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…
One of the key events of the year happened at Unit 2 of Leningrad Phase II which is under construction. Erection of the inner containment of the reactor has been completed. The last tier was concreted up to 67 meters in height. Now, the builders will be able to start constructing the highest section of…
British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt condemned the sentence handed out to a prominent human rights activist by a court in Chechnya, calling it “an awful example of Russia suppressing vital work of human rights defenders.” Oyub Titiyev, who runs the office of the Memorial Human Rights Center in the southern Russian region, was sentenced to…
Russia’s national flag carrier Aeroflot will introduce hand luggage-only fares for some of its medium-haul flights at the beginning of April, the Kommersant business daily reported on Tuesday. The new fares come after increased passenger demand for charges to reflect this lighter style of travel. The discounts will apply to select flights operated by Aeroflot…
Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev unexpectedly resigned on Tuesday after three decades in power, saying his oil-rich Central Asian nation now needed “a new generation of leaders.” Nazarbayev, 78, the last Soviet-era leader still in charge of his country, said he would retain key security council and party leader positions while handing over the presidency to…
The Russian Navy has shared a video of a new Borey-style nuclear ballistic missile submarine for the Day of the Russian Submariner, celebrated in Russia on March 19. Vladimir Korolev, commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, congratulated submariners on their professional holiday, adding that Russia’s submarine program is being actively developed, the Izvestia news website reported. Navy…
Nearly 200 people are currently being held as political prisoners in Russia, the Memorial Human Rights Center has estimated. “There are civil and political activists who are pursued because of their activity, and those jailed for exchanging scientific information or reposting in social networks,” Memorial, one of Russia’s oldest and most prestigious human rights organizations,…
Special Counsel Robert Mueller, examining potential conspiracy between President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia, is leading the latest in a series of U.S. investigations conducted by prosecutors outside usual Justice Department channels in recent decades. The release of the findings by previous investigators analogous to Mueller has been handled differently over the years, sometimes with…
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that Moscow supported the Algerian government’s initiative to hold talks with the opposition after weeks of protests. Lavrov made the comments after meeting Algeria’s Deputy Prime Minister Ramtane Lamamra in Moscow on Tuesday. Lavrov said earlier on Tuesday that Russia was concerned by the protests in Algeria which he…
A Moscow court has ruled that a feminist Reebok ad urging readers to “sit on a man’s face” did not insult a male plaintiff’s feelings, Russian media reported on Tuesday. PR expert Oleg Voronin sought 200,000 rubles ($3,100) in moral damages from Reebok’s parent company Adidas last month over the racy ad. Following public outcry,…
A Moscow court has ruled that a feminist Reebok ad urging readers to “sit on a man’s face” did not insult a male plaintiff’s feelings, Russian media reported on Tuesday. PR expert Oleg Voronin sought 200,000 rubles ($3,100) in moral damages from Reebok’s parent company Adidas last month over the racy ad. Following public outcry,…
RN Gas Fuel Company, a subsidiary of Rosneft Oil Company, has become a member of the National Gas-Vehicle Association where it will continue to develop the gas-vehicle market and increase the level of use of natural gas as motor fuel. The National Gas-Vehicle Association is an industrial solutions development platform that engages design engineers, builders,…
RN-Yuganskneftegaz, a subsidiary of Rosneft Oil Company, has produced the 400-millionth tonne of oil in Maysky region since the start of commercial exploration of the regional fields. The first field in the area put into commercial exploration in 1976 was South-Balykskoye field. In 2018, Maysky region produced 18.9 million tonnes of oil, a 15% increase…
Russia will not destroy its intermediate-range nuclear missiles that the United States claims violate an unraveling Cold War-era arms control treaty, its Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. The U.S. said last month it would withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in six months unless Moscow ends what Washington says are violations of the…