Day: February 18, 2020

As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday dismissed a veteran, once close adviser who until recently managed Moscow’s relations with war-torn Ukraine. Putin fired Vladislav Surkov, seen as a hardliner by many in Kiev, in a terse two-line statement on the Kremlin website. His sacking, which coincided with a flare-up in fighting in eastern Ukraine, had…

Russia will suspend entry of Chinese citizens to its territory starting from Feb. 20, Russian authorities in charge of coronavirus prevention said on Tuesday. Travel restrictions of some form to prevent the spread of the disease, which has now killed more than 1,800 people, have been imposed by many countries to ease the risks of…

The United States on Tuesday tightened financial restrictions on Venezuela, blacklisting a subsidiary of Russian oil firm Rosneft that President Donald Trump’s administration has said provides a lifeline to President Nicolas Maduro’s government. The sanctions announced by the U.S. Treasury Department increase the pressure on Russia, which the United States sees as the main backer of Maduro’s…

Suicides and fatal road accidents make up a high share of deaths in Russia’s military despite declining overall figures, according to Defense Ministry data cited by lawmakers Tuesday. Overall deaths in the Russian Armed Forces have decreased by 29% between 2015-2019, State Duma deputy Valery Rashkin told Interfax without providing figures for each cause of…

A second Russian citizen from the quarantined cruise ship Diamond Princess has been hospitalized with suspected coronavirus infection, Russia’s Embassy in Japan said Tuesday. The embassy said that a Russian woman earlier said to have been diagnosed with coronavirus on the cruise ship docked in Japan does not have the virus, but that her husband, who…

A hospital in Russia’s Urals region has refused to treat an HIV-positive patient after a staff physician shouted that he would “infect us all here,” the local 59.ru news outlet reported Monday. More than 1 million people in Russia live with HIV and a record 37,000 people died from HIV-related illnesses there in 2019. Violating…

Russia plans to commemorate the football World Cup it hosted two years ago with a monument installed at a popular gathering spot for fans in central Moscow, its architect has said.  Nikolskaya Ulitsa, a quiet street steps away from Red Square, quickly turned into party central for tens of thousands of visitors from around the…

Russian presidents could be made immune from criminal prosecution once they leave office under proposed constitutional reforms, a senior lawmaker said on Tuesday. The proposal, made by a parliamentary working group, comes after President Vladimir Putin last month announced sweeping reforms to the political system that would shift some powers away from the presidency. Putin’s…

A Dutch appeals court Tuesday ordered that the Russian government pay $50 billion to former shareholders in the defunct Russian oil giant Yukos. The decision overturned a previous ruling from a lower court. Immediately after the ruling, Russian officials said they would appeal the decision, lining up a final showdown over the multi-billion dollar dispute…

A Ukrainian solder was killed and four others injured on Tuesday when heavy fighting erupted in eastern Ukraine, the country’s military said, as it and Russian-backed separatists blamed each other for the flare-up. The violence was some of the worst since a Paris summit in December tried to narrow positions between Kiev and the separatists on…

Turkish forces have resumed joint patrols of northeastern Syria with Russia following a two-week pause in which Moscow and Ankara traded barbs over a Russian-backed assault in Syria’s last rebel stronghold. Turkish servicemen stopped showing up for joint patrols on Feb. 3, the Russian military had said. Tensions flared up between Russia and Turkey after…

The Sevmorput, the world’s only nuclear-powered cargo ship, is currently preparing for a voyage to Antarctica to supply Russia’s Vostok research station.  The cargo ship will transport construction materials to the station located 1,200 kilometers from the South Pole, Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear corporation, said in a Facebook post.  The ship is set to deliver…

Almost 80% of Russians believe that Russia and the West should become friends and partners, according to the results of an independent Levada Center poll published Tuesday. Only 3% of Russian respondents said they see the West as Russia’s enemy, Levada said. Another 16% said they view the West as a rival. Two-thirds of Levada’s…

Ireland’s police believes Russia has dispatched agents there to inspect undersea cables, raising concerns that they could tap or damage the cables at their weak points and thwart global communications, Britain’s The Times newspaper reported Sunday. Britain and the United States have warned that the Russian Navy could disrupt over $10 trillion in daily transactions…

Russia‘s FSB security service planned and organised the murder of a Georgian man in Berlin last summer, a killing that triggered diplomatic expulsions from Germany and Moscow, the investigative website Bellingcat has said. Citing mobile phone metadata and a months-long investigation conducted with Der Spiegel and The Insider, Bellingcat published information it said showed the…