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A Russian soldier has been found dead in an Armenian city where Russia has a military base, Armenian investigators told the state-run TASS news agency Wednesday. The 23-year-old serviceman’s body was found with signs of violent death, TASS quoted Armenian investigators as saying. The unnamed soldier had been stationed at the Gyumri military base in…

Putin Seeks to Increase Arctic Gas Deliveries to China

Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller visited the Kremlin for talks with President Vladimir Putin just days after returning from high-level meetings in Beijing. Natural gas export was on the president’s agenda, including the building of infrastructure for deliveries to China. Putin told Miller that he wanted to see deliveries of natural gas from the Yamal Peninsula…

Espionage Probe not Aimed Against Russia, Says Bulgarian PM

A Bulgarian investigation into alleged espionage involving Russian non-governmental organizations is not intended to influence relations with Moscow, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said on Wednesday. Prosecutors charged the head of a Bulgarian non-governmental organization (NGO) on Tuesday with spying for Russia as part of a scheme they said aimed to draw Bulgaria away from its…

Serbs Ignore EU Warning Over Plan to Join Russian-Led Trade Bloc

BusinessBy admin September 11, 2019 Leave a comment

Serbia’s plan to join a Russian-led economic union is drawing fire from the European Union, which the Balkan nation says it wants to be part of. The EU’s executive commission has made clear that Serbia will have to cancel any bilateral trade agreements with other countries if and when it joins the EU, and leaders…

PhosAgro CEO Andrey Guryev Takes Part in the Opening of the 21st Mendeleev Congress on General and Applied Chemistry

St Petersburg – PhosAgro CEO Andrey Guryev took part in the opening ceremony of the 21st Mendeleev Congress on General and Applied Chemistry, which was held today at the St Petersburg Mining University. Taking place 9–13 September 2019 under the auspices of the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), the congress is one…

‘Silence Has Stopped Being a Spell of Protection’: Politics Dominate Russian GQ Awards

The GQ Russia Person of the Year awards — typically an ordinary star-studded affair — turned political Tuesday night when recipients took turns voicing their opinions on this summer’s high-profile news stories. Award winners praised the recent Russian-Ukrainian prisoner exchange and the release of Meduza investigative journalist Ivan Golunov amid near-unprecedented outcry over his arrest…

Russia Warns of ‘Pandora’s Box’ in Crimea Atrocities Court Clash

Russia warned Europe’s human rights tribunal it risks opening a “Pandora’s Box” of politically motivated cases if it accepts Ukraine’s claims that Moscow-led forces committed atrocities in the Crimea. The legal gambit by Russia’s Deputy Justice Minister Mikhail Galperin came as both sides faced off at the first public hearing at the European Court of Human…

St. Petersburg Re-Elects Governor Beglov After Controversial Campaign

Alexander Beglov has been confirmed the winner of Sunday’s gubernatorial vote in St. Petersburg following a controversial campaign. Russians voted in local and regional elections nationwide Sunday, including in gubernatorial elections in 16 regions. Critics said St. Petersburg’s gubernatorial race suffered from a lack of real competition against Beglov, a Kremlin ally who has been…

Rosneft Expands Range of Petrochemicals Sold at SPIMEX Exchange Trades

Rosneft Oil Company has expanded the range of petrochemical products sold at the exchange trades of the Saint Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange (SPIMEX).

Russia Calls Suggestion That Suspected CIA Mole Unmasked Election Meddling Slander

Russia on Wednesday condemned as lies and slander suggestions a suspected CIA mole in President Vladimir Putin’s administration had handed over information to the United States about alleged Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential elections. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov made the comment after U.S. media reports, confirmed to Reuters by two sources, said a CIA informant…

Russia’s Rosneft Rebuffs U.S. Sanctions Threat Over Venezuela Trading

Russian state oil major Rosneft said Tuesday that attempts to curb its business in Venezuela would be illegal and that the United States was using the threat of sanctions as a form of unfair competition. The U.S. could impose sanctions on Rosneft “at some point,” U.S. special envoy to Venezuela Elliott Abrams said Tuesday as…

Russia’s Net Public Debt Falls to Zero

Russian President Vladimir Putin has a bee in his bonnet about debt. Having lived through the 1998 crisis when Russia’s financial system was wiped out for the want of a few billion dollars to meet the government’s obligations, there has been a strong “never again” meme that has run through the Kremlin’s financial policy. Amongst…

