In Call, EU Chief Urges Putin to Release Navalny

European Council chief Charles Michel demanded the “immediate release” of Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny in a call with President Vladimir Putin on Friday. The EU had already condemned an attempt to assassinate Navalny and his arrest on his return to Russia after treatment, but Michel has now expressed “grave concerns” directly to Putin. And Michel told…

3 Dead in Russian Mine Blast

Three people were killed Friday in a gas explosion at a mine in the Russian region of Siberia, prosecutors said. “During operations, there was a sudden release of gas, which resulted in three people being buried under rubble,” the Kemerovo region prosecutor’s office said. They said in a statement said that 44 people were working…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Jan. 22

Russia has confirmed 3,677,352 cases of coronavirus and 68,412 deaths. Jan. 22: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 21,513 new coronavirus cases and 580 deaths. The UAE’s Health Ministry has given emergency authorization to Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, the shot’s developers confirmed Thursday. The UAE is the first Middle East nation to use Russia’s jab…

Albania Expels Russian Diplomat Over Covid Breaches

Albania’s foreign ministry said Thursday it had expelled a Russian diplomat over repeated failures to respect coronavirus infection control measures that “cannot be tolerated.” Declared “persona non grata,” the man named as Alexey Krivosheev “is required to leave the country within 72 hours,” Tirana said in a statement. Officials from the ministry had repeatedly asked…

Russia Seeks to Squeeze Out U.S.-Funded Media – NYT

Russia plans to squeeze Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty out of the country with steep fines in an escalating conflict between the Kremlin and the United States, which funds the news organization, the New York Times reported Thursday. Russia’s media regulator reportedly signaled its intention to issue 130 notices of violations against RFE/RL for failing to…

Biden Proposes New START Extension, Navalny Investigation

New U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday proposed a five-year extension with Russia of New START, the last remaining nuclear reduction treaty between the powers, but vowed to pressure Moscow on other fronts. The treaty, which has limited the United States and Russia to 1,550 nuclear warheads each, expires on February 5 after negotiations stagnated…

Navalny Allies Detained Ahead of Nationwide Protests

Russian authorities rounded up leading opposition activists and key Alexei Navalny allies Thursday evening, ahead of nationwide protests the Kremlin critic’s operation is organizing for Saturday. Activist Lyubov Sobol — who became the face of Moscow’s Summer 2019 protests in Moscow after she was blocked from running for city council — was detained for inciting…

NASA Eyes Reducing Russia Presence – Reports

NASA is considering reducing its presence in Russia under new U.S. President Joe Biden, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported Thursday. In addition to its liaison office in the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, NASA reportedly has around 90 employees and Russian service staff in Russia’s space agency Roscosmos and other spaceflight offices around Moscow.…

Germany Offers Russia Support in Sputnik Vaccine Development – Merkel

Germany has offered Russia support in Moscow’s development of its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday. Russian authorities said Wednesday they have applied for registration of Sputnik V in the European Union. “Beyond all the political differences that are currently large, we can nevertheless work together in a pandemic, in a humanitarian area,” Merkel…

Russia Cuts Funding for Domestic Violence Initiatives – Reports

Russia has drastically cut funding for anti-domestic violence initiatives following years of dwindling financing in favor of non-government organizations that promote conservative values, the Open Media investigative outlet reported Thursday. The outlet found that all but one out of an estimated dozen domestic violence crisis centers and legal aid organizations were rejected in 2021 as…

Moscow Announces ‘Significant’ Easing of Virus Restrictions

The mayor of Russia’s capital Moscow on Thursday announced a “significant” easing of coronavirus restrictions citing the success of the vaccination campaign. Starting Friday, Moscow will reopen its museums and libraries, while theaters and cinemas will be allowed to accommodate more visitors, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. He said colleges, sports schools and children’s clubs will resume…

A Glimpse at ‘Putin’s Palace,’ 10 Years Ago

An extravagant Black Sea mansion alleged to belong to President Vladimir Putin got renewed attention this week after a viral investigation by opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The Praskoveyevka estate in southern Russia cost 100 billion rubles ($1.35 billion) to construct and is 39 times the size of Monaco, Navalny said in the video released after…

Young Russians Flood TikTok With Navalny Protest Cries

Young Russians have flooded TikTok with calls to rally in support of opposition leader Alexei Navalny this weekend, prompting the state censor to urge the popular short-video app’s administrators to take them down. Navalny called for nationwide street protests this Saturday after his arrest and a viral investigative video into an opulent $1.35 billion Black…

Severstal reports Q4 & FY2020 operatioal results

January 21, 2021 PAO Severstal (MOEX: CHMF; LSE: SVST), one of the world’s leading vertically integrated steel and steel-related mining companies, today announces its operational results for Q4 and FY2020.PAO Severstal (MOEX: CHMF; LSE: SVST), one of the world’s leading vertically integrated steel and steel-related mining companies, today announces its operational results for Q4 and…

Russia Bans ‘Death Note,’ ‘Inuyashiki,’ ‘Tokyo Ghoul’ Animes

A Russian court has banned several popular animes including “Death Note,” “Tokyo Ghoul” and “Inuyashiki” Wednesday over claims that Russian teens reenact violent scenes depicted in the cartoons. State prosecutors had also asked the court in St. Petersburg to ban “Naruto,” “Elfen Lied” and “Interspecies Reviewers” in December. “Every episode contains cruelty, murder, violence,” said the…

