Author: admin
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Putin Aide’s Assistant Detained on Treason Charges
An assistant to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aide in the Urals has been detained on suspicion of state treason, news outlets have reported Friday. The Federal Security Service (FSB) said earlier in the day it had taken Alexander Vorobyov into custody on treason charges on Thursday. He faces 12-20 years in prison and fines up to…
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On This Day: The Battle of Kursk Begins
On July 5, 1943, the largest tank battle in history began near the southern city of Kursk. Over the course of the war, the Soviet lines had bulged into German-held territory near Kursk. This bulge or salient was 250 kilometers long from north to south and 160 kilometers wide. The Nazi army planned Operation Citadel…
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Putin Bestows Top State Honors on Sailors Killed in Submarine Fire
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday bestowed top state honors on 14 sailors killed in a fire on a secret nuclear submarine in recognition of what the Russian military has called their outstanding bravery. The sailors were killed on Monday when a fire broke out while their deep-water research submarine was carrying out a survey…
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NATO Says There Is No Breakthrough With Russia on INF Treaty Dispute
NATO and Russia did not make significant progress on saving the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) in talks at the alliance headquarters on Friday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. Barring a last-minute decision by Russia to destroy a new medium-range missile that NATO says violates the INF, the United States is set to pull out…
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The Balakovo NPP has successfully passed the international safety check
The Partnership verification held by the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) has been successfully completed at the Balakovo NPP. Such missions are initiated by nuclear power plants all around the world in order to advance their safety and reliability. This was the fifth partnership verification for the Balakovo NPP, with the preceding ones taking…
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Super-Secret Russian Submarine Will Be Repaired and Returned to Service
Sergey Shoigu met with President Putin on Thursday morning after visiting Severomorsk, the Northern Fleet headquarters on Wednesday. According to the defense minister, the special purpose submarine can be fully restored and returned to service. “The constructors of the vessel and industry representatives have been engaged in order to estimate the work volume and time…
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Moscow Unveils Plans for ‘Europe’s Tallest’ Apartment Tower
The race to claim Europe’s tallest buildings is on, and it’s being fought on Russian soil. Moscow City Hall has announced plans on Friday to build the tallest apartment tower in Europe a year after the city lost its claim to Europe’s tallest building to St. Petersburg. Officials say the 101-story “One Tower” will stand…
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Russia’s Bid to Win a Firmer Foothold in Ukraine Is Falling Flat
Russian efforts to boost influence over Ukraine at its neighbor’s election this month are making little headway. Ties between the one-time allies remain at a nadir after protesters in Kiev unseated the country’s Kremlin-backed leader in 2014 and Vladimir Putin annexed Crimea before fomenting a war in which he still denies involvement. That’s left Ukraine…
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Gazprom Transgaz Tomsk sums up results of Green Spring 2019 cleanup action
News from projects and regions July 5, 2019, 12:45 On July 4, the results of the activities held as part of the Green Spring 2019 national environmental cleanup were summarized at Gazprom Transgaz Tomsk. The company implemented 99 environmental initiatives, and over 2,000 employees took part in the events organized within the Green Spring action. All 14 regions where Gazprom Transgaz Tomsk is present…
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Putin’s Approval Rating Steadily Increases to 68%, Survey Says
President Vladimir Putin’s approval rating has grown in recent months but remains at pre-Crimean annexation lows, an independent Levada Center polling agency survey said on Friday. Putin’s approval ratings have hovered in the mid-to-low 60s since he enacted unpopular reforms gradually increasing Russians’ retirement ages last summer. Putin’s job approval has climbed to 68 percent…
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Russia to Press Ahead With Release of Captive Whales Despite Outcry
Russian research scientists defended the way they released eight whales back into the wild last week and said on Thursday they would release scores more of the captive animals in the same way despite anger from environmental groups. Russia returned two killer and six beluga whales to their natural habitat in the Sea of Okhotsk…
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Putin, Visiting Italy, Says Wants Rome to Help Mend Moscow-EU Ties
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he hoped Italy would battle to restore fully fledged relations between the European Union and Russia and help persuade the bloc’s new leadership that sanctions on Moscow were counter-productive. Putin, speaking at a news conference after holding talks with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in Rome, said Russia…
