Russia Runs Bubonic Plague Checks on Rodents

Russian health officials in Siberia have begun testing rodents for bubonic plague after several cases were registered in neighboring Mongolia and China. The consumer protection watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said there’s no risk of plague outbreaks spreading to Russia because of border closures and travel restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO)…

Ukraine Detains Alleged Russian Separatist Agent

Ukraine’s security service said it has detained an alleged Russian agent in Kiev suspected of overseeing separatist forces in eastern Ukraine. The SBU security service identified the suspect as Ukrainian citizen Andrei Nikolayevich, whose last name was only given as the initial K. He is alleged to be a “freelance representative” for the GRU Russian…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | July 8

Russia has confirmed 700,792 cases of coronavirus and 10,667 deaths. July 8: 3 things you need to know today Federal transport authorities have found more than 500 violations of anti-coronavirus measures at Russian airports in June, the Kommersant business daily reported. Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsia, has extended Russia’s ban on international flights until Aug. 1 due…

Russia’s Coronavirus Cases Pass 700K

Moscow lifted restrictions including compulsory travel passes on June 8, a move welcomed by residents who rushed out to enjoy the streets and parks. Many other regions lifted lockdown restrictions ahead of a July 1 national vote despite the pandemic.    Critics have cast doubt on Russia’s low official mortality rate and accused authorities of under-reporting…

Siberia Swelters in the Age of Climate Change

Siberia’s unprecedented heat wave will continue through July, experts have warned, increasing the risk of forest fires and permafrost damage and highlighting the effects of climate change. Forecasts show that five Siberian regions, including one in the Arctic, will experience temperatures of 37 degrees Celsius in early July. This follows The Siberian town of Verkhoyansk…

Russia Detains Ex-Defense Reporter for Treason

A high-profile Russian journalist who became an adviser to the head of the space agency was detained Tuesday on charges of treason for allegedly divulging state military secrets, the country’s security service said. Ivan Safronov, 30, worked for business outlets Kommersant and Vedomosti and was one of Russia’s most high profile and respected journalists reporting…

Gazprom Gazoraspredeleniye Tambov taking enhanced measures for coronavirus prevention

News from projects and regions July 7, 2020, 17:30 Gas workers of the Tambov Region are implementing a set of measures aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus infection. On July 1, 2020, Gazprom Gazoraspredeleniye Tambov started testing personnel for the virus and its antibodies. Among the first individuals to take the tests are the employees who are involved in continuous production…

Russia Will Impose Counter-Sanctions on U.K. – Kremlin

Moscow will apply counter-sanctions against Britain, the Kremlin said Tuesday, after London blacklisted Russian officials for their alleged involvement in the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky. “We can only regret such unfriendly measures,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “Obviously the principle of reciprocity will be applied,” he added, without elaborating. The 25 Russians included…

Adviser to Russia’s Space Chief and Ex-Journalist Detained for Treason

Authorities in Moscow have detained the adviser to Russia’s space chief and former journalist Ivan Safronov on suspicion of state treason, Russia’s space agency Roscosmos said Tuesday. Safronov’s detention comes two months after he became Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin’s adviser. Until May, Safronov had been writing for the independent Kommersant and Vedomosti business dailies for…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | July 7

Russia has confirmed 694,230 cases of coronavirus and 10,494 deaths. July 7: 3 things you need to know today Federal transport authorities have found more than 500 violations of anti-coronavirus measures at Russian airports in June, the Kommersant business daily reported. Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsia, has extended Russia’s ban on international flights until Aug. 1 due to…

Russia’s Coronavirus Cases Approach 700K

Moscow lifted restrictions including compulsory travel passes on June 8, a move welcomed by residents who rushed out to enjoy the streets and parks. Many other regions lifted lockdown restrictions ahead of a July 1 national vote despite the pandemic.    Critics have cast doubt on Russia’s low official mortality rate and accused authorities of under-reporting…

Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Tver opens new customer reception area

News from projects and regions July 6, 2020, 20:00 Today, Gazprom Mezhregiongaz Tver opened a new customer reception area, which was set up with due account of the coronavirus prevention measures. The new subdivision (located at 7 Dvor Proletarki St., Office 106) complies with social distancing requirements in its operations. Operators and customers communicate at a safe distance across wide tables; the gas company’s specialists…

Gazprom Dobycha Yamburg renders assistance to intensive care unit of Novy Urengoy Central City Hospital

