Author Archives: admin

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Russia Told U.S. ‘Most of Their People’ Have Left Venezuela, Trump Says

President Donald Trump said on Monday that Russia told the United States it had removed “most of their people” from Venezuela, where Moscow has maintained military and economic ties with socialist President Nicolas Maduro. Trump posted a message on Twitter about the alleged Russian drawdown while on a state visit to London but did not…

Russia Tests New Missile Defense System, Military Says

Russia has tested a new unidentified missile at a launch site where the country had previously test-launched missiles designed to protect Moscow’s airspace, the Russian military said. The Russian Defense Ministry test-launched its anti-ballistic missile at the Sary-Shagan missile testing site in Kazakhstan at least twice in 2018. Those tested missiles had been deployed to…

What Are Russian Millennials Most Concerned About?

Unlike their peers abroad, who worry about climate change, Russian millennials say they’re most concerned by corruption and inequality, according to a recent poll by Deloitte.

We headed to the streets of Moscow to ask young Russians what their major concerns are.

Russia Faces 2020 Olympics Ban Over Alleged Forged Docs – The Times

Russia could be banned from competing in the second consecutive Olympics over allegedly forged medical documents, Britain’s The Sunday Times reported. High jumper Danil Lysenko, 22, had been one of the Russians cleared to compete internationally for having demonstrated he was training in a doping free-environment. However, he lost his status and was provisionally suspended…

Russia Rejects Ukraine’s Case Over Rebel Support at UN Court

Russia told a hearing at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Monday that the court lacks jurisdiction in a case filed by Ukraine against Moscow over its alleged support of pro-Russian separatists in Crimea and eastern Ukraine. In a 2017 filing to the ICJ, also known as the World Court, Ukraine asked judges to…

Crimean Economy Named Fastest Growing in Russia

Russian-annexed Crimea has experienced the fastest economic growth in Russia in 2019 so far, the RBC news website reported on Monday. Crimea has received large cash injections from Moscow since 2014, when Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine. More than $13 billion in Russian funds will have been spent on the Crimean economy…

Russia Requires Tinder to Share User Data – Reports

The Tinder dating app is now required to share its user data with Russian authorities, according to Russia’s Roskomsvoboda internet rights group. Legislation that came into force in 2016 requires social media companies to store user data on servers located in Russia and provide this data to the authorities on demand. Russia last year issued…

Kremlin Rebuffs Trump on Syria, Says Military Action in Idlib Is Justified

The Kremlin rebuffed criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump of Russian and Syrian government military action in Syria’s rebel-held Idlib province, saying on Monday it was needed to shut down rebel attacks being launched from there. Trump on Sunday urged Russian and Syrian government forces to stop bombing Idlib, following a Friday Kremlin statement that…

Russian Troops to Join UN Force in Central African Republic Soon

Russia will in the near future send 30 military personnel to the Central African Republic where they will form part of a United Nations mission to help stabilize the country, Interfax news agency quoted a Russian foreign ministry official as saying. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree in April on the despatch of the…

‘Christ Is Risen, Life is for Thieves’: Russian Prisoners’ Easter Celebration Sparks Scandal

Leaked footage of Russian prisoners chanting criminal underworld slang during their Easter celebrations has sparked scandal in a prison system already under national scrutiny. Russia’s Federal Prison Service (FSIN) has been rocked by scandal in the past year as footage of guards violently beating inmates has leaked. Last fall, FSIN launched a probe into lax…

Kremlin Hopes Detained U.S. Investor Calvey Will Be Freed

The Kremlin on Monday called an embezzlement case against prominent U.S. investor Michael Calvey regrettable and said it hoped he would be freed from house arrest and be able to attend an economic forum in St. Petersburg later this week. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the RT TV channel in an interview that Calvey was…

