President Vladimir Putin announced the extension of Russia’s nationwide “non-working week” until April 30 after the country registered a sharp increase in coronavirus cases on Thursday. Confirmed coronavirus cases in Russia spiked overnight with 771 new cases registered across the country, bringing official totals to 3,548 infections and 30 deaths. Speaking in a televised address,…
Zaryadye Hall, Moscow’s newest and perhaps best hall accoustically, is shuttered like every other public building in the city. But that doesn’t mean their program has been halted. There are plenty of concerts and performances that were taped and are available online on the hall YouTube channel. But some of the musicians who had planned…
A 36-year-old Russian journalist died from the coronavirus this week, authorities said on Thursday two days after her passing, drawing criticism for allegedly withholding the news. Anastasia Petrova, chief editor of the Delovoy Interes business weekly in the city of Perm 1,400 kilometers east of Moscow, was hospitalized with pneumonia on March 24. Regional health…
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’s small businesses have temporarily shuttered their doors as the city cracks down on the coronavirus pandemic — but many owners fear that they won’t be able to bounce back once the health crisis is over. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin imposed an indefinite partial lockdown starting Monday to slow the fast-spreading coronavirus, ordering the city’s 12…
“This is your chance to help people who need to stay at home now to be safe,” says Russian actor Nikita Kukushkin in a video watched by more than 300,000 people. Kukushkin shows what he’s doing to help his neighbors: leaving canned and packaged food in a bag for anyone to take, asking them to…
Russia’s top football clubs are losing around one billion rubles a week ($12.8 million) as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. All sporting events in Russia have been canceled and the Russian Premier League season has been suspended until at least 31 May. Business daily RBC reported that the 16 clubs in Russia’s top league…
Moscow, 1 April 2020 – Rusatom-Additive Technologies (RusAT, a subsidiary of ROSATOMs fuel company TVEL) has produced prototypes and is prepared to start 3D printing valves for Venturi oxygen masks – an important component of ventilators. The need for these valves has increased substantially due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. RusAT’s production facilities have…
Russia could close to the public or reschedule its annual parade in Red Square that commemorates the Soviet victory in World War II due to the coronavirus pandemic, the RBC news website reported Thursday. Russia marks Victory Day every May 9 with military parades and processions across the country, with Moscow’s massive parade as the…
What might have sounded like a dystopian scenario at the start of the year could become reality in Moscow very soon. Under a proposed system to fight the spread of the coronavirus, every trip outside — from buying essentials to walking the dog — will have to be approved in advance by the authorities. Mayor…
Russia sent a military plane carrying protective gear and ventilators to the United States on Wednesday to help the country battle the deadly coronavirus outbreak. Shortly after, the U.S. said it purchased the medical supplies from Russia, the State Department said Wednesday, contradicting the Kremlin’s initial description of the shipment as humanitarian aid. Who really paid…
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 47,000 people worldwide continues to spread, Russia has stepped up its measures to tackle the pandemic and prevent its spread within the country. There have been 3,548 cases of coronavirus infections reported in Russia so far and 30 deaths. MT The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Russia as…
Russia’s officially reported numbers — which are still smaller than those in European countries — have sparked suspicion. Experts warn that Russia’s testing capacity is hampered by bureaucracy, while officials warn that the real number of cases is likely much higher. Most of Russia’s cases are in Moscow. Last week, Moscow changed the way it…
Russia could extend President Vladimir Putin’s weeklong paid time off for another week as it looks to fight the deadly coronavirus outbreak, the Kommersant business daily reported Thursday. Putin declared a “non-working week” from March 28 to April 5 to encourage Russians to stay home and slow the spread of coronavirus, which has infected 2,777…
Both houses of Russia’s parliament swiftly approved legislation Tuesday imposing severe punishments for spreading false information about the coronavirus and breaking quarantine rules as most regions have gone into lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus. President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday signed the bills — which include provisions for more accessible medication — into law,…
