Day: July 5, 2019
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Libya Arrests 2 Russians Accused of Trying to Influence Vote
Libyan security forces arrested two Russian nationals accused of trying to influence upcoming elections in the North African oil-exporter, according to a document obtained by Bloomberg. The letter from state prosecutors for the internationally recognized government in Tripoli said the Russians had been involved in “securing a meeting” with Saif al-Islam al-Qaddafi, the fugitive son…
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5 Russian Security Officers Arrested for Robbery
Five Russian security service officers have been arrested and two placed under house arrest by a military court in Moscow on charges of robbery, Interfax reported on Friday. Previous conflicting reports had said six unnamed Federal Security Service (FSB) officers had been detained on suspicion of either embezzlement or robbery on Thursday. After initially reporting…
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Markus Martinovich and the Art of Play
The Flacon Design Factory north of Moscow’s city center hosts some of Moscow’s most cutting-edge artists and exhibitions. This week one of the spaces is showing an exhibit that is sensational even by Flacon standards. Called “I’m Here. I’m With You,” it is a three-floor solo show of an artist who works in virtually every…
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Russian Factory Workers Protest Sanctions at U.S. Envoy’s Residence
On July Fourth, 50 workers from the GAZ van maker’s Nizhny Novgorod factory rallied on behalf of their 40,000-strong workforce in front of the U.S. ambassador’s residence in Moscow. Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska and his van maker were slapped with U.S. sanctions in April 2018. While a decision on lifting sanctions against the company has…
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Putin Aide’s Assistant Detained on Treason Charges
An assistant to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aide in the Urals has been detained on suspicion of state treason, news outlets have reported Friday. The Federal Security Service (FSB) said earlier in the day it had taken Alexander Vorobyov into custody on treason charges on Thursday. He faces 12-20 years in prison and fines up to…
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On This Day: The Battle of Kursk Begins
On July 5, 1943, the largest tank battle in history began near the southern city of Kursk. Over the course of the war, the Soviet lines had bulged into German-held territory near Kursk. This bulge or salient was 250 kilometers long from north to south and 160 kilometers wide. The Nazi army planned Operation Citadel…
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Putin Bestows Top State Honors on Sailors Killed in Submarine Fire
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday bestowed top state honors on 14 sailors killed in a fire on a secret nuclear submarine in recognition of what the Russian military has called their outstanding bravery. The sailors were killed on Monday when a fire broke out while their deep-water research submarine was carrying out a survey…
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NATO Says There Is No Breakthrough With Russia on INF Treaty Dispute
NATO and Russia did not make significant progress on saving the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) in talks at the alliance headquarters on Friday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. Barring a last-minute decision by Russia to destroy a new medium-range missile that NATO says violates the INF, the United States is set to pull out…
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The Balakovo NPP has successfully passed the international safety check
The Partnership verification held by the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) has been successfully completed at the Balakovo NPP. Such missions are initiated by nuclear power plants all around the world in order to advance their safety and reliability. This was the fifth partnership verification for the Balakovo NPP, with the preceding ones taking…
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Super-Secret Russian Submarine Will Be Repaired and Returned to Service
Sergey Shoigu met with President Putin on Thursday morning after visiting Severomorsk, the Northern Fleet headquarters on Wednesday. According to the defense minister, the special purpose submarine can be fully restored and returned to service. “The constructors of the vessel and industry representatives have been engaged in order to estimate the work volume and time…
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Moscow Unveils Plans for ‘Europe’s Tallest’ Apartment Tower
The race to claim Europe’s tallest buildings is on, and it’s being fought on Russian soil. Moscow City Hall has announced plans on Friday to build the tallest apartment tower in Europe a year after the city lost its claim to Europe’s tallest building to St. Petersburg. Officials say the 101-story “One Tower” will stand…
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Russia’s Bid to Win a Firmer Foothold in Ukraine Is Falling Flat
Russian efforts to boost influence over Ukraine at its neighbor’s election this month are making little headway. Ties between the one-time allies remain at a nadir after protesters in Kiev unseated the country’s Kremlin-backed leader in 2014 and Vladimir Putin annexed Crimea before fomenting a war in which he still denies involvement. That’s left Ukraine…
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Gazprom Transgaz Tomsk sums up results of Green Spring 2019 cleanup action
News from projects and regions July 5, 2019, 12:45 On July 4, the results of the activities held as part of the Green Spring 2019 national environmental cleanup were summarized at Gazprom Transgaz Tomsk. The company implemented 99 environmental initiatives, and over 2,000 employees took part in the events organized within the Green Spring action. All 14 regions where Gazprom Transgaz Tomsk is present…
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Putin’s Approval Rating Steadily Increases to 68%, Survey Says
President Vladimir Putin’s approval rating has grown in recent months but remains at pre-Crimean annexation lows, an independent Levada Center polling agency survey said on Friday. Putin’s approval ratings have hovered in the mid-to-low 60s since he enacted unpopular reforms gradually increasing Russians’ retirement ages last summer. Putin’s job approval has climbed to 68 percent…
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Russia to Press Ahead With Release of Captive Whales Despite Outcry
Russian research scientists defended the way they released eight whales back into the wild last week and said on Thursday they would release scores more of the captive animals in the same way despite anger from environmental groups. Russia returned two killer and six beluga whales to their natural habitat in the Sea of Okhotsk…
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Putin, Visiting Italy, Says Wants Rome to Help Mend Moscow-EU Ties
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he hoped Italy would battle to restore fully fledged relations between the European Union and Russia and help persuade the bloc’s new leadership that sanctions on Moscow were counter-productive. Putin, speaking at a news conference after holding talks with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in Rome, said Russia…
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Russian Workers Rap Against Sanctions, Protest at U.S. Envoy’s Residence
Factory workers from U.S. sanctions-hit van maker GAZ performed an anti-sanctions rap song and staged a picket outside the U.S. Embassy in Moscow during its July Fourth celebration. Workers from GAZ’s Yaroslavl factory had this week filmed a music video for the anti-sanctions song, which uses the beat from rapper Coolio’s 1990s hit “Gangsta’s Paradise.”…
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Russia Certifies European University at St. Petersburg’s Master’s Programs
Russia’s state education watchdog has issued accreditation to one of the country’s leading private universities’ master’s degree programs after a three-year lapse. The watchdog, Rosobrnadzor, stripped the European University at St. Petersburg (EUSP) of its accreditation and revoked its license over building code violations in 2016, taking over its main campus in early 2018. It restored…