Russian-annexed Crimea has experienced the fastest economic growth in Russia in 2019 so far, the RBC news website reported on Monday. Crimea has received large cash injections from Moscow since 2014, when Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine. More than $13 billion in Russian funds will have been spent on the Crimean economy…
The Tinder dating app is now required to share its user data with Russian authorities, according to Russia’s Roskomsvoboda internet rights group. Legislation that came into force in 2016 requires social media companies to store user data on servers located in Russia and provide this data to the authorities on demand. Russia last year issued…
The Kremlin rebuffed criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump of Russian and Syrian government military action in Syria’s rebel-held Idlib province, saying on Monday it was needed to shut down rebel attacks being launched from there. Trump on Sunday urged Russian and Syrian government forces to stop bombing Idlib, following a Friday Kremlin statement that…
Russia will in the near future send 30 military personnel to the Central African Republic where they will form part of a United Nations mission to help stabilize the country, Interfax news agency quoted a Russian foreign ministry official as saying. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree in April on the despatch of the…
Leaked footage of Russian prisoners chanting criminal underworld slang during their Easter celebrations has sparked scandal in a prison system already under national scrutiny. Russia’s Federal Prison Service (FSIN) has been rocked by scandal in the past year as footage of guards violently beating inmates has leaked. Last fall, FSIN launched a probe into lax…
The Kremlin on Monday called an embezzlement case against prominent U.S. investor Michael Calvey regrettable and said it hoped he would be freed from house arrest and be able to attend an economic forum in St. Petersburg later this week. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the RT TV channel in an interview that Calvey was…
Russian airline Aeroflot has scaled back the number of Sukhoi Superjet 100 flights it operates after one of its planes made a crash-landing last month, killing 41 people, according to data provided by a flight tracking website. Flightradar24 data shows Aeroflot has also at times substituted Airbus or Boeing planes for the Superjet, the first…
What’s one way to make running fun? By adding lots of color (literally) to your race. Runners flocked to Moscow’s Luzhniki Olympic Complex on Sunday for the city’s seventh annual color run. During the 5-kilometer dash, runners doused themselves and each other with brightly colored powder as they flew by. Here’s a look at the…
Russian kindergarteners are being given tours of the controversial pens that hold 10 killer whales and 87 beluga whales in the country’s Far East, an animal rights activist said Monday. Images of the mammals kept in enclosures in a bay near the Sea of Japan port of Nakhodka first appeared after they were caught for…
At least two people were missing on Saturday after blasts at the explosives plant Kristall in the central Russian town of Dzerzhinsk, Interfax and RIA news agencies reported. “As we understand, two went missing,” deputy governor Dmitry Krasnov was quoted by RIA as saying in a statement broadcast by Russian state TV channel Rossia 24.…
For most Muslims in the world, the month of Ramadan requires abstaining from all food and drink for around 12 consecutive hours, between sunrise and sunset. But what about for those Muslims who live in Russia’s northern city of St. Petersburg, where the sun dips below the horizon at 10:00 pm and already rises at…
Katja Petrowskaja has us mesmerized from the first page of her book, “Maybe Esther.” We have no hesitation leaping on the Berlin – Warsaw train with her on a voyage of discovery across Eastern Europe, back in time, and into the very concept of memory. Much of “Maybe Esther’s” immediate appeal is the ease with…
Dmitry Markov is a Russian photographer who has been capturing images of everyday life in his home country since 2005. He has also worked as a volunteer in an orphanage and as an assistant tutor at a charitable organization that works with people with disabilities. Today, Markov is based in Pskov, a western Russian city…
Out with the old, in with the new. Airports in dozens of Russian cities will now bear the names of their famous residents after President Vladimir Putin issued a decree on the name change Friday. Here’s a look at some of the newly minted names of some of Russia’s most popular airports. Hopefully, this will help…
Four out of 10 Russians believe their country is going in the wrong direction, a poll by the independent Levada Center polling agency said. Approval for Russia’s direction peaked at 61 percent in 2008 – the tail end of the economic boom – and at 60 percent shortly after the Crimean annexation in 2014. It…
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday he hopes that European Union sanctions on Russia will remain in place until Ukrainian territories are returned, according to a statement released on the presidential website. The West imposed sanctions on Russia following Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and support for separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine. “Thank…
