Life Expectancy in Russia Inches Upward to 73

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…

Projects from 25 Countries to Take Part in ATOMEXPO AWARDS

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…

Russia Completes Construction of First-Ever Rail Bridge to China

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…

Ukraine Targets Russia’s En+ With New Sanctions

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…

Alexey Miller and Dmitry Artyukhov discuss current issues of cooperation between Gazprom and YaNAA

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,…

Putin Reshuffles Regional Governors Ahead of 2019 Vote

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…

Russia Drops Further in World Happiness Index – UN

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.…

Putin Kicks Off Massive New Gas Field in Russia’s Arctic

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…

Can Urban Renewal Plug Russia’s Brain Drain?

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…

PhosAgro 4Q18 EBITDA grows 51% YoY to RUB 18.6 bln

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…

Full-scale development of Kharasaveyskoye field starts in Yamal Peninsula

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…

U.S.-Russia Talks on Venezuela Stall Over Role of Maduro

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…

PhosAgro Board of Directors Calls 2018 Results Outstanding

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 Ditches Real Income Data That Has Slumped for Five Years

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…

Mock Moon Flight Experiment Begins in Russia

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…

«Expert RA» assiged «Severstal» ratig to ruAAA

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…

Severstal lauches SteelTech Accelerator with Global Veture Alliace

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…

NGV fuel becoming increasingly popular in Russia

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…

Board of Directors reviews progress of major investment projects

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…

Russian Navy Shows Off Ships For Day of Submariner

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…

Russia’s Political Prisoners, in Photos

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,…

The Long And Winding Road to U.S. Special Counsel’s Russia Report

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…

Russia Backs Algerian Government Plan For Talks With Opposition

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…

Rosneft Becomes Member of National Gas-Vehicle Association

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,…

Director Marlen Khutsiev Has Died

Marlen Khutsiev, one of the Soviet Union and Russia’s most innovative and beloved film directors, died on Tuesday morning at the age of 93. Khutsiev was born in Tiflis (now Tbilisi, Georgia) in 1925. His father (ne Khutishvili) was a communist with a pre-Revolutionary socialist pedigree, who, after serving in high positions within the Soviet…

Moscow Nose-Dives in Global Living Cost Rankings

Moscow’s cost-of-living ranking has plummeted over the past year in comparison to other cities worldwide, the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Worldwide Cost of Living survey has found. The decrease in living costs is linked to high inflation and currency deprivation, the survey reported. The Russian capital has fallen 16 places from 86th to 102nd in the…

Hyundai Signs Deal With Russia’s Yandex for Autonomous Cars

A Hyundai Motor Group unit and Russia’s biggest technology company Yandex NV will jointly develop autonomous vehicles based the South Korean automotive giant’s cars. Carmakers and tech companies are racing to rollout self-driving cars. Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler and BMW have set aside traditional rivalries, while Volvo Cars and Baidu Inc. have joined forces to develop…

Alexey Miller and President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic discuss main areas of cooperation

Release March 19, 2019, 12:20 A Gazprom delegation headed by Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Company’s Management Committee, paid a working visit to Serbia today. As part of the visit, Alexey Miller met with Aleksandar Vucic, President of the Republic of Serbia, in Belgrade. The parties discussed the main areas of their cooperation, focusing, in particular, on the beginning of the construction of the Pancevo TPP which is going to become the first combined cycle…

EU Citizen Abused in Russian Jail – Jehovah’s Witnesses

An EU citizen has been placed in solitary confinement, denied visitation with his wife and subjected to a grueling daily regimen while awaiting trial in central Russia, the Jehovah’s Witnesses told The Moscow Times. The federal penitentiary service of Kirov region did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Andrzej Oniszczuk, 50, was one of…

Crimeans Take to the Streets in Celebrations, in Photos

The pro-Kremlin Night Wolves motorcycle gang staged a celebratory concert outside Sevastopol on Saturday to mark the fifth anniversary of Russia’s annexation of Crimea. The event was marked by patriotic fervor and featured a display of military equipment, a rock concert, the unfurling of the largest Russian flag in the world and an awards ceremony…