Russian PM Says Growth of New Coronavirus Cases Stopped

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said Monday that the growth in new coronavirus cases had been stopped in Russia, which has recorded the world’s largest number of infections after the United States. “The situation with the spread of the coronavirus infection remains difficult, but we can still acknowledge that we managed to put a stop to…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | May 18

As the deadly coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, Russia has gradually become the world’s second most-infected country. There have been 290,678 cases of coronavirus infections reported in Russia so far and 2,722 deaths. May 18: 3 things you need to know today 1. Russia confirmed 8,926 new coronavirus infections Monday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 290,678, signaling a…

Russia Is a ‘Distinct Civilization,’ Putin Says

Russia is a distinct civilization that must be protected through genetics and other advanced technologies, President Vladimir Putin said in an interview that aired Sunday. Putin told state television that “it would be impossible to secure the future of our civilization” without artificial intelligence, genetics and unmanned vehicles, as well as hypersonic weapons.  “Russia is…

U.S. Coronavirus Aid ‘On Its Way’ to Russia: Pompeo

A U.S. donation of coronavirus tests and ventilators is on its way to Russia, which ranks second in the world behind the United States for its number of infections, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in an interview Sunday. U.S. President Donald Trump had offered to send “some testing equipment, as well as ventilators” in…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | May 17

As the deadly coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, Russia has gradually become the world’s second most-infected country. There have been 281,752 cases of coronavirus infections reported in Russia so far and 2,631 deaths. May 17: 3 things you need to know today 1. Russia confirmed 9,709 new coronavirus infections Sunday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 281,752. Russia now has the…

Russia’s Coronavirus Cases Surpass 280K

Russia says its high number of cases is due in part to a massive testing campaign that has seen more than 6 million tests carried out. Moscow accounts for roughly half of all infections and the city said it would be launching mass voluntary tests for antibodies from Friday. Russian President Vladimir Putin this week…

Night in the (Online) Museum and (Online) Movie Night

Night in the (Online) Museum One of Moscow’s hands-down, favorite yearly events is Night in the Museum, when you get to experience the transgressive thrill of being in a place and time that is usually forbidden, or hearing talks, going on excursions, watching films and theatrical events, and taking master classes in the dark and…

‘Carpathia: Food From the Heart of Romania’

If your household’s lockdown dynamics are anything like mine, eating habits have probably changed dramatically over the past seven weeks. An informal straw poll of my cyber chums from around the world suggests that almost everyone has abandoned conventional mealtimes or the traditional components of breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Snacking is on the rise, as…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | May 16

As the deadly coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, Russia has gradually become the world’s second most-infected country. There have been 272,043 cases of coronavirus infections reported in Russia so far and 2,537 deaths. May 16: 3 things you need to know today 1. Russia confirmed 9,200 new coronavirus infections Saturday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 272,043 and signaling…

Gazprom Dobycha Noyabrsk conducting first changeover of shift personnel under new rules

Background Gazprom Dobycha Noyabrsk, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gazprom, develops seven fields, including four gas fields, two gas and condensate fields, and one oil, gas and condensate field. The company’s facilities, among them three gas production sites and three gas production directorates, are located in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area, Kamchatka, and Yakutia. Gazprom Dobycha Noyabrsk takes part in the state-run Eastern…

Russia Pushes Google to Block Report on Low Virus Deaths, Probes NYT and FT

Russia’s state communications watchdog has demanded that Google block a Russian news website’s article on a Financial Times report about Russia’s possibly undercounted coronavirus deaths.  Roskomnadzor, the watchdog, said Thursday it was probing reports by FT and The New York Times, which analyzed official mortality data to investigate whether Russia is undercounting its coronavirus deaths,…

Russian Football League to Restart Despite Rising Infections

The Russian Premier League will restart its season next month despite rising coronavirus infections, but behind closed doors, its governing body said Friday. The Russian football association said in a statement that matches, suspended since March 17 because of the outbreak, would resume from June 21. The Russian Premier League, the country’s top football division,…

Moscow Says No Proof Russian Hackers Spied on Merkel

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday rejected allegations by German Chancellor Angela Merkel that Russian hackers had spied on her. “Five years have passed. Not a single concrete fact has been provided,” Lavrov said in a live interview with Russia’s RBC news website. Speaking in parliament on Wednesday, Merkel voiced frustration that Russia was targeting…