Russia’s Aeroflot Scales Back Superjet Flights Following Fatal Crash

Russian airline Aeroflot has scaled back the number of Sukhoi Superjet 100 flights it operates after one of its planes made a crash-landing last month, killing 41 people, according to data provided by a flight tracking website. Flightradar24 data shows Aeroflot has also at times substituted Airbus or Boeing planes for the Superjet, the first…

Russian Schoolchildren Brought on ‘Whale Jail’ Tours, Activist Says

Russian kindergarteners are being given tours of the controversial pens that hold 10 killer whales and 87 beluga whales in the country’s Far East, an animal rights activist said Monday. Images of the mammals kept in enclosures in a bay near the Sea of Japan port of Nakhodka first appeared after they were caught for…

Two People Missing After Blasts at Russian Military Plant, 22 Injured

At least two people were missing on Saturday after blasts at the explosives plant Kristall in the central Russian town of Dzerzhinsk, Interfax and RIA news agencies reported. “As we understand, two went missing,” deputy governor Dmitry Krasnov was quoted by RIA as saying in a statement broadcast by Russian state TV channel Rossia 24.…

Pushkin, Lomonosov, Tupolev: Russian Airports Get a Name Change

Out with the old, in with the new. Airports in dozens of Russian cities will now bear the names of their famous residents after President Vladimir Putin issued a decree on the name change Friday. Here’s a look at some of the newly minted names of some of Russia’s most popular airports. Hopefully, this will help…

4 in 10 Russians Say Country on the Wrong Track – Survey

Four out of 10 Russians believe their country is going in the wrong direction, a poll by the independent Levada Center polling agency said. Approval for Russia’s direction peaked at 61 percent in 2008 – the tail end of the economic boom – and at 60 percent shortly after the Crimean annexation in 2014. It…

New Ukraine President Hopes EU Sanctions on Russia Remain

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday he hopes that European Union sanctions on Russia will remain in place until Ukrainian territories are returned, according to a statement released on the presidential website. The West imposed sanctions on Russia following Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and support for separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine. “Thank…

Russia Says It’s Turkey’s Duty to Stop Fighting in Syria’s Idlib

The Kremlin said on Friday it was Turkey’s responsibility to stop rebels in Syria’s Idlib province from firing on civilian and Russian targets, signaling it would continue to back a Syrian government offensive there despite Ankara’s protests. The month-long offensive, the biggest escalation of the war between President Bashar al-Assad and his enemies since last summer,…

Kosovo Declares Russian UN Staffer Persona Non Grata

The Kosovo government said on Friday that a Russian national working for the UN mission would not be allowed back into the country after his expulsion. It said the UN staffer, Mikhail Krasnoshchenkov, had been declared persona non grata. The UN mission, UNMIK, said on Thursday the Russian had sustained injuries when he was arrested during a…

Trust in Putin Doubles After Kremlin Criticizes Poll

Public trust in President Vladimir Putin has more than doubled hours after the Kremlin asked sociologists to explain why his trust and approval ratings differ. A state-funded survey published May 24 said that trust in Putin slipped to a 13-year low of 31.7 percent. The Kremlin on Thursday asked the VTsIOM pollster to explain how…

Russia Launches Its Most Powerful Telecom Satellite

Russia has launched a powerful European-made communications satellite for the state energy giant Gazprom from Kazakhstan. Gazprom’s space subsidiary, Gazprom Space Systems, runs Yamal satellites to broadcast to customers in Russia, western and central Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. France’s Thales Alenia Space company manufactures the satellites for Gazprom. The Yamal-601 satellite launched…

Moscow Cries Foul as U.S. Bans Use of Russian Rockets

The U.S. Department of Defense will ban space launch and satellite cooperation with Russia in 2023, the Pentagon said, drawing ire from Russia’s space agency. The U.S. has been trying to cut reliance on Russian-made rocket engines, eyeing 2022 as the latest deadline, amid strained relations. Last year, Russia’s top defense and space industry official…