Russia has earmarked almost $18 billion to battle the coronavirus pandemic, the prime minister said Wednesday as Moscow imposed a strict lockdown. The finance ministry “has reserved 1.4 trillion rubles ($17.8 billion) in all for fighting the spread of the coronavirus and carrying out anti-crisis measures,” Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin told President Vladimir Putin during…
The republic of Chechnya will close its internal borders this Sunday, becoming the first Russian region to bar entry to fellow citizens as novel coronavirus cases slowly spread across the world’s largest country. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov announced on Instagram that his region will ban entry into and exit from Chechnya by land or air…
As Russia closed its borders and moved toward increasingly strict self-isolation measures, its post-Soviet neighbors have taken a wide range of approaches to the rapidly spreading coronavirus pandemic, from relaxed to high-alert. Here’s a look at how some of the post-Soviet republics, where 4,375 people have been infected across 12 countries as of Wednesday, are…
Yekaterina Shergova is scared. Her sick children’s charity Podari Zhizn — Russian for Gift of Life — has already seen donations drop since the start of the coronavirus outbreak and she fears she will have to turn down requests for medical support, care and drugs for children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Shergova, 45,…
Russia has sent coronavirus test kits, masks and protective gear to coronavirus-hit countries around the world even as it grapples with an outbreak of the pandemic at home, a move that observers say is linked to the Kremlin’s geopolitical ambitions. The fast-spreading virus has infected over 870,000 people and killed 43,000 across the globe. The…
The Moscow city site has dedicated a new section to “Museum Moscow” where almost 40 museums in the city have uploaded images of part of their collections. The museums range in subject matter from several major art museums, such as the Moscow Museum of Conteporary Art and the Glazunov Gallery, to house museums of writers…
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has decided to handle his duties remotely, the Kremlin said Wednesday, after the head of the country’s main coronavirus hospital tested positive following a meeting with the president. Denis Protsenko, who met with Putin last week as the Russian leader visited the Kommunarka hospital in Moscow, said Tuesday he had been…
Moscow, a bustling city of 12 million people, has become a ghost town amid the coronavirus pandemic. As Russia tries to keep the coronavirus from spreading, the capital has been placed under strict indefinite quarantine. Muscovites may only leave their homes to buy groceries, go to the pharmacy, take out the trash or walk their…
The number of coronavirus infections in Russia’s republic of Komi has increased steadily since the first case was confirmed on March 16. Regional health authorities now say that a total of 54 people are confirmed to be carriers of the virus. This number is among highest number in the country. Only the Moscow region, St. Petersburg…
Moscow authorities have developed a QR code system to allow residents to leave their homes as well as a smartphone app to monitor coronavirus patients’ movement in self-isolation, the city’s IT chief said Wednesday after tech experts raised privacy questions. Moscow enacted an indefinite citywide self-isolation order on Monday, requiring its 12 million residents to…
As the new coronavirus that has killed more than 42,000 people worldwide continues to spread, Russia has stepped up its measures to tackle the pandemic and prevent its spread within the country. There have been 2,777 cases of coronavirus infections reported in Russia so far and 24 deaths. MT The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Russia as…
Russia’s officially reported numbers — which are still smaller than those in European countries — have sparked suspicion. Experts warn that Russia’s testing capacity is hampered by bureaucracy, while officials warn that the real number of cases is likely much higher. Most of Russia’s cases are in Moscow. Last week, Moscow changed the way it…
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,…
Rights campaigners are urging the Russian government to consider releasing some pre-trial detainees and prisoners held in the country’s packed jails, warning of the “devastating consequences” of the coronavirus pandemic. More than half a million people are held in Russia’s notoriously crowded prisons in what is the European continent’s largest prison population. In a letter Tuesday…
Many of us have heard of Sergei Bondarchuk’s sweeping adaptation of Tolstoy’s “War and Peace,” but few of us have watched it in its (admittedly enormous) entirety. With the days of quarantine stretching out before us, what better way to spend 7 hours than indulging in one of the most groundbreaking feats of Soviet cinematography? …
