Aframax Tanker Vladimir Monomakh Takes Its First Voyage
The Vladimir Monomakh, Russia’s first oil loading Aframax tanker built at the Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex, has sailed for its first voyage.
Russia Detains Poisoned Kremlin Critic Navalny on Return to Home Soil
Russian police detained prominent opposition leader Alexey Navalny Sunday on his arrival in Moscow from Germany, where he had been recovering from an attempted poisoning by the nerve agent Novichok. Navalny — who became a thorn in the Kremlin’s side through his campaigns against corruption and rigged elections in Russia — had been added to…
As it Happened: Navalny Returns to Russia
Chief Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny returned to Russia from Germany today 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. Follow the latest developments on the Navalny return…
Alexei Navalny: Russia’s Charismatic Anti-Putin Campaigner
A charismatic anti-corruption campaigner, Alexei Navalny has been Russia’s leading opposition politician for around a decade, determined to challenge Vladimir Putin’s grip on power despite frequent prison stays and harm to his health. The Yale-educated 44-year-old lawyer — who has said he will return to Russia from Germany on Sunday after treatment there for a…
Kremlin Foe Navalny Faces Arrest as Flies Back to Russia
Arch Kremlin foe Alexei Navalny returns to Russia from Germany on Sunday, facing imminent arrest after authorities warned they would detain him for violating a sentence over alleged fraud. The 44-year-old opposition leader is flying back to Moscow after spending several months in Germany recovering from a poisoning attack that he said was carried out…
Germany Says Answered Russia Call for Aid in Navalny Probe
Germany has transmitted to Russia transcripts of interviews with Alexei Navalny as part of its response to Moscow’s request for assistance in its investigation into the poisoning of the Kremlin critic, Berlin said Saturday. Navalny was evacuated to Berlin in late August for treatment after he fell violently ill on a flight from Siberia to…
Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Jan. 16
Russia has confirmed 3,544,623 cases of coronavirus and 65,058 deaths. Jan. 16: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 24,092 new coronavirus cases and 590 deaths. Russia’s Sputnik V and EpiVacCorona coronavirus vaccines are not available or in short supply in 42 of the country’s regions, a report from the Peterburgskaya Politica think tank suggests. Health care…
A Year After Shock Appointment, Russian Prime Minister Mishustin’s Star is Rising
When President Vladimir Putin named little-known former tax chief Mikhail Mishustin as his prime minister a year ago, he stunned the country. In replacing Dmitry Medvedev — a political heavyweight and former president, but one tarnished by allegations of serious corruption — Putin had chosen a man few in Russia or abroad had even heard…
Rosenergoatom: a share of nuclear power in the energy mix of Russia exceeded 20%
A share of nuclear power plants (branches of Rosenergoatom Concern, part of ROSATOM’s Electric Power Division) in the energy mix of Russia was 20.28% in 2020. In 2019, this indicator was 19.04%. In the National Grid of Russia (EES) their share has increased up to 20.58% against 19.3% in 2019 (exclusive of electricity generation by…
Russia Pulling ‘Military Instructors’ Out of Central African Republic
Russia told the United Nations this week it plans to withdraw the 300 “military instructors” it sent to the Central African Republic at the end of 2020 for the presidential election, diplomats told AFP Friday. “The Russians have informed the UN that they will withdraw the troops and helicopters” which had been deployed to the…
The Open Skies Treaty: NATO’s Eyes Over Russia
The Open Skies Treaty, which Russia says it is leaving after the U.S. quit last year, was agreed just after the Cold War to allow signatories to avoid nasty surprises by monitoring rival militaries. Moscow and Washington had long accused each other of breaching its terms, and President Donald Trump formally pulled the U.S. out last November.…
U.S. Will Lift Nord Stream 2 Sanctions if Europe Suspends Construction, Says Biden Advisor
The U.S. is willing to lift sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline if Europe suspends its construction, adviser to U.S. President-elect Joe Biden and incoming C.I.A. chief Nicholas Burns told the German newspaper Handelsblatt. “The Europeans must stop the construction of Nord Stream 2, and the Americans must suspend the sanctions. This will…
Russia Intends to Give Election Advice to U.S.
