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Russian authorities said the fuel spill at an Arctic power station earlier in 2020 was the largest in world history, a top emergencies official said Thursday. Some 21,000 tons of oil poured into the surrounding ground and waterways near the city of Norilsk after a diesel oil tank belonging to a subsidiary of Russian metals…

Ex-Cops in Russian Reporter’s Drugs Arrest Deny Guilt

MoscowBy admin December 24, 2020 Leave a comment

Four former Russian policemen on trial for planting drugs on a prominent investigative journalist denied the charges against them on Thursday. The arrest of reporter Ivan Golunov in June 2019 on trumped-up drug charges spurred a massive campaign calling for his release led by activists and Kremlin critics. His supporters and employer — the independent…

In Photos: Moscow Gears Up for the New Year

As the New Year quickly approaches, Russians around the country are getting ready for their most festive holiday of the year. Nowhere is this more evident than in Moscow, where the city is already gleaming with endless lights and decorations. Here’s a closer look at how Russia’s capital transforms for the holidays:

Half of Russians Skeptical Toward Navalny Poisoning – Poll

Around half of Russians believe that Western secret agents orchestrated leading opposition figure Alexei Navalny’s poisoning or that he wasn’t poisoned at all, according to an independent survey published Thursday. Navalny fell into a coma on Aug. 20 on a flight from Siberia to Moscow. He was flown for treatment to Germany two days later, where European…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Dec. 25

Russia has confirmed 2,963,688 cases of coronavirus and 53,096 deaths. Dec. 25: What you need to know today Russia confirmed new record-breaking numbers of 29,935 coronavirus cases and 635 deaths Thursday. 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…

Russian ‘Wedding Photobomb’ Couple Jailed for Treason – Reports

A Russian couple has been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for blowing a secret agent’s cover in their wedding photos, the state-run TASS news agency reported Thursday. Baltic affairs expert Antonina Zimina and her husband Konstantin Antonets were charged with treason after Zimina’s old classmate, a Federal Security Service (FSB) counterintelligence officer, appeared in their…

Russia Returns Gifted Orthodox Icon to Bosnia After East Ukraine Controversy

MoscowBy admin December 24, 2020 Leave a comment

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has returned an 18th-century Orthodox Christian icon to Bosnia and Herzegovina embassy after reports said the religious artifact originated from rebel-held eastern Ukraine. Lavrov received the 300-year-old icon as a gift from Milorad Dodik, the Serb chair of Bosnia’s three-man presidency, during his visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina on Dec.…

Russian Movie Night: 7 Great Features

It’s a holiday! Finally! In the absence of friends and relatives, what better way to finally relax than to get cozy in front of the TV for some serious binge-watching? Here are seven fictional series or feature films about Russia and their neighbors that got the thumbs up from a highly opinionated, extremely demanding, multi-generational,…

Moscow Sets Daily Coronavirus Record With Over 8K New Cases

MoscowBy admin December 24, 2020 Leave a comment

Moscow set a new single-day record of more than 8,000 coronavirus cases as national deaths and infections shattered previous records Thursday. The latest record comes as Moscow prepares to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s without its traditional mass festivities due to the pandemic. Of the 8,203 newly infected residents in the Russian capital, official data…

Russian Dance Highlights of 2020

The pandemic of 2020 may go down in history as one of the most devastating events for world ballet. In March, Russian theaters closed for what everyone thought would be a short quarantine, and most returned to work in the rehearsal studios only during the summer months (the Bolshoi in July and the Mariinsky in…

Cat Rescued From Russian Trash Plant Gets Cabinet Title

A cat that was rescued from a central Russian waste processing plant has been named an assistant to the regional environment minister, the administration said Wednesday. Widely circulated surveillance footage this week showed a plant worker retrieving the cat from a tied plastic bag on a conveyor belt. Veterinarians said the healthy and well-fed cat…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Dec. 24

Russia has confirmed 2,933,753 cases of coronavirus and 52,461 deaths. Dec. 24: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 27,250 new coronavirus cases and 549 deaths Wednesday. Argentina gave “emergency” authorization to Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, becoming the first Latin American country to do so. The first 300,000 doses of the vaccine are set to reach…

