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Kantemir Balagov’s “Closeness” gets Cannes Festival’s International Critics’ Prize

“Closeness,” a debut of 26-year-old Balagov, is set in 1998 in the director’s home city of Nalchik “Closeness” by Russian film director Kantemir Balagov, along with Robin Campillo’s “BPM (Beats Per Minute)” and Pedro Pinho’s “The Nothing Factory,” won International Critics’ Prizes at the Cannes Festival on Saturday. The FIPRESCI Jury awarded three prizes: two…

More than two-thirds of Russians say would like to venerate St Nicholas’s relics

The requests people would like to address to St Nicholas the Wonderworker concern personal health, assistance in the rectification of personal problems and maintenance of peace Arrival of the relics of St Nicholas from the Italian city of Bari to Russia has become a considerable event for the Russians and 72% of them would like…

Patriarch Kirill I sends condolences to Coptic Church over terrorist act in Egypt

“The cowardly attack victimized totally innocent people, icnluding children, who were en route to an antique monastery for gratuitous work and prayer,” Kirill I said in his message The Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill I on Friday send condolences to Pope Tawadros II, the supreme hierarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria…

This week in photos: Trump with Pope, St Nicholas relics in Moscow and Zuckerberg’s degree

The world in pictures in a photo gallery by TASS

President Donald Trump’s Vatican visit, St. Nicholas’ relics in Moscow, Mark Zuckerberg’s Harvard degree and other best photographs of the week. The world in pictures in a photo gallery by TASS

Bolshoi Theater vows to put on at least 10 new shows next season

Among the expected productions are works by renowned directors Katie Mitchell and Rimas Tuminas With the 241st Bolshoi Theater season still underway, plans for next year have already been announced, the theater’s director Vladimir Urin told TASS on Thursday. Among the expected productions are works by renowned directors Katie Mitchell and Rimas Tuminas, while the…

Space technologies offer glimpse at Tsar Ivan the Terrible’s rare portrait

The portrait was engraved in copper and subsequently imprinted on the leather cover of Russia’s first exact-dated printed book — the “Apostle” Multispectral imaging, a technology used in space research, allowed scientists to take a glimpse at the only portrait of Russia’s 16th century ruler Ivan the Terrible made during his lifetime and worn away…

Most Americans view Russia as unfriendly country — survey

According to the research, North Korea, Iran and Syria are viewed as America’s most feared enemies The majority of US residents consider Russia an enemy of the US rather than an ally, but are convinced that President Donald Trump thinks otherwise, a Fox News survey shows. The respondents of the national poll were asked to…

Russia’s legendary barque Kruzenshtern calls at Belgian port

Russia’s legendary windjammer Kruzenshtern, which is on its first training voyage of the year, has called at the Belgian port of Oostende to take part in an international festival of sailing vessels Russia’s legendary windjammer Kruzenshtern, which is on its first training voyage of the year, on Thursday called at the Belgian port of Oostende…

Hotel Ukraina: a Soviet-era treasure in the heart of Moscow

60 years ago, one of seven iconic Moscow’s skyscrapers designed in the Stalinist style, hotel Ukraina was opened 1957 Soviet hotel Ukraina was opened. The second tallest of the neoclassical Stalin-era “seven sisters”, hotel Ukraina is 198-meter high (34 stories). It was then the tallest hotel in the world. In 2010 the hotel was renovated…

Soviet ‘worker and peasant girl’ statue for 1937 World’s Fair marks 80th anniversary

Sculptor Vera Mukhina said her work was to express “a robust and overpowering drive” that characterized the Soviet Union Eighty years ago on this precise date, workers at the World’s Fair 1937 in Paris put the finishing touches on the landmark icon of Soviet monument sculpture that was destined to become the trademark symbol of…

Team from Russia’s ITMO University wins ICPC world programming contest

The ACM ICPC finals were held in Rapid City, South Dakota, USA A team of students of the St. Petersburg ITMO (Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics) University have won its seventh victory at the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC), the ITMO University’s press service said on Thursday. The ACM ICPC finals were held in…

Putin venerates St Nicholas’s relics in Cathedral of the Savior

Vladimir Putin came to Moscow’s downtown Cathedral of the Savior to venerate the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker that arrived in Moscow from Bari, Italy President Vladimir Putin came to Moscow’s downtown Cathedral of the Savior on Wednesday to venerate the relics of St Nicholas the Wonderworker that arrived in Moscow from Bari, Italy,…

