Former senior editors and journalists from the Vedomosti business daily are launching a new media project after the appointment of a pro-Kremlin editor-in-chief sparked accusations of censorship and a mass departure of staff from the paper. VTimes aims to continue Vedomosti’s tradition of independent journalism and editorial objectivity. “More than ever before Russia needs independent…
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President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday welcomed efforts to resolve Ukraine’s conflict with Kremlin-backed separatists during a phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin ahead of a ceasefire starting Monday. Moscow and Kiev agreed to implement a ceasefire in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbass during negotiations earlier this month, as a precondition for a broader…
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Members of the Russian “United Democrats” movement, which campaigns for meaningful elections, were arrested in the western Tatarstan region on Saturday, the group said on Facebook. Russian special forces seized the members in the Tatarstan capital Kazan “to investigate their involvement in terrorism,” the group said, without giving details. Anastasia Burakova, one of the movement’s…
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Russia has confirmed 812,485 cases of coronavirus and 13,269 deaths. July 26: 3 things you need to know today Russia plans to administer its experimental coronavirus vaccine on healthcare professionals next month before its clinical trials are completed, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said Thursday. Russia plans to restart international flights to Britain, Turkey and Tanzania on Aug. 1…
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The highest number of new cases were in Moscow, the western Siberian region of Khanty-Mansiysk and Sverdlovsk in the Urals. Russia’s fatality rate has remained low compared to other badly-hit countries, raising speculation that Moscow could be underreporting figures. Russian authorities began easing anti-virus measures in June ahead of a massive World War II military…
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Russia has confirmed 806,720 cases of coronavirus and 13,192 deaths. July 25: 3 things you need to know today Russia plans to administer its experimental coronavirus vaccine on healthcare professionals next month before its clinical trials are completed, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said Thursday. Russia plans to restart international flights to Britain, Turkey and Tanzania on Aug.…
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The highest number of new cases were in Moscow, the western Siberian region of Khanty-Mansiysk and Sverdlovsk in the Urals. Russia’s fatality rate has remained low compared to other badly-hit countries, raising speculation that Moscow could be underreporting figures. Russian authorities began easing anti-virus measures in June ahead of a massive World War II military…
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KHABAROVSK — Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Russia’s Far East for the third Saturday running for the latest rally in an unprecedented protest movement that is gaining momentum and taking on an anti-Kremlin bent. Now entering their third week, the protests in the Khabarovsk region on the border with China kicked…
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Russia continues to supply a broad range of arms to Libyan rebels including fighter jets, air defense missiles, land mines, and armored vehicles through the state-backed mercenary Wagner Group, the U.S. Defense Department said Friday. The Pentagon released satellite photographs that it said shows Wagner-supplied military equipment “on the front lines” of the Libyan conflict…
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The head of Russia’s republic of Chechnya has declared “all the sanctions” in his region on U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, baselessly claiming that the U.S. official ordered the killing of African-American man George Floyd that sparked anti-racism protests in the United States. Pompeo’s State Department placed Ramzan Kadyrov on its blacklist of human…
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Russia on Friday dismissed accusations from the United States and Britain that it had tested an anti-satellite weapon in space as “propaganda.” Moscow responded after the United States Space Command on Thursday accused Russia of test-firing an anti-satellite weapon in space and warned the threat against U.S. systems was “real, serious and increasing.” The head…
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Russia plans to administer its experimental coronavirus vaccine on healthcare professionals next month before its clinical trials are completed, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said Thursday. Russia’s adenoviral vector-based vaccine developed by military and government researchers is in Phase II trials with plans to launch the next and final phase sometime after Aug. 3. The vaccine…
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A Belarussian opposition politician barred from presidential elections has fled to Moscow fearing arrest, his campaign team told AFP on Friday. Belarussian leader Alexander Lukashenko is running for a sixth term in the Aug. 9 election and his regime has cracked down on the opposition ahead of the ballot, detaining protesters and would-be candidates. Valery…
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A mass brawl erupted between ethnic Armenians and Azerbaijanis in the Russian capital of Moscow overnight following clashes on the border between two ex-Soviet republics, according to media reports. The latest fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia broke out along the two countries’ shared border, claiming at least 17 lives and marking the deadliest confrontations between…
