Russian investigators said Friday they are probing a Moscow couple who were members of a satanist sect over their involvement in at least two ritual murders. The Investigative Committee said in a statement it is pursuing charges of murder and drug trafficking against Olga Bolshakova and Andrei Tregubenko. It said the two met over their…
The Kremlin has failed to mention French President Emmanuel Macron’s calls for Russian President Vladimir Putin to release his critic Alexei Navalny from jail in its readout of the two leaders’ phone conversation Thursday. “The president of the republic called for the release of Alexei Navalny, one year after the assassination attempt of which he was…
They were at the opposite ends of a communist dictatorship — she a citizen of East Germany longing to taste freedom, he an ex-KGB agent stationed there and pained when the regime collapsed. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s relationship was always going to be like no other. At times openly antagonistic,…
A confidential report into Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine prepared by its developers to support its authorization around the world, has “severe inconsistencies” and differs from data previously published by Russia on Sputnik V’s clinical trials, a group of independent experts told The Moscow Times. The 136-page document — obtained by The Moscow Times and…
Samotlorneftegaz, an enterprise of Rosneft Oil Company’s refining complex, will build 120 new wells using energy from mobile e-houses.
Russia has ordered Apple and Google to remove jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s app from their app stores as his movement faces unprecedented pressure ahead of key elections next month. Navalny began actively promoting the app after the authorities last month blocked access to his main website and 49 other associated sites and called for blocking…
Russia has confirmed 6,705,523 cases of coronavirus and 174,485 deaths, according to the national coronavirus information center. Russia’s total excess fatality count since the start of the coronavirus pandemic is around 531,000. August 20: What you need to know today Russia on Friday reported 20,992 new coronavirus cases and 785 pandemic deaths. Thailand will allow tourists vaccinated with Russia’s Sputnik V…
Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny called on the West to prioritize the fight against global corruption — which he said is behind the world’s main crises — in a letter from prison published in Western newspapers on Thursday. Navalny is being held in a maximum security prison outside Moscow. He was sent there in…
American investor Michael Calvey has launched an appeal against his controversial conviction on embezzlement charges, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported Thursday. “The court has received an appeal by Michael Calvey’s defense lawyers,” a representative of Moscow’s Meshchansky district court told the news agency. The appeal is the latest twist of a legal saga that has…
Russia is ready to send airplanes to Afghanistan to evacuate Afghans fleeing the Taliban as well as Russians who wish to leave the country, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday. Thousands of Afghan citizens have rushed to flee the country this week following the Taliban’s swift takeover of Kabul, resulting in chaos at Kabul’s…
Satellite images show Russia preparing to test a nuclear-powered cruise missile two years after a failed test led to a deadly recovery mission, CNN reported Thursday, citing arms control experts. The Burevestnik, which NATO designates as SSC-X-9 Skyfall, is believed to have exploded during efforts to recover it from the sea in northern Russia in…
A Moscow court on Thursday again fined Google for failing to remove banned content as foreign tech giants face mounting pressure in Russia. In recent months, Russia has been taking legal action against foreign tech companies for not deleting content banned by the authorities, including pornographic material or posts deemed extremist or condoning drugs or…
On Aug. 14, Said Jawad, Afghanistan’s Ambassador in Moscow retweeted a video showing an Afghan woman pleading for help as the Taliban approached Kabul. “No one cares about us. We’ll die slowly,” the woman says. By the next day, the Islamist militia had taken over the country after a lightning offensive and were posting pictures…
Bashneft (an enterprise of Rosneft Oil Company) released about 565,000 whitefish and sterlet fry into the water bodies of the Republic of Bashkortostan and the Nenets Autonomous District in the spring-summer period of 2021.
The developers of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine have developed a modified version of the jab for the highly contagious Delta variant, Interfax reported Thursday. “The vaccine design is already in the refrigerator,” Alexander Gintsburg, head of the state-run Gamaleya Institute that developed Sputnik V, told Interfax. Gintsburg noted however that it’s too early to…
An advanced Mikoyan MiG-29 fighter jet has crashed in southern Russia, killing its pilot, in the second military aircraft accident this week, media reported late Wednesday, citing the Defense Ministry. The upgraded MiG-29SMT was not carrying an arms load when it crashed in a deserted area of the Astrakhan region that borders the Caspian Sea,…
Russia has confirmed 6,684,531 cases of coronavirus and 173,700 deaths, according to the national coronavirus information center. Russia’s total excess fatality count since the start of the coronavirus pandemic is around 531,000. August 19: What you need to know today Russia on Thursday reported 21,058 new coronavirus cases and 791 pandemic deaths. Thailand will allow tourists vaccinated with Russia’s Sputnik…
Russia on Wednesday declared an independent election monitor a “foreign agent,” one month before a parliamentary election in which President Vladimir Putin’s unpopular United Russia party is expected to struggle. Created in 2000, Golos had notably denounced election rigging in the 2011 parliamentary election and the 2012 presidential vote which saw Putin return to the Kremlin. …
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi on Wednesday told his Russian and Chinese counterparts that Tehran is ready to cooperate with the two countries to establish “stability and peace” in Afghanistan. The Taliban have capped a staggeringly fast rout of Afghanistan’s major cities in just 10 days, achieved with relatively little bloodshed, following two decades of war…
Thirty years ago today, an attempted coup shook Moscow and signaled the impending end of the Soviet Union. Unhappy with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev’s perestroika and glasnost reforms, a group of hard-line military and civilian leaders that called themselves the State Committee on the State of Emergency (GKChP) seized control of Moscow — and of…
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Humanity is hurtling toward its own destruction through unrestrained consumerism, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in an interview on the anniversary of a 19th-century exploration and geography society he presides over. “I believe humanity is taking leaps and bounds toward its own destruction and the reason for that is the unrestrained desire for consumption,”…
Over two-thirds of women killed in Russia in the past decade were murdered by their partners or relatives, according to a study by the Russian Consortium of Women’s Non-Governmental Organizations. Of the over 18,000 women killed in Russia between 2011 and 2019, 9,868 were killed by their partners, accounting for 53% of all publicly available…
Belarus police on Wednesday searched and detained employees of an independent news agency in an escalating crackdown on the media under President Alexander Lukashenko. The ex-Soviet country has been in political turmoil since a disputed presidential election last August that sparked historic demonstrations against Lukashenko’s nearly three-decade rule. In the wake of the protests, Belarus…
In the center of Moscow, hidden behind two lanes of heaving traffic on the New Arbat commercial thoroughfare, stands a small concrete monument bearing the names of three young men killed by tanks on the night of Aug. 21, 1991, as a coup by communist hardliners to preserve the unravelling Soviet Union flamed out. It…
Rosneft is expanding the geography of its use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for greenhouse gas monitoring.
Police in Moscow have begun visiting addresses of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s supporters that had been leaked online, Russian media reported late Tuesday. At least one Navalny supporter was reportedly asked to file a statement against the opposition leader over the illegal collection of personal data days after authorities filed a