Day: February 20, 2019

  • Gazprom delegation visits Serbia

    Gazprom delegation visits Serbia

    Release February 20, 2019, 21:20 A Gazprom delegation headed by Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Company’s Management Committee, paid a working visit to Serbia today. As part of the visit, a meeting between Alexey Miller and Aleksandar Vucic, President of the Republic of Serbia, took place in Belgrade. The parties discussed cooperation-related issues, noting in particular the growth in Russian gas exports to Serbia. According to preliminary data, between January 1 and…

  • The Latest on U.S. Investor Calvey’s Detention in Russia on Fraud Charges

    The Latest on U.S. Investor Calvey’s Detention in Russia on Fraud Charges

    U.S. citizen Michael Calvey, the founder of major private equity fund Baring Vostok in Russia, was detained on Feb. 14 on suspicion of defrauding Vostochny bank shareholders. On Saturday, a Moscow court placed him under arrest on fraud charges until April 13. The arrest has sparked an outcry among Western businessmen, political officials and members…

  • Venezuela Accepts Shipment of Russian Humanitarian Aid — Reports

    Venezuela Accepts Shipment of Russian Humanitarian Aid — Reports

    Venezuela on Wednesday received a shipment of humanitarian aid sent from Russia, including medicine and medical equipment, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported, citing a Russian diplomatic source. Russia has sided with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in his stand-off with opposition leader Juan Guaido, who declared himself interim president late last month. Maduro retains…

  • Having an Honest Business Is Not Possible in Russia, Majority Says

    Having an Honest Business Is Not Possible in Russia, Majority Says

    A majority of Russians say that doing business in the country without breaking a few rules is impossible, according to a newly released state-funded survey. The poll was carried out a day after Michael Calvey, a U.S. citizen and one of the biggest private equity investors in Russia, was detained on suspicion of embezzling $37.7…

  • Putin: If Washington Deploys Missiles in Europe, We’ll Target U.S.

    Putin: If Washington Deploys Missiles in Europe, We’ll Target U.S.

    Russia will respond to any U.S. deployment of short or intermediate-range nuclear weapons in Europe by targeting not only the countries where they are stationed, but the United States itself, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. In his toughest remarks yet on a potential new arms race, Putin said Russia was not seeking confrontation and would not take…

  • The Highlights of Putin’s Federal Assembly Address

    The Highlights of Putin’s Federal Assembly Address

    Against a backdrop of falling approval ratings and a faltering economy, Russian President Vladimir Putin began his annual address to the Federal Assembly on Wednesday with an emphasis on domestic issues. Speaking at Gostiny Dvor to 2,000 senior government officials, he focused on questions of internal economic and social development, before discussing Russia’s new missile…

  • 7 Jehovah’s Witnesses Brutally Tortured in Russia, Spokesman Says

    7 Jehovah’s Witnesses Brutally Tortured in Russia, Spokesman Says

    A spokesman for the Jehovah’s Witnesses has said that Russian investigators have brutally tortured adherents of the group who are currently held in detention. Russia’s Supreme Court declared the Jehovah’s Witnesses an extremist organization in 2017, leading to mass raids and causing hundreds of its estimated 175,000 members to flee the country. Earlier this month,…

  • The Definitive Beef Stroganov

    The Definitive Beef Stroganov

    One thing I never worry about is how to entertain out of town guests in Moscow.  After twenty-some years, the template has been honed and refined into a delicate balance of classic rubbernecking (the Kremlin, Red Square, the Tretyakov Gallery, Novodeyvichy Convent and Cemetery) and just enough off-the-beaten-track experiences (Danilovsky Market, Garage, Izmailovo) to make…

  • The Definitive Beef Stroganoff

    The Definitive Beef Stroganoff

    One thing I never worry about is how to entertain out of town guests in Moscow.  After twenty-some years, the template has been honed and refined into a delicate balance of classic rubbernecking (the Kremlin, Red Square, the Tretyakov Gallery, Novodeyvichy Convent and Cemetery) and just enough off-the-beaten-track experiences (Danilovsky Market, Garage, Izmailovo) to make…

  • Residents of Smog-Hit Russian Town Sue Over Health Complications

    Residents of Smog-Hit Russian Town Sue Over Health Complications

    Residents of a central Russian town plagued by air pollution are beginning to sue over health complications that they say are caused by toxic emissions from a nearby copper mine, local authorities have said. The town of Sibai has been hit by thick smog since November, sparking protests and leading to the distribution of medical…

  • Russia Looks to Extend Detention of Ex U.S. Marine Held for Spying

    Russia Looks to Extend Detention of Ex U.S. Marine Held for Spying

    Russia’s FSB security service has asked a Moscow court to extend the detention of former U.S. marine Paul Whelan who is being held on suspicion of spying, the Interfax news agency cited a court spokeswoman as saying on Wednesday. Whelan, who holds U.S., British, Canadian and Irish passports, was detained in a Moscow hotel room…

  • Russian Oil Giant Could Take Over Ruined Tsarist Palace Under New Law

    Russian Oil Giant Could Take Over Ruined Tsarist Palace Under New Law

    Russia‘s largest oil company could take over and renovate a ruined palace once used by the tsars, under draft legislation provisionally backed on Tuesday by lawmakers. The bill, approved by lawmakers in its first of three readings, seeks to save thousands of dilapidated listed buildings by creating a mechanism for investors to take them over…

  • Greenpeace Demands Release of Whales Held Captive in Russia

    Greenpeace Demands Release of Whales Held Captive in Russia

    Animal rights activists have staged a picket in Moscow demanding the release of more than 100 orcas and belugas held in so-called “whale jails” in Far East Russia. Activists have raised the alarm about the mistreatment of 11 killer whales and 90 belugas that they say are kept in cold and cramped pens in Srednyaya…