World Climate Change Day Celebrated on May 15
On May 15, the international community celebrates World Climate Change Day.
Nuclear Science Utilized to Protect the African Rhino
On May 13th the innovative anti-poaching Rhisotope Project was launched. The project which is based on nuclear science, has the potential to drastically reduce Rhino poaching. The project was initiated by the University of Witwatersrand (WITs) and is being implemented under a global collaboration with the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), Colorado State…
Siberian Muckraker Who Investigated Oil Theft Jailed for Blackmail, Pornography
A Siberian muckraking journalist who investigated oil-theft schemes has been sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of blackmail and distributing pornography, authorities said Friday. Eduard Shmonin, 50, was arrested in 2017 after he released an investigative documentary alleging industrial-scale oil theft with Federal Security Service (FSB) and police involvement in the Khanty-Mansiisk autonomous…
What’s On in Moscow May 14-16
Night in the Museum Moscow began to celebrate a Night in the Museum not long ago, but the event quickly became a favorite of Muscovites of all ages. There is something delightfully transgressive about being in a public place after hours, when the lights are usually off and the doors shut tight. Last year it…
Moscow Bailiffs Visit RFE/RL Newsroom Over ‘Foreign Agent’ Fines
Moscow city bailiffs have visited the offices of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) to take inventory of the news outlet’s equipment, the independent Meduza news website reported Friday. The U.S. government-funded news outlet has come under increasing pressure in Russia since being added to the country’s “foreign agents” registry in February 2020. By last month,…
Putin Vows Response After Ally Probed for Treason in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed Friday to respond to what he said was the persecution of Moscow-friendly politicians in Ukraine, accusing the West of turning a blind eye to Kiev’s political “clean-up.” With tensions between Moscow and Kiev high, Ukraine this week placed Putin’s top ally Viktor Medvedchuk under house arrest on suspicion of high…
Russian Oil Giant Rosneft Back in Black as Prices Recover
Russian oil giant Rosneft said Friday that its earnings were back in the black in the first quarter after oil prices recovered following Moscow’s production deals with OPEC. State-controlled Rosneft reported a net profit of 149 billion rubles ($2 billion) in the first quarter, compared with a loss of 156 billion rubles in the same period last year. It…
U.S. Embassy to Temporarily Resume Consular Services as Russia Pauses Hiring Ban
The U.S. Embassy in Moscow will temporarily resume routine U.S. citizen services and processing of immigrant visas in priority and urgent cases after Russia paused a ban on it hiring foreign nationals, the Embassy said Friday. On Wednesday, the Embassy halted most of its consular services to U.S. nationals and Russians seeking a visa after…
Russia Declares Independent VTimes News Site a ‘Foreign Agent’
Russia has declared The Moscow Times’ Russian-language partner VTimes a “foreign agent” on Friday amid what critics call the Kremlin’s ongoing crackdown on free speech and independent media. The designation puts the independent news site’s future in jeopardy as it risks cratering its advertising budget and levying steep fines for auditing violations. VTimes was launched…
Atommash has started manufacturing the bends of the main circulation pump for the “Kudankulam” NPP in India
The Volgodonsk Branch of JSC “AEM-technology” (part of the machine-building division of ROSATOM – Atomenergomash) started stamping pipe blanks – the Bends of the main circulation pump (MCP) for Units 5 and 6 of the Kudankulam NPP (India). The work was carried out in two stages at the thermal press site of Atommash. At first,…
Moscow Residents More Likely to Approve of Putin Than City Authorities – Poll
Moscow residents are more likely to approve of President Vladimir Putin and their mayor than of their city’s municipal authorities, according to an independent poll published Friday. The Levada Center polling agency said both Putin and Mayor Sergei Sobyanin shared a 41% approval rating among Muscovites. That compares to 13% approval for the Moscow City…
Moscow Sees Major Spike in Virus Cases After Extended Holiday
Moscow has reported 3,818 new coronavirus cases Friday, the highest daily count since January, as Russia returned from an extended non-working period designed to prevent a third wave of the pandemic. Nationwide, Russia confirmed 9,462 new cases and 939 deaths across all but one region Friday. The country has one of the world’s highest Covid-19…
Greece Opens to Russian Tourists Vaccinated with Sputnik V
Greece will open to tourists who have received Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine from Friday, the country’s tourism minister has said. The Mediterranean country, a popular tourist spot for Russians, is the first European country to open its borders to Sputnik V recipients. The country will no longer require vaccinated tourists to quarantine for seven…
Russian Troops Block U.S. Military Convoy in Syria
Russian troops have blocked and turned around a U.S. military convoy in northeast Syria, the Russian military said Thursday, accusing it of violating deconfliction arrangements in the country. The Russian Defense Ministry’s Syria reconciliation center said six American MRAP-type armored vehicles drove “along an uncoordinated route and without prior notice” in the Kurdish-held Syrian province…
Putin, UN Urge Israel, Palestinians to Halt Fighting
Russian President Vladimir Putin and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday jointly called for an end to fighting between Israel and Palestinians. “In light of the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, it was stated that the primary task is to stop violent actions on both sides and ensure the safety of the civilian population,”…
Rosneft Aero Confirms Compliance with International Quality System Standards
Rosneft Aero, the operator of Rosneft Oil Company’s aircraft fuelling business, has received a certificate of compliance with international quality management system standards ISO 9001:2015.
