Russia and Belarus discuss cooperation in gas sector

September 11, 2020, 14:20 A working meeting of Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, with Vladimir Semashko, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the Russian Federation, and Viktor Karankevich, Minister of Energy of the Republic of Belarus, took place today in St. Petersburg. The parties reviewed current and prospective issues related to cooperation in the gas sector. Background The contracts between…

10th Energy of Victories national sports journalism festival contest launched

September 11, 2020, 10:00 Gazprom, the Russian Olympic Committee, and the Federation of Sports Journalists of Russia announce the start of the 10th anniversary edition of the Energy of Victories national sports journalism festival contest for Russian-language mass media based in Russia and abroad. The primary goals of the contest are to promote the Olympic movement, sports, and healthy living, as well as to improve the quality of sports…

Microsoft Thwarts Russian, Chinese Hackers Targeting US Presidential Campaigns

Microsoft said Thursday it detected and thwarted cyberattacks in recent weeks from China and Russia targeting US presidential campaign staff. The attackers have been targeting staff from the campaigns of President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden, Microsoft said in a security blog. “In recent weeks, Microsoft has detected cyberattacks targeting people and organizations involved in…

Russia Denies Claims of ‘Highly Improbable’ Coronavirus Vaccine Results

Russia has pushed back against claims its published research into a Covid-19 vaccine included “highly improbable” and “statistically unlikely” results. A group of scientists and doctors published an open letter to Russia’s Gamaleya research center, which is leading the Sputnik V vaccine’s development, and renowned British medical journal The Lancet on Wednesday outlining a number…

Detained Belarus Opposition Leader Says She Was Threatened With ‘Dismemberment’

Maria Kolesnikova, the last member of a trio of women opposition leaders remaining in Belarus, alleged Thursday that security forces threatened her life as she was being detained on charges of attempting to seize power. Kolesnikova went missing Monday after witnesses described seeing masked men forcing her into a minibus in central Minsk. Investigators confirmed…

Campaigner for Kremlin Critic Navalny Beaten Up

Unidentified attackers beat up an activist campaigning for hospitalized Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in the Urals city of Chelyabinsk, his colleagues said Thursday. Alexei Baraboshkin, the local coordinator for Navalny, was “assaulted by unknown attackers” late Wednesday after receiving threats for several weeks, his campaign office wrote on Telegram. It posted a picture of…

Navalny Recovering From ‘Deadlier, Slower-Acting’ Novichok Variant – Reports

Leading Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a new, deadlier variant of military-grade nerve agent Novichok, the German weekly Die Zeit reported Wednesday. Hours after the Die Zeit report, The Insider news website reported, citing anonymous sources, that Navalny, 44, has almost completely recovered after falling violently ill on a flight in Siberia on Aug.…

Whistleblower: White House Stifled Reporting on Russian Election Interference

A senior US intelligence official said the White House ordered him to stop reporting on Russian election interference and highlight Chinese and Iran meddling instead, according to a whistleblower complaint revealed Wednesday. Offering explosive evidence to support Democratic allegations that President Donald Trump has manipulated intelligence to support his reelection effort, Department of Homeland Security…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Sept. 9

Russia has confirmed 1,041,007 cases of coronavirus and 18,135 deaths. Sept. 9: What you need to know today Russia has launched Phase 3 trials of its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine to determine the jab’s long-term safety and effectiveness, authorities said Wednesday. A group of prominent scientists and doctors has questioned the published results of the vaccine’s initial trials. Russia’s…

Unknown People Try to Enter Belarus Nobel Laureate Alexievich’s Apartment Amid Opposition Arrests

Belarusian Nobel Literature Prize winner Svetlana Alexievich said unknown people tried to enter her apartment on Wednesday amid an intensifying crackdown by President Alexander Lukashenko’s regime over a disputed election. Alexievich, 72, is now the last free leading member of the Belarusian opposition’s Coordination Council still in the country after masked men detained lawyer Maxim…

‘Don’t Give In to Lies,’ Belarus Opposition Leader Tells Russians

Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya urged Russians on Wednesday to resist what she called state media efforts to smear her country’s post-election protests as anti-Russian. Tikhanovskaya, 37, made the comments a day after President Alexander Lukashenko’s interview with Russian state media, where he warned that “if Belarus collapses today, Russia will be next.” Moscow has been…

Navalny-Backed Opposition Candidates in Siberia Attacked With Foul-Smelling Chemical

Assailants have spilled a foul-smelling liquid at the office of Siberian opposition candidates backed by Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny ahead of upcoming regional elections, the candidates said Tuesday. The attack is the latest attempt to disrupt the work of a coalition of opposition candidates planning to challenge pro-Kremlin incumbents in the Novosibirsk city council elections…

Russia Begins Coronavirus Vaccine Rollout

Russia has begun releasing its coronavirus vaccine to the general public, the Health Ministry announced Tuesday as developers prepare to conduct large-scale clinical trials while administering the shot to civilians. Its developer has said that a yearlong mass vaccination campaign would begin as soon as the Sputnik V vaccine entered civil circulation. “The first batch…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Sept. 7

Russia has confirmed 1,030,690 cases of coronavirus and 17,871 deaths. Sept. 7: What you need to know today Saudi King Salman and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed Monday the possible joint production of a Russian coronavirus vaccine, the Kremlin said.  Russia’s coronavirus cases continue to rise as the country confirmed 5,185 new coronavirus infections Monday, bringing the country’s official number of…

Russian FM Meets Syria’s Assad on Rare Visit

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad discussed economic cooperation Monday with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, as Moscow’s envoy made his first visit to war-torn Syria since 2012, the presidency said. Assad said “the Syrian government was determined to continue working with Russian partners” to implement signed agreements, and encourage the “success of Russian investments in Syria,”…

Explainer: What is Nord Stream 2 and Why Might Navalny’s Poisoning Stop Its Completion?

The confirmation that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with Novichok has heightened calls for Germany to review its support for Nord Stream 2 — Gazprom’s mega gas pipeline project linking the two countries. German Chancellor Angela Merkel will not rule out consequences for the project if Russia fails to thoroughly investigate the incident,…

Russia’s ‘Basic Instinct’ Dig Provokes Spat With Ally Serbia

Serbia accused Russia of “primitivism and vulgarity” on Sunday after Russia’s diplomatic spokeswoman appeared to mock Serbia’s president on social media, marking a rare criticism toward Belgrade’s longtime ally. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova struck a nerve Saturday when she posted a photo of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic alongside a screengrab of Hollywood star…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Sept. 6

Russia has confirmed 1,025,505 cases of coronavirus and 17,820 deaths. Sept. 6: What you need to know today Russia recorded more than 30,000 excess deaths in July as the coronavirus pandemic continued to sweep across the country, new data from the country’s statistics service Rosstat has shown. Russia’s coronavirus cases continue to rise as the country confirmed 5,195 new coronavirus infections Sunday,…