Russia-Raised Austrian Princess Dies at 31

Austrian princess Maria Galitzine, who spent her school years in Russia, has died of a sudden heart aneurysm in the United States at age 31, her family said in an obituary published Friday. Maria Singh, née Princess Maria Galitzine, was the great-granddaughter of the last emperor and empress of Austria and a descendant of the…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | May 15

As the deadly coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, Russia has gradually become the world’s second most-infected country. There have been 262,843 cases of coronavirus infections reported in Russia so far and 2,418 deaths. May 15: 3 things you need to know today 1. Russia confirmed 10,598 new coronavirus infections Friday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 262,843. Russia now has…

Moscow’s Golden-Pink Sunset Lifts the City’s Spirits

Moscow residents were treated to a magnificent sunset after Thursday evening’s springtime rain that could still be enjoyed from one’s window.  The golden-pink sky and rainbow brought a much-needed burst of color into our lives — no filter required. And while Muscovites are technically restricted from non-essential trips outside, some people just couldn’t resist the urge…

Atomenergomash has shipped a set of equipment to the UK

PJSC “ZiO-Podolsk” (owned by machine-building division of ROSATOM – JSC Atomenergomash) has manufactured and shipped the second lot of the equipment for Riverside Waste-to-Energy Plant in the UK. The delivery set includes one module of the third stage superheater and two modules of the fourth stage superheater. The total weight of equipment shipped is 100…

Oil Chief Asks Putin to Exempt Genetic Tech Funding From Taxes

The head of Russia’s state-run oil giant Rosneft on Thursday asked President Vladimir Putin for a tax exemption for investments into genetic technology. Rosneft has been tapped to work alongside the Russian government to pursue “accelerated development of Russian genetic technologies” through 2027. Putin, who has sought to transform Russia into a world leader in…

Russia’s Trash-Burning Plants Could Fuel Unrest, Greenpeace Warns

Russia’s ambitious plans to build 25 waste-burning power plants risk provoking social unrest over their environmental and financial costs, Greenpeace Russia warned Thursday. State industrial conglomerate Rostec, state nuclear agency Rosatom and the VEB state development corporation on Thursday announced a 600 billion ruble ($7.6 billion) project to build the 25 waste-to-energy plants in “Russia’s…

Project for natural gas processing and liquefaction complex near Ust-Luga moving forward

May 14, 2020, 17:45 Basic design solutions are agreed upon, and design documentation is being drawn up. Engineering surveys are completed at construction site; site clearing is in progress. Project financing is being arranged. The Gazprom Management Committee took note of the information about the status of the project for the creation of an integrated complex for natural gas processing and liquefaction in the Leningrad Region (the…

Key MH17 Suspect Detained in East Ukraine: BBC Russia

A key suspect in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was detained on unrelated charges in eastern Ukraine around the time the murder trial against the MH17 suspects started in the Netherlands this spring, BBC Russia reported Thursday. Former field commander Leonid Kharchenko, 47, is the only Ukrainian passport-holder among four suspects named by…

Tea-Loving Russians Become Coffee Drinkers: Research

Russia is no longer a tea country, according to industry experts who say coffee drinking overtook tea for the first time last year. Russians consumed 40,000 more metric tons of coffee than tea in 2019, according to data from the RusTeaCoffee association cited by the RBC news website Thursday.  They drank 180,000 tons of whole…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | May 14

As the new coronavirus that has killed more than 298,000 people worldwide continues to spread, Russia has stepped up its measures to slow the pandemic’s spread within its borders. There have been 252,245 cases of coronavirus infections reported in Russia so far and 2,305 deaths. May 14: 3 things you need to know today 1. Russia confirmed 9,974 new coronavirus infections…

NYT Defies Russia’s Call to Retract Report on Coronavirus Deaths

The New York Times stands by its reporting on Russia’s low coronavirus death figures and will not issue a retraction, the paper’s vice president for communications Danielle Rhoades Ha told Russian state media Wednesday. Russia’s Foreign Ministry had demanded that NYT and the Financial Times retract reports, based on Moscow’s own official mortality data showing…

Tamara Eidelman on Zuleikha

Are you are still puzzled by the continuing war of words about the novel “Zuleikha Opens Her Eyes” by Guzel Yakhina (translated into English as “Zuleikha” by Lisa C.Hayden) and the series based on the novel that aired a few weeks ago? Here is someone to help you understand both the historical facts and the…

Russia’s Coronavirus Cases Surpass 250K

The Kremlin this week eased a national lockdown to slow the spread of the virus, despite a steady rise in numbers that has brought Russia to second place in a global tally of infections, behind the United States. A majority of Russia’s new cases were registered in the capital, a government virus tally said, where…

