RN-Purneftegaz Introduces Unique Unmanned Complex
RN-Purneftegaz, an enterprise of Rosneft Oil Company’s oil and gas production complex, has introduced a unique unmanned complex for the purpose of aeromonitoring pipelines on its fields.
Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | March 11
As the new coronavirus that has killed more than 4,000 people continues to spread around the world, Russia has stepped up measures to tackle the pandemic, including closing most entry points along its 4,200-kilometer border with China, ordering people returning from high-risk areas to self-quarantine and temporarily banning Chinese citizens from entering the country. There…
Russia Labels European Democracy NGO ‘Undesirable’
Russia has declared the European Endowment for Democracy grant-making foundation an “undesirable” organization Wednesday, making it the 20th foreign group facing limitations for its work in the country. The European Union founded the Brussels-based EED in 2013 to support pro-democracy movements and independent media outside its borders that cannot obtain funding otherwise. “This organization’s activities…
Moscow to Build New $135M Coronavirus Hospital – Reports
Moscow plans to earmark 8.5 billion rubles ($135.7 million) for the construction of a new coronavirus hospital as the Russian capital continues to detect new cases, the Znak.com news website reported Wednesday. The funds will go toward constructing the building on the city’s outskirts and will not be used for the purchase of medical equipment, Znak…
Russian Lawmakers Adopt Putin’s Sweeping Constitutional Amendments
Russian lawmakers have backed a set of constitutional amendments Wednesday that would allow President Vladimir Putin to stay in power until 2036. Putin, who has dominated the Russian political landscape either as president or prime minister for the past 20 years, is constitutionally mandated to step down in 2024. He paved the way for running…
Putin Says Russian Economy Will Emerge ‘Stronger’ from Turbulence
President Vladimir Putin insisted on Wednesday that Russia will weather the economic storm triggered by its oil standoff with Saudi Arabia and come out “stronger.” “I am sure that Russia will get through this turbulent period with dignity, calmly,” Putin said during a meeting with investors. “There are all the chances for Russia’s key industrial sectors…
Tatler Becomes First Russian Magazine to Feature Trans Woman on Cover
Tatler has become Russia’s first magazine to feature a transgender woman on its cover, the society magazine announced as its April issue hit newsstands Wednesday. The Kazakh-born, Paris- and Moscow-based socialite Natalia Maximova came out to her Instagram followers in December. In the interview with Tatler’s chief editor, Maximova said she “never had the need…
Russia Finds Defects in Mars, Telecom Rockets – Vedomosti
Russia has detected defective parts in its Proton-M rockets that were set to launch Europe’s first rover on Mars and two communications satellites, the Vedomosti business daily reported Wednesday. The launch of Russia’s Express 80 and Express 103 satellites on one Proton-M rocket has now been rescheduled for late May instead of March due to…
‘Sekretiki’ at the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art
In the late Soviet period, urban children played a game called sekretiki — little secret treasures. Children — mostly little girls — would gather little objects: flowers, leaves, pretty candy wrappers, ribbons and the like. Then they would search for a nice piece of glass —part of a broken bottle, green, pale blue or transparent.…
U.S., Canadian Jets Intercept Russian Reconnaissance Aircraft
Two Russian military reconnaissance aircraft were intercepted and escorted for hours near Alaska by U.S. and Canadian air force jets, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said. The two Tu-142 maritime reconnaissance aircraft on Monday entered the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone, sparking the deployment of several NORAD aircraft including fighter jets, the command said.…
Russians Start Hoarding Food Over Coronavirus Fears
Russian consumers have begun panic-buying non-perishable food products over fears of the coronavirus pandemic, the Vedomosti business daily has reported. A total of 20 coronavirus cases have been reported in Russia, most of whom had recently returned from Italy, since the Covid-19 outbreak began in neighboring China in December. Demand for surgical masks has surged…
FBI Arrests Russian Accused of Heading Hacker ‘Storefront’
U.S. authorities have arrested a Russian national who ran a hacker “storefront” that took in at least $17 million by selling stolen personal data and other illegal products and services, according to court records. The FBI arrested Kirill Victorovich Firsov, described as “a Russian cyber hacker,” and the administrator of the deer.io platform “which catered to hackers,”…