This medieval church residence is a window into the distant past and an island of peace in a bustling metropolis. May 31, 2019 – 15:03 According to legend, Krutitskoe Podvorye was founded in 1261, when the Muscovy lands were under the rule of the Golden Horde. Initially, the residence was a monastery. It then became…
The Kremlin said on Friday it was Turkey’s responsibility to stop rebels in Syria’s Idlib province from firing on civilian and Russian targets, signaling it would continue to back a Syrian government offensive there despite Ankara’s protests. The month-long offensive, the biggest escalation of the war between President Bashar al-Assad and his enemies since last summer,…
The Kosovo government said on Friday that a Russian national working for the UN mission would not be allowed back into the country after his expulsion. It said the UN staffer, Mikhail Krasnoshchenkov, had been declared persona non grata. The UN mission, UNMIK, said on Thursday the Russian had sustained injuries when he was arrested during a…
PJSC PhosAgro (Moscow Exchange, LSE: PHOR) (“PhosAgro”, the “Company”), one of the world’s leading vertically integrated phosphate-based fertilizer producers, hereby informs / notifies its shareholders that the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders is to be held on 24 June 2019, Form of the Extraordinary General Meeting: absentee voting. One can inform himself about the data…
Public trust in President Vladimir Putin has more than doubled hours after the Kremlin asked sociologists to explain why his trust and approval ratings differ. A state-funded survey published May 24 said that trust in Putin slipped to a 13-year low of 31.7 percent. The Kremlin on Thursday asked the VTsIOM pollster to explain how…
Russia has launched a powerful European-made communications satellite for the state energy giant Gazprom from Kazakhstan. Gazprom’s space subsidiary, Gazprom Space Systems, runs Yamal satellites to broadcast to customers in Russia, western and central Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. France’s Thales Alenia Space company manufactures the satellites for Gazprom. The Yamal-601 satellite launched…
An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts said the operator of Russia’s Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant has strengthened operational safety in response to the findings of an IAEA review in 2017. The team also encouraged the operator to pursue continuous improvement. The Operational Safety Review Team (OSART) concluded a five-day follow-up mission on…
An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts said the operator of Russia’s Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant has strengthened operational safety in response to the findings of an IAEA review in 2017. The team also encouraged the operator to pursue continuous improvement. The Operational Safety Review Team (OSART) concluded a five-day follow-up mission on…
The U.S. Department of Defense will ban space launch and satellite cooperation with Russia in 2023, the Pentagon said, drawing ire from Russia’s space agency. The U.S. has been trying to cut reliance on Russian-made rocket engines, eyeing 2022 as the latest deadline, amid strained relations. Last year, Russia’s top defense and space industry official…
Russia has deleted gay sex and drug scenes from the Russian-language version of a newly released Elton John biopic, the Dozhd TV news channel reported Friday. “Rocketman” premiers throughout Russia on June 6, but viewers in Moscow were treated to a prescreening on Thursday. A racy 40-second scene featuring two nude actors playing John and…
Russia has rejected an Iranian request to buy S-400 missile defense systems, concerned that the sale would stoke more tension in the Middle East, according to two people with knowledge of the matter, including a senior Russian official. The request was rebuffed by President Vladimir Putin, the people said on condition of anonymity because they’re…
In 2013, Moscow suddenly became a major festival hub. Every year there seem to be more festivals in more places — from rooftops to riverboats — with foreign and local musicians performing music of all kinds, from mellow jazz to good ole rock ‘n roll. If you live in Moscow, this might be a good…
Moscow – PhosAgro (Moscow Exchange, LSE: PHOR), one of the world’s leading vertically integrated phosphate-based fertilizer producers, has been informed by its shareholders Igor Antoshin and Vladimir Litvinenko about a 1.64% change in their stakes in the Company’s authorised capital. According to the information provided by the shareholders the share ownership of Mr. Antoshin reduced to 4.51%,…
The Yandex.Taxi ride-hailing service is in talks to add helicopters to its fleet of vehicles in Moscow, Russia’s Kommersant business daily reported Thursday. Several companies offer air taxi services in the Russian capital, one of which offers hour-long helicopter rides for the ruble equivalent of $708. Yandex.Taxi is in four-way discussions with Moscow City Hall,…