Russia’s top lawmaker said Thursday he is considering sending election advice to the United States following the storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump who dispute his loss. Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the lower house of parliament, was among numerous Russian politicians who called the U.S. electoral system “archaic” and…
Russia Says Leaving Open Skies Military Treaty
Russia’s foreign ministry said Friday it is leaving the Open Skies treaty, a post-Cold War defense accord that allows its signatories to carry out unarmed surveillance flights over each other’s territories. Citing “lack of progress” on maintaining the functioning of the treaty after the United States withdrew from it last year, the ministry said in…
To Jail or Not to Jail: Kremlin in Bind Over Navalny Return
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s defiant pledge to return to Moscow from Germany after surviving a poisoning attack puts the Kremlin in a major bind. President Vladimir Putin, observers say, is caught between a rock and a hard place: allow his most outspoken critic to freely return to Russia and risk looking weak, or hand Navalny a…
Russian Tycoon Prigozhin Offers Tombstone for Journalists Killed in Central Africa
Russian tycoon Yevgeny Prigozhin has offered to erect a tombstone for three Russian journalists who were killed in the Central African Republic while investigating a secretive mercenary group linked to him. Kirill Radchenko, Alexander Rastorguyev and Orkhan Dzhemal were shot and killed on July 30, 2018, while investigating the activities of the Wagner private military…
Zvezda Shipyard Commences Construction of the Third MR-Type Product Carrier Tanker
The Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex has commenced the construction of the third MR-type product carrier tanker fuelled with gas.
Nearly Half of Russian Regions Have Limited Access to Coronavirus Vaccine – Report
Russia’s Sputnik V and EpiVacCorona vaccinations for the coronavirus are not available or in short supply in 42 of the country’s regions, according to a report from the Peterburgskaya Politica think tank. The main barriers to the start of the mass vaccination in the regions are shortage of supplies, lack of coordination between regional authorities…
Kuibyshev Refinery Reduces Environmental Impact 2.5-Fold
The Kuibyshev refinery, an enterprise of Rosneft Oil Company refining complex, has attested the compliance of its Environmental Management System with the ISO 14001:2015 international standard.
Most Russians Still Mistrust Coronavirus Vaccine – Poll
Russians are still overwhelmingly unwilling to take the coronavirus vaccine as the national vaccination drive gains steam, the RBC news website reported Friday, citing poll results. The Superjob.ru job board’s survey taken this month showed 60% of Russian respondents opposing the vaccine compared with 40% favoring it, according to RBC. Opponents cited mistrust of the…
New START: Expiring Arms Accord Between Cold War Rivals
Russia and the United States have until Feb. 5 to prolong a key agreement to curb their nuclear arsenals, the last remaining arms reduction pact between the former Cold War rivals. Here are key details of the New START treaty, which expires a little over two weeks into U.S. President-elect Joe Biden’s first term. A legacy…
Russians Demand Housing for ‘Children of the Gulag’
Public figures and ordinary Russians have appealed to President Vladimir Putin to expedite housing promised to 1,500 elderly people whose parents were deported to the gulags under Stalin’s repressions. “They still can’t come back,” 107 prominent artists, academics and executives said in an open letter published in the Kommersant newspaper. Nearly 83,000 people signed a…
Moscow Could Be Back To Normal By May – Mayor
Life in the Russian capital could return to normal by May, as long as people get vaccinated, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Thursday. Sobyanin said “about 140,000 people” had been vaccinated in Moscow so far, in the first update since the end of last year on the vaccination drive in the capital. But the figures…
Russia’s Top Online Retailer Launches in Germany
Russia’s largest online retailer — Wildberries — has launched in Germany in the latest stage of its international expansion, the company said Thursday. Germany is Wildberries’ tenth country of operations and its first in western Europe. The firm will offer more than four million products to German shoppers and said it has a network of…
Russia Says Trump Ban a ‘Nuclear Blast in Cyber Space’
Russia on Thursday compared the decision of social media giants to suspend U.S. President Donald Trump’s accounts to a “nuclear blast in cyber space” with the consequences hard to predict. “The decision of U.S. internet platforms to block the head of state can be compared to a nuclear blast in cyber space,” Russian Foreign Ministry…