‘President for Life’: Putin Opens Door to Extending Rule until 2036
In a whirlwind series of events on Tuesday, Russia’s lower house of parliament laid the groundwork for President Vladimir Putin, who first took office in 2000, to remain in the Kremlin until 2036. The move came as part of sweeping constitutional changes that Putin first announced in January and many saw as a ploy by…
MH17 Trial Postponed as Prosecution Slams Russian ‘Misinformation’
SCHIPHOL, The Netherlands — The presiding judge in the MH17 murder trial on Tuesday postponed the hearings until March 23, when the court will decide on how the trial should proceed following judical requests from the defense and relatives of the victims of the plane crash. Monday was the first day of the long awaited…
Baby Seal Rescued in Baltic Sea
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…
ROSATOM participates in the International Youth Nuclear Congress in Sydney
The official opening of the business program of the International Youth Nuclear Congress 2020 was held in Sydney on 9 March. ROSATOM as the Congress partner took part in the ceremony. The main theme for this year’s Congress is the diversity of people, technologies and scientific fields in the nuclear industry. Vadim Titov (Rusatom International…
ROSATOM organized a seminar within the scope of NPPES-2020 (Turkey) for the suppliers
4-5 March 2020, Turkey, Istanbul – ROSATOM organized a seminar for the suppliers of the Akkuyu NPP project within the scope of 7th Nuclear Power Plants Expo & Summit (NPPES-2020). Aleksandr Voronkov, Director of Rosatom Regional Centre in Middle East and North Africa; Arseniy Titov, Trade Manager of Rosatom Energy International JSC; Denis Sezemin, Akkuyu…
Trump Has Told Russia He Cannot Visit for Victory Day in May, Kremlin Says
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that the United States had told Moscow that U.S. President Donald Trump would not travel to Russia to mark Victory Day on May 9. Putin presides over an annual parade on May 9 to commemorate the Soviet Union’s World War Two victory over Nazi Germany and uses the occasion to show off…
Kremlin Says Trump Cannot Visit Russia for Victory Day in May
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…
Turkish, Russian Forces to Patrol Either Side of New Syrian Corridor
Turkey’s military will patrol to the north of a security corridor being set up around a highway in northwest Syria’s Idlib province and Russian forces will patrol the southern side, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday. Agreement on the corridor was part of a ceasefire deal reached by Turkey and Russia last week…
Russia Eyes Early Parliament Elections Amid Putin’s Power Shake-Up
Update: Karelin removed his amendment from consideration after Putin rejected the proposal in a surprise Duma speech. Russian lawmakers will consider holding early parliamentary elections this year, the speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament has said on the day of a key vote for President Vladimir Putin’s sweeping constitutional amendments Tuesday. The State Duma…
Russia’s Central Bank Steps Up To Support Ruble
Russia’s Central Bank has swept in to help support the Russian ruble and push the currency up from its four-year low against the U.S. dollar. The bank started selling foreign currency reserves — in other words, buying rubles — Tuesday, adding that it was “ready to use additional tools to maintain financial stability.” The ruble…
Hundreds of ‘Rabid’ Dogs and Cats Killed at Russian Shelter
Veterinarians in Far East Russia have put down around 200 stray animals who they said had come into contact with a rabid dog, authorities announced Monday. The news came after an animal rights group found empty dog and cat cages at the facility in the city of Yakutsk. They later discovered the carcasses of what…
Russian Stock Market Plunges, Oil Shares Hit Hard
The Russian stock market plunged 10% on opening Tuesday morning, following the rout on global financial markets Monday. Russia’s oil companies were hit hardest, with giants Rosneft and Lukoil leading the loserboard with falls of more than 10%. The fall appeared softer than traders had been anticipating, however, as the MOEX Index of leading Russian…
Russia Hires Britons for ‘Intelligence Operations’ – Guardian
The Russian government has allegedly hired British politicians, former intelligence officers and PR firms to advance its interests in Britain’s politics and form a “western buffer network,” The Guardian reported Monday. The claims are based on U.S.-born financier Bill Browder’s Sept. 2018 testimony submitted to the British parliament for its report on alleged Russian interference…
