complete data than the national coronavirus crisis center, its chief has said. The Federal Statistics Service, or Rosstat, more than doubled April’s death toll to 2,712 earlier this month after including cases where Covid-19 may not have directly…

A former U.S. marine convicted of espionage in Russia this month will not appeal, his lawyer told news agencies Tuesday, and hopes instead to be exchanged in a prisoner swap. “(Paul) Whelan will not appeal. He does not believe in Russian justice,” his lawyer Vladimir Zherebenkov told Interfax.  “He hopes that in the near future…

Russia appears to have recognized a gay marriage by sending a tax return to a prominent LGBT rights activist who had married his husband in the United States, the activist said Monday. This is at least the second time Russian officials have unintentionally recognized a gay marriage due to a legal loophole in the country’s…

Moscow lifted restrictions including compulsory travel passes on June 8, a move welcomed by residents who rushed out to enjoy the streets and parks. Many other regions are lifting lockdown restrictions as Russia is preparing to hold a July 1 national vote despite the pandemic.    President Vladimir Putin is seeking public backing for constitutional amendments that…

Russian companies are racing to send drones into the Arctic as the country expands its foothold in the forbidding region and climate change gradually opens shipping lanes, experts told Forbes magazine. Manned crews in the Arctic face aircraft icing, volatile sea ice and extreme temperatures without support or communications infrastructure, the U.S. defense think tank…

Defense lawyers for a Russian suspect on trial over the downing of flight MH17 called Monday for more investigation of alternative theories including that a Ukrainian fighter jet was to blame. Prosecutors in the trial in the Netherlands say the Malaysia Airlines plane, which was shot down in 2014 and all 298 people on board…

Anti-Kremlin activist and Pussy Riot member Pyotr Verzilov has been sentenced to 15 days in jail on charges of public swearing after he was attacked outside a Moscow police station, the Mediazona news website, which he publishes, reported Monday. Verzilov disappeared early Sunday after unidentified men broke down his apartment door and arrested him. He reappeared…

One of the first wind power stations in Russia sits on the Commander Islands — a group of scrubby, sparsely inhabited mountainous rocks 100 miles off the country’s eastern coast in the Bering Sea. Started with a donation of two turbines from Denmark in the 1990s, the mini wind farm was designed to halve the…

As if a global pandemic and months of quarantine weren’t enough to drown our spirits, Moscow was hit with heavy rains and hail over the weekend, leading to flash floods that flooded streets and passageways. While two people are reported to have been hit by lightning during the storm, Muscovites nonetheless trudged through the weather…

There have been 592,280 cases of coronavirus infection reported in Russia so far and 8,206 deaths. June 22: 3 things you need to know today Dozens of Russian World War II veterans who plan to attend the rescheduled Victory Day parade on Red Square on June 24 are self-isolating outside Moscow in order to protect President Vladimir Putin from…

One of Europe’s largest low-cost carriers Wizz Air said it plans to open its first base in Russia with five European routes from St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport starting this September. Pulkovo this year became Russia’s first airport to permit “seventh freedom flights,” which allow international carriers to operate flights outside their country of registration. Russia…

President Vladimir Putin paid homage to Russia’s World War II dead on Monday as he visited an enormous new Orthodox cathedral built to honor the military. Nearly 100 meters (330 feet) high and crowned by six golden domes, the Cathedral of the Armed Forces in a military theme park outside Moscow is now Russia’s third-largest…

Russian prosecutors on Monday called for a six-year prison sentence for acclaimed director Kirill Serebrennikov, accused of embezzling public funds in a case that has stirred criticism at home and abroad. Serebrennikov is charged with creating an organized criminal group with his colleagues and embezzling more than $2 million of state funding for a theatre…

A court in St. Petersburg has sentenced two members of an anti-fascist activist group on terrorism charges, the final verdicts in a case the authorities say has prevented high-profile attacks and rights groups condemn as fabricated, the Mediazona news website reported Monday. Eight members of the Set activist group — Russian for “Network” — were…

Russia recorded an all-time heat record above the Arctic Circle on Saturday as Siberia continues to swelter under a historic heatwave, according to Russian weather data. The extreme weather in the town of Verkhoyansk comes as Siberia has seen a prolonged heatwave linked to wildfires, a massive oil spill thought to have been caused by…

New Zealand police revealed Monday they had frozen NZ$140 million (US$90 million) in assets linked to a Russian man accused of laundering money for organized crime using cyber currency. Police said they acted after discovering funds belonging to Alexander Vinnik, who is in custody in France facing fraud charges, were being held in a New…

President Vladimir Putin could seek another term in office if Russians vote next week in favor of constitutional amendments that would “zero out” his previous four terms, he said in a new interview ahead of the vote.  Putin’s changes to the country’s basic law, which he and Russia’s Constitutional Court approved in March, contain a…

