Author: admin
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Russian Disinformation on YouTube Draws Ads, Lacks Warning Labels, Researchers Say
Fourteen Russia-backed YouTube channels spreading disinformation have been generating billions of views and millions of dollars in advertising revenue, according to researchers, and had not been labeled as state-sponsored, contrary to the world’s most popular streaming service’s policy. The channels, including news outlets NTV and Russia-24, carried false reports ranging from a U.S. politician covering…
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Russia Will Send More Military Specialists to Venezuela If Needed – Reports
Russia is ready to send more military specialists to Venezuela if needed, Russia’s foreign ministry said according to the state-run RIA news agency. Another state news agency, TASS, quoted the ministry as saying Russia did not rule out increasing the number of its military personnel in Venezuela. Moscow has previously said that a full withdrawal…
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Moscow Traffic Congestion Among World’s Worst, Study Says
Traffic congestion in Moscow is among the worst in the world with more than half of drivers’ travel time spent in gridlock, according to research by the Dutch navigation device maker TomTom. Research published earlier this year named Moscow the world capital of traffic jams in 2018, surpassing 2017 leader Los Angeles. Drivers in the…
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Gas exports to Hungary grow 1.6-fold since early 2019
Release June 6, 2019, 19:05 A working meeting between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, and Peter Szijjarto, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, took place today at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2019. The meeting participants examined the current issues and prospects of their cooperation, putting a special focus on gas supplies. It was noted that Gazprom’s supplies to Hungary…
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Alexey Miller and Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Aleksandar Antic review status of joint projects
Background The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2019 is being held at the EXPOFORUM Convention and Exhibition Centre from June 6 to 8. This year’s key topic is Creating a Sustainable Development Agenda. In 2018, Gazprom exported to Serbia 2.15 billion cubic meters of gas, a 1.2 per cent increase from 2017 (2.12 billion cubic meters). In June 2017, Gazprom and the Serbian Ministry of Mining and Energy signed the roadmap…
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On This Day: Alexander Pushkin
Born into a noble Russian family, Alexander Pushkin was the son of Sergei Pushkin, a descendant of a family with Russian nobility tracing back to the 12th century, and Nadezhda Gannibal, a descendant of German and Scandinavian nobility. Pushkin’s maternal great-grandfather Abram Gannibal was an African page who was kidnapped, sent to Constantinople and later…
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U.S. Proposed Second Crimea Referendum in 2014, Russia Says
The United States had proposed a second referendum for Crimea to join Russia shortly after Moscow annexed the peninsula in 2014, Russia’s foreign minister has said. Moscow says an overwhelming majority of Crimeans voted to become part of Russia in a March 2014 referendum wanting protection from what the Kremlin cast as an illegal coup…
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NSR Public Council, established at the initiative of ROSATOM, holds a statutory meeting at SPIEF 2019
On June 6 on the margins of the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum 2019, a statutory meeting of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) Public Council was conducted in the mess hall of the nuclear icebreaker Arktika which is currently under construction at the Baltic Shipyard. The meeting was attended by representatives from executive and legislative…
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Putin Spokesman’s Daughter: Homosexuality ‘Unnatural’
The daughter of President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman has stirred controversy on social media for not sharing some of her followers’ concerns about homosexuality being punished by the death penalty in certain Muslim countries. Dmitry Peskov’s daughter Yelizaveta Peskova marked the end of Ramadan with an Instagram post Tuesday. There, one user asked if she was…
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Russia’s MTS Signs 5G Deal With Chinese Telecom Giant Huawei, Reports Say
Russia’s top cellphone operator MTS has signed an agreement with Huawei to develop 5G technology as the Chinese telecom giant faces escalating pressure from the United States, news agencies reported. The 5G deal was one of several cooperation agreements signed after talks on Wednesday between President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Moscow.…
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Russia’s Top Auditor Kudrin Blasts Corruption in Legal System
Russian economic growth is hampered by deep-seated corruption in the country’s legal system, the head of Russia’s auditing agency said Thursday. Audit Chamber head Alexei Kudrin told a St. Petersburg International Economic Forum panel that corruption in the Russian judiciary system goes back centuries, pointing to one of the classic Russian poet Alexander Pushkin’s works…
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ROSATOM and VTB signed the agreement on the cooperation to implement Arctic projects
ROSATOM and VTB have concluded the agreement on the cooperation to implement Arctic projects. The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Petersburg International Economic Forum. Deputy Director General and Director of Directorate of the Northern Sea Route Vyacheslav Ruksha signed the agreement for ROSATOM and Vice President and Chairman of the Board of…
