As the world’s fourth-largest wild cat and a native of the Americas, the sight of a leashed puma in a coat on a snowy Moscow weekend would surprise even the most open-minded park-goer. Irma the puma, however, is as domesticated and well-behaved as any house cat, according to her owners, Marina and Sergey. Retired from…
Russia sent two planes with dozens of soldiers and military advisers to Venezuela’s capital of Caracas over the weekend amid growing tensions in the South American country, an anonymous Venezuelan official has said. Venezuela’s political crisis escalated on Sunday when opposition leader Juan Guaido, who declared himself interim president in January, called on his supporters…
U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian interference in the 2016 election did not find that President Donald Trump committed a crime but also does not exonerate him, according to a summary of Mueller’s findings released on Sunday. Mueller, who spent nearly two years investigating allegations that Russia meddled in the 2016 election to help Trump defeat…
A Russian national has been detained in Indonesia after attempting to smuggle a drugged orangutan out of the country in his suitcase, local media reported Saturday. The animal was found sleeping in a basket in the man’s luggage as he passed through security at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport on Friday night. “The Russian deliberately used…
22th March 2019 22:01 p.m. Novovoronezh – Unit No. 2 at the Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant II, equipped with the VVER-1200 reactor has been brought to minimum control power (MCP). Minimum control power level is reached when neutron flux is recorded in a reactor working at a level sufficient to sustain a fission chain reaction. …
Background Gazprom Transgaz Nizhny Novgorod is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gazprom that delivers natural gas to 15 regions in the Volga and Central Federal Districts of the Russian Federation. The company’s gas transmission system is composed of trunklines stretching for over 13,000 kilometers. Gazprom Transgaz Nizhny Novgorod operates 54 compressor workshops, 284 gas compressor units, 375 gas distribution stations, and 15 CNG filling stations. The company’s efficiency is achieved through…
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it was baffled by Poland’s refusal to invite a Russian delegation to a commemoration ceremony marking 80 years since the start of World War II. An aide to the Polish president said this week that Russia has not been invited to the September ceremony because of its annexation of Crimea and…
A feminist activist in Russia’s Far East was questioned by police over her art project on body positivity which they deemed “pornographic,” the sibreal.org news website reported Friday. Activist Yulia Tsvetkova’s illustrations were part of a project called “Women are Not Dolls,” which aims to promote body positivity among young women. The images show women…
A Russian court has ordered several publications to remove news linking a lawmaker to a convicted mafia boss, Russian media have reported. State Duma deputy Andrei Skoch sued five outlets in December demanding they delete allegations that he had raised funds for the release of criminal boss Young Shakro and his associate. Forbes Russia named Skoch…
Business ombudsman Boris Titov has appealed to federal prosecutors over a group of Russian businessmen currently being held in pre-trial detention. Russia’s business community has expressed growing concern over the pre-trial detention of U.S. investor Michael Calvey, who has been held on embezzlement charges since Feb. 14. President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday called on prosecutors to stop the…
Russian race walker Alexandr Ivanov has been disqualified for three years for doping and is set to be stripped of his gold medal at the 2013 world championships in Moscow, the Russian athletics federation said on Friday. Ivanov will lose all the medals he won between June 2012 and August 2014, the federation said. He…
Russian race walker Alexandr Ivanov has been disqualified for three years for doping and is set to be stripped of his gold medal at the 2013 world championships in Moscow, the Russian athletics federation said on Friday. Ivanov will lose all the medals he won between June 2012 and August 2014, the federation said. He…
Pyotr Verzilov looks tanned and energized as he orders a pot of green tea in a central Moscow cafe. “The irony is, I feel much better now than before the poisoning,” says the Pussy Riot activist and publisher of the online investigative news site Mediazona. Verzilov was rushed to a Moscow hospital on Sept.…
The mysterious death of former Russian presidential aide and media tycoon Mikhail Lesin in Washington may have been a murder, the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) news outlet has reported. Lesin was found dead in a Washington hotel room in November 2015, from what was ruled to be accidental blunt-force trauma. Before losing favor with…
Attackers on a motorcycle threw a hand grenade at the Russian consulate in Athens early on Friday, causing no injuries and slight damage, police said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the early morning attack on the consulate in the Athens suburb of Chalandri. Police had cordoned off the area. The device exploded…
