Kyrgyzstan To Stop Accepting Russian Payment Cards

Kyrgyzstan will stop accepting Russia’s Mir payment cards amid concerns it could expose the country’s financial sector to Western sanctions, the national payments operator said Tuesday. The United States in February sanctioned the organization behind Mir — Russia’s domestic card payments system — and is putting pressure on third countries over their financial links to…

‘Difficult to Keep Calm’: Tatarstan Residents Shaken by Ukraine-Linked Drone Strikes

Unprecedented drone strikes on two industrial sites in Tatarstan on Tuesday have stirred fear and panic among residents of the Turkic-majority republic in Russia’s Volga region.  The purported Ukrainian attacks, which targeted an oil refinery in the city of Nizhnekamsk and a military drone production site in the Alabuga special economic zone, are the farthest-reaching…

U.S. Warnings ‘Too General’ to Prevent Crocus Attack, Russia’s Spy Chief Says

Russia’s spy chief said Tuesday that U.S. warnings of a possible extremist attack were too broad to have prevented the deadly concert hall attack outside Moscow late last month. “The Federal Security Service [FSB] received some information from the U.S. intelligence services that such a thing was unfortunately possible,” Sergei Naryshkin, who heads Russia’s Foreign Intelligence…

A Toxic Invasive Plant Has Conquered Russia. Authorities Want to Fight It by Punishing Dacha Owners.

For years, Russian landowners have watched a toxic, invasive plant species spread across their properties like wildfire and have been helpless to act. Sosnovsky’s hogweed — a monstrous plant that can tower up to five meters in height — has spread unchecked across the country, wreaking havoc on ecosystems and landing thousands in the hospital every…

Alexey Likhachev, ROSATOM Director General, held a working meeting with Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of the Republic of Bangladesh

The Parties discussed the progress of start-up and adjustment works at Rooppur NPP, the first nuclear power plant in the country. Alexey Likhachev, Director General of ROSATOM, was on a working visit in Bangladesh on April 02, 2024. Within the framework of the visit, Rosatom Director General had a working meeting with Sheikh Hasina, Prime…

Car Bomb Kills Russian-Appointed Official in East Ukraine

A car bomb in eastern Ukraine’s partially occupied Luhansk region killed a Russian-backed official on Monday, local authorities said. The local branch of Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said the deputy head of a state-run administrative agency was killed when “an unidentified device detonated in a car” on Monday afternoon. The Investigative Committee released…

Russia Extends Detention of U.S.-Russian Journalist Kurmasheva

A Russian court on Monday extended the pre-trial detention of U.S.-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva until June 5, according to her employer. Kurmasheva, who works for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), was arrested last year for failing to register as a “foreign agent.” RFE/RL says she was subsequently charged with spreading “false information” under wartime censorship laws that…

Russia’s Culinary Grains of Truth

Not sturgeon or swans. Not solyanka soup or salad Olivier. The most enduring treasure of Russian cuisine is kasha — porridge made from grains. Many people consider it a simple or even primitive food. But over hundreds of years, grain porridges have evolved tremendously. Porridge is the main contender for the role of the Russian…

International graduates of Russian universities gathered at ATOMEXPO

ROSATOM initiated a dialogue on strengthening interuniversity and international cooperation in the field of education In the framework of the ATOMEXPO International Forum much attention was focused at the development of interaction with the international Alumni of the Russian universities who received education in the field of nuclear and related technologies. The session with the…

Partnership in the field of educational technologies was discussed at ATOMEXPO-2024

On March 25, 2024, an important event of the educational track at the International Forum ATOMEXPO-2024 was the round table “International industrial and educational projects: from theory to practice.” It brought together representatives of the nuclear industry, as well as universities, relevant ministries and authorities of the partner countries. During the event, speakers were the…

Tomsk Polytechnic University will become a supporting platform for training personnel for the nuclear industry in Rwanda

On March 26, at the International Forum ATOMEXPO-2024, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU, one of Rosatom Partner Universities) and Rwanda Atomic Energy Board. The document was signed by TPU Rector Dr. Leonid Sukhikh and Director General of the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board Dr. Fidele Ndahayo. Thus, TPU became the…

Russian Journalist Favorskaya Remanded in Navalny ‘Extremism’ Case

A Moscow court placed photojournalist Antonina Favorskaya in pre-trial detention for two months on charges related to the “extremism” case against late opposition activist Alexei Navalny, the court system’s press service said Friday. Russian authorities designated Navalny’s activist network, including the disbanded Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), as “extremist” in 2021, placing employees, volunteers and supporters at risk…

Russia, Ukraine Swap Fallen Soldiers’ Bodies

Russia and Ukraine said Friday that they have exchanged the bodies of 150 fallen soldiers, the third publically known exchange between the two warring sides so far this year.  Kyiv repatriated 121 bodies, Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said on the messaging app Telegram. The coordination center identified 107 of the…

Armenia Blocks Pro-Kremlin TV Host’s Shows

Armenia has blocked pro-Kremlin Russian TV host Vladimir Solovyov’s shows on its territory over “continuous violations,” the South Caucasus nation’s state broadcasting regulator announced Friday. The shows “Evening With Vladimir Solovyov” and “Sunday Evening With Vladimir Solovyov” were pulled off the air in Armenia based on a Russian-Armenian mass telecommunications cooperation agreement. The regulator, the…

Russia Arrests Concert Hall Attack ‘Financier,’ Claims Ukraine Link

Russian authorities have arrested a suspected “financier” of last week’s deadly concert hall attack, Russia’s top investigative body said Thursday, claiming that Ukraine had paid “large amounts” to the perpetrators. “Another suspect involved in the terrorist financing scheme has been identified and detained,” Russia’s Investigative Committee said in a statement, adding that the person was…

Russian Music Goes East

Although Russian culture has not been cancelled around the world, there have been disruptions in schedules and repertories as venues and event organizers were concerned that hosting Russians artists would be perceived as condoning or endorsing actions contrary to their values. Non-Russian symphony orchestras dedicated to preserving classical masterpieces are also facing a dilemma. While…

Victims of the Crocus City Hall Attack

Camouflaged gunmen killed at least 143 people and wounded 360 others at the Crocus City concert hall near Moscow late last week, the deadliest attack in Russia since the 2004 Beslan school siege. Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry released the names of those who were killed and whose identities could be established, though the list could…

Poland Says Raided Russian Spy Network

Polish security services said Thursday they had raided a Russian spy network in cooperation with Czech intelligence, which a day earlier had busted a major Russian propaganda network. The services said their operations were linked to charges filed earlier this year against a Polish citizen suspected of spying for Russia. “The Internal Security Agency is…

Forum ATOMEXPO-2024 became a record-breaking event in number of participating countries and signed agreements

IV generation nuclear technologies were one of the core topics of the event. On March 26, 2024, the two-day International Forum ATOMEXPO-2024, one of the largest events in the global nuclear industry, completed its work at the Sirius University of Science and Technology (Sirius Federal Territory, Sochi). The exhibition area of the forum exceeded 25.5…