MH17 Trial Begins With Emotion and Legal Technicalities
SCHIPHOL, The Netherlands — In a crowded and heavily guarded court near Schiphol, the airport MH17 took off from six years ago, a murder trial opened against four men charged with the killing of 298 victims on the ill-fated flight. The first day of proceedings saw the head judge, the prosecutors and defense team present their…
Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | March 9
As the new coronavirus that has killed more than 3,000 people continues to spread around the world, Russia has stepped up measures to tackle the health risk, including closing most entry points along its 4,200-kilometer border with China, ordering people returning from high-risk areas to self-quarantine and temporarily banning Chinese citizens from entering the country. …
MH17 Trial Live Updates: March 9
SCHIPHOL, The Netherlands — A court in the Netherlands is conducting a landmark hearing to try to determine criminal responsibility for the downing of Flight MH17 six years ago. The Moscow Times is covering the MH17 trial live from the courtroom in The Netherlands. Follow along here: March 9 14.45: Oleg Pulatov’s defense team gives…
Russian Share Prices Collapse, Ruble and Oil Tumble
Leading Russian firms saw their share prices collapse Monday, as the fallout from Moscow rejecting an oil production pact with Saudi Arabia rocks global financial markets. Among the biggest losers were state-backed lenders Sberbank and VTB, which both plunged by more than 20% when European markets opened. Oil major Rosneft, also state-owned, recorded a 20%…
Russian Ruble Plummets Amid Oil Market Chaos
The Russian ruble plummeted almost 10% Monday, falling to its lowest level in more than four years, as oil prices crashed following the breakdown of the Russia-Saudi Arabia pact to limit production. The ruble was trading at 75 to $1 on Monday evening in Moscow — a 9.5% drop — after another wild start to…
Muscovites Ignoring Coronavirus Self-Isolation Rules Could Face Prison
Moscow city authorities threatened prison terms of up to five years on Sunday for people failing to self-isolate in their homes for two weeks after visiting countries hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak. The city government had announced a “high alert regime” and imposed extra measures on Thursday to prevent a spread of the illness…
Everything You Need to Know About the MH17 Trial
Tomorrow, a court in the Netherlands will start a landmark hearing to try to determine criminal responsibility for the downing of Flight MH17 six years ago, although it’s unlikely the suspects will appear in the dock. The war in eastern Ukraine between Kiev’s forces and pro-Russian separatists has claimed more than 13,000 casualties according to…
Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | March 8
As the new coronavirus that has killed more than 3,000 people continues to spread around the world, Russia has stepped up measures to tackle the health risk, including closing most entry points along its 4,200-kilometer border with China and temporarily banning Chinese citizens from entering the country. There have been 15 cases of coronavirus infections…
Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | March 7
As the new coronavirus that has killed more than 3,000 people continues to spread around the world, Russia has stepped up measures to tackle the health risk, including closing most entry points along its 4,200-kilometer border with China and temporarily banning Chinese citizens from entering the country. Russia has a total of 17 confirmed coronavirus…
Russia Confirms Four New Coronavirus Cases
Four new cases of coronavirus have been identified in Russia, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported Saturday. The new cases take the total number of people who have been infected with coronavirus in Russia to 17, three of whom have since recovered. Three of the four live in Lipetsk, a city 250 miles south of…
Russia Confirms 4 New Coronavirus Cases
Four new cases of coronavirus have been identified in Russia, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported Saturday. The new cases take the total number of people who have been infected with coronavirus in Russia to 17, three of whom have since recovered. Three of the four live in Lipetsk, a city 460 kilometers south…
Women’s Day: 5 Russian Women You Haven’t Heard of But Should Have
Everyone knows Maria Sharapova and Catherine the Great, but what about some of the singers, scientists, artists, and other brilliant women who have left an indelible mark on Russian and Soviet history? This Women’s Day, we bring you five lesser-known Russian women whose legacies continue to inspire. Anna German, 1970s TASS Anna German (1937-1982) One…
