This week’s news that U.S. President-elect Joe Biden had chosen Jennifer Psaki as his administration’s press secretary sparked a flurry of excitement on Russian state media and social media alike. “We are looking forward to Jen’s return,” said Vladimir Solovyev, a controversial host on the state-run Rossia 1 broadcaster and one of Russia’s main spin…
Russia has confirmed 2,402,949 cases of coronavirus and 42,176 deaths. Dec. 5: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 27,403 coronavirus cases and 569 deaths Friday. Kazakhstan will start producing Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine from Dec. 22, the country’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said Friday. Ukraine won’t be purchasing Russia’s coronavirus vaccine due to its questionable efficacy, Ukraine’s…
Moscow’s teachers, doctors and social workers are signing up at a rate of 1,000 per hour for the Russian capital’s coronavirus vaccination drive that kicks off Saturday, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has said. Online vaccination bookings for high-risk groups opened in the Russian capital Friday after President Vladimir Putin ordered large-scale nationwide immunization — hours after…
On 1-2 December the first online Global Impact Conference 2020 “Energy for Impact” was organized in partnership with ROSATOM, the Higher School of Economics and Forbes. The event brought together over 85 experts from 26 countries, representing global corporations, state institutions and NGOs. Conference participants discussed new partnerships with a view to develop human capital…
The rapid spread of mobile internet around the world over the last decade has directly contributed to falling levels of trust in government and a surge in populism, according to a recent paper by a group of Russian economists. The research shows that as 3G internet spreads, millions of people gain access to new sources…
The Netherlands’ top court ruled Friday that shareholders in dismantled oil giant Yukos can continue to pursue Russia for $50 billion (41 billion euros) in compensation pending a final judgement in a long legal saga. Russia was ordered to make the payout in 2014 by the Hague-based international Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), but has…
President Vladimir Putin has called on Moscow’s allies to mass produce the country’s vaccines. In a statement on Friday, Kazakhstan’s presidency said the country would begin producing Sputnik V from Dec. 22, with plans to begin inoculating vulnerable groups in early 2021. The developers of Sputnik V — named after the Soviet-era satellite — have…
The traditional format of the international book fair Non/Fiction was postponed until next spring due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But to keep the reading public happy, the organizers are moving their meetings with famous authors online this and next weekend. On Dec. 5,6, 12 and 13 anyone can tune in to hear discussions with such…
Russian authorities have said they want to relocate all prisons out of major cities, sparking concerns from activists that the move could violate prisoners’ rights and complicate visits by lawyers and relatives. Justice Minister Konstantin Chuichenko told state television that the mass prison relocation is part of the Federal Prison Service’s “transformation” toward “effective and…
One person has been killed in a shootout that took place after three armed men tried to illegally cross the border from Ukraine to Russia, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said Friday. Russian border patrol officers opened fire on the Ukrainians after they resisted arrest at the border near Belgorod, the state-run TASS news agency…
On December 2, the first session of the Board for Sustainable Business Development, Corporate Social Responsibility and Voluntary Service of the Trade and Commerce Chamber of Russia (TPP of Russia) was held. The event was on-line in the frame of the international forum Global Impact Conference 2020. The Board included representatives of large businesses, governmental…
NovaWind JSC (ROSATOM division for wind power) wins a contract for 192,5 MW capacity as part of investment project selection. This project selection was final under the first RES Capacity Supply Agreement program. The VetroSGC-2 applications totalling 192,5 MW (VetroSGC-2 JSC is part of NovaWind JSC) were selected under the investment project tender for the…
Russia’s Pobeda low-cost airline plans to debut its own “flight to nowhere” for cooped-up passengers looking to recreate the travel experience this month, popular Pobeda pilot and flight podcast host Alexei Kochemasov has said. Passengers will take off from Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport, then land 1.5 hours later at… Vnukovo Airport. “We guarantee the crew’s…
A young Russian artist has won the illustration contest for J.K. Rowling’s first post-Harry Potter children’s book, “The Ickabog.” Artwork by Yevdokiya “Dunya” Obolenskaya, 11, is among 34 original illustrations chosen out of 42,000 submissions from around the world for Rowling’s latest book published earlier in November. “Mama had received a text message close to…