To keep our newsroom in Moscow running, we need your support. With your help, we can continue with our mission to keep you informed with breaking news, business analysis, thought-provoking opinions, the best of culture and insights into everyday life.
Russian opposition politician Lyubov Sobol has announced she has ended her month-long hunger strike over health concerns for an arrested campaign aide who had joined her in striking. Sobol went on hunger strike last month after Moscow election authorities refused to allow her and other opposition candidates on the ballot for next month’s local legislature…
Russia could ban timber exports to China unless Beijing takes action to help mitigate the effects of illegal logging, a Russian government minister said in an interview published Thursday. Russian authorities this month attributed some of the vast wildfires that have engulfed portions of Siberia in recent weeks to arsonists trying to conceal illegal logging…
A region in northern Russia has ordered more than 1,000 gas masks after a deadly explosion led to a spike in radiation, Russia’s Open Media news website reported. At least five nuclear experts were killed in the explosion, which took place during a rocket test at sea off the coast of the Arkhangelsk region last…
Q2 2019 IFRS financial results and corresponding MD&A will be available on our website on August 21, 2019 at 09:30 (Moscow time)
The Kremlin said Wednesday that Russia must be vigilant in protecting its industrial secrets against foreign intelligence services after scientists criticized new restrictions on them meeting foreigners. Under an order issued by the Education Ministry in February but which has only now come to light, government-affiliated scientists are advised to meet their foreign colleagues only…
Russia said Wednesday it had flown two nuclear-capable TU-160 bombers to a far eastern Russian region opposite Alaska as part of a training exercise that state media said showed Moscow’s ability to park nuclear arms on the United States’ doorstep. The Tupolev TU-160 strategic bomber, nicknamed the White Swan in Russia, is a supersonic Soviet-era…
Russian security officers armed with automatic rifles searched on Wednesday the Moscow offices of a rights group that represents the interests of Russian nationals in the European Court of Human Rights, the group said. Members of the Federal Security Service (FSB) searched an office used by Justice Initiative and its partner organisation Astreya and confiscated…
A Russian media outlet has for the first time compiled a ranking of the country’s 100 most influential Muslims, with UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov featured alongside tycoons, government officials and spiritual leaders. An estimated 20 million Muslims make up Russia’s second-largest religious minority, comprising about 14% of the overall population. Seven of Russia’s 85…
Dmitry Merezhkovsky was born in St. Petersburg in 1866 in a family of a government official. In his teen years, and with his mother’s support, he was already writing poetry and contemplating the religious questions that would come to occupy him throughout his life. From 1884 to 1889, he studied philology and history at the…
During a recent session of the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament, officials whipped themselves into a frenzy over a worrisome development: foreign powers trying to meddle in the country’s elections. The elections in question were for the Moscow City Duma, a toothless body with little or no ability to influence affairs in Russia’s…
The consortium of Eni, Rosneft, BP, and Mubadala Petroleum together with Egyptian oil and gas companies continues the successful implementation of the Zohr gas project on the Mediterranean offshore. In H1 2019, the production on the field amounted to 11.3 bcm of gas, which is 3.6 times more than in the same period last year.…
Locals from the closed military settlement at Nyonoksa on the White Sea coast were earlier this week told that they would have to leave the area on Wednesday morning. Russian military authorities explained to locals that the evacuation was planned in advance and had nothing to do with last week’s missile explosion, the local 29.ru…
Russian authorities have recommended for scientists to avoid communicating with their foreign colleagues, a prominent academic has complained in an open letter. The Russian Science and Higher Education Ministry reportedly distributed a decree in July advising scientists to brief the ministry in detail about upcoming meetings with foreign counterparts and to seek approval from bosses…
Update: FC Porto has denied the allegations. Comment added below. Football fans in Russia were abruptly blocked from watching FC Krasnodar spring a major upset against FC Porto Tuesday after the Portuguese side reportedly spiked the price for broadcasting rights before the game, Russia’s Match TV sports broadcaster has alleged. The Russian side secured a…
The Moscow city court canceled a decision by the election commission to bar a Russian opposition candidate, Sergei Mitrokhin, from running in a municipal election in September, TASS news agency reported. The court ruled in favor of Mitrokhin three days after tens of thousands of protesters turned out at a rally in Moscow, in which…
An ex-special forces commander and current Russian senator has called a recent police crackdown on protests in Moscow “illegal and incompetent” while the Kremlin has voiced support for the tough response. Russian authorities detained hundreds of people and launched criminal cases against dozens at a series of election protests in Moscow over the past month.…
At least three state-backed agencies have reduced the frequency of their publications of economic and polling data over increasingly worrisome figures this year. Low oil prices and Western sanctions, as well as Russia’s expenditures on its military campaign in Syria and a reported backing of pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine, have put a dent in many…
The Kremlin boasted Tuesday it was winning the race to develop new cutting edge nuclear weapons despite a mysterious rocket accident last week in northern Russia that caused a temporary spike in radiation levels. Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear agency, has said that the Aug. 8 accident occurred during a rocket test on a sea platform…
Russian fighter jets pushed away a NATO war plane after it tried to approach Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s plane over neutral waters in the Baltic Sea, TASS news agency reported. The plane was flying from Kaliningrad to Moscow and was carrying a TASS reporter on board, the report said.
