Author Archives: <a class="url fn n" href="https://cultureru.com/author/admin/" title="admin" rel="me">admin

A court in Moscow has ruled to fine and release protester Samariddin Radzhabov for throwing a plastic water bottle at police during anti-government rallies this summer, the Mediazona news website reported Tuesday. Minutes earlier, the Tverskoy District Court sentenced another protester Sergei Surovtsev, 30, to two and a half years in prison for pushing a…

How U.S. Sanctions Could Hit Russia’s Nord Stream Gas Project

U.S. President Donald Trump imposed sanctions last week on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline designed by Moscow to bypass Ukraine and increase gas supplies via the Baltic Sea to Germany, Russia‘s biggest energy customer. The United States wants to sell more of its gas to Europe and has said the pipeline would make the continent…

Russian Court Extends Detention of Ex-U.S. Marine for 3 Months

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…

Security Forces Kidnap Kremlin Critic, Force Him Into Army – Reports

BusinessBy admin December 24, 2019 Leave a comment

A Kremlin critic and prominent aide of opposition leader Alexei Navalny has reportedly been forcibly conscripted into the military in northern Russia almost 24 hours after he went missing. Ruslan Shaveddinov’s supporters raised the alarm Monday evening when he stopped answering phone calls and colleagues posted pictures of his apartment’s door — which appeared to…

Project finance documentation signed for Amur Gas Processing Plant

Release December 24, 2019, 15:20 Total amount borrowed: EUR 11.4 billion. Financing is provided by 22 banks from Europe, Asia, and Russia. Unprecedented deal in Gazprom’s history and one of Europe’s largest in last few years. Gazprom Pererabotka Blagoveshchensk and Gazprom completed the signing of project finance documentation for the construction of the Amur Gas Processing Plant (GPP). The total amount of debt financing is EUR 11.4 billion.…

Russian Journalist Fired After Asking Putin a Question at Presser

A Russian state journalist who asked President Vladimir Putin a question during his end-of-year press conference last week has been told to resign, the Znak.com news website reported Monday, sparking speculation about the causes for her dismissal. At the press conference on Thursday, Alisa Yarovskaya, a Yamal-Region television channel correspondent, had asked Putin to help…

Foreign Policy Experts Map Russia’s Plans for 2020

2019 has been a busy year for Russia abroad. For one, the country has continued to cultivate its ties with new partners — including the 43 African leaders who attended the first Russia-Africa forum in Sochi in October — while sparring with major powers like the U.S. (ending a historic Cold War arms treaty). While…

Russia Releases Japanese Fishing Boats Detained Near Disputed Islands

Russia on Tuesday released five Japanese fishing boats detained last week near Russian-controlled islands claimed by Japan, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said, adding that all crew members are in good health. The boats were fishing for octopus near the disputed islands when they were detained by Russian ships on Dec. 17. “The five…

Russia’s Internet Is Ready for Isolation, Officials Say After Partial Shutdown

Russia completed a series of tests on Monday checking that its internet services could function if the country were to get cut off from the worldwide web, Deputy Communications Minister Alexei Sokolov said. The tests, conducted over the course of several days on specially designated networks, follow Russia’s controversial “sovereign internet” law enacted last month,…

Russia Says Nord Stream 2 Will Be Ready in Matter of Months

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday that the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline would be completed in a matter of months and U.S. sanctions imposed on the project last week would not be “catastrophic”. Russia’s new gas transit deal with Ukraine would also mollify the impact on Russian gas supplies of U.S. sanctions…

Turkey, Russia Talk Syria as Thousands Flee Bombing

A Turkish delegation was in Russia on Monday for talks on Syria, following reports that Russian-backed attacks there were forcing tens of thousands more Syrians to flee towards Turkey. Turkey already hosts about 3.7 million Syrians — the world’s biggest refugee population. President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday it could not handle a new influx and…