Russia Ranks 3rd in Suicide Rates Globally, UN Says

Russia has the world’s third-highest suicide rate, the World Health Organization said Monday in a global study published ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day. Globally, nearly 800,000 people die by suicide every year — more than are killed by malaria or breast cancer, or by war or homicide, the WHO said. The UN public health…

Back in Ukraine, Sentsov Plans to Make More Films and Speak Up for Prisoners in Russia

Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov plans to start making films again and to champion the rights of prisoners in Russian jails, he said on Tuesday, days after being freed in a landmark prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia. Sentsov was the most high-profile prisoner to be swapped on Saturday among 35 Ukrainian detainees to return home…

Russian Officials React to Abrupt Exit of Trump Adviser Bolton

Russia is cautiously optimistic about the exit of U.S. national security adviser John Bolton, Russian media quoted the country’s officials as saying on Wednesday. U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly fired Bolton amid disagreements with his hardline aide over how to handle foreign policy challenges such as North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan and Russia. Dmitry Novikov, the…

Bulgarian Official Charged With Espionage for Russia

Bulgarian prosecutors charged the head of a non-governmental organisation (NGO) on Tuesday with spying for Russia as part of a scheme they said aimed to draw Bulgaria away from its Western allies and towards Moscow. Bulgaria, Moscow’s most loyal satellite in Soviet times, is now a member of NATO and the European Union but has close cultural…

Russia’s Ruling Party Sees Voter Support Drop in Crimea 5 Years After Annexation

BusinessBy admin September 10, 2019 Leave a comment

Voter support for Russia’s ruling party has fallen significantly in the major Crimean port city of Sevastopol since 2014, the RBC news website has reported, citing official data from regional and local elections held across the country Sunday. United Russia, which supports President Vladimir Putin, saw a decline in support in nearly every region compared…

Anton Kamenskikh wins International Welding Competition in Manual Arc Welding category

Release September 10, 2019, 18:00 With support from the International Institute of Welding, the 2019 Arc Cup International Welding Competition took place in Langfang, China. The competition involved more than 300 professionals from 10 countries. The Russian Federation was represented by a team of 19 welders who had won awards and prizes at industry competitions. Among the participants was Anton Kamenskikh from Gazprom Transgaz…

Automation May Push 20M Russians Into Unemployment, Study Says

More than 20 million Russians risk losing their jobs to automation over the next decade if they don’t develop new skills, according to new research. Economists estimate that robots will take over more than 20 million manufacturing jobs worldwide by 2030. Automation is expected to lead to major job losses despite bringing in increased productivity…

Russian Scholar Dies From Self-Immolation While Protesting to Save Native Language

An academic in central Russia died Tuesday after setting himself on fire over what has been reported as an act of protest over perceived government policy against his native language. Albert Razin, 79, was hospitalized in critical condition in the republic of Udmurtia after committing an act of self-immolation outside an administrative building in the…

Russia Almost Ready for Reciprocal Response After U.S. Missile Test

MoscowBy admin September 10, 2019 Leave a comment

To keep our newsroom in Moscow running, we need your support. With your help, we can continue with our mission to keep you informed with breaking news, business analysis, thought-provoking opinions, the best of culture and insights into everyday life.

Dziga Vertov’s ‘Anniversary of a Revolution’ Has its Second Moscow Premiere

On Sept. 6, 100 years after its first premiere, Dziga Vertov’s first film, “Anniversary of the Revolution,” had its second Moscow premiere at the Oktyabr Theater. The film had been thought to be lost, but film historian Nikolai Izvolov found it in pieces in the state film archives and painstakingly restored it and put it…

Russian Nuclear-Powered Cargo Ship Loaded With Seafood Approaches Norway

The world’s only remaining civilian nuclear-powered cargo ship, the Sevmorput, is sailing south into the Norwegian Sea en route to St. Petersburg with 204 refrigerated containers of frozen fish from the Pacific aimed for the market in European Russia. The ship will arrive in St. Petersburg by the end of this week after sailing south along…

Russia Looks to Crack Down on Vaping Amid U.S. Deaths

Russia’s Health Ministry has ordered a comprehensive study on the effects of electronic cigarettes in the wake of at least five deaths related to the use of the devices in the United States. The American Medical Association on Monday urged Americans to stop using e-cigarettes of any kind until scientists have a better understanding of…

Opposition Leader Navalny’s Offices Across Russia Searched After Election

Security officials have carried out searches in five of opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s regional offices across Russia, days after local elections where he urged supporters to vote strategically against Kremlin-aligned incumbents. The raids in the cities of Ufa, Samara, Perm, Chelyabinsk and Saransk took place less than a week after Navalny’s Moscow offices were raided.…

First Britten-Shostakovich Festival Orchestra Concert Held in Sochi

The first concert of the unique Russian-British Britten-Shostakovich Festival Orchestra has been held in the Sirius Park of arts and sciences in Sochi.