Background Gazprom Dobycha Nadym is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gazprom. The company’s key activities are production and treatment of gas and gas condensate. Gazprom Dobycha Nadym was the first gas production company in the north of Western Siberia. It was created to develop and operate the Medvezhye oil, gas and condensate field. It is now also involved in production at the Yubileynoye, Yamsoveyskoye, and Bovanenkovskoye fields. The company holds the license…
An estimated 50,000 people took to the streets of Moscow on Saturday in one of the largest protests in Russia since 2012. They rallied against the authorities’ blocking of opposition candidates from local elections next month and the heavy police crackdowns during recent demonstrations. Chants calling on Russia to free its political prisoners could be…
Ukraine’s new president has made it easier for Russians facing “political persecution” to become Ukrainian citizens in an ongoing passport battle between the countries. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last month ordered an overhaul of the process for granting Ukrainian citizenship in response to Russia expanding the number of Ukrainians who can apply for fast-track Russian passports.…
The Kremlin on Tuesday shrugged off five weeks of street protests in support of free elections in Moscow, saying the situation had not warranted comment from President Vladimir Putin and voicing strong support for the tough police response. The demonstrations over a planned election for the Moscow city legislature in September have turned into the…
The Kremlin denied Tuesday that political protests in Moscow in recent weeks have created a political crisis in Russia in its first comments on the rallies. The demonstrations, over elections for the Moscow city legislature, have turned into the biggest sustained protest movement in Russia since 2011-2013, when protesters took to the streets against perceived…
In late July, the internationally acclaimed art group AES + F launched a new exhibition, “Predictions and Revelations,” featuring eight of their biggest projects from the last two decades. The eye needs time to adjust before it can take in the enormous digital collage installation that greets the visitor to the exhibition “Predictions and Revelations”…
Russia and China plan to discuss foreign interference as anti-government protests continue to rock Moscow and Hong Kong and spur accusations of U.S. meddling. Russian lawmakers said they plan to cut short their summer recess to debate foreign powers’ “meddling in domestic issues” as they blamed Google for allegedly promoting last Saturday’s 50,000-strong protest on YouTube.…
Radiation levels in the Russian city of Severodvinsk rose by up to 16 times on Aug. 8 after an accident that authorities said involved a rocket test on a sea platform, Russia‘s state weather agency said Tuesday, the TASS news agency reported. The defense ministry initially said background radiation had remained normal after the incident…
The United States has “more advanced” technology than Russia’s nuclear-powered cruise missile that was presumed to have been involved in a mysterious accident last week, President Donald Trump has said. At least five nuclear experts were killed in the secretive rocket engine test at sea in northern Russia five days ago. U.S.-based experts and intelligence…
An estimated 50,000 protesters took to the streets of Moscow on Saturday, Aug. 10, in one of the largest protests in Russia since 2012. They rallied against the barring of opposition candidates from local elections next month and police crackdowns at recent rallies. 256 were detained in a march after the demonstration.