March is not a good month in Moscow. The skiing and skating seasons are over, but the running and biking seasons are but a dream of the distant future. You’ve explored every mall and binge-watched every television series produced within the last decade. You’ve mastered several complex, day-long French recipes and gotten loopy trying to…
Russia will supply gas to Hungary in 2020, regardless of agreements on gas transit between Moscow and Kiev, the RBC news website reported on Friday. The transit agreement between Russia and Ukraine expires at the end of this year and a new agreement has not yet been negotiated. “Today, the CEO of Gazprom and…
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday that a change in the status of the Golan Heights would be a direct violation of United Nations decisions, RIA news agency said in a report citing ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. She was commenting on a statement by U.S. President Donald Trump, who tweeted on Thursday it was time…
The creator of an anti-women community on Russian social media has had his hate speech conviction overturned, media reported Thursday. Blogger Vladislav Pozdnyakov received a two-year suspended sentence last December for inciting hatred toward women. His “Male State” page on the Vkontakte social network that espouses nationalism and patriarchy boasted more than 150,000 members before…
March 22, 2019 PAO Severstal and Air Liquide have signed a new long-term contract for the supply of oxygen, nitrogen and argon in Cherepovets. Air Liquide will invest around 50 million euros in the construction of a state-of-the-art Air Separation Unit (ASU) which will improve the energy efficiency and the overall environmental footprint of the…
This week on From Russia With News, we discuss the shock resignation of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev with Joanna Lillis, a journalist in Kazakhstan and author of the acclaimed book on the country: “Dark Shadows: Inside the Secret World of Kazakhstan.” We’ll also talk to journalist Marc Bennetts about the trial of Gaylen Grandstaff, an…
On March 18, 2019, in Berlin, Germany, a seminar “Perspectives for German-Russian Nuclear Safety Science Cooperation” took place. The seminar was organized under the auspices of German Eastern Business Association with participation of TENEX. The Russian delegation comprising representatives of ROSATOM State Corporation, TENEX, JSC “Science and Innovations”, FSUE “National Operator for Radioactive Waste Management”,…
As nature says goodbye to winter and marks the start of spring, many in Russia welcome the change in seasons by wearing their finest traditional clothes and cooking their best food. Nowruz, an ancient Persian new year festival, sometimes spelled Navruz or Navroz, is widely celebrated across Central Asia and Russia’s Muslim-majority republics of Tatarstan,…
Background Gazprom and LUKOIL are bound by the 2014–2024 General Agreement on Strategic Partnership, pursuant to which, among other things, LUKOIL supplies gas into Gazprom’s gas transmission system. In October 2015, Gazprom’s Sosnogorsk GPP started to receive associated petroleum gas from the northern group of fields developed by LUKOIL-Komi. Prior to the start of those deliveries, Gazprom and LUKOIL implemented a joint project for rearranging…
Russian liquified natural gas (LNG) is well positioned to compete with North American projects to reach new markets in Asia and the Atlantic Basin, global commodities information provider S&P Global Platts quoted a Shell executive as saying. LNG is a fuel that has been cooled to liquid form so it takes up less volume and…
Russia’s lumber, wildlife and water resources have a combined worth of 6 trillion rubles ($94.2 billion), the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry has estimated. The Russian economy is heavily reliant on exports of its resources. Last week, the ministry said that the combined worth of its oil, gas and other natural resources as of 2017…
Corruption in Russia’s military has quadrupled to 7 billion rubles ($109.8 million) last year, the top federal military prosecutor said on Thursday. Russia ranks among the world’s most corrupt countries in international ratings, with corruption-related crimes costing an estimated $2.5 billion in damages between 2014 and 2017. Observers have said that anti-graft campaigns under President Vladimir Putin’s rule have brought little progress. “The crimes in…
Last year, the 100th anniversary of the execution of the last members of the Romanov dynasty passed in Russia without much official attention. The exception was in Yekaterinburg, where the family was killed and where thousands of pilgrims gathered to mark the day of their murder. But in Moscow the State Historical Museum has been…
The Kremlin on Thursday said that flights by U.S. nuclear-capable B-52 strategic bombers across the Baltic Sea’s neutral waters near Russia‘s borders created tension in the region. Russia‘s Defense Ministry said earlier on Thursday that it had scrambled fighter jets to intercept a U.S. B-52 strategic bomber after it began flying toward Russia‘s borders. “In general, I…
Average life expectancy in Russia has reached 73 years, a top health official said on Thursday. Russia plans to spend 1.7 trillion rubles ($26.68 billion) on dramatically improving health care to accomplish President Vladimir Putin’s goal of raising life expectancy to 78 years by the time his term ends in 2024. Average life expectancy rose…
