Author: admin
-
IKEA to Scale Down Operations in Russia, Sell Factories – RBC
Swedish furniture retailer IKEA will scale down its business operations in Russia and sell all four country-based factories, the RBC business daily reported Wednesday, citing the company’s press service. IKEA, which employed some 15,000 people in Russia, temporarily closed its stores and suspended operations of its factories there in March amid the international fallout from…
-
Taliban, Separatists and Lukashenko: Russia Kicks Off Diminished St. Petersburg Forum
The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Russia’s annual showcase event for foreign investors, opened Wednesday amid a reduced participant list, increased secrecy and boycotts by some Western governments. As the war in Ukraine has sent the Russian economy spinning toward recession and deepened Moscow’s international isolation, SPIEF – once dubbed “Russia’s Davos” – looked…
-
NovaWind and Chukotka Government strike deal to cooperate on wind power projects
On June 15, 2022, NovaWind (ROSATOM’s wind power division) and the Chukotka Government signed a cooperation agreement for the construction of wind farms in the region within the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. The document was signed by NovaWind CEO Grigoriy Nazarov and Chukotka Governor Roman Kopin. The agreement is intended to study the possibility…
-
Xi Tells Putin China Will Keep Backing Russia on ‘Sovereignty, Security’
Chinese President Xi Jinping told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a call Wednesday that Beijing would keep backing Moscow on “sovereignty and security,” according to state media. China is “willing to continue to offer mutual support (to Russia) on issues concerning core interests and major concerns such as sovereignty and security,” Chinese state broadcaster…
-
Russian Man on Trial in Germany Over Chechen Hitjob Plot
A Russian man went on trial in Munich on Wednesday, charged with plotting to kill a Chechen dissident living in Germany on the orders of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. The suspect, named as Valid D., is accused of planning the murder commissioned by the state, carrying out shooting exercises with the intended hitman and spying…
-
RPV installed at Kursk-II as equipment tests begin
The VVER-TOI reactor pressure vessel (RPV) has been installed at unit 1 of the Kursk-II NPP under construction in Russia, three weeks ahead of schedule, said Andrey Osharin, First Deputy Director for the Construction of New Units at Kursk NPP. The RPV was delivered to the site in September 2021. “Since that time, a lot…
-
Aeroflot Executive Detained on Suspicion of Fraud
A senior executive in charge of aircraft purchases for Russia’s flagship airline Aeroflot has been arrested on suspicion of fraud, Russia’s state-run Interfax news agency reported Wednesday. Mikhail Minayev, director of Aeroflot’s fleet planning and aircraft procurement, was placed in pre-trial detention by Moscow’s Khoroshevsky court until Aug. 8. If found guilty, Minayev faces up…
-
Ukraine Pleads for Western Arms as Russia Chokes Frontline City
Ukraine pleaded with Western governments Wednesday to decide quickly on sending heavy weapons to shore up its faltering defenses, as Russia said it would evacuate civilians from a frontline chemical plant. The industrial city of Severodonetsk is under intense bombardment as Russia focuses its offensive on the Donbas region in an effort to secure a…
-
Russia Faces Commercial Drone Shortage as War Increases Demand
Russia is experiencing a shortage of commercial drones amid increased demand from the military and China’s exit from the Russian market, the Kommersant business daily reported Thursday. Prices have risen by an average of 30% since Russian troops invaded Ukraine in February, Kommersant reported, citing industry sources. Prices for drones used in the oil and…
-
Russia to Revive Abandoned Arctic Military Airport
Russia is reconstructing a long-dormant military airport on its far northern Kola Peninsula as part of a major upgrade of Northern Fleet airstrips in the European Arctic. The Severomorsk-2 airfield which lies 11 kilometers northeast of Murmansk was shut down in 1998. Northern Fleet commander Admiral Alexander Moiseyev said it is among the Russian Arctic…
-
Russia Says Destroyed NATO Arms Depot in Western Ukraine
Russia said Wednesday its forces destroyed a depot containing NATO-supplied arms in western Ukraine as President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Western allies to speed up arms deliveries to his country. “Near the town of Zolochiv in Lviv region, high-precision long-range Kalibr missiles destroyed an ammunition depot of foreign weapons transferred to Ukraine by NATO countries, including 155-mm…
-
Russian National Guard Spokesman Killed in Ukraine
