Russian Police Search Navalny’s Apartment, HQ – Aides

Russian law enforcement officers have searched Alexei Navalny’s Moscow apartment, his team’s headquarters and the apartments of his allies, the jailed opposition leader’s aides said Wednesday. The searches come ahead of a second round of nationwide unauthorized rallies calling for Navalny’s release planned for Jan. 31. Last Saturday, tens of thousands of Russians in over 120 towns…

Twitter, Facebook Block ‘Putin’s Chef’ Over Transphobic Comments

Twitter and Facebook have blocked the accounts of powerful Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, his Concord catering company said Wednesday. The accounts belonging to Prigozhin, who is known as “Putin’s chef” because of his close ties to the Russian president, were blocked “without explanation,” Concord’s press service wrote on VKontakte. The company said it believed Prigozhin’s…

Peat Fires Smolder in Siberia Despite Bone-Chilling Temperatures

Siberian peat fires have continued to burn after a year of record-setting wildfires in and around the Arctic Circle despite temperatures below minus 50 degrees Celsius, The Siberian Times reported Wednesday. Footage showing smoke rising from the snow in January and November offers physical evidence of the “zombie fire” phenomenon, which describes summertime blazes that…

Protester Kicked by Russian Police Re-Hospitalized

A protester kicked by police during a weekend rally in support of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny in St. Petersburg was hospitalized for a second time after her condition worsened, her lawyer said Wednesday. Margarita Yudina, a 54-year-old mother of three, was initially hospitalized Saturday evening after the rally before being released the next day. Her…

Anti-Putin Snowman Protest Leads to Russian Activist’s Detention

An activist in northern Russia has been detained for organizing a “mass rally” against President Vladimir Putin using snowmen she built, a fellow activist said Wednesday. A photo shared by Arkhangelsk activist Andrei Borovikov shows four snowmen holding up anti-Putin placards. One of them references the billion-dollar palace that jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny claimed belongs…

Putin Hails Extension of New START Treaty

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday the extension of a key nuclear pact was a positive development in reducing global tensions, as lawmakers unanimously voted to ratify the agreement to prolong New START in a rare moment of cooperation between Moscow and Washington. “No doubt it is a step in the right direction,” Putin said…

Russia’s FSB Says Protects ‘Putin’s Palace’ From NATO Intelligence

Russia’s security forces only established a no-fly zone around President Vladimir Putin’s alleged palace due to increased intelligence collection activity by NATO members, the security services told the RBC news website Wednesday. Jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s recent viral investigative video alleges that the high-security Black Sea estate enjoys presidential-level protection from the Federal Security Service…

ROSATOM Participated in Animal Release Action in Brazil

On January 22, 2021, a unique action aimed at maintaining biodiversity and improving the environmental culture in Brazil was carried out by ROSATOM and Instituto Vida Livre (Brazilian Non-Governmental Organization) under the Cooperation Agreement between these organizations. Rosatom Latin America took part in the release of rehabilitated animals as part of the sponsorship program for…

Moscow Lifts Restrictions as Coronavirus Cases Recede

Moscow has lifted work-from-home measures and restaurant curfews as coronavirus cases continued to recede over the past week, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced Wednesday. Since the fall, the Russian capital had required that employers transfer 30% of their staff to remote work and bars, restaurants, clubs and other nighttime establishments to close between 11 p.m. and…

G7 Foreign Ministers Condemn Navalny Arrest

The G7 group of nations Tuesday condemned the arrest of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, calling his detention “politically motivated” in a statement. The foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the U.S. said Navalny’s detention was “deplorable” and called for his “immediate and unconditional release.”  “Russia is bound by its…

Russia Suggests Middle East Peace Conference

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday backed a Palestinian proposal for a Middle East peace conference, saying at the UN that it could be held at ministerial level in spring or summer. Recalling that Moscow had backed Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas’ idea for international talks in early 2021 when he first proposed it in…