Russia Warns ‘Obliged’ to Detain Kremlin Critic Navalny on Return
Russia’s prison service said on Thursday it was “obliged” to detain Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny who has said he plans to return to Moscow from Germany on Sunday. Navalny has been in Germany since late August after he collapsed on a flight from Siberia to Moscow and was flown to Berlin by medical aircraft. Western…
First Snowstorm of 2021 Blankets Moscow in Real Russian Winter
A “Balkan cyclone” arrived in Moscow early Thursday, bringing the first heavy snowfall of the season and nearly paralyzing the city’s traffic. The flurries are expected to be replaced by temperatures as low as minus 25 degrees Celsius, bringing a quintessential Russian winter to the capital after the warm winters of recent years. Here is…
Russia Building Coastal Base for ‘Doomsday Nuke’ – Reports
Russia is building a coastal base for its unmanned underwater “doomsday nuke” to extend its lifespan, the Izvestia newspaper reported Thursday, citing specifications it said it had obtained. The Defense Ministry had indicated in 2020 that testing of the torpedo-shaped Poseidon drone was nearing completion but its launch was postponed to 2021. Russia was due…
Vaccinated Russians in Far East Promised Mask Exemption
Russians vaccinated against the coronavirus in the Sakhalin region of the Far East will be exempted from wearing face masks, its governor announced Thursday in contradiction to expert recommendations. Health officials urge vaccine recipients to continue wearing masks, maintaining social distance and steering clear of crowds until the shot builds up their immunity. “Everyone who gets…
Kiev Case vs. Moscow on Crimea ‘Partly Admissible’ – Europe Court
A complaint brought by Ukraine against Russia alleging human rights violations in the Crimean peninsula in 2014 is “partly admissible,” the European Court of Human Rights said on Thursday. Ukraine alleges a pattern of violations of the European Convention on Human Rights by Russia in Crimea, which Moscow seized from Ukraine in a move never…
Russia Says It Has Vaccinated 1.5M. Some Experts Think the Numbers Don’t Add Up.
The official Twitter account for Russia’s coronavirus vaccine announced on Jan.11 that “over 1.5 million people have already been vaccinated with Sputnik V as part of the mass scale vaccination in Russia.” As the country seeks to vaccinate more people and claim one of the top spots in the global vaccine race, the tally, which…
Amnesty Seeks Probe Into Civilian Deaths in Karabakh Conflict
Amnesty International said Thursday Azerbaijan and Armenia must immediately probe the use of “inaccurate and indiscriminate weapons” in heavily populated civilian areas during the recent fighting over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory. Azerbaijan and Armenia in November signed a Moscow-brokered peace deal ending six weeks of brutal war over the breakaway Karabakh region after Baku’s forces…
Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Jan. 14
Russia has confirmed 3,495,816 cases of coronavirus and 63,940 deaths. Jan. 14: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 24,763 new coronavirus cases and 570 deaths. Moscow has extended restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus until Jan. 21, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced Thursday. All Moscow schoolchildren will be able to return to in-person classes next Monday. …
Navalny Added to Russia’s Wanted List
Russia placed Alexei Navalny on its federal wanted list late last year, according to an official decree published on the Mash Telegram channel and confirmed by one of Navalny’s lawyers Wednesday. The news comes as the opposition leader prepares to return to Russia, despite numerous legal threats, after recovering in Germany from what Western scientists…
Moscow Mayor Orders Kids Back to School
All Moscow schoolchildren will return to in-person classes next Monday after coronavirus cases stabilized over the New Year holidays, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced Thursday. He said all other restrictions that were due to expire Friday — including self-isolation for those 65 and older and remote work for 30% of employees — have been extended for…
Putin Orders Mass Coronavirus Vaccination Next Week
President Vladimir Putin has on Wednesday ordered the mass vaccination of Russians against coronavirus amid reports of a slower-than-expected initial rollout. Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova, who is in charge of Russia’s Covid-19 response efforts, said the mass vaccination will begin on Monday. “We need to move from large-scale to mass vaccination,” Putin said at…