A spokesman for Russia’s National Guard has been killed in battle in Ukraine, a veterans’ organization announced Tuesday. Col. Sergei Postnov served as a war correspondent in the National Guard’s so-called “information response group,” the Russian Interior Ministry’s veterans’ council said on its website. The group said that Postnov died “performing his military duty,” but…
-
Captured Fighters ‘Deserve’ Death Penalty, Top Russian Lawmaker Says
Russia’s top lawmaker said Thursday that fighters sentenced to death in eastern Ukraine’s pro-Moscow separatist territories “deserve” to die. “The death penalty is the punishment these fascists deserve,” Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the lower-house State Duma, said, using terminology that President Vladimir Putin has invoked to justify Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Volodin spoke a week…
-
U.S. Basketball Star Griner’s Drug Detention Extended in Russia – TASS
A Russian court has extended the pre-trial detention of U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner on drug smuggling charges, state media reported Tuesday. Griner was detained at a Moscow airport on Feb. 17, en route to play for UNMC Yekaterinburg during the WNBA offseason, on charges of carrying vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her luggage. …
-
Russia Blacklists 49 Britons, Including Journalists
Russia on Tuesday said it was blacklisting 49 UK citizens, including defense officials and prominent journalists and editors from the BBC, The Financial Times and The Guardian. London has been one of the most vocal supporters of Kyiv after President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine on Feb. 24. “The British journalists on the list…
-
Russians Inoculated With Expired Coronavirus Vaccine
Patients in Moscow are being inoculated with expired Russian coronavirus vaccines, The Moscow Times’ Russian service reported, citing sources and eyewitnesses. Epidemiologists say that the expired vaccines aren’t dangerous, but are ineffective against Covid-19. Russia has about 30 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines that are currently past their use-by date and worth more than 23…
-
Navalny Moved to Maximum-Security Prison After Fraud Conviction – Lawyer
Jailed opposition figure Alexei Navalny has been transferred to a maximum-security prison after his prison term was extended to nine years, his lawyer said Tuesday. The Kremlin’s most vocal domestic foe, Navalny had been at a penal colony in the Vladimir region city of Pokrov east of Moscow since February 2021. His transfer comes in…
-
Russia Slashes Gas Deliveries via Nord Stream
Russia’s energy giant Gazprom said Tuesday it would be reducing the daily gas deliveries via the Nord Stream pipeline to Germany due to the “repair” of compressor units by German company Siemens. “Gas supplies via the Nord Stream gas pipeline can currently be provided in the amount of up to 100 million cubic meters per…
-
Georgian Government Takes Over Borjomi Shares From Sanctioned Russian Owners
The Georgian government will become a co-owner of Borjomi, the country’s iconic mineral water brand, by taking over shares from its sanctioned Russian owners, the country’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said at a government meeting Monday. Borjomi, one of Georgia’s most recognizable brands, had been majority owned by Russia’s Alfa Group since 2013. Alfa was…
-
Paks-2 has received permission to start soil stabilisation works and the construction of storage facilities
On 10 June 2022, the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority (OAH) issued a licence for the Paks-2 project to start the soil stabilisation of the nuclear power plant construction site. The purpose of this work is to ensure the required bearing capacity of the soils at the base of the future buildings and structures of the…
-
Russians Bid to Encircle Severodonetsk, Zelensky Pleads for Arms
Russian forces on Tuesday stepped up efforts to cut off Ukrainian troops in the key industrial city of Severodonetsk in the east of the country despite Ukrainians insisting they were holding on. Moscow has laid siege for weeks to the cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, which are separated by a river, as the last areas…
-
Russia Earned $100B From Energy Exports in 100 Days of War – Research
Russia has earned a likely record $97 billion in revenue from fossil fuel exports in the first 100 days of its war in Ukraine despite heavy sanctions and Europe’s attempts to wean itself off of Russian energy, researchers said this week. “Russia’s export revenues have been falling since March, but remain record-high” due to soaring energy…
-
Russia to Lose 15K Millionaires to Emigration in 2022 – Analysis
Russia is expected to lose 15% of its millionaires this year as its wealthiest citizens move abroad following the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine and ensuing Western sanctions, according to a new analysis from a London-based firm cited by The Guardian on Tuesday. Around 15,000 wealthy Russians who have $1 million in readily available assets will…
-
Days of Shelling Reported in Russian Town Near Ukraine Border
