Russian Military Helicopter Crashes, Killing Crew

A Russian military helicopter crashed Tuesday evening, killing its three crew members, news agency RIA Novosti reported. The MI-8 helicopter belonging to the Russian Air Force crashed near the town of Klin, 50 miles outside Moscow, during training exercises. “On May 19, around 20:00, while performing a training flight 20 kilometers from the village of Klin,…

Britain, U.S. Denounce Russia’s Role in Libya Conflict

Britain and the United States on Tuesday urged Russia to stop sending mercenaries to the conflict in Libya, after a recent UN report confirmed the presence of Russian and Syrian fighters in the country.  Russia dismissed the demands at a Security Council video conference, however, denying again that Moscow has any role in the presence…

Russians Give More to Charity During Coronavirus Lockdown: Study

Russians have significantly increased their charitable donations in the weeks since most of the country entered coronavirus lockdown, the Kommersant business daily reported Tuesday, citing an analysis of charitable giving data. The latest statistics follow warnings from NGOs that only 5% of the country’s foundations and charities have enough resources to cover a lengthy disruption…

Russia Doubles Naturalizations Amid Relaxed Migration Rules

Russia has granted citizenship to more than twice as many foreigners in early 2020 than it did in the same period last year as the country moves to ease citizenship laws and boost its flagging population numbers. Authorities issued 161,170 Russian passports to foreigners between January and March compared with 63,249 in January-March 2019, the…

A Dream Hotel Comes to the (Small) Screen

The life of a St. Petersburg five star hotel, beloved to readers from a blog by the general manager and owner, is coming out online on Okko multimedia service on Tuesday.  The series, titled “Diary of a Hotelier #Helvetia” is loosely based on Yunis Teimurhanly’s bestselling collection of short stories “Do Not Disturb. The Diary…

Russian PM Recovers From Virus as Infection Rates Slow

Russia’s Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin returned to his duties on Tuesday after recovering from the coronavirus, as total infections approached 300,000 and officials said new cases were dropping off. President Vladimir Putin signed a decree reinstating Mishustin as the head of government, nearly three weeks after the prime minister announced on television he had tested…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | May 19

As the deadly coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, Russia has gradually become the world’s second most-infected country. There have been 299,941 cases of coronavirus infections reported in Russia so far and 2,873 deaths. May 19: 3 things you need to know today 1. Russia confirmed 9,263 new coronavirus infections Tuesday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 299,941. Russia now has…

Russia Against Investigating WHO, China Over Pandemic: Speaker

Russia opposes investigations into the World Health Organization (WHO) and China in connection with their response to the deadly coronavirus pandemic, Russia’s senate speaker Valentina Matviyenko told Interfax on Monday. Her remarks come amid the United States’ increasingly bitter spat with China and accusations that the WHO failed to contain the outbreak that has infected…