Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
-
Results of 9th Energy of Victories national sports journalism festival contest announced
Release November 29, 2019, 21:00 The final round of the 9th Energy of Victories national sports journalism festival contest, organized by the Russian Olympic Committee and the Federation of Sports Journalists of Russia with the backing of Gazprom, took place today in Moscow. The winners of the 9th Energy of Victories national sports journalism festival contest are as follows: Best Article (federal media): 1st place – Yury Golyshak,…
-
Russia and Ukraine continue bilateral gas negotiations at expert level
Release November 29, 2019, 19:35 The negotiations on gas between Russia and Ukraine continued today in Vienna in accordance with the agreements reached the day before to intensify joint work on a bilateral basis. The negotiations were conducted at the expert level and involved representatives of Gazprom and Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine. The parties discussed technical aspects related to the terms of transiting Russian…
-
Pushkin’s Classic ‘Eugene Onegin’ Sells for $150K in London
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
-
Putin’s 2020 Calendar Shows a Less Shirtless Side of Russia’s President
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
-
Moscow’s New Year Decorations Light Up the Winter Season
With endless decorations and lights lining its streets, Moscow transforms into a winter fairytale during the holidays each year. Like clockwork, Christmas trees and brilliant light displays have already began to pop up around the capital, despite the fact that there’s no snow on the ground yet. Over 300 Christmas trees and more than 4,000…
-
Gazprom and Wintershall Dea discuss current issues of cooperation
Background In 2018, Gazprom’s gas supplies to Germany hit a record high of 58.5 billion cubic meters, an increase of 5.1 billion cubic meters (9.5 per cent) against the 2017 record of 53.4 billion cubic meters. Wintershall Dea GmbH is Europe’s largest independent oil and gas producer, formed by the merger of Wintershall Holding GmbH (subsidiary of BASF) and DEA Deutsche Erdoel AG (subsidiary of LetterOne). Nord Stream…
-
Alexey Miller and Francois Fillon discuss development trends of French and European energy markets
Release November 29, 2019, 16:35 A working meeting between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, and Francois Fillon, French politician, took place in St. Petersburg today. The parties discussed the current development trends of the French and European energy markets, while also stressing the importance of the Nord Stream 2 project for reliable supplies of Russian gas to European consumers. Alexey Miller and…
-
6 Things You Need to Know About OPEC+
Energy ministers from two dozen of the world’s most important oil producing countries will descend on Vienna next week for a crucial OPEC+ meeting. Top of the agenda will be negotiations over whether to extend or deepen the oil cartel’s current level of production cuts, which are due to expire in March 2020. What is…
-
‘There Will Be More Arrests’: New Opposition Protesters Face Trial
A Moscow court on Friday placed a new protester under arrest until Jan. 27 on suspicion of assaulting police at this summer’s anti-government rallies, the latest prosecution under the so-called “Moscow Case.” Russians took to the streets nearly every weekend this summer after a slew of opposition politicians were barred from taking part in Moscow’s…
-
The Russia–Brazil Business Council, led by Andrey Guryev, and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency Sign Memorandum on Mutual Support for Exports and Investments
The Russia–Brazil Business Council, led by Andrey Guryev, and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency Sign Memorandum on Mutual Support for Exports and Investments Moscow – The Russia–Brazil Business Council, led by PhosAgro CEO Andrey Guryev, and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency have concluded a memorandum on mutual support in the areas…
-
Moscow Scoops Top City Prize in World Travel Awards
Forget London and Paris. Moscow has been named the world’s leading city destination in 2019 by tourism industry standard the World Travel Awards. The Russian capital saw off tough competition from a list including New York, Rio de Janeiro and Sydney, as well as the British and French capitals. “Moscow really is the best city…
-
5 Facts About Russia’s First Highway Bridge to China
Russia and China have completed the first vehicle bridge to cross the two neighbors’ border, the RBC news website reported Friday. Footage from the bridge’s opening ceremony showed trucks crossing the bridge between the cities of Blagoveshchensk and Heihe as ice drifted underneath. Russia and China connected their sides of the bridge across the Amur…