A Russian town near the Ukraine border has reported three straight days of shelling, with Tuesday’s attack allegedly targeting a military base. Residents of the Bryansk region town of Klintsy less than 50 kilometers from Ukraine reported witnessing a helicopter hovering over the base before firing off two shots and fleeing. “A shell hit part…
-
Kremlin Says Key Goal of Ukraine War to ‘Protect’ East Ukraine Rebels
The Kremlin said Monday it sees the “protection” of eastern Ukraine’s pro-Russian separatist Donetsk and Luhansk peoples’ republics (DNR and LNR) as the key goal of its nearly 16-week military campaign. “The republics’ protection is the main goal of the special military operation in general,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the state-run RIA Novosti news…
-
Moscow Marks Russia Day
June 12 marks Russia Day: a national holiday that sees Muscovites flock to festivities and firework shows across the city. First celebrated in 1992, the date commemorates when the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic first declared state sovereignty in 1990. But 30 years on, the holiday is not only being celebrated in Russia itself —…
-
Reincarnated McDonald’s Opens Amid Excitement, Concerns Over Taste
When Vadim and Fyodor waited outside the first McDonald’s to open in the Soviet Union, they stood in line with an estimated 30,000 other people for more than three and a half hours. Thirty-two years later, the pair were again in line on Sunday as McDonald’s reopened in Russia after a lightning sale and hurried…
-
Former Crimea Prosecutor Dismissed Amid Anti-War Comments
Former Crimean Prosecutor Natalya Poklonskaya has been dismissed from her post in the Russian government, weeks after criticizing Moscow’s war in Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin removed Poklonskaya from her post as the deputy head of Rossotrudnichestvo, Russia’s federal agency for international outreach, on Monday. The 42-year-old took up the role in February 2022, after declining…
-
Dozens Detained Using Moscow’s Facial Recognition Tech on Russia Day – Watchdog
Nearly 70 Moscow metro passengers and pickters have been detained across the Russian capital on the Russia Day national holiday Sunday, an independent watchdog has said. “At least 67 people were detained by police on Russia Day,” the OVD-Info police-monitoring website said. “Most of them — 43 people — were detained in the Moscow metro…
-
Russia Strikes Depot in West Ukraine, Battle for Severodonetsk Rages
Russian forces said Sunday they had struck a site in western Ukraine storing US- and EU-supplied weapons, as fighting intensified in an eastern region where the country’s top commander said the land “is covered in blood.” The strike on the town of Chortkiv, a rare attack by Russia in the relatively calm west of Ukraine,…
-
Russian Anti-Torture NGO Disbands After Foreign Label
The head of the Russian Committee for the Prevention of Torture said Sunday he had disbanded the organisation after it was branded a “foreign agent” by authorities, a label he called an “insult”. “We don’t want to continue working by being labelled ‘foreign agents’. We consider this term an insult and slander,” Sergei Babinets said…
-
End of an Era as Russia’s McDonald’s Reopens Under New Name
The restaurant that launched McDonald’s in Russia in 1990, heralding Moscow’s opening after decades of Soviet rule, reopened Sunday with a new name and logo in a potent reminder of the upheaval sparked by the conflict in Ukraine. The U.S. fast-food giant announced on May 16 that it would exit Russia in the wake of…
-
Pro-Russian Separatists Uphold Foreigners’ Death Sentences
A pro-Russian separatist leader in eastern Ukraine said Sunday he would not alter the death sentences handed to two Britons and a Moroccan for fighting with the Ukrainian army. “They came to Ukraine to kill civilians for money. That’s why I don’t see any conditions for any mitigation or modification of the sentence,” Denis Pushilin,…
-
First Russian Passports Handed Out to Ukrainians in Occupied South — Agencies
Authorities in the Moscow-occupied city of Kherson in southern Ukraine handed out Russian passports to local residents for the first time on Saturday, news agencies reported. Russia’s TASS agency said 23 Kherson residents received a Russian passport at a ceremony through a “simplified procedure” facilitated by a decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in…
-
Anti-War Russians Leverage Ancestry, Risk Arrest to Reach Europe
After fleeing Russia in the days after the start of the invasion of Ukraine, Mikhail entered the European Union illegally by fording a river in Bosnia and Herzegovina and making his way over the border into Croatia. His successful crossing followed three failed attempts to get into the EU. “I was afraid of police, bears,…
-
Fierce Fighting in East Ukraine as Zelensky Says World Must Not Look Away