Average life expectancy in Russia has reached 73 years, a top health official said on Thursday. Russia plans to spend 1.7 trillion rubles ($26.68 billion) on dramatically improving health care to accomplish President Vladimir Putin’s goal of raising life expectancy to 78 years by the time his term ends in 2024. Average life expectancy rose…
In 2018, Rosneft Group Companies planted about 1 million seedlings as part of forest conservation measures. Rosneft Oil Company established the main task among its environmental protection efforts, which is to minimise the impact of its production activities on the environment, and to preserve it for the benefit of the present and future generations. The…
A majority of Russians think a controversial new set of laws will effectively reduce the spread of false information online, according to a state-run survey published on Wednesday. This week, President Vladimir Putin signed into law legislation that will fine online media for spreading “fake news” and punish those who exhibit “blatant disrespect” to the…
The call for applications has now closed for the ATOMEXPO AWARDS. This international professional award is presented to companies/organizations for their contribution to the development and use of nuclear energy for the benefit of humankind. The competition is held as part of the 11th ATOMEXPO International Forum, which will take place at the Main Media…
An aging leader steps down as president but keeps a firm grip on the reins of power. For many in the Kremlin, the choreographed events unfolding in neighboring Kazakhstan are a model for Russian President Vladimir Putin to consider. Unlike his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev, however, nobody’s certain Putin could pull off a transfer of…
Russia has wrapped up construction of its first rail bridge to China, connecting the two countries across the Amur River, Russian media reported on Thursday. Construction of the 2,200-meter bridge between Nizhneleninskoye in Russia and Tongjiang city in China began in 2014, underscoring Russia’s Eastern pivot amid deteriorating ties with the West. China completed construction…
Russia’s parliament has created a task force to assess damages to Crimea during its more than two decades as part of Ukraine. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014, incurring economic sanctions and international isolation. Moscow calls the annexation of the Black Sea peninsula a reunification with its historical territory. “We will analyze the…
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Wednesday signed a decree broadening sanctions against Russian companies and citizens to include aluminum and power producer En+ Group and several other Russian firms. Kiev imposed sanctions against some Russian firms and individuals in response to Russia‘s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its support for a pro-Moscow insurgency the east of Ukraine. Wednesday’s…
Release March 20, 2019, 20:40 A working meeting between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, and Dmitry Artyukhov, Governor of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area (YaNAA), took place today at the Bovanenkovskoye field. The parties expressed appreciation for the large-scale cooperation between Gazprom and the YaNAA. It was noted that the Company is rapidly developing the Yamal gas production center. In late 2018, the Bovanenkovskoye field,…
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President Vladimir Putin has replaced three more governors ahead of regional elections later this year as low ratings for the ruling United Russia party risk upsetting its hold on power. Sixteen regions are scheduled to elect new governors on Sept. 8 this year. Putin replaced 10 leaders in Oct. 2018 after an unpopular government move…
The strategy to 2025 aims to further expand PhosAgro’s presence in its priority domestic and premium export markets and strengthen its position as a producer of pure phosphate-based fertilizers with low levels of potentially-harmful heavy metals with one of the lowest cash costs of production. The strategy covers the following key areas: Further develop efficient,…
It’s not all smiles for Russia as it slips down the global happiness rankings for a third consecutive year, according to an annual UN report published on Wednesday. The World Happiness Report ranks 156 countries by variables that support well-being, including GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, social freedom, generosity and absence of corruption.…
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin sent a congratulatory telegram to the new acting president of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, hours after he was named the new leader of the Central Asian country. Tokayev was sworn in as Kazakhstan’s president on Wednesday, a day after Putin’s close ally Nursultan Nazarbayev unexpectedly resigned after three decades in power. Kazakhstan…
Russian prison guards may soon be required to apologize to inmates for violating their rights, new regulations drafted by the federal penitentiary system show. Last year, the Federal Prison Service (FSIN) launched nationwide inspections at its facilities in the wake of leaked videos showing guards torturing inmates at a prison in the Yaroslavl region. The…
President Vladimir Putin has kicked off the full-scale development of one of Russia’s largest proven gas fields in the Yamal peninsula, the Kremlin reported on Wednesday. The Kharasaveyskoye gas field is located in the Yamal-Nenets autonomous district, a key gas-producing region in an economy that heavily relies on gas exports. This month, Russia’s Natural Resources…