-
Dog or Wolf? Prehistoric Puppy Discovered in Russia Might Be Missing Link
Scientists in Far East Russia have discovered a well-preserved two-month-old puppy dating back 18,000 years that left them wondering: Is this a dog or a wolf? The furry creature was discovered largely intact within the permafrost in the republic of Sakha in the summer of 2018, The Siberian Times reported Monday. Its fur, teeth, lashes…
-
Russia Delivers First Weapons to Central Africa’s Gabon
Russia’s Defense Ministry said it has supplied small arms to the Central African nation of Gabon to help it combat poaching and protect national parks. This appears to be the first weapons delivery in the history of Gabon’s ties with either Russia or the Soviet Union, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported, citing the…
-
Russia Arrests Suspected Ukrainian Spy in Crimea
Russia has arrested a Russian woman in Crimea on suspicion of state treason for allegedly attempting to obtain Russian military secrets on behalf of Ukraine, the state-run RIA news agency cited Russia’s Federal Security Service as saying on Friday. The woman was arrested in the city of Sevastopol, the report said. Russia annexed the Crimean…
-
What’s On in St. Petersburg in December
St. Petersburg is always a magical place to visit, but it’s especially glorious in the lead-up to the grand New Year’s and Christmas holidays. Here are our picks for best exhibitions and a couple of must-see concerts. Alexander Deineka and Alexander Samokhvalov The Manege has put on a breath-taking show of two major artists of…
-
Macron Says NATO Should Focus on Terrorism Instead of Russia
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said his remarks that NATO was experiencing “brain death” had been a useful wake-up call to alliance members, and he would not apologize for saying it. Macron’s blunt verdict ahead of a Dec. 4 summit in Britain drew strong reaction from European peers who believe Europe still needs to…
-
Greenpeace Protests Transport of ‘Toxic’ Cargo from Germany
Russian activists from Greenpeace environmental campaign group protested on Thursday the transportation of what they say is radioactive waste from Germany. The vessel Mikhail Dudin which carries depleted uranium — a by-product of manufacturing fuel for nuclear power plants — docked in St. Petersburg last week. Its cargo was seen being load onto train carriages on…
-
Gazprom’s financial information under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) for the nine months ended September 30, 2019
Release November 29, 2019, 10:00 IFRS results 2019 Today PJSC Gazprom issued its unaudited consolidated interim condensed financial information prepared in accordance with International Accounting Standard 34 Interim Financial Reporting (IAS 34) for the nine months ended September 30, 2019. The table below presents the unaudited consolidated interim condensed statement of comprehensive income for the nine months ended…
-
A Moscow Pensioner’s Death Puts City Officials in the Crosshairs
Time ticked away as 85-year-old Alexandra Zhiglova lay on the floor of the stuck elevator, a team of paramedics monitoring her vital signs. When they finally got her out and into an ambulance, more than 40 minutes had passed. Doctors call the crucial period within which stroke victims must be treated for them to avoid…
-
Russia and Ukraine hold bilateral gas negotiations
Release November 28, 2019, 21:15 Vienna hosted today the negotiations on gas between Russia and Ukraine involving Alexander Novak, Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation, Alexey Orzhel, Minister of Energy and Environmental Protection of Ukraine, Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, as well as the heads of Naftogaz of Ukraine and Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine. The parties discussed Russian-Ukrainian cooperation in the gas…
-
ROSATOM holds a workshop on Russian nuclear technologies in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
27 November 2019, Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) – ROSATOM held a workshop on Russian nuclear technologies for representatives of Saudi companies based in the west of the country. The workshop was held at the venue of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and under its support. In the welcoming speech Alexander Voronkov, director of Rosatom Middle East…
-
France’s Macron Denies Accepting Putin’s Anti-Missile Proposal