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Russian Doctor and Two Coaches Banned for Doping Still Active in Sport
Three years ago, Russian athletics coach Vladimir Mokhnev was banned for 10 years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, global sport’s over-arching judicial body, for giving prohibited performance-enhancing drugs to members of the national track team. Mokhnev, the court ruled, had violated international anti-doping rules. His name was taken off Russia’s national team roster…
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Russian Troops Moved Toward Ukraine Border Ahead of MH17 Crash, New Reports Say
Newly discovered documents suggest that at least 170 Russian troops were deployed near the Ukrainian border shortly before Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 was shot down there five years ago, Russia’s investigative Novaya Gazeta newspaper said, supporting previous reports. MH17 was shot down in July 2014 over territory held by pro-Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine,…
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Gazprom and Shell review progress of joint projects
Background The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2019 is being held at the EXPOFORUM Convention and Exhibition Centre from June 6 to 8. This year’s key topic is Creating a Sustainable Development Agenda. Royal Dutch Shell is a British-Dutch oil and gas holding company focused on hydrocarbon production, processing and marketing in more than 70 countries. Nord Stream 2 is the construction project for a gas pipeline with…
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Core equipment for third production train being shipped to Amur GPP
Release June 6, 2019, 13:50 A working meeting between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, and Wolfgang Reitzle, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Linde, took place today at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2019. The meeting participants discussed the current progress and prospects of their cooperation, in particular the Amur Gas Processing Plant (GPP) construction project in which Linde’s equipment is used. It was…
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ROSATOM and Murmansk Region signed an agreement on the “Smart City”
At the Petersburg International Economic Forum Acting Governor of Murmansk Region Andrey Chibis and Director General of Rusatom Infrastructure Solutions LLC (part of ROSATOM) Ksenia Sukhotina signed an agreement on implementation of joint initiatives regarding introduction of the “Smart City” digital solutions. Deputy Director General and Director for Development and International Business of ROSATOM Kirill…
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Russia Says ‘Extremists’ in Sudan Must Be Subdued – Reports
Russia said on Thursday it opposed foreign intervention in Sudan and the authorities in Khartoum must subdue what it described as extremists, Russia’s state-run RIA news agency reported. Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov was quoted as saying that Moscow favored a national dialogue about a transition period leading to new elections. “Naturally, in order to…
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Putin’s July Visit to Pope Could Pave Way for Russia Trip
Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet Pope Francis next month, the Vatican said on Thursday, an encounter that could help pave the way for an historic papal trip to Russia. The Vatican said Putin, who will be on a state visit to Italy, will hold talks with the Argentinian-born pope on July 4. The meeting,…
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Alexey Miller and Moldova’s President Igor Dodon discuss cooperation issues
Background The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2019 is being held at the EXPOFORUM Convention and Exhibition Centre from June 6 to 8. This year’s key topic is Creating a Sustainable Development Agenda. In 2018, Gazprom’s gas deliveries to the Republic of Moldova totaled 2.9 billion cubic meters of gas, an increase of 8.4 per cent against 2017 (2.7 billion cubic meters). The contracts between Gazprom and Moldovagaz for…
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Gazprom and BASF discuss cooperation on gas production and Nord Stream 2 project
Release June 6, 2019, 12:05 A working meeting of Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, with Hans-Ulrich Engel, Vice Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Wintershall Dea, and Mario Mehren, Chairman of the Executive Board of Wintershall Dea, took place today at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2019. На встрече были рассмотрены вопросы сотрудничества компаний.…
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Russian Government Vows to Protect Yandex Against FSB Pressure
A top Russian official has said the government will do its best to defend the internet giant Yandex, which is reportedly under pressure from security services to hand over its encryption keys. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) had asked Yandex to hand over encryption keys for its Yandex.Pochta mail service and Yandex.Disk file hosting service,…
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French demand for Russian natural gas growing further
Background The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2019 is being held at the EXPOFORUM Convention and Exhibition Centre from June 6 to 8. This year’s key topic is Creating a Sustainable Development Agenda. France’s ENGIE SA (prior to 2015 – GDF SUEZ) is focused on natural gas marketing, as well as power generation. ENGIE owns the largest gas transmission network in Europe and is the biggest UGS facility operator…
