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Chernobyl Emerges From Oblivion for the Streaming Generation

Olha Kyselova wasn’t born when the Chernobyl power plant exploded in 1986, yet the disaster has always been in her life. Her parents were “liquidators,” sent in to brave the radiation and help clear the area of deadly materials. Then they charted hotspots for more than a decade. But it wasn’t until she sat with…

Only God Knows When my Tenure Will End, Soviet-Era Oil Baron Says

Vladimir Bogdanov, who at 68 has run the Soviet and then Russian oil major Surgutneftegaz for 35 years, said on Friday that only God knows when his career will end at the company, whose ownership is a closely guarded secret. The firm, headquartered in the West Siberian city of Surgut, is considered one of the…

Putin Invites Trump to Moscow for 2020 Victory Day

Russian President Vladimir Putin invited his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump on Friday to attend the May 9 Victory Day commemorative events in Moscow next year, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Peskov told reporters Trump reacted positively and the two leaders who met at the G20 summit in Osaka discussed arms controls, the situation in Syria,…

The Highlights of Putin’s ‘Liberalism is Obsolete’ Interview With FT

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday gave an exclusive interview to the Financial Times newspaper, a rarity for a president who seldom sits down with foreign journalists. The Russian president spoke candidly on a wide range of topics, from Russia’s domestic and foreign policy issues to his thoughts on the global trend of national populism and…

Russia Proposes Punishing Foreign Countries for Disrespecting Russian War Memorials

The bill has already been submitted to the State Duma and the Defense Ministry says it expects members of parliament to support the proposed legislation. Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke at a conference devoted to “questions of information resistance” in Moscow this week. The event took place as part of the Army 2019 Forum, an exhibition…

15% of Russian Mayors Prosecuted Over Past Decade, Study Says

Nearly one in six Russian mayors have faced criminal prosecution over the past decade, according to a new study critical of Russia’s move to phase out direct mayoral elections in recent years. Local government reforms in 2014 led cities to abolish direct elections in favor of local lawmakers approving appointees. Only a handful of Russian…

Russia Car Dealer Targeted by Authorities Blames Kremlin

Russian authorities accused the founder of a major car dealer and former member of parliament with illegally taking 4 billion rubles ($63 million) out of the country in what the businessman said could be retribution for his opposition to the Kremlin. “This wasn’t a surprise for me — this is Russia,” Sergei Petrov told Forbes in…

Britain’s May Tells Putin to Hand Over Salisbury Poisoning Suspects

U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May and Vladimir Putin clashed over the poisoning of a former spy with nerve agent in western England, ahead of a rare face-to-face meeting today with the Russian president. May said she will tell Putin at the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan, that he must stop destroying international conventions…

Russia Blames Fatal 2018 Plane Crash on Crew Error

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‘Don’t Meddle in U.S. Elections,’ Trump Tells a Smiling Putin

President Donald Trump on Friday sardonically asked his Russian counterpart to please not meddle in U.S. elections, appearing to make light of a scandal that led to an investigation of his campaign’s contact with the Kremlin during 2016 elections. Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin were speaking to reporters in Osaka, Japan, ahead of their first formal…

St. Petersburg Named World’s 4th Best Party City

Looking for a new destination for your next night out? St. Petersburg might be what you’re looking for. The country’s second-largest city after Moscow is known for its cultural and historical richness as well as its vibrant nightlife. Research published earlier this month said that the city has become less expensive for expats over the…

Putin Says Trump Meeting Will Help Continue Dialogue

To keep our newsroom in Moscow running, we need your support. With your help, we can continue with our mission to keep you informed with breaking news, business analysis, thought-provoking opinions, the best of culture and insights into everyday life.

Putin Says Meeting With British PM Could Be Step to Moving Past Skripal Row

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a published interview he believed his meeting with Britain’s Theresa May at the G20 summit this week could help repair relations after the poisoning of a former Russian spy on British soil. He said that the incident was an issue between intelligence agencies and should not be allowed to damage…

Western Intelligence Hacked ‘Russia’s Google’ Yandex to Spy on Accounts

Hackers working for Western intelligence agencies broke into Russian internet search company Yandex in late 2018 deploying a rare type of malware in an attempt to spy on user accounts, four people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The malware, called Regin, is known to be used by the “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing alliance of…

Putin Slams ‘Obsolete’ Liberal World Order in FT Interview

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview published on Thursday that liberal values were obsolete because they had been rejected by the majority of the people in Western nations. Putin told the Financial Times newspaper that German Chancellor Angela Merkel had made a cardinal mistake by adopting a liberal policy towards immigration from the Middle East. “The…

Pro-Russian Rebels Agree to Release 4 Ukrainian Prisoners

Two pro-Russian separatist republics in eastern Ukraine have agreed to release four Ukrainian prisoners as a “goodwill gesture” later this week, news agencies reported Thursday. Rebels in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics have for the past five years been at war with government forces in eastern Ukraine. Prisoner exchanges are stipulated in an…

A Moscow Homeless Shelter Moved to Accommodate the World Cup – One Year Later It Has Not Returned