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday denied having accepted a Russian proposal to impose a moratorium on missile deployments in Europe, but said it was important the Kremlin initiative not be simply dismissed. Russia has called on the United States and other countries to declare a moratorium on the deployment of short and intermediate-range nuclear…
-
Russia Carries On With 2020 Olympics Preparations Despite Potential Ban
The head of Russia’s Olympic Committee said on Thursday it was carrying on with preparations for the Tokyo Olympics next year and criticized World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) recommendations to punish some Russian Olympic officials as excessive and wrong. A WADA committee recommended this week that Russia be banned from the Olympics and world championships in…
-
U.S. Accuses Russia of Helping Syria Cover up Chemical Weapons Attack
The United States on Thursday accused Russia of helping Syria conceal the use of banned toxic munitions in the civil war by undermining the work of the global chemical weapons agency trying to identify those responsible. The comments by the U.S. representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Kenneth Ward, drew a rapid…
-
Rosenergoatom: valuable cobalt-60 isotopes are now produced by all three power blocks of the Smolensk NPP
The upload of additional cobalt absorbents into the third power block’s reactor has been finalized at the Smolensk NPP (city of Desnogorsk, Smolensk region). Now, all three power blocks of the NPP make their contribution to the production of this valuable isotope for health care and manufacturing. Nikita Konstantinov, Business development director at the Rosenergoatom…
-
The international WANO experts have visited the Beloyarsk NPP prior to the corporate partnership verification for Rosenergoatom
The preliminary visit of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) experts to the Beloyarsk NPP, which took place on November 25-27, 2019, became the first step on the way to the corporate partnership verification, which is to be conducted at the Rosenergoatom Joint-Stock Company in 2020 by the international nuclear association. The experts walked…
-
Russia, Syria Agree to Restore Ancient Palmyra
Russian and Syrian state museums have signed two agreements to begin restoring the ancient city of Palmyra after it was heavily damaged by the Islamic State, the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg has said. Aided by Russian airstrikes, the Syrian army captured Palmyra from the Islamic State twice in March 2016 and March 2017.…
-
Russia’s Sberbank Enters the Driverless Cars Game
Russia’s largest lender, Sberbank, has added driverless cars to its list of technology ventures, by teaming up with artificial intelligence (AI) transport developer Cognitive Technologies, the two companies said Thursday. Sberbank and Cognitive Technologies have signed a legally binding document to create a new company, Cognitive Pilot, they said in a statement. Sberbank will have…
-
On This Day in 1880 Poet Alexander Blok Was Born
On Nov. 28, 1880, Alexander Blok was born into a prominent academic family in St. Petersburg, although he spent many years in his childhood at the estate of relatives outside Moscow. After studying law and philology at St. Petersburg University, he married Lyubov Mendeleyeva, daughter of the famous scientist, to whom he dedicated a volume…
-
Rosneft is the best Russian company in the international human rights ranking
Rosneft has become the best Russian company in the international human rights rating of the CHRB (Corporate Human Rights Benchmark).
-
French Sociologist Banned From Russia for 10 Years Ahead of Yellow Vest Lecture
Russia has banned a prominent French sociologist from entering the country for 10 years after she arrived to give a lecture on France’s yellow vest protests, the Kommersant business daily reported Thursday. Carine Clément was due to give a lecture in Moscow on Friday on yellow vest protesters in Paris, which she researched for a…
-
Russian Rocket Launcher for UAE Military Satellite
Russian space agency Roscosmos has been recruited to help the United Arab Emirates (UAE) launch the gulf state’s Falcon Eye 2 spy satellite into orbit, Russian news site Vedomosti has reported. The Russian-made Soyuz ST rocket launcher will be used for the Falcon Eye 2 launch next year, replacing the European Vega launcher which was…
-
Euro 2020 Football Matches in Russia Not Affected by Sanctions, WADA Says
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said on Wednesday that a recommendation to bar Russia from hosting major sporting events will not affect the Euro 2020 football championships or the 2021 Champions League final. A WADA committee this week recommended Russia be handed a four-year ban from the Olympics and world championships in a number of…
-