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China’s Panda Diplomacy Puts a Smile on ‘Best Friend’ Putin’s Face
Chinese President Xi Jinping presented two pandas to Moscow’s zoo at a ceremony with Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, in a gesture the Russian president described as a sign of deepening trust and respect between the two powers. Xi unveiled the pandas — Ru Yi and Ding Ding — after talks with Putin whom he called…
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New Ukraine Leader Heralds ‘Death of Russian Imperialism,’ Accused of Plagiarism
Ukraine’s new president has predicted the end of “Russia’s imperial project” if Kiev joins the European Union, drawing allegations that he had plagiarized his predecessor’s words. Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s administration quoted him as saying “Ukraine in the EU would be the death of the Russian imperial project” during talks with top European official Donald Tusk. “Moreover,…
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Kremlin Says D-Day Wasn’t Decisive in Ending World War II
Russia told the West on Wednesday the Normandy landings on D-Day in 1944 did not play a decisive role in ending World War II and that the Allied war effort should not be exaggerated. Moscow’s comments might irk war veterans in Britain where the 75th anniversary on Wednesday of the largest seaborne invasion in history was marked at…
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Lyons Hall of Catherine Palace restored with support from Gazprom and ENGIE
Release June 5, 2019, 19:45 Photos The Lyons Hall of the Catherine Palace at the Tsarskoe Selo State Museum Preserve (Pushkin, St. Petersburg) was reopened today after a restoration carried out with the support from Gazprom and the ENGIE Foundation (France). The unveiling ceremony was attended by Olga Golodets, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Sylvie Bermann, Ambassador Extraordinary…
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Revived Russian Volcano Could Cause ‘Pompeii-Like’ Destruction, Scientists Warn
An extinct volcano that has awoken in Far East Russia could unleash destruction not seen since the ancient Roman city of Pompeii was destroyed by volcanic eruption nearly 2,000 years ago, scientists warn. Geophysicists said in new research that increased seismicity and “magma intrusions” measured at the Bolshaya Udina volcano since late 2017 justify its…
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Russia and China signed the contract for Russian-designed NPP construction on the new site
5th June 2019, Moscow – A general contract for Russian-designed power units No. 3 and No. 4 construction with VVER-1200 reactors at Xudapu nuclear power plant was signed on June 5 in Moscow in presence of heads of Russia and China. The official signing ceremony took place during President of China Xi Jinping state visit…
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One in Four Russians Willing to Give Up Plastic Bags – Poll
Almost 40 percent of Russians would consider no longer using plastic bags, according to a state-funded survey published on World Environment Day. The UN’s World Environment Day takes place on June 5 every year to raise environmental awareness. Greenpeace estimates that more than 26 billion plastic bags are handed out annually in shops across Russia. A total…
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Rosneft Allocates over 370 Billion Roubles for Environmental Activities in Five Years
Environment protection is one of the priorities for Rosneft. The Company has allocated more than 370 billion roubles for environmental activities over the past five years. In December 2018, the Company approved its public statement — “Rosneft: contributing to implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals”, confirming its commitment to high social and ecological standards.…
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Russia’s FSB Is Interrogating Teens Over Essay Competition, NGO Warns
Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) officers are intimidating high schoolers who won a history essay competition, the Memorial human rights group has said. Memorial has organized the history essay-writing contest for high school students since 1999. The NGO was labeled a “foreign agent” in 2016 under a Russian law targeting organizations that take part in…
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China, Russia Say They Will Upgrade Relations for New Era
China and Russia agreed on Wednesday to upgrade their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era. The decision was made at a meeting between visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. news China’s Panda Diplomacy Puts a Smile on ‘Best Friend’ Putin’s Face Read more During…
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Russia Proposes Slovakia Join Nord Stream 2 and Turkstream
Russia and Slovakia are in talks about Bratislava joining the Nord Stream 2 and Turkstream gas pipeline projects, Russian news agencies quoted Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev as saying on Wednesday. “We need to find common points and mutually beneficial cooperation areas concerning connecting Slovakia to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, as well as to…
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ROSATOM will continue to supply Slovakia’s NPPs with nuclear fuel
TVEL Fuel Company of ROSATOM and the Slovak power generation company Slovenské elektrárne a.s. have signed contractual documents on supply of nuclear fuel to nuclear power plants in Slovakia for 2022-2026 with the possibility of the contract extension to 2030. The agreements have been negotiated following the victory of TVEL in the public international tender…