Two Russians Arrested for Assassination Attempt on Chechen Dissident Blogger
Two Russian citizens have been arrested in Sweden suspected of a hammer attack last month on a blogger critical of Chechen strongman leader Ramzan Kadyrov, media reported Saturday. A district court in the central Swedish town of Gavle on Friday ordered a Russian woman in her thirties held in custody, suspected of being an accessory…
‘The Shadow in the East’
Restive Russian-speaking minorities, contentious memory politics, and turbulent Europeanization. No, we are not talking about Ukraine, but the Baltic states: Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia, and these are just some of the themes that Aliide Naylor covers in “The Shadow in the East: Vladimir Putin and the New Baltic Front.” In this riveting debut, Naylor combines…
Russia-Saudi Oil Alliance Under Pressure as Moscow Rejects Production Cuts
OPEC and its allies failed to reach a deal on oil production cuts on Friday, after Moscow refused to tighten supply to counter the effects of the coronavirus outbreak. The day before, OPEC ministers had recommended reducing output by 1.5 million barrels per day in face of the global slowdown caused by the epidemic and…
Putin Says Will Not Bend Law to Extend Grip on Power
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday he would not bend the law to extend his term in power and is seeking to amend the constitution to secure the country’s future for decades to come. Speculation has swirled over the 67-year-old president’s future after he unleashed a political storm in January by proposing major constitutional changes.…
Russia’s Tinkoff Bank Shares Fall as Founder Indicted in U.S.
Shares of Russian businessman Oleg Tinkov’s credit card supplier TCS plummeted Friday after the U.S. Department of Justice charged its founder with fraud and demanded his extradition from Britain. Shares of TCS (Tinkoff Credit Systems) group were showing a loss of more than 17%t on the London Stock Exchange and 24% on the Moscow Exchange…
Putin Critic Navalny Takes Russia to European Court Over Money Laundering Case
Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny lodged a complaint against Russia at the European Court of Human Rights on Friday to contest a money-laundering investigation he says authorities have opened to thwart his political activities. Russian investigators opened the case against Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation last August after he called on people to attend rallies that grew…
Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | March 6
As the new coronavirus that has killed more than 3,000 people continues to spread around the world, Russia has stepped up measures to tackle the health risk, including closing most entry points along its 4,200-kilometer border with China and temporarily banning Chinese citizens from entering the country. Russia has a total of seven confirmed coronavirus…
Gazprom and OMV introducing amendments to asset sale deal
Background OMV AG is Gazprom’s main partner in Austria. The companies cooperate in gas production, transportation and supplies. On October 3, 2018, Gazprom and OMV signed the Basic Agreement on Asset Sale. In accordance with the document, OMV will obtain a 24.98 per cent stake in the project for developing Blocks 4A and 5A in the Achimov formations of the Urengoyskoye field. As a result, the Gazprom Group’s stake in the project will…
Alcohol Deaths Plummet as ‘Warmest Winter’ Hits Russia
Experts are attributing a sharp drop in the number of deaths from alcohol poisoning in Russia to the unseasonably warm winter. Some 619 people died from alcohol poisoning in January 2020, down 37.3% from January 2019, Russia’s National Center for Alcohol Policy Development said Thursday. The past winter was the warmest since records began in…
On This Day Valentina Tereshkova, the First Woman in Space, Was Born
Today marks the 83rd birthday of Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space. She remains the youngest woman to ever venture into space (at age 26) and the only woman to embark upon a solo mission. Tereshkova was born in 1937 in the Yaroslavl region. Her parents were collective farmers, although her father would die…
Russian Women Are Ready to Reclaim Once-Forbidden Jobs
Yevgenia Markova dreamed of being a truck driver all her life. There was just one problem — working as one would have been against the law. “I’ve loved everything that can be driven since childhood — cars, river boats, trains. But these were all forbidden,” she told The Moscow Times. For decades, women in Russia…
Russian Game Designer Launches Political Party