Gazprom and TMK discuss innovative pipe solutions for field development

January 26, 2021, 19:30 A working meeting took place between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, and Dmitry Pumpyansky, Chairman of the Board of Directors of TMK. The parties discussed the state and prospects of their cooperation. It was noted that over the course of 2020, amid the restrictions imposed to fight the spread of the coronavirus, pipes for Gazprom were produced and shipped…

Navalny’s Team Plans Weekend Protests Outside FSB

Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s aides called Tuesday for new anti-government rallies this weekend outside the Moscow headquarters of the FSB security agency and the offices of Vladimir Putin’s presidential administration. The 44-year-old opposition figure’s team posted an event on Facebook calling for his supporters in Moscow to gather at noon on Sunday at Lubyanka…

98 kilometers built within Power of Siberia gas pipeline’s section between Kovyktinskoye and Chayandinskoye fields

January 26, 2021, 17:00 Oleg Aksyutin, Deputy Chairman of the Management Committee – Head of Department at Gazprom, and Igor Kobzev, Governor of the Irkutsk Region, had an extended meeting in Irkutsk today. The meeting reviewed, among other things, the ongoing efforts for creating the Irkutsk gas production center. It was noted that the work to prepare the Kovyktinskoye field – the basis for the Irkutsk center –…

Real Life Meets Screen Life in Upcoming Russia-Based Thriller

HOLLYWOOD—If the last few months haven’t given you enough excitement in the U.S. and Russia, soon you can see them again on the big screen — only fictionalized with lots of action and a big dose of conspiracy. Unlike most moviemakers sidelined by the pandemic work stoppage, Russian actor-writer-producer Alexander Nevsky has been putting finishing touches…

Iran Approves Russia’s Sputnik V Vaccine

Iran has approved Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Tuesday, in a win for Moscow as it aims to bolster its geopolitical clout. Iran, which is fighting the Middle East’s deadliest outbreak, has said it will only rely on vaccines made by Russia, India or China, while also working to produce…

From Skepticism to Relief: Why I Got the Russian Vaccine

When I decided to take advantage of Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin’s widening of the list of professions eligible for the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine to include journalists, reactions from my Russian friends ranged from shock to concern. “You’re more of a patriot than I am,” said one. Despite Russia’s proven track record of scientific breakthrough…

Russian Ex-Deputy Prime Minister Prikhodko Dies at 64

Former Russian Deputy Prime Minister and First Deputy Chief of Staff Sergei Prikhodko has died aged 64 after a long illness, Russian media reported and the government confirmed Tuesday. Prikhodko had been a trusted foreign policy adviser to Russia’s leaders for more than two decades before he became embroiled in a scandal seen as evidence…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Jan. 26

Russia has confirmed 3,756,931 cases of coronavirus and 70,482 deaths. Jan. 26: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 18,241 new coronavirus cases and 564 deaths. The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) will supply Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine to Malaysia, the state-run TASS news agency reported Tuesday citing Russian ambassador to Malaysia Nail Latypov.  Mexico agreed…

Putin Seeks to Legally Ban Nazi-Soviet Comparisons

President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russia’s lower-house speaker to draft a legal ban on comparisons between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, according to a Kremlin statement published Saturday. Putin instructed State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin to draft by July 1 amendments to Russia’s law cementing Soviet victory over Nazi Germany that would “prohibit publicly…

Putin Seeks to Ban Nazi-Soviet Comparisons

President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russia’s lower-house speaker to draft a legal ban on comparisons between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, according to a Kremlin statement published Saturday. Putin instructed State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin to draft by July 1 amendments to Russia’s law cementing Soviet victory over Nazi Germany that would “prohibit publicly…

Biden Says ‘Mutual Self-Interest’ With Russia Key Despite Navalny Arrest

President Joe Biden said Monday he is “very concerned” by Moscow’s crackdown on opposition leader Alexei Navalny and other actions, but said the United States and Russia need to cooperate on nuclear arms control. Speaking after mass arrests of people demonstrating across Russia this weekend against President Vladimir Putin and the jailing of Navalny, Biden said he was “very…

