Latvia Bans Russia’s RT ‘Propaganda’ Channels

Latvia on Tuesday banned a number of Russia’s RT television channels from being distributed in the Baltic state because of international sanctions against the head of the Russian state television network. Latvia’s media watchdog, the National Electronic Media Council (NEPLP), notably banned RT’s main English-language broadcast service, its Spanish and Arabic counterparts, the RT Documentary channel,…

Russian Cosmonaut Votes on Putin’s Reforms From ISS

Russian cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin became the first person to vote online from the International Space Station on Tuesday, the Russian Space Agency Roscosmos announced. The 51-year-old cosmonaut, who came aboard the ISS in April, cast his ballot as part of a weeklong vote to approve constitutional reforms that could extend President Vladimir Putin’s rule, Roscosmos…

The full package of documents for obtaining a license for the construction of Paks-2 NPP has been submitted to the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority

In line with the schedule, on 30 June 2020 the customer of the Paks II Nuclear Power Plant, Paks II. Ltd. submitted the implementation license application for the two new VVER-1200 3+ generation nuclear power plant units in Paks to the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority (HAEA). “Submission of the 283 000 pages license documentation is…

Gazprom Dobycha Urengoy buys required medical equipment for Novy Urengoy’s infectious diseases hospital

Background Gazprom Dobycha Urengoy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gazprom, was set up to develop the Urengoyskoye oil, gas and condensate field. Its production infrastructure consists of 22 comprehensive gas treatment units, two oil production sites, 20 booster compressor stations, five gas cooling stations, more than 2,800 production wells, two compressor stations for the utilization of associated petroleum gas, and a pump station for condensate delivery.…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | June 30

There have been 647,849 cases of coronavirus infection reported in Russia so far and 9,320 deaths. June 30: 3 things you need to know today Russia is not among the 15 countries whose citizens can enter the European Union when it re-opens its borders Wednesday due to Russia’s coronavirus response. Russia could be added later to the EU’s list…

Companies of Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Group in Ulyanovsk strengthen measures to prevent coronavirus spread

News from projects and regions June 30, 2020, 15:45 The specialists of Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Ulyanovsk and Gazprom Gazoraspredeleniye Ulyanovsk have increased the preventive measures aimed at combating the coronavirus infection. In the three months of 2020 since the introduction of restrictive measures, over 400 employees of the gas companies in the region have been tested for COVID-19. These are mainly the specialists…

Moscow Oil Spill Triggers 1,000-Fold Pollution Surge

An oil spill north of Moscow has caused a 1,000-fold increase in pollution levels at a reservoir that supplies water to Russia’s capital, the Federal Water Resources Agency said Monday. The agency, Rosvodoresursy, said it first discovered petroleum products on June 25 in a river that flows into the Khimki Reservoir 15 kilometers northwest of…

Serbian Defense Chief Tests Positive for Virus After Moscow Visit

Serbia’s defense chief who was scheduled to attend Russia’s massive World War II parade in Moscow last week has been diagnosed with coronavirus, the Serbian government has said. Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin went into self-isolation after testing positive for Covid-19, Serbia’s defense ministry said in a statement Saturday. He visited Serbian troops in Moscow last…

Explainer: Russia’s Arctic Environmental Disasters

Russia’s Arctic has been hit by three separate environmental disasters linked to mining giant Norilsk Nickel in the span of a month. The company, headed by metals tycoon Vladimir Potanin, has been accused of attempting to cover up the scale of the damage. Here’s an overview of what has happened: Diesel spill, May 29  More…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | June 29

There have been 641,156 cases of coronavirus infection reported in Russia so far and 9,166 deaths. June 29: 3 things you need to know today A second wave of coronavirus could hit major cities in European Russia as soon as two weeks from now, Mikhail Shchelkanov, who heads the Far Eastern Federal University’s school of biomedicine, told Ura.ru. The virus could…

On and Off the Trans-Siberian: The General’s Wife

Last summer journalist Marina Dmukhovskaya and photographer Georg Wallner took a trip on the Trans-Siberian from Moscow to Vladivostok. For 28 days and almost 10,000 kilometers, they talked to dozens of people in “Seat 47” (Mesto 47) riding next to them. When they returned, they turned 38 conversations into first-person stories. My husband was a…

Siberian Wildfires Swell Amid Historic Heatwave

Forest fires in Siberia have grown at least threefold amid a record-breaking heatwave in the region, according to Russia’s agency for aerial forest fire management Aviales. The figures state that 1.37 million hectares (3.4 million acres) were burning in areas unreachable to firefighters as of midnight Monday.  This is mighty river Kolyma covered with smoke…

Russia’s Coronavirus Cases Surpass 640K

Moscow lifted restrictions including compulsory travel passes on June 8, a move welcomed by residents who rushed out to enjoy the streets and parks. Many other regions are lifting lockdown restrictions as Russia prepares to hold a July 1 national vote despite the pandemic.    President Vladimir Putin is seeking public backing for constitutional amendments that would…

