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MoscowBy admin December 13, 2019 Leave a comment

The city of Moscow spent nearly as much money on urban renewal over the past decade as the rest of the country combined, the Vedomosti business daily reported Friday. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin made urbaniztion a top priority when he took office in 2010. In 2015, Sobyanin launched the Moya Ulitsa (My Street) initiative, which…

Old Moscow and St. Petersburg Through an American Photographer’s Lens

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…

Russia Developing Nuclear Arms Beyond U.S. Arsenal, U.S. Military Says

BusinessBy admin December 13, 2019 Leave a comment

Russia is developing nuclear weapons that the United States does not yet have, a senior officer of the force that oversees the U.S. nuclear arsenal was cited by the state-run TASS news agency as saying Friday. U.S. Strategic Command deputy commander Vice Adm. Dave Kriete spoke to reporters as the U.S. tested a missile that…

A ‘machine vision’ system has been launched at the Kola NPP

As a part of the Rosenergoatom Joint-Stock Company’s digital transformation project, the Kola NPP has successfully delivered a pilot project on the implementation of automated control for personal protection compulsory adequate use program. The first batch of the innovative system has started its way in the substation integration module rooms where staff works with high-voltage…

7 Things British PM Boris Johnson Has Said About Russia

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party has secured a majority in a landslide election victory, results showed on Friday. In addition to leading Britain through its withdrawal from the European Union, Johnson will be tasked with navigating British-Russian relations, which have been fraught since Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine and a former Russian spy…

Russia’s Natural Population Decline to Hit 11-Year Record in 2019

Russia’s natural population decline will set an 11-year record this year as the country’s demographic crisis shows no signs of letting up, the RBC news website reported Friday. Russia’s overall population totaled 146.7 million in January-September 2019, the State Statistics Service Rosstat said in a report last week. While migrant inflows had offset its natural…

World’s Largest Nuclear Icebreaker Starts Sea Trials

Painted in the Russia’s flag’s tricolor, the new Arktika sailed out to the Gulf of Finland on Thursday for a two-day test voyage. During sea trials, the icebreaker will test its ballast system, navigation equipment, anchors and electric installations as well as maneuvering characteristics, Rosatomflot informs. Arktika is the lead vessel in the new class…

Russia Backs Penalties for Attending ‘Undesirable’ Courses Abroad

Russian lawmakers tasked with weeding out foreign interference have endorsed penalties for Russian nationals who attend “undesirable” NGO courses abroad, the country’s parliament said Thursday. The lower-house State Duma formed a special commission on foreign meddling in Russia after mass anti-government rallies rocked Moscow this summer. Since then, it has accused foreign news outlets, U.S.…

Russia Jails Jehovah’s Witness for 6 Years for Extremism

A Russian court jailed a Jehovah’s Witness adherent for six years on Friday after finding him guilty of extremist activity, part of a crackdown on the group that human rights activists say violates religious freedom. A court in Penza, around 350 miles (563 kilometers) southeast of Moscow, said in a statement it had jailed Vladimir Alushkin,…

Yegor Zhukov Wants to Be Russia’s President One Day

Yegor Zhukov was tired of giving interviews. So instead of using the main entrance to an event in his honor, where a television crew was waiting for him, he slipped past a security guard and headed for a side door. He didn’t go unnoticed. “Please, young man, follow the rules,” the guard ordered, running after…

Ukraine Detains 5 People for Killing Russian-Belarussian Journalist in 2016

Ukrainian police have detained five people, including a pediatric surgeon and a rock musician, over the killing of an investigative journalist in a car bomb in July 2016, law enforcement officials said on Thursday. Briefing journalists alongside President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the officials said the motive for killing 44-year-old Pavel Sheremet, a Belarussian, was to destabilize…

Russian Police Raid U.S.-Owned Web Server Nginx’s Moscow Office

Russian police raided the Moscow offices of a popular U.S.-owned web server over a Russian search engine giant’s ownership claim of its source code, Forbes Russia reported Thursday. Authorities raided Nginx’s Moscow office based on a copyright infingement claim by Russian oligarch Alexander Mamut’s Cyprus-registered investment vehicle Lynwood, Forbes Russia cited an unnamed source at the…

EU Leaders To Extend Sanctions on Russia

European Union leaders meeting in Brussels on Thursday agreed to extend their main economic sanctions against Russia for six months to the end of July 2020, four diplomatic sources told Reuters. The bloc first slapped sanctions on Moscow after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and went on to back separatists facing off against…