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ROSATOM will continue to supply Slovakia’s NPPs with nuclear fuel
TVEL Fuel Company of ROSATOM and the Slovak power generation company Slovenské elektrárne a.s. have signed contractual documents on supply of nuclear fuel to nuclear power plants in Slovakia for 2022-2026 with the possibility of the contract extension to 2030. The agreements have been negotiated following the victory of TVEL in the public international tender…
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Most Russian Ministries Lack Online Transparency — Study
Only four out of Russia’s 22 ministry websites are transparent, a government audit has revealed. Experts commissioned by Russia’s Audit Chamber assessed the ministries’ openness of information, data and dialogue, assigning a letter grade to each of the three categories. Only the interior, culture, finance and energy ministries received AAA ratings, according to the study…
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Russia and Slovakia strengthen their partnership in the nuclear sphere
On June 5, 2019, during the visit of Prime Minister of Slovakia Peter Pellegrini to Moscow, a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes was signed between ROSATOM and Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic. On the part of ROSATOM, the document was signed by Director General…
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Ex-U.S. Marine Illegally Isolated by Russia in Spy Case – Activists
A former U.S. Marine held in Russia on suspicion of spying is being illegally isolated in a Moscow pre-trial detention center and prevented from communicating with visitors, Russian rights activists and U.S. diplomats said. Paul Whelan, who holds U.S., British, Canadian and Irish passports, was detained in a Moscow hotel room on Dec. 28 and…
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Arrested U.S. Investor’s Cameo Casts Shadow Over Putin’s Davos
The good news for Russian President Vladimir Putin is that his premier investment event won’t be dominated this year by discussions about sanctions. The bad news is that attention will be fixed instead on the arrest of American private equity manager Michael Calvey. Calvey, who remained a Russia advocate even after sanctions caused foreign investment to shrivel…
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Russia Ordered to Pay $1.8M Over Chechen Abductions
Russia must pay $1.8 million to the families of 20 people abducted from Chechnya during separatist fighting in the 2000s, Europe’s top human rights court has ruled. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has in recent years awarded damages to the relatives of individuals who disappeared during the second Chechen war of 1999-2009. Activists…
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U.S. Seeks Russian Support on Iran at Key Israel Meeting
The United States believes Russia may be more amenable than in the past to addressing U.S. and Israeli concerns about Iran’s influence, including in Syria, when national security leaders meet in Jerusalem this month, a U.S. official said on Tuesday. The United States announced last week that John Bolton, White House national security adviser, would…
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World Bank Cuts Russia’s 2019 Economic Forecast
The Russian economy will grow by 1.2 percent in 2019, the World Bank said in at least the third downgrade Tuesday. The Washington-based institution previously downgraded its forecast of Russia’s growth from 1.8 percent to 1.5 percent in early 2019, then again to 1.4 percent in April. Its latest revision — made in the twice-yearly…
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Half of Russians Are Worried About the Environment Where They Live — Survey
Almost half of Russians are concerned about the environment in their regions, according to a study by the Moscow-based NAFI Research Center obtained by the state-run TASS news agency. Environmental issues have taken center stage at protest rallies across Russia over the past year, with citizens drawing attention to concerns including landfills, air pollution and…
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U.S. and Russia Spar Over ‘Unsafe’ Spy Plane Intercept Near Syria
A Russian fighter jet made a dangerous high-speed pass that put a U.S. Navy surveillance aircraft at risk during an intercept over the Mediterranean Sea on Tuesday, the U.S. Sixth Fleet said, but Moscow said its pilot had behaved responsibly. “While the Russian aircraft was operating in international airspace, this interaction was irresponsible,” the Sixth…
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Severstal to develop its ow digital busiesses
June 5, 2019 PAO Severstal, one of the world’s leading vertically integrated steel and mining companies, has established a new unit that will be focused on the development of digital businesses. The team will be headed by Sergey Khabarov, previously investment director at Genome Ventures, an innovative human capital development business. The new unit will…
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Maximum daily deliverability of Russian UGS facilities to exceed 843 million cubic meters of gas by next winter
Release June 4, 2019, 18:20 The Gazprom Management Committee reviewed the operating results of the Company’s subsidiaries and organizations over the 2018–2019 autumn/winter period and discussed the measures to be taken for ensuring uninterrupted gas supplies to consumers in the upcoming winter. It was noted that in the past winter Gazprom, as in previous years, had provided its consumers in Russia and abroad with the required gas…
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Putin Inaugurates Memorial to Jewish WWII Resistance