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Russia plans to restart international flights to Britain, Turkey and Tanzania on Aug. 1 more than four months after closing its borders due to the coronavirus pandemic. Russia grounded nearly all international flights in late March to slow the coronavirus outbreak, allowing only special flights evacuating Russians from abroad and other flights authorized by the…
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Russia’s second-largest city St. Petersburg has registered 10 times the number of community-acquired pneumonia cases in May 2020 than it did in May 2019, according to official data. The surge comes as St. Petersburg’s health authorities began reporting a drop in new coronavirus infections from 300 per day earlier in July to fewer than 200…
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Russia on Thursday handed three air traffic controllers jail terms for the deaths of Total CEO Christophe de Margerie and crew members in a collision with a snowplow in Moscow. The CEO of the French oil giant was killed along with two pilots and a flight attendant when his private jet crashed into a snowplow…
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Russia has confirmed 800,849 cases of coronavirus and 13,046 deaths. July 24: 3 things you need to know today Russia plans to administer its experimental coronavirus vaccine on healthcare professionals next month before its clinical trials are completed, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said Thursday. Russia plans to restart international flights to Britain, Turkey and Tanzania on Aug. 1 more…
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Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko has threatened to kick out foreign journalists he accuses of stirring up protests against him ahead of next month’s election. Lukashenko, 65, faces what analysts call the toughest re-election campaign in his 26 years in power. Three of his main election rivals have been either jailed or barred from running, prompting…
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Russia has confirmed 795,038 cases of coronavirus and 12,892 deaths. July 23: 3 things you need to know today Valentina Matviyenko, the head of Russia’s upper house of parliament, said current progress made it possible for the vaccine to enter mass production by the end of 2020. The vaccine’s creator Denis Logunov echoed her claim, telling Meduza that the Gamaleya institute…
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Rapidly melting Arctic permafrost poses the greatest threat to major Russian energy producers’ infrastructure and financial indicators, according to a new Morgan Stanley report obtained by the Vedomosti business daily. Gazprom, Novatek, Alrosa and Norilsk Nickel — whose fuel tank leaked after sinking into thawing permafrost in May, resulting in a major environmental disaster —…
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The extended family of a Chechen dissident murdered in Austria earlier this month has claimed responsibility for his killing and attempted to absolve the Russian region’s Kremlin-backed leader. Two ethnic Chechens were arrested after the body of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov’s reported “personal foe” Mamikhan Umarov, 43, was found in Vienna on July 4. Suspicions…
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Читайте русскую версию здесь. As her shift at Russia’s investigative Novaya Gazeta newspaper was coming to an end on a late Monday afternoon last January, Elizaveta Kirpanova stopped by a senior reporter’s office to catch up. Kirpanova, a 23-year-old reporter who had just completed her first year at the respected paper, was working on a…
DetailsRN-Vankor, an enterprise of the Rosneft Oil Company production complex, has discovered a new field on the border of the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District
The last time Russia reported fewer than 6,000 cases was on April 29. The highest number of new cases were in Moscow, the western Siberian region of Khanty-Mansiysk and Sverdlovsk in the Urals. Russia’s fatality rate has remained low compared to other badly-hit countries, raising speculation that Moscow could be underreporting figures. Russian authorities began…
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Russian lawmakers have approved legislation in line with President Vladimir Putin’s new Constitution which will give lengthy prison terms for calling to cede territory in what is believed to be a warning to those who question Russia’s annexation of Crimea. The current law, adopted after Moscow seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, jails Russians for…
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Camouflaged men attacked a Russian news crew during a crackdown on anti-racism protesters in the western U.S. city of Portland, Russian state-run television said Wednesday. Russia’s Channel One broadcaster said it believes federal agents ripped off its journalist’s helmet and knocked down its cameraman with a baton, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported Wednesday. …
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A Russian court has sentenced respected Gulag historian Yury Dmitriyev to three and a half years in prison on charges of sexual assault in a case his allies say was trumped up to silence him. Dmitriyev will be released in November as his time already served in pre-trial detention will count toward his sentence, his…
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U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee for a top arms control post in the State Department has said Russia should stop developing what he believes is a dangerous nuclear-powered cruise missile. The Burevestnik, which NATO designates as SSC-X-9 Skyfall, is believed to have exploded during secret rocket engine tests at sea in northern Russia last August,…
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Moscow will subsidize holidays taken by Russian tourists who vacation at home instead of the Mediterranean, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said Wednesday. The push to boost domestic tourism comes after officials lifted most coronavirus restrictions in June. Yet Russians are still barred from holidaying abroad due to international travel controls imposed to slow the pandemic.…