Argentina First in Latin America to Approve Russian Vaccine

Argentina’s health ministry said Wednesday it has given the controversial Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine “emergency” authorization, making the country the first in Latin America to do so. The first shipment of the 25 million doses of the vaccine bought by the Argentine government is due to arrive on Thursday. The authorization for the Gam-CovidVac…

Severstal’s Izhora Pipe Mill eters the Uited Arab Emirates LDP market

December 24, 2020 Izhora Pipe Mill (part of Severstal’s Russian Steel division) has been awarded the status of qualified supplier of large diameter pipes (LDP) by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) state oil company, ADNOC. In accordance with the successful certification, the Izhora Pipe Mill’s full assortment of large-diameter pipes, with diameters of 20-56 inches,…

Russian Lawmakers Back New Restrictions on Free Speech, Information, Protests

Lawmakers in Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, have passed over a dozen laws this week that expand the government’s powers while imposing new restrictions on free speech and information access. State Duma deputy Dmitry Vyatkin authored many of the bills, which have moved through parliament at breakneck pace in what observers call…

Russia to Launch Own TikTok Developed With Putin’s Alleged Daughter

Russia’s leading media holding, which is controlled by state energy giant Gazprom, will launch an app similar to the video-sharing social network TikTok, the group’s CEO said Wednesday. The Kommersant business daily cited Gazprom-Media CEO Alexander Zharov as saying the holding had purchased a service called “Ya Molodets” (“I am great”). Zharov said the app…

Moscow Opposition Deputy Gets Suspended Sentence for Multiple Protest Violations

Moscow opposition deputy Yulia Galyamina will walk free after receiving a suspended sentence under Russia’s law criminalizing multiple protest violations, the Mediazona news website reported Wednesday. Galyamina, a member of north-central Moscow’s Timiryazevsky District council, is accused of demonstrating against local elections in the summer of 2019 and against Russia’s constitutional reforms this summer. She…

ROSATOM launches its first Additive Technologies Center in Moscow

MoscowBy admin December 23, 2020 Leave a comment

On December 23, 2020, Rusatom – Additive Technologies (RusAT, an enterprise of TVEL Fuel Company and ROSATOM’s integrator for additive manufacturing business) opened its first Additive Technologies Center (ATC) at the site of the Moscow Polymetal Plant. ROSATOM’ ATC in Moscow has been created as the first model of a facility combining development, engineering and…

Russian Film Highlights of 2020

2020 was a difficult year for the Russian film industry. Many long-anticipated premieres were postponed when in-theater showings were halted. Other filmы skipped the theater and went straight to online platforms. Another problem, which will have a longer effect on the industry, was filming — or not filming — under various Covid-19 restrictions. Most of…

Russia Moves to Formally Allow Putin to Stay in Power

Russian lawmakers took first steps Wednesday to formally allow President Vladimir Putin to stay in power until 2036. Current law limits the Russian presidency to two consecutive terms, requiring Putin, 68, to step down in 2024. But a clause within a set of constitutional reforms approved in a nationwide vote this summer allows Putin to…

RN-Krasnodarneftegaz Investments in Land Remediation to Amount to 200 Million Roubles by 2025

RN-Krasnodarneftegaz, a subsidiary of Rosneft Oil Company, will quadruple the funding for its land remediation programme.

Rosneft Executives Discuss Corporate Safety and Accident-Free Production

Rosneft Oil Company top executives, HSE executives, the interregional trade union organisation management, directors and HSE managers of the Company’s enterprises have participated in an extended meeting on accident-free production in the Company’s operations.

Rosneft Develops Environmentally Friendly Drilling Fluids Production Technology

Rosneft and specialists of the Siberian Federal University have developed the technology of production of environmentally friendly drilling fluids based on seed oils and containing biodegradable components.

