Day: March 24, 2021
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Trudeau Says Putin Behind ‘Terrible Things,’ Skirts Killer Label
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday Vladimir Putin is responsible for “terrible things,” but wouldn’t go so far as U.S. President Joe Biden in calling the Russian leader a “killer.” Trudeau, unaccustomed to criticizing other world leaders in public, was questioned during an interview on SiriusXM radio’s The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge about Biden’s…
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Canada Sanctions 9 Russian Officials Over Navalny Jailing
Canada on Wednesday slapped new sanctions against nine Russian officials on Wednesday in response to “gross” rights violations and silencing of Kremlin critics including Alexey Navalny, who was poisoned and jailed. The measure follows similar actions taken earlier this month by the European Union and the United States. “The Russian government has repeatedly shown its…
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Kremlin Critic Navalny’s Health ‘Deteriorating’ in Prison, Aides Say
Alexei Navalny’s health is “deteriorating” in prison and his lawyers weren’t allowed access to him for their latest scheduled meeting, the jailed Kremlin critic’s aides said Wednesday, warning that his life may be in danger. Navalny, who was moved to a prison colony east of Moscow this month, started complaining of severe back pain and numbness…
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Socialite Sobchak Faces Blowback for Interview With Russian Serial Rapist
Russian socialite and television presenter Ksenia Sobchak is facing widespread criticism for interviewing a convicted serial rapist after he was released from prison earlier this month. Viktor Mokhov, 70, spent 17 years in a corrective labor colony after being convicted in 2005 of abducting and repeatedly raping two teenage girls. He held his victims captive in a…
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Russian Deputies Back Law to Prolong Putin’s Rule
Russian lawmakers on Wednesday approved legislation allowing President Vladimir Putin to hold office for two additional terms, paving the way for him to stay in power until 2036. Putin, already in power for more than 20 years, proposed the change as part of constitutional reforms that Russians overwhelmingly backed in a vote last year. They…
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Green Investments of Rosneft’s Samara Group of Enterprises Reach more than 4.5 Billion Roubles in 2020
Enterprises of Rosneft Oil Company’s Samara group–Samaraneftegaz, the Novokuibyshevsk, Syzran and Kuibyshev refineries, Novokuibyshevsk Petrochemical Company and Oil and Additives Plant–allocated over 4.5 billion roubles for environmental protection activities in 2020
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Chechnya Detains Kidnapped Gay Men’s Relatives – Rights Group
Chechen authorities have detained dozens of relatives of two gay men who were forcibly returned to the southern Russian region to face terrorism charges, a rights group told the independent Dozhd broadcaster Wednesday. The Moscow-based LGBT Network rights group said Salekh Magamadov, 20, and Ismail Isayev, 18, fled Chechnya last year but were arrested and returned…
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Telegram Raises $1Bln, With Russian Direct Investment Fund Buying Bonds
Telegram has sold more than $1 billion in bonds to international investors, founder Pavel Durov announced Tuesday — with Russia’s state-run Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) now among the firm’s backers. Durov, who founded Russia’s leading social network VKontakte before launching messaging app Telegram, said the investment will “enable Telegram to continue growing globally, while sticking…
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Trial Subjects For Russia’s Second Coronavirus Vaccine Urge Probe Into Effectiveness
Clinical trial volunteers for Russia’s second coronavirus vaccine have demanded the country’s Health Ministry launch an investigation to explore claims the jab does not produce an immune response. The group — which is currently taking part in Phase 3 studies for Russia’s EpiVacCorona shot, a peptide vaccine developed by the Vektor Institute in Novosibirsk —…
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Russia Probes Artistic Human Corpse Exhibition After Uproar
Russia will probe an artistic exhibition of preserved human corpses after the display sparked an uproar among conservative religious groups and public figures. German anatomist Gunter von Hagens’ traveling “Body Worlds” exhibition opened at Moscow’s VDNKh exhibition center on March 12. Its display of donated human bodies and organs aims to educate visitors “by looking inside…
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Americans More Pessimistic Than Russians on Improving Ties – Poll
Russians are on average more optimistic than Americans toward the prospect of warmer relations between the countries, though both remain largely pessimistic, a new poll by the independent Levada Center has said Wednesday. If only 10% of American respondents said they believe U.S.-Russian ties would improve in the next decade, 19% of Russian respondents held…
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Armenia Lifts Martial Law Months After Karabakh War
Armenia lifted martial law on Wednesday, five months after the end of its brutal war with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The decision to lift the order came as part of a deal between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the opposition to defuse a political crisis sparked by Armenia’s crushing defeat in the six-week conflict.…
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Gazprom adds over 480 billion cubic meters to its gas reserves through geological exploration in 2020
March 24, 2021, 11:05 Gas reserve addition rates have been surpassing production rates for 16 consecutive years. The Gazprom Board of Directors took note of the information about the ongoing work for resource base support, geological surveys, and geological exploration performed by the Company. It was highlighted that Gazprom, which has the largest reserves and output of natural gas in the world, is effectively expanding…
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Gazprom continuing to enhance corporate governance quality
March 24, 2021, 10:35 The Gazprom Board of Directors took note of the information about the current state of corporate governance, corporate ethics, and transparency of activities at Gazprom. It was highlighted that year after year the Company systematically enhances its corporate standards taking into account, inter alia, the opinions of the investment and expert community. As a result, the corporate governance system conforms to the listing…
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Debt for gas supplies reduced in most Russian regions in 2020
March 24, 2021, 10:25 Leaders in debt reduction include the Moscow, Ulyanovsk and Volgograd Regions, the Republic of Tatarstan, and the Astrakhan Region. Heat suppliers are increasing the level of their payments and reducing their debt. At the same time, debt remains a pressing issue in the development of the domestic gas market. The Gazprom Board of Directors took note of the information on improving the payment…
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Russia, After Confusion, Says Coronavirus Re-Vaccination Possible
Russian health officials said Tuesday that re-vaccination with any of Russia’s domestically produced coronavirus vaccines after receiving the country’s Sputnik V shot is possible, clarifying earlier remarks suggesting that antibodies could destroy future vaccine components. Natalia Pshenichnaya, senior epidemiologist at national consumer protection watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, said earlier in the day that the Sputnik V shot’s long-term…
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Gazprom reduces greenhouse gas emissions and saves 3.92 million tons of fuel equivalent on fuel and energy in 2020
March 24, 2021, 09:45 Greenhouse gas emissions reduced by 14 per cent against 2019. 3.27 billion cubic meters of natural gas and 305.9 million kWh of electricity saved. Gazprom and Gazprom Neft rank first among Russian oil and gas companies according to the international climate rating compiled by CDP. The Gazprom Board of Directors approved the Company’s ongoing efforts for environmental protection, energy efficiency enhancement,…