Number of Russian Language Learners Worldwide Halved Since Soviet Collapse
The number of people studying Russian worldwide has halved in the 30 years since the Soviet Union collapsed and is anticipated to decline further, according to state estimates cited by the RBC news website Thursday. Russian ranks as the world’s 10th-most widespread language with speakers in 27 countries, according to a report by the Higher…
-
Russia, Ukraine Reach 2nd Prisoner Exchange Deal – RBC
Ukraine and Russia have reached the final stages of an all-for-all prisoner exchange agreement ahead of a key peace summit next month, the RBC news website reported Thursday. Russia and Ukraine swapped 35 prisoners each in September, a move that appeared to presage a thaw in relations that have been frozen since Moscow annexed Crimea…
-
Apple Complies With Russian Request to Change Crimea Map
Ukraine said on Wednesday Apple did not “give a damn” about its pain, after the U.S. tech giant began referring to the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula as part of Russia in its Maps and Weather apps for Russian users. Russia and Ukraine have both been highly sensitive to the way global companies identify Crimea, since Russian troops seized the territory and Moscow…
-
Russian Investigative Journalist Says He Was Attacked in Moscow
The head of a prominent Russian investigative website said on Wednesday he had been attacked in Moscow by an assailant who punched him and splashed him with an antiseptic green dye, echoing past assaults on opposition politicians. Ruslan Leviev, founder of Conflict Intelligence Team, which investigates Russian military and mercenary activity, posted pictures of himself on Facebook…
-
Kremlin Pays Tribute to Late Soviet Spy It Says May Have Changed History
The Kremlin on Wednesday paid tribute to a late Soviet intelligence officer it credits with helping foil a Nazi plot to kill Winston Churchill, Josef Stalin and Franklin Roosevelt, saying her career may have changed the course of history. Goar Vartanyan, who died on Monday at the age of 93, was an undercover field operative…
-
Russia Unveils New ‘Killer Drones’
Russia has revealed a new drone prototype capable of tracking, intercepting and disarming enemy drones, the state-run TASS news agency reported Wednesday. Unlike existing Russian means of countering enemy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), these “killer drones” will scramble their enemies’ networks to disable them, TASS quoted Viktor Kladov, director of international cooperation and regional policy…
-
Russia ‘Outguns’ Britain and NATO in Eastern Europe – Report
The British military would be “outgunned” along NATO’s eastern flank in the event of a conflict with Russia, according to a think tank report cited by the BBC on Wednesday. The London-based Royal United Services Institute’s assessment comes after the head of the British army warned earlier this month that Russia could inadvertently trigger a…
-
Uighur Twins’ Asylum Plea Rejected as Deportation to China Looms
A court in Kazan has rejected asylum claims from Chinese Uighur-Tatar twin brothers who fear deportation and imprisonment in China, their lawyer told The Moscow Times. Shahrizat and Shahdiyar Shavkat (23) moved to Russia in 2015 to study at Kazan’s Federal University. Chinese immigration authorities told the twins last year that they would need to…
-
Russia, Facing Possible Olympic Ban, Pledges to Work with Anti-Doping Authorities
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
-
Russia Urged to Open Azov Sea to Ukraine in Four-Way Joint Statement
Sweden, Estonia, Lithuania and Ukraine have called on Russia to ensure that Kiev keeps its freedom of navigation in the sea bordering Russia, annexed Crimea and Ukraine. The four countries issued the joint statement in support of Ukraine’s sovereignty Tuesday a week after Russia returned three Ukrainian ships it had captured in the Kerch Strait…
-
Working meeting held between Alexey Miller and Vladimir Semashko, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Russia
Release November 27, 2019, 13:50 A working meeting between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, and Vladimir Semashko, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the Russian Federation, took place in Moscow today. The parties discussed the current lines of cooperation between Gazprom and Belarus in the gas sector. Special attention was paid to the supplies of Russian gas to Belarus and gas transportation…
-
Oil from Russkoye field has started to be delivered to the trunk pipeline system
Tyumenneftegaz, a part of Rosneft’s oil production complex, has started the delivery of the first oil from the unique Russkoye field to the Zapolyarye-Purpe trunk pipeline system.
