Finland Suspects Russian Jets Violated Airspace

Two Russian fighter jets are suspected of violating Finnish airspace off the coast of Helsinki on Tuesday, the Finnish Defense Ministry said.  The incident “occurred over the Gulf of Finland near Helsinki at around 2:00 p.m. Finnish time (11:00 GMT)” and the border surveillance authority has opened an investigation to confirm the violation, the ministry said…

Beat Film Fest Kicks Off Aug. 1

Beat Film Festival, founded in 2010, is likely to become the headliner of this summer’s cultural events in Moscow. It launches on Aug. 1, when the city’s movie theaters are allowed to open after their long downtime during the coronavirus quarantine.  This year the films will be shown online and offline, sometimes with discussions including…

Jailed Russian Ex-Journalist Safronov Isolated With Suspected Coronavirus

Ivan Safronov, a former journalist arrested on treason charges, has been isolated in jail with suspected coronavirus, prison watchdog representatives told Interfax on Monday. Safronov was arrested this month shortly after leaving his decade-long journalism career to become a media adviser to Russia’s space chief. He was placed in pre-trial detention in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison…

Russia Coronavirus Cases Pass 820K

The highest number of new cases were in Moscow, the western Siberian region of Khanty-Mansiysk and Sverdlovsk in the Urals. Russia’s fatality rate has remained low compared to other badly-hit countries, raising speculation that Moscow could be underreporting figures. Russian authorities began easing anti-virus measures in June ahead of a massive World War II military…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | July 27

Russia has confirmed 818,120 cases of coronavirus and 13,354 deaths. July 27: 3 things you need to know today Russia plans to administer its experimental coronavirus vaccine on healthcare professionals next month before its clinical trials are completed, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said Thursday. Russian schools across the country will re-open for the new school year on Sept. 1,…

Russia Coronavirus Cases Approach 820K

The highest number of new cases were in Moscow, the western Siberian region of Khanty-Mansiysk and Sverdlovsk in the Urals. Russia’s fatality rate has remained low compared to other badly-hit countries, raising speculation that Moscow could be underreporting figures. Russian authorities began easing anti-virus measures in June ahead of a massive World War II military…

Ex-Vedomosti Journalists Launch New Outlet Following Pro-Kremlin Censorship Scandal

Former senior editors and journalists from the Vedomosti business daily are launching a new media project after the appointment of a pro-Kremlin editor-in-chief sparked accusations of censorship and a mass departure of staff from the paper. VTimes aims to continue Vedomosti’s tradition of independent journalism and editorial objectivity. “More than ever before Russia needs independent…

Russian Election Activists Arrested at Conference

Members of the Russian “United Democrats” movement, which campaigns for meaningful elections, were arrested in the western Tatarstan region on Saturday, the group said on Facebook. Russian special forces seized the members in the Tatarstan capital Kazan “to investigate their involvement in terrorism,” the group said, without giving details. Anastasia Burakova, one of the movement’s…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | July 26

Russia has confirmed 812,485 cases of coronavirus and 13,269 deaths. July 26: 3 things you need to know today Russia plans to administer its experimental coronavirus vaccine on healthcare professionals next month before its clinical trials are completed, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said Thursday. Russia plans to restart international flights to Britain, Turkey and Tanzania on Aug. 1…

By the Book: ‘The Soviet Diet Cookbook’

Behind many a successful food writer stands an inspirational grandparent. This is certainly true of Anna Kharzeeva, author of “The Soviet Diet Cookbook: Exploring Life, Culture and History — One Recipe at a Time.”  With the help of her grandmother, Yelena Moiseyevna, Kharzeeva, a thirty-something Muscovite, set out to explore the world of Soviet-era cuisine by…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | July 25

Russia has confirmed 806,720 cases of coronavirus and 13,192 deaths. July 25: 3 things you need to know today Russia plans to administer its experimental coronavirus vaccine on healthcare professionals next month before its clinical trials are completed, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said Thursday. Russia plans to restart international flights to Britain, Turkey and Tanzania on Aug.…

Chechnya’s Kadyrov ‘Sanctions’ Pompeo, Accuses Him of ‘Ordering’ George Floyd’s Killing

The head of Russia’s republic of Chechnya has declared “all the sanctions” in his region on U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, baselessly claiming that the U.S. official ordered the killing of African-American man George Floyd that sparked anti-racism protests in the United States. Pompeo’s State Department placed Ramzan Kadyrov on its blacklist of human…