Gazprom Management Committee reviews prospects for gas supply and gas infrastructure expansion in Russian regions through 2030
May 13, 2021, 17:30 The Gazprom Management Committee took note of the information about the prospects for the expansion of the gas supply and gas infrastructure network in Russian regions through 2030. It was noted that Gazprom, being a socially-oriented company, pursues the creation of the conditions for connecting the residential and industrial consumers to gas as one of its key activities. Gazprom is actively developing the gas supply…
Gazprom to ramp up capacities of UGS facilities in Russia to record-high levels by heating season of 2021/2022
May 13, 2021, 17:15 The Gazprom Management Committee reviewed the operating results of the Gazprom Group entities and organizations for the 2020–2021 autumn/winter period and discussed the measures to be taken for ensuring uninterrupted gas supplies to consumers in the upcoming 2021–2022 autumn/winter period. It was noted that the autumn/winter period of 2020–2021 was marked by lengthy cold spells in the area covered by Russia’s Unified Gas Supply System (UGSS).…
Russia to Send Billionaire Maezawa, Film Crew to ISS
Maezawa, 45, who made his fortune in online retail, said he plans to document the mission and share it with the world on his YouTube channel with over 700,000 subscribers. The Roscosmos space agency said Maezawa would make the flight from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with production assistant Yozo Hirano aboard a Soyuz MS-20…
Siberian Volunteers Reclaim Their City’s Long-Lost Memories
Far to the east of Moscow, a group of young people are hard at work in a cemetery. The Tekutyevsky Cemetery is in the very center of old Tyumen, the first settlement in Siberia that was founded in 1586 as part of the Russian Empire’s expansion eastward. Burials there were conducted from 1885 to 1962.…
In Photos: Russia’s Muslims Mark Ramadan’s End on Eid al-Fitr
Muslims across Russia celebrated Eid al-Fitr on Thursday, bringing the holy month of Ramadan to a close and marking the end of the traditional fasting that goes along with it. With over 10 million believers across the country, or about 10% of its overall population, Russia’s Muslim population is the largest in Europe. Eid al-Fitr,…
Belarusian Drummer Jailed for 6 Years Over Protests
A Belarusian court jailed a drummer for six years on Thursday after his band played at mass protests in the wake of disputed presidential elections last year, a rights group said. Belarus was for months gripped by weekly demonstrations demanding the resignation of strongman Alexander Lukashenko, who claimed a landslide victory in the August vote…
In Letter to The Lancet, Scientists Question ‘Very Peculiar’ Sputnik V Results
An international group of scientists has reiterated “serious concerns” over what they call a lack of transparency, missing data and questionable findings in the clinical research behind Russia’s homemade Sputnik V vaccine. In an open letter to The Lancet — the leading medical journal which published Russia’s interim research showing an efficacy of 91.6% for…
World’s Youngest Crypto Billionaire Vitalik Buterin Donates $1Bln to Virus-Hit India
Vitalik Buterin, the Russian-born co-founder of the Ethereum digital currency and the world’s youngest crypto billionaire, has donated more than $1 billion to coronavirus-stricken India’s relief fund. The Russian-Canadian programmer moved $1.2 billion worth of dog-themed SHIB meme tokens on Wednesday and about $600,000 in Ether and Maker tokens last month, Forbes reported, citing Buterin’s…
Russians’ Views of Navalny Protests Increasingly Negative – Poll