New Russian Su-57 Stealth Fighter Crashes During Tests

MoscowBy admin December 23, 2019 Leave a comment

A Russian fifth-generation stealth fighter jet has crashed during tests in the country’s Far East, news agencies reported Tuesday. The incident occurred days before Russia’s Aerospace Forces were due to receive their first serial-produced Sukhoi Su-57 fighter jet. Its developer Sukhoi plans to deliver a total of 67 fifth-generation Su-57s to the Russian Aerospace Forces…

Russian Jews Сelebrate Hanukkah Across the Country

Putin Launches Direct Train Service to Crimea

President Vladimir Putin launched Russia’s first direct train to Crimea on Monday, opening railway service along a now-completed $4 billion bridge that links continental Russia to the annexed peninsula. Dozens of Western countries targeted Russia with economic sanctions over its annexation of the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 following an unrecognized referendum. The…

Russian Special Forces Show Fifth-Graders How to Beat Crowds

A special forces unit demonstrated its melee combat skills to elementary school students in central Russia last week, sparking outrage among parents, a local television station has reported. Prison service guards wearing helmets and bearing shields showed fifth-graders how to club an imaginary enemy at a school auditorium in the Chelyabinsk region town of Zlatoust,…

Kremlin Calls Moscow Shooting Incident ‘A Manifestation of Madness’

After a Turbulent Year in Russian Domestic Politics, What Does 2020 Hold in Store?

The year in domestic affairs came to a close just like the year before: with a surprise protest in Russia’s far north, hundreds of kilometers away from the country’s beating political heart of Moscow. In Kotlas, a town in the Arkhangelsk region with a population of 60,000, several thousand people came out at the beginning…

Rosneft Oil Company and Equinor Commence the First Stage of North-Komsomolskoye Field Development

Rosneft Oil Company and Equinor ASA, the shareholders of SevKomNeftegaz LLC, approved the decision to commence the first stage of full-field development of North-Komsomolskoye field.

Five Years After Meltdown, Ruble Is Reborn as Trade-War Refuge

Five years ago, Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina’s decision to let the ruble trade freely faced a gut-wrenching test. An oil-price collapse and international sanctions had put the currency into a nosedive that even a 650 basis-point rate hike couldn’t immediately halt. Fast-forward half a decade and the picture in Russian markets couldn’t look more…

Greece to Extradite Russian Cybercrime Suspect to France

BusinessBy admin December 23, 2019 Leave a comment

Greece will extradite a Russian man suspected of having laundered billions of dollars in the digital currency bitcoin to France, the justice minister decided on Friday, court officials said. Alexander Vinnik, the alleged mastermind of a $4 billion bitcoin laundering ring, is one of seven Russians arrested or indicted worldwide this year on U.S. cybercrime…

Moody’s Updates PhosAgro Credit Analysis

The agency noted, among other things, that PhosAgro’s Baa3 rating reflects the Company’s significant global market presence and focus on premium-priced value-added complex fertilizers; strong margins through the cycle, underpinned by its high-quality mining resources, self-sufficiency in key raw materials, and access to low-cost sulphur and natural gas; and balanced financial policy and public commitment…

U.S. Concerned as Libyan Conflict Turning Bloodier With Russian Mercenaries

The United States is “very concerned” about the intensification of the conflict in Libya, with a rising number of reported Russian mercenaries supporting Khalifa Haftar’s forces on the ground turning the conflict into a bloodier one, a senior State Department official said on Saturday. The United States continues to recognize the Government of National Accord (GNA)…

Russia, Ukraine Outline Terms for Five-Year Gas Transit Deal to End Row

Russia and Ukraine announced terms of a new gas transit deal on Saturday, under which Moscow will supply Europe for at least another five years via its former Soviet neighbor and pay a $2.9 billion settlement to Kiev to end a legal dispute. The deal is a major breakthrough for both countries, which have been seeking to resolve…

