Abramovich Bought ‘Secret Stakes’ in Chelsea’s Rival Players – BBC

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich used offshore companies to secretly invest in football players who were rivals to his Chelsea football club, a BBC Panorama investigation published Monday said.  The information was obtained during the FinCEN Files investigation, which is led by 108 media outlets worldwide and based on thousands of leaked suspicious activity reports (SARs)…

ROSATOM participated in the international webinar ‘Technology readiness and safety of small modular reactors’

September 18, 2020 – The webinar ‘Technology readiness and safety of small modular reactors’ hosted by National Nuclear Energy Agency of Indonesia (BATAN), brought together world’s nuclear power industry major players, including ROSATOM. The webinar, moderated by BATAN Expert M.Sc.E Johanna Maria Christina Johari, was aimed to bring the audience the understanding of nuclear energy…

Putin Recreates Soviet-Era Political Supervision Over National Guards

President Vladimir Putin has created a new post in Russia’s National Guard to ensure ideological education and political unity amid questions over the country’s return to once-abolished Soviet practices. The Russian military has gained political influence in both domestic and foreign policy since the 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and renewed geopolitical tensions with…

Russian Authorities Storm Siberian Commune, Arrest Messianic Cult Leader

A Siberian messianic cult leader and his deputies have been detained at one of their communes on accusations of using followers’ money and psychological violence to inflict harm, Russia’s Investigative Committee said Tuesday. Armed agents were filmed storming the Church of the Last Testament’s compound in a southern district of the Krasnoyarsk region. The agents can…

Belarus Opposition Leader: We’re Not Anti-Russian

Belarus’ opposition is not anti-Russian despite its objections to recent Russian-Belarusian deals made amid mass post-election protests, exiled opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said in an interview published Sunday. Tikhanovskaya had on the eve of last week’s meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarus’ Alexander Lukashenko vowed to “reconsider” any newly reached agreements if she…

Russian Recruits Show ‘No Side Effects’ in Chinese Coronavirus Vaccine Trials

Recruits in Moscow have reported no side effects after taking China’s candidate coronavirus vaccine as part of large-scale clinical trials, the Russian pharmaceutical company working with the vaccine’s Chinese developers announced Monday. Russia approved Phase 3 trials of the Chinese vaccine developed by CanSino Biologics and the Chinese military’s research arm last month. Russia’s Petrovax pharmaceutical…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Sept. 21

Russia has confirmed 1,109,595 cases of coronavirus and 19,489 deaths. Sept 21: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 6,196 new Covid-19 cases Monday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 1,109,595 as the number of new infections across the country continues to rise. Authorities in China’s eastern Jilin province have discovered traces of coronavirus on packages of frozen…

Chinese Authorities Find Coronavirus on Frozen Squid From Russia

Authorities in China’s eastern Jilin province have discovered traces of coronavirus on packages of frozen squid imported from Russia, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported Sunday.  The regional capital Changchun’s Covid-19 prevention office detected the virus particles during a routine screening, Xinhua reported.  All individuals who came into contact with the packages in Changchun were…

Putin Allies Moved ‘Millions’ in Murky Deals, Massive Leak Says

Russian tycoons close to President Vladimir Putin have used some of the world’s largest banks to move massive sums of allegedly dirty money, according to an international journalism investigation published Sunday. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and BuzzFeed News said that big banks flagged $2 trillion worth of suspicious transactions between 1999-2017. The…

Construction of first well completed at Semakovskoye field

September 18, 2020, 17:50 RusGazAlyans (a joint venture of Gazprom and RusGazDobycha) completed the construction of the first production well at the Semakovskoye gas field. Commercial gas inflow was obtained. The well is 2,637 meters long. A program of gas dynamic studies will be performed in the well in order to determine the actual reservoir properties and confirm the flow rates indicated in the production forecast. Two…

Russia Clears Two Coronavirus Drugs for Pharmacy Sale

Two Russian-made coronavirus treatment drugs have been cleared for pharmacy sale, allowing for widespread at-home treatment of the infection, the Health Ministry announced in a statement to the state-run RIA-Novosti news agency Thursday.  Both drugs are Russia-manufactured variants of favipiravir, the generic version of an anti-flu medication developed by Japan’s Fujifilm. Clinical trials of the…

