3 Things Russia Censored on TV in the Past Week

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A series of censorship scandals rocked Russia’s television landscape in the past week. Here’s a look at the three high-profile cases where words, episodes or entire shows were taken down from Russian television screens: “Servant of the People” The Gazprom-owned TNT entertainment channel pulled Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s political satire “Servant of the People” off…

Russia and Belarus discuss gas cooperation from 2020 onward

Business

Release December 16, 2019, 15:05 A working meeting of Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, with Vladimir Semashko, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the Russian Federation, and Viktor Karankevich, Belarusian Minister of Energy, took place today in St. Petersburg. The parties discussed relevant matters of cooperation in the gas sector from 2020 onward. The main focus was on the…

The 5 Biggest Russian Headlines of 2019

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A lot has happened in 2019 — nowhere moreso than in Russia, where geopolitical drama, civil unrest, natural disasters and more played out across the country. As we approach 2020, here’s a look at the stories and events that shaped the narrative across Russia this year: Summer of discontent This summer saw a nearly unprecedented…

Did Russia Register Its First Transgender Marriage?

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Authorities in Russia have registered one of the first transgender marriages in a country that positions itself as a bastion of traditional family values. Erika Askarova and Viktor Manuilin’s otherwise ordinary wedding made national headlines after the two posted photographs from the registry office in the city of Kazan on Dec. 12. Askarova, 30, and…

Russian Tech Giant Sues Amazon’s Twitch for Record $3Bln

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Russia’s third-largest internet company Rambler wants a record 180 billion rubles ($2.87 billion) in compensation from Amazon’s streaming giant Twitch over illegal streams, the Kommersant business daily reported Monday, the second high-profile action Rambler has taken against a U.S. tech company in less than a week. The lawsuit follows raids on popular web hosting software…

Judith Heneghan’s Novel ‘Snegurochka’

Moscow

“Something terrible is happening here. Something terrible has already happened.”  “Snegurochka” follows Rachel, a troubled young English mother who joins her journalist husband on his first foreign posting in the city to Kyiv in 1992 as the country is wracked by uncertainty and upheaval after the collapse of the Soviet Union.  Her difficulties expose her…

Another round of gas negotiations between Russia and Ukraine held in Vienna

Business

Release December 13, 2019, 18:50 Another round of bilateral negotiations on gas between Russia and Ukraine took place today in Vienna. The negotiations involved Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, and the heads of Naftogaz of Ukraine, Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine and the National Commission for State Regulation of Energy and Public Utilities. The parties discussed issues related to cooperation in the…

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

Business

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

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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…

World’s Largest Nuclear Icebreaker Starts Sea Trials

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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

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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.…

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

Business

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…

Muscovites Say Goodbye to Former Mayor Yury Luzhkov

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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…

Putin Adviser Vows to Highlight Climate Activists’ Demands

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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

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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…

Rehabilitative and remedial treatment technology wins top Science and Technology Prize

Business

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

Business

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

Business

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

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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

Business

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…

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

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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…

Staff changes

Business

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

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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

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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…

Germany Contradicts Russia Over Georgian Murdered in Berlin

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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…

Children of Stalin’s Terror Win Crucial Housing Case

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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

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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,…

Swim Season Opens in December

Moscow

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…

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

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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…

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

Business

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…