How Putin Got a New Best Friend Forever in Africa

Alpha Conde of Guinea had a favor to ask Vladimir Putin when the two presidents met at the inaugural Russia-Africa summit in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in October. “I would like, if possible, to spend most of our meeting in a one-in-one format because I have things to say to you that are…

Russian-Backed Forces Gain Ground in Rebel-Held Northwest Syria

BusinessBy admin December 21, 2019 Leave a comment

Russian-backed Syrian forces have gained ground after a week-long renewed assault against the last opposition enclave in Syria’s northwest, the biggest such push in more than three months that has prompted a large civilian exodus, witnesses and residents said on Sunday. The wide-scale offensive led by intense aerial strikes on civilian areas in rural southeastern…

Alexey Miller lays out details of Protocol on gas cooperation with Ukraine, effective January 1, 2020

December 21, 2019, 17:25 Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee: “In line with the Protocol on gas cooperation, Gazprom and Naftogaz will sign an agreement to settle their mutual claims under the existing contracts, thereby restoring the balance between the interests of the parties. According to the settlement agreement, no new claims shall be filed, the pending arbitration and legal claims shall…

Gazprom and Sinopec discuss potential avenues for cooperation

BusinessBy admin December 21, 2019 Leave a comment

Release December 21, 2019, 17:20 A working meeting between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, and Li Yong, Vice President of China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec Group), took place today in St. Petersburg. The parties discussed their potential areas of cooperation. Information Directorate, Gazprom Related news

In Russia, Church Bells Ring Out at Raves

MoscowBy admin December 21, 2019 Leave a comment

Philipp Gorbachev is one of the first Russian electronic artists who became popular in the West. At the age of 30 he was at the peak of success, making a good living off his music. But one day he realized it wasn’t enough. “I felt a need to live in a state of prayer,” he…

Russian Climate Activist Jailed After Greta Thunberg-Led Protest

A Moscow court on Friday slapped climate change activist Arshak Makichyan with a six-day sentence for participating in an unsanctioned picket in Moscow. Makichyan, 24, was reportedly detained in Moscow hours after returning from a trip to Madrid, Spain, where he spoke at the COP 25 UN Climate Change Conference together with climate activist Greta…

Russia Jails Man to 22 Years for Sapsan Train Bombing Plot

MoscowBy admin December 20, 2019 Leave a comment

A court in Russia has sentenced a Tajik man to 22 years in maximum-security prison for orchestrating an attempted bombing of a high-speed train between Moscow and St. Petersburg, Interfax reported Friday. The court found that Emom Burkhonov had played a role in derailing a Sapsan train in 2017 by placing a metal device on…

5 Best Events in Moscow’s ‘Journey to Christmas’ Fest

Every year the center of Moscow turns into an enchanted holiday village, with tunnels of light, forests of decorated pine trees, streetlights transformed into chandeliers, and streets cleared of cars and filled with people. Music and the scent of hot mulled wine and holiday treats waft through the air. This year the festival runs from…

Russia Recruits Syrian Kurds to Replace U.S.-Led Forces – VOA

Russia has opened recruitment centers for a new military force in northeastern Syria aimed at replacing U.S.-backed Kurdish groups that neighboring Turkey views as terrorists, the Voice of America broadcaster reported Thursday. Turkey and its Syrian rebel allies launched a cross-border offensive against the Kurdish militia after President Donald Trump pulled U.S. forces from the…

Erdogan Says Turkey Won’t Be Silent Over Russian-Backed Mercenaries in Libya

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Turkey will not stay silent over Russian-backed mercenaries supporting Khalifa Haftar in Libya, as Moscow voiced concerns over possible Turkish military deployment to Libya in support of Haftar’s enemies. Turkey has backed Libya’s internationally recognized government led by Fayez al-Serraj and the two sides signed a security agreement…

Russia Honors Two of Britain’s ‘Cambridge Five’ Spies

Russia on Friday honored two members of the British “Cambridge Five” spy ring who passed information to the Soviet Union with a memorial plaque and a tribute from the head of Russia’s foreign intelligence service. The plaque, unveiled on the day Russia celebrates the work of its security services, was dedicated to Guy Burgess and…