Russia Says Expects ‘Nothing Good’ From Biden

With less than a month before Joe Biden moves into the White House, Moscow on Wednesday accused the incoming U.S. administration of “Russophobia” after the president-elect promised to punish Russia for a major cyber attack. Biden is expected to take a tougher stance against Russia than Donald Trump, whose ascent to the U.S. presidency in…

Navalny Associate Shaveddinov Returns From Forced Arctic Military Service

Ruslan Shaveddinov, an associate of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, has returned to Moscow following a year of forced military service in the Arctic, the Mediazona news website reported. Shaveddinov worked for Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) which leads investigations into corrupt individuals among the Kremlin’s ruling elite. In December 2019, men in uniform broke…

Lancet Publishes German Doctors’ Navalny Treatment Report

The medical journal The Lancet has published Tuesday a case report detailing Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s treatment in Germany following his poisoning with the Novichok nerve agent. Doctors at Berlin’s Charité clinic, where Navalny was flown two days after falling suddenly ill on a flight in Siberia in August, diagnosed him with severe poisoning.…

Telegram Messaging App to Launch Pay-For Services in 2021

Encrypted messaging app Telegram will launch pay-for services in 2021, its Russian-born founder Pavel Durov said Wednesday, as the growing company needed “at least a few hundred million dollars per year.” “Telegram will begin to generate revenue, starting next year,” Durov said in a statement. “We will be able to launch countless new features and…

Russia’s Biggest Stories of 2020: Pandemic, Putin and Poisoning

In a year when the coronavirus pandemic dominated news headlines worldwide, Russia also embraced the prospect of Vladimir Putin as president until 2036 and faced fallout from the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. Political unrest at home and abroad gathered steam as the first wave of Covid-19 infections abated, while a huge Arctic fuel…

Colombia Expels Russian Diplomats on Spying Accusations – Reports

Colombia has expelled two alleged Russian intelligence officers working under diplomatic protection earlier this month, media reported Tuesday. Colombian authorities said the Russian diplomats violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations but would not detail why they left, according to Reuters. The news agency reported that President Ivan Duque declined to reveal additional information, telling…

Russia Moves to Hide Security Officers’ Data After Navalny Poisoning Revelations

Russian lawmakers passed a bill Tuesday to ban the public dissemination of data about security and law enforcement members. The move follows leading opposition figure Alexei Navalny’s viral YouTube video of a phone call with one of his alleged poisoners. That agent and other purported Federal Security Service (FSB) agents’ identities were revealed by the…

Putin’s ‘Chef’ Sues Navalny and His Ally for Defamation

Kremlin-linked businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin has sued Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and a close ally for defamation, a Moscow court said Tuesday. The lawsuit appeared Tuesday on the website of a Moscow court, which later told the Russian news agency TASS that the claim sought 5 million rubles ($66,000) each from Navalny and his ally…

Natural gas demand poised for long-term growth

December 23, 2020, 09:50 The Gazprom Board of Directors took note of the information concerning the impacts of the events of 2020 on the long-term outlook for the global energy market. The most significant development of the year, including in the energy market, has been the new coronavirus pandemic. At the same time, the pandemic’s impact on the global gas market has been quite limited. According…

Gas supply and gas infrastructure expansion programs for 2021–2025 signed with 67 Russian regions

December 23, 2020, 09:40 The Gazprom Board of Directors took note of the information about the ongoing implementation of the Company’s programs aimed at expanding gas supplies and gas infrastructure in Russian constituent entities, synchronization with regional programs for converting housing and utilities, industries and other entities to gas, as well as extension of gas grid coverage in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. It was highlighted that the creation of gas supply infrastructure…

Gazprom moving forward with its LNG projects

December 23, 2020, 09:30 The Gazprom Board of Directors took note of the information about the ongoing implementation of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) production and supply projects. It was highlighted that the new coronavirus pandemic has had a negative impact on the long-term outlook for the global LNG industry, and the forecast for the commissioning of LNG production capacities worldwide has been revised downwards. Nevertheless,…

Russia Sent ‘300 Military Instructors’ to C.Africa – Ministry

Moscow said Tuesday it had dispatched 300 Russian military instructors to the Central African Republic at the CAR’s request after an alleged attempted coup ahead of upcoming elections. In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said Russia had “promptly responded” to a request and sent “an additional 300 instructors to train the military personnel of the national army”…

Putin Grants Lifetime Immunity to Ex-Presidents and Their Families

BusinessBy admin December 22, 2020 Leave a comment

President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday signed into law a bill granting lifetime immunity from criminal prosecution to Russian presidents and their family members. The law comes amid swirling questions over Putin’s future after his current term limit expires in 2024 and is part of sweeping constitutional reforms allowing Putin to ignore current limits and run for…