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country’s forces were “doing everything” to stop the Russian offensive, with fierce battles in the east and the south. Kyiv said Friday it had launched new air strikes in the captured southern region of Kherson, one of the first areas to be taken by Russia after the February 24 invasion. But…
-
Pro-War ‘Z-Banners’ Disappear in Some Russian Cities
Local authorities in cities across Russia have removed banners with the letter “Z” – a symbol of support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – in recent days as the war appears to enter a new phase of bloody fighting and limited territorial gains in eastern Ukraine. The head of the A Just Russia political party,…
-
Artists Map Russia’s Regions in Folk Embroidery
In ancient Russia, embroidery was more than a form of art: It was a language unto its own. Cloth and thread took the place of paper and ink, while symbols and motifs made up their own alphabet — all woven together according to the grammar of deep-seated folk traditions. In a celebration of these traditions,…
-
How to Fail Spectacularly in Russian
Накрыться медным тазом: to fail, flop, end, close The other day a friend was talking about a project that had gone belly up. But in Russian, belly up is — pardon the bad joke — another kettle of fish. Instead of the image of a dead fish in the water, it’s the image of something…
-
‘Acquit Me,’ Russian MH17 Suspect Tells Dutch Judges
A Russian suspect accused of downing Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 told Dutch judges on Friday he had “nothing to do with the disaster,” as the long-running trial concluded. Oleg Pulatov is one of four men on trial in absentia for shooting down the jetliner in July 2014 as it passed over war-torn eastern Ukraine, killing…
-
Explainer: What Does Russia’s ‘Zero-Inflation’ Mean?
President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia has been able to “get a grip” on inflation after data showed almost a month of no inflation. “From the second half of May, price growth has stopped completely. Now inflation is at the zero mark,” Putin told a government meeting. But while stable prices might sound like…
-
In Photos: Russia Celebrates Peter the Great’s 350th Birthday
Russia celebrated the 350th birthday of Peter the Great, one of its most famous tsars, on Thursday. Celebrations were held in Peter’s namesake city St. Petersburg and Moscow to mark the anniversary of his birth on June 9, 1672. A pivotal figure in the country’s history, Peter led efforts to modernize Russia, expand its territory…
-
Russia to Spend $17M on Flags for School Ceremonies
The Russian government will buy over 970 million rubles’ ($17 million) worth of Russian flags and coats of arms to install in rural schools as part of a wider push for “patriotic” education amid the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov in April said that starting Sept. 1, schools will raise the Russian…
-
ROSATOM supplies the new model of nuclear fuel to Kudankulam NPP (India)
TVEL Fuel Company of ROSATOM has supplied the first batches of TVS-2M nuclear fuel to India for the two functioning units-1&2 of Kudankulam NPP, powered by VVER-1000 reactors. After refueling in July 2022, the Unit 1 will start its operation in 18-months fuel cycle from currently used UTVS fuel with 12 month operating cycles. With…
-
Russian Central Bank Cuts Key Rate as Inflation Eases
Russia’s Central Bank cut its key interest rate on Friday as the country’s economy recovers faster than expected following sanctions imposed on Moscow over its military action in Ukraine. The Bank of Russia cut the rate to 9.5% from 11%, saying in a statement that “inflation is slowing faster and the decline in economic activity…
-
Russian Ex-Official Arrested on Siberian Metro Theft Suspicions – Reports
A former Russian government official was detained at a Moscow airport this week on suspicion of embezzling over $15 million from a Siberian metro construction project’s budget, media reported Friday. According to the RBC news website, Federal Security Service (FSB) agents apprehended Oleg Mitvol, a former ecology official and a Moscow city prefect in the…
-
Medvedev: Russia’s Reforming President Turned Arch-Hawk
Dmitry Medvedev as Russian president chomped on a burger at an American diner with Barack Obama, praised independent media and made ambitious promises of reform to create a more open Russia. But with the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine raging for over three months, he now vows to make enemies of Russia “disappear,” warns of military…
-
7 in 10 European Businesses to Cut Russia Investment – Poll
Seven in 10 European businesses expect to cut their investments in Russia this year as Western sanctions over the Ukraine invasion and Moscow’s countermeasures have forced them to revise their outlooks, according to an Association of European Businesses (AEB) survey. The companies’ forecasts mark a dramatic reversal from their strong performance in 2021, when three-quarters of…
-
Russia-China Highway Bridge Opens to Traffic