-
A Million Russians Close to Bankruptcy
The number of Russians eligible for bankruptcy has passed one million for the first time in history, research by a credit ratings agency has shown. Russians can declare bankruptcy if they have debts of at least 500,000 rubles ($7,800) and are more than 90 days behind in their repayment schedule. For comparison, the average Russian…
-
Moscow Cafe Offers Responsible Playtime With Hedgehogs
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
-
Russian Billionaire Deripaska Stripped of Cyprus Passport – Politis
Cyprus has stripped Kremlin-friendly Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska and two other Russian nationals of Cypriot passports after admitting flaws in its citizenship-for-investment program, Cyprus’ Politis newspaper reported Wednesday. Cyprus said this month it had started a process to strip 26 individuals of citizenship they received under a secretive passports-for-investment scheme. Sources on the Mediterranean island…
-
Russia’s Putin, Ukraine’s Zelenskiy to Meet Privately in Paris – Kommersant
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy are “close to 100%” likely to meet for the first time in Paris next month, the Kommersant business daily reported Wednesday. The face-to-face is expected to take place on the sidelines of their anticipated four-way summit with French and German leaders on Dec. 9. The summit…
-
Truckers Cheering New Road Shows Scale of Putin’s Problems
Nikolai Kholodov has been driving his truck along the highway from St. Petersburg to Moscow for two decades. This week, he’ll finally be able to make the trip without worrying about diversions, traffic jams and animals running onto the road. After eight years of construction, a 669-kilometer toll highway as wide as 10 lanes in…
-
Russia, China Behind ‘Most Aggressive’ Spying in Czech Republic – Report
Russian and Chinese intelligence services are behind the most aggressive spying activities in the Czech Republic, the Central European nation’s counterintelligence agency said Tuesday in a report for 2018. The countries’ activities were connected to politics, diplomacy, espionage, economy and information warfare, the Czech counterintelligence agency BIS said. It said Russia’s foreign, military and domestic…
-
U.S. Study Downplays Russian Trolls’ Influence on American Politics
The impact of Russian trolls on U.S. voters may have been exaggerated, according to a preliminary U.S. study of Twitter interactions with troll accounts published Monday. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that the Kremlin used social media to interfere in the 2016 presidential election through disinformation and other tactics. Calls for research to measure the…
-
Central Bank Warns Russians Not to Save in Euros
Russia’s Central Bank is warning Russian lenders against conducting operations in euros, governor Elvira Nabiullina has said. Nabiullina said doing business in euros brings no profits to Russian banks because of the negative interest rate environment in the eurozone, and the Central Bank is pushing Russian financial institutions not to have “excessive” foreign currencies on…
-
Moldova, Eyeing Russia Loan, May ‘Pause’ Cooperation With IMF, PM Says
Moldova’s new prime minister on Tuesday raised the possibility of a “pause” in its cooperation with the International Monetary Fund, a day after he said his ex-Soviet republic was negotiating a $500 million loan with Russia. Ion Chicu’s comments and actions, including a trip to Moscow last week, suggest a likely pivot back towards Russia…
-
Russia Shows Off Hypersonic Nuclear Missile to U.S. Inspectors
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
-
Luxury Moscow Apartment Sales Jump to 5-Year High
Sales of luxury Moscow apartments are set to be worth a total of 82 billion rubles ($1.3 billion) in 2019 — the highest annual level since 2014, analysts at real estate firm Knight Frank have said. The figure represents a 6% jump on last year and takes the total amount spent on luxury real estate…
-
Moscow Double Concert Ends in Obscenity Charges
The Red Bull SoundClash Nov. 24 double concert made headlines this week when both bands — Leningrad and Noize MC — were fined for swearing on stage. Red Bull SoundClash capitalizes on the recent trend of rap battles but uses a different format. Rather than two performers battling each other on one stage, SoundClash juxtaposed…
-
Russia’s Sports Officials Cry Foul as WADA Eyes 4-Year Olympic Ban
Russian sports officials on Tuesday spoke out against a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) committee’s recommendations that the country be banned from the Olympics for four years, saying this was overly harsh and would hurt sport there. The recommendations, published on Monday, mean Russia could miss out on the next two Olympic Games and world championships…
-
Polar Bears’ Diet Is 25% Plastic, Russian Scientists Say
Plastic waste makes up one-quarter of polar bears’ diet as climate change pushes them closer to human settlements, Russian scientists have said while warning that the plastic risks killing the animals. Polar bears have been forced to scavenge for food on land as climate change damages their sea-ice habitats. The animals have increasingly come into…
Got any book recommendations?