Update set of measures regardig COVID-19

March 20, 2020 PAO Severstal, one of the world’s leading steel and steel-related mining companies, provides the following update set of measures in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. While Severstal’s operations are functioning as usual, the continued health and safety of all our employees is our absolute priority. Severstal is strictly following recommendations issued…

Russia Prepares for a Surge in Coronavirus Cases

As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…

Watch a Concert at Garage Museum

Garage Museum of Contemporary Art is launching a series of online events and activities today with an unusual concert. The St. Petersburg group Verevka Ensemble will give an online concert of microtonal improvisation. The 90-minute concert, which begins at 7 p.m. Moscow time, will be performed on acoustic guitars with bows. It’s part of the…

Russia Props Up Ruble, Oil Producers

Russia announced Thursday new measures to prop up the ruble and its oil producers, both of which have been suffering from sinking oil prices and the global panic over the coronavirus. “The government and the Central Bank will continue to take the necessary actions to ensure financial stability,” Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said. He announced…

Russia Confirms First Coronavirus Death

Russia has confirmed its coronavirus-related death, a 79-year-old woman with pre-existing health conditions, Moscow’s coronavirus response headquarters said Thursday. Russia has registered 147 cases of coronavirus but has reported no other deaths. The unnamed 79-year-old woman was first hospitalized last week and was later moved to an isolated room in an infectious diseases hospital after testing…

‘Putin’s Chef’ Wins $190K Catering Contract for Coronavirus Patients

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a catering magnate with close ties to President Vladimir Putin, has won a $190,000 contract to provide hospital food for Moscow’s coronavirus patients, according to information posted on the government’s online public procurement portal. The government portal says that AVK, a company owned by Prigozhin, will supply ready-made meals to the city hospital…

Take a Hermitage Tour

As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…

Remembering Writer Eduard Limonov

On March 17, writer and political activist Eduard Limonov died in Moscow of cancer at age 77. It was reported on the site of the political party, The Other Russia, that Limonov headed. Limonov was born Eduard Veniaminovich Savenko in 1943 in Dzerzhinsk. He began to write poetry in 1958 and took part in his…

Russia Deploying Coronavirus Disinformation to Sow Panic in West – EU Document

Russian media have deployed a “significant disinformation campaign” against the West to worsen the impact of the coronavirus, generate panic and sow distrust, according to a European Union document seen by Reuters. Pushing fake news online in English, Spanish, Italian, German and French, the Russian campaign uses contradictory, confusing and malicious reports to make it harder…

Vedomosti Owner Kudryavtsev Agrees on Sale Deal

The owners of Vedomosti, one of Russia’s largest newspapers, have agreed on a deal to sell the business daily, the publication has confirmed. Demyan Kudryavtsev and his partners Vladimir Voronov and Martin Pompadour will sell 100% of the assets in BNM, their joint-stock company that owns both Vedomosti and Russia’s Harvard Business Review magazine, Kudryavtsev…

Russia Employs AI and Video Surveillance Against Coronavirus Disruption

Russia has launched hi-tech systems that monitor social media for “fake news” on the coronavirus and spot empty supermarket shelves, while an app will provide free telemedicine consultations, officials said Tuesday. President Vladimir Putin toured a new coronavirus information centre in Moscow that is pulling together IT resources including surveillance cameras and artificial intelligence. Russia…

Coronavirus Roundup: Moscow

As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…

Zaryadye Concert Livestreams Today

As concert halls, museums, galleries, theaters, and movie theaters close their doors in Moscow until April 10 (or longer), a few are moving to online or virtual tour formats. Zaryadye Concert Hall is marking it’s first “day of silence” by not being silent at all. The hall will livestream “The Seasons” tonight at 7 p.m.…

Q&A: Russia’s Anti-Coronavirus Measures

As the coronavirus continues to sweep across the globe on an unprecedented scale, countries are closing their borders and putting once-vibrant towns and cities under near-total lockdown. Here’s a quick guide to the measures Russia has taken so far: Q: Can I still go to Russia? A: Starting March 18, all foreign nationals and stateless citizens…

Russian Priests, Cossacks Negotiated Ukraine’s Surrender During Crimean Annexation – Meduza

Priests from the Russian Orthodox Church and Cossacks followed Defense Ministry orders to negotiate the Ukrainian army’s surrender during Moscow’s annexation of Crimea, the independent Meduza news website has reported ahead of the sixth anniversary of the land grab.  On Feb. 27, 2014, masked troops in unmarked uniforms seized the Crimean parliament building, leading to…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | March 16

As the new coronavirus that has killed more than 5,000 people continues to spread around the world, Russia has stepped up measures to tackle the pandemic, including closing most entry points along its 4,200-kilometer border with China, ordering people returning from high-risk areas to self-quarantine and temporarily banning Chinese citizens from entering the country.  There…

Leaving Moscow For the Good Life

Moscow has traditionally been a magnet for the best and brightest. People move to Moscow for career advancement, better opportunities and high salaries. According to the Federal Service for State Statistics (Rosstat), at the end of 2019 the average salary in the capital was 89,129 rubles. But, of course, that is just the average, and many salaries are…

Dozens Detained at Russian Opposition Protest

Moscow police detained dozens of people at a protest against “political repressions” near the headquarters of the Russian security service, including a well-known human rights activist. The protest demanding to free political prisoners was called by supporters of men convicted this year on terrorism charges, many of whom said in court they had been tortured…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | March 14

As the new coronavirus that has killed more than 4,900 people continues to spread around the world, Russia has stepped up measures to tackle the pandemic, including closing most entry points along its 4,200-kilometer border with China, ordering people returning from high-risk areas to self-quarantine and temporarily banning Chinese citizens from entering the country.  There…