Appropriate response to challenges. Interview by Famil Sadygov with corporate Gazprom Magazine

By using project financing methods, Gazprom diversifies its loan sources and improves the efficiency and transparency of its key investment projects further. We plan to expand our project financing activities. It should be pointed out that our project financing transactions are very advanced: for instance, the project financing deal for the construction of the Amur Gas Processing Plant (GPP) has received recognition…

Gazprom Board of Directors approves investment program and budget for 2021

BusinessBy admin December 22, 2020 Leave a comment

December 22, 2020, 18:00 Gazprom’s overall amount of investments for 2021: RUB 902.413 billion. This budget will provide for a full coverage of Gazprom’s liabilities without a deficit. The Gazprom Board of Directors took note of the Company’s preliminary operating results for 2020 and the projected investment program and budget (financial plan) for 2022–2023. In addition, the Board of Directors approved the investment program and budget (financial…

Pilot operation stage started at the first power unit of Belarus NPP

BusinessBy admin December 22, 2020 Leave a comment

On December 22, 2020 the pilot operation stage started at Belarus NPP power unit 1 of III+Gen with VVER-1200 reactor (ROSATOM’s Engineering Division is the General Designer and the General Contractor), as specialists started a gradual reactor power increase up to the rated power. A permit to proceed to this stage was issued by the…

Russian Director Mansky Detained Over Navalny Poisoning Picket

MoscowBy admin December 22, 2020 Leave a comment

Famed Russian documentary film director Vitaly Mansky has been detained outside the Federal Security Service (FSB) headquarters in central Moscow for staging a single-person picket with a pair of blue boxers, reports said Tuesday. Mansky, 57, staged the protest after leading opposition figure Alexei Navalny published a viral video of his phone talks with whom…

Russian Film ‘Beanpole’ Awarded Top Prize by U.S. Film Critics

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) has named the Russian movie “Beanpole” as the best foreign language film. “Beanpole,” which was directed by Kantemir Balagov, also won second place for best production design. The film is set in the Soviet city of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) right after WWII. The narration focuses on the tragic relationship between two young women veterans, Iya…

Russia Launches ‘North Pole’ Floating Arctic Research Vessel

Hardly ever before has a ship with such a peculiar shape been rolled out of St. Petersburg’s Admiralty Shipyard. On Dec. 18, the stout, 83-meter-long vessel Severny Polyus, or North Pole, made it onto the waters of the Neva River. The launch is met with great expectation by Russia’s Arctic research community. Once completed, the…

7 Protests That Defined the Year in Russia and Former Soviet Republics

MoscowBy admin December 22, 2020 Leave a comment

In a year dominated by the coronavirus pandemic, some of the largest and most protracted protests in post-Soviet history also grabbed headlines. People took to the streets to protest issues including electoral fraud, corruption and territorial disputes. Gathering despite government-imposed public assembly restrictions, protesters across the region faced off against police — with thousands being injured…

Moscow Holiday Feasts

As the year 2020 comes to an end, many expats are staying in Moscow, some for the first time, as the coronavirus makes travel abroad impossible or impractical. Without the usual holiday fairs, parties and activities — and without widespread celebrations on Dec. 25 — it’s easy to put off planning. And now Christmas is…

Rosneft Deutschland starts supplies of new Alfabit grades with enhanced performance properties to Switzerland

Rosneft Deutschland GmbH, a Rosneft subsidiary, started deliveries of two new grades of the company’s proprietary polymer-modified bitumen product (PMB), Alfabit, to Switzerland

Kremlin Calls Navalny ‘Megalomaniac With Persecution Complex’

Russia’s leading opposition figure Alexei Navalny has delusions of grandeur and persecution, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday after Navalny said he tricked an intelligence officer into admitting an attempt to poison him. Peskov said he allowed himself to “indulge a personal point of view” after Navalny’s video of a phone call with an alleged…

Putin Allows Ex-Presidents to Become Senators for Life

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill into law Tuesday that allows former presidents to become senators for life when they leave office. The law is the latest legislative change regarding Russia’s ex-presidents amid continuing questions over Putin’s future after his current term limit expires in 2024. The law is also part of sweeping constitutional…

