Author Archives: admin

India Looks Toward Russian Arctic for Energy Development

“India is tuned toward interaction with Russia in the Arctic,” says a joint declaration signed this week by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Russia-India Summit in Vladivostok. “India is following the development of the Arctic region and is ready to play an important role in the Arctic Council,” the declaration…

Ukraine Releases Key MH17 Witness Amid Prisoner Swap Talks With Russia

A court in Kiev has ruled Thursday to release a potential key witness in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 as Ukraine and Russia gear up for a highly anticipated prisoner exchange. Volodymyr Tsemakh had faced prison time for fighting on the side of pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine, leading observers to speculate that…

Putin Says Major Russian Prisoner Swap With Ukraine Is Close

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that a major prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine was close, after a court in Kiev freed on bail a man suspected of involvement in the downing of a Malaysia Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine in 2014. Ukraine is hoping to secure the release of dozens of prisoners, including 24 sailors…

Russian Woman Brings Grenade to FSB Building

Authorities have launched an inspection after an unnamed woman brought a grenade to the Federal Security Service (FSB) building in central Moscow, the Moskva news agency reported Thursday. The explosive device was reportedly seized from the 34-year-old Moscow region resident at the FSB’s reception hall late on Wednesday. “The woman explained that it was a…

Russians Blame Siberian Wildfires on Illegal Logging, Authorities’ Inaction – Poll

Most Russians believe that wildfires have swept across Siberia this summer because of illegal logging and the authorities’ negligence, according to a new poll published by the independent Levada Center pollster. Activists and environmentalists have decried the authorities’ slow response to the fires, which at their peak covered an area the size of Belgium and…

Putin Rebuffs Call by Japan’s Abe to Sign WWII Peace Treaty

Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on Thursday that Tokyo’s military ties with the United States and many other issues made it hard for Japan and Russia to sign a World War Two peace treaty. Putin made the comment at an economic forum in Russia’s Far East after Abe called on…

India Will Offer Russia $1Bln Loan to Develop Far East, Indian PM Says

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Kremlin Seeks to Monitor Russians’ Online Activity – Reports

The Kremlin is in talks to set up a system to monitor what Russian internet users watch online, the Vedomosti business daily reported Thursday, citing unnamed government sources. Russia has in recent years attempted to curb internet freedoms by blocking access to certain websites and messaging services such as Telegram. The country has required search…

As Discontent Simmers, Russia’s Ruling Party Dons Camouflage in Countrywide Elections

Ahead of Sunday’s nationwide regional elections, Russia’s most prominent opposition leader, Alexei Navalny, is urging voters dissatisfied with the status quo to ignore their ideological beliefs and focus solely on casting the ruling United Russia party out of power. But in the Russian capital, voters heading to the polls to select deputies for the Moscow…

India’s Russian Arms Purchases Hit ‘Breakthrough’ $14.5Bln, Official Says

India has ordered a “breakthrough” $14.5 billion of Russian-made weapons since last year despite sanctions pressure from the United States, Russia’s Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation (FSVTS) has said. India is the largest buyer of Russian military hardware, having signed a $5 billion deal for Russian S-400 surface to air missile systems last…

‘Stick, Then Carrot’: Why Are Moscow Protest Charges Being Dropped?

Russian media have dubbed Tuesday “Judgment Day” for the number of court decisions related to this summer’s wave of Moscow anti-government protests that took place.  A blogger was sentenced to five years behind bars over a tweet that seemingly threatened the families of security officers accused of violently detaining protesters. The court’s seemingly contradictory move…

Powered by LNG, Russian Tanker Sails Arctic Route to China

The 250-meter long Korolev Prospect tanker set out from Murmansk fully loaded with oil on August 28. Seven days into its eastbound course, it reached Cape Dezhnev in the Bering Strait. The tanker is expected to arrive in a Chinese port by Sept. 14. It is the first time that an LNG-powered tanker will transit across…

Russia Is Warming Disproportionately Fast, Environment Ministry Says

Climate change is heating Russia at a faster rate than the rest of the world, the country’s environment ministry has said in a draft report of environmental data for 2018. Earlier reports have predicted that climate change will bring epidemics, drought and mass hunger to Russia if left unchecked. Melting permafrost in the Russian Arctic…

Bolstered by Sanctions, Russia’s Fledgling Cheese Industry Takes First Steps

When Russian President Vladimir Putin slapped a tit-for-tat embargo on Western dairy products five years ago, cheese lovers lamented the replacement of parmesan camembert and cheddar on store shelves with bland, Russian-made substitutes filled with palm oil and other cheap additives.  But for one man, the embargo was a dream come true.  “I’m very grateful…

Moscow to Re-Examine Soviet-Era Arctic Drill Site for Oil and Gas Potential

The Russian government has commissioned a new analysis of well samples at a drill site in a Norwegian Arctic archipelago used by the Soviet Union nearly 50 years ago. The Grumantskaya-1 well proved to be an underwhelming gas resource and was soon abandoned by Soviet authorities. Half a century later, Moscow is again interested in the…

