Russian lawmakers from both houses of parliament have passed legislation Friday allowing dual Russian citizenship for foreigners, sending it to President Vladimir Putin’s desk less than two weeks after introducing it. Lawmakers have described the amendments to Russia’s citizenship law, which among other steps strike down a requirement to renounce one’s existing citizenship, as “revolutionary.”…
With flights grounded, buses delayed and strolling heavily discouraged, it’s a difficult time for adventurers. For now, however, you can enjoy this virtual tour of some of Russia’s most stunning vistas, perhaps inspiring you to hit the road when quarantine measures are lifted. Located in every corner of Russia, with location names that reflect countless…
Two newly appointed leaders in northern Russia have said they oppose a controversial landfill whose construction set off nationwide protests against shipping Moscow’s waste to poorer regions over a year ago. Opposition to construction of the Shiyes landfill in the Arkhangelsk region as a destination for Moscow’s trash grew from a local issue in 2018…
Millions of Russians will celebrate Orthodox Easter this Sunday amid the coronavirus pandemic that has infected more than 32,000 people and shut down all large gatherings nationwide. Despite strict lockdowns in most regions, the Russian Orthodox Church has largely resisted government recommendations to close places of worship to the public throughout the Holy Week and…
The Russian government has authorized hospitals to treat coronavirus patients with the untested malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, which studies have linked to potentially deadly side effects. Thursday’s decree instructs Russia’s national medical cardiology research center to distribute 68,600 packs of hydroxychloroquine donated by a Shanghai pharmaceutical company to hospitals across Russia for free. More than a…
Svetlana Alexievich, the Belarussian winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature, has suggested that there might be a link between wireless 5G technology and the deadly coronavirus pandemic. Though no evidence exists to suggest a link between 5G and Covid-19, Alexievich told the U.S.-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Belarussian service that “scientists aren’t fully…
Aeroflot has suspended ticket sales for all international flights departing before August, as Russia’s coronavirus cases continue to rise at one of the fastest rates in the world. A message on the ticket search portal of Aeroflot’s website says there are no available flights for any international routes until August 1. The state-backed airline said…
Go to the library, flip through the books, smell the paper, choose a book… That pleasure is denied to us now since libraries, like other cultural institutions in Russia, have been closed and can only work online. An online regime is tough for libraries everywhere, but especially hard for libraries located in towns and villages,…
Nearly 50 cadets and instructors involved in rehearsals for Russia’s now-postponed Victory Day parade have been infected with the coronavirus, the Baza Telegram channel reported Friday. Rear Adm. Anatoly Minakov, the head of St. Petersburg’s elite Nakhimov Naval School, confirmed to local media that he’s been hospitalized in Moscow with a fever awaiting test results. …
Two NASA astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut on Friday made a safe return from the International Space Station to find the planet transformed by the coronavirus pandemic. Andrew Morgan, Jessica Meir and Oleg Skripochka touched down in central Kazakhstan at 05:16 a.m. GMT in the first returning mission since the World Health Organization declared Covid-19…
The Russian economy has been rocked by the coronavirus outbreak, and the breakdown of the OPEC+ oil production pact between Russia and Saudi Arabia. The turmoil has shocked traders around the world and resulted in sharp volatility on the Russian stock markets and swings in the value of the ruble. The latest on the markets,…
As the new coronavirus that has killed more than 145,000 people worldwide continues to spread, Russia has stepped up its measures to slow the pandemic’s spread within its borders. There have been 32,008 cases of coronavirus infections reported in Russia so far and 273 deaths. MT The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Russia as of April 17.…
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
Moscow, the epicenter of Russia’s coronavirus outbreak, will begin treating respiratory infections as Covid-19 as the disease shows no signs of slowing down, a senior city official said Thursday. The city’s new directive comes a week after its decision to treat all pneumonia cases as potential coronavirus patients because the virus often causes pneumonia. Federal…
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday rejected as counterproductive attempts to blame Beijing for delaying informing the world about the coronavirus, the Kremlin said. Putin and Xi spoke after U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration berated China for not sharing data more quickly. Washington is also investigating the origins of the…