Navalny Allies Announce Second Nationwide Protest Sunday

Nationwide protests in support of Alexei Navalny will continue next Sunday, the jailed opposition leader’s top aide Leonid Volkov said Monday. “On Jan. 31 at 12:00 p.m. All Russian cities. For Navalny’s freedom. For freedom for all. For justice. More details to come,” Volkov tweeted. Protests swept across more than 100 Russian cities on Saturday,…

Billion-Dollar Palace in Navalny Investigation ‘Doesn’t Belong to Me,’ Putin Says

President Vladimir Putin denied ownership of a $1.3 billion seaside palace in his first public reaction to jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s viral video investigation that helped spark nationwide protests. Navalny’s feature-length video, which alleges that Putin’s inner circle had funded the lavish property through an elaborate corruption scheme, has racked up 86 million views…

World Reacts to Navalny Protests

Western powers were quick to condemn Russia’s use of force during Saturday’s nationwide rallies in support of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, with European leaders calling for tighter sanctions on Moscow. While some leaders criticized what they called harsh tactics by Russian police, others backed economic measures to target Russian corporations and officials. Russian officials,…

Copycat IKEA Meatballs

In 1703, Tsar Peter I captured in the Swedish fortress of Nyen, which guarded access to the River Neva. It was one of the ambitious Russian tsar’s early successes in the Great Northern War (1702 – 1721) in which Russia ultimately smashed Swedish hegemony. On the banks of the Neva, Peter began construction of a…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Jan. 24

Russia has confirmed 3,719,400 cases of coronavirus and 69,462 deaths. Jan. 24: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 21,127 new coronavirus cases and 491 deaths. Hungary said on Friday it had reached a deal to buy large quantities of Russia’s Sputnik V virus vaccine, even though it has not been approved by the European Union. The…

Gazprom and Hungary expanding cooperation in gas sector

January 22, 2021, 19:10 A working meeting between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, and Peter Szijjarto, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, took place today via a video call. The parties discussed the state and prospects of their cooperation in the gas sector. Specifically, attention was paid to Russian gas supplies. In 2020, Hungary imported 8.6 billion cubic meters of gas.…

Russia Drops Children’s Hepatitis C Outbreak Case – Reports

A Far East Russian court has dismissed a criminal case against children’s hospital staff blamed for a mass hepatitis C outbreak, the Kommersant business daily reported Friday. Investigators alleged that 169 children had been infected through unsterile gloves and catheters at the pediatric hospital in the Amur region city of Blagoveshchensk between 2009-2018. Three doctors…

Alexei Navalny’s Turbulent Return to Russia

Russia’s top opposition leader Alexei Navalny has dominated the headlines this week following his defiant return to Russia from Germany. The anti-corruption campaigner arrived in Moscow on Sunday from Germany, where he had spent the last six months recovering from a Novichok poisoning. Upon his arrival, Navalny was swiftly detained and taken to a police…

Gazprom and LUKOIL discuss ongoing efforts to create joint venture

Background Gazprom and LUKOIL are bound by the 2014–2024 General Agreement on Strategic Partnership, pursuant to which, among other things, LUKOIL supplies gas into Gazprom’s gas transmission system. The Vaneyvisskoye and Layavozhskoye fields are located to the east of Naryan-Mar in the Nenets Autonomous Area. The two fields have the aggregate recoverable reserves of 27.4 million tons of liquid hydrocarbons and 225.3 billion…

Gazoprovod Soyuz Vostok company registered in Mongolia

January 22, 2021, 15:25 A special-purpose vehicle named Gazoprovod Soyuz Vostok was registered in Mongolia. The company was established with the purpose of performing design and survey works and conducting a feasibility study regarding the construction project for a gas trunkline to supply Russian gas across Mongolia to China. “With the Soyuz Vostok gas pipeline, Russia’s Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline will extend…