This article appeared in our special “Russia in 2019” print issue. The road to “New Life” is bumpy. Only recently opened, the entrance to the apartment complex in Belgorod, a provincial city on the border with Ukraine, has yet to be paved. Already, though, young mothers can be seen pushing strollers along bike paths as their toddlers scramble over Danish playground…
The premiere of a new documentary “Wild Edens: South Asia,” the third in a series that highlights the issue of climate change, took place in Mumbai, India. Focusing on the flora and fauna in the one-of-a-kind natural habitats of India and Bangladesh the documentary was filmed in a number of remote locations, including the Western…
Moscow – PhosAgro (“PhosAgro” or “the Company”) (Moscow Exchange, LSE: PHOR), one of the world’s leading vertically integrated phosphate-based fertilizer producers, today announces its consolidated IFRS financial results for the three months (4Q) and 12 months (FY) ended 31 December 2018. Revenue in 4Q 2018 rose by 30% year-on-year to RUB 59.4 billion (USD 893…
Release March 20, 2019, 12:45 Photos A ceremony was held today in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area to mark the launch of full-scale development of the Kharasaveyskoye field. Attending the event were Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, Dmitry Artyukhov, Governor of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area, and heads of Gazprom’s relevant subdivisions and subsidiaries. Vladimir Putin addressed the event participants in his opening speech via a conference call. The Kharasaveyskoye…
More than twice as many people have died in Russian plane crashes last year than in 2017, a top interregional aviation safety organization has said. Aviation safety has come under scrutiny after a spate of air accidents in Russia in 2018, including a deadly collision outside Moscow in February 2018 that killed 71 people. A…
High-level U.S.-Russian talks on how to defuse Venezuela’s crisis ended on Tuesday with the two sides still at odds over the legitimacy of President Nicolas Maduro. Russia has said Maduro remains the country’s only legitimate leader whereas the United States and many other Western countries back Juan Guaido, head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly who…
Scores of buses stopped traveling their regular routes and fruit stands closed in the Siberian city of Yakutsk following protests sparked by allegations that Central Asian migrants raped a local woman, Russian media have reported. Three suspects were detained on charges of kidnapping and raping a local resident this week. Hundreds of locals attended rallies…
Moscow – The Board of Directors of PhosAgro (Moscow Exchange, LSE: PHOR), one of the world’s leading vertically integrated phosphate-based fertilizer producers, has declared that 2018 was an outstanding year for the Company’s in terms of its operational and financial performance. In summing up the 2018, PhosAgro CEO and Board of Directors member Andrey Guryev,…
Russia will stop publishing monthly data that’s shown a slump in disposable incomes for five straight years after the indicator was criticized for using methodology that’s decades out of date. The Federal Statistics Service will start releasing quarterly income data starting next month and historical numbers will be recalculated going back to 2013, head Pavel…
Six volunteers from Russia and the United States locked themselves up for four months on Tuesday (March 19) for a space experiment ahead of the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing. Three males and three females are participating in the SIRIUS-19 isolation study, in which they will live, work and research in isolation from the rest of the…
March 20, 2019 According to the agency, the «Expert RA» rating agency assigned the credit rating of the non-financial company Severstal to ruAAA, which corresponds to the highest level of solvency/financial reliability/ financial stability according to the national scale. The rating outlook is stable. The Expert RA credit rating has been assigned to Severstal for…
March 20, 2019 PJSC Severstal and Global Venture Alliance (GVA) announce the launch of Severstal SteelTech Accelerator – Russia’s first full-scale industrial accelerator for start-ups in the metallurgical industry. Severstal SteelTech Accelerator’s main goal is to find innovative solutions in the industrial sector which can be successfully integrated into Severstal’s production cycle. The window for…
Release March 19, 2019, 19:40 The Gazprom Board of Directors took note of the information about the work being done by the Company to promote natural gas (methane) as a vehicle fuel. It was stressed that wider use of NGV fuel was one of Gazprom’s strategic thrusts in the domestic market. The Company is involved in the NGV refueling infrastructure development, cooperates with manufacturers of natural gas-powered machinery and refueling…
Release March 19, 2019, 19:35 The Gazprom Board of Directors expressed its approval the Company’s ongoing work on its major investment projects. One the Company’s current priorities is the Eastern Gas Program. Gazprom is gearing up for the launch of pipeline gas supplies to China that is scheduled for December 1, 2019. The work on the Power of Siberia pipeline is ahead of schedule. At present, the construction of the pipeline between Yakutia and the…