Moscow lifted restrictions including compulsory travel passes on June 8, a move welcomed by residents who rushed out to enjoy the streets and parks. Many other regions are lifting lockdown restrictions as Russia is preparing to hold a July 1 national vote despite the pandemic.    President Vladimir Putin is seeking public backing for constitutional amendments that…

Prosecutors said Saturday they would charge four men in connection with violence blamed on Chechens in the eastern French city of Dijon, as local people marched calling for the resignation of the top local official. Three of the four suspects are Russians, while the fourth is French of Russian origin, prosecutor Eric Mathais told journalists.…

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday hailed “hero” doctors who died during the coronavirus epidemic, comparing them to battlefield medics from past wars. Putin, who spoke ahead of next month’s controversial vote that is expected to extend his hold on power until 2036, also promised awards and more bonuses for health personnel. This week the…

There have been 584,680 cases of coronavirus infection reported in Russia so far and 8,111 deaths. June 21: 3 things you need to know today Dozens of Russian World War II veterans who plan to attend the rescheduled Victory Day parade on Red Square on June 24 are self-isolating outside Moscow in order to protect President Vladimir Putin from…

There have been 576,952 cases of coronavirus infection reported in Russia so far and 8,002 deaths. June 20: 3 things you need to know today Dozens of Russian World War II veterans who plan to attend the rescheduled Victory Day parade on Red Square on June 24 are self-isolating outside Moscow in order to protect President Vladimir Putin from…

Moscow lifted restrictions including compulsory travel passes on June 8, a move welcomed by residents who rushed out to enjoy the streets and parks. Many other regions are lifting lockdown restrictions as Russia is preparing to hold a July 1 national vote despite the pandemic.    President Vladimir Putin is seeking public backing for constitutional amendments that…

The United States and Russia on Monday open talks on their last major nuclear agreement — but for some observers, it may simply be the beginning of the end. President Donald Trump’s administration has insisted, to no avail, that China join the discussions in Vienna on New START, the treaty that caps U.S. and Russian…

Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov on Friday backed compatriots involved in clashes in French city Dijon this month, saying they were protecting one of their own because police failed to act. Kadyrov’s message came as French police carried out raids and made several arrests of Chechens after several nights of violence blamed on members of the…

Russia on Friday said the new space strategy unveiled by the U.S. this week was “aggressive,” accusing Washington of seeing space as a place to wage war.  “The document confirms the agressive course by Washington in the space sphere,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “Space is seen by the U.S. side as an…

The Russian Premier League emerges from its coronavirus lockdown Friday with Rostov forced to field a team of inexperienced youngsters at Sochi with their main side in quarantine. Rostov had tried to get the game postponed after six players tested positive for Covid-19. But hosts Sochi pushed for the fixture to go ahead as they…

Russian authorities plan to build a “flexible pipeline” to pump out toxic fuel collected from the site of the largest-ever oil spill in the Arctic. More than 21,000 metric tons of diesel leaked into soil and rivers after a fuel tank collapsed on May 29 at a power plant near the Siberian city of Norilsk.…

The European Union has agreed to extend punishing sanctions against Russia over the conflict in Ukraine by six months, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday. The sanctions, which target whole sectors of the Russian economy including its valuable oil businesses, were due to expire this month but “would be extended by six months,” said Merkel…

Moscow’s main streets were hit with some unusually heavy traffic — literally — Thursday evening as military vehicles and tanks rolled toward Red Square in a rehearsal for next week’s Victory Day parade. The parade, which will take place June 24, was postponed from its original date of May 9 due to the coronavirus. Muscovites…

Russians voting on constitutional amendments that would allow President Vladimir Putin to extend his rule are putting their lives at risk because the coronavirus pandemic is still widespread, a regional health official has warned. The vote for Putin’s reforms, which he already signed into law in March, was postponed from its original date in April…

President Alexander Lukashenko on Friday accused foreign powers of seeking to destabilize Belarus as he intensifies a crackdown on the opposition ahead of August’s election. In power since 1994, Lukashenko is seeking a sixth term in the Aug. 9 presidential election.  Several of his critics including former banker Viktor Babaryko, seen as Lukashenko’s leading election…

A former Russian governor who sued President Vladimir Putin over his dismissal has died at age 58 from coronavirus complications, Interfax reported Thursday. Mikhail Ignatyev was hospitalized in critical condition with pneumonia in both lungs and placed on oxygen support last month. He became the first ex-governor to sue Putin over what he said was…

