President Volodymyr Zelenskiy rose to lead his nation as a political novice and questions still surround his plans, especially regarding Ukraine‘s relations with Russia. As he closes in on solidifying his control at home, some answers are starting to emerge. With less than a week to go until parliamentary elections and his upstart party firmly…
The Kremlin raised the possibility of changing Russia’s constitution after a top lawmaker proposed bolstering parliament’s powers, in a move that could help to extend President Vladimir Putin’s rule. The idea of constitutional amendments, including allowing parliament a say in forming the government, received “a widespread response” and are “a matter for discussion,” Putin’s spokesman,…
The Netherlands is “exploiting” the grief of victims’ families over the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on the fifth anniversary of the tragedy on Wednesday. Russia has denied any role in the July 17, 2014, downing of MH17 by a missile over territory in eastern Ukraine held by pro-Russian separatists.…
A court in Moscow on Wednesday ordered the first six of 24 Ukrainian sailors seized by Russia off the coast of Crimea last year to be held in pre-trial detention for another three months. The court is due to rule on the remaining sailors later on Wednesday. The Russian navy captured the Ukrainian sailors and…
The Klavdiya Yelanskaya motor vessel was built in Yugoslavia in 1977. Since then, it has sailed along the coast of the Kola Peninsula bringing passengers to and from remote towns and villages in the area. For many, it has been the only connection to the rest of the country. But sailings have been increasingly irregular…
A presentation of the unique Russian-British Britten-Shostakovich Festival Orchestra has taken place in London, the formation of which was inspired by the friendship of two great composers of the 20th century—Dmitry Shostakovich and Benjamin Britten. The initiative is supported by Rosneft Oil Company and BP as part of the UK-Russia Year of Music. The BSFO…
On July 17, 1918, Tsar Nicholas II, his family, and those who accompanied him in imprisonment were executed by Bolshevik agents with gunshots and bayonets at the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg. By then Nicholas was no longer a monarch. He had abdicated his throne in favor of his brother, Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich, but his…
HOLLYWOOD—HBO’s runaway hit “Chernobyl” captured the nomination for the best television movie or limited series category in the 71st annual Emmy Awards. The series’ actor Jared Harris also scored a nomination in the lead actor category in a limited series or TV movie. Rounding up the total of four nominations for “Chernobyl” are Emily Watson…
HOLLYWOOD—HBO’s runaway hit “Chernobyl” captured 19 nominations in the 71st annual Emmy Awards, including for the best television movie or limited series category. The series’ actor Jared Harris also scored a nomination in the lead actor category in a limited series or TV movie. Rounding up the total of four nominations for “Chernobyl” actors are Emily…
The European Union and victims’ families have called on Russia to accept its role in the downing of flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine on the fifth anniversary of the crash. A missile shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over territory held by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine as it was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala…
OMZ-SPECIAL STEEL (St.Petersburg) and ENERGOMASHSPETSSTAL (Kramatorsk) have produced the first forgings for reactor vessels for Units 7 and 8 of Tianwan NPP (China). The Units are being constructed with technical assistance of ASE (Engineering Division of ROSATOM). According to Alexey Bannik, ASE Vice president for Сhina projects, “these events signal the commencement of production of…
Two Russian boxers serving doping suspensions have competed while banned, highlighting inconsistencies in Russia’s efforts to reform its anti-doping practices. Competition records show that Russian amateur boxers Islam Dashaev and Alyona Tokarchuk fought in official tournaments last year despite bans announced by Russian anti-doping agency RUSADA, which is forbidden under international anti-doping rules. These lapses…
Fewer Russians believe that a Chernobyl-like nuclear disaster could happen now than at any point in the past two decades, according to an independent Levada Center poll published Wednesday. The April 1986 explosion at the Chernobyl power plant in Soviet Ukraine spread radioactive material across much of the Northern Hemisphere, affecting tens of thousands of…
Russia has denied visas to more than two dozen foreign teachers at a school attended by the children of diplomats, the New York Times has reported. Diplomatic tensions between Russia and Western countries resulted in the closing of the Anglo-American School’s branch in St. Petersburg last September after 43 years in operation. The Anglo-American School…
A tide of weak reports are casting doubt on the Russian government’s optimistic economic forecasts for the second half. “There are a lot of worrisome signals from the second quarter,” said Natalia Orlova, chief economist at Alfa Bank in Moscow. “My forecast for the year is for 0.8% growth, but if there are no improvements…
President Donald Trump confirmed reluctantly that Turkey won’t be able to buy the U.S. F-35 fighter that it helps build after the country began taking delivery this week of a Russian missile defense system. “We are now telling Turkey that ‘because you have really been forced to buy another missile system, we are not going…