U.S. Senate Confirms Next U.S. Ambassador to Russia

The U.S. Senate on Thursday confirmed the nomination of John Sullivan, President Donald Trump’s pick to be Ambassador to Russia, at a time when ties between Washington and Moscow have been strained. Sullivan, a lawyer who has served in previous Republican administrations before becoming deputy secretary of State in 2017, will replace Jon Huntsman, who…

Fire at Russia’s Only Aircraft Carrier Kills 1, Injures 12

At least one military serviceman was killed and 12 people were injured by a fire at Russia‘s only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, Russian news agencies reported Thursday. The Admiral Kuznetsov caught fire on Thursday during maintenance work in Russia‘s Arctic port in Murmansk. Hours later the fire has been brought under control. The body of a military…

JSC Khiagda completed Smart Helmets system implementation

One of the first projects in Russia to create smart personal protective and personnel positioning equipment was implemented. Smart Helmets — the staff positioning system that allows to remotely control observance of safety instructions at work and monitor the employee movement and condition during work. The project is an element of the Unified Digital Strategy…

Pointing to Russian Mercenaries, Turkey’s Erdogan Weighs Joining Fight in Libya

Turkey could send troops to Libya if its UN-backed government requests help, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday, pointing to Russian military contractors currently in the war-torn country. Libya’s internationally recognized government said last week it plans to confront Russia over the private mercenaries with a list of up to 800 Russian fighters supporting…

Muscovites Say Goodbye to Former Mayor Yury Luzhkov

Putin Adviser Vows to Highlight Climate Activists’ Demands

Vladimir Putin’s environmental adviser has promised to bring Russian climate activists’ demands to the president later this month, the activists said Wednesday. The activists met Putin’s special representative on climate issues Ruslan Edelgeriyev at the UN climate conference in Madrid for over an hour, the Meduza news website reported. “He agreed to convey our demands…

2 Russian Pilots Killed in Military Helicopter Crash

Rehabilitative and remedial treatment technology wins top Science and Technology Prize

Release December 12, 2019, 15:10 Gazprom is creating cutting-edge hi-tech solutions. Economic benefit of implemented solutions exceeds RUB 60 billion. The award ceremony for the 2019 edition of the corporate Science and Technology Prize took place at the meeting of the Gazprom Management Committee. It was noted at the event that the total economic benefit of the award-winning solutions and technologies exceeds RUB 60 billion. The top prize…

Gazprom’s positions to remain stable in long run

Release December 12, 2019, 15:00 The Gazprom Management Committee took note of the information about the impacts of the events of 2019 on the long-term outlook for the global energy market. It was highlighted that the ongoing growth in natural gas consumption around the world is one of the chief trends of 2019. China continues to demonstrate significant growth. In 2018, the country’s gas consumption went up by 18 per cent.…

Gazprom Management Committee endorses drafts of investment program and budget for 2020

Release December 12, 2019, 14:40 Gazprom’s overall amount of investments for 2020: RUB 1,104.7 billion. Gazprom’s borrowings for 2020: RUB 557.8 billion. Final investment program and budget to be approved by Gazprom Board of Directors. The Gazprom Management Committee took note of the Company’s preliminary operating results for 2019 and the projected investment program and budget (financial plan) for 2021–2022. The Management Committee also endorsed the…

Russian TV Pulls Ukraine President’s Comedy Series After Putin Joke

A Russian television channel has pulled a popular Ukrainian comedy starring current President Volodymyr Zelenskiy the day after its premiere, the Vedomosti business daily reported Wednesday. Zelenskiy, 41, played a disgruntled teacher whose viral rant catapults him into Ukraine’s presidency in the series called “Servant of the People.” Partly thanks to the sitcom’s popularity, Zelenskiy…

Management Committee endorses Gazprom’s revised Dividend Policy

Release December 12, 2019, 14:30 It is proposed that dividends be calculated based on adjusted net profit under IFRS. Target level of payouts – at least 50 per cent – is to be reached in three years. New version of Dividend Policy will be submitted for approval by Gazprom Board of Directors. The Management Committee endorsed the draft new revision of Gazprom’s Dividend Policy. The document, which was developed as part of the effort to streamline the financial strategy…

Russian Nationalist Party Leader Endorses Johnson in U.K. Election

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson won a heartfelt endorsement from Russian nationalist leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky on the day of an election that may decide the future of Brexit. Polls show Johnson’s Conservative Party winning a majority in the general election, despite recent figures narrowing its gap with the Labour Party. Opponents have accused him of…