U.S. Spy Evacuated From Russia Was Possibly a Senior Kremlin Official’s Aide – Kommersant

A top U.S. spy who was reportedly evacuated from Russia could have been a senior Kremlin official’s aide who now lives in the Washington, D.C., area, the Kommersant business daily has reported. The United States had allegedly extracted one of its highest-level moles in the Russian government in 2017 over fears he could be caught,…

Protest Erupts in Far East Russia After Pro-Kremlin Candidate’s Victory

Hundreds of protesters gathered in Far East Russia overnight to demand a re-run of this Sunday’s local election won by a pro-Kremlin candidate and to call for the release of an anti-Putin shaman’s supporters, local media have reported. Igor Shutenkov won 52.25% of the votes in the republic of Buryatia’s administrative center of Ulan-Ude, beating…

Reading Comic Books Is ‘Pathetic,’ Says Russia’s Culture Minister

It’s “pathetic” for adults to read comic books, Russian Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky has said, sparking backlash among the country’s comic book fans. Mainstream comic book culture began to catch on in Russia earlier this decade after years of lingering Soviet-era stigma that placed “serious literature” on a pedestal at the expense of disdained mass…

Russia Declassifies WWII Docs Relating to Soviet-Nazi Pact

Russia’s Defense Ministry has declassified a trove of documents relating to a Soviet-Nazi nonaggression pact signed 80 years ago which historians say paved the way for the start of World War II. Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact pact on Aug. 23, 1939. A secret protocol that accompanied the non-aggression treaty divided…

Who Did Russia and Ukraine Swap During Their Prisoner Exchange?

MoscowBy admin September 9, 2019 Leave a comment

Russia and Ukraine on Saturday exchanged 35 prisoners each in a carefully negotiated swap that could signal a thaw in relations. The swap — which included high-profile figures like filmmaker Oleg Sentsov and potential MH17 witness Vladimir Tsemakh — was seen as a key step toward resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine that has claimed more…

On This Day Lev Tolstoy Was Born

Lev Tolstoy was born into a family of Russian nobility in Tula in 1828. The fourth of five children, Tolstoy’s mother died when he was two and his father when he was nine. He and his siblings were then raised by relatives. At 16, he enrolled in Kazan University and began studying law and languages.…

France Says EU and Russia Must Rebuild Trust But Too Early to End Sanctions

MoscowBy admin September 9, 2019 Leave a comment

France’s foreign minister said on Monday Europe and Russia should try to overcome their mutual distrust and work towards improving relations but that it was still too early to lift EU sanctions against Moscow. The European Union imposed the sanctions over Moscow’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula in 2014 and its support for pro-Russian armed…

Moscow Celebrates Its 872nd Birthday, in Photos

Each year, Muscovites celebrate the founding of Moscow in 1147 with a huge citywide bash during the first weekend of September. From free entry to museums to special performances and parades through the city center, there was no shortage of ways to wish the Russian capital a happy birthday. Here are a few of our…

Working meeting between Vladimir Putin and Alexey Miller

BusinessBy admin September 9, 2019 Leave a comment

Message to the Media September 9, 2019, 15:45 A working meeting took place today between Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, and Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee. Alexey Miller briefed Vladimir Putin on the Company’s preparations for the upcoming autumn/winter period. Particular attention was paid to the issues of gas supplies to foreign markets. Gazprom website Editorial Board Shorthand record…

Russia’s Elections: ‘Smart Voting’ Successes, Alleged Tampering and More

BusinessBy admin September 9, 2019 Leave a comment

Incumbent governors backed by President Vladimir Putin avoided runoff elections in 16 Russian regions Sunday, one year after Putin replaced at least 15 governors as a result of 2018 election setbacks. The governors’ races lacked the high stakes of Moscow’s legislative elections, where pro-Putin candidates lost one-third of the seats following a summer of the…

