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December 30, 2020 The construction of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline ushered in a new stage in the development of the entire Amur Region. Here, a new industry – a gas industry – is being built essentially from scratch. The Amur Gas Processing Plant (GPP) is one of the key facilities that are under construction near the town of Svobodny. Just like a magnet, this ambitious project has drawn enormous resources to the region,…

The marine vessel with equipment for Kudankulam NPP sailed to India

On December 29, 2020 the marine vessel COMBI DOCK I with equipment for Kudankulam NPP (the twenty-second and twenty-third batches of equipment) sailed to India. This shipment of unprecedented volume – 9503 m3 – includes the equipment indented for Kudankulam NPP Units 3 and 4. Long manufacture cycle equipment for Unit 3 includes load and…

AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC receives up to 300 mln USD loan from Sovcombank

AKKUYU NUСLEAR JSC, a subsidiary of ROSATOM, has received a loan of up to $300 million for a period of 7 years from Sovcombank PJSC to finance the Akkuyu NPP construction project in Turkey. The loan opens a new chapter in the relationship between the parties. Ilia Rebrov, Deputy Director General for Economy and Finance…

ROSATOM and Framatome Sign Instrumentation and Control Design Support Contract for Hanhikivi-1 NPP (Finland)

30 December 2020 – Framatome GmbH and Rusatom Automated Control Systems JSC (RASU JSC), a subsidiary of ROSATOM, signed a contract to provide technical support in design and integration of instrumentation and control (I&C) system for the Hanhikivi-1 Nuclear Power Plant in Finland. Under the terms of the contract, Framatome will provide consulting support…

New Online Restrictions and Sobering-Up Stations: Putin Signs Slew of New Laws

President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday has signed a number of bills into law ahead of the New Year holiday, ranging from new restrictions on protests and online information to the return of Soviet-era “sobering-up stations.” Here’s an overview of all the latest legislation: Restrictions on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook Russia’s federal media watchdog now has the…

Innovative technologies reduce the installation time for the foundation pit retaining structures at the Rooppur NPP (Bangladesh)

Engineering Division specialists have applied the Russian Sheet-Pile Walls (abbreviated as RShS in Russian) technology in constructing foundation pit retaining structures for water intake structures and for the feed pump station at the Rooppur NPP construction site (Bangadesh). Russian Sheet-Pile Walls are a construction kit featuring a ready-made range of standard solutions based on sheet…

1,725-Seat School Constructed in Nizhnevartovsk with Support from Rosneft

Nizhnevartovsk has opened a modern school for 1,725 pupils built as part of the National Education Project with the support of Rosneft Oil Company.

Bashneft Increases Volume of Associated Petroleum Gas Utilisation

Up to 750,000 cubic metres of associated petroleum gas per year will be brought into the production cycle from the Metelinskoye oil field in Duvansky District of the Republic of Bashkortostan.

Saratov Refinery Starts Producing Diesel with New Russian-Manufactured Additive

Saratov Refinery, an enterprise of Rosneft Oil Company’s refining complex, started producing Euro-5 diesel with the new additive manufactured in Russia.

Outspoken Moscow Theologian Defrocked by Orthodox Church

The Russian Orthodox Church has defrocked one of the country’s most prominent theologians after he was found to have slandered a fellow priest who died from Covid-19. Protodeacon Andrei Kuraev, a well-known radio and television personality whose views on homosexuality, blasphemy and Russia’s Orthodox hierarchy have made him one of the country’s best-known religious figures,…

Outspoken Moscow Priest Defrocked by Orthodox Church

The Russian Orthodox Church has defrocked one of the country’s most prominent priests after he was found to have slandered a fellow priest who died from Covid-19. Protodeacon Andrei Kuraev, a well-known radio and television personality whose views on homosexuality, blasphemy and Russia’s Orthodox hierarchy have made him one of the country’s best-known priests, had…

