Severstal completes costructio of evirometal facilities for a ew blast furace

December 25, 2020 PAO Severstal, one of the world’s leading vertically integrated steel and mining companies, has completed the construction of environmental facilities for blast furnace No. 3. The modernization of blast furnace No. 3 will mitigate the environmental impact of pig iron production throughout the production chain through use of the best available technologies.…

Protocol signed on pricing procedure for gas supplies to Belarus until 2022

December 24, 2020, 19:43 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. Alexey Miller and Viktor Karankevich signed the Protocol between Gazprom and the Government of the Republic of Belarus…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Dec. 25

Russia has confirmed 2,963,688 cases of coronavirus and 53,096 deaths. Dec. 25: What you need to know today Russia confirmed new record-breaking numbers of 29,935 coronavirus cases and 635 deaths Thursday. Moscow residents working in law enforcement, urban planning, sports and the catering industry will be eligible to receive Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine starting Dec. 28, Mayor Sergei…

Russian ‘Wedding Photobomb’ Couple Jailed for Treason – Reports

A Russian couple has been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for blowing a secret agent’s cover in their wedding photos, the state-run TASS news agency reported Thursday. Baltic affairs expert Antonina Zimina and her husband Konstantin Antonets were charged with treason after Zimina’s old classmate, a Federal Security Service (FSB) counterintelligence officer, appeared in their…

Russia Returns Gifted Orthodox Icon to Bosnia After East Ukraine Controversy

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has returned an 18th-century Orthodox Christian icon to Bosnia and Herzegovina embassy after reports said the religious artifact originated from rebel-held eastern Ukraine. Lavrov received the 300-year-old icon as a gift from Milorad Dodik, the Serb chair of Bosnia’s three-man presidency, during his visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina on Dec.…

Russian Movie Night: 7 Great Features

It’s a holiday! Finally! In the absence of friends and relatives, what better way to finally relax than to get cozy in front of the TV for some serious binge-watching? Here are seven fictional series or feature films about Russia and their neighbors that got the thumbs up from a highly opinionated, extremely demanding, multi-generational,…

Russian Dance Highlights of 2020

The pandemic of 2020 may go down in history as one of the most devastating events for world ballet. In March, Russian theaters closed for what everyone thought would be a short quarantine, and most returned to work in the rehearsal studios only during the summer months (the Bolshoi in July and the Mariinsky in…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Dec. 24

Russia has confirmed 2,933,753 cases of coronavirus and 52,461 deaths. Dec. 24: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 27,250 new coronavirus cases and 549 deaths Wednesday. Argentina gave “emergency” authorization to Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, becoming the first Latin American country to do so. The first 300,000 doses of the vaccine are set to reach…

Moscow Opposition Deputy Gets Suspended Sentence for Multiple Protest Violations

Moscow opposition deputy Yulia Galyamina will walk free after receiving a suspended sentence under Russia’s law criminalizing multiple protest violations, the Mediazona news website reported Wednesday. Galyamina, a member of north-central Moscow’s Timiryazevsky District council, is accused of demonstrating against local elections in the summer of 2019 and against Russia’s constitutional reforms this summer. She…

Russian Film Highlights of 2020

2020 was a difficult year for the Russian film industry. Many long-anticipated premieres were postponed when in-theater showings were halted. Other filmы skipped the theater and went straight to online platforms. Another problem, which will have a longer effect on the industry, was filming — or not filming — under various Covid-19 restrictions. Most of…

Navalny Associate Shaveddinov Returns From Forced Arctic Military Service

Ruslan Shaveddinov, an associate of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, has returned to Moscow following a year of forced military service in the Arctic, the Mediazona news website reported.   Shaveddinov worked for Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) which leads investigations into corrupt individuals among the Kremlin’s ruling elite. In December 2019, men in uniform broke…