Summer Spartakiada Games conclude at Gazprom Transgaz Ukhta

News from projects and regions September 9, 2019, 15:00 Photos On September 4–7, Gazprom Transgaz Ukhta hosted the final round of its Summer Spartakiada Games. During three competition days, teams of employees representing 23 branches from the Komi Republic and the Arkhangelsk, Vologda and Yaroslavl Regions vied for the main prizes. The finalists competed in six disciplines – football, volleyball, swimming,…

Russian Emergency Services Make Final Check on Floating Nuclear Power Plant

The Akademik Lomonosov power barge on Sept. 6 passed the Sannikov Strait south of the New Siberian Islands and made it into the East Siberian Sea. The floating installation now has only about three days left of its extensive voyage across the Northern Sea Route. According to the Northern Sea Route administration, the installation and its…

Russia’s Massive Gold Stash Is Now Worth More Than $100Bln

BusinessBy admin September 9, 2019 Leave a comment

Russia’s long-running bet on gold is looking better every month. The country quadrupled gold reserves in the past decade as it diversified away from U.S. assets, a move that has paid off recently as haven demand sent prices to a six-year high. In the past year, the value of the nation’s gold jumped 42% to…

PhosAgro Opens Registration for Capital Markets Day, Which Will Be Held in London on 25 September 2019

Moscow – PhosAgro (MOEX/LSE ticker: PHOR), one of the world’s leading vertically integrated phosphate-based fertilizer producers, announces the opening of registration for the Company’s Capital Markets Day, which will be held in London on 25 September 2019. At the event, the Company’s Board of Directors and executive management team will present the Company’s new strategy…

Google, Facebook Rebuff Russia Over Political Advertising Accusation

Google said on Monday that it supported responsible political advertising that complies with local legislation, after Russia accused it of circulating such advertising during local elections at the weekend. The tech giant neither affirmed nor denied in a statement that it had disseminated any such advertising. The state communications watchdog said Google and Facebook had…

Russian Tennis Star Medvedev Completes Journey From Villain to Hero at US Open

Daniil Medvedev once reveled in his role as the villain of Flushing Meadows but on Sunday the Russian completed his transformation to unlikely hero after taking Rafael Nadal the distance in a pulsating U.S. Open final. Despite losing to the Spaniard in a five-set thriller, Medvedev’s performance suggests more Grand Slam finals are in his…

Russia’s Ruling Party Loses a Third of Moscow Election Races After Protests

anotherBy admin September 8, 2019 Leave a comment

Russia‘s ruling United Russia party, which backs President Vladimir Putin, has lost one-third of its seats in the Moscow parliament, near-complete data cited by Russian news agencies showed on Monday, in an awkward setback for the Kremlin. However, the party still retained its majority in the Moscow assembly following Sunday’s nationwide local elections, and its candidates for regional…

Russians Vote in Regional Elections After Biggest Protests in Years

Russians voted on Sunday in some of the most closely observed regional elections in years, after the exclusion of many opposition candidates triggered huge protests in the capital. The protests began in mid-July after the Central Election Commission refused to register large numbers of candidates, saying they had failed to collect enough signatures from genuine…

‘Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews’

MoscowBy admin September 7, 2019 Leave a comment

Award-winning journalist Sam Sokol is the author of “Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews,” a book covering the tragic fate of the Jewish communities in Ukraine since the 2013 Euromaidan revolution, the annexation of Crimea and war in the Donbass. As a reporter for the Jerusalem Post covering European diasporas, Sokol was ideally placed to…

Signaling Readiness for Thaw, Russia and Ukraine Swap Prisoners

anotherBy admin September 7, 2019 Leave a comment

Russia and Ukraine on Saturday swapped 35 prisoners each, including filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, 24 Ukrainian sailors and potential MH17 witness Vladimir Tsemakh, in a key step toward bringing an end to the war in eastern Ukraine that has claimed more than 13,000 lives since 2014. Laden with wide-ranging implications, the move underlines new Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s…

Gazprom Dobycha Orenburg holds 14th Warmth of Children’s Hearts Festival

BusinessBy admin September 6, 2019 Leave a comment

Background The key areas of activity of Gazprom Dobycha Orenburg are production, treatment, and transportation of hydrocarbons and a number of commercial products of partner companies. The main source of raw materials for the company is the Orenburgskoye oil, gas and condensate field that contains unique components including methane, ethane, propane, butanes, helium, mercaptans, etc. This is why the Orenburg Gas Processing and Helium Plants…

Russian Prison Tattoos Are a New Sign of Political Protest

Oleg Navalny, the brother of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, is now exhibiting the tattoo sketches that he made while serving a 3.5-year sentence in prison. His exhibition comes on the back of months of anti-government protests in Moscow and the arrests of activists that face up to 3 years in prison.