Russia’s FSB Swoops on Suspect’s Home After Deadly Moscow Shooting

Russia’s FSB security service on Friday searched the home of a man named by Russian media as the prime suspect in a rare shooting incident near the FSB’s central Moscow headquarters, neighbors said. A gunman opened fire on the FSB’s main building in Moscow on Thursday evening, killing at least one FSB employee and wounding…

Gazprom to Build the World’s Northernmost Petrochemical Plant in the Arctic

MoscowBy admin December 20, 2019 Leave a comment

Russian state energy company Gazprom is planning to construct a giant petrochemical plant in Bovanenkovo, the company’s hub on the Yamal Peninsula. It will be able to produce about 3 million tons of plastics products polyethylene and polypropylene per year, several sources in the company told Vedomosti business daily. If built, the plant will be the northernmost…

5 Ways to Celebrate the Holidays in St. Petersburg

Visit Palace Square On Dec. 22 Grandfather Frost makes his first stop on the holiday train in St. Petersburg, where he lights the enormous tree on Palace Square that is both the symbol and the heart of the holiday season. On New Year’s Eve, the square is filled with music, special events, a light show…

Russia Upholds U.S.-Israeli Woman’s 7.5-Year Airport Marijuana Sentence

A court in Moscow has upheld U.S.-Israeli tourist Naama Issachar’s seven-and-a-half year prison sentence on drugs charges Thursday in a case that has strained ties between Russia and Israel. Naama Issachar, 25, was found guilty of drug possession and smuggling last month. Moscow airport authorities had found 9.6 grams of cannabis in Issachar’s luggage during her…

Trump Official Slams New Anti-Russia Sanctions in Leaked Letter

Donald Trump’s administration has slammed a new package of tough anti-Russia sanctions advanced by U.S. lawmakers earlier this week, The Daily Beast reported Thursday, citing a leaked letter from a State Department official. The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved draft legislation Wednesday that would impose new sanctions against Russia’s banking, energy and ship-building sectors…

Does Putin Plan to Change the Constitution and Stay in Power?

MoscowBy admin December 20, 2019 Leave a comment

President Vladimir Putin said Thursday he was open to the possibility of altering Russia’s Constitution to limit the number of presidential terms anyone can serve. “Your humble servant served two terms consecutively, then left his post, but with the constitutional right to return to the post of president again, because these two terms were not…

Russian Ballet’s Use of Blackface Ignites Online Controversy

Prominent African-American ballet dancer Misty Copeland’s criticism of the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow for its use of blackface has prompted a heated online debate and a strong rebuke from the world of Russian ballet. Copeland, who in 2015 became the American Ballet Theater’s first black female principal ballerina, highlighted “the reality of the ballet world”…

Russia Plans ‘Sovereign Internet’ Tests to Combat External Threats

Russia will carry out tests on Monday on the reliability of its domestic internet infrastructure in the event that the country is disconnected from the worldwide web, the communications ministry said. The threat testing will take place in stages on Dec. 23 and will not affect regular internet users, the ministry said on Thursday. Russia enacted a…

Putin Dodges Question on Daughters’ Identity

Russian President Vladimir Putin sidestepped a question about the identities of his two daughters at his annual end-of-year news conference on Thursday. Named sources have told Reuters — but later retracted their statements — that one of Putin‘s adult daughters is Katerina Tikhonova, who runs publicly funded projects and takes part in competitive rock’n’roll dancing. Media have identified Putin‘s…

Russian Poachers Are Going After Musk, the ‘Gold of Siberia’

The Moscow FSB Shooting: What We Know So Far

A gunman opened fire at Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) headquarters in central Moscow on Thursday evening, killing one officer and wounding five others, including one civilian. An unverified video depicted officers exchanging gunfire and appearing to kill the alleged shooter behind a column. Other videos showed the FSB building being sprayed with gunfire and…