Release July 16, 2019, 18:50 Photos The Silk Way International Rally 2019 came to a close today in the city of Dunhuang, China. The gas-powered KAMAZ crew led by Sergey Kupriyanov finished among the top five in the truck category. The category featured 15 trucks produced by domestic and foreign companies, such as KAMAZ, GAZ, MAZ, Renault, HINO, DAF, and IVECO. The KAMAZ truck was the…
Background Gazprom Geologorazvedka is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gazprom engaged in the whole range of exploration activities aimed at prospecting for new onshore and offshore hydrocarbon fields and deposits in the Russian Federation, as well as follow-up exploration and pre-development of reserves in the existing fields. The company’s key objective is to replenish the resource base of the Gazprom Group. Gazprom Georesource is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gazprom. The company is the chief…
Spartak squeezed out a 1:0 victory at home against the league’s second newcomer, Sochi, at the Otrkritiye Arena. The referee, Vladimir Moskalyov, was suspended after the match over controversial calls, including a decision to give Spartak the winning goal on the 93rd minute after an offensive foul. FC Spartak
Russia’s media regulator has ordered Facebook and Instagram to remove images that it said were disrespectful of the Russian flag from their platforms. This appears to be the first case of a foreign entity being pressured to comply with Russia’s new law that bans the disrespect of state symbols and the authorities. To date, only…
Alexander Luria was born into a Jewish family in Kazan, Russia. His father was a professor of medicine at the University of Kazan. Luria began his student years at Kazan State University in language and literature, but he was fascinated by psychoanalysis. He founded the Kazan Psychoanalytic Society and corresponded with Sigmund Freud before graduating…
Russia’s S-400 is the “best all-around” missile defense system out there, the U.S. intelligence firm Stratfor has said in a new report, but it is severely limited if operating alone. Russia began delivering the S-400 surface-to-air system to Turkey last week, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calling it “the strongest defence system against those…
The Zverev Center for Contemporary Art, a gallery which occupies half of a small wooden cabin nestled into a shady corner of a park, is generally locked, but a sign on the door gives a number for the determined to call for access to the latest exhibition. Last month, this space was taken over by…
When Yelena Ageyeva moved to the Moskvorechye-Saburovo neighborhood in southeastern Moscow in 1987, she was aware that there was a radioactive site across the railroad tracks from her apartment building. “They calmed us down by saying that it was all buried under soil and so we had nothing to worry about,” said the 59-year-old pensioner…
Turkish will cooperate with Russia on the production of advanced missile defense systems, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said as the country continues to defy its NATO allies with purchases of Russia’s S-400 system. Turkey’s purchase of the S-400 from Russia has raised tensions with NATO and the United States, which has warned Turkey that…
Hackers stole thousands of Bulgarians’ personal financial data and distributed it from a Russian-based email in an attack possibly related to the purchase of new F-16 fighter jets from the United States, the government said on Tuesday. The hackers accessed the National Revenue Agency’s (NRA) systems on Monday before sending local media confidential information purportedly…
Violent clashes have erupted at a protest against plans for a new garbage processing facility in a Moscow suburb, with local activists saying that it has led to a spike in deforestation in the area. Over the past year, Moscow’s plans to ship waste outside its city limits have sparked widespread protests in parts of…
An American teenager has been accused of raping a woman at a beach town in southern Russia, authorities have said. Investigators say the unnamed 19-year-old U.S. citizen invited the woman to his hotel room in the Black Sea town of Divnomorskoye Friday night, where he proceeded to rape her. A 16-year-old Russian was also allegedly involved…
Vladimir Putin’s 20-trillion-ruble ($300 billion) weapons-buying binge over the last decade has brought advanced hypersonic warheads and drone submarines. It’s also left the country’s defense industry with a massive hangover of debt that officials now say is suffocating the strategic sector. The industry “is living from hand to mouth” and doesn’t have enough money to…
“It’s being discussed — we’re thinking about it,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said Monday, the Interfax news service reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskiy, a former TV comic who won a landslide election victory in April, discussed the 24 imprisoned sailors during the first phone call between the two leaders last week. Zelenskiy, a…
Background Gazprom Transgaz Ufa is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gazprom. It performs gas transmission within the Republic of Bashkortostan. The company operates some 5,000 kilometers of gas trunklines. Gazprom Transgaz Ufa’s 16 branches include 9 gas pipeline operation centers, 12 compressor workshops, 82 gas compressor units, and 146 gas distribution stations. An environmental management system certified to ISO 14001:2015 is adopted at the company. Gazprom Transgaz Ufa has about 5,000 employees…
Police in Moscow detained 39 protesters at a rally calling for opposition candidates to be allowed to run in September’s elections to the Russian capital’s parliament. Opposition leaders cried foul after Moscow’s election commission said most of their candidates failed to secure the required number of signatures to participate in the election.