Moscow Expands List of UK Officials Banned From Russia

Moscow on Wednesday expanded a list of UK officials banned from entering Russia in a tit-for-tat response to British sanctions imposed over the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that in response to “unconstructive and unfriendly” UK penalties it had “decided to expand the number of British citizens who…

Putin Signs Controversial ‘Foreign Agent’ Law Expansion

MoscowBy admin December 30, 2020 Leave a comment

President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a bill allowing any politically active, foreign-funded individual or organization to be labeled a “foreign agent.” The new law significantly widens the scope of who can be recognized as a foreign agent in Russia and has been criticized as an effort to stamp out critical voices. The foreign…

5 Old Russian Games: Party Like It’s 1897!

Since this year most museums, fairs, and theaters are closed and few families can travel, it’s the perfect chance to go back in time and celebrate the holidays the way Russian families did before electricity, and then before radio, television, the internet and modern gadgets. When you and your family get bored with online movies…

Russia Opens ‘Fraud’ Probe Against Navalny

Russian investigators Tuesday opened a criminal probe into Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, alleging he used more than 356 million rubles ($4.8 million) of donations to his organizations for personal purposes including holidays abroad. The Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said in a statement that the money was part of more than 588 million rubles…

Argentina Launches Covid-19 Vaccines With Controversial Sputnik V

Argentina on Tuesday launched a Covid-19 vaccination campaign with the controversial Sputnik V shots developed by Russia, the government said. It is the first country in the Americas to use this vaccine against the pandemic. The vaccination drive began simultaneously around the country with frontline healthcare workers given priority, Health Minister Gines Gonzalez Garcia said.…

Russia Adds Women’s Rights NGO to ‘Foreign Agents’ List

Russia has labeled prominent women’s rights organization Nasiliyu.net (“No to Violence”) as a “foreign agent,” the Justice Ministry announced Tuesday. The Justice Ministry’s addition of the NGO, which provides legal and psychological help to domestic violence victims, to the “foreign agent” registry comes amid fears of a renewed crackdown on critical voices ahead of Russia’s 2021…

Moscow Expands List of German Officials Banned From Russia

Moscow on Tuesday expanded a list of German officials who are banned from entering Russia in response to EU sanctions that the bloc imposed over Russian cyber attacks on the German parliament. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that in response to “destructive” EU sanctions in October, “Moscow made a decision to expand the reciprocal list of German…

Joint Russia-U.S. Operation Busts S.American Cocaine Smuggling Network

Russia and the United States have cut off an international cocaine smuggling chain and seized over 330 kilograms of the drug, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced Tuesday, marking a rare joint law enforcement effort between the two countries. A multi-stage investigation by the FSB and the U.S. Justice Department disrupted “a transnational criminal community…

Russia Jails Former Energy Exec for 15 Years on Spying Charges

A Russian court on Tuesday handed a 15-year prison sentence to a former manager of an energy company for spying for Moldova, the latest in a string of high-profile espionage trials. Karina Tsurkan, a former board member of the Inter RAO energy group, was detained in 2018 on suspicion of handing classified information to Moldovan…

Russia’s Environmental Disasters in 2020

Russia experienced a multitude of environmental disasters in 2020 — both sudden, manmade catastrophes as well as those stemming from the mounting long-term effects of climate change. From forest fires larger than some European countries to historic oil spills, these disasters have brought renewed attention and concern toward the ecosystems of the world’s largest country. …

Moscow Clinic Seeks to Bring Pfizer, Moderna Vaccines to Russia

A medical clinic in Moscow plans to be the first to bring two leading western-developed coronavirus vaccines to Russia, the clinic’s head told Forbes Russia on Tuesday. The Hadassah Clinic is working to bring the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines to Russia as soon as it becomes possible, its head Evgeny Tugolukov said. The clinic belongs…