Only 16% of Russians viewed last month’s nationwide protests in support of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny positively, according to a poll by the independent Levada Center published Thursday, a signal of flagging momentum for his embattled opposition groups. Navalny’s team had called on supporters to take to the streets on April 21 to demand proper…
Russia Confirms First Cases of Indian Virus Strain
Russia has confirmed the first cases of the Indian coronavirus mutation within its borders among a group of Indian students, the Kommersant business daily reported Thursday, citing the regional consumer protection watchdog. The national headquarters of Rospotrebnadzor later denied the presence of the Indian strain among the students. The news comes amid heightened fears worldwide…
Influential Russian Feminist Activist Tatiana Nikonova Dies at 43
An influential Russian feminist activist and sex blogger, Tatiana Nikonova, has died from an unknown illness at age 43, a message on her website said Wednesday. Nikonova had advocated gender equality, sexual literacy and adolescent sex education, and supported the LGBT movement since 2001. She launched a feminist blog in 2012 and had since gained…
EU Says Russia Aims to ‘Integrate’ East Ukraine – Bloomberg
The European Union claims Russia is seeking “de facto integration” with separatist-held eastern Ukraine through its actions, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing a document shared with member states. Kiev has been at war with pro-Russia rebels in the eastern breakaway region called Donbass since 2014, when Moscow annexed Crimea. Tensions flared this year with a spike…
Russia’s Lavrov Calls for Urgent Middle East Quartet Meeting
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday called for an urgent meeting of the Middle East Quartet in order to halt violence between Israel and the Palestinians. Speaking alongside United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Lavrov said: “Today we’ve come to the common opinion that the most pressing task is to convene the Quartet of international…
British Police Officer in Novichok Attack Sues Force
A British police officer poisoned in the Novichok nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy is suing the force he worked for at the time, his lawyers said on Wednesday. Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, who left the police in October last year, became critically ill following the Novichok poisoning attack on ex-spy Sergei Skripal…
Slovakia to Start Sputnik Jabs in June
Slovakia’s health minister said Wednesday that the EU member would start offering Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine in June, months after Bratislava’s purchase of the coronavirus jabs triggered a government crisis. The announcement comes a day after the health ministry said it would suspend first doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine as it investigates a fatal blood…
Explainer: What We Know About the Kazan School Shooter So Far
A former student opened fire at a high school in the Russian city of Kazan on Tuesday, killing seven students and two adults and injuring more than 23 people in one of the country’s worst shooting incidents in recent history. Officers detained the gunman at the scene, whose official motive remains unclear. Here’s what we…
Russia’s Far North Could Be Arable in 20-30 Years As Permafrost Melts – Minister
Russia’s Arctic and Far North regions could become arable in as soon as 20 to 30 years as climate change accelerates permafrost melt, opening up vast swathes of land to agriculture, the country’s environment minister said Tuesday. Some 60-65% of Russia’s territory is covered in permafrost, the upper layer of soil that stays frozen year-round.…
Rosneft Conducts First Expedition to Study Polar Bears This Year
The first field studies of the polar bear population this year have been completed as part of Rosneft Oil Company’s corporate environmental programme.