Relics of Saint Peter and Fevronia, the patrons of family and marriage in Orthodoxy, were transported to Moscow from the town of Murom on July 14. Pilgrims will be able to see the shrine and pray to the relics in Christ the Savior Cathedral from July 14 to July 21. Huge queues formed when St.…
When the sun goes down, Moscow appears in a new light. But last weekend it changed in a special way when more than 22,500 people gathered for a great double event — the night run race and the bike parade. A column of more than 15,000 cyclists traveled about 11 kilometers through the main streets,…
Humanity will die out if same-sex couples are granted the right to adopt children, the head of Russia’s upper house of parliament has claimed. Russia banned the adoption of children by same-sex couples and “propaganda of homosexuality among minors” in 2013. While some independent polls say Russians have largely negative views of LGBT people, other…
A senior citizen has been detained in Russia for attempting to install a plaque commemorating Richard Nixon’s visit to a small mining town dating back 70 years. Vice President Richard Nixon traveled to Degtyarsk in 1959 as part of his visit to the Soviet Union, which culminated in his so-called “Kitchen Debate” with Nikita Khrushchev.…
On January 29, 1860 in the Russian city of Taganrog on the coast of the Azov Sea, one of the world’s most famous playwrights and short story writers, was born. Chekhov had a difficult childhood shaped by his physically abusive father and his family’s precarious financial situation. From his school days, Chekhov supported his family…
July 15, 2019 PAO Severstal (MICEX-RTS: CHMF; LSE: SVST), one of the world’s leading steel and steel-related mining companies, has published its Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development Report for the year ended 31 December 2018 on the Company’s corporate website. The full report is available at: https://www.severstal.com/files/28593/CSR_SD_Report_2018_EN.pdf
The head of Russia’s Rosneft oil giant has asked the government for a 2.6 trillion ruble ($41.3 billion) tax break in exchange for large-scale investment in the Arctic, the Vedomosti business daily reported Monday. President Vladimir Putin has promised tax incentives and other benefits to encourage companies to develop the Arctic region and the Northern…
One by one, opposition politicians who say the authorities are trying to remove them from the ballot for elections to Moscow’s city legislature this September climbed onto a ledge on City Hall Sunday afternoon and addressed around 2,000 protestors who had gathered to support them. The protest was the latest in a rising tide of…
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On this day in 1894, the writer, journalist and playwright Isaac Babel was born in Odessa, present-day Ukraine, to a middle-class Jewish family. Called “the greatest prose writer of Russian Jewry” and considered one of the luminaries of 20th-century Soviet literature, Babel is best-known for the semi-autobiographical short story collections “Red Cavalry” and “Story of…
Set on the Kamchatka Peninsula, “Disappearing Earth” by Julia Phillips explores questions of gender and race ignited by the mysterious disappearance of two ethnically Slavic young girls, Alyona and Sophia. The novel follows different but interrelated female characters wrestling with these questions in their daily lives. A New Jersey native and graduate of Barnard College,…
Russia flew a fresh shipment of advanced air defense equipment to Turkey on Saturday, the Turkish Defense Ministry said, continuing to implement a deal that is likely to trigger U.S. sanctions against a NATO ally. The ministry said a fourth Russian cargo plane landed at the Murted air base near the Turkish capital Ankara, a day after…
Saudi Arabia, Russia and 35 other states have written to the United Nations supporting China’s policies in its western region of Xinjiang, according to a copy of the letter seen by Reuters on Friday, in contrast to strong Western criticism. China has been accused of detaining a million Muslims and persecuting ethnic Uighurs in Xinjiang, and 22…
Thousands of Buddhist pilgrims are travelling to Russia’s republic of Buryatia for the Kalachakra festival, celebrating world peace and harmony. An estimated 1 million Buddhists live in Russia, many in the republics of Kalmykia, Tuva and Buryatia — where the religion is traditionally practiced.