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Russian Workers Rap Against Sanctions, Protest at U.S. Envoy’s Residence
Factory workers from U.S. sanctions-hit van maker GAZ performed an anti-sanctions rap song and staged a picket outside the U.S. Embassy in Moscow during its July Fourth celebration. Workers from GAZ’s Yaroslavl factory had this week filmed a music video for the anti-sanctions song, which uses the beat from rapper Coolio’s 1990s hit “Gangsta’s Paradise.”…
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Russia Certifies European University at St. Petersburg’s Master’s Programs
Russia’s state education watchdog has issued accreditation to one of the country’s leading private universities’ master’s degree programs after a three-year lapse. The watchdog, Rosobrnadzor, stripped the European University at St. Petersburg (EUSP) of its accreditation and revoked its license over building code violations in 2016, taking over its main campus in early 2018. It restored…
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Opposition Barred From St. Petersburg Election Ahead of Vote
Opposition politicians are facing mounting challenges from officials in St. Petersburg in getting on the ballot ahead of local elections this fall, Russian media outlets have reported. Voters in over a dozen Russian regions and cities, including St. Petersburg, will head to the polls in September to elect their executive and legislative representatives. Observers have…
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Russia Protests Over G20 Map Showing Disputed Islands as Japan’s
Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a formal diplomatic protest to Japan after accusing Tokyo of circulating a map at its G20 summit showing a disputed island chain as Japanese territory, the ministry’s spokeswoman said on Thursday. The islands — known as the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kuriles in Russia — have been…
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Floating Nuclear Power Plant Will Be Key Element on Northern Sea Route
The construction and testing of Russia’s first power plant are declared completed. On Thursday morning the installation was officially handed over from Baltic Yard to Rosatom. At the ceremony, representatives of two Russian state companies signed a document saying that the Akademik Lomonosov passed all necessary tests and successfully met requirements. “It marks a significant…
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Sergey Kupriyanov appointed Head of Department 106 – Press Secretary to Chairman of Gazprom Management Committee
Release July 4, 2019, 15:10 Sergey Kupriyanov has been appointed Head of Department 106 – Press Secretary to Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, effective July 9, 2019. Sergey Kupriyanov has been employed with Gazprom since 2003. In his previous post at the Company, he served as Press Secretary to Chairman of the Management Committee – Deputy Head of Department 106. Alexander Bespalov, former Head of Department 106, has…
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Chinese Oil Drillers Are Back in Russian Arctic
The 15,469-ton installation earlier called “Nan Hai Ba Hao” has been discharged from a heavy-lift vessel Red Zed I and is now ready to start working in the Kola Bay. According to the Russian port management authority Rosmorport, the operation was conducted on June 30 and included complicated navigational exercises. The rig will be located…
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It’s Too Early to Talk About Retirement, Putin Says
Vladimir Putin is too busy to think about what happens after his presidency comes to an end. Questions of succession have surrounded the year 2024, when current law requires Putin to step down after two consecutive terms. Observers have speculated that he could keep a grip on power through possible integration with neighboring close ally…
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Russia’s HIV Epidemic is Growing, Affecting Older Citizens — Watchdog
HIV infections are on the rise and are increasingly affecting Russia’s older population, according to a consumer watchdog report cited by the RBC news website. More than 1.2 million people live with HIV in Russia, a figure experts say is likely underreported and that the World Health Organization warns is at risk of spinning out…
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Rosneft publishes Sustainability Report for 2018
Rosneft published Sustainability Report following the results of 2018. The Report was prepared in accordance with the sustainable development reporting standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI standards) to be able to focus on the most significant areas of sustainable development as seen by the stakeholders. The report contains a number of topics related to…
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Russia to Slash Soviet-Era List of Off-Limits Jobs for Women, Media Reports
Women in Russia will be allowed to work as truck drivers and serve in the navy under new rules taking effect in 2021, the RBC news website reported Thursday. The Russian government bans women from holding 456 jobs in 38 industries that entail physically strenuous tasks or harmful working conditions. The restrictions have been unchanged…