Ukraine’s Pro-Kremlin MP Blasts Treason Probe
Ukrainian lawmaker Viktor Medvedchuk, seen as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top ally in Kiev, has slammed a treason investigation against him, calling it a “political reprisal.” The 66-year-old business tycoon, who counts the Kremlin chief among his personal friends, is a hugely controversial figure in Ukraine for his ties to Russia, which has backed separatists…
Putin Calls for De-Escalation in Israel-Palestinian Clashes
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday urged Israel and the Palestinians to halt fighting in a call with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said the world needs to give Israel a “strong” lesson. “Serious concern was expressed about the continuing clashes and the growing number of people killed and wounded,” the Kremlin said in…
Open a Window to Films From the East
Every year audiences in Wiesbaden, Germany come together to watch films from their neighbors to the East. The GoEast Film Festival shows about 100 films from almost 40 countries in Eastern and Central Europe and the former Soviet Union. This year the festival audiences on- and offline saw an enormous variety of films in every…
Russia Jails Former Opposition Mayor for Navalny Protest Tweets
The former opposition mayor of Russia’s fourth-largest city has been sentenced to nine days in jail for promoting this year’s nationwide pro-Navalny protests on his Twitter, the MBKh Media news website reported Wednesday. Mass protests calling for the release of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny were held across Russia on Jan. 23, Jan. 31 and…
U.S. Halts Consular Services in Russia After Diplomatic Row
Russia-U.S. relations have been in tatters with Washington accusing the Kremlin of interference in U.S. elections, a massive cyber attack and other hostile activity. Joe Biden has increased pressure on Moscow since becoming U.S. president, and comments he made likening Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to a killer were met with fierce criticism in Moscow. Washington…
Majority of Russians Still Not Ready to Get Sputnik Vaccine – Poll
The majority of Russians (62%) are still not ready to be vaccinated with their country’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, according to a poll by the independent Levada Center published Wednesday. The results are the latest sign that Russians are largely still skeptical of the domestically-produced vaccine amid Russia’s attempts to boost its slower-than-hoped vaccination campaign. …
Russians Mark Day of Mourning After School Shooting
Mourners laid flowers Wednesday at the gates of a Russian school where a day earlier a lone gunman killed nine people, mostly children, in one of the country’s worst shooting incidents in recent history. Flags were flown at half-mast on official buildings Wednesday, an official day of mourning, while funerals were planned for some of…
U.S. Embassy Spokeswoman Expelled From Russia
The spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Moscow is among the 10 diplomats to be expelled from Russia in response to sanctions from Washington, the Kommersant business daily reported Wednesday. Rebecca Ross and nine other American diplomats have until May 21 to leave the country in line with Russia’s retaliation to the expulsion of 10…
Russia Eyes Banning Online Anonymity After Deadly School Shooting
Russia should do away with online anonymity to prevent future repeats of Tuesday’s deadly shooting at a high school in the central city of Kazan, the speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament has said. Nine people, most of them children, were killed and over 20 were hospitalized when a former student opened fire at…
Apple Challenges Russia’s $12M ‘Unfair Competition’ Fine
Apple has lodged a legal challenge against the Russian antitrust authority’s $12 million fine over unfair competition. Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) last month fined the Silicon Valley tech giant 906 million rubles, accusing it of abusing its dominant position in the app market. It previously ruled that Apple had wrongfully blocked the Russian cybersecurity…
US Says ‘Russia-Based’ Group DarkSide Behind Pipeline Hack
President Joe Biden said Monday that a Russia-based group was behind the ransomware attack that forced the shutdown of the largest oil pipeline in the eastern United States. The FBI identified the group behind the hack of Colonial Pipeline as DarkSide, a shadowy operation that surfaced last year and attempts to lock up corporate computer systems…
Russia Expels Romanian Diplomat in Reciprocal Move
Russia on Tuesday expelled the aide to Romania’s military attache, as part of an ongoing diplomatic spat between Moscow and Western capitals. The move comes in response to Bucharest’s decision last month to remove Russia’s deputy military attache from the country as part of the dispute that has embroiled several EU countries formally under the…
Kondaneft Introduces Unmanned Aerial Complex System for Industrial Sites Monitoring
Kondaneft, a production enterprise of Rosneft, has introduced an unmanned aerial complex to monitor the industrial infrastructure at its fields consistently.
