Authors Oxana Shevel and Maria Popova Write the History of Ukraine-Russia Relations

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine almost two years ago, scholars and journalists have rushed to make their contribution to the growing number of titles seeking to shed light on this devastating conflict. “Russia and Ukraine: Entangled Histories, Diverging States” by Maria Popova, Associate Professor of Political Science at McGill University, and Oxana…

The Cuisine of Russian Emigration

“You can’t carry your homeland with you on the soles of your boots,” French revolutionary Georges Danton told friends when they suggested he flee France shortly before his arrest.  You may not be able to take your homeland with you, but you can take your cuisine. We saw this time and again in the 20th…

White House Mocks Putin Re-Election Bid

The White House mocked Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement on Friday that he would run for re-election in 2024, suggesting that the result was highly unlikely to be in doubt. “Well, that’s going to be one humdinger of a horse race, isn’t it?” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters aboard Air Force One…

Words of the Year 2023

Слово года 2023: Word of the Year 2023 In the Before Times I wrote my favorite column of the year in early December, when a group of Russian language fanatics headed by Mikhail Epstein, a linguist and professor of Russian language and literature, would cast their votes for the words that best captured the spirit…

Russia Announces 3-Day Vote for 2024 Election

Russian election officials announced Friday that the 2024 presidential race will be held over three days, the first time that multi-day voting has been used for a presidential election.  “Three-day voting is already becoming a tradition in our electoral system,” said Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) chairwoman Ella Pamfilova. “It was first used during the [Covid-19]…

U.K. Accuses Moscow of Cyber Campaign Against Top Politicians

The British government on Thursday accused Russian security services of engaging in a sustained cyber espionage campaign against top politicians, journalists and NGOs. Russia has been suspected of meddling in U.K. politics before, including the divisive 2016 Brexit referendum, however, the Conservative Party-led government has been criticized for failing to investigate. In the latest claims,…

ROSATOM and DP World to create a global logistics operator

The parties agreed to jointly develop logistic integration amongst BRICS members and partner countries. ROSATOM and DP World have signed an agreement on strategic cooperation in the global market aimed at increasing the efficiency of international trade, primarily among the BRICS countries and their partners, and at creating seamless, sustainable global transportation and logistics supply…

Russia Accuses Ex-Soldier of Helping Ukraine Organize Arson Attacks

Russia’s Security Service (FSB) on Thursday said it detained two people suspected of organizing several arson attacks on behalf of Kyiv and transferring money to the Ukrainian military. A 21-year-old ex-soldier in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad was accused of being paid by the Ukrainian special services to recruit potential arsonists inside Russia. “The suspect involved several…

Car Bomb Kills Pro-Kremlin Politician in Luhansk

A Moscow-backed politician in eastern Ukraine’s Luhansk region has been killed in a bombing attack, Russian state media reported Wednesday. Oleg Popov, a deputy in the pro-Kremlin Luhansk regional parliament, was killed Wednesday afternoon in the city of Luhansk, which has been under the control of Moscow-backed separatists since 2014. “As a result of the car explosion…

ROSATOM manufactures first bundles of BN-800 MOX fuel with minor actinides

ROSATOM’s Mining and Chemical Combine in Zheleznogorsk, Krasnoyarsk region, has manufactured the first three fuel assemblies with uranium-plutonium MOX fuel, which contain in their fuel matrix not only plutonium, but also other transuranic elements — americium-241 and neptunium-237. The fuel bundles have been successfully accepted and will be loaded into the BN-800 fast neutrons reactor…

In First, Russia Jails 2 Soldiers for ‘Failure to Prevent’ Ukrainian Strike – Kommersant

Two senior Russian officers have been imprisoned on charges of failing to prevent a Ukrainian missile strike on Russia, the first such case of its kind, the business daily Kommersant reported Wednesday, citing anonymous sources familiar with the trial. Lieutenant Colonel Anatoly Bondarev and Major Dmitry Dmitrakov were accused of allowing a Ukrainian missile strike…

Kremlin Taps ‘Liberal’ Businessman to Oppose Putin in 2024 Election – Report

Russian businessman Alexei Nechaev will stand in as President Vladimir Putin’s “liberal” rival during Russia’s 2024 presidential race, the independent news outlet Mozhem Obyasnit reported Tuesday, citing two anonymous sources in the pro-business political party he created nearly four years ago.  Nechaev, who owns one of Russia’s leading cosmetics companies Faberlic, stepped into politics when…

ROSATOM joined the Statement by representatives of the global nuclear industry on efforts to triple generation capacity

The Net Zero Nuclear Industry Pledge initiative aims to achieve this result by 2050. At the invitation of World Nuclear Association, ROSATOM has joined the Net Zero Nuclear Industry Pledge, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at tripling global nuclear capacity by 2050. The pledge, spearheaded by leaders in the nuclear energy sector, underscores the pivotal role…

‘No One Knows Anything’: St. Petersburg’s Queer Community Grapples With ‘Extremist’ LGBT Ban

ST. PETERSBURG — The ban on the “international LGBT movement” by Russia’s top court has thrown the queer community of St. Petersburg, historically one of the country’s most LGBT-tolerant cities, into unprecedented uncertainty and fear.  “People are scared,” said Maria, 43, an openly lesbian feminist and LGBT activist who asked for anonymity out of concerns…

ROSATOM completed production of RITM-200 reactors for a series of universal nuclear icebreakers

The second RITM-200 reactor intended for the nuclear-powered icebreaker Chukotka will be delivered to the shipyard by the end of the year. The manufacturing facility of Rosatom’s Mechanical Engineering Division in Podolsk has completed the manufacturing of the second vessel of the RITM-200 reactor intended for the new generation icebreaker Chukotka. This is the last…

Russia Ramps Up Arctic Route Ambitions

Russia has been launching major investments and building up its military presence in the Arctic as it steps up its drive to develop a crucial northern maritime route linking Asia and Europe. In the country’s latest move, Russia’s nuclear agency Rosatom on Tuesday presented its two new RITM-200 reactors that will power the future Chukotka…

Russia’s ‘Extremist’ Ban Fuels LGBT Flight

Russia’s recent “extremist” designation of a loosely defined “LGBT movement” has led to a surge in emergency evacuations from the country, independent media reported Tuesday, citing the European human rights group for post-Soviet LGBT people, Equal PostOst. Russia’s Supreme Court on Thursday banned the so-called “international LGBT movement” — which does not formally exist —…

Iranian President to Meet Putin in Moscow on Dec. 7

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will visit Moscow on Thursday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin confirmed Tuesday. Iran’s official news agency Irna had earlier reported on the planned visit, saying that the two leaders would discuss “bilateral issues, including economic interactions, as well as discussions about regional and international issues, especially the situation…