Seven men believed to be supporters of the Islamic State terror group have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms in Russia on Friday for attempting to stage a collision on a high-speed railway between Moscow and St. Petersburg. The suspects, hailing from post-Soviet Tajikistan, placed a metal object on the tracks in an attempt to…
Paris, July 10, 2019 – ROSATOM and the Commissariat for Atomic Energy and Alternative Energy Sources (CEA) signed the Implementation Plan for the Strategic Document on Russian-French Partnership in the Field of Peaceful Use of Atomic Energy. On the Russian side, the document was signed by Alexey Likhachev, the Director General of ROSATOM, from the…
A Russian national accused of fighting for the Islamic State militant group against Syrian government forces was arrested in Albania and will be extradited to Russia, Albanian police said on Friday. Police said the 34-year-old man, identified as R.M., who was born in and a resident of Norilsk in Russia, entered Albania illegally after a…
The weather isn’t ideal, but cultural life, broadly defined, is hot this weekend in and around the Russian capital. Here is a troika of truly wonderful, unusual, and fun events you could join on Saturday. For love and peace On Saturday the 18th-century Apothecary Garden will be rocking a multi-format festival or electronic music, performances,…
A Russian police officer has been convicted of negligence after telling a domestic violence victim to “come back when you’re dead” minutes before she was murdered. Police inspector Natalya Bashkatova received a domestic abuse call in the city of Oryol in late 2016 but refused to investigate the victim’s claims, telling her, “If he kills…
HOLLYWOOD—With awards season around the corner, the mini-series “Chernobyl” continues to gain momentum in the entertainment world. Distributor HBO, now a unit of the AT&T telecom giant, is putting its muscle behind the series, giving it a competitive edge in the Emmy competition. Nominations will be announced on July 16. Jared Harris, who plays scientist…
“The expedition cruises, including the Arctic, will become a trend. And we have already seen that this segment shows growth, faster than the rest of the cruise market, the tickets are commonly sold out six months ahead of the cruise departures,” Alexei Rakhmanov, president of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, Russia’s largest state-own shipbuilding company, said. Rakhmanov…
New Russian payment system laws could lead the world’s largest credit and debit card companies Visa and Mastercard to exit the country’s market, the Kommersant business daily reported on Friday. U.S.-based Visa and Mastercard stopped servicing bank cards in annexed Crimea after the United States imposed sanctions on Russia in 2014. Russia created its own…
The history of the Mariinsky Theater began on July 12, 1783, when Empress Catherine II approved the establishment of an Imperial drama, opera, and ballet troupe in St. Petersburg. This decree led to the construction of the Bolshoi Stone Theater, the Mariinsky Theater’s predecessor, and placed the first stone in what would become St. Peterbsurg’s…
With public support for President Vladimir Putin wilting, the Kremlin is considering changing election rules in an effort to secure its lock on parliament ahead of potentially vital decisions that could extend his rule. Putin faces the end of what under the constitution must be his final presidential term in 2024. Though he’s given no…
The first parts of a Russian S-400 missile defense system were delivered to NATO member Turkey on Friday, Russia has confirmed. Turkey’s acquisition of the Russian system is a source of tension between Turkey and NATO ally United States. The U.S. has demanded that Ankara abandon its deal with Moscow and purchase American-made Patriot systems…
Over two thousand paratroopers landed at Naimanskaya military site near Black Sea on Thursday, July 11, as Russia staged large-scale aviation drills at the annexed Crimea peninsula. Russian paratroopers were dropped from Il-76 transport planes 100 meters apart and landed on this site for the first time, according to Russian Military Transport Aviation Commander, Lieutenant…
A top official at the Russian national pension fund has pleaded guilty to charges of accepting a bribe and submitted his resignation, Russian media reported. Law enforcement authorities detained deputy chairman of the pension fund Alexei Ivanov on Wednesday, the TAdviser business news website had reported. Ivanov was taken into custody ahead of the fund’s key…
Background Gazprom Dobycha Astrakhan is a subsidiary of Gazprom focused on prospecting, exploration and development of hydrocarbon fields. The Levoberezhnaya part of the Astrakhanskoye gas and condensate field with an area of 1,360 square kilometers has been in operation since 1986. The field produces formation fluid with a high content of sulfur (25 per cent) and carbon dioxide (15 per cent). The company has around 300 wells of various use, hundreds…