Russian Medics Ask Where Putin’s Virus Bonuses Went

Maria, a 24-year-old doctor working outside Moscow, expected to be paid extra if one of her patients tested positive for the coronavirus. Instead, her salary shrank. In a small town 200 kilometers (120 miles) from the capital, she visits patients at home and normally has around three calls a day. But that number surged to…

Russia Touts ‘Promising’ Coronavirus Drug in Early Trials

Early clinical trials of an antiviral drug in Russia have given “promising” results in treating the new coronavirus, a joint venture announced Wednesday as Russia faced mounting Covid-19 cases. Of 40 coronavirus patients who took a favipiravir pill, 60% tested negative for Covid-19 within five days compared to 30% in the control group, according to…

Attend Online Talks on Architecture in Film

The architecture historian Airat Bagautdinov, one of the founders of the fascinating project Moscow From the Eyes of an Engineer, has joined forces with Moskino to produce a seeries of online lectures about architecture in film — specifically, what role architecture has playing in Western and Russian/Soviet films from the very begining to this day. …

Russia Mulls Raising Legal Drinking Age After Deaths Spike

Russia’s health minister on Wednesday said it was necessary to raise the legal age to buy alcohol to 21 after an increase in drink-related deaths during the coronavirus epidemic. “Unfortunately, the role of alcohol has begun to rise in the death count during this period,” Mikhail Murashko told parliament. Lawmakers should pass legislation that would…

Russia’s Oldest Coronavirus Patient Recovers

Russia’s oldest coronavirus patient, 100-year-old Pelageya Poyarkova, has fully recovered from the illness, the Federal Biomedical Agency (FMBA) said Wednesday. Poyarkova had been hospitalized for a routine procedure when the other patient in her room tested positive for coronavirus. She was transferred to the FMBA’s Center for Brain and Neurotechnology, a facility repurposed for coronavirus…

Have a Middle Eastern Feast

Who ordered the Korean set menu from Hyatt Regency Petrovsky Park last week? Raise your hands! Ours are up — we thought it was delicious, and it was also a party — a terrific break from cooking morning, noon and night or the usual delivery meals. So, this weekend — May 15-17 — we are…

Russians Slowly Emerge From Virus Quarantine, in Photos

Most of Russia has been under strict lockdown since March 30 in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. More than six weeks later, President Vladimir Putin has given regional leaders the authority to begin gradually easing lockdown restrictions in their regions starting May 12. Here’s a closer look at how Russians are…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | May 13

As the new coronavirus that has killed more than 292,000 people worldwide continues to spread, Russia has stepped up its measures to slow the pandemic’s spread within its borders. There have been 242,271 cases of coronavirus infections reported in Russia so far and 2,212 deaths. May 13: 3 things you need to know today 1. Russia confirmed 10,028 new coronavirus infections…

‘Putin-Purging’ Shaman Detained, Sent to Psychiatric Hospital

A Siberian shaman who has attempted several cross-country treks to “purge” President Vladimir Putin from office has been detained and sent to a psychiatric hospital a week after attempts to place him under observation for coronavirus, the MBKh News website reported Tuesday. “Around 20 anti-riot police stormed his house, cuffed him barefoot and bent over,…

Moscow Commuters Brave Epidemic to Return to Work

On an electric trolleybus ride into central Moscow, all the passengers and the driver are wearing masks and gloves under new rules as the city begins a gradual return to work. “It’s positive, because it’s a necessary measure,” says 25-year-old Tatiana Khan, who wears a surgical mask and a T-shirt bearing a “love” motif. The…

Telegram Ditches $1.7Bln Blockchain Launch

Russian entrepreneur Pavel Durov dropped plans to launch Telegram’s TON blockchain project Tuesday, attacking the U.S. justice system for killing off the initiative. The Telegram and Vkontakte founder had been developing the TON blockchain platform and Grams cryptocurrency for more than two years, successfully raising $1.7 billion from investors in an initial coin offering (ICO)…

On This Day in 1976 the Moscow Helsinki Group Was Founded

On this day in 1976, a group of Russian dissidents led by a Soviet physicist Yuri Orlov announced the foundation of the Moscow Helsinki Group. Forty four years later, it still exists, the oldest working human rights organization in Russia. Through all these years the group has been monitoring Russia’s implementation of the Helsinki Accords…