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Russia under President Vladimir Putin has grown increasingly intolerant of voices that challenge the conservative values championed by the Kremlin. Putin has also empowered the security forces to crack down on anyone perceived to be a threat, leading to a spike in treason and espionage cases. news What a Growing List of ‘Instructional’ Court Cases…
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The new head of Russia’s Far Eastern Khabarovsk region has refused calls by protesters to step down less than 48 hours after he replaced a popular governor who was arrested on murder charges. President Vladimir Putin on Monday named Mikhail Degtyaryov, 39, the Khabarovsk region’s acting governor after the sudden arrest of Sergei Furgal, 50,…
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The last time Russia reported fewer than 6,000 cases was on April 29. The highest number of new cases were in Moscow, the western Siberian region of Khanty-Mansiysk and Sverdlovsk in the Urals. Russia’s fatality rate has remained low compared to other badly-hit countries, raising speculation that Moscow could be underreporting figures. Russian authorities began…
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Russia has confirmed 789,190 cases of coronavirus and 12,745 deaths. July 22: 3 things you need to know today Russia has come through the coronavirus pandemic with far fewer infections and deaths than many other European countries, President Vladimir Putin said Monday while visiting Moscow-annexed Crimea. The Russian military has said its experimental coronavirus vaccine which has not yet…
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The Moscow metro plans to equip around 1,500 subway cars with facial recognition technology by the end of 2020, BBC Russia reported Tuesday. A public contract posted earlier in July states that the metro system will spend 1.4 billion rubles ($20 million) on the controversial cameras and software. The Moscow metro announced trials of facial…
DetailsOn July 23, Rosneft celebrates World Whale and Dolphin Day aimed to attract the public’s attention to the problems of marine mammals’ conservation
Ukrainian police freed 13 hostages and arrested an armed man who held them on a bus for more than 12 hours on Tuesday, after the country’s president agreed to his demand to post a movie recommendation on social media. The SBU security service said a joint operation had resulted in all the hostages being released…
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Pop icon Madonna said Monday that Russia had fined her for speaking in support of LGBT rights during her last concert there. Russian courts, however, said there was no such ruling. At her Aug. 8, 2012, show in St. Petersburg, Madonna told the cheering crowd that “gay people here and all around the world have…
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A senior Russian Orthodox Church official known for making controversial sexist remarks has compared in vitro fertilization (IVF) to notorious medical experiments that Nazi doctors conducted during World War II. Archpriest Dmitry Smirnov was granted the dubious title of “Sexist of the Year” by feminist bloggers this spring for comparing common-law wives to prostitutes, urging…
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Ukrainian police were holding tense negotiations on Tuesday with a man armed with explosives who took 20 people hostage in a bus and claimed to have planted a remote-controlled device in the western city of Lutsk. Police cordoned off the center of the city of over 200,000, some 400 kilometers (250 miles) from the capital Kiev, and…
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British lawmakers on Tuesday slammed the government for failing to look into any Russian meddling into UK politics, despite evidence of the country posing a credible threat. Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee’s (ISC’s) long-awaited report had been expected to shed light on whether the Kremlin interfered in the landmark 2016 Brexit referendum. But MPs said…
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The Russian military has said its experimental coronavirus vaccine which has not yet completed Phase II trials and is yet to begin Phase III is “ready.” The Defense Ministry, which says it has worked with government researchers to develop the vector vaccine, on Monday released the last group of volunteer soldiers testing the experimental shot…
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Russia has confirmed 777,486 cases of coronavirus and 12,427 deaths. July 21: 3 things you need to know today Russia has come through the coronavirus pandemic with far fewer infections and deaths than many other European countries, President Vladimir Putin said Monday while visiting Moscow-annexed Crimea. The Russian military has said its experimental coronavirus vaccine which has not yet…
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The last time Russia reported fewer than 6,000 cases was on April 29. The highest number of new cases were in Moscow, the western Siberian region of Khanty-Mansiysk and Sverdlovsk in the Urals. Russia’s fatality rate has remained low compared to other badly-hit countries, raising speculation that Moscow could be underreporting figures. Russian authorities began…
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A Russian tech entrepreneur on Monday began a defamation claim against the British author of a controversial report at the heart of 2016 U.S. election meddling allegations first leaked to BuzzFeed. Alexej Gubarev said in documents released in London’s High Court that former UK intelligence officer Christopher Steele was responsible for the U.S. news site’s…
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A Russian transgender activist jailed for protesting new anti-LGBT legislation faces humiliation and possible rape in the men’s cell she’s been placed in, activists said Monday. A Moscow court found Polina Simonenko guilty of repeatedly violating protest rules and sentenced her to 14 days in jail. Simonenko and around 30 activists had been detained over…