Russia Files for Sputnik Vaccine Registration in EU

Russian authorities have applied for registration of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in the European Union, the country’s sovereign wealth fund financing the jab said Wednesday. A spokesperson for the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said the application with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) was lodged on Tuesday. “It is an important milestone,” he added.…

Chechnya Kills Militant Tied to IS, Deadly Moscow Attacks

Chechnya’s strongman leader Ramzan Kadyrov said Wednesday that police had killed Aslan Byutukayev, alleged leader of the Islamic State group in the volatile republic and mastermind of deadly attacks in Moscow. Byutukayev, also known as Amir Khamzat, was designated in 2016 as a “global terrorist” by the U.S. State Department, which said he had become…

Russia Says Better Ties With U.S. Up to Biden

The Kremlin said Wednesday that any improvement in Moscow’s tense relationship with Washington would depend on Joe Biden when he enters the White House. The United States recently blamed Kremlin-backed hackers for a massive cyberattack that breached government institutions, adding to a long list of grievances plaguing ties between the former Cold War rivals. “Russia…

Kremlin Calls Navalny’s Viral Putin Palace Report ‘Nonsense’

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s viral video investigation into President Vladimir Putin’s alleged palace is “a bunch of nonsense,” the Kremlin said Wednesday. Navalny released an extensive exposé into a lavish $1.35 billion Black Sea estate Tuesday after Russian authorities jailed him upon his return from Germany, where he was hospitalized for what Western scientists…

Russia Sees Lowest Foreign Investment Since 1994

Russia received its lowest level of foreign investment last year since the mid-1990s, data released by the Central Bank on Tuesday showed. Net inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) came in at just $1.4 billion in 2020, as the economic fallout from the pandemic, travel restrictions and a slump in global energy prices heaped pressure…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Jan. 20

Russia has confirmed 3,633,952 cases of coronavirus and 67,220 deaths. Jan. 20: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 21,152 new coronavirus cases and 597 deaths. The Russian Direct Investment Fund has applied for authorization of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine in the European Union, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported Wednesday. The European Medicines Agency (EMA)…

Biden State Pick Calls For Extending New START With Russia

Antony Blinken, President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee for secretary of state, said Tuesday the incoming administration would seek to extend New START, the last U.S. arms pact with Russia, which expires February 5. “I think we’re going to seek an extension,” Blinken said in response to a question at his Senate confirmation hearing. “I know we…

Kremlin Dismisses Calls to Free Navalny, Warns Against Protests

The Kremlin on Tuesday dismissed Western demands to release Russia’s most prominent opposition leader Alexei Navalny, saying his calls for mass protests over his arrest were “troubling”. Legal pressure is ramping up against President Vladimir Putin’s best-known domestic critic, who is due in court on defamation charges on Wednesday, as his allies in Russia call…

Putin Takes Icy Dip in Orthodox Christian Ritual

Russian President Vladimir Putin took a dip in freezing water on Tuesday to mark the Orthodox Christian feast of the Epiphany.  Video shared by Kremlin pool reporters from the state-run RIA Novosti news agency showed Putin wading into the water in blue swimming trunks and dunking three times while crossing himself before hastily exiting the…

Could Navalny’s Detention Derail His Movement?

The arrest and detention for thirty days of prominent opposition activist Alexei Navalny is threatening to upend Russian politics in an already fraught year that will include parliamentary elections in September.  Since rising to prominence for his anti-Kremlin activism, Navalny — who was poisoned by the nerve agent Novichok in August last year and had…

Russia Launches Mass Coronavirus Vaccination Campaign

Russia launched a mass coronavirus vaccination campaign on Monday in a bid to end its outbreak without reimposing a new nationwide lockdown. Residents of the far eastern city of Vladivostok queued to receive the country’s homemade Sputnik V jab early Monday after President Vladimir Putin last week tasked officials with making it available to the country’s…

Russia Jails Math Grad Student for Attack on Ruling Party

Russian math graduate student and self-described anarchist Azat Miftakhov was sentenced to six years in prison Monday after almost two years in detention on hooliganism charges his supporters say are politically motivated. Miftakhov, 27, was initially detained in February 2019 on accusations of bomb-making, but was later held for breaking the office window of Russia’s…

Russia Expels Two Dutch Diplomats in Tit-for-Tat Move

Moscow said Monday it was expelling two Dutch diplomats from the country in response to a “provocative” decision by the Netherlands in December to remove two Russian embassy staff over spying allegations. Moscow summoned Dutch charge d’affaires Joost Reintjes, the foreign ministry said in a statement, telling him that two Dutch diplomats had two weeks…

Chaos as Poisoned Opposition Figure Navalny Comes Home

Chief Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny returned to Russia from Germany Sunday and was immediately detained. The 44-year-old opposition leader flew back to Moscow after spending several months in Germany recovering from a poisoning attack that he said was carried out on the orders of President Vladimir Putin. Amid heavy police presence, hundreds of his supporters…