Trump Denies He Was Briefed on Russia-Taliban Bounty Intelligence

U.S. President Donald Trump denied Sunday he had been briefed on intelligence that reportedly showed Russia had offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. In a pair of early morning tweets, Trump angrily slammed the report by The New York Times as “Probably just another phony Times hit job, just like their failed Russia Hoax.”…

Russia Mining Giant Reports Waste Spill at Arctic Plant

Russian mining giant Norilsk Nickel said on Sunday it had stopped the discharge of wastewater from one of its Arctic facilities, one month after an unprecedented fuel leak nearby sparked a state of emergency. The incident occurred at the Talnakh enrichment plant near the Arctic city of Norilsk, the company said, when liquids used to…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | June 28

There have been 634,437 cases of coronavirus infection reported in Russia so far and 9,073 deaths. June 28: 3 things you need to know today About 20% of Moscow residents have coronavirus immunity, deputy mayor Anastasia Rakova said Friday, citing a new study. Russia’s flagship carrier Aeroflot has been secretly flying passengers abroad for nearly a month despite state-mandated grounded flights…

Russia’s Coronavirus Cases Rise to 634K as Deaths Surpass 9K

Moscow lifted restrictions including compulsory travel passes on June 8, a move welcomed by residents who rushed out to enjoy the streets and parks. Many other regions are lifting lockdown restrictions as Russia is preparing to hold a July 1 national vote despite the pandemic.    President Vladimir Putin is seeking public backing for constitutional amendments that…

U.S. Intercepts Russian Warplanes off Alaska

U.S. warplanes intercepted four Russian reconnaissance aircraft near Alaska on Saturday, U.S. commanders said. The Russian Tu-142’s came within 65 nautical miles south of Alaska’s Aleutian island chain and “loitered” in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) for eight hours. But they stayed in international airspace and did not enter U.S. or Canadian airspace,…

Russia Spies Aided Taliban Attacks, U.S. Intel Says – NYT

US intelligence has concluded that a Russian unit offered rewards to Taliban-linked militants to kill troops of the US-led coalition in Afghanistan, The New York Times reported Friday. The purported bounties gave incentives to the guerrillas to target US forces, just as President Donald Trump tries to withdraw troops and end America’s longest war. The…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | June 27

There have been 627,646 cases of coronavirus infection reported in Russia so far and 8,969 deaths. June 27: 3 things you need to know today About 20% of Moscow residents have coronavirus immunity, deputy mayor Anastasia Rakova said Friday, citing a new study. Russia’s flagship carrier Aeroflot has been secretly flying passengers abroad for nearly a month despite state-mandated grounded flights…

Russia’s Coronavirus Cases Rise to 627K

Moscow lifted restrictions including compulsory travel passes on June 8, a move welcomed by residents who rushed out to enjoy the streets and parks. Many other regions are lifting lockdown restrictions as Russia is preparing to hold a July 1 national vote despite the pandemic.    President Vladimir Putin is seeking public backing for constitutional amendments that…

S&P, Moody’s and Fitch affirm Gazprom’s long-term investment-grade ratings

June 26, 2020, 21:15 In May-June 2020, international ratings agencies S&P Global Ratings, Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings affirmed Gazprom’s long-term credit ratings as part of their annual reviews. As before, all these ratings are investment-grade with a stable outlook. The S&P (ВВВ-) and Fitch (BBB) ratings correspond to the sovereign credit rating of the Russian Federation, while the rating assigned by Moody’s (Baa2) is a notch…

Macron ‘Confident’ of Progress in Russia Ties

French President Emmanuel Macron is confident of progress in key areas with Russia, including notably the crisis in Libya, his office said on Friday after a video conference summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Macron is “confident that we can make progress with Russia on a number of subjects,” a senior French presidential official told reporters,…

Oil Firm Says Russian Mercenaries Enter Key Libya Field

Russian and other foreign mercenaries have entered a key oil field in southern Libya, the conflict-hit country’s National Oil Corporation said Friday. The mercenaries drove into Al-Sharara oilfield in a convoy of vehicles late Thursday, the NOC said in a statement on its website, expressing “great concern.” After a months-long suspension, Al-Sharara — under the…

Gazprom Dobycha Irkutsk helps northern regional healthcare and educational institutions

Background Gazprom Dobycha Irkutsk, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gazprom, is the development operator of the Kovyktinskoye gas and condensate field which, along with the Chayandinskoye oil, gas and condensate field in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), serves as the resource base for the Power of Siberia project. The Kovyktinskoye gas and condensate field is the basis for creating the Irkutsk gas production center as part of the Eastern Gas Program. The company’s production…