Korsakov Central District Hospital receives new equipment from Sakhalin Energy

News from projects and regions September 18, 2020, 10:30 The Korsakov Central District Hospital has received new equipment from Sakhalin Energy. The funds for purchasing the required medical devices and consumables were provided within the Prevention and Treatment project, the company’s initiative aimed at supporting the healthcare institutions of the Sakhalin Region. The project is designed to provide the…

Belarus Shuts Western Borders as Lukashenko Warns of ‘War’

Update: Belarus’ borders remained open Friday after President Alexander Lukashenko announced they would be closed. The country’s border guard service said on its Telegram channel that “checks have been stepped up” and “tactical reinforcements have been deployed,” but that “checkpoints are permitting people to enter and leave.” Belarus will close its borders with Poland and Lithuania…

Protest-Plagued Belarus Strongman Transfers Son to Moscow School – Reports

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has transferred his youngest son to an elite boarding school in Moscow amid ongoing protests against his disputed re-election, Russian tabloids reported Thursday.  Nikolai “Kolya” Lukashenko, 16, has become a social media sensation as he has grown from a pudgy kid to an apparent “successor” to the presidency who is frequently…

Gazprom Export Further Extends Functions of the Electronic Sales Platform

News from projects and regions September 17, 2020, 15:00 Gazprom Export LLC continues to develop its Electronic Sales Platform (ESP). From September 7, 2020, new types of trade instruments are available here. In addition to existing products, the ESP now offers new instruments with geographical and volume flexibility: the former allows several delivery points to choose from, while the latter…

Chemical Weapons Watchdog Says Examining Navalny Samples

The global chemical weapons watchdog confirmed Thursday that it had sent experts to Germany to collect samples from Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and that results of tests for Novichok poisoning were “forthcoming.” Berlin had formally requested its “technical assistance” over Navalny’s alleged poisoning, the Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said.…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Sept. 17

Russia has confirmed 1,085,281 cases of coronavirus and 19,061 deaths. Sept 17: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 5,762 new coronavirus infections Thursday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 1,085,281. Russian health officials have proposed depriving medics of promised coronavirus payouts if they refuse to vaccinate against the infection, the Medvestnik medical news website has reported. …

Poland Seeks Russian Air Traffic Controllers’ Arrest Over Fatal 2010 Presidential Crash

Poland has taken the first steps to arrest three Russian air traffic controllers whom it accuses of provoking a fatal plane crash that killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski in 2010, Polish media reported late Wednesday.  Polish prosecutors in 2017 accused the air traffic controllers of “deliberately provoking” the crash where 96 Polish officials including Kaczynski…

Belarus Opposition Leader Is U.S. Protege – Russia Spy Chief

Russia’s foreign intelligence chief on Wednesday accused the United States of protecting Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and allocating $20 million to promote anti-government protests that erupted after disputed presidential elections. Sergei Naryshkin, who heads the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), said Washington had taken the former presidential candidate Tikhanovskaya and other activists “firmly under…

Well-Preserved Cave Bear Discovered in Russia’s Melting Arctic Permafrost

Reindeer herders in Russia’s Arctic have discovered what scientists say is the first-ever cave bear carcass with soft tissues intact in the region’s rapidly thawing permafrost.  The Ice Age-era animal is believed to have lived between 22,000 and 39,500 years ago, Russia’s North-Eastern Federal University (NEFU) said in a statement Monday. Previously, the university said…

Trump Ad Supporting U.S. Troops Shows Russian Fighter Jets, Rifles

A campaign fundraising ad for U.S. President Donald Trump aimed at rallying support for the country’s troops actually displays Russian-made military equipment, Politico reported Monday.  The digital “Support Our Troops” campaign that ran between Sept. 8-12 shows the silhouettes of three soldiers as fighter jets fly overhead.  “That’s definitely a [Russian] MiG-29,” defense analyst Pierre…

1 in 7 Russian Coronavirus Vaccine Volunteers Report Side Effects

One in seven volunteers have complained of side effects including weakness and muscle pain after taking Russia’s highly touted coronavirus vaccine, Russia’s health minister said Tuesday. Final clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine began in Moscow earlier this month amid questions over its long-term safety and effectiveness.  Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said more than…