In a dingy parking lot hidden behind three of Moscow’s biggest train stations a crowd gathers around a fold-out table laden with vats of boiled buckwheat, fish soup, baked potatoes and hot tea, with cookies and bananas for dessert. For many of the city’s homeless, this is the only chance they have to eat a…

Small Northern Russian Town Lands Key Role in Big Arctic Plan

Approximately 550 people living in an outpost on Russia’s Kara Sea coast could soon face big changes after the federal government earlier this month decided to give the local seaport international status. Behind the decision lies a plan to boost shipments on the Northern Sea Route, the government said. Foreign vessels will now be allowed to…

Moscow Police Detain Hundreds in 2 Years With Facial Recognition

Facial recognition cameras have helped police catch scores of suspects on the streets of Moscow and up to 10 criminals a month on the metro in the past two years, Russia’s Vedomosti business daily reported Thursday. Moscow claims the world’s largest network of 160,000 surveillance cameras, some equipped with facial recognition technology. Supporters of the technology say…

Russian Blogger Fined for ‘Disrespectful’ Reggaeton Dance at Monument

A Russian blogger has been fined for dancing to reggaeton music in front of a World War II monument under a new law banning “disrespect” of the authorities. The blogger, identified as “A. Chervyakova,” posted an Instagram video showing her dance at the Burial Mound of Immortality in April, court documents in the western Russian city…

Russia Frees First Batch of Captive Whales After Outcry

Russia released two killer whales and six beluga whales back into the wild on Thursday, the first group of almost 100 whales whose detention in the Far East since last year caused an international outcry. The whales, caught last summer in order to be sold to marine parks or aquariums in China, were released in the…

Half of Russians Can’t Tell Fake News, Real News Apart – State Pollster

Half of Russians are unable to tell the difference between real news and fake news, the head of a state-funded polling agency said on Wednesday. Almost one-third of Russians said they have encountered fake news online and one-fifths on television in recent years, the VTsIOM pollster said in April. MIT research has shown that fake…

Russian Church Plans $2Bln ‘Orthodox Vatican’

The Russian Orthodox Church has developed plans to construct its own Vatican to the tune of $2 billion in the Moscow region, the Vedomosti business daily reported on Thursday. Church officials have been in talks with officials in the city of Sergiyev Posad to transform it into the capital of Orthodoxy since 2017. Sergiyev Posad…

UN Seeks U.S.-Russia Understanding to Spur Syria Peace Process

UN Syria envoy Geir Pedersen is working on fostering “a deeper understanding” between Russia and the United States to move the Syrian peace process forward, he said in an interview published on Thursday. In an interview published by the Geneva-based Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, Pedersen also said he wanted to convene a group of influential…

Russian Space Contractor Escapes Jail Time After $6.5M Fraud

The former head of a contracting firm charged with embezzling almost $6.5 million during construction of a Russian spaceport and spending money on luxury goods has received a suspended sentence and escaped jail time. The Vostochny Cosmodrome, a $3 billion project seen in Moscow as vital to secure Russia’s independent access to space, has been…

Russian Cop Detained for Shooting at Playing Child While Drunk

A Russian police officer has been detained for firing his handgun at a child who accidentally kicked a ball into his car while playing with friends, Russian authorities have said. The intoxicated 36-year-old had been parked near a courtyard in the western city of Kursk when he became “infuriated” by the ball that hit his…

2 Killed, 7 Injured as Russian Plane Makes Emergency Landing in Siberia

Two people were killed and at least seven injured when an Antonov An-24 passenger plane made an emergency landing at a regional airport in Russia’s republic of Buryatia, in Siberia, on Thursday, the area’s emergency situations ministry said. There were 46 people, including four crew, on board the plane, which was en route from the…

Russia Returns to European Rights Body After 5-Year Suspension

Europe’s top human rights body has confirmed Russia’s return as a member after the country was suspended for five years over the annexation of Crimea. Russia was suspended from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in 2014, leading Moscow to halt its annual payments to the organization in 2017. PACE voted this…

Moscow, St. Petersburg Become Cheaper for Expats, Ranking Says

Moscow and St. Petersburg are becoming more affordable for expats, according to new rankings from a global consulting firm. Moscow placed 27th and St. Petersburg 75th out of 209 cities worldwide for the most expensive locations to work abroad in Mercer’s 2019 ranking, dropping by 10 and 26 spots from last year respectively.  “Despite moderate…

Putin and Trump Will Meet on June 28, Kremlin Says

Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump will have an hourlong meeting on the sidelines of a G20 summit on June 28 in Osaka in Japan, a Kremlin aide said on Wednesday, in their first official encounter for almost a year. The meeting will take place amid growing tension over Tehran. Trump threatened…

Russian Paratroopers Drown in Crimea After Failed Parachute Landing

Two Russian paratroopers have drowned after a failed parachute landing attempt, the country’s military was quoted by news agencies as saying on Wednesday. It was unclear if the paratroopers died during the snap combat readiness inspections currently taking place in Russia’s central, eastern and southern military districts. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Monday that…