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Russia Confirms Submarine Hit by Deadly Fire Was Nuclear-Powered
Russian President Vladimir Putin disclosed on Thursday for the first time that a secret military submarine hit by a fatal fire three days ago was nuclear-powered, prompting Russia‘s defense minister to assure him its reactor had been safely contained. Russian officials have faced accusations of trying to cover up the full details of the accident that…
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Putin Meets Pope Francis in Shadow of Ukraine Crisis, Arrives Late
Russian President Vladimir Putin met Pope Francis on Thursday, a day before Ukraine’s Catholic leaders were due at the Vatican to discuss their country’s crisis, and amid speculation that his visit could be a prelude to the first trip by a pope to Russia. “Thank you for the time you have dedicated to me,” Putin…
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Russians Buying Up Georgian, Turkish Property Despite Brewing Tensions
Russians are buying up property in neighboring Georgia and in Turkey despite political tensions, according to research cited by Russia’s Kommersant business daily. Demand for foreign real estate among Russians has surged by 70 percent between 2016 and 2018, with Bulgaria, Turkey and Spain grabbing top spots. Experts say tight Western sanctions at home combined…
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Sprawling Siberia Floods Wreck Young Family’s Home
Svetlana Semyonova, 32, returned to her devastated home after abandoning it last week as a flood was sweeping through the region to find furniture broken, her daughters’ Disney wallpaper sodden and debris everywhere. “It’s all destroyed,” said Semyonova on Tuesday standing in her children’s room, gesturing at a pile of furniture she will have to…
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Musicians To Watch: Winners of the Tchaikovsky Competition
The 16th International Tchaikovsky Competition ended this year with the largest pool of competitors, unquestionably brilliant performances, and one organizational error that a young pianist will never forget. This year’s Grand Prix winner was Alexandre Kantorow from France, a pianist of mesmerizing talent. He won the first prize and the gold medal in the piano…
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Siberians Rescue Pets From Historic Floods With Amphibious Tank
The Noah’s Ark of 21st-century Russia is a tank. Modern-day saviors in Siberia are roaming the aquatic streets aboard an armored vehicle in search of animal survivors of the floods that hit the Irkutsk region. Widely shared videos show rescuers navigating the waters on an amphibious armored scout car and catching animals perched atop destroyed…
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Top Russian Legislator Warns Against Return of Neocolonialism in Africa
Neocolonialism should never set foot on the African continent again, Russia’s leading legislator has said at a parliamentary forum ahead of President Vladimir Putin’s first Russia-Africa summit this fall. Russia has expanded its presence in Africa since 2014, with at least 20 military cooperation deals signed since Western nations sanctioned Russia for annexing Crimea. Yevgeny…
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Two Russian Warships Sail Into Norwegian Sea Ahead of NATO Drills
The Boiky and Stoiky, two of Russia’s newest naval vessels, jointly engaged in training exercises for the search, detection and destruction of conditional enemy submarines in the Norwegian Sea, the Russian Navy said. The ships applied their anti-submarine armament and tested air-defense systems as part of the training. It was part of a longer voyage,…
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The 5 Deadliest Submarine Accidents in Soviet and Russian History
Fourteen submariners on board a Russian deep-sea research vessel were killed in a fire while surveying the sea floor off the country’s Arctic coast on Monday. The accident is far from the first deadly submarine accident to take place in Russia, where such tragedies have a long history. news What We Know About Russia’s Deadly…
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Putin Signs Law Suspending INF Disarmament Treaty
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Dutch Leader Reports ‘Confidential’ MH17 Discussion With Putin
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has said that he addressed the downing of Flight MH17 with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit last week. Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down by a missile in July 2014 over territory held by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine as it was flying from Amsterdam to…
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Critics Accuse Russia of Covering Up Nuclear Sub Fire, Compare to Chernobyl
Russian commentators have challenged officials for not releasing full details about an accident on board a military submarine that killed 14 sailors. The incident took place on Monday, according to the Defense Ministry, but was not officially disclosed until late on Tuesday. Nearly two days on, there was still no word on whether the submarine…
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Rosneft and BP Support Britten-Shostakovich Festival Orchestra
Marking the UK-Russia Year of Music in 2019, Rosneft and BP have agreed to support the creation of a unique musical joint venture, the Russo-British Britten-Shostakovich Festival Orchestra (BSFO).