Russia Moves to Legalize Epilepsy Drug After Mothers Accused of Drug Smuggling

Russia is planning to legalize a prescription drug used to treat epilepsy which almost landed two mothers in jail this summer after they had ordered the unregulated pharmaceutical online for their epileptic children.  The drug smuggling accusations against the two mothers have sparked calls to re-register the epilepsy drug that Russia’s health minister said had no demand…

Russia, India Back Legitimate Trade Ties With Iran

Russia and India said on Wednesday they planned to continue legitimate economic and trade cooperation with Iran, the state-run RIA news agency reported, citing a joint statement issued after talks between the two country’s leaders. The statement was released after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks at an economic…

Germany’s Deutsche Welle Snubs Russian Duma’s Foreign Meddling Panel

German media outlet Deutsche Welle has turned down an invitation to attend Russian lawmakers’ hearings on alleged foreign interference over this summer’s anti-government protests, saying its journalism standards make such meddling impossible. Weeks of demonstrations over elections for the Moscow city legislature have become the biggest sustained protest movement in Russia since 2011-2013. The Foreign…

Bulgaria Condemns Russian Exhibit Lauding WWII ‘Liberation’ of Eastern Europe

Bulgaria lambasted a World War II exhibition organized by the Russian Embassy marking “the liberation of Eastern Europe from Nazism,” saying the region had instead been subjected to a half-century of repression by “Soviet army bayonets.” In a statement, the Foreign Ministry of Bulgaria — which for decades a Soviet satellite in Eastern Europe but now…

Moscow Protesters Sentenced in ‘New Bolotnaya’ Case

Russian authorities have begun handing jail sentences to activists on protest-related charges after they took to the streets in support of fair elections this summer. The Investigative Committee opened criminal proceedings following the July 27 opposition protest and placed 14 suspects of what it called mass civil unrest in pre-trial detention. Charges of mass civil unrest carry a…

Russian Fighter Jet Crashes, Both Pilots Found Dead

Two pilots’ bodies have been found a day after their Su-25 fighter jet had crashed during a training flight in southern Russia, rescue services told newswires Wednesday. Searches had been underway since Tuesday afternoon for the two pilots, who had ejected from the Sukhoi Su-25 ground attack jet in the Stavropol region, Interfax cited the…

Russian Nuclear Blast Debris Is Still Emitting Radiation, Reports Say

Journalists in northern Russia have measured high levels of radiation near two abandoned boats that were brought ashore following last month’s mysterious accident during a test at a military site that has raised international concerns and safety fears. Five nuclear engineers and two Defense Ministry employees were killed after a liquid propulsion system exploded on…

Russia Open to Private Companies Developing Energy-Rich Arctic Shelf, Minister Says

Russia’s natural resources and environment minister said on Wednesday he supported allowing private oil and gas companies to work on the Arctic shelf. Speaking to reporters at an economic forum in the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok, the minister, Dmitry Kobylkin, said he supported “any decision linked to an increase in investment in projects…

City Where Chernobyl Was Filmed Fears Real-Life Nuclear Disaster

Its streets helped form the backdrop for this year’s hit TV show Chernobyl, which depicted a deadly explosion at the Soviet-era nuclear plant in 1986. Now, the Baltic city of Vilnius is preparing for its own potential real-life atomic catastrophe. The Lithuanian capital is on edge over the imminent opening of a nuclear-power facility just…

North Caucasus Brochure Tells Women to ‘Defer’ to Men

Authorities in Russia’s predominantly Muslim republic of Ingushetia have issued a brochure for the new school year instructing women to “defer” to men no matter their age. The brochure “promoting the Ingush people’s traditional values” includes visual depictions of the “Ingush code of conduct” and is printed in Russian and Ingush as well as English.…

Russia Charges U.S. Student With Drug Possession Over Medical Marijuana

A New York-based film student has been charged with drug possession in St. Petersburg for allegedly bringing medical marijuana into the country.  Russia bans the circulation of drugs including marijuana and other cannabinoids, whose use is legalized in certain U.S. states and European countries. U.S. citizen Audrey Elizabeth Lorber was allegedly found in possession of…

Russian Fighter Jet Crashes, Pilots’ Fate Unknown

A Su-25 fighter jet crashed during a training flight in southern Russia, news agencies reported Tuesday, citing the Defense Ministry. Searches are underway for the two pilots who had ejected from the Sukhoi Su-25 ground attack jet in the Stavropol region, Interfax cited the Defense Ministry as saying. The plane reportedly crashed in a deserted…