The first vehicle bridge between Russia and China opened to freight traffic Friday as Moscow pivots to Beijing amid the crisis in relations with the West over its invasion of Ukraine. Most building work on the Blagoveshchensk-Heihe bridge across the Amur River was completed in late 2019. Transportation between the border cities with close economic…
-
Ukraine Dependent on Arms From Allies After Exhausting Soviet-Era Weaponry
Ukraine has depleted its stocks of Soviet and Russian-designed weaponry and is now completely dependent on allies for arms to defend against Russia’s invasion, U.S. military sources say. Once part of the Soviet Union, Ukraine’s army and its defense industry were built around Soviet and Russian-standard equipment, small arms, tanks, howitzers and other weapons not…
-
Putin Compares His Actions to Peter the Great’s Conquests
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday compared his current actions to Peter the Great’s conquest of the Baltic coast during his 18th-century war against Sweden. After visiting an exhibition in Moscow dedicated to the 350th birthday of tsar Peter the Great, Putin told a group of young entrepreneurs that “you get the impression that by fighting…
-
Moscow to Name German Embassy Square after Luhansk Republic
Moscow is set to rename a square close to the capital’s German embassy in honor of one of Ukraine’s breakaway republics. If authorities approve the plans, the embassy’s address will change to “Luhansk People’s Republic Square.” The separatist region is backed by Russian forces, with President Vladimir Putin recognizing the area as an independent country…
-
Russia’s Yandex Maps to Stop Displaying National Borders
Russia’s flagship IT company Yandex will stop showing national borders on its online maps. Speaking on Thursday, the company said that their updated digital maps would “focus on natural features rather than on state boundaries.” “Our task is to display the world around us. So the map will show mountains, rivers, and other data usually…
-
Isolated Russia Celebrates Tsar Who Opened ‘Window to Europe’
More than three centuries after he sought to bring Russia closer to Europe, Russians on Thursday marked the 350th birthday of tsar Peter the Great with the country deeply isolated over the Ukraine conflict. Inspired by time spent abroad, Peter made huge efforts to modernize his vast and under-developed nation during his rule from 1682…
-
Foreigners Fighting for Ukraine Sentenced to Death by Russia-Backed Separatist Court
Three foreign men fighting alongside the Ukrainian army have been sentenced to death by a court in eastern Ukraine’s self-proclaimed Donetsk Peopleʼs Republic following a lightning-fast trial, Russia’s state-run RIA Novosti reported Thursday. British fighters Shaun Pinner, 48, and Aiden Aslin, 28, as well as Moroccan national Saadun Brahim, were charged with terrorism, committing a…
-
Rebranded Russian McDonald’s Picks New Logo Ahead of Re-Opening
McDonald’s Russian owner has picked a new logo, menu and app name ahead of its re-opening under a new brand this month, the company confirmed to state media Thursday. The U.S. fast food giant recently ended its three-decade presence in Russia after it sent troops into Ukraine, selling all 850 of its locations to a…
-
Amid Official Silence, Russian Soldiers’ Families Get Answers From the Enemy
Relatives of Russian soldier Amir Shaikenov came across a photo of a dead man in Ukraine on social media that caused his family immediate alarm. The soldier in the picture taken in the Ukrainian city of Bucha bore a striking resemblance to Shaikenov, whose elite military unit, the 76th Air Assault Division, was deployed to…
-
Russia to Assist Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Talks – Lavrov
Russia said Thursday it was ready to broker a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia, as Moscow seeks to reassert its influence on the world stage after invading Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks with his Armenian counterpart in the capital Yerevan on Thursday, reaffirming Moscow’s willingness to help negotiate a deal following the…
-
Two Years After Huge Arctic Spill, River Water in Norilsk Is Still Red From Diesel Fuel
Two years after an oil spill at a facility owned by Russian mining giant Nornickel sparked one of the worst-ever environmental disasters in the Arctic, the company says the environment in the area of the spill is in satisfactory condition. Investigations by a visiting environmentalist indicate otherwise. “Two years have passed, there have been some…
-
Kremlin Receives Almost 42,000 Complaints on Missing Ukraine Soldiers – Investigation
The Kremlin received nearly 42,000 complaints in April from the relatives of soldiers missing in Ukraine, investigative outlet iStories reported Thursday. Official data revealed that President Vladimir Putin’s administration received 41,666 requests related to missing or captured soldiers. The Russian government has not released any official figures on its Ukraine death toll since March 25,…