Russia Moves to Decriminalize ‘Unavoidable’ Corruption, Following Putin’s Proposal

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Russia’s Justice Ministry has proposed exempting officials in “exceptional circumstances” from anti-corruption regulations in new draft legislation, following a plan set by Russian President Vladimir Putin last year. Russia ranks among the world’s most corrupt countries, with Transparency International’s annual corruption perceptions index ranking it in 138th place this year out of 180 countries. Read More Putin…

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Russia’s Health Ministry Wants to Import Marijuana for Research

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Russia’s health ministry has said that it wants to legalize the import of hashish and marijuana for research purposes, according to a recently published draft bill. Russia bans the circulation of drugs, including marijuana and other cannabinoids whose use is legalized in certain U.S. states and European countries. Hashish contains higher concentrations of the psychotropic…

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Moscow Hit by Freak Snowstorm, in Photos

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Alexander Avilov / Moskva News Agency Moscow was hit with its heaviest snowfall in nearly 70 years over the weekend, Russian media reported. While snow piled up on the pavements and snowplows hit the streets, many Muscovites rejoiced. The snowstorm started on Saturday morning and continued uninterrupted for some 37 hours, the weather news website Meteonovosti reported. …

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Gazprom and OMV discuss relevant cooperation issues

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Background OMV AG is Gazprom’s main partner in Austria. The companies cooperate in gas production, transportation and supplies. Since 2017, OMV has been partnering with Gazprom in the Yuzhno-Russkoye oil, gas and condensate field development. In June 2018, an Agreement was signed to extend until 2040 the existing contract between Gazprom Export and OMV Gas Marketing & Trading GmbH for Russian gas supplies to Austria. In November 2018, an Amendment to the contract on gas supplies to Austria…

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David Burliuk Comes Back to Moscow

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Last weeked to discover the most famous Russian art you’ve never seen “Woman With a Mirror” (1915-16) by David Burliuk Courtesy of Museum of Russian Impressionism Even if you don’t know the avant-garde poet and artist David Burliuk, you’d probably recognize his image instantly: a stocky man in a frock coat and top hat, with…

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First Victim of Russia’s ‘Undesirable Organizations’ Law Declared Prisoner of Conscience

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Amnesty International has declared the first activist to be prosecuted under Russia’s law against “undesirable organizations” a prisoner of conscience on Friday. A law passed in 2015 allows prosecutors to limit or halt the work of foreign organizations deemed “undesirable,” punishing those breaking these limits with fines or prison terms lasting up to six years.…

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Russia Volunteers to Mediate Between Government and Opposition in Venezuela

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Russia on Friday offered to mediate between the government and opposition in Venezuela if necessary, saying it was ready to cooperate with all political forces that acted responsibly, the RIA news agency reported. The comments came a day after Moscow said Nicolas Maduro was Venezuela’s legitimate president and not opposition leader Juan Guaido, who declared himself…

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Ode to a Preposition

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При: very capacious preposition When Russians are learning English, they complain about articles, verb tenses, modal verbs and prepositions. Having listened to a lot of Russian ranting about my native tongue over the years, I can attest that they eventually accept that the difficulties of the first three categories are just part of the structure…

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Gazprom actively working to expand gas infrastructure in Sakhalin Region

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Release January 24, 2019, 17:10 A working meeting between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, and Valery Limarenko, Acting Governor of the Sakhalin Region, took place in St. Petersburg today. The parties reviewed the implementation of the Cooperation Agreement, noting the strategic nature of interactions between Gazprom and the Government of the Sakhalin Region. As part of the Eastern Gas Program, the Company is developing…

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PhosAgro CEO Andrey Guryev Takes Part in Panel Session on ‘Russian Economic Outlook’ at the World Economic Forum in Davos

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Davos – Andrey Guryev, President of the Russian Association of Fertilizer Producers and CEO of PhosAgro, one of the world’s largest producers of phosphate-based fertilizers, took part in a panel session called ‘The Russian Economic Outlook’, which took place at Russia House as part of the business programme at the 49th Annual Meeting of the…

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Russia Intercepts Swedish Spy Plane Over Baltic, Posts Video Footage

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Russia’s Defense Ministry has published video footage of its fighter jets intercepting a Swedish reconnaissance plane over the Baltic Sea. Russia and NATO countries have increasingly scrambled their jets to intercept each other’s aircraft in recent years. Military think-tanks have warned of growing Russian-NATO airspace interactions as tensions at their borders are on the rise.…