Russian border guards have detained two individuals who allegedly tried to make it illegally across the border to Norway. The two people, both of them citizens of Iraq, were detained as they were making an attempt to cross into the neighboring country. Neither of the detainees had needed travel documents and both were caught in…
Russian sociologists should explain President Vladimir Putin’s record-low trust levels amid his growing approval ratings, the Kremlin said on Thursday. A recent state-funded survey said that public trust in Putin has dropped to its lowest level since 2006. The same survey showed Putin’s approval rating grow from 61 percent in January to 65 percent this…
Ryazan Oil Refining Company (a part of Rosneft Group) has started production of RON-95-K5 Euro 6 high-octane gasoline with improved environmental and performance characteristics. Sales of the improved-quality gasoline began at Rosneft fuel filling stations in the Ryazan region. In the nearest future, residents of the Tula and Kaluga regions will also be able to…
Protesters rallying against plans to build a landfill in northern Russia for Moscow’s waste have said they expect the authorities to tear down their camp amid the latest escalations this week, Russian media reported. Residents of Arkhangelsk region have for months demonstrated against the controversial $162 million landfill designed to take in Moscow’s garbage. Moscow…
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that Russia was only operating on its own territory after Japan accused Moscow of a military buildup on a chain of islands in the Pacific, the state-run RIA news agency reported. Russia has held the islands — known as the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils…
More Russians drank alcohol so far this year than they did in 2018, a survey by the state-funded VTsIOM agency has said. Sixty-seven percent of respondents said they had consumed alcohol between several times a week and less than once a month in 2019, the pollster said Thursday. Last year’s results said 57 percent of…
Russia’s ambassador to the United States on Thursday said a U.S. allegation that Moscow may be conducting banned nuclear tests was a calculated attempt to undermine nuclear arms control, Russian state television reported. The head of the U.S.’s Defense Intelligence Agency said on Wednesday that Russia may be conducting low-level nuclear testing that flouts the…
Riot police responded “appropriately” when its officers were filmed using force against young fans at a Moscow hip-hop festival earlier this month, the Russian National Guard said. At least 20 people were detained and charged during the Hip-Hop Mayday festival at Luzhniki Stadium on May 1. Authorities had reportedly said the violence erupted due to…
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill that allows Russians living with HIV and other diseases to legally adopt children in their care. The changes were anticipated as part of Russia’s broader state strategy to combat the epidemic that has led to the deaths of 318,000 Russians in three decades. Russia’s 2016 strategy to…
Last week, the annual Side by Side (Bok o Bok in Russian) LGBT International Film Festival was held in Moscow. Amid screenings of films, gatherings within the community and providing a safe space for the LGBT community, the presence of anti-LGBT protestors and bomb threats tainted an otherwise peaceful event in the capital. “The first festival…
Last week, the annual Side by Side (Bok o Bok in Russian) LGBT International Film Festival was held in Moscow. Amid screenings of films, gatherings within the community and providing a safe space for the LGBT community, the presence of anti-LGBT protestors and bomb threats tainted an otherwise peaceful event in the capital. “The first festival…
Despite an unrelenting downpour and cool temperatures, St. Petersburg marked its 316th birthday last weekend with plenty of pomp and splendor, as befitting the Venice of the North. Celebrations kicked off on Saturday with an ice cream festival and retro transport parade consisting of more than 200 buses, trams and trucks from private collections, museums…
Rising tensions between the Balkan countries of Serbia and Kosovo are the result of the European Union and NATO “appeasing” Kosovo, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday. The Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday accused Kosovo of provocation after its police detained more than two dozen people, including one Russian national, during an armed raid…
Now that the final episode of HBO’s hit series “Game of Thrones” has aired, a spectre may be haunting Westeros: The spectre of communism. Unsatisfied with the fate of the show’s heroes and villains, a branch of the Communists of Russia Party has penned an open letter to HBO and the show’s producers demanding a…
The United States believes Russia may be conducting low-level nuclear tests, a U.S. intelligence official on Wednesday, while the head of a body monitoring a global nuclear treaty said there was no sign of such violations by Moscow. Negotiated in the 1990s, the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) enjoys wide global support but must be ratified…