Russia to Vaccinate Medics for Coronavirus in August

Russia plans to administer its experimental coronavirus vaccine on healthcare professionals next month before its clinical trials are completed, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said Thursday. Russia’s adenoviral vector-based vaccine developed by military and government researchers is in Phase II trials with plans to launch the next and final phase sometime after Aug. 3. The vaccine…

Moscow Getaway to Nikola-Lenivets Art Park

After four months of coronavirus lockdown and counting, we all could use an escape from Moscow’s urban expanse. Nikola-Lenivets, a sprawling open-air art park filled with wonders both natural and manmade, is a great option for getting away from the noise without breaking social distancing. Covering 650 hectares of Ugra National Park in the Kaluga…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | July 24

Russia has confirmed 800,849 cases of coronavirus and 13,046 deaths. July 24: 3 things you need to know today Russia plans to administer its experimental coronavirus vaccine on healthcare professionals next month before its clinical trials are completed, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said Thursday. Russia plans to restart international flights to Britain, Turkey and Tanzania on Aug. 1 more…

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | July 23

Russia has confirmed 795,038 cases of coronavirus and 12,892 deaths. July 23: 3 things you need to know today Valentina Matviyenko, the head of Russia’s upper house of parliament, said current progress made it possible for the vaccine to enter mass production by the end of 2020. The vaccine’s creator Denis Logunov echoed her claim, telling Meduza that the Gamaleya institute…

Russian Moviegoers ‘Not Ready for Dramas’ Amid Pandemic, Culture Ministry Says

Russian cinemas will delay premiering heavy dramas after reopening because viewers “aren’t ready” for heavy dramas amid the coronavirus pandemic, authorities said Wednesday. Russia closed down movie theaters, museums and other cultural establishments after the outbreak first hit the country in late March. Russia’s Culture Ministry lifted the nationwide ban last week, leaving it up…

Melting Arctic Permafrost Threatens Russian Energy Firms’ Bottom Line – Morgan Stanley

Rapidly melting Arctic permafrost poses the greatest threat to major Russian energy producers’ infrastructure and financial indicators, according to a new Morgan Stanley report obtained by the Vedomosti business daily. Gazprom, Novatek, Alrosa and Norilsk Nickel — whose fuel tank leaked after sinking into thawing permafrost in May, resulting in a major environmental disaster —…

ROSATOM manufactures the first full refueling batch of MOX fuel for BN-800 fast reactor

The Mining and Chemical Combine in Zheleznogorsk, Krasnoyarsk region (East Siberia) has manufactured the first full reload batch of fresh uranium-plutonium MOX fuel for BN-800 fast reactor, operated at Beloyarsk NPP. The 169 fuel assemblies have been accepted by Rosenergoatom, the operator of Russian NPPs, and its authorized representative VPO ZAES, which has confirmed the…

Relatives of Murdered Chechen Dissident in Austria Claim Responsibility, ‘Repent’ to Kadyrov

The extended family of a Chechen dissident murdered in Austria earlier this month has claimed responsibility for his killing and attempted to absolve the Russian region’s Kremlin-backed leader. Two ethnic Chechens were arrested after the body of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov’s reported “personal foe” Mamikhan Umarov, 43, was found in Vienna on July 4. Suspicions…

Severstal reports Q2 & H1 2020 fiacial results

July 23, 2020 PAO Severstal (MICEX-RTS: CHMF; LSE: SVST), one of the world’s leading steel and steel-related mining companies, today announces its Q2 & H1 2020 financial results for the period ended 30 June 2020. CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL RESULTS FOR Q2 AND H1 2020 Notes: EBITDA represents profit from operations plus depreciation and amortisation of productive…

Russian News Crew Attacked Amid U.S. Govt Crackdown on Portland Protests

Camouflaged men attacked a Russian news crew during a crackdown on anti-racism protesters in the western U.S. city of Portland, Russian state-run television said Wednesday. Russia’s Channel One broadcaster said it believes federal agents ripped off its journalist’s helmet and knocked down its cameraman with a baton, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported Wednesday. …

‘Costakis’ Choice’ at Moscow’s AZ Museum

The AZ Museum of non-conformist art is celebrating its fifth anniversary with an exhibition dedicated to George Costakis, who was, without exaggeration, the savior of the early Russian avant-garde and post-war non-conformist art and artists. Called “Costakis’ Choice,” the show leads visitors through the life of this great collector, which is to say through the…