Belarus Starts Coronavirus Vaccination With Sputnik V

Belarus on Tuesday began a vaccination drive against coronavirus using the Sputnik V jab, becoming the first country outside Russia to use the vaccine developed by Moscow. Belarus, with a population of around 9.5 million people, has registered more than 188,000 cases of coronavirus infections and nearly 1,400 deaths. “Today the first vaccine shipment has arrived in…

Russia Detains Ex-Priest Suspected of Encouraging Children to ‘Die for Russia’

MoscowBy admin December 29, 2020 Leave a comment

Russian law enforcement officers have detained an excommunicated priest at the women’s monastery he seized near the city of Yekaterinburg on suspicion of encouraging minors to “die for Russia,” the Kommersant business daily reported Tuesday. Father Sergei Romanov has been charged with persuading minors to commit suicide, criminal charges that carry a maximum prison sentence…

Russian Classical Music Highlights of 2020

The year 2020 began as usual for the music world in Russia, but came to screeching halt in March. Music lovers had to be content with live-streamed performances, musicians languished and the fate of large orchestras and their future contracts with soloists became uncertain. The Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, led by Valery Gergiev, was…

Hungary Receives 6K Doses of Russia’s Coronavirus Vaccine

Hungary said it received 6,000 doses of Russia’s controversial coronavirus vaccine on Monday, in a new display of Budapest’s maverick vaccine policy. “6,000 doses of Russian vaccine crossed Hungary’s border with Slovakia,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in a Facebook video message. The consignment was taken to Budapest for a decision by Hungarian experts on…

Russia Labels First Individual ‘Foreign Agents’ Amid Worries of Clampdown

Russia has labeled a prominent human rights activist, three journalists and an artist-activist as “foreign agents” on Monday, the first time that individuals, not organizations, have been given the designation amid worries of a renewed clampdown on dissent. Veteran human rights activist Lev Ponomaryov; Radio Svoboda and MBKh Media journalist Lyudmila Savitskaya; Pskovskaya Guberniya newspaper…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Dec. 29

Russia has confirmed 3,078,035 cases of coronavirus and 55,265 deaths. Dec. 29: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 27,787 new coronavirus cases and 487 deaths Monday. Russia has extended its suspension of flights with Britain through Jan. 12, 2021. More than half of Russians say they are not ready to receive the coronavirus vaccine, according to…

Russia’s Mortality Hit 16-Year High in November, Official Data Says

Russia recorded more than 2,500 excess deaths a day during November in what was by far the deadliest month since the start of the pandemic, official figures released Monday have shown. Deaths from all causes — regarded as the most accurate indicator in assessing the impact of the coronavirus — came in 78,541 higher than…

Russia Expels Bulgarian Diplomat in Tit-for-Tat Response

Russia on Monday said that it had expelled a Bulgarian diplomat in a tit-for-tat response after the EU and NATO member state declared a Russian military attache persona non-grata earlier this month. The Foreign Ministry said in response to the “unjustified” removal of its diplomat from Bulgaria, it had declared the assistant to Bulgaria’s military…

Rosneft Publishes New Environmental Atlases

Rosneft Oil Company has published atlases “Barents Sea” and “Species: Biological Indicators for the State of Arctic Marine Ecosystems” as part of its Environmental Atlases of the Russian Seas series, jointly with the Innopraktika non-governmental development institute.

3 People Killed in Chechnya Attack on Police

At least three people have been killed following a knife attack in the Chechen capital of Grozny on Monday. Two armed militants attacked law enforcement officers on Putin Avenue in central Grozny, TASS and Interfax cited anonymous sources as saying Monday afternoon, with conflicting reports of the number of people killed. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov…

17 Fishermen Feared Dead After Trawler Sinks in Arctic Russia

Seventeen fishermen were missing and feared dead on Monday after a Russian trawler capsized during a storm and sank in the freezing waters of the Barents Sea. Officials said that two people had been rescued by a passing vessel, but hopes were quickly fading that more survivors could be found during a snowstorm over the…

