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U.K. Condemns Russia for Sentence on Rights Activist in Chechnya

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt condemned the sentence handed out to a prominent human rights activist by a court in Chechnya, calling it “an awful example of Russia suppressing vital work of human rights defenders.” Oyub Titiyev, who runs the office of the Memorial Human Rights Center in the southern Russian region, was sentenced to…

Aeroflot Introduces Cheaper Fares for Passengers Who Travel Light

Russia’s national flag carrier Aeroflot will introduce hand luggage-only fares for some of its medium-haul flights at the beginning of April, the Kommersant business daily reported on Tuesday. The new fares come after increased passenger demand for charges to reflect this lighter style of travel. The discounts will apply to select flights operated by Aeroflot…

President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, Resigns After Three Decades

Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev unexpectedly resigned on Tuesday after three decades in power, saying his oil-rich Central Asian nation now needed “a new generation of leaders.” Nazarbayev, 78, the last Soviet-era leader still in charge of his country, said he would retain key security council and party leader positions while handing over the presidency to…

Russian Navy Shows Off Ships For Day of Submariner

The Russian Navy has shared a video of a new Borey-style nuclear ballistic missile submarine for the Day of the Russian Submariner, celebrated in Russia on March 19. Vladimir Korolev, commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, congratulated submariners on their professional holiday, adding that Russia’s submarine program is being actively developed, the Izvestia news website reported. Navy…

Russia’s Political Prisoners, in Photos

Nearly 200 people are currently being held as political prisoners in Russia, the Memorial Human Rights Center has estimated. “There are civil and political activists who are pursued because of their activity, and those jailed for exchanging scientific information or reposting in social networks,” Memorial, one of Russia’s oldest and most prestigious human rights organizations,…

The Long And Winding Road to U.S. Special Counsel’s Russia Report

Special Counsel Robert Mueller, examining potential conspiracy between President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia, is leading the latest in a series of U.S. investigations conducted by prosecutors outside usual Justice Department channels in recent decades. The release of the findings by previous investigators analogous to Mueller has been handled differently over the years, sometimes with…

Russia Backs Algerian Government Plan For Talks With Opposition

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that Moscow supported the Algerian government’s initiative to hold talks with the opposition after weeks of protests. Lavrov made the comments after meeting Algeria’s Deputy Prime Minister Ramtane Lamamra in Moscow on Tuesday. Lavrov said earlier on Tuesday that Russia was concerned by the protests in Algeria which he…

Russian Court Throws Out Offended ‘Sit on His Face’ Ad Viewer’s Case

A Moscow court has ruled that a feminist Reebok ad urging readers to “sit on a man’s face” did not insult a male plaintiff’s feelings, Russian media reported on Tuesday. PR expert Oleg Voronin sought 200,000 rubles ($3,100) in moral damages from Reebok’s parent company Adidas last month over the racy ad. Following public outcry,…

Russian Court Dismisses Lawsuit of Offended Reebok Ad Viewer

A Moscow court has ruled that a feminist Reebok ad urging readers to “sit on a man’s face” did not insult a male plaintiff’s feelings, Russian media reported on Tuesday. PR expert Oleg Voronin sought 200,000 rubles ($3,100) in moral damages from Reebok’s parent company Adidas last month over the racy ad. Following public outcry,…

Russia Says it Won’t Destroy Missiles U.S. Claims Break INF Treaty

Russia will not destroy its intermediate-range nuclear missiles that the United States claims violate an unraveling Cold War-era arms control treaty, its Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. The U.S. said last month it would withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in six months unless Moscow ends what Washington says are violations of the…

Moscow Nose-Dives in Global Living Cost Rankings

Moscow’s cost-of-living ranking has plummeted over the past year in comparison to other cities worldwide, the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Worldwide Cost of Living survey has found. The decrease in living costs is linked to high inflation and currency deprivation, the survey reported. The Russian capital has fallen 16 places from 86th to 102nd in the…

Hyundai Signs Deal With Russia’s Yandex for Autonomous Cars

A Hyundai Motor Group unit and Russia’s biggest technology company Yandex NV will jointly develop autonomous vehicles based the South Korean automotive giant’s cars. Carmakers and tech companies are racing to rollout self-driving cars. Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler and BMW have set aside traditional rivalries, while Volvo Cars and Baidu Inc. have joined forces to develop…

