Kadyrov Laughs Off Reports of Serious Illness

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov insisted he was in good health on Wednesday amid growing rumors he has been suffering from serious kidney problems and even the aftereffects of a poisoning attempt. “I am healthy and full of energy,” Kadyrov said in a Telegram post, adding that he was “sorry to upset” anyone hoping he was…

Putin Eyes Rapprochement Between Syria and Turkey at Assad Meeting

Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad for talks on Wednesday as the Kremlin sought to mend ties between Damascus and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The meeting follows the surprise announcement last week of a Chinese-brokered re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Middle Eastern rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran. Ties between Erdogan and Assad…

Russia Races to Salvage U.S. Drone Wreckage in Black Sea

Moscow said Wednesday it would try to retrieve the wreckage of a U.S. military drone that crashed over the Black Sea in a confrontation Washington blamed on two Russian fighter jets. Russia also warned that it would react “proportionately” to any future US “provocations” as tensions simmered and Moscow denied its Su-27 military aircraft had…

Wagner Boss Defends Russians’ Right to Criticize Military Top Brass

The outspoken founder of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said on Wednesday that he thought Russians should be free to criticize the country’s top military commanders after lawmakers introduced tougher penalties for anyone deemed to have discredited those fighting on Russia’s side in Ukraine. On Tuesday, the Russian parliament’s lower house approved legislation introducing long…

ROSATOM and Algerian Atomic Energy Commission discussed nuclear energy solutions in a jointly organized workshop in Algeria

March 13, 2023 – Algeria (Algeria) – ROSATOM and the Algerian Atomic Energy Commission (COMENA) jointly organized a workshop on nuclear energy solutions for key stakeholders and companies in the Algerian energy market. This is the first event organized by the two parties taking place at the COMENA headquarters. Abdelhamid Mellah, COMENA commissioner, and Boris…

Putin Calls to Step Up Fight Against Destabilization

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday called on prosecutors to increase pressure on “attempts to destabilize” Russia’s domestic situation amid the Ukraine offensive. Moscow has heightened its crackdown on critical voices since sending troops to Ukraine last year, introducing new legislation to silence dissent.  “I ask you to react harshly to attempts to destabilize the socio-political…

Russia Moves to End Tax Deal With ‘Unfriendly’ Countries

Russia moved Wednesday to suspend double tax agreements with “unfriendly” countries in response to sanctions imposed on Moscow over the Ukraine conflict. Double tax treaties prevent people or companies who receive income abroad also being taxed by their home countries. Russia’s foreign and finance ministries said they had proposed that President Vladimir Putin “issue a decree…

Russia Turns to Foreign IT Workers After Wartime Brain Drain

Russia is simplifying its bureaucratic requirements for foreign IT workers to live and work in the country, authorities announced Wednesday, in a reflection of how the country’s tech sector has been hit by the wartime exodus of Russian software engineers. “The employment and residence permit acquisition procedures have been simplified for foreign citizens who are IT…

Russia Seeks to Lure Foreign IT Workers After Wartime Brain Drain

Russia is simplifying its bureaucratic requirements for foreign IT workers to live and work in the country, authorities announced Wednesday, in a reflection of how the country’s tech sector has been hit by the wartime exodus of Russian software engineers. “The employment and residence permit acquisition procedures have been simplified for foreign citizens who are IT…

Prominent Soviet Dissident Sergei Grigoryants Dies Aged 82

Sergei Grigoryants, a leading dissident in the Soviet Union and a Russian human rights activist, has died at the age of 82, his family said Tuesday. “My father passed away today,” Grigoryants’ daughter Anna Grigoryants wrote on Facebook without specifying the cause of his death. “Eternal memory.” Grigoryants, an Armenian-Ukrainian national who was born in Kyiv…

Russia’s Oil Revenue Sinks as Sanctions Bite – IEA

Russia’s oil-export revenue sank by almost half in February compared to last year as Western powers tightened sanctions on the country, the International Energy Agency said on Wednesday. The country earned $11.6 billion from its oil exports last month after the European Union imposed a ban on Russian petroleum products alongside a price cap agreed…