Russia Says Facebook, Google Must Ban Political Ads During Moscow Election

Russian state watchdog Roskomnadzor said on Friday it asked Facebook and Google to ban the publication of political advertising during elections on Sunday and on the preceding day, in line with Russian law. Russia will hold several regional elections on Sunday, including in Moscow. Non-compliance would be viewed as meddling in Russia’s sovereign affairs, the…

Russian National Guard Takes Over Siberian Schoolkids’ Education

Russia’s National Guard has taken over teaching duties at a fifth-grade class in the Siberian city of Irkutsk this week. Officer Alexei Volk, wearing a military uniform, assumed homeroom teaching duties over the class of 12 girls and 20 boys on the first day of school. “Primarily, we will instill patriotic upbringing and a positive…

Russian City Installs Memorial to North Korea’s Kim Jong Il

The city of Novosibirsk in Siberia has unveiled a memorial plaque Friday honoring Kim Jong Il, the father and predecessor of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Kim, who led the secretive state until his death in 2011, visited the Russian city on Aug. 11, 2001, after talks with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. A…

‘Potentially Dangerous’ Objects Found in Northern Russia After Accident

Potentially dangerous objects have been found in an area of northern Russia where an accident that released radiation occurred last month, Interfax news agency reported on Friday, citing regional authorities. A test at a military site on Aug. 8 caused a brief rise in radiation levels in the nearby city of Severodvinsk. Russia’s state weather…

Russian Billionaire Car Dealer Doesn’t Fear Extradition From Austria

Founder of the Rolf car dealership and former Russian lawmaker Sergei Petrov is confident he won’t be extradited from Austria, despite an international warrant for his arrest issued by Russia on Friday. Russia’s Investigative Committee accuses Petrov and managers of his company of smuggling 4 billion rubles ($60.5 million) out of the country to a…

New Arctic Partnership Announces Construction of 17 Icebreaking LNG Tankers

Russian natural gas company Novatek and maritime shipping company Sovcomflot have signed a deal that formally establishes a new joint venture during this week’s Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. The vessels will conform to Arc7 ice standards and will be built at the new Zvezda shipyard. They are to be delivered in the period 2023-2026. Sovcomflot said it…

Russia Secures Pens Holding ‘Spy Whales,’ Satellite Images Show

Two whale pens along Russia’s Barents Sea coast have been securely tied up months after a runaway beluga whale nicknamed ‘Whaledimir’ was first spotted by local fishermen in Norway, satellite imagery shows. In May, a series of Google Earth satellite images showed two locations on the Kola Peninsula within closed Russian naval territories where beluga whales…

New Russian Nuclear-Powered Sub to Be Delivered to Northern Fleet

Russia’s Knyaz Vladimir (K-549) submarine is expected to be delivered to the Northern Fleet this year, the pro-Kremlin Izvestia newspaper has reported, citing sources close to the Navy’s commander-in-chief. Knyaz Vladimir is the first of a series of upgraded submarines as part of the Navy’s Project 955A and will be based in the town of Gadzhiyevo on the Kola Peninsula. Originally, it was…

Moscow to Deploy Facial-Recognition Tech at Rallies

Authorities in Moscow have ordered 260 million rubles ($4 million) of facial-recognition technology for surveillance cameras to monitor protests and other mass gatherings, the Vedomosti business daily reported Friday. Moscow claims one of the world’s largest network of 160,000 surveillance cameras, some equipped with facial-recognition technology, with plans to boost the number to 200,000 this…

Masked Man Attempts to Taser Russian Election Chief Before Regional Vote

A masked robber has allegedly tried to tase the head of Russia’s Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova, during a burglary, police said Friday. The attack came two days before Russians vote in regional elections, including in Moscow. The vote in the Russian capital has triggered weeks of protests after Pamfilova and her colleagues refused to register a…

Court Frees Famous Russian Football Players Jailed for Attacks