Fabergé and the Link of Times

No object is as synonymous with Romanov Russia as a Fabergé imperial Easter egg. Each of the fifty eggs commissioned by the last Russian tsars is intricate, flawless, and unique. Gleaming and glittering behind bullet-proof glass in well-fortified museums, they are vibrant talismans of the lost sepia-colored world of the Romanovs. Of the fifty imperial…

Norway Worried by Russian Sea, Air Maneuvers

Russia has told Norway its navy and air force will hold exercises near the Nordic nation’s Arctic waters later this month, a worrying sign of greater assertiveness by its eastern neighbor, the Norwegian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. NATO member Norway and neighboring Russia have both increased their military presence along NATO’s northern flank following…

Russia Delivers Weapons to New Arctic Garrison

As Russia’s Northern Fleet strives to complete its newest Arctic base on the coast of the remote Laptev Sea, construction works have been progressing at a hectic pace. The establishment of the garrison in Russia’s Far East town of Tiksi was first announced by the Northern Fleet’s then-Head Commander Nikolai Yevmenov in September 2018. In a meeting with regional…

On This Day Ilya Repin Was Born

The most well-known and renowned Russian artist of the 19th century, Ilya Repin’s influence and significance in art has been likened to Leo Tolstoy in literature – a writer who was one of his best and most famous subjects.    Repin was born in Kharkhov – now Ukraine – where his father traded horses and…

Gas production directorate celebrates anniversary with track-and-field race

Background The key areas of activity of Gazprom Dobycha Orenburg are production, treatment, and transportation of hydrocarbons and a number of commercial products of partner companies. The main source of raw materials for the company is the Orenburgskoye oil, gas and condensate field that contains unique components including methane, ethane, propane, butanes, helium, mercaptans, etc. This is why the Orenburg Gas Processing and Helium Plants…

Gasmen coming to Russian Far East

August 5, 2019 Sergey Pravosudov, Editor-in-Chief of Gazprom Magazine As part of the Eastern Gas Program, the Amur Gas Processing Plant (GPP) construction project is moving forward at a fast pace. The huge facility near the town of Svobodny in the Amur Region will be a crucial link in the future process chain for the supply of natural gas from the fields of Yakutia and the Irkutsk Region to China via the Power…

Russia Investigates Alleged Money Laundering by Opposition Politician Navalny

Russian investigators said on Saturday they had opened a criminal investigation into the alleged laundering of 1 billion roubles ($15.3 million) by an anti-corruption foundation set up by jailed opposition politician Alexei Navalny. Russia‘s Investigative Committee made the announcement in a statement while an opposition protest organised by Navalny’s allies was taking place in Moscow.

‘It’s Only a Joke, Comrade!’

Saturation There is no doubt that many Soviet citizens venerated Stalin, but in political humour we can hear many others sharing critical opinions about him and his Cult on a day-to-day basis that rapidly presents us with a very different, more complex image. Let’s consider two  anekdoty which turned up numerous times in the archival…

U.S. Imposes New Sanctions on Russia over Skripal Poisoning

U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed another round of sanctions on Russia over the poisoning of a former spy in Britain, the White House said on Friday, a move Moscow said would hurt already strained U.S.-Russia ties. The move came hours before a landmark Cold War-era arms control treaty expired, after Washington withdrew, accusing Moscow of violating it, which Russia denies. Washington…

Moscow’s Opposition Protests, In Photos

Nearly 1,400 demonstrators were detained, some violently, during last Saturday’s rally to demand that independent candidates be allowed onto the ballot in Moscow’s city council elections. While officials warned citizens not to attend the unauthorized protest, thousands of people took to the streets to voice their discontent. The ensuing scenes of riot police dispersing protesters soon became powerful…

Russia’s HIV Patients Panic Over Drug Shortage

Hundreds of thousands of HIV patients in Russia face a severe shortage of antiretroviral therapy medication under new government procurement rules, health officials say. Russia centralized HIV medication-buying procedures in 2017 in a bid to provide more patients with treatment, empowering the Health Ministry instead of regional authorities to carry out drug tenders. The changes…

Japan Says Russian Prime Minister’s Visit to Disputed Island Is Regrettable

A visit on Friday by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to an island claimed by both Japan and Russia was extremely regrettable, Japan’s foreign ministry said, urging Moscow to take constructive steps to advance ties. In his first visit since 2015, Medvedev traveled to one of four Russian-held islands off Japan’s northern region of Hokkaido, known as Iturup in Russian…

Russian Defense Chief’s Reported Ex Made $100M From Ministry Deals, Media Reports

A former associate of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has allegedly earned 6.5 billion rubles ($101.9 million) from deals with the ministries of defense and emergency situations, according to an investigation by Russia’s The Insider news website. The Insider’s investigation follows the high-profile sentencing for embezzlement and quick parole in 2015 of Yevgenia Vasilyeva, a Defense…