President Vladimir Putin has inaugurated on Tuesday a monument dedicated to Jewish heroes of resistance in Nazi concentration camps and ghettos during World War II. Putin opened construction of the monument at the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center in Moscow with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in January 2018. Members of the Jewish resistance “are…
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Igor Sechin Holds Keynote Speech at Annual Shareholder Meeting of Rosneft Oil Company in St. Petersburg
The Annual Shareholder Meeting of Rosneft Oil Company is held on June 4, 2019 in St. Petersburg. Rosneft Chief Executive Officer Igor Sechin held a keynote speech reviewing the results of the Company’s work in 2018. «Rosneft is the largest oil and gas company in the Russian Federation, as well as globally in terms of reserves…
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Rosneft Joins Global Initiative on Methane Emission Reduction
Rosneft Oil Company has joined the initiative of the world’s leading oil and gas companies and signed “The Guidelines for Methane Emission Reduction in Natural Gas Supply Chain” (hereinafter referred to as the Guidelines). The Company’s Strategy related to compliance with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the UN, approved by the Board of Directors,…
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Rosneft Launches Second Field of Erginsky Cluster
Rosneft has put into commission the West Erginskoye field that is a part of the Erginsky cluster. Chief Executive Officer of Rosneft Oil Company Igor Sechin ordered to launch the first oil shipment via teleconference during the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of the Company that is taking place in St. Petersburg. The West Erginskoye…
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PhosAgro Delegation Headed by Board of Directors Chairman Xavier Rolet and CEO Andrey Guryev to Take Part in SPIEF-2019
St Petersburg – A delegation from PhosAgro (“PhosAgro” or “the Company”) (Moscow Exchange, LSE: PHOR), one of the world’s leading vertically integrated phosphate-based fertilizer producers, will take part in the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (“SPIEF” or “the Forum”) on 6-8 June 2019. SPIEF is a major event for the entire business community and for…
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Russia’s Yandex Pushes Back Against Pressure to Share Encryption Keys
Russian internet giant Yandex said on Tuesday it wanted to abide by the law but not to violate its users’ privacy after a media report said security services had demanded it hand over its encryption keys. The RBC media portal reported earlier on Tuesday that Russia‘s Federal Security Service (FSB) had asked Yandex to hand over…
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Moscow’s Muslims Celebrate the End of Ramadan
Muslims across Moscow came to the Cathedral Mosque at Prospekt Mira, one of the largest mosques in Europe, to celebrate the end of the religious holiday of Ramadan on June 4, 2019. An estimated 200,000 to 320,000 people participated in the celebrations in Moscow.
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On This Day: Ufa Train Disaster
On June 4, 1989, a railway accident in the Iglinsky District (then the Bashkir A.S.S.R, Soviet Union) killed 575, injuring 800 more. Many passengers were children coming to or from summer camp or holidays by the seaside. It remains the deadliest postwar rail disaster in Russia. While the incident happened about 50 kilometers east of…
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Violence Erupts Between Protesters, Riot Police at Russian Landfill Site
Opponents of a controversial landfill in northwest Russia clashed with riot police in the latest violent episode of ongoing protests against plans to take in garbage from Moscow. Protests against the $162 million landfill in Shiyes, Arkhangelsk region have become a symbol of Russia’s growing trend of issues-based local activism. Almost a year of demonstrations…
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Tourists Avoid Moscow Due to Perceived High Costs, Lack of Safety – Study
Tourists are not traveling to Moscow because they think it’s too expensive and unsafe, according to a Boston Consulting Group (BCG) survey obtained by Russia’s RBC news website on Tuesday. BCG polled 3,500 tourists and classified their answers into two categories to reflect the respondents’ biases and structural barriers. The consulting group didn’t disclose the…
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Kremlin Says Russian Military Specialists Are Still in Venezuela, Contradicting Trump Tweet
The Kremlin said on Tuesday it didn’t know where U.S. President Donald Trump had got the idea Moscow had removed most of its military specialists from Venezuela, who it said continued to work there. Trump tweeted on Monday that Russia had told the United States it had removed “most of their people” from Venezuela, where Moscow has…
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Tinder Denies Sharing Russian Users’ Data With FSB
The Tinder dating app has denied sharing the personal data of its Russian users amid reports that it had been added to a registry of entities required to hand over such data to the authorities. Russia said on Monday it had added Tinder to a list of entities required to hand over user data and…
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Russia’s Kommersant Faces Fines for Disseminating State Secrets – Reports
Russia’s Kommersant business daily, plagued by a censorship scandal that led to a mass walkout of its reporters, is now facing fines under a law that punishes media for disseminating state secrets. Under the law prohibiting “abuse of the freedom of mass media,” the disclosure of state secrets by a news outlet is punishable by fines between…