Day: April 3, 2020

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church blessed Moscow on Friday to ward off the coronavirus, circling the city in a motorcade with a holy icon and reciting prayers. Patriarch Kirill’s convoy took a main highway around the Russian capital which is under strict lockdown measures and passed near the Kremlin walls, an AFP photographer…

Italy was engaged in a war of words with Russia on Friday over allegations Moscow hid spies among doctors it had sent to the country’s coronavirus epicenter near Milan. The unusual exchange between the traditionally friendly nations followed the publication of an Italian newspaper story about the purportedly nefarious nature of the Russian mission. The Russians came…

Moscow enacted a strict self-isolation order this week as city authorities seek to clamp down on the coronavirus pandemic that has infected nearly 3,000 of the Russian capital’s residents. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin on Thursday extended the quarantine until at least May 1, meaning 12 million people will be expected to stay in their homes for…

Doctors at one of St. Petersburg’s top hospitals have filmed a video appeal asking the public for protective gear as they prepare to admit coronavirus patients. Pokrovskaya Hospital in Russia’s second-biggest city has been repurposed alongside two other existing facilities to accommodate a potential influx of coronavirus patients this week. St. Petersburg is Russia’s third-most…

Air pollution in Moscow has significantly fallen as the coronavirus pandemic has pushed the city’s 12 million residents indoors and shuttered all nonessential business, the pro-Kremlin Izvestia newspaper reported Friday. The Russian capital has ranked as one of the most polluted cities in the country due to heavy traffic congestion which releases toxic fumes. Mayor…

Russia has sent military medics and equipment to Serbia, the latest country Moscow is helping to fight the global coronavirus pandemic as it also flexes its soft power muscles. Russia’s Defense Ministry pledged to send 11 flights with 87 army medics to Serbia after President Vladimir Putin spoke with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic by phone…

Prague authorities on Friday said they had removed a controversial Soviet-era statue, despite protests from Moscow, to make way for a World War II memorial. Plans to remove the bronze statue of Soviet general Ivan Konev triggered a sharp reaction from Moscow last year. While Konev is regarded as a hero in Russia, many Czechs…

Читайте русскую версию здесь. “Oh, come on! Virus? What virus?” Olga, a 35-year-old businesswoman waved her hand dismissively. “It’s a conspiracy, not a virus. Whose conspiracy? The Chinese, who do you think?! They released it so they could get ahead of Europe and Russia and rule the world. They’ve got a vaccine for it.” Olga,…

The United States may have violated its own sanctions by purchasing ventilators and other protective gear from Russia to fight the coronavirus pandemic, the RBC news website reported Friday. Footage of the controversial cargo during unloading in New York showed boxes of ventilators made by a subsidiary of Russia’s KRET tech firm, itself a subsidiary…

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…

Moscow will not enforce its coronavirus quarantine with scannable QR codes, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced Thursday, leaving room for a reversal if residents stop following self-isolation orders during the pandemic. Sobyanin extended citywide lockdown measures until May 1 immediately after President Vladimir Putin announced a month-long extension of the nationwide paid “non-working” period to encourage…

Russia’s top climate scientist Dr. Vladimir Kattsov is confident that serious environmental changes lie in store this century. “Russia is among the countries where the average warming greatly exceeds the global average, and Russia is warming especially quickly the closer you get to the Arctic,” Kattsov, 58, told The Moscow Times in an interview in…

The FBI has arrested a Russian rapper in the United States on cryptocurrency laundering charges after finding photographs of him flashing large sums of money on social media, authorities have said. Maxim Boyko, 29, was arrested at a Miami condo Saturday, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, after arriving in the U.S. with his wife in…

As the new coronavirus that has killed more than 53,000 people worldwide continues to spread, Russia has stepped up its measures to tackle the pandemic and prevent its spread within the country. There have been 4,149 cases of coronavirus infections reported in Russia so far and 34 deaths. MT The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Russia as…

Russia’s officially reported numbers — which are still smaller than those in European countries — have sparked suspicion. Experts warn that Russia’s testing capacity is hampered by bureaucracy, while officials warn that the real number of cases is likely much higher. Most of Russia’s cases are in Moscow. Last week, Moscow changed the way it…

The Russian economy has been rocked by the coronavirus outbreak, and the breakdown of the OPEC+ oil production pact between Russia and Saudi Arabia. The turmoil has shocked traders around the world and resulted in sharp volatility on the Russian stock markets and swings in the value of the ruble. The latest on the markets,…