Power unit 1 of Belarus NPP started operation at 100% capacity
On January 12, at 19-57, the first power unit of Belarus NPP of the newest III+ generation with VVER-1200 reactor (general designer and general contractor – ROSATOM’s Engineering Division) was for the first time brought to rated power level. “Commencement of power ascension to 100% is the main event at the stage of trial operation…
Russia Probes Circus Over Monkey, Goats in Nazi Garb
Russian prosecutors have opened a probe into a state-run circus that featured a monkey in a Nazi uniform and two goats displaying swastikas during a Christmas performance. The prosecutor’s office for the Udmurtia region said in a statement it was checking after images emerged on social media of “animals dressed in blankets with Nazi symbols”…
In Photos: How Russians Celebrate the Winter Holidays
Independent journalism isn’t dead. You can help keep it alive. The Moscow Times’ team of journalists has been first with the big stories on the coronavirus crisis in Russia since day one. Our exclusives and on-the-ground reporting are being read and shared by many high-profile journalists. We wouldn’t be able to produce this crucial journalism…
Russian Ruble Is World’s Most Undervalued Currency on Big Mac Index
The Russian ruble is the world’s most undervalued currency, according to the Big Mac Index, compiled by British newspaper The Economist. Based on market exchange rates, the Russian currency should be worth three times more against the U.S. dollar — 24 rubles per $1, rather than the 73.8 the currency was trading at Wednesday. The…
Putin Aide-Turned-Critic Probed for U.S. Election Conspiracy Blog
A libertarian U.S. think tank is investigating a former aide-turned-critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin for a blog post containing conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and last week’s assault on the U.S. Capitol, Politico reported Tuesday. Cato Institute fellow Andrei Illarionov claimed in a Russian-language LiveJournal entry Friday that rioters who stormed the legislative…
SevKomNeftegaz Produces First Million Tonnes of Oil and Condensate
Specialists of SevKomNeftegaz, a joint venture between Rosneft Oil Company and Equinor ASA, have produced their first million tonnes of oil in the course of the full-scale development of the North-Komsomolskoye field.
Navalny Announces Return to Russia Despite Prison Threat
Opposition figure Alexei Navalny will fly back to Russia on Sunday despite the threat of imprisonment upon his return, the Kremlin critic announced on Wednesday. Navalny, 44, has been recovering in Germany following what western scientists determined to be poisoning by the Novichok nerve agent in August. He vowed to return to Russia after making…
Moscow Clinic Could Sidestep Red Tape to Bring Pfizer Vaccine to Russia
A private Moscow clinic is in “direct negotiations” to bring the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine to Russia before it receives official registration, a clinic representative told The Moscow Times on Tuesday, with first deliveries arriving as early as February. The Moscow branch of Israel’s Hadassah Clinic belongs to the Skolkovo medical network, which operates under a…
Russia Starts Mass Vaccinations in Cosmonaut Center
Russia’s cosmonaut training center said Tuesday it has begun vaccinating employees against the coronavirus ahead of future space missions. The press service of the Yuri Gagarin Training Centre told AFP that around 40 of its nearly 1,500 employees had received the first dose of Russia’s homemade coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V. Named after famous Soviet cosmonaut…
Russia Imprisons 3 Crimean Tatars for Extremism, Plotting to ‘Seize Power’
Russia has sentenced three Crimean Tatars to lengthy prison terms for plotting to seize power by force and for their membership in a banned Islamic group. Crimean Tatars, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority, have largely opposed Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Russia has prosecuted hundreds of Crimean Tatars on terrorism charges, drawing criticism…
Young Russians’ Extremism Sentences Reduced for ‘Plot to Overthrow Putin’
A Moscow court has reduced by three months the prison sentences of two activists jailed last year for plotting to overthrow President Vladimir Putin, news outlets reported Tuesday. Three young activists received real jail terms and four others were handed suspended sentences in August 2020 on accusations of plotting an uprising as part of an…
Taas-Yuryakh Neftegazodobycha Discovers Large Gas and Condensate Field in Yakutia
Taas-Yuryakh Neftegazodobycha, a production enterprise of Rosneft Oil Company, has discovered a new large gas and condensate field following an appraisal drilling on the Nizhnedzherbinsky license area.