Before Vyacheslav Makarov announced in January he was leaving gaming, few could have expected the man who helped create the mega-hit World of Tanks wanted a career in Russian politics. Yet on the sidelines of a digital technologies conference in Moscow on Thursday, the 40-year-old online gaming legend launched his latest creation: the Direct Democracy…
2 Out of 3 Russians Opposed to Female President – Poll
Two-thirds of Russians would not be happy to have a woman as president, the state-funded VTsIOM polling agency said Friday ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8. Some 68% of people surveyed said they opposed a female president, up from 61% in an identical VTsIOM’s poll in 2016. The pollster noted that both male…
Russia Unveils Arctic Ambitions With 2035 Strategy
Russia is hoping to lure more people to live in the Arctic with promises of payouts and infrastructure development in the environmentally vulnerable territory, according to its 15-year strategy published Thursday. The Kremlin document on the “foundations of state policy in the Arctic to 2035”, signed by President Vladimir Putin, set out its policy plans for…
Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | March 5
As the new coronavirus that has killed more than 3,000 people continues to spread around the world, Russia has stepped up measures to tackle the health risk, including closing most entry points along its 4,200-kilometer border with China and temporarily banning Chinese citizens from entering the country. Russia has a total of seven confirmed coronavirus…
Turkey, Russia Agree Ceasefire in Syria’s Idlib
Turkey and Russia announced a ceasefire in northern Syria on Thursday, agreeing to end weeks of heavy fighting that sparked a humanitarian disaster and raised fears of their armies clashing. After more than six hours of talks in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed on the ceasefire to take…
Coronavirus Hits Russian Tourism for $400M Loss
Russia’s tourism sector has already taken a 27 billion ruble ($406 million) hit from the impact of coronavirus, the head of the Russian Association of Tour Operators said on Thursday in a plea for government support. The coronavirus outbreak has caused havoc across the global travel industry as companies restrict employee trips, airlines axe flights,…
OPEC Backs Biggest Oil Cut Since 2008 Crisis, Awaits Russia
OPEC agreed on Thursday to cut oil output by an extra 1.5 million barrels per day (BPD) in the second quarter of 2020 to support prices that have been hit by the coronavirus outbreak but made its action conditional on Russia and others joining in. The oil demand outlook has been pummelled by global measures…
ROSATOM presents new type of SMR during Africa Energy Indaba Forum
On March 3d, 2020, ROSATOM participated in Africa Energy Indaba Forum, which was hosted in Cape Town, South Africa. Ryan Collyer, acting CEO of Rosatom Central and Southern Africa highlighted the global shift towards nuclear, not only in the energy sector but also to address a myriad of other issues. His speech was focused on…
Arnold Schwarzenegger Sues Russian Robot Maker Over Lookalike
Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger is suing Russia’s robot maker Promobot for using his likeness without permission, the TMZ tabloid reported Wednesday. Schwarzenegger’s company is demanding $10 million in damages, as well as profits made off the lookalike robot and other expenses, according to TMZ. It also reportedly wants an injunction blocking Promobot from using the…
Russia and Turkey Scramble to Avoid Conflict. And What do U.S. Democratic Primaries Mean for Moscow?
This week on the podcast: — The leaders of Russia and Turkey meet in Moscow on Thursday in a bid to de-escalate fighting in Syria which has brought the two countries to the brink of direct military confrontation. It is the latest episode in a fraught nine-year civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands,…
Atommash manufactured the first set of steam generator vessels for Unit 1 of Rooppur NPP (Bangladesh)
Volgodonsk Branch of AEM-technology’s Atommash (belongs to the engineering division of ROSATOM – Atomenergomash) performed the fit up and welding of set of steam generators for Unit 1 of Rooppur NPP (Bangladesh). Steam Generator is a heat exchanger, it is part of a reactor plant and belongs to products of the first safety class. The…
Russian Planes Targeted in Wave of Bomb Threats
Three Russian passenger planes flying domestic routes on Thursday were targeted with anonymous bomb threats while airborne, local media said. Anonymous messages were passed to emergency services and a Moscow airport warning that the planes had a bomb on board, Russian news agencies said. One plane was flying from Saint Petersburg to the Crimean city…