OPEC’s Missing Meeting Shows Strain in Saudi-Russia Alliance

The partnership at the heart of the OPEC+ alliance showed further signs of strain after Russia pressured the Saudi-led group to delay a decision on the future of their production cuts. The unusual recommendation to cancel next month’s scheduled meeting means the group probably won’t decide whether to prolong its supply curbs until late June,…

EU Citizen Abused in Russian Jail – Jehovah’s Witnesses

An EU citizen has been placed in solitary confinement, denied visitation with his wife and subjected to a grueling daily regimen while awaiting trial in central Russia, the Jehovah’s Witnesses told The Moscow Times. The federal penitentiary service of Kirov region did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Andrzej Oniszczuk, 50, was one of…

Michael Calvey: ‘I Don’t Want to Politicize’ Fraud Arrest

U.S. investor Michael Calvey wants to steer away from the politicization of his detention on suspicion of multimillion dollar fraud in Russia, he told Russian tabloid Moskovsky Komsomolets in an interview. “I don’t want to politicize this story and try to distance myself from everything that could lead to that,” Calvey told the Moskovsky Komsomolets…

Court in Chechnya Sentences Rights Activist to Four Years in Penal Colony

A court in Chechnya on Monday sentenced Oyub Titiyev, a prominent human rights activist, to four years in a penal settlement after finding him guilty of possessing illegal drugs, a charge his supporters say was trumped up. Titiyev, who runs the office of the Memorial Human Rights Center in the southern Russian region, was detained in…

Court Returns Case of Detained American Teacher to Prosecutors

A court in Moscow has returned to the prosecutors a case against American national Gaylen Grandstaff who faces 20 years in Russian prison for ordering a cleaning product containing a chemical banned in Russia. The judge in the case has decided to release Grandstaff from the pre-detention facility before the second hearing. “The court returned…

Russia Secures $2Bln Fighter Jet Contract With Egypt — Reports

Russia has signed a $2 billion contract for the supply of more than 20 Su-35 fighter jets to Egypt, the Kommersant news daily reported on Monday, citing two senior defense industry officials. Russia has become one of Egypt’s largest arms suppliers as Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi has developed friendly ties with President Vladimir Putin. The…

Siberian City Holds Unauthorized Protest After Rape Blamed on Migrants

Residents in the Siberian city of Yakutsk held an unauthorized rally on Sunday after unconfirmed reports alleged that Central Asian migrants raped a local woman. On March 17, a female Yakutsk resident was kidnapped and raped, then fled after her captor fell asleep, the Yakutsk Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement. A source in the…

Russian Footballer Pogrebnyak Could Face Ban Over ‘Racist’ Comments

The Russian Football Union (RFS) is set to investigate controversial remarks made by veteran international striker Pavel Pogrebnyak, local media reported on Sunday. Pogrebnyak, who has 33 caps with Russia, came under scrutiny after he commented on the race of Brazilian-born, naturalized Russian striker Ariclenes da Silva Ferreira, also known as Ari, who has two…

Crimeans Mark Five Years of Russian Rule With Cossacks, Eagles and Bikers

Russia celebrated the fifth anniversary of its takeover of Crimea with pomp and pride this weekend. The festivities will reach their peak on Monday when Russian President Vladimir Putin arrives to open two new power stations, sealing Crimea’s economic integration with Russia. Patriotic fervor ran high on the peninsula as a giant bronze double-headed eagle—an…

Crimeans Take to the Streets in Celebrations, in Photos

The pro-Kremlin Night Wolves motorcycle gang staged a celebratory concert outside Sevastopol on Saturday to mark the fifth anniversary of Russia’s annexation of Crimea. The event was marked by patriotic fervor and featured a display of military equipment, a rock concert, the unfurling of the largest Russian flag in the world and an awards ceremony…

Russia Still Paying Price for Crimea Five Years After Annexation

Half a decade has passed since Vladimir Putin annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula. For Russia, the costs continue to mount. The accession treaty signed to bring the Black Sea territory into Moscow’s fold is still unrecognized by most countries and the U.S. and European Union led a broad effort to punish Russia with sanctions. Undeterred, Russia…

