Libya Unity Govt Says Russian Mercenaries Evacuating

Forces backing Libya’s unity government said Monday that hundreds of Russian mercenaries fighting for their rival, military commander Khalifa Haftar, had been evacuated from combat zones south of the capital Tripoli. The claim comes after a series of setbacks for Haftar’s year-long offensive to seize the capital from the UN-recognized Government of National Accord. “An…

Remembering Joseph Brodsky

For my generation of American Slavists, born in the 1940s, Joseph Brodsky’s appearance on our shores in 1972 was as startling as Nabokov’s. There was no hint of aristocratism or nostalgia for a lost Russia, of course, only this huge poetic gift, attested to by legendary Russian poets, and that stupendously idiotic court trial, at…

Russian Police to Probe Siberia Street Party

Authorities in Russia have opened an investigation into a street party that saw dozens gather in the center of Novosibirsk despite an anti-coronavirus lockdown in the Siberian city. The local investigative committee said it was launching the probe after photos and videos were posted online of young Russians dancing as music played from loudspeakers in…

Gazprom Dobycha Yamburg helps Novy Urengoy Central City Hospital

Background Gazprom Dobycha Yamburg is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gazprom. It operates in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area. The company is focused on gas and gas condensate production. Gazprom Dobycha Yamburg holds licenses for the development and production of hydrocarbons from the Yamburgskoye and Zapolyarnoye fields and is preparing for commercial production the Severo-Kamennomyssky, Kamennomysskoye-Sea, Obsky, Chugoryakhinsky, Tazovsko-Zapolyarny and Yuzhno-Parusovy subsurface areas, and, as part of joint ventures, the Parusovy,…

Siberia in Midst of Freak Heat Wave

Western Siberia is experiencing abnormally high May temperatures, with some areas above the Arctic Circle breaking record-highs, The Siberian Times and The Washington Post reported last week. Weather experts say temperatures in the region have been between 3 degrees Celsius and 6 degrees Celsius above average since January. The trend picks up from 2019, which…

Russia Surpasses 350k Coronavirus Cases

The strongman leader of Russia’s southern Chechnya region, Ramzan Kadyrov, was receiving treatment for a suspected coronavirus infection, news agencies reported Thursday citing sources, though his aides did not confirm it. One of Russia’s most high-profile virus cases, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, returned to work this week after receiving treatment for the illness in hospital. Overall, 118,798…