Day: August 25, 2020
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In Memoriam: Moscow’s Trolleybus System 1933-2020
Moscow’s trolleybuses, a staple of city-dwellers’ commutes for nearly a century, have taken their final journey into the sunset. The Russian capital announced Tuesday that it will be retiring all its trolleybuses and replacing them with regular buses and electric buses. “The decision to gradually abandon the trolleybus service was not easy for us, but…
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Oil Workers Stumble Upon Mammoth Remains in Russia’s Arctic
Mammoth remains have been accidentally discovered near the Arctic Circle in Russia, the latest surprise archaeological find as climate change accelerates permafrost melt and exposes the long-buried skeletons of ancient animals. Gazprom Neft workers stumbled upon the elephant-sized animal’s skull and tusk earlier in August while working at its northernmost oil field on the remote…
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It’s a Long Way to Tipperary for Belarus Opposition Leader Tikhanovskaya
It’s a long way to Tipperary from Belarus for opposition leader Svetlana Tikhonavskaya, who cultivated an independent streak and a flair for leadership during almost a decade of visits to rural Ireland. Tikhonavskaya, 37, was one of the “Chernobyl children,” whose health was directly or indirectly affected by the radioactive fallout of the 1986 nuclear disaster in neighboring Ukraine. She was…
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Belarus’ ‘Peaceful Revolution’ Is Neither Pro-Russian Nor Anti-Russian, Opposition Leader Says
Exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya told the EU parliament on Tuesday that a “peaceful revolution” was under way in Belarus after huge protests broke out over disputed presidential elections. The strongman leader of ex-Soviet Belarus Alexander Lukashenko claimed a sixth term in Aug. 9 elections that sparked historic street rallies and a violent police crackdown…
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No Need to Investigate Navalny’s ‘Poisoning,’ Kremlin Says
Russia sees no grounds to launch a criminal investigation into the circumstances of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s sudden illness that German doctors attribute to poisoning, the Kremlin said Tuesday. Navalny’s allies have criticized the Russian authorities for failing to open criminal proceedings after the anti-corruption campaigner and de facto Russian opposition leader fell into a…
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Yandex Pulls Employees Out of Minsk After Office Raid – Reports
Russian internet giant Yandex has pulled some of its employees out of its local office in Minsk after the Belarusian security services raided its premises amid the ongoing unrest in the country. Some of the company’s Minsk-based staff were moved to Russia last week, and others who could not leave Belarus were relocated to country…
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5 Things We Know About the Navalny ‘Poisoning’ So Far
Prominent Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny remains in a medically induced coma in a German hospital almost a week after falling suddenly ill on a flight in Siberia due to what his aides said was poisoning. The anti-corruption campaigner was flown to Berlin after a standoff with the hospital treating him in the city of Omsk,…
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Russia’s Coronavirus Cases Approach 970K
The highest number of new cases were in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Russia’s fatality rate has remained low compared to other badly-hit countries, raising speculation that Moscow could be underreporting figures. Russian authorities began easing anti-virus measures in June ahead of a massive World War II military parade in Moscow and a nationwide vote on…
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Gazprom and Mongolian Government sign Memorandum of Intent
August 25, 2020, 11:00 A working meeting between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, and Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, Prime Minister of Mongolia, took place today via a video call. The parties discussed the prospects of cooperation on the project for pipeline gas supplies from Russia to China across Mongolia. In the course of the meeting, Alexey Miller and Yangugiin Sodbaatar, Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia,…
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Putin Pledges First Coronavirus Vaccine Exports to Belarus – Minsk
President Vladimir Putin has promised Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko the first export batch of Russia’s candidate coronavirus vaccine, Minsk said Monday. Putin and Lukashenko spoke by phone the day after Sunday’s unprecedented protests against the Belarusian strongman’s contested re-election earlier this month. Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping were among the first to congratulate Lukashenko for what Minsk…