Son of Russian Spies Wins Case to Remain a Canadian Citizen

BusinessBy admin December 19, 2019 Leave a comment

The son of Russian spies who was born in Canada and was stripped of his citizenship after his parents were arrested for espionage in the United States is a Canadian national, the country’s top court ruled on Thursday. Canada’s Supreme Court unanimously upheld an earlier federal court ruling that said a 2014 administrative decision to strip…

The molten core catcher has been installed at Kursk-2 under construction

The molten core catcher or the so-called ‘melt trap’ has been installed at its design position under the reactor vault of the 2nd power block of Kursk NPP that is being constructed following the VVER-TOI project. ‘A molten core catcher is a unique development of the Russian nuclear power experts and one of the key…

Gunman Opens Fire in Central Moscow, Killing at Least 1 Near FSB Building

BusinessBy admin December 19, 2019 Leave a comment

At least one person has been killed in a shooting in downtown Moscow on Thursday evening, state media have reported. An unidentified gunman opened fire near the entrance of the Federal Security Services (FSB) building before being killed in a shootout, RIA cited an FSB spokesperson as saying. One FSB officer was killed at the…

ROSATOM’s first of a kind floating power unit connects to isolated electricity grid in Pevek, Russia’s Far East

19th December, 2019, Pevek, Russia – The floating power unit (FPU) Akademik Lomonosov has been connected to the grid, generating electricity for the first time in the isolated Chaun-Bilibino network in Pevek, Chukotka, Russia’s Far East. This happened after the Russian regulator Rostekhnadzor issued an operations permit, as well as permission to connect to the…

Putin’s End-of-Year Press Conference, in Photos

Russian President Vladimir Putin held his 15th annual end-of-year press conference at the World Trade Center in Moscow on Thursday. Almost 1,900 journalists, including reporters from the UK, Turkey, Ukraine and Estonia, were accredited to attend the event, meaning almost 2,000 questions had been prepared in advance. Of course, there wasn’t enough time for the…

Putin’s End-of-Year Press Conference, in Quotes

President Vladimir Putin held his annual end-of-year press conference on Thursday, answering questions from state media and independent journalists on an array of topics related to Russia’s domestic and foreign policy. Here are the highlights from the marathon presser that lasted four hours and 19 minutes: On constitutional term limits for the presidency: — “One…

World’s First Floating Nuclear Plant Goes Online in Russia – Rosatom

Russia’s People of the Year 2019

Citizen of the Year – Danila Beglets By Kirill Martynov Danila Beglets is a political prisoner in the so-called Moscow protest cases. However, unlike most politicians, Beglets is not fighting for power. He is not interested in elections and he is neither an activist nor famous. He is an ordinary person who was walking along…

Putin Open to Changing Constitution Amid Succession Question

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he was open to the possibility of altering Russia‘s constitution, including proposals to increase parliament’s power and to limit the number of presidential terms anyone can serve. The issue of constitutional change in Russia is watched closely amid speculation about Putin’s own political ambitions. In power as either president or prime…

Putin Calls Trump’s Impeachment Allegations ‘Dreamt Up’

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that U.S. Democrats had impeached President Donald Trump for “fabricated” reasons in order to reverse his 2016 election victory. Putin, speaking at his annual year-end news conference, said he expected Trump to survive the proceedings and stay in office. The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to…

Putin Says WADA’s 4-Year Doping Ban ‘Not Justified’

Jailed Russian Banker Warns Businesspeople of Same Fate in Newspaper Ad

A Russian banker awaiting trial on organized crime charges has taken out a full-page newspaper ad to give a New Year’s Eve warning to businesspeople that they too could face a similar fate. Alexander Popov’s message in the Vedomosti business daily Wednesday comes as Russian authorities consider limiting the use of organized-crime laws in corporate…

U.S. Senate Panel Advances Russia Sanctions Bill ‘From Hell’