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Russian Lawmakers Move to Criminalize ‘Disrespecting’ the Government and Fake News

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Russian lawmakers passed highly contentious legislation Thursday that seeks to enact punishments for disrespecting the Russian government or spreading fake news. Deputies submitted legislation last month to impose fines for “blatantly disrespecting” Russian institutions or posting “untruthful socially significant information.” Commentators have suggested that the loose wording of the law could lead to mass arrests, joking that there…

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Russia Cautions U.S. Against Military Intervention in Venezuela, Reports

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Russia on Thursday warned the United States not to intervene militarily in Venezuela, saying such a move would trigger a catastrophic scenario, the Interfax news agency cited the deputy foreign minister as saying. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president on Wednesday, winning the backing of Washington and many Latin American nations and…

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Cossacks: From the Persecuted to the Protectors (in Photos)

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Jan. 24, 1919: One hundred years ago today, the Bolsheviks passed a decree calling for the elimination of the Cossacks in a campaign of “merciless mass terror.” The resulting decossackization program led to the execution and suffering of tens of thousands of people.  Today, Cossacks have reclaimed their role as protectors of Russian tradition and have cultivated increasingly close ties…

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Russia Denounces Venezuela Coup Attempt as ‘Monstrous’ U.S. Meddling

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Russian lawmakers have slammed what they called the United States’ interference in Venezuela’s affairs as the country’s opposition leader declared himself interim president in a coup attempt. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president on Wednesday, winning the backing of Washington and many Latin American nations and prompting socialist Maduro, who has led…

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Russian Crime Bosses Reportedly Give Anti-Gay Talk in Village School, Sparking Probe

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Prosecutors in Far East Russia have announced an inspection into a lecture on sexual preferences reportedly given by local crime bosses at a village school. According to media reports, parents of fifth- and seventh-graders in the village of Pervomaisky expressed outrage after learning that men believed to be local criminal kingpins had been invited to their…

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PhosAgro EGM Approves Dividends

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Moscow – PhosAgro (Moscow Exchange, LSE: PHOR), one of the world’s leading vertically integrated phosphate-based fertilizer producers, announces that an Extraordinary General Meeting of shareholders (“EGM”) has approved the payment of dividends in the amount of RUB 9,324 million, or RUB 72 per share (RUB 24 per Global Depositary Receipt), from the Company’s undistributed net…

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Cool Moscow Bars

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The best spots for a great night out in Moscow. Antiquarny Boutique & Bar Moscow is filled with cool bars for a tipple or two and a chat. Here are some of our favorites. Voda  Hidden in one of the maze-like courtyards on Ulitsa Petrovka, Voda is a magnet for Moscow’s so-called “creative class.” The…

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Russian Air Traffic Controllers Order Pizzas for U.S. Colleagues Hit by Shutdown — Reports

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The Cold War can wait over a hot slice. Taking a page out of their Canadian colleagues book, air traffic controllers based in Far East Russia have reportedly ordered pizza for their American neighbors across the Bering Strait. Some 800,000 U.S. federal government workers – including an estimated 10,000 air traffic controllers – have been furloughed or…

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Situation in Syria’s Idlib Province Is Fast Deteriorating, Russia Says

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The situation in Syria’s Idlib province where Russia and Turkey have tried to create a de-escalation zone is rapidly deteriorating, Maria Zakharova, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said on Wednesday. The territory is now almost under full control of Nusra militants, she said. “Continuing provocations pose a threat to civilians, Syrian military personnel and the Russian Khmeymim air base,”…

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Bulgaria Rescinds Bulgarian Citizenship of Russian Millionaire Adoniev

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Bulgaria has revoked the Bulgarian citizenship of Russian telecoms millionaire Sergei Adoniev over a 20-year-old fraud conviction in the United States, the justice ministry said on Wednesday. Eager to join EU’s border-check-free Schengen zone, Bulgaria said on Tuesday that it plans to stop letting wealthy foreigners buy citizenship, which allows free movement within the entire European…

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Russian Spy Chief Met Saudi Counterpart and Crown Prince — Reports

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The head of Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence agency Sergei Naryshkin on Monday met Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as well as the head of the kingdom’s intelligence services, the Interfax news agency said on Wednesday. Naryshkin discussed cooperation in the fight against international terrorism with his Saudi counterpart, Interfax cited Russia’s Foreign Intelligence…

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