Russia’s constitutional amendments will bring back the Soviet era and end Russia being “ruled by Uncle Sam,” the governor of a southern Siberian region has said in support of the reforms. The amendments, which President Vladimir Putin signed into law in March and Russian voters are expected to back in a July 1 vote, reset…

French police carried out raids in the eastern city of Dijon on Friday after several nights of violence blamed on members of its Chechen community, officials said. “The police operations are aimed at finding weapons, ammunition and narcotics,” said Bernard Schmeltz, the government’s top official for the region. Around 140 officers took part in the…

There have been 569,063 cases of coronavirus infection reported in Russia so far and 7,841 deaths. June 19: 3 things you need to know today Dozens of Russian World War II veterans who plan to attend the rescheduled Victory Day parade on Red Square on June 24 are self-isolating outside Moscow in order to protect President Vladimir Putin from…

Sergei Khrushchev, the son of former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, has died in the United States at age 84, his granddaughter told the RBC news website Thursday. Sergei Khrushchev has held both U.S. and Russian citizenships since 1999, eight years after moving to Providence, Rhode Island, and resided permanently in the U.S.  His granddaughter Nina…

President Vladimir Putin’s close associates are the biggest beneficiaries of the country’s 2 trillion ruble ($28.7 billion) waste disposal reforms, according to an analysis of contracts by Russia’s Important Stories investigative website published Thursday. Companies linked to close Putin associates Sergei Chemezov, Arkady Rotenberg and Yury Kovalchuk, as well as former prosecutor general Igor Chaika,…

Belarussian authorities on Thursday detained President Alexander Lukashenko’s rival ahead of August’s election as Minsk intensified a crackdown on the opposition. The detention of Viktor Babaryko, a 56-year-old former banker, on suspicion of financial crimes came after authorities jailed other critics including prominent opposition politician Mikola Statkevich ahead of an election in which Lukashenko is…

Russian President Vladimir Putin has attacked European leaders for failing to understand the “real lessons” of World War II and said the United Nations system is the only way for the world’s nuclear powers to avoid direct military confrontation. In an essay published Thursday evening in U.S. magazine The National Interest, Putin blames the Western…

The Russian Premier League is due to return this weekend after three months in cold storage, but the perils of trying to restart in the midst of a pandemic have been highlighted as the entire FK Rostov squad has been placed in quarantine after six players tested positive for coronavirus. The announcement of the positive…

Update: Belarussian authorities on Thursday detained Babaryko on suspicion of financial crimes, the head of the state control committee said. “Babaryko is detained because he was the organiser and leader of illegal activities, (and) tried to influence witness testimony,” committee chief Ivan Tertel told reporters.  A former banker vying to unseat the longtime leader of Belarus…

The European Union on Thursday rolled over for another year tough sanctions imposed over Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.  The measures prohibit certain exports and imports from Crimea, and ban EU-based companies from investment and tourism services in the strategic Black Sea peninsula. “The Council today decided to renew the sanctions introduced in…

There have been 561,091 cases of coronavirus infection reported in Russia so far and 7,660 deaths. June 18: 3 things you need to know today Dozens of Russian World War II veterans who plan to attend the rescheduled Victory Day parade on Red Square on June 24 are self-isolating outside Moscow in order to protect President Vladimir Putin from…

Russia has halted its largely unsuccessful two-year efforts to block the popular messaging service Telegram. Russia’s federal media watchdog Roskomnadzor made the surprise announcement Thursday, citing Telegram founder Pavel Durov’s “stated readiness to counter terrorism and extremism.” “In agreement with the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, Roskomnadzor is lifting demands to restrict access to Telegram,” Roskomnadzor…

An Orthodox diocese in central Russia has warned an ultraconservative priest who denies the existence of the coronavirus to give up his siege of the women’s monastery where he is a spiritual leader. Father Sergei was reported to have enlisted Cossack fighters as guards — an assertion that they deny — after capturing the Sredneuralsk…

“At an unknown date before 18 July 2019, the accused received the order from authorities at the central government of the Russian Federation to liquidate the Georgian national of Chechen origin, Tornike K.,” said federal prosecutors in a statement that named the killer as Vadim K., alias Vadim S. The victim, a former Chechen commander,…

Nearly 500 Russian medics who tested positive for the coronavirus have died, the head of the state health watchdog said Thursday, a far higher figure than given before. “489 — that is medics, unfortunately we have lost almost 500 of our colleagues,” Roszdravnadzor watchdog chief Alla Samoilova said at an online conference on safety for…

French police on Thursday detained six members of the Chechen community on suspicion of taking part in successive nights of violence that rocked the eastern city of Dijon, prosecutors said. From Friday to Monday, Dijon was rocked by clashes and vehicle burnings after an assault this month on a 16-year-old Chechen boy that prompted other…