International Chekhov Theater festival opens its doors for 13th time in Moscow

The festival opens on May 24 and runs until mid-July Moscow is slated to host the International Chekhov Theater festival for the 13th time, while the organizers are celebrating its 25th anniversary, Valery Shadrin, head of the festival, told TASS. The event kicks off on May 24 and runs until mid-July. Among its participants are…

Poll shows 25% of Russians expect headway in ties with France during Macron’s presidency

Only nine percent of the respondents believe that relations could worsen As many as 25% of Russians believe that after Emmanuel Macron was elected president of France, relations between the two countries will improve, the All-Russia Public Opinion Research Center said in a statement on Wednesday. “As many as 25% of those polled expect bilateral…

Stalin’s grandson passes away at 75

The grandson of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, Alexander Burdonsky, National Artist of the Russian Federation and stage director of the Central Academic Theater of the Russian Army, died on May 23 The grandson of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, Alexander Burdonsky, National Artist of the Russian Federation and stage director of the Central Academic Theater of…

How one Murmansk writer was inspired to bring Cyrillic Alphabet Day back to Russia

Maslov worked as a radioman at the world’s first nuclear icebreaker Lenin Prior to 1986, Cyrillic Alphabet Day had virtually disappeared from Russians’ calendars during the Soviet era. Nevertheless, Vitaly Maslov, a writer from the northern Russian city of Murmansk, managed to revive this tradition despite it having faded from national memory following the 1917…

Investigators release Gogol-Center stage director after questioning

The artistic director was questioned “as an eyewitness in a criminal case into misappropriation of state funds” The Gogol-Center’s theater director, who was taken into the Investigative Committee’s office in Moscow for questioning as a witness in an embezzlement case, was released late on Tuesday, a TASS correspondent reported from the scene. “I’m a witness,”…

Patriarch Kirill proposes to bring relics of Egyptian fathers of Orthodox Church to Russia

Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill I has invited Coptic Christians to visit the shrines of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill I has issued a proposal to the leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, Pope Tawadros II, to organize ‘translation’ (delivery) of the relics of Egyptian…

Federal agency confirms ‘Far Eastern hectare’ project with famous martial artist

Russian media reported earlier that US actor Steven Seagal, who was granted Russian citizenship in November 2016, may take part in this project A Russian federal agency confirmed on Tuesday that a project on promoting the so-called “Far Eastern hectare” is under development and a famous martial artist may take part in it. “In August…

Four men and a dog: How Papanin’s team conquered the North Pole

On May 21, 1937, the famous polar ‘drifting’ expedition led by Ivan Papanin kicked off, captivating the Soviet public for the next nine months On May 21, 1937, a large red-orange ANT-6 aircraft landed on an ice floe not far from the North Pole. Thirteen men piled out of the plane, pulled out a bottle…

Russian Far East mining town rolls out gem idea for diamond tour route

Local authorities also intend to open the Arctic diamond mines to tourists The Mirny District administration in the Sakha Region of Russia’s Far East has come up with a new tourism strategy to attract visitors, a route has been mapped out around sites linked to the history of Russia’s diamond mining. Among them are the…

Steven Seagal may star in TV show on getting free land in Russia’s Far East

Starting from February 1, 2017 every Russian citizen is entitled to file an application for getting a hectare of land in any region of Russia’s Far East for free US actor Steven Seagal, who was granted Russian citizenship in November 2016, may star in a TV show on how to get a hectare of land…

Hollywood actor Steven Seagal to get free land in Russia’s Far East

Starting from February 1, 2017 every Russian citizen is entitled to file an application for getting a hectare of land in any region of Russia’s Far East for free US actor Steven Seagal, who was granted Russian citizenship in November 2016, will get a hectare of land in the Far Eastern Primorye region and build…

Maestro Gergiyev’s orchestra opens international music festival in Sofia

This was Mariinsky orchestra’s first performance in Bulgaria over 45 years Mariinsky Theater symphony orchestra under the baton of maestro Valery Gergiyev on Monday opened the Sofia Music Weeks 48th international festival. The audience that included Bulgarian President Rumen Radev gave a standing ovation to the Russian musicians and the conductor who is also Mariinsky…

Patriarch: Veneration of St Nicholas unites Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christians

St Nicholas’s relics will stay in Moscow through to July 12, after which they will be transported to St Petersburg Veneration of St Nicholas the Wonderworker, a fragment of whose relics was delivered to Russia from Italy on Sunday, unites the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christians, the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill…