Lyons Hall of Catherine Palace restored with support from Gazprom and ENGIE

Release June 5, 2019, 19:45 Photos The Lyons Hall of the Catherine Palace at the Tsarskoe Selo State Museum Preserve (Pushkin, St. Petersburg) was reopened today after a restoration carried out with the support from Gazprom and the ENGIE Foundation (France). The unveiling ceremony was attended by Olga Golodets, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Sylvie Bermann, Ambassador Extraordinary…

One in Four Russians Willing to Give Up Plastic Bags – Poll

Almost 40 percent of Russians would consider no longer using plastic bags, according to a state-funded survey published on World Environment Day. The UN’s World Environment Day takes place on June 5 every year to raise environmental awareness. Greenpeace estimates that more than 26 billion plastic bags are handed out annually in shops across Russia. A total…

Rosneft Allocates over 370 Billion Roubles for Environmental Activities in Five Years

Environment protection is one of the priorities for Rosneft. The Company has allocated more than 370 billion roubles for environmental activities over the past five years. In December 2018, the Company approved its public statement — “Rosneft: contributing to implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals”, confirming its commitment to high social and ecological standards.…

China, Russia Say They Will Upgrade Relations for New Era

China and Russia agreed on Wednesday to upgrade their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era. The decision was made at a meeting between visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. news China’s Panda Diplomacy Puts a Smile on ‘Best Friend’ Putin’s Face Read more During…

Russia Proposes Slovakia Join Nord Stream 2 and Turkstream

Russia and Slovakia are in talks about Bratislava joining the Nord Stream 2 and Turkstream gas pipeline projects, Russian news agencies quoted Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev as saying on Wednesday. “We need to find common points and mutually beneficial cooperation areas concerning connecting Slovakia to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, as well as to…

Most Russian Ministries Lack Online Transparency — Study

Only four out of Russia’s 22 ministry websites are transparent, a government audit has revealed. Experts commissioned by Russia’s Audit Chamber assessed the ministries’ openness of information, data and dialogue, assigning a letter grade to each of the three categories. Only the interior, culture, finance and energy ministries received AAA ratings, according to the study…

Arrested U.S. Investor’s Cameo Casts Shadow Over Putin’s Davos

The good news for Russian President Vladimir Putin is that his premier investment event won’t be dominated this year by discussions about sanctions. The bad news is that attention will be fixed instead on the arrest of American private equity manager Michael Calvey. Calvey, who remained a Russia advocate even after sanctions caused foreign investment to shrivel…

Russia Ordered to Pay $1.8M Over Chechen Abductions

Russia must pay $1.8 million to the families of 20 people abducted from Chechnya during separatist fighting in the 2000s, Europe’s top human rights court has ruled. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has in recent years awarded damages to the relatives of individuals who disappeared during the second Chechen war of 1999-2009. Activists…

U.S. Seeks Russian Support on Iran at Key Israel Meeting

The United States believes Russia may be more amenable than in the past to addressing U.S. and Israeli concerns about Iran’s influence, including in Syria, when national security leaders meet in Jerusalem this month, a U.S. official said on Tuesday. The United States announced last week that John Bolton, White House national security adviser, would…

World Bank Cuts Russia’s 2019 Economic Forecast

The Russian economy will grow by 1.2 percent in 2019, the World Bank said in at least the third downgrade Tuesday. The Washington-based institution previously downgraded its forecast of Russia’s growth from 1.8 percent to 1.5 percent in early 2019, then again to 1.4 percent in April. Its latest revision — made in the twice-yearly…