Colombia Expels Russian Diplomats on Spying Accusations – Reports

Colombia has expelled two alleged Russian intelligence officers working under diplomatic protection earlier this month, media reported Tuesday.  Colombian authorities said the Russian diplomats violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations but would not detail why they left, according to Reuters. The news agency reported that President Ivan Duque declined to reveal additional information, telling…

Natural gas demand poised for long-term growth

December 23, 2020, 09:50 The Gazprom Board of Directors took note of the information concerning the impacts of the events of 2020 on the long-term outlook for the global energy market. The most significant development of the year, including in the energy market, has been the new coronavirus pandemic. At the same time, the pandemic’s impact on the global gas market has been quite limited. According…

Gas supply and gas infrastructure expansion programs for 2021–2025 signed with 67 Russian regions

December 23, 2020, 09:40 The Gazprom Board of Directors took note of the information about the ongoing implementation of the Company’s programs aimed at expanding gas supplies and gas infrastructure in Russian constituent entities, synchronization with regional programs for converting housing and utilities, industries and other entities to gas, as well as extension of gas grid coverage in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. It was highlighted that the creation of gas supply infrastructure…

Gazprom moving forward with its LNG projects

December 23, 2020, 09:30 The Gazprom Board of Directors took note of the information about the ongoing implementation of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) production and supply projects. It was highlighted that the new coronavirus pandemic has had a negative impact on the long-term outlook for the global LNG industry, and the forecast for the commissioning of LNG production capacities worldwide has been revised downwards. Nevertheless,…

Appropriate response to challenges. Interview by Famil Sadygov with corporate Gazprom Magazine

By using project financing methods, Gazprom diversifies its loan sources and improves the efficiency and transparency of its key investment projects further. We plan to expand our project financing activities. It should be pointed out that our project financing transactions are very advanced: for instance, the project financing deal for the construction of the Amur Gas Processing Plant (GPP) has received recognition…

Gazprom Board of Directors approves investment program and budget for 2021

December 22, 2020, 18:00 Gazprom’s overall amount of investments for 2021: RUB 902.413 billion. This budget will provide for a full coverage of Gazprom’s liabilities without a deficit. The Gazprom Board of Directors took note of the Company’s preliminary operating results for 2020 and the projected investment program and budget (financial plan) for 2022–2023. In addition, the Board of Directors approved the investment program and budget (financial…

Russian Film ‘Beanpole’ Awarded Top Prize by U.S. Film Critics

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) has named the Russian movie “Beanpole” as the best foreign language film. “Beanpole,” which was directed by Kantemir Balagov, also won second place for best production design.  The film is set in the Soviet city of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) right after WWII. The narration focuses on the tragic relationship between two young women veterans, Iya…

7 Protests That Defined the Year in Russia and Former Soviet Republics

In a year dominated by the coronavirus pandemic, some of the largest and most protracted protests in post-Soviet history also grabbed headlines.  People took to the streets to protest issues including electoral fraud, corruption and territorial disputes. Gathering despite government-imposed public assembly restrictions, protesters across the region faced off against police — with thousands being injured…

Moscow Holiday Feasts

As the year 2020 comes to an end, many expats are staying in Moscow, some for the first time, as the coronavirus makes travel abroad impossible or impractical.  Without the usual holiday fairs, parties and activities — and without widespread celebrations on Dec. 25 — it’s easy to put off planning. And now Christmas is…

YouTube Source of Most Fake Info on Russian Internet, State Media Watchdog Says

Russia’s federal media watchdog has accused YouTube of circulating more fake news than any other foreign platform on the Russian internet, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency cited the agency as saying Monday.  “About 60% of fakes are related to the Covid-19 virus,” said Roskomnadzor, the federal agency responsible for regulating communications, information technology and…

Navalny Ally Sobol Detained After Poisoning Call

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s associate Lyubov Sobol has been detained outside the home of an alleged chemical weapons expert implicated in his poisoning, media reported late Monday. Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) lawyer Sobol said she wanted to speak with alleged Federal Security Service (FSB) agent Konstantin Kudryavtsev, whom Navalny said he had tricked into admitting…