Day: November 20, 2019
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Video of Russian Spy Allegedly Bribing Serbian Agent Sparks Probe
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic ordered an investigation on Wednesday into a video clip that purportedly shows a Russian intelligence officer handing over money to a Serbian man, in an incident that could strain normally warm bilateral relations. A Bulgaria-based investigative reporter, Christo Grozev, said on his Twitter account at the weekend that the clip, posted on…
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FSB Detains Russian Solider Suspected of Spying for Ukraine
Russia‘s FSB security service has detained a Russian serviceman suspected of spying for Ukraine, the RIA news agency reported on Wednesday. The serviceman was allegedly gathering secret information for Ukraine’s intelligence service and is being investigated for treason, RIA reported, citing the FSB. The independent CIT outlet identified the suspect as Ruslan Artykov, born in 1991.…
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Putin Says Zero-Carbon Energy Will ‘Send Us Baсk to Caves’
Producing energy without carbon emissions will send humanity back to the prehistoric period, Russian President Vladimir Putin told an investment forum Wednesday. Putin has joked about climate change in the past, saying in 2003 that warmer weather could increase grain harvests and cut spending on fur coats. This summer he criticized wind turbines, saying they…
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Ukraine Says Russia ‘Ruined’ Returned Ships
Ukrainian naval ships, captured by Russia last November and released on Tuesday to be returned to Ukraine, are in very poor condition and cannot move independently, the commander of Ukraine’s navy said on Wednesday. Russia seized three ships in the Kerch Strait last year after opening fire on them and wounding several sailors. Moscow said the ships — two…
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Russians Increasingly Value Free Speech, Civil Rights – Poll
The share of Russians who view free speech, the right to a fair trial and other civil rights as important freedoms has increased by double digits in two years, according to the independent Levada Center pollster. Experts and sociologists link the double-digit growth in the importance of civil rights issues among Russians to events surrounding…
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Alexey Miller and Moldova’s Prime Minister Ion Chicu review cooperation-related issues
Background In 2018, Gazprom’s gas deliveries to the Republic of Moldova totaled 2.9 billion cubic meters of gas, an increase of 8.4 per cent against 2017 (2.7 billion cubic meters). The contracts between Gazprom and Moldovagaz for gas supplies to and gas transit across Moldova are valid until the end of 2019. Moldovagaz is a joint Russian-Moldovan company set up by Gazprom, the Moldovan Government, and the Ministry of Industry…
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State-Run Bank Says Russia Unlikely to Meet Economic Targets ‘Without More Active Policies’
President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to meet most of his flagship economic and development goals during his final term without a significant increase in spending and better performance on a host of key indicators, a new report from a government-owned bank said Wednesday. The National Projects program — a $400 billion package of investments covering…
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State-Run Bank Says Putin Unlikely to Meet Economic Targets ‘Without More Active Policies’
President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to meet most of his flagship economic and development goals during his final term without a significant increase in spending and better performance on a host of key indicators, a new report from a government-owned bank said Wednesday. The National Projects program — a $400 billion package of investments covering…
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Widow of Ex-KGB Agent Backs Legal Action for Release of UK’s Russia Report
The widow of a Russian dissident murdered in London has backed a legal challenge to force Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government to publish a report on alleged Russian meddling in British politics. The report by parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) was cleared by Britain’s security services but Johnson’s office has not yet released it, meaning it…
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Climate Change to Inflict Multi-Billion Dollar Damage on Russian Economy
Russia’s economy will lose hundreds of billions of dollars in potential growth as a result of climate change, a new report published Wednesday showed. In its new climate resilience index, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) calculated that Russia’s GDP will be 3.3% lower in 2050 than it would be without the hit to growth from…
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St. Petersburg Won’t See Citywide Recycling Until 2021
St. Petersburg will delay its implementation of citywide recycling for at least another year amid fears that it could lead to a spike in the costs of garbage collection and a public backlash, the Kommersant business daily reported Tuesday. Russia launched its nationwide “trash reform” on Jan. 1, 2019, in an effort to tackle a…
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PhosAgro Awarded Gold Medal for Responsible Approach to Production from International Fertilizer Association
Paris – PhosAgro (Moscow Exchange, LSE: PHOR) (“PhosAgro”, the “Company”), one of the world’s leading vertically integrated phosphate-based fertilizer producers, announces that it has been awarded the Gold Medal from the International Fertilizer Association (IFA) for its responsible approach to production. The IFA’s first ever gold medal awards ceremony took place at the IFA Annual…
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Meet Ivan Savkin, Russia’s Human Mountain
Bogatyrs play an important role in the Russian literary and artistic imagination. Epic poems of the exploits of these fierce and powerful warriors are part of Russia’s rich oral tradition, first written down in the early 19th century. At first, warriors were basically gods or shape-shifters with superhuman strength. Then they became very strong human beings. Ivan Savkin…
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Estonia Demands ‘Annexed’ Territory Back From Russia
Estonia wants Russia to return its territory that it says is annexed by Moscow, its top lawmaker has said as the prospects of a Russian-Estonian border treaty turned grim this year over Tallinn’s territorial claims. Estonia is the only NATO member lacking a ratified border treaty with Russia. The two countries have sparred as recently…
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Swedbank’s High-Risk Russian Secrets
Russian oligarch Mikhail Abyzov built a complex network of offshore companies that were used to move a fortune out of Russia, according to a Swedbank internal draft report obtained by OCCRP and its Swedish partner, national public TV channel Sveriges Television (SVT). Today he’s charged with defrauding the Russian government and investors of US$60 million,…
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30 Billion Cubic Metres of Gas Delivered from Vankor Cluster to Unified Gas Supply System
RN-Vankor–the company of the Rosneft Oil Company production complex–has delivered 30 billion cubic metres of gas produced on the fields of the Vankor cluster to the Unified Gas Supply System (UGSS).
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Ice Between Russia and Alaska Is At Record Lows, Scientists Warn
Arctic sea ice recovery between Russia and Alaska has slowed to record levels since bottoming out over the summer, according to research, as climate change clears ice quicker and for longer periods. Frozen water vanished from Russia’s Northern Sea Route in mid-August, opening up the Arctic shipping lane coveted by the Russian government. Arctic sea…
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Russia Unlikely to Cut Oil Output
Russia is unlikely to agree to deepen cuts in oil output at a meeting with fellow exporters next month, but could commit to extend existing curbs to support Saudi Arabia, three sources said. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries meets on Dec. 5 at its headquarters in Vienna, followed by talks with a group…