7 Men Attack Teenager in Russia for ‘Lesbian’ Appearance

A group of seven men attacked and beat an 18-year-old girl in St. Petersburg after insulting her over her “lesbian appearance,” local media reported earlier this week. According to a study by the St. Petersburg-based Vykhod LGBT center, at least 149 people suffered homophobic attacks in the city in 2018, including 62 who were attacked…

Rosneft Wins Auctions for Three Blocks in the North of Krasnoyarsk Territory

Rosneft Oil Company has won auctions for the Mezeninskoye, Severo-Dzhangodskoye, and Yangodskoye licence blocks located in the Dolgano-Nenets municipal district of Krasnoyarsk Territory.

Russia Halts Close Intercepts of American Jets in Europe, U.S. Says

Russia has not buzzed U.S. aircraft and ships in Europe and the Mediterranean in the past three months, the Military.com news website quoted a top U.S. commander in Europe as saying Tuesday. Russian and NATO aircraft have conducted thousands of intercepts over international waters in the past four years, Gen. Tod Wolters said in June.…

Russia Expels Two German Diplomats in Row Over Berlin Killing

Russia on Thursday expelled two German diplomats in what it called a standard diplomatic response to a similar move by Germany last week and said it hoped a dispute over the killing of a Georgian citizen in Berlin would not damage ties further. Berlin announced the expulsion of two Russian diplomats last week over what it said…

Russia’s Sole Aircraft Carrier Catches Fire in Northern Port

Giuliani Ally Parnas Got $1M From Russia, U.S. Says

Rudy Giuliani’s associate Lev Parnas got $1 million from an account in Russia in September, a month before he was charged with conspiring to funnel foreign money into U.S. political campaigns, according to U.S. prosecutors who asked a judge to jail him for understating his income and assets. “The majority of that money appears to…

Russia and the Republic of the Congo continue cooperation in the peaceful uses of atomic energy

On December 10, 2019, a delegation of the Ministry of Scientific Research and Technological Innovation of the Republic of the Congo headed by Minister M. P. E. Cussu-Mawungu arrived to Moscow by an invitation of Director General of ROSATOM Alexey Likhachev. The Congolese delegation was familiarized with capabilities and competences of the Russian nuclear industry…

Russia Orders Deportation of U.S. Academics Over University Lecture

BusinessBy admin December 11, 2019 Leave a comment

A Russian court has ordered the deportation of five U.S. academics for allegedly giving a lecture at a university on a tourist visa, according to local media reports and court documents. The deportation order in the city of Ryazan 200 kilometers south of Moscow comes months after a government order which advised state-affiliated scientists to…

Staff changes

Release December 11, 2019, 19:20 Andrey Fick has been appointed Head of Department 644. Andrey Fick was born in the Krasnodar Territory in 1969. He graduated from Krasnodar Polytechnic Institute in 1993, majoring in Mechanical Engineering Technologies. He obtained his second university degree from Kuban State Technological University in 2000, majoring in Cryo-Engineering. He has an MBA degree and a PhD degree in Engineering. He has been a member of Gazprom’s team…

Russia’s Climate Policy Among World’s Worst, Study Says

Russia ranks 52nd out of 61 countries worldwide for its adoption of climate change goals, according to the 2020 Climate Change Performance Index. Presented at the COP25 climate talks in Madrid, the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) ranking illustrates differences in climate protection among 57 high-emitting countries as well as the EU. It ranks countries…

These Are Russia’s 100 Most Comfortable Cities

Moscow places smack dab in the middle of a list of the 100 most comfortable and affordable Russian cities to live in, the RBC news website reported Wednesday. RBC cited research from the Urbanica spatial planning institute, which ranked the 100 cities with populations over 173,000 based on ease of life and cost of living. The…

Siberian Shaman Who Wanted to Banish Putin Banned from Leaving Hometown

Russia on Wednesday banned a shaman from leaving his Siberian hometown after he was detained during a second attempt to hike to Moscow on what he has called a mission to banish President Vladimir Putin from the Kremlin. Alexander Gabyshev became a media curiosity when he set off in March on a more than 8,000-kilometer…

Germany Unaware of Russian Extradition Request for Georgian Killed in Berlin

The German government said Wednesday it was unaware that Russia had made an extradition request for a Georgian man murdered in Berlin in August, after Russian President Vladimir Putin complained multiple requests had gone unheeded. In an escalation in already tense relations, Germany last week expelled two employees at the Russian embassy in Berlin, saying…