The truth is in the eye of the beholder. Italians who have received extensive coverage in Russian state media for playing the Russian anthem or waving the Russian flag in gratitude to Moscow’s coronavirus aid have either family or financial connections to Russia, BBC Russia reported Tuesday. Critics have argued that the package of decontamination…
The head of Moscow’s main coronavirus hospital who met with President Vladimir Putin a week ago has tested positive, he said Tuesday, as the Kremlin announced the Russian leader’s health was fine. Last Tuesday Denis Protsenko met with the Russian leader who inspected the Kommunarka hospital while wearing a bright yellow hazmat suit. But the…
This week more than 80 units of military hardware rolled out of their compounds in the Kola Peninsula to participate in exercises, the Northern Fleet informs. The exercises involved motorized infantry units of the Northern Fleet’s Arctic Brigade, and included military equipment such as self-propelled Gvozdika howitzers, the Strela-10 anti-aircraft missile system, and MTLB armored transport…
As many as 300 Central Asian migrants hoping to return home from Russia because of the coronavirus pandemic were kicked out of Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport overnight, according to reports on social media Tuesday. Migrant workers from Central Asia have been stranded in unsanitary conditions at Moscow’s four international airports for weeks after airlines canceled flights…
Authorities in Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi have imposed strict measures to keep tourists away from the city as locals expressed concern that visitors could bring an outbreak of the coronavirus with them. President Vladimir Putin declared a nationwide paid holiday from March 28 to April 5 in a move to tackle the coronavirus…
As Russia’s battle against the coronavirus steps up with strict quarantines being rolled out across major cities, a new report has shown that six in 10 Russians have no savings at all. Otkritie Bank found that only 36% of Russians have a financial cushion, with the rest reporting no savings whatsoever. The findings raise concerns…
Last week St. Petersburg governor Alexander Beglov asked Russians to stay out of the city. “Movie theaters, theaters and other venues are closed. There is nothing to do here,” he said on March 21 during his visit to the coronavirus information center in St. Petersburg. Despite his warnings and quarantine measures, street life last week…
The call came just after 9 pm on a Monday, as Nataliya Kharitonova was heading into one of her two textile factories to take stock of supplies. Kharitonova, 40, founded Tekstil Komi 18 years ago in Syktyvkar, the capital city of the republic of Komi in Russia’s northwest. The company produces household linens — pillows,…
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 — both of which are…
Russia and other countries have sent medical aid to the United States, the hardest-hit country in the deadly coronavirus outbreak, U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday. Russia previously sent decontamination units and military medical staff to coronavirus-hit Italy, raising questions over whether the move was an attempt at a publicity coup at home and abroad…
As the new coronavirus that has killed more than 37,000 people worldwide continues to spread, Russia has stepped up its measures to tackle the pandemic and prevent its spread within the country. There have been 1,836 cases of coronavirus infections reported in Russia so far and nine deaths. MT The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Russia…
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday urged Moscow’s 12 million residents to respect a strict new lockdown, as other parts of the country began to introduce similar steps to curb the coronavirus outbreak. The enforcement of the new rules, which Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin suddenly announced late Sunday, coincided with the beginning of a “non-working”…
Moscow’s mayor has asked for the Russian government’s help in getting private clinics to provide beds for coronavirus patients, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported Monday. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, who sits on Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin’s coronavirus coordinating council, named hospital beds and the national healthcare system’s mobilization as top priorities in the…
Yevgeny Vakhtangov was one of the great lights of the Russian theater world, a good friend of Mikhail Chekhov, and influenced by both Konstantin Stanislavsky and Vsevolod Meyerhold. From Vladikavkaz, the son of an Armenian father and Russian mother, he came to Moscow and attended Moscow State University before joining the Moscow Art Theater in…