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What We Know About Russia’s Deadly Nuclear Sub Fire So Far
Fourteen sailors were killed in a fire on board a Russian Defense Ministry research vessel while carrying out a survey of the sea floor off Russia’s Arctic coast. President Vladimir Putin has dispatched Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to Severomorsk, the Russian naval base on the Barents Sea where the submarine is now located, to find…
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Under Pressure From Trump, OPEC Embraces Putin
When Vladimir Putin announced at the weekend that OPEC would extend oil production cuts, broadcasting a deal before the group had even met to approve it, the move angered some member nations. They were dismayed at the leading role non-OPEC Russia, once seen as an enemy in oil markets, was playing in shaping the group’s…
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Top Russian Official Warns of ‘Catastrophic’ Population Loss
Russia’s population numbers are declining “catastrophically” with several regions vastly underestimating their death rates, a top government official has said. Russia has struggled with a demographic crisis in recent years, with population numbers falling for the first time in a decade to 146.8 million last year. Official data for 2019 places Russia’s population at 146.7…
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Severstal acquires 26% stake i joit veture with Lide
July 3, 2019 PAO Severstal announces that it has signed an agreement to purchase a share in a joint venture (JV) with Germany’s Linde AG. The JV produces coil-wound heat exchangers for use at medium-scale and large-scale LNG plants. Upon completion of the transaction Severstal will control a 26% stake, and Linde a 74% stake…
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European Court Awards $100K to Russian Protesters Over Rights Violations
Europe’s human rights court has awarded $100,000 to activists who had been arrested or whose protests had been dispersed by the authorities in 2006, 2007 and 2010. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) heard nine cases alleging that the Russian government had violated the activists’ freedom of assembly and expression in Moscow and three…
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Russians’ Belief in Aliens, Magic and Superstition Plummets – Poll
Russians are less likely to believe in the power of magic or the supernatural today than at any point in the past three decades, according to a state-funded survey published Tuesday. Largely suppressed during Soviet times, pseudoscientific beliefs saw a resurgence in Russian society with the popularity of reality TV shows like “Battle of the…
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14 Russian Sailors Killed in Fire on Nuclear Sub — Reports
Fourteen submariners on board a Russian Defense Ministry research vessel were killed in a fire while carrying out a survey of the sea floor off Russia’s Arctic coast, the ministry was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies. The incident took place on the AS-12 deep-sea nuclear submarine nicknamed Losharik, an unnamed source in the…
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Russia Tests New Anti-Aircraft Missile
Russia successfully launched a new anti-aircraft missile, its Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. The test launch took place at Sary Shagan range in Kazakhstan, the ministry said. Video published by the Defense Ministry shows the missile soaring into the sky, leaving a pillar of fire and smoke in its wake. Russian military representatives did not…
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Russia Tests New Air Defense Missile
Russia has successfully launched a new air defense missile, its Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. The test launch took place at Sary Shagan range in Kazakhstan, the ministry said. Video published by the Defense Ministry shows the missile soaring into the sky, leaving a pillar of fire and smoke in its wake. Russian military representatives…
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Russian Passport Drops in Worldwide Ease-of-Travel Ranking
Russia has fallen four spots in three months in a ranking of countries whose citizens enjoy the most freedom of travel abroad, according to a quarterly rating of passport “strength.” The country had tied for 47th place in the January-March index compiled by the Henley & Partners residence and citizenship planning firm, with 118 destinations available…
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IS Claims Deadly Knife Attack in Chechnya, Kadyrov Blames ‘Western Foes’
The Islamic State (IS) terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the second armed attack on law enforcement in a week in Russia’s republic of Chechnya, the SITE Intelligence Group monitoring website reported Monday. IS has claimed a series of attacks over the past year in Chechnya, a predominately Muslim republic in Russia’s North Caucasus, including…
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On This Day: Larisa Shepitko
Larisa Shepito was an actress, screenwriter and film director who was an integral part of the “new wave” of cinema in the Soviet “Thaw” period in the 1960s. A peer of Andrei Tarkovsky, her films were renowned for their strong naturalism, associative imagery, and their depth of meaning and emotion. She was a woman in…
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Japan Teams Up With Russia in Big Arctic LNG