Germany Contradicts Russia Over Georgian Murdered in Berlin

MoscowBy admin December 11, 2019 Leave a comment

Germany contradicted Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, saying it was not aware Russia had requested the extradition of a Georgian man who was murdered in Berlin in August. In an escalation in already tense relations, Germany last week expelled two employees at the Russian embassy in Berlin, saying Moscow was not cooperating sufficiently in the investigation into the…

Moscow’s Controversial, Unforgettable ‘Luzhkov-Style’ Architecture

Yury Luzhkov, who died Tuesday at the age of 83, served as the mayor of Russia’s capital for 18 years from 1992-2010. During that time, the city’s appearance underwent the dramatic transformation from stern Soviet capital to glitzy, modern mega-metropolis. Today, it is impossible to walk through Moscow without stumbling upon the so-called “Luzhkov-style” buildings…

Children of Stalin’s Terror Win Crucial Housing Case

The children of victims of Stalin-era repressions have the right to receive state housing in the cities where their parents had been deported from, Russia’s Supreme Court has said in a landmark ruling Tuesday. Amendments to the 1991 law rehabilitating victims of Soviet-era political repressions adopted in 2005 contradict the Russian Constitution because they make…

‘It Starts With a Cup, Ends With a Shooting’: 3 Putin Quotes on Human Rights

Russian authorities were right to jail protesters for throwing plastic cups at police during mass anti-government rallies in Moscow this summer, President Vladimir Putin said at a human rights meeting Tuesday. Putin this fall replaced the presidential human rights council’s longtime chairman and key liberal members with what observers called ultra-loyalist figures. Its new head,…

Russia’s National Boxing Team Pulls Out of 2020 Olympics Over Doping Ban

MoscowBy admin December 11, 2019 Leave a comment

Russia’s national boxing team will not compete in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo under a neutral flag, it announced Wednesday as Russian athletes grapple with the country’s four-year ban from world sporting events. The World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) banned Russia from the world’s top sporting events, including the next summer and winter Olympics and the…

Swim Season Opens in December

At 11 a.m. Lyubov Chesnokova, 62, and her husband Alexei, 56, put on heavy socks, sweaters, coats, boats, hats, gloves and scarves and head out to the banks of the Voronezh River. The sun is shining but it is cold, as it should be in a real Russian winter. The couple strips down to bathing…

Start of the reactor plant equipment hot run at the Power Unit No.1 of Belarus NPP

BusinessBy admin December 11, 2019 Leave a comment

On 11 December, 2019 specialists of Power Unit No.1 of Belarus NPP (the General Designer and the General Contractor – Rosatom State Corporation Engineering Division) have proceeded to the reactor plant hot run – the most large-scale stage of the commissioning works before physical start-up. According to Mr. Vitaliy Polyanin, Vice-President and Director of Belarus…

$6.5M U.S. Tech Bound for Russia Seized by Authorities

The attempted shipment of a Vector 40G turbine from the U.S. to Russia was halted last Tuesday as American authorities caught suspicions that the installation was destined for use in the Russian Arctic, the Kommersant business daily reported. The $6.5 million turbine is produced by U.S. company Dresser-Rand. Its exportation to Russia would mean a violation…

Airing Fake MH17 Image Was a ‘Mistake,’ Russian State TV Chief Admits

BusinessBy admin December 11, 2019 Leave a comment

The head of Russia’s largest television channel has admitted that airing footage it erroneously claimed to prove Ukraine’s role in the downing of MH17 was a “mistake,” according to a book excerpt published by The New Yorker. Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down over territory controlled by Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, killing 298…

ROSATOM and Orano subsidiaries sign contract to grow Russian capacities for depleted uranium reconversion

Electrochemical Plant (ECP, an enterprise of TVEL Fuel Company of ROSATOM in Zelenogorsk, Krasnoyarsk region, East Siberia) and Orano Projects (France) have signed the contract for supply of equipment for construction of the second installation for de-fluorination of depleted uranium hexafluoride (DUHF) on the site of ECP. The document is signed by Sergey Filimonov, Director…

Russian Circuses Face Calls to Ban Performing Animals

Twelve big cats loll around the ring of the Moscow State Circus during a public rehearsal as Russia’s most famous animal handlers, brothers Ascold and Edgard Zapashny, train them to jump through flaming hoops. Some stare at the men and growl quietly, while others ignore the trainers and play with their own tails. Eventually, a…

Trump Hosts Russia’s Lavrov at White House, Warns Against Election Meddling