“Sadko” Premiers to Mixed Reviews

This Valentine’s Day marked the first time in 36 years that the epic Rimsky-Korsakov opera “Sadko” has been staged at the Bolshoi Theater. Directed by Dmitry Chernyakov, the sold-out premiere was a much-anticipated event in the Moscow arts scene.  Chernyakov is known for his audacious directorial style, which over the years has earned him both…

World’s Only Nuclear-Powered Civilian Ship Gears Up for Russian Antarctic Voyage

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…

Russian Spy Agency Played Role in Berlin Murder of Georgian Man – Bellingcat

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…

Changes in staff and structure

Release February 17, 2020, 18:10 Elena Vasilieva has been replaced as Deputy Chairman of the Management Committee – Chief Accountant of Gazprom by Mikhail Rosseev, former Deputy Chief Accountant. The relevant decisions on the termination of membership in and election to the Gazprom Management Committee will be adopted by the Company’s Board of Directors. Anatoly Titov has been replaced as Director General of Gazprom Transgaz Tomsk by Vladislav Borodin, former…

Russia Welcomes 20% More Tourists in 2019

Tourist arrivals to Russia have surged by 20.5% in 2019, according to official figures cited by the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) on Monday.  More than 5 million tourists visited Russia in January-December 2019, according to ATOR’s breakdown of Federal Security Service (FSB) border service data, up from 4.2 million tourists the previous…

Russia Managing Libya Conflict ‘at Highest Level,’ Turkey’s Erdogan Says

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Russia was managing the conflict in Libya “at the highest level,” Turkey’s NTV broadcaster reported Saturday. Erdogan, whose country backs Libya’s internationally recognized government, has publicly accused the Kremlin-linked Wagner mercenary group of supporting Libya’s rival faction headed by eastern commander Khalifa Haftar. Russia has repeatedly denied its…

On This Day in 1852 the Hermitage Opened

On Feb. 17, 1852, the State Hermitage Museum was opened to the public. The second-largest museum in the world (topped only by the Louvre), the Hermitage collection contains over 3 million objects, which are stored and displayed in the historic buildings of Saint Petersburg’s Palace Embankment.  The museum was founded almost a century prior to…

Russian Priest Under Fire for Calling Common-Law Wives ‘Prostitutes’

An outspoken Russian priest has sparked public ire for comparing common-law wives to “prostitutes.” Archpriest Dmitry Smirnov, who has raised eyebrows in the past for calling abortions “worse than the Holocaust” and comparing today’s young men to “scrawny chickens,” said recently that Russian women “don’t know what marriage is.” “They don’t want to say ‘I’m a…

Big Falcon Ship. Infographics

Big Falcon Ship The Big ‘Falcon’ Ship (BFS) is the first ever crewed Mars lander to actually begin construction. The vehicle is eventually intend¬ed to ferry dozens of crew to Mars simultaneously. Once on Mars, a propellant production plant will transform local resources into the Methane and Oxygen required to fuel the ship for its…

Andrei Molodkin’s Art Show ‘Bloodline’ Boldly Confronts the Language of Power

“This artwork is an act of international terrorism.” “This text converts you to Islam.” “This artwork makes you want to hijack an airplane.” Russian artist Andrei Molodkin’s newest exhibition shouts out these statements in loud, bold, blood-red letters. And the blood comes from real humans. Opening at Dublin’s Rua Red art space on Valentine’s Day,…

Your Guide to Valentine’s Day in Moscow

Valentine’s Day is a relatively new holiday for Russia, but it has been embraced wholeheartedly. Wondering how it’s being celebrated in the Russian capital? We’ve gathered some events ranging from romantic to wacky that will give you a taste of how Russians are spending the holiday of romance. Moskva News Agency Insta-worthy On February 14th,…

Protocol signed on pricing procedure for gas supplies to Belarus until 2021

MediaNews and eventsAlexey Miller’s columnPress ConferencesPhoto essaysOn-the-spot reports, articles, interviewsForums and exhibitionsImage and video libraryPeriodicalsPress ServiceNews and eventsAlexey Miller’s columnPress ConferencesPhoto essaysOn-the-spot reports, articles, interviewsForums and exhibitions Release February 14, 2020, 13:30 A working meeting of Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, with Vladimir Semashko, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the Russian Federation, and Viktor…

The first key milestone of 2020 – installation of the first tier of the reactor building outer containment – has been performed at Kursk NPP-2

The first of 10 key milestones related to the Kursk NPP-2 construction has been performed ahead of schedule in the current year – the installation of the first tier of the reactor building outer containment was completed at power unit No. 1.  “Work for Kursk NPP-2 power unit construction are underway according to the schedule…

Protesters Twice as Likely to Be Jailed for Assaulting Police in Russia, Study Says

Protesters in Russia are twice as likely to receive real prison time for violence against law enforcement authorities than those tried for the same crime under different circumstances, the independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper reported Thursday. Novaya Gazeta compared nearly 12,000 assault sentences in 2016-2019 with the 57 sentences handed down to protesters over their role…

Dutch Refused Moscow’s Request to Try Russian MH17 Suspects There, Minister Says

The Netherlands refused a request by Moscow to consider allowing Russia to prosecute three Russian nationals identified as suspects in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, the Dutch justice minister revealed on Wednesday. The first court hearing in the Dutch case against the three Russian suspects and one Ukrainian is scheduled for March 9. If the case…