A Tale of Two Charlottes

Apple season is officially open! One of the more colorful hybrid holidays in Russia is Yablochny Spas, or “Apple Savior,” celebrated each year in late August, traditionally the moment when apples are ripe for picking.  In a delightful tradition reminiscent of Holy Thursday in early spring, Orthodox faithful bring baskets of apples and other early…

Travel Ban, Oil Supplies on Russia-Belarus Agenda

Russia and Belarus are preparing to reopen borders that were closed because of the coronavirus pandemic and are discussing rerouting Belarusian oil exports through Russia, news outlets reported after high-level talks Thursday. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and his delegation met Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and his government in Minsk amid continuing protests against his…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Sept. 5

Russia has confirmed 1,020,310 cases of coronavirus and 17,759 deaths. Sept. 5: 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 5,205 new coronavirus infections Saturday,…

Lukashenko Says ‘Intercepted Call’ Shows Germany ‘Falsified’ Navalny Poisoning Claims

Germany “falsified” its statement that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned, Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko told Russia’s visiting prime minister Thursday, citing an intercepted conversation. The German government said Wednesday that Navalny, 44, who remains in a medically induced coma and on a ventilator two weeks after falling ill on a flight, was poisoned…

Germany Says Kremlin Critic Navalny Was Poisoned With Novichok

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a substance from the deadly Novichok family, the German government said Wednesday, demanding explanations from Moscow. “The Russian government is urged to explain the incident … the substance in Navalny’s organism is undoubtedly from the Novichok family,” said government spokesman Steffen Seibert in a statement. Prominent Kremlin…

Novichok, Feared Soviet-Designed Poison

The Soviet-designed nerve agent Novichok that Germany says poisoned Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny is a military-grade toxin banned as a chemical weapon after it was used in a previous attack in Britain.  The newest class of nerve agent, the Novichok family of toxins was developed by the Soviet government towards the end of the…

Novichok Use Shows ‘Only State’ Could Have Poisoned Navalny – Aide

Germany’s finding that Alexey Navalny was poisoned with nerve agent Novichok shows that only the Russian state could be responsible, the head of the opposition leader’s organization said on Wednesday. “Only the state (FSB, GRU) can use Novichok. This is beyond any reasonable doubt,” Ivan Zhdanov, the director of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, said on Twitter,…

‘Everyone Who Can Leave, Will Leave’: Violence, Raids and Internet Blackouts Scare Off Belarus’ Entrepreneurs

Eight years ago, Anton, a Russian programmer then in his mid-twenties, was lured to Minsk with an unbeatable offer from one of Belarus’ booming online games companies. He knew the country’s strongman president Alexander Lukashenko was no liberal, but having protested at the Bolotnaya Square demonstrations in Moscow in 2011-12 against Vladimir Putin’s return to…

Russia’s Constitutional Reforms Prevent Disputed Islands’ Transfer to Japan – Ex-PM Medvedev

Russia’s controversial constitutional reforms will make discussions with Japan on the dispute over a set of Pacific islands easier for Moscow, former Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday. Russia and Japan are attempting to strike a formal peace treaty, which Tokyo insists on for the return of the Russian-held Kuril Islands. A set of constitutional…

Belarus Strongman Thanks RT for ‘Support’

Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko has thanked Russian television channel RT for providing “support” after some staff and presenters at Belarus’s state broadcaster quit in protest over his disputed re-election. “I am grateful to you for this support,” Lukashenko told an RT journalist in a video released by the channel. “This is worth a lot,” he…

A Festival for Would-Be Russian Aristocrats

Women wearing floor-length dresses in muted colors, men in frock coats and tailcoats, the sounds of romantic melodies, tea aroma from a wood-burning samovar and tourists with cameras… This was the scene at the Tainy Usadby (Secrets of the Manor) immersive festival, organized by the Crystal Elephant Cultural Development Club. It has been held since…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Sept. 2

Russia has confirmed 1,005,000 cases of coronavirus and 17,414 deaths. Sept. 2: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 4,952 new coronavirus infections Wednesday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 1,005,000 Elderly scientists who helped develop Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine have not reported adverse effects after being injected, the head of the research institute behind the…

Russian PM to Visit Minsk Thursday

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin will visit Belarus on Thursday, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday, after weeks of protests in Minsk against a disputed presidential election. Lavrov also confirmed that President Vladimir Putin would host Belarus’s authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow “in the next couple of weeks.” He made the announcements at the start of…

Elderly Coronavirus Vaccine Recipients ‘Healthy,’ Russian Developer Says

Elderly scientists who helped develop Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine have not reported adverse effects after being injected, the head of the research institute behind the inoculation told the state-run RIA Novosti news agency Wednesday. Sputnik V’s registration last month as the world’s first coronavirus vaccine before large-scale clinical trials has sparked questions over its…

Denmark Summons Russian Envoy Over Airspace Violation

Denmark said Tuesday it had summoned the Russian ambassador for talks after a Russian jet fighter violated the Scandinavian country’s airspace during a NATO exercise last week. “I take very seriously Russia’s unacceptable violation of Danish airspace. It is absolutely essential that everybody — including Russia — respects the ground rules and international principles,” Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod…

A digital system for Hanhikivi-1 NPP configuration management at the design stage has been created in Engineering Division of ROSATOM

The specialists of Digitalization Directorate of ASE EC JSC (Engineering Division of ROSATOM) completed the establishment of configuration management system for Hanhikivi-1 NPP (Finland) for the Basic Design stage. The digital system for Hanhikivi-1 NPP configuration management was established on the basis of Multi-D IMS platform – the core of Multi-D technology of Rosatom Engineering…

Russia Says Belarus Sanctions ‘Unacceptable’

Russia on Tuesday denounced sanctions against ally Belarus as “unacceptable” and voiced support for strongman Alexander Lukashenko’s proposal of constitutional reforms. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Western countries were “delivering verdicts” on events in Belarus, following weeks of protests against Lukashenko’s claim to have won a sixth presidential term in an August 9 election. Moscow…

Millions of U.S. Voters’ Details Leak to Russia’s Dark Web – Kommersant

A database of several million American voters’ personal information has appeared on the Russian dark web two months ahead of presidential elections clouded by claims of Russian meddling, Russia’s Kommersant business newspaper reported Tuesday. A user nicknamed Gorka9 advertised free access to the personal information of 7.6 million voters in Michigan in an unnamed discussion…

Day of Knowledge: Russian Kids Go Back to School

Schools reopened across Russia on Tuesday as coronavirus cases in the county topped one million. A set of guidelines sent to Russia’s regions by the Education Ministry and consumer protection watchdog Rospotrebnadzor says nothing about requiring teachers or students to wear face masks, but orders schools to provide hand sanitizer and install air disinfecting machines.…

Belarus TV Staffs Up With Kremlin-Funded Journalists – RBC

Journalists and technical personnel from Russia’s Kremlin-funded RT broadcaster have been standing in for staff on strike at Belarus state television and radio, Russia’s RBC news website reported Monday. Workers at the Belteleradio broadcasting service walked off the job on Aug. 17 in protest against Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s violent crackdown on peaceful opposition rallies. Lukashenko,…