Iran ‘Won’t Be Alone’ If U.S. Attacks, Russian Official Says

Iran “won’t be alone” if the United States decides to launch a military strike on the Islamic republic, a senior Russian diplomat said on Wednesday. U.S. President Donald Trump targeted Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top Iranian officials with sanctions on Monday. The dramatic step to increase pressure on Iran follows Tehran’s…

Newest Entrants Into the World’s Richest Are the Kids of Russian Titans

Alexei Mordashov’s children are quickly climbing the ranks of the world’s wealthiest, even as one of them just emerged from his teens. The country’s fourth-richest man transferred some of his holdings last week in European tour operator TUI AG, worth $890 million, to his sons Kirill, 20, and Nikita, 19. In February, he gave them…

Russia Will Restrict Lake Baikal Tourism, Putin Aide Says

Tourists could be barred from visiting Russia’s Lake Baikal in order to protect its ecosystem, a senior aide to President Vladimir Putin has said. Pollution has plagued Lake Baikal, the world’s deepest and oldest freshwater lake, for at least two decades. Scientists recently warned that government proposals risk exacerbating the problem.  “We’ll have to artificially…

Russian Senate Rules to Leave Nuclear Arms Treaty in Unanimous Vote

Russian senators have voted unanimously to uphold President Vladimir Putin’s suspension of a landmark nuclear arms control treaty with the United States on Wednesday. The U.S. will withdraw from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty on Aug. 2 unless Moscow ends violations, which Russia denies, of the 1987 pact. Putin signed a decree suspending Russia’s…

Russia to Pay Kazakhstan Compensation for Contaminated Oil in Crisis Breakthrough

Russia has agreed to pay Kazakhstan a fixed per-barrel rate of compensation for tainted oil, industry sources said on Wednesday, a breakthrough in an oil contamination crisis that disrupted Russian and Kazakh flows earlier this year. It is the first such deal and could serve as a template for other agreements, including with Western buyers…

Russia Says Plane to Venezuela Carried Military Specialists

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that the Russian air force plane that landed in Venezuela this week was carrying a rotation of military specialists but that their number in the country had not increased, the state-run TASS news agency reported. The plane landed on Monday in Venezuela’s main airport, according to a Reuters witness…

Russia Shows Off New Military Technology at 2019 Army Forum, in Photos

If there’s one thing Russia’s good at, it’s rolling out the tanks for a grand display of military might and armed excellence. The 2019 Army forum, held Tuesday in the outskirts of Moscow, was no different.

Here are a few of the fiercest fighters that the Defense Ministry put on display:

1 in 10 Russians Have Been Tortured by Authorities – Poll

One in 10 Russians say they have been tortured by law enforcement officials, a survey by the independent Levada Center pollster said. Russian law enforcement has been rocked with several torture scandals, with victims including LGBT people in Chechnya, Jehovah’s Witnesses and prisoners. In 2018, United Nations human rights investigators called on Russia to halt frequent torture…

Russian Arctic Island Becomes Nature Reserve

Regional authorities in Russia’s Arctic have introduced stricter environmental regimes on Kolguev Island to protect the island’s bird and wildlife species. The small island located in the southeastern Barents Sea, north of the Nenets coast, is considered a crucial area for migrating birds. It is also inhabited by several endangered species. The Kolguevsky Nature Reserve was…

Russia Is Laying Groundwork for Georgian Wine Ban, Media Reports

Russian authorities are taking steps toward banning Georgian wines amid an escalation in tensions between the ex-Soviet neighbors over the past week, the Kommersant business daily reported on Wednesday. Violent protests erupted in Georgia’s capital last week after a Russian lawmaker addressed the Georgian parliament in Russian from the speaker’s chair. On Monday, Russia’s state consumer…

Russia Will Respond to Any NATO Steps Over Missiles, Minister Says

Moscow will respond in kind to any steps NATO takes over Russia’s decision to suspend a 1987 nuclear missile treaty, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Wednesday, according to the state-run RIA news agency. NATO defense ministers will discuss later on Wednesday their next steps if Moscow keeps a missile system that the…

Russians Are Increasingly Protesting Social, Not Political Issues – Study

Russians are increasingly likely to rally over social than political issues, according to a newly released study of protests in the first three months of 2019. Freedom of assembly has been gradually restricted in Russia since a wave of mass protests in 2011-2012 against President Vladimir Putin. Observers say that nonpolitical demonstrations have become more frequent…

Baptized Russian Soldiers Won WWII While Atheists Died, Orthodox Bishop Says

Baptized Russian soldiers won World War II while most of the country’s atheist soldiers died in battle, according to an Orthodox Church bishop. Metropolitan Ioann of Belgorod and Stary Oskol’s remarks were caught on video during a service honoring the anniversary of the beginning of the war. Although ultimately victorious, the Soviet Union lost over 27…

Police Catch Drugging, Robbing Spree Suspect in Central Moscow

Russian police have detained a man suspected of being behind a string of druggings and robberies at popular hangout spots in central Moscow, media reported Tuesday. Russia’s The Village news website said Monday that at least 24 victims, including its photo editor, had been drugged and robbed by a single suspect in the past month. The…