Ukraine Accuses Pro-Russian MPs Medvedchuk, Kozak of Treason
Ukraine has formally accused two leading pro-Russian lawmakers, including one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s close allies, of high treason, the country’s top prosecutor said Tuesday. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Iryna Venedyktova announced that she authorized suspicion against two members of parliament, whom she identified only as “M and K,” of attempted theft of natural resources…
Ukraine Accuses Pro-Russian MPs Medvedchuk, Kozak With Treason
Ukraine has formally accused two leading pro-Russian lawmakers, including one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s close allies, of high treason, the country’s top prosecutor said Tuesday. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Iryna Venedyktova announced that she authorized suspicion against two members of parliament, whom she identified only as “M and K,” of attempted theft of natural resources…
Gazprom Group’s Sustainable Development Policy approved
May 11, 2021, 16:30 The Gazprom Board of Directors approved the Sustainable Development Policy of the Gazprom Group. The document enshrines the Group’s sustainable development mission, which is to make a positive contribution to the social and economic development of the Russian Federation and other regions of the Company’s operation in line with environmental and social responsibility standards. The Policy outlines the goals and responsibilities of the…
9 Dead in Russia School Shooting
Nine people, most of whom were children, have been killed after a lone teenage gunman opened fire at a school in the Russian city of Kazan, regional officials said Tuesday. The victims at Kazan’s School No. 175 some 820 kilometers east of Moscow include one teacher, one female school employee and seven eighth-grade students — four…
Russia to Debate Bill Banning Navalny Supporters from Polls – Lawmaker
Russia’s parliament will next week debate a bill to ban members of “extremist” organizations from being elected as lawmakers, a deputy said Tuesday, in a move targeting supporters of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. The legislation can affect not only senior members and activists of Navalny’s political network but tens of thousands of Russians who…
Russia Sentences Teen Activist Who Defied Riot Police With Constitution Reading
Russia has sentenced a prominent young activist to over two years of home confinement on vandalism charges amid the country’s widening crackdown on dissent, the Mediazona news website reported Tuesday. Olga Misik, 19, became a symbol of Russia’s pro-democracy movement after she read the Constitution to a line of armored riot officers at a July…
Putin Submits Open Skies Treaty Withdrawal Bill
President Vladimir Putin has submitted a bill Tuesday to withdraw Russia from an international treaty that allowed surveillance flights after the United States’ exit last year. Russia said in January it was launching the necessary procedures to leave the Open Skies Treaty after the U.S. quit it in November, citing Russian violations including blocking certain…
Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Movement Disputes Georgia Relocation Reports
Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) has countered reports that it plans to relocate to Georgia as it faces an “extremism” ban in Russia. The RBC news website on Monday cited two unnamed sources familiar with FBK’s activities as saying that several key staffers and equipment have allegedly been moved to the Caucasus country.…
Moscow Rejects U.S. Ransomware Attack Claims
Russia on Tuesday rejected U.S. accusations that a Russia-based group was behind a ransomware attack that forced the shutdown of the largest oil pipeline in the eastern United States. “We categorically reject the baseless fabrications of individual journalists and reiterate that Russia does not conduct ‘malicious’ activity in the virtual space,” the Russian Embassy in the United States said…
Russian Jailed for Spying in Denmark
A Danish court on Monday sentenced a Russian man to three years in prison followed by expulsion from Denmark with no possibility of return, after he was found guilty of espionage. The 36-year-old Denmark resident, whose name was not made public, was arrested in July 2020 but his case only came to light in December.…
Putin to Keep Self-Isolating Despite Vaccination – Reports
President Vladimir Putin will likely remain in self-isolation despite receiving both doses of one of Russia’s domestically made coronavirus vaccines, the Proekt investigative outlet reported Monday. Putin, 68, has lived in one of the most protected virus-free bubbles since the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic swept across Russia last spring. He has worked via…
Russian Police Find Missing Ex-Head of Siberian Hospital that Treated Navalny
The former head doctor at the Siberian hospital which first treated Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny who denied his poisoning has been found alive following a three-day search after he went missing on a hunting trip, authorities said Monday. Alexander Murakhovsky was chief doctor at Omsk Emergency Hospital No. 1, which admitted Navalny when he fell gravely ill on…
In Photos: Russia Marks 76 Years of WWII Victory With Red Square Parade
Russia marked 76 years since victory over Nazi Germany in World War II with a massive military procession Sunday. Held every year on May 9, the date of the Nazi surrender, Russia’s landmark military parade on Red Square aimed to boost patriotic sentiment at home and project Russia’s military might abroad. This year’s parade also…