Russia Will Respond to New EU Sanctions — Reports

Russia will respond to new European Union sanctions, its Foreign Ministry said on Saturday, without saying what action it would take. The EU on Friday added eight more Russians to its sanctions list over a stand-off between Russia and Ukraine in the Azov Sea, including senior security service officials and military commanders that the EU accuses of preventing Ukrainian…

Tycoon Deripaska Sues U.S. Over Sanctions

Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska sued the United States on Friday, alleging that it had overstepped its legal bounds in imposing sanctions on him and made him the “latest victim” in the U.S. probe into Moscow’s alleged election interference. In what legal experts called a long shot attempt, Deripaska asked a federal court in Washington to…

Thousands March in Crimea to Mark Fifth Anniversary of Russia’s Annexation

Thousands of people marched in Crimea’s capital city of Simferopol on Friday in an event staged by Moscow-backed authorities to mark the fifth anniversary of Russia’s annexation of the peninsula from Ukraine. While participants waved flags and sang songs of celebration, many of them told The Moscow Times that the dramatic increase in living standards…

Russia’s Aeroflot Will Cancel Boeing 737 Max Order If Safety Issue Not Solved

Russia’s national flag carrier Aeroflot will cancel its order of 20 Boeing 737 Max planes unless Boeing is able to guarantee the plane’s safety after Sunday’s deadly crash in Ethiopia by November, Aeroflot CEO Vitaly Savelyev said on Friday. Aeroflot has ordered 20 Boeing 737 Max planes for its low-cost subsidiary Pobeda and Boeing is…

U.S. Asks Russia for Proof Detained Ex-Marine Is a Spy

The United States on Friday asked why Russia had not provided any evidence to back up its accusation that Paul Whelan, a detained former U.S. marine, was a spy, a day after Whelan alleged he was being mistreated by a “kangaroo court.” Whelan, who holds U.S., British, Canadian and Irish passports, was detained in a Moscow hotel…

Russian Lawmaker Detained on $49M Bribe-Taking Charges

A Russian State Duma deputy from a small opposition party has been detained on suspicion of accepting 3.2 billion rubles ($49 million) in cooperation with a former governor. Vadim Belousov, 58, had been deprived of official immunity in December in connection with a bribery investigation into fugitive ex-Chelyabinsk region governor Mikhail Yurevich. His detention follows…

Russia Calls for U.S. Dialogue With North Korea to Continue

Russia wants dialogue between North Korea and the United States to continue, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency cited the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying on Friday. North Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hu said earlier on Friday that North Korea was considering suspending its talks with the United States, the state-run TASS news…

Russia Considers Tightening Alcohol Rules

Russia could raise the legal drinking age to 21 from 18 and restrict alcohol sales in residential areas this year, according to the RBC news website. The change would be part of President Vladimir Putin’s ambitious plan to overhaul Russia’s economy by the end of his last term in office. The total spend will be…

Siberian Authorities Halt Construction of Lake Baikal Bottling Plant After Backlash

Authorities in Siberia have suspended the construction of a controversial Chinese bottling plant in the world’s largest fresh water lake following public outcry and pressure from the Kremlin. Residents in Irkutsk region criticized the Chinese-founded AquaSib company’s plans to bottle 190 million liters of water per year from Lake Baikal starting in 2021, saying the…

EU Sanctions Eight Russians Over Azov Sea

The European Union sanctioned on Friday eight more Russians over a stand-off with Ukraine in the Azov Sea, including senior security service officials and military commanders that the bloc accuses of preventing Ukrainian ships from reaching port. Last November, the Russian navy captured 24 Ukrainian sailors and their vessels in the Kerch Strait, which links…

Russians Conflicted Over Crimea Annexation’s Value

Despite still approving of their country’s 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, fewer Russians view it as beneficial on the fifth anniversary of the annexation, a state-run survey has found. Independent polls have shown a yearly uptick in the percentage of Russians who believe that their country benefited from “the return of Crimea” despite economic…