President Vladimir Putin on Thursday postponed a landmark military parade to mark the 75th anniversary of Soviet victory in World War II, as Russia struggles to contain the rapid spread of the coronavirus. The “risks associated with the epidemic, whose peak has not passed yet, are extremely high,” Putin said. “This does not give me…
Russian hospitals overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic and running low on personal protective equipment are repurposing commercial snorkel masks to safeguard medical staff and patients, following a trend in Europe. The Russian branch of the French sports equipment company Decathlon told AFP it had “blocked” sales of 6,000 masks from dozens of shops around the…
This week Rossiya1 channel has been airing the series “Zuleikha Opens Her Eyes,” based on the novel of the same name written by Guzel Yakhina and published in 2015. The book, which tells the story of a Tatar peasant woman who is exiled to Siberia after her husband is killed during a “dekulakization” campaign in…
A number of Russian vendors have begun to raise drug prices by up to 15% because of the ruble’s devaluation during the coronavirus pandemic, Russia’s Kommersant business daily reported Thursday. Industry experts link the price hike to manufacturers spending more on imported active ingredients and the upkeep of foreign equipment as the Russian currency has…
One-third of all coronavirus infections in a northwestern Russian region are concentrated in a crowded hostel that houses migrant workers involved in construction at an IKEA-owned shopping mall, local media reported Wednesday. The Leningrad region, which surrounds Russia’s second-largest city of St. Petersburg, has reported 330 Covid-19 cases since the start of the outbreak. Over…
Russian President Vladimir Putin believes the global coronavirus pandemic is an opportunity for his country to work together with the United States, the Kremlin said Thursday. “President Putin believes this pandemic is the time to help each other,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, after U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday offered to send ventilators…
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
The independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper has deleted its investigation into the republic of Chechnya’s strict anti-coronavirus measures after Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov issued a threat to the journalist who wrote it. Kadyrov said Monday that Novaya Gazeta’s story on Chechens underreporting potential coronavirus symptoms out of fear for their safety would lead “someone” to “commit…
Ukraine and Russian-backed rebels in the country’s east carried out their first prisoner exchange of the year Thursday, over a month after the sides had tentatively planned to hold the exchange. Kiev held talks with the Kremlin in early March on exchanging the remaining prisoners from the conflict in eastern Ukraine. The sides eventually reached…
In between studying for exams coming up next week, Tatiana, a 22-year-old sixth-year medical student at First Moscow State Medical University, is working as a nurse at Kommunarka, Moscow’s main coronavirus hospital. For someone who has eight weeks of clinical experience from previous summer internships, working in the middle of a pandemic is a step…
The United States, the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, could send Russia ventilators to help the country battle its record-setting rise in coronavirus cases, U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday. His announcement follows controversy over Russia’s shipment of medical supplies to the U.S., which Moscow described as humanitarian aid and Washington said it had paid…
As the new coronavirus that has killed more than 134,000 people worldwide continues to spread, Russia has stepped up its measures to slow the pandemic’s spread within its borders. There have been 27,938 cases of coronavirus infections reported in Russia so far and 232 deaths. MT The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Russia as of April 16.…
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
The Russian economy has been rocked by the coronavirus outbreak, and the breakdown of the OPEC+ oil production pact between Russia and Saudi Arabia. The turmoil has shocked traders around the world and resulted in sharp volatility on the Russian stock markets and swings in the value of the ruble. The latest on the markets,…
Russia tested an anti-satellite weapon capable of destroying satellites in low orbit on Wednesday, U.S. Space Force chief Gen. John Raymond said, accusing Moscow of threatening U.S. space assets. The direct-ascent anti-satellite missile test “provides yet another example that the threats to U.S. and allied space systems are real, serious and growing,” he said. In…
Russia is seeing a surge in illegal hunting as the country has entered coronavirus lockdown, the global conservation group World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in Russia said Tuesday. WWF Russia experts said they saw the increase while comparing recent data on poaching activity with the same period last year, particularly in the Far East, the Murmansk…