Russia Announces Travel Bans Against EU Officials Over Navalny

Russia said Tuesday it was hitting several EU representatives with tit-for-tat sanctions in response to penalties imposed by the bloc over the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The Foreign Ministry said that in response to “confrontational” EU actions, it had “decided to expand the list of representatives of EU member states and institutions who will…

YouTube Source of Most Fake Info on Russian Internet, State Media Watchdog Says

Russia’s federal media watchdog has accused YouTube of circulating more fake news than any other foreign platform on the Russian internet, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency cited the agency as saying Monday. “About 60% of fakes are related to the Covid-19 virus,” said Roskomnadzor, the federal agency responsible for regulating communications, information technology and…

U.S. Adds 45 Russian Companies to Restricted ‘Military List’

MoscowBy admin December 22, 2020 Leave a comment

The U.S. Commerce Department has added 45 Russian and 58 Chinese companies it claims have ties to those countries’ militaries Monday, restricting exports of certain goods and technology to the designated entities. The number of Russian aviation, rocket and nuclear companies with alleged military ties is nearly double that of the initial draft list reported…

Borscht, Smetana and Crab: Michelin Guide Comes to Moscow

The prestigious French gastronomic guide Michelin said Monday that next year it would launch its first selection of Moscow restaurants, which have recently experienced a renaissance. “The Russian culinary scene has seen new trends appear over the past 30 years, embodied by talented chefs who are committed to enhancing the quality of local products,” Michelin…

Navalny Ally Sobol Detained After Poisoning Call

BusinessBy admin December 21, 2020 Leave a comment

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s associate Lyubov Sobol has been detained outside the home of an alleged chemical weapons expert implicated in his poisoning, media reported late Monday. Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) lawyer Sobol said she wanted to speak with alleged Federal Security Service (FSB) agent Konstantin Kudryavtsev, whom Navalny said he had tricked into admitting…

Severstal presets outlook for its LDP products ad solutios for Eergy customers i key markets

December 22, 2020 PAO Severstal, one of the world’s leading vertically integrated steel and mining companies, has published a presentation on its outlook for LDP demand in key markets and its strengthened offer for Energy customers. Severstal’s energy sector focus is a core pillar of the Group’s growth strategy, representing 9% of sales in 2019,…

Severstal’s MSCI ESG ratig upgraded to ‘B’

BusinessBy admin December 21, 2020 Leave a comment

December 22, 2020 PAO Severstal, one of the world’s leading vertically integrated steel and mining companies, announces that MSCI has revised its ESG rating upwards from ‘CCC’ to ‘B’ in its latest assessment. The upgrade comes as a result of marked improvements in the ‘Ecology’ section of MSCI’s assessment, and the Company’s progress was also…

Navalny Call With Suspected Agent a ‘Provocation’: FSB

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) on Monday said Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s phone call with a suspected FSB agent discussing his poisoning was a “provocation” carried out with help from foreign security services. In a statement to Russian news agencies, the FSB described the call “about the alleged actions against” Navalny as a “planned provocation…

Russia Says ‘Not Sending Troops’ to C.Africa

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov on Monday rejected a claim that the country had sent troops to the Central African Republic after an alleged attempted coup. “We are not sending troops, we are complying with all UN resolutions,” the Interfax news agency cited Bogdanov as saying. The CAR government said earlier Monday that Russia,…

Russian Scientist Who Worked on Coronavirus Vaccine Stabbed, Falls Out of Window

A Russian scientist who was said to have worked on a coronavirus vaccine was found dead with a stab wound outside a St. Petersburg high-rise, authorities and local media said over the weekend. The body of geneticist and molecular and cellular biologist Alexander Kagansky, 45, was found in the courtyard of a 16-story apartment block…

With Lake Baikal’s Key Protections Set to Expire, Russian Eco-Activists Sound the Alarm

On Jan. 1, the Russian government is set to significantly reel back important environmental regulations protecting Lake Baikal, the world’s largest freshwater lake that is home to creatures found nowhere else on earth. It’s a move that could lead to the biggest environmental crisis in Baikal’s history, environmental experts and activists say. With the clock…

Navalny Extracts Poisoning Confession From Alleged FSB Agent on Trick Call