EU Moves Closer to Adopting Sanctions With Magnitsky Name

European Union lawmakers have called on member states to adopt an EU law which would punish state and non-state actors for human rights violations using the name of Sergei Magnitsky, mirroring similar legislation in the United States. The U.S. passed the Magnitsky Act in 2012 to sanction Russian officials linked to the 2009 death of…

Russian Spacecraft Arrives at International Space Station After Successful Launch

A Russian Soyuz spacecraft has arrived at the International Space Station after a successful launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.  Aboard the spacecraft were NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Christina Hammock Koch and cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin of the Russian space agency Roscosmos. Hague and Ovchinin were originally meant to launch to the ISS in October, but…

Crimea Five Years Later. And How Russia’s Wealthy Are Taking Advantage of the Country’s Legal System.

This week on From Russia With News, we discuss the five-year anniversary of the hugely controversial referendum in Crimea with the deputy foreign editor at the Kommersant newspaper Elena Chernenko. We’ll also talk to Moscow Times correspondent Evan Gershkovich about his investigation that revealed how rich Russians dodge taxes and move court cases to a…

Crimea 5 Years Later. And How Russia’s Wealthy Are Taking Advantage of the Country’s Legal System.

This week on From Russia With News, we discuss the five-year anniversary of the hugely controversial referendum in Crimea with the deputy foreign editor at the Kommersant newspaper Elena Chernenko. We’ll also talk to Moscow Times correspondent Evan Gershkovich about his investigation that revealed how rich Russians dodge taxes and move court cases to a…

How Russia Sank Billions of Dollars Into Venezuela Quicksand

At the end of 2015, managers at Rosneft, the Russian state-controlled oil firm, sounded the alarm to their bosses about the company’s investments in Venezuela. Rosneft’s local partner, Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA, owed it hundreds of millions of dollars, according to internal documents, and there seemed no prospect things would get better. “It will be…

Russia’s Top Banks Plot Temporary Sanctions Workaround

Leading Russian banks are working on plans to help each other retain at least short-term access to the global financial system in the event that they are hit by fresh U.S. sanctions, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Sberbank, VTB, Gazprombank and others are examining how they can provide each other with access to U.S.…

Kremlin Seeks Russian-Speaking Migrants to Offset Population Decline

The Kremlin plans to attract up to 10 million Russian-speaking migrants in the next six years to reverse the country’s population decline, the business daily Kommersant reported on Thursday. Russia’s population declined to 146.8 million in 2018, official data released on Thursday estimates, its first decrease in 10 years. Migration has been unable to offset…

Calvey Ends First Month in Detention, Business Leaders Express Concern

As U.S. investor Michael Calvey ended his first month in detention on Thursday prominent Russian businessmen told President Vladimir Putin they are concerned the case will put pressure on business.    Russian state prosecutors have charged Calvey, the founder of the Baring Vostok private equity group, with fraud along with three other executives from his fund.…

Russian Authorities Seal Stalin-Era NKVD Archives

Russia’s intelligence service has refused to declassify the names of members of Stalin’s notorious three-judge panels that issued death sentences without trials, Russian media reported this week. As many as 700,000 people were executed in Stalin’s “Great Terror” of 1937-38, according to conservative estimates. The Memorial human rights NGO keeps a database of some 3…

Russia’s Lavrov Meets Venezuela’s Foreign Minister in Vienna

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is holding talks with Venezuela’s foreign minister in Vienna, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported on Thursday.

Venezuela, a close ally of Moscow, is in political turmoil, with the United States and many other Western countries backing opponents of President Nicolas Maduro.

Russia Suspends Boeing 737 MAX Flights — Reports

Russia‘s aviation authority on Thursday suspended flights by Boeing 737 MAX planes in the country’s airspace following Sunday’s deadly plane crash in Ethiopia, the Interfax news agency cited the authority’s head as saying. Russia‘s S7 Airlines said earlier this week it would ground its Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes starting from Wednesday. It said its…

Russia’s Natural Resources Make Up 60% of GDP – Reports

Russia’s Natural Resources and Environment Ministry estimates that the combined cost of the country’s oil, gas and other resources amounts to 60 percent of its gross domestic product, the RBC news website reported on Thursday. As one of the world’s top producers of natural gas and oil, Russia’s economy is heavily reliant on exports of…