Russia Shuts Down Radioactive Kindergarten in Siberia

A kindergarten in a coal-mining region of Siberia has been temporarily shut down after an inspection uncovered high levels of the radioactive gas radon. Humans cannot see, smell or taste radon, a gas that causes cancer. It is created from the natural decay of uranium in soil and rocks and can seep into homes through…

Moscow Couples Keep Parental Rights After Bringing Children to Protests

Two Russian couples have gotten away with a warning after authorities had threatened to strip them of parental rights over their young children for taking them to unauthorized anti-Kremlin rallies in Moscow. The two couples faced losing custody after being filmed with their children at what the authorities said were unauthorized rallies in support of…

Russian Blogger Jailed for 5 Years Over ‘Hateful’ Tweet

A Russian blogger has been sentenced to five years in jail for a tweet that the authorities said advocated violence against the children of law enforcement officers at the height of this summer’s opposition protests in Moscow. Thousands took to the streets and hundreds were detained, sometimes violently, on July 27 during unauthorized demonstrations in…

Most Russians Don’t Believe ‘Western Meddling’ Is to Blame for Moscow Protests, Poll Says

A majority of Russians don’t believe in the authorities’ claim that Western powers are to blame for election protests in Moscow this summer, according to the independent Levada Center polling agency. Weeks of demonstrations over elections for the city legislature have turned into the biggest sustained protest movement in Russia since 2011-2013. Russia has accused the…

Jeans Retailer Becomes First Major Russian Brand to Feature Hijab-Wearing Model

One of Russia’s 200 most successful private companies has become the first major brand to feature a model wearing a hijab, an Islamic headscarf, in one of its advertisements. Russia has had a conflicted relationship with allowing Muslim girls and women to wear headscarves. In 2017, a village school in Russia’s predominantly Muslim republic of…

Russian Opposition Activist Sobol Detained Following Moscow Protest

Russian opposition activist Lyubov Sobol, an ally of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, was detained by police on Monday after a weekend protest in Moscow, Navalny’s spokeswoman said on Twitter. A few thousand Russians took to the streets of Moscow on Saturday to demand free elections to the capital’s city legislature on Sept. 8, defying a…

Surviving Moscow as a Refugee DJ From Zimbabwe

Moscow hosted a new dance party last week featuring a line-up composed exclusively of refugees who are DJs. The Civic Assistance Committee, a Russian NGO that helps migrants in Moscow, hosted the event.

Meet Simba, a DJ from Zimbabwe, as he shares the difficulties and hopes of life in Russia’s capital.

Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Rips New Space Center

A series of corruption scandals, cost overruns and mishaps at Russia’s new Vostochny Cosmodrome have brought long-simmering questions about the leadership of the country’s space agency into public view. “The situation is unacceptable for everyone, including the construction of the first stage and the second stage” of the space center, Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov…

‘Create a New Society’: Russian Lawmakers Order Gene-Editing Tech

Russian lawmakers have ordered a study on assisted human reproduction, including a cutting-edge and controversial gene-editing technology that would create a “new type of society.” New gene-editing tools such as CRISPR/Cas9 have made it possible to rearrange the genetic code much more precisely and at lower costs than before. A Chinese scientist caused outrage last…

Kremlin Critic Khodorkovsky Wants Film to Open West’s Eyes About Putin’s Russia

Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky hopes a new documentary film about his life chronicling his journey from being Russia’s richest man to an exiled dissident will open the West’s eyes to the nature of modern Russia. The film, “Citizen K,” was made by Oscar-winning U.S. filmmaker Alex Gibney and premiered at the Venice Film festival this…

Iran Says It Welcomes Russian Proposal For Security in Gulf

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said on Monday after talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov that Tehran welcomed a Russian proposal for ensuring security in the Gulf.

Iran and Russia’s energy ministers were also holding talks in Moscow on Monday, Lavrov told reporters at a joint news conference with Zarif. 

Tensions Are Flaring Between Georgia and Russia-Backed South Ossetia. Here’s What’s Happened

The international community has called for restraint as Georgia warned of a “serious confrontation” with the Russian-backed breakaway territory of South Ossetia last week. Only Moscow and a handful of other states have recognized the independence of South Ossetia after Russia and Georgia fought a five-day war over the region in August 2008. Russian troops…

Crimea Invites Iran to Use Its Ports as a U.S. Sanctions Workaround – Official

Crimea has offered Iran access to its ports as a way for Tehran to avoid Western sanctions on oil exports, a senior official in the annexed region’s Kremlin-backed administration told Russian media. Iran is increasingly looking for alternative trade routes to skirt tensions in the Persian Gulf brought on by U.S. sanctions. The OPEC member’s…

Trying to Maintain Momentum as Election Approaches, Moscow Protests Again

On the last official day of summer in Russia, several thousand people in Moscow turned out for what has become the flavor of the season: the Saturday protest.  But the turnout was lower and the mood subdued compared with previous demonstrations in this year’s summer of discontent, which saw as many as 50,000 people at…