Less than 15 percent of Russians are considered to be part of the middle class, according to an analysis of official data by the state-run RIA Novosti news agency. Russians’ real incomes and ability to save money have suffered from low oil prices and Western sanctions in the past five years. Independent polling has said…
On Aug. 12, 2000, the nuclear submarine Kursk sank, killing all on board: 118 crew members. President Vladimir Putin, then in his first term as president, was faced with intense criticism over his handling of his first national disaster. The catastrophe took place in the Barents Sea on the first Russian naval annual exercise that…
Muslims in Russia celebrated the religious holiday of Kurban Bairam, or Eid al-Adha, on Sunday. The holiday, whose name means “Festival of the Sacrifice,” commemorates the prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to God. During the festival of Kurban Bairam, considered one of the holiest days in the Islamic calendar, large groups…
Video footage of a Russian police officer punching a young woman in the stomach has stirred anger among many Russians who believe the authorities have used excessive force to disperse weeks of political demonstrations in Moscow. The clip, filmed Saturday and later circulated online by Russian celebrities with millions of followers, shows the moment two…
At least five nuclear experts have been killed in a mysterious explosion during a rocket engine test at sea in northern Russia four days ago. Officials have been slow to release information about Thursday’s blast, which led to a radiation spike in a nearby city and sparked heightened demand for iodine. U.S.-based nuclear experts said…
Background Gazprom Dobycha Yamburg is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gazprom. It operates in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area. The company is focused on gas and gas condensate production. Gazprom Dobycha Yamburg holds licenses for the development and production of hydrocarbons from the Yamburgskoye and Zapolyarnoye fields and is preparing for commercial production the Severo-Kamennomyssky, Kamennomysskoye-Sea, Obsky, Chugoryakhinsky, Tazovsko-Zapolyarny and Yuzhno-Parusovy subsurface areas, and, as part of joint ventures, the Parusovy,…
Russia‘s top nuclear official promised on Monday to succeed in developing new weapons as he paid tribute to five scientists killed in what U.S. experts suspect was the botched test of a new missile vaunted by President Vladimir Putin. The five scientists were buried in the closed city of Sarov on Monday. They died last…
Russia held a memorial service on Monday for five scientists killed in a mysterious explosion last week after an official at their research institute suggested they had been working on developing a small nuclear reactor. Authorities have been drip-feeding information about a blast during a rocket test on a platform in the White Sea off…
The estimated 50,000 people who braved Moscow’s rainy weather on Saturday to support opposition politicians barred from a local election and protesters arrested on charges of “mass unrest” last month were largely young adults who see themselves as ordinary people, a survey has said. Russian state television has branded participants of the latest authorized gathering…
A series of explosions that rocked a Russian ammo depot in Siberia has injured a total of 32 people over the past week in addition to one death, authorities have said. Explosions ripped through the site last Monday, killing one, injuring 13 and prompting the authorities to evacuate 16,000 residents from nearby areas in the…
Russia’s military has thwarted the third attack on its airbase in Syria in the past week, Russian news agencies have reported. The attacks took place as Russia’s ally Syria said last week it was resuming military operations in a Russian-led campaign in Idlib, blaming Turkey for not abiding by its commitments under a truce deal.…
Russia’s state communications watchdog has asked Google to stop advertising “illegal mass events” on its YouTube video platform, it said Sunday. Tens of thousands of Russians staged what observers called the country’s biggest political protest for eight years on Saturday, defying a crackdown to demand free elections to Moscow’s city legislature. Multiple YouTube channels broadcast…
The need for honest and objective information on Russia is more relevant now than ever before! To keep our newsroom in Moscow running, we need your support. With your help, we can continue with our mission to keep you informed with breaking news, business analysis, thought-provoking opinions, the best of culture and insights into everyday…
A Tesla electric car caught fire after crashing into a tow truck on a Moscow motorway late on Saturday. Footage of the incident on state TV channel Rossia 24 showed the car by the side of the road engulfed in flames and thick black smoke. Two small explosions occurred within a few seconds of each…
Russian riot police ringed off the presidential administration building in Moscow on Saturday after a crowd gathered nearby following an opposition rally and hundreds more were seen walking toward the area chanting, Reuters witnesses said. Police detained at least 120 people, according to the OVD-Info police-monitoring website, after more than 500 people were seen moving…