Interview with Alexey Miller, Chairman of Gazprom Management Committee, on outcomes of Shareholders Meeting

Gazprom has a clearly outlined goal-setting system. Among our goals is the annual replenishment of the resource base. Thanks to geological exploration activities, our reserve replacement ratio consistently exceeds 1. It has been like this for the past 15 years, and it will remain so in 2020. Yamal accounts for the bulk of the new reserves. This year has already seen a discovery of another major field in the…

Investor Breathes New Life Into Major Arctic Coal Project

Roman Trotsenko, one of Russia’s richest businessmen, plans to invest 33 billion rubles ($476 million) into a major Arctic coal extraction project, Forbes Russia reported. Trotsenko on June 18 formalized the acquisition of 75% of shares in the Arctic Mining Company and intends to forge ahead with big plans for coal production on the tundra. Troubled project The…

Viktor Zubkov reelected as Chairman and Alexey Miller as Deputy Chairman of Gazprom Board of Directors

June 26, 2020, 14:10 A meeting of the Company’s newly elected Board of Directors was held in absentia. The meeting resolved to elect Viktor Zubkov as Chairman of the Gazprom Board of Directors. Alexey Miller Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee was named as Deputy Chairman of the Company’s Board of Directors. The Board of Directors formed the Audit Committee. The Committee is made up of Mikhail Sereda, Member of the Company’s Board of Directors, and two independent directors Viktor Martynov and Vladimir Mau,…

Gazprom Gazoraspredeleniye Belgorod accepting online applications for utility connections

News from projects and regions June 26, 2020, 12:30 Gazprom Gazoraspredeleniye Belgorod is providing an opportunity for Belgorod residents to file an online application for a utility connection. To save time and ensure safety amid the pandemic, customers can submit applications via the corporate website of Gazprom Gazoraspredeleniye Belgorod. The procedure for filing an application is simple and intuitive. The list of required documents can…

Gazprom’s annual General Shareholders Meeting elects new Board of Directors

Based on the voting results, the annual General Shareholders Meeting of Gazprom formed the Company’s Board of Directors composed as follows: 1. Akimov, Andrey Igorevich Chairman of the Management Board, Gazprombank (Joint Stock Company) 2. Kulibaev, Timur Askarovich Chairman of the Legal Entities Association “Kazakhstan Association of Oil, Gas and Energy Sector Organizations (KAZENERGY),” Chairman of the Presidium of the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs, Republic of Kazakhstan (Atameken) 3.…

Gazprom’s annual General Shareholders Meeting makes decisions on all agenda items

June 26, 2020, 12:10 The annual General Shareholders Meeting of Gazprom was held in the form of absentee voting. The Shareholders Meeting made decisions on all agenda items. The Meeting approved the Company’s 2019 Annual Report and Accounting (Financial) Statements. It was resolved to allocate the Company’s profit based on the results of 2019. The Meeting approved the dividend amount: RUB 15.24 per share based on Gazprom’s operating results in 2019. The dividend…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | June 26

There have been 620,794 cases of coronavirus infection reported in Russia so far and 8,781 deaths. June 26: 3 things you need to know today About 20% of Moscow residents have coronavirus immunity, deputy mayor Anastasia Rakova said Friday, citing a new study. Russia’s flagship carrier Aeroflot has been secretly flying passengers abroad for nearly a month despite state-mandated grounded flights…

Russia Passes 620K Coronavirus Cases

Moscow lifted restrictions including compulsory travel passes on June 8, a move welcomed by residents who rushed out to enjoy the streets and parks. Many other regions are lifting lockdown restrictions as Russia is preparing to hold a July 1 national vote despite the pandemic.    President Vladimir Putin is seeking public backing for constitutional amendments that…

Anti-Putin Shaman Recognized as Political Prisoner

A self-described Siberian shaman critical of President Vladimir Putin is a political prisoner being persecuted for his beliefs, the Memorial human rights organization said Thursday. Authorities committed Alexander Gabyshev to a mental asylum earlier in June following his three attempts to trek 8,000 kilometers from his hometown of Yakutsk to “banish” Putin from the Kremlin.…

Quorum present for all items on Shareholders Meeting agenda

June 26, 2020, 09:00 The Counting Board finished counting the votes on the agenda of Gazprom’s annual General Shareholders Meeting. A quorum is present with regard to all agenda items. Shareholders from Russia and a number of foreign countries took part in the Shareholders Meeting. As of June 1, 2020, the list of persons eligible to take part in the Meeting included 706,727 accounts with a total of 23,673,512,900 shares.…

Russia Plans Tourist Space Walks in 2023

Russia’s Energia space corporation said Thursday it will take the first tourist on a space walk in 2023, under the terms of a new contract with a U.S. partner. Energia has inked a contract with Space Adventures, which promises to take two space tourists to the International Space Station that year.  “We plan that one…