The United States believes Russia may be conducting low-level nuclear testing in violation of a moratorium on such tests, the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency said on Wednesday. “The United States believes that Russia probably is not adhering to its nuclear testing moratorium in a manner consistent with the ‘zero-yield’ standard,” Lieutenant General Robert P. Ashley said at…
Russians’ incomes will fall for a sixth consecutive year in 2019, experts from Moscow’s Higher School of Economics (HSE) and Russia’s Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA) said. Russia’s Economic Development Ministry has projected real incomes to reverse the five-year slump and grow by 1 percent in 2019, based on a methodology…
Moscow – The Board of Directors of PhosAgro PJSC (“the Company”; Moscow Exchange, LSE ticker: PHOR) approved the leadership and composition of its committees at a meeting held on 24 May. The Strategy Committee and Risk Management Committee will be chaired by Independent Director Sven Ombudstvedt. Independent Director Marcus Rhodes was once again elected Chairman…
Less than half of Russians would vote for President Vladimir Putin in a new presidential election, according to a closed state-run survey obtained by the RBC news website. Putin won reelection with nearly 77 percent of the vote in March 2018, extending his presidency for another six-year term. If the elections were held this Sunday,…
A news website in Russia’s fourth-largest city of Yekaterinburg has been ordered to remove videos of protests against plans to build a church due to “extremist” comments. Mass protests against a controversial plan to build a new cathedral in a popular riverside park gained national attention this month as protesters clashed with vigilantes and riot…
Russia summoned Spain’s ambassador to Moscow on Tuesday after acting Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell referred to the country as an “old enemy,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. Borrell told Spanish newspaper El Periodico last week: “Russia, our old enemy, is once again saying, ‘here I am,’ and has returned as a threat,…
Major automakers are accusing courts in southern Russia of using consumer protection claims to scam them out of 200 million rubles ($3 million) in 2016-2018, the RBC news website reported Tuesday. Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes and Jaguar Land Rover filed a complaint with Russian authorities alleging that Krasnodar judges abuse the consumer protection system to seek…
Think of road bike racing and your mind turns to French Alps and Italian lakes rather than onion domes and birch forests. But the Gran Fondo Russia event, now in its fourth year, is establishing cycling in the country as a sport for both elite athletes and enthusiastic amateurs. The format was born in 1970…
May 29, 2019 PAO Severstal announces that the Company’s organizational structure has been reconfigured to support its updated strategy and ensure it consistently delivers an excellent customer experience. Based on agile business principles, all of the Company’s production and “selling” divisions now fall under two streams – upstream and downstream, for which common business goals…
Listen to audio For Gazprom’s Press Conferences audio broadcast please dial: +7 495 719-35-77 (Russian) +7 495 719-30-00 (English) Materials May 28, 2019, 02:30 pm (Moscow time) [embedded content] Participants: Vitaly Markelov, Deputy Chairman of the Management Committee, Gazprom; Elena Burmistrova, Deputy Chairman of the Management Committee, Gazprom; Director General, Gazprom Export; Sergey Menshikov, Member of the Management Committee, Head of Department, Gazprom; Vyacheslav Mikhalenko, Member…
Russians said they spent less on food, travel, clothes and other goods and services in 2019 than last year, a survey by Russia’s Romir researcher said Tuesday. Among those who said they had to cut spending, 24 percent said they saved on food, 29 percent on travel and 23 percent on clothes. Another 13 percent…
A controversial high school celebration in which students dressed in revealing outfits has divided Russian society over questions of morality and freedom of expression. Police issued fines and a headmistress submitted her resignation in the Far East city of Vladivostok after video of the would-be graduates celebrating the last days of school in leather shorts,…
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Kosovo released a Russian national working for the United Nations on Tuesday, the United Nations mission in Kosovo said, after Moscow demanded that Pristina release him. The Russian was detained in a Serb-populated municipality in Kosovo’s north during a police operation there. The UN mission said the Russian and another UN staff member who was…
Russia has requested an official explanation from China over a reported new policy in which Russian citizens’ phones are randomly seized and searched by Chinese border guards. The Russian Consulate General in Guangzhou issued an advisory last week, warning that border guards at China’s Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport had begun to randomly select Russian travellers to…