Russia’s state nuclear agency acknowledged for the first time on Saturday that nuclear workers were involved in an explosion during a rocket engine test that caused a spike in radiation in a nearby city. The agency, Rosatom, said five people killed in the blast were its staff members, and the accident involved “isotope power sources,”…
Nearly 50,000 people took to Moscow’s streets to rally for fair elections on a rainy Saturday despite weeks of heavy crackdowns, making it one of Russia’s largest protests in several years. This summer’s protest movement, which began as a standoff between opposition figures and Moscow authorities over the barring of independent candidates from an upcoming…
Five Rosatom staff members died and a further three people were injured in a tragic accident that took place during tests on a liquid propulsion system involving isotopes at a military facility in Arkhangelsk region. We offer our deepest condolences, and all possible support, to the families and friends of those who died. Those injured…
Nearly 50,000 Russian opposition activists and their supporters have taken to Moscow’s streets for a fifth consecutive weekend in spite of a government crackdown as support from citizens and celebrities grows across the county. The protests, which demand that Moscow authorities allow independent candidates to appear on the ballot in the city’s upcoming elections, have…
Russian opposition politician Lyubov Sobol, an ally of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, said on social media on Saturday she had been detained by police ahead of a protest in Moscow. A video posted on Sobol’s Twitter account showed police entering her office.
U.S.-based nuclear experts said on Friday they suspected an accidental blast and radiation release in northern Russia this week occurred during the testing of a nuclear-powered cruise missile vaunted by President Vladimir Putin last year. The Russian Defense Ministry, quoted by state-run news outlets, said that two people died and six were injured on Thursday in an explosion…
Vladimir Putin was appointed Russia’s acting prime minister on Aug. 9, 1999 by then-President Boris Yeltsin. He’s remained in power ever since, either in the role of president or prime minister. We went to the streets of Moscow to ask locals how they view Putin’s two-decade-long rule.
Bruised Russian teenager Alexander Kostyuk spent three days in hospital being treated for concussion he said he sustained on Aug. 3 when four policemen beat him with truncheons at an opposition protest in Moscow. It was the second peaceful demonstration in as many weeks by an increasingly defiant opposition to President Vladimir Putin. Both were…
A series of explosions rocked a Russian ammo depot in Siberia for the second time in a week on Friday, injuring five people, the state-run TASS news agency cited doctors as saying. A fire broke out following the explosions at the site in the Krasnoyarsk region, TASS reported. The explosions were caused by a lightning strike,…
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has accused Japan of “illegally” including Pacific islands claimed by both Moscow and Tokyo in a map of the Olympics the Japanese capital will host next year. Japan has been seeking the return of the Kuril Islands — which it calls the Northern Territories — since Soviet troops seized them at the…
Moscow has banned depictions of sex and drugs from its walls under new restrictions aimed at drawing a line between art and blight, but is drawing a mixed response from artists and stirring the debate on cities’ role in regulating street art. Perceived by some as an act of vandalism, graffiti painting has grown in…
Background Gazprom Transgaz Stavropol is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gazprom. The company operates linear gas trunklines that pass through 10 constituent entities of the North Caucasus and Southern Federal Districts of the Russian Federation. It also ensures that gas is supplied to Georgia, Armenia, Turkey, and the Republic of South Ossetia. Gazprom Transgaz Stavropol consists of 18 branches, including 10 gas pipeline operation centers. The company’s annual gas transmission volumes…
At least six victims of a military site explosion in northern Russia have allegedly been taken to Moscow with radiation exposure, according to unconfirmed media reports published a day after the mysterious blast. Authorities in a nearby city reported a brief spike in radiation Thursday when a rocket engine blew up at the testing site…
A transport junction was built with the support of Bashneft, an enterprise of Rosneft Group, on the major Ufa highway which connects the northern and southern parts of the city.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was appointed acting prime minister on Aug. 9, 1999, by then-president Boris Yeltsin. He has been in office as president or prime minister ever since, a period spanning two decades. Here are some highlights of Putin’s 20 years in power: Aug. 9, 1999 — During an economic crisis, Boris Yeltsin names little-known…