Russia in 2020: The Year in Photos

BusinessBy admin December 28, 2020 Leave a comment

For much of the world, 2020 was a historic, unprecedented year. This is especially true for Russia, which saw unprecedented environmental, social and political changes in addition to the pandemic. The Moscow Times is taking a look back at the images that defined 2020 in Russia — from snapshots of everyday life to historic moments…

Tianwan NPS Unit 4 was handed over to the Customer after 2 year warranty operation

ROSATOM Engineering Division handed over to the Customer – Jangsu Nuclear Power Corporation Company – Tianwan NPP facilities of Unit 4 Nuclear Island after two-year warranty operation. The corresponding Minutes of the Meeting on the final acceptance of the Unit was signed on December 25. “Tianwan NPS Units 3-4 is an outstanding successful project,…

Masks, Sofas & TVs Top Russians’ 2020 Shopping Lists

Face masks, sofas and televisions were the most in-demand consumer goods in Russia this year, according to online sales data. Demand for masks was seven times higher than in 2019, data from online classified ads site Avito cited by the Vedomosti business daily showed. Russians preferred single-use masks to reusable ones, Avito found, with disposable…

Russia Bolsters Military Police Presence in Northern Syria Amid Fighting Flare-Up

Russia has sent additional military police units to the Raqqa province of northern Syria amid a flare-up in fighting between rebel groups there, the Kommersant business daily reported Monday, citing a top Russian official in Syria. Russia, a close ally of the Syrian government in Damascus, maintains a military presence in northeastern Syria, one of…

Azerbaijan Says 1 Soldier Dead in Armenian Ambush

Azerbaijan said Monday that one of its soldiers was killed during a skirmish with Armenian separatists, in an apparent escalation of hostilities undermining a recent Russian-brokered ceasefire. The defense ministry said in a statement that an illegal group of Armenian fighters in territory adjacent to the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region carried out the ambush on Sunday.…

17 Missing After Russian Fishing Boat Sinks in Barents Sea

anotherBy admin December 27, 2020 Leave a comment

Seventeen people were missing Monday and two were rescued after a Russian fishing boat sank in the Barents Sea, apparently due to icing, the emergencies ministry said. “The crew consisted of 19 people. Two people were rescued,” the emergencies ministry said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies. The privately owned boat, called Onega,…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Dec. 27

Russia has confirmed 3,021,964 cases of coronavirus and 54,226 deaths. Dec. 27: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 29,258 new coronavirus cases and 567 deaths. Moscow residents working in law enforcement, urban planning, sports and the catering industry will be eligible to receive Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine starting Dec. 28, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced Thursday. Social…

Russia Tops 3 Million Covid-19 Infections

anotherBy admin December 26, 2020 Leave a comment

Russia on Saturday passed 3 million confirmed coronavirus infections, as authorities hold out against reimposing a national lockdown while the country is battered by a second wave. Official figures showed that a total of 3,021,964 cases have been detected, with 54,226 deaths. In the past 24 hours, 29,258 new infections and 567 deaths were registered…

British Cold War Double Agent George Blake Dies in Moscow

anotherBy admin December 26, 2020 Leave a comment

George Blake, a famous “mole” in British intelligence who spied for the Soviet KGB during the 1950s before fleeing across the Iron Curtain, has died aged 98, Russian news agencies reported Saturday. “The legendary intelligence officer George Blake has passed away today,” the spokesman for Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service Sergei Ivanov told the TASS…

Russia’s National Treasure: Cabbage Soup

MoscowBy admin December 26, 2020 Leave a comment

I’ve just finished celebrating what the Russians call “Catholic Christmas” with the usual cornucopia of rich foods: triple cream cheese, fresh oysters, beef, potatoes swimming in cream, chocolate sauce, ham, and more Christmas cookies than I care to count. With Russian New Year and all its high cholesterol mayonnaise-based salads looming on the horizon, it…