Two Russians will face trial in France over a vicious assault that left an English fan partially paralyzed during Euro 2016, a judicial source said on Wednesday. Mikhail Ivkine, 34, and Pavel Kosov, 33, risk up to 15 years behind bars if found guilty of the attack on Andrew Bache. The trial is expected to…
Russian veterans on Wednesday urged President Vladimir Putin to postpone a military parade to mark the 75th anniversary of Soviet victory in World War II, due to the coronavirus risk to participants. Russia has so far not dropped plans to hold a massive parade with thousands of troops marching through Red Square on May 9,…
One of the great tricks of the Moscow Kremlin — architecture-wise — is that as you walk around it on the outside, you don’t really understand the bit about it being built on a high promontory surrounded by water. But when you are inside the Kremlin looking out, you see how high up you are…
April 15, 2020, 16:45 The Gazprom Management Committee reviewed the operating results of the Company’s subsidiaries and organizations over the 2019–2020 autumn/winter period and discussed the measures to be taken for ensuring uninterrupted gas supplies to consumers in the upcoming 2020–2021 autumn/winter period. Gazprom fulfilled all of its obligations for providing domestic and foreign consumers with reliable gas supplies in the past winter, which…
News from projects and regions April 15, 2020, 16:40 Gazprom Transgaz Tomsk has donated almost RUB 3.5 million to purchase medical equipment for Tomsk City Hospital No. 3. The funds have been used for the re-equipment of the intensive care unit and the critical care ward of the hospital. “We have long wanted to purchase state-of-the-art equipment for dosed supply of medications, as this…
President Vladimir Putin announced a new package of measures to support Russia’s businesses hit by the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic Wednesday. In the Russian president’s fourth televised statement in as many weeks about the coronavirus pandemic, he promised direct financial support to businesses hit hardest by the nationwide lockdown, including small and medium-sized…
Prominent Russian doctor and media personality Alexander Myasnikov will take charge of the national coronavirus information center, BBC Russia reported Wednesday. Myasnikov, who frequently appears as an expert on pro-Kremlin pundit Vladimir Solovyov’s program, has become known for his optimistic outlook toward the pandemic. He previously predicted that it would be “impossible” for the virus…
April 15, 2020 – The important and large-scale stage of the nuclear facility preparation program for commissioning – hot run testing of the reactor plant (RP) – was successfully completed at the first power unit of Belarus NPP (the General Designer and the General Contractor – ROSATOM Engineering Division). During the hot run being held from…
Russian officials denounced U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to cut Washington’s funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) as the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread around the world. Trump announced Tuesday that his administration will suspend its funding to the UN health body as it reviews what it calls the “WHO’s role in severely mismanaging…
Within the scope of Clean Arctic complex joint project, experts of Rosneft Oil Company and Russian Arctic National Park discovered bacteria that can be used as a basis for development of an innovative agent for cleaning soils from petroleum-based products
A huge tent stands in the courtyard of St. Petersburg Hospital No. 2 — an extra emergency ward if the hospital receiving ward can’t cope with a surge of coronavirus cases. The hospital, one of the city’s largest, has 1,200 beds. At the end of March, the director was told to get ready to receive…
On a freezing Sunday in Moscow in March, Maria Mukhina received a phone call. The 27-year-old had recently returned from London with what she thought was a winter cold, traveling through Germany and Finland in a rush to get home before Russia sealed its borders to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Arriving at Terminal…
The Murmansk region’s coronavirus outbreak is largely concentrated at a construction site run by one of Russia’s biggest liquefied natural gas (LNG) producers, the investigative Novaya Gazeta newspaper reported Wednesday. The region in Russia’s Arctic recorded 137 new infections on Wednesday, most of which were among employees at Novatek’s construction site in the village of…
As the new coronavirus that has killed more than 126,000 people worldwide continues to spread, Russia has stepped up its measures to slow the pandemic’s spread within its borders. There have been 24,490 cases of coronavirus infections reported in Russia so far and 198 deaths. MT The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Russia as of April 15.…