Russian Version of Elton John Biopic Censors Gay Sex Scenes

Russia has deleted gay sex and drug scenes from the Russian-language version of a newly released Elton John biopic, the Dozhd TV news channel reported Friday. “Rocketman” premiers throughout Russia on June 6, but viewers in Moscow were treated to a prescreening on Thursday. A racy 40-second scene featuring two nude actors playing John and…

Russia Rejected Iran S-400 Missile Request Amid Gulf Tension, Officials Say

Russia has rejected an Iranian request to buy S-400 missile defense systems, concerned that the sale would stoke more tension in the Middle East, according to two people with knowledge of the matter, including a senior Russian official. The request was rebuffed by President Vladimir Putin, the people said on condition of anonymity because they’re…

Yandex.Taxi Eyes On-Demand Helicopter Service – Reports

The Yandex.Taxi ride-hailing service is in talks to add helicopters to its fleet of vehicles in Moscow, Russia’s Kommersant business daily reported Thursday. Several companies offer air taxi services in the Russian capital, one of which offers hour-long helicopter rides for the ruble equivalent of $708. Yandex.Taxi is in four-way discussions with Moscow City Hall,…

FSB Makes Arrests at Norwegian Border

Russian border guards have detained two individuals who allegedly tried to make it illegally across the border to Norway. The two people, both of them citizens of Iraq, were detained as they were making an attempt to cross into the neighboring country. Neither of the detainees had needed travel documents and both were caught in…

Kremlin Asks Specialists to Explain Putin’s Falling Trust Ratings

Russian sociologists should explain President Vladimir Putin’s record-low trust levels amid his growing approval ratings, the Kremlin said on Thursday. A recent state-funded survey said that public trust in Putin has dropped to its lowest level since 2006. The same survey showed Putin’s approval rating grow from 61 percent in January to 65 percent this…

Russian Activists Fear Authorities Will Tear Down Their Camp As Landfill Clashes Reignite

Protesters rallying against plans to build a landfill in northern Russia for Moscow’s waste have said they expect the authorities to tear down their camp amid the latest escalations this week, Russian media reported. Residents of Arkhangelsk region have for months demonstrated against the controversial $162 million landfill designed to take in Moscow’s garbage. Moscow…

Russia Rebuffs Japan’s Military Expansion Warning

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that Russia was only operating on its own territory after Japan accused Moscow of a military buildup on a chain of islands in the Pacific, the state-run RIA news agency reported. Russia has held the islands — known as the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils…

Drinking Up in Russia, Survey Says

More Russians drank alcohol so far this year than they did in 2018, a survey by the state-funded VTsIOM agency has said. Sixty-seven percent of respondents said they had consumed alcohol between several times a week and less than once a month in 2019, the pollster said Thursday. Last year’s results said 57 percent of…

Russia Calls U.S. Nuclear Accusation an Attack on Global Arms Control

Russia’s ambassador to the United States on Thursday said a U.S. allegation that Moscow may be conducting banned nuclear tests was a calculated attempt to undermine nuclear arms control, Russian state television reported. The head of the U.S.’s Defense Intelligence Agency said on Wednesday that Russia may be conducting low-level nuclear testing that flouts the…

Police Violence at Moscow Hip-Hop Fest Was ‘Appropriate,’ Russian National Guard Says

Riot police responded “appropriately” when its officers were filmed using force against young fans at a Moscow hip-hop festival earlier this month, the Russian National Guard said. At least 20 people were detained and charged during the Hip-Hop Mayday festival at Luzhniki Stadium on May 1. Authorities had reportedly said the violence erupted due to…

Putin Signs Law Allowing HIV Patients to Adopt Children in Their Care

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill that allows Russians living with HIV and other diseases to legally adopt children in their care. The changes were anticipated as part of Russia’s broader state strategy to combat the epidemic that has led to the deaths of 318,000 Russians in three decades. Russia’s 2016 strategy to…