Background Gazprom Dobycha Yamburg is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gazprom. It operates in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area. The company is focused on gas and gas condensate production Gazprom Dobycha Yamburg holds licenses for the development and production of hydrocarbons from the Yamburgskoye and Zapolyarnoye fields and is preparing for commercial production the Severo-Kamennomyssky, Kamennomysskoye-Sea, Obsky, Chugoryakhinsky, Tazovsko-Zapolyarny and Yuzhno-Parusovy subsurface areas, and, as part of joint ventures, the Parusovy, Severo-Parusovy…

Chechen Dissident Shot Dead in Austria

Austrian police have arrested two Russians from Chechnya over the fatal shooting of a Chechen dissident, officials said on Sunday. The 43-year-old asylum seeker, a vocal critic of the Chechen Republic’s government, was found dead with gunshot wounds near the capital Vienna on Saturday. Police arrested a 47-year-old Russian from Chechnya in the city of…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | July 5

Russia has confirmed 681,251 cases of coronavirus and 10,161 deaths. July 5: 3 things you need to know today Federal transport authorities have found more than 500 violations of anti-coronavirus measures at Russian airports in June, the Kommersant business daily reported. Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsia, has extended Russia’s ban on international flights until Aug. 1 due to…

Russia’s Coronavirus Cases Rise Past 680K

Moscow lifted restrictions including compulsory travel passes on June 8, a move welcomed by residents who rushed out to enjoy the streets and parks. Many other regions lifted lockdown restrictions ahead of a July 1 national vote despite the pandemic.    Critics have cast doubt on Russia’s low official mortality rate and accused authorities of under-reporting…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | July 4

Russia has confirmed 674,515 cases of coronavirus and 6,632 deaths. July 4: 3 things you need to know today Federal transport authorities have found more than 500 violations of anti-coronavirus measures at Russian airports in June, the Kommersant business daily reported. Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsia, has extended Russia’s ban on international flights until Aug. 1 due to…

Putin Mocks U.S. Embassy Rainbow Flag

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday mocked a rainbow LGBT pride flag hung from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, suggesting it reflected on the orientation of the diplomats. During a televised video conference, a lawmaker told Putin that the U.S. Embassy had hung a rainbow flag on its facade for the first time to celebrate…

Russia Jails North Korean Poacher

A Russian court has sentenced to four years in prison one of several North Korean poachers detained on charges of attacking Russian border guards last year, authorities said Friday. In one of several flare-ups between the allies, 18 North Korean poachers were alleged to have attacked 11 Russian border guards with “improvised items” in the…

Coronavirus-Infected Moscow Election Official Administered Vote on Putin Reforms – Reports

A Moscow election official infected with the coronavirus administered votes during Russia’s weeklong plebiscite on constitutional changes, the Dozhd television channel reported Thursday. The nationwide vote was postponed from its original date of April 22 and was spread out over a week due to the coronavirus pandemic. Health officials had warned that it might still…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | July 3

Russia has confirmed 667,883 cases of coronavirus and 6,718 deaths. July 3: 3 things you need to know today Federal transport authorities have found more than 500 violations of anti-coronavirus measures at Russian airports in June, the Kommersant business daily reported. Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsia, has extended Russia’s ban on international flights until Aug. 1 due to…

Fighter Nurmagomedov’s Father and Coach Dies From Coronavirus Complications

Russian Mixed Martial Arts fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father has died at 57 after contracting the coronavirus, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov announced Friday. Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov was flown to Moscow from Chechnya after catching Covid-19 in mid-May, at one point being placed in a medically induced coma. Nurmagomedov said last week that his father remained in intensive…

Shadowy Russian Clergyman Stripped of Priesthood After Virus Denials, Monastery Capture

An ultraconservative, coronavirus-denying priest who captured a women’s monastery in central Russia last month has been defrocked by an ecclesiastical court, Interfax reported Friday. Father Sergei seized the Sredneuralsk women’s monastery near Yekaterinburg after religious authorities barred him from preaching in April for refusing to follow health guidelines due to the Covid-19 outbreak, calling the…

Moscow’s Best Swimming Holes

Moscow has a surprising number of beaches for swimming in lakes, canals and streams, which are just opening up after the long period of self-isolation and cool, rainy weather.  In Moscow city, the swimming zones are not officially open: the city is still on high alert mode in response to the coronavirus pandemic. So wait…