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Viktor Chizhikov, the Russian illustrator behind the memorable Mishka bear mascot of the 1980 Moscow Olympics, died on Monday aged 84, his publisher said. The children’s book illustrator came up with the cuddly bear to represent the controversial Games, boycotted by countries including the United States. The publisher AST Deti announced his death on Facebook,…
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The U.S. State Department placed Chechen Republic leader Ramzan Kadyrov on its blacklist of human rights violators Monday for alleged torture, extrajudicial killings and other violations it said go back more than a decade. The department said Kadyrov, his spouse Medni Kadyrova, and his daughters Aishat Kadyrova and Karina Kadyrova, were designated under its Section…
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The mayor of the Russian Arctic city of Norilsk on Monday announced his resignation after accusing regional officials of massively underreporting coronavirus figures. Rinat Akhmetchin, mayor of the Siberian city located 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of the Arctic Circle, announced his departure during a briefing. His resignation came as President Vladimir Putin on Monday…
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President Vladimir Putin on Monday boasted of Russia’s naval capabilities and hailed the country’s response to the coronavirus during a keel-laying ceremony for new warships in Moscow-annexed Crimea. Putin in recent years has called improving the Russian Navy’s combat capabilities a priority. Speaking at the Zaliv shipyard in the city of Kerch, Putin said Russia…
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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday named a new leader of the Far Eastern region of Khabarovsk from the nationalist LDPR party after the arrest of its popular governor brought thousands to the streets. Putin officially sacked Sergei Furgal, who was detained this month on murder charges, and named LDPR lawmaker Mikhail Degtyarev to replace…
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Russia has confirmed 777,486 cases of coronavirus and 12,427 deaths. July 20: 3 things you need to know today Russia has come through the coronavirus pandemic with far fewer infections and deaths than many other European countries, President Vladimir Putin said Monday while visiting Moscow-annexed Crimea. Members of Russia’s ruling elite have been given access to an experimental coronavirus…
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Prominent Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny is closing his foundation that has produced several high-profile investigations into alleged corruption among top government officials, he announced Monday. The Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) has faced a number of lawsuits over its video investigations targeting figures ranging from former Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Oleg Deripaska. The Russian…
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Wildfires in Russia have burned across an area larger than the size of Greece so far in 2020, Greenpeace Russia said Monday as it criticized the authorities of inaction. Using satellite data, Greenpeace Russia estimated that 19 million hectares (47 million acres) burned across Russia’s forests, steppes and fields from January to mid-July. The country…
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KFC has partnered with a Russian biotech research firm to create the world’s first laboratory-produced chicken nuggets this fall. The fast-food chain and Russia’s 3D Bioprinting Solutions, founded by the private medical firm Invitro, announced the partnership Thursday amid a growing global race to find safe and authentic-tasting meat alternatives. 3D Bioprinting Solutions will use chicken…
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In blistering 40-degree-Celsius heat Gulnat Kadirbeyeva drives around the outskirts of Baikonur delivering water and basic medicine to people battling severe coronavirus symptoms at home in cramped tower blocks. Many are decorated with large murals of rockets, a constant reminder of the city’s spaceport that is Russia’s launchpad into space. An administrator at a construction…
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A top executive of disgraced payments company Wirecard is believed to be in hiding near Moscow under the protection of Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency, the German newspaper Handelsblatt reported Sunday. Wirecard collapsed in June after admitting that 1.9 billion euros ($2.2 billion) missing from its accounts likely did not exist, in what auditors said…
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Members of Russia’s ruling elite have been given access to an experimental coronavirus vaccine as early as April, Bloomberg reported Monday, citing unnamed sources. “Several hundred” billionaires, executives and government officials took the experimental shots developed by the state-run Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, a researcher familiar with the effort told the…
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Three women have teamed up to fight presidential polls in Belarus, pitting “female solidarity” against strongman Alexander Lukashenko, who insists the country is not ready for a woman president. Their campaign comes as the rights group Amnesty International on Friday released a report condemning the ex-Soviet country’s discriminatory treatment of women opposition activists, citing threats…
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Russian investigators have reiterated their conclusion that human remains found in central Russia belong to Tsar Nicholas II and his family, who were killed by revolutionaries over a century ago. Authorities had relaunched the probe into the July 17, 1918, execution of Nicholas II, his wife and their five children in 2015. On the 100th…
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