Russia Seeks to Jail Navalny
Russia’s prison authority has asked to replace Alexei Navalny’s suspended sentence in the Yves Rocher case with a real prison term, the Kremlin critic said Tuesday, a signal that he could be imprisoned if he returns to Russia following his poisoning. Navalny, 44, is currently in rehabilitation in Germany following what European scientists called poisoning…
Siberian Shaman Seeks to Oust Putin in Horseback Crusade
A Siberian shaman whose attempts to trek to Moscow and expel President Vladimir Putin from power ended in his arrest has announced his latest cross-country crusade, this time on horseback. Authorities in Russia’s Far East republic of Sakha declared Alexander Gabyshev mentally ill and placed him in involuntary confinement for attempting to journey to Moscow…
Bashneft Plants Over 240,000 Conifer Seedlings in 2020
Bashneft (an enterprise of Rosneft Oil Company) planted over 240,000 conifer seedlings across the Republic of Bashkortostan in 2020.
Electricity and power from the ROSATOM’s Kochubeyevskaya Wind Farm have entered the wholesale market
In December 2020, ROSATOM commissioned the largest wind farm in Russia. Since January this year, the Kochubeyevskaya Wind Farm has been supplying electricity and power to the Wholesale Electricity and Power Market and has become the second completed project of NovaWind JSC (the Rosatom’s division responsible for wind energy projects), and the largest operating wind…
Russia Hands 4th Porn Charge to LGBT Activist Tsvetkova Over Vulva Drawings
Russian artist and LGBT activist Yulia Tsvetkova has been hit with pornography charges a fourth time over artwork aimed at ending stigmas around the female anatomy, the independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper reported Tuesday. Tsvetkova, 27, was first charged with distributing pornography online in June 2020 after sharing artwork of vulvas on the “Vagina Monologues” social…
Resignation of Yakutsk’s First Female Mayor Raises Questions About Russia’s Ruling Party
Sardana Avksentiyeva was never a typical Russian mayor. In her two-and-a-half-year stint running Yakutsk, a remote, Far Eastern city of 300,000, the 48-year-old political independent rose to national prominence as her populist style, savvy social media use and unorthodox policy positions marked her out from the often uncharismatic technocrats who govern most Russian cities. However,…
Russian Activists Announce End to 2-Year Landfill Protests
Russian eco-activists will end more than two years of protests against a controversial garbage dump that would have seen tons of waste shipped from Moscow to northern Russia after its construction was halted. Russians nationwide have protested against plans to ship Moscow’s trash to remote regions since fall 2018 over environmental concerns, with a massive…
A New Kind of Theater Beats the Coronavirus Blues
In 2020 the independent Pop-Up Theater celebrated its five-year anniversary. Its founder and stage director Semyon Alexandrovsky told The Moscow Times that it began when his wife and producer Anastasia Kim was pregnant. He decided to spend more time at home and turned down offers to perform on tour. In his free time, he and…
Telegram Downloads Soar as Trump Supporters Deplatformed
Encrypted messaging app Telegram has become the second-most downloaded app in the United States after President Donald Trump and his supporters were deplatformed in the wake of last week’s deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol, The Daily Telegraph reported Monday. Telegram’s downloads rose as Twitter and Facebook banned Trump while Google and Apple removed conservative…
Algeria, Palestine Greenlight Russia’s Coronavirus Vaccine
Algeria and the State of Palestine have approved Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund marketing the jab announced this week. Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) CEO Kirill Dmitriyev said that the countries are the first African and Middle Eastern nations to issue emergency-use authorization approvals. Dmitriyev said deliveries to Palestine,…
Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Jan. 12
Russia has confirmed 3,448,203 cases of coronavirus and 62,804 deaths. Jan. 12: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 22,934 new coronavirus cases and 531 deaths. Russia has extended its suspension of flights with Britain through Feb. 1 due to Britain’s surge in new infections linked to a new strain of Covid-19 believed to be more infectious.…
Strong Earthquake Hits Mongolia-Russia Border
A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck early Tuesday in northern Mongolia not far from the border with Russia, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said. The epicenter of the quake, which struck at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometers (six miles), was located 33 kilometers south-southwest of Turt, U.S. seismologists said. The epicenter appeared to be located…