Muscovites complained of large queues outside metro stations and severe traffic jams on the first day of the city’s mandatory digital lockdown passes, prompting concern that the coronavirus could spread further. Moscow’s digital pass system, created to monitor and enforce residents’ movements around the city during its coronavirus lockdown, was first introduced on Monday and…
The Russian economy has been rocked by the coronavirus outbreak, and the breakdown of the OPEC+ oil production pact between Russia and Saudi Arabia. The turmoil has shocked traders around the world and resulted in sharp volatility on the Russian stock markets and swings in the value of the ruble. The latest on the markets,…
As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from…
Background The decisions on the profit distribution and dividend payout, dividend size, payout method and dates, as well as the date on which the list of persons entitled to receive dividends is drawn up, will be made by the annual General Shareholders Meeting of Gazprom as recommended by the Board of Directors. In December 2019, the Gazprom Board of Directors approved the new revision of the Company’s Dividend Policy. The target level of dividend payouts…
The Ukrainian security service said on Tuesday it has detained a high-ranking employee on suspicion of spying for Russia and planning terror attacks. The investigation has uncovered “indisputable evidence” including audio and video recordings which show that Major General Valery Shaytanov had planned terror attacks in Ukraine and collected intelligence for Russia’s FSB security service,…
Russians’ opinions toward President Vladimir Putin have become more negative for a third consecutive year as he pursues constitutional changes that will allow him to extend his rule through 2036, according to a survey published by the independent Levada Center pollster on Tuesday. Putin’s approval rating reached an all-time high of 87% after Russia annexed…
Similar population density means Russia’s coronavirus outbreak could hit Moscow with the same intensity as it has hit New York City, the epicenter of the United States’ outbreak, a top virologist has warned. The Russian capital has reported 13,002 out of Russia’s 21,102 coronavirus cases as of Tuesday, a fraction of the 106,763 confirmed cases…
Leonid Parfyonov is a one-of-a-kind television producer, host, writer, creator. His shows about recent history, “Namedni,” remain a landmark in Russian television, followed by films about the Pushkin Museum, The Russian Empire, and his three-part series, “Russian Jews. Parfyonov has planned a trilogy of trilogies, as it were, about three national groups that became part…
Erik Prince, a security contractor with close ties to U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, offered military services to Russia’s Wagner mercenary group in Libya and Mozambique earlier this year, investigative website The Intercept reported Monday. The Wagner Group, a sanctioned outfit with links to the Kremlin through a sanctioned catering magnate, has been reported to…
Russia has been seeing an increase in coronavirus infections despite a series of confinement measures, prompting President Vladimir Putin to warn of “extraordinary” scenarios. Here are five things to know about the epidemic in Russia: Where is the virus spreading? Moscow, with a population of more than 12 million people, is the coronavirus epicenter in…
After a deluge of imported coronavirus cases, a province in northeastern China is offering cash rewards of up to 5,000 yuan (700 USD) for help in catching people who illegally cross the Russian border. Weeks after the cancelling international flights and banning entry to foreigners, China is still struggling to contain a spike in imported…
Ukraine said Tuesday only small isolated fires remain at the scene of a blaze that erupted 10 days ago in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, scene of the world’s worst nuclear accident in 1986. “There is no open fire,” the emergency services said in a statement, adding that radiation levels are within the norm. Chernobyl polluted…
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has threatened an investigative journalist Monday for a “provocative” story on the Russian region’s strict anti-coronavirus measures, the independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper reported. The story, authored by Novaya Gazeta journalist Yelena Milashina, cited quarantined Chechens as saying Sunday that they stopped reporting coronavirus symptoms for fear of being labeled “terrorists.” Kadyrov…
A lack of aid for Moscow’s small and medium businesses hit by the coronavirus lockdown will lead to mass starvation and widespread protests, opposition lawmakers have reportedly warned Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. Moscow and its 12.7 million residents have been under lockdown since March 30, with all nonessential businesses and activities suspended until at least May…
As the new coronavirus that has killed more than 119,000 people worldwide continues to spread, Russia has stepped up its measures to slow the pandemic’s spread within its borders. There have been 21,102 cases of coronavirus infections reported in Russia so far and 170 deaths. MT The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Russia as of April 14.…