Russian Covid Art and Online Culture Highlights of 2020

MoscowBy admin December 25, 2020 Leave a comment

When the pandemic hit Russia in the spring and the city went under an almost complete lockdown, communication and creativity did not stop. Cultural institutions launched in record time a huge variety of online activities that were different but not always worse than in-house events. And they had one great advantage: they had a rapt…

Russia Imposes 14-Day Quarantine for UK Arrivals Due to Mutated Virus

Russia will impose a 14-day quarantine requirement on individuals arriving from the U.K. starting Dec. 26 due to the spread of a more-contagious coronavirus strain in southeastern England, state consumer protection watchdog Rospotrebnadzor has ordered. All arriving passengers with the exception of aircraft crew members must self-isolate at home for 14 days after entering Russia,…

‘Russian Napoleon’ Jailed for Dismembering Lover

A decorated Russian historian has received a lengthy prison sentence for murdering and dismembering his young lover, St. Petersburg-based media reported Friday. Oleg Sokolov, 64, who taught at St. Petersburg State University, was pulled out of the Moika River with severed arms in his bag last November. He confessed to shooting his former student and…

Russia Jails Ex-Official 15 Years in High-Profile Corruption Case

A former Moscow region official has been sentenced to 15 years in a maximum-security prison on corruption charges Friday, more than a year after a dramatic court hearing during which he attempted to take his own life. Alexander Shestun, the former head of the Serpukhov district of the Moscow region, was found guilty of taking…

Russia Probes Navalny Ally for ‘Threatening Suspected Poisoner’

Russian authorities on Friday launched a criminal probe into an ally of Kremlin foe Alexei Navalny and raided her flat for allegedly threatening a man Navalny said took part in his poisoning. Investigators accused Lyubov Sobol of trespassing “with the use of violence or a threat to use it” after she rang the doorbell of…

Scientists Sound the Alarm Over Fast-Shrinking Caspian Sea

Western European scientists are ringing the alarm as the Caspian Sea shrinks due to climate change, saying the falling water levels presage a fast-approaching ecocide and the loss of unique local species. The Caspian Sea is the world’s largest inland body of water and borders southern Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. By the end…

Russian Role in C.Africa Grows Ahead of Weekend Vote

Russia’s growing role in the volatile Central African Republic was in the spotlight this week, after Moscow dispatched military instructors following a rebel threat to disrupt Sunday’s elections. Moscow has led a diplomatic and financial offensive in the deeply troubled nation since 2018 in return for concessions given to its companies to exploit the country’s…

Russia Slaps Foreign Media, NGOs with ‘Foreign Agent’ and ‘Undesirable Org’ Labels

BusinessBy admin December 25, 2020 Leave a comment

Russia has listed four NGOs, two civil society groups and one media outlet as “foreign agents” and “undesirable organizations” amid a renewed crackdown on critical voices this week. The Justice Ministry labeled three AIDS service organizations and one educational affiliate of exiled oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s Open Russia pro-democracy group as “foreign agents” Monday. St. Petersburg’s…

ROSATOM became a leader of sustainable development indexes sized by RSPP

The Committee for Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP) December 23 announced results of calculations of sustainable development indexes (ESG indexes) “Responsibility and Openness” and “Sustainable Development Vector” of 2020. ROSATOM became a leader in both groups (43 companies won highest results in the index “Responsibility…

$1M of Iranian Cash Stashed in Vodka Box Stolen From Russian Foreign Ministry

A vodka box stuffed with more than $1 million of Iranian cash was stolen from the Russian Foreign Ministry building last year, the government confirmed Thursday following media reports. Russia had received the $1.5 million stashed in an Absolut vodka box and two bags via diplomatic pouch in November 2019 as a payment for consular…

Russian Police Raid Navalny Ally’s Flat After Trick Call