Two Japanese energy companies have acquired a 10 percent share in Novatek’s Arctic LNG 2 liquefied natural gas project. The deal gives Mitsui&Co and the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) a 10 percent stake in the major LNG project being developed on Russia’s Arctic coast. It also provides for the long-term annual…
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Siberian Governor Sparks Backlash With ‘Insulting’ Comments to Flood Victims
The head of a Siberian region hit by major floods has sparked online backlash for comments addressed toward victims that were deemed insulting. Authorities in the Krasnoyarsk region town of Kansk declared a state of emergency and evacuated dozens of residents amid severe flooding last weekend. The neighboring Irkutsk region bore the brunt of the…
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Russian Airlines Cancel Czech Flights Over Route Dispute
At least three Russian airlines have canceled most of their Tuesday flights to the Czech Republic over what they said was the country’s decision to revoke flight permissions to and from Prague. The flagship carrier Aeroflot and Ural Airlines are the only Russian airlines that perform direct flights to and from Prague. Czech Airlines performs…
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Kremlin Critic Navalny Is Jailed for 10 Days
A Moscow court jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny for 10 days on Monday after finding him guilty of breaking the law when he took part in a street demonstration last month. The Kremlin critic was among more than 500 protesters detained by police while rallying in Moscow to call for the punishment of police…
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Russian Protest Fines Surge Fivefold Since 2012 — Study
Fines for violating Russia’s protest laws have increased fivefold in the past six years, an analysis of judicial data said. Almost 6,500 people had cases brought against them for violating the law on organizing public meetings in 2012 and almost 4,500 in 2018, Russia’s police-monitoring OVD-Info website said in research published Monday. Both 2012 and…
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Celebrating the Ancient Culture of Shamanism in Siberia
Hundreds of people flocked to southern Siberia in late June to celebrate the ancient rituals and traditions of shamanism in one of Russia’s first shaman festivals. Some researchers consider Siberia to be the heartland of shamanism. Today, this ancient religious practice is still performed in Russia, with spiritual healing techniques and ceremonial rites passed on…
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How Did Georgians in Moscow React to ‘Anti-Russia’ Protests in Tbilisi?
Protests erupted in Georgia’s capital of Tbilisi last month after a Russian deputy gave a speech in the country’s parliament. Many Georgians said they were offended by the act, citing the 2008 war fought between the countries. We spoke with four young Georgians living in Moscow to hear their views about the protests. Click above…
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Rustem Usmanov put in charge of Gazprom Transgaz Kazan
Release July 1, 2019, 19:05 Rustem Usmanov has been appointed Director General of Gazprom Transgaz Kazan. Rustem Usmanov was born in 1969 in Ufa. He graduated from Ufa Petroleum Institute, majoring in Design, Construction and Operation of Gas & Oil Pipelines and Gas & Oil Storage Facilities, and earned a management degree from the All-Russian Distance-Learning Institute of Finance and Economics. He has a PhD…
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Lawmaker Suggests Replacing ‘Gulag Archipelago’ With Bible Study in Russian Schools
A senior Russian lawmaker has backed an Orthodox Church proposal to teach the Bible in schools, suggesting it be included in curriculums instead of Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s seminal “Gulag Archipelago.” A Church spokesman, spurred by President Vladimir Putin’s endorsement of the texts, had offered over the weekend to include the Bible, the Torah and the Quran…
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Errant ‘Russian-Made’ Rocket From Syria Hits Cyprus
An errant missile of possible Russian origin struck Cyprus early on Monday in what authorities described as a spillover from strikes between Israel and Syria. The explosion on the ethnically split island occurred some 20 kilometers northeast of the Cypriot capital of Nicosia and did not result in casualties. An Israeli airstrike was underway against…
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Russia Proposes to Swap Prisoners With U.S.
Russia called on the United States on Monday to free Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko and proposed a prisoner swap with Washington to win the release of any American national held in Russia, Interfax news agency reported. The comments may fuel speculation that Moscow is seeking a prisoner exchange involving Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine…
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Commercial production of cobalt radioisotope begins at Smolensk NPP Unit 3
On June 28, 2019, loading of additional cobalt absorbers into Unit 3 reactor started at Smolensk NPP. This is the final stage of primary loading in Rosenergoatom’s large-scale project envisaging commercial production of cobalt-60 (Co-60) that is highly demanded on the international market. Co-60 isotope manufacturing project at Smolensk NPP was launched in September 2017,…