Police officers armed with plastic pipes in Russia’s republic of Chechnya are patrolling the streets to observe compliance with the region’s coronavirus quarantine, Russian media reported this weekend. The majority Muslim region enacted a strict quarantine Saturday with steep fines for venturing outside. Videos that circulated online starting late Friday showed police convoys advising residents…
Today marks the 153rd anniversary of the Alaska Purchase, in which Russia sold Alaska to the United States for 7.2 million USD, or roughly 2 cents per acre. Russians are speculated to have first reached Alaska in the 1600s, when commercial fur trappers traversed Siberia and arrived on the North American continent. Regular trapping expeditions…
Young people make up a majority of Moscow’s new Covid-19 patients, the city’s coronavirus crisis center said Monday as Russia set another one-day record in new cases of the deadly disease. Russia confirmed 302 new coronavirus infections on Monday, bringing the country’s official number of cases up to 1,836, with nine deaths. Moscow accounted for…
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin’s announcement of an indefinite citywide quarantine to limit the spread of the coronavirus has prompted debates over whether his strict measures are legal. Sobyanin imposed restrictions on movement starting Monday and said that authorities will enforce the new self-isolation rules through “smart monitoring” and a system of special passes. The isolation…
The beatings started for Angelina a few months after she married and only got worse as time went by. Last Wednesday afternoon, she grabbed all she could carry and took a taxi with her two young sons to a relative’s cramped flat on the outskirts of Moscow. Her husband, a postman, was out of the…
As the new coronavirus that has killed more than 33,000 people continues to spread around the world, Russia has stepped up its measures to tackle the pandemic and prevent its spread within the country. There have been 1,534 cases of coronavirus infections reported in Russia so far and nine deaths. MT The number of confirmed coronavirus cases…
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 — both of which are…
Moscow authorities will enforce its citywide quarantine using QR codes assigned to residents as passes to leave their homes, the Meduza news website reported Sunday, citing a source close to the Russian capital’s coronavirus crisis center. The partial lockdown in the city of 12.7 million came into force Monday, allowing Muscovites to leave their homes…
March 30, 2020 Further to reports on Friday 27th March that one of Severstal’s employees was being tested for COVID-19, the Company updates that the employee’s test results have now come back positive, confirming that he has the virus. Seven further employees with whom the confirmed case had been in contact are now also suspected…
Moscow will enact an indefinite citywide quarantine starting Monday, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said as the city’s number of coronavirus cases surpassed 1,000 over the weekend. The self-isolation order will apply to all residents regardless of age. According to the decree, Moscow residents will only be allowed to leave their homes for: Emergency medical care; Traveling…
The head of Russia‘s Orthodox Church exhorted believers on Sunday to pray from their homes in the latest call from religious leaders around the world to avoid gatherings that could help the coronavirus’ spread. Russia has been relatively lightly hit so far, with nine deaths and 1,534 cases, but it recorded 270 new infections in the last…
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Sunday that the coronavirus outbreak had entered a new phase as the total number of cases in the Russian capital exceeded 1,000 with many Muscovites going out despite a plea to stay home. Authorities in Moscow, Russia‘s worst-affected area, shut shops and entertainment venues from Saturday and urged Muscovites to stay…
As the new coronavirus that has killed more than 30,000 people continues to spread around the world, Russia has stepped up its measures to tackle the pandemic and prevent its spread within the country. There have been 1,534 cases of coronavirus infections reported in Russia so far and eight deaths. MT The number of confirmed coronavirus cases…
Russia’s officially reported numbers — which are still smaller than those in European countries — have sparked suspicion as they spiked in the past week. Experts warn that Russia’s testing capacity is hampered by bureaucracy, while officials warn that the real number of cases is likely much higher. Most of the cases are in Moscow.…
Russia will close all border crossings on March 30, the government said on Saturday, tightening restrictions after the country reported its biggest one-day rise in new coronavirus cases. The authorities said they so far had recorded 1,264 confirmed cases, an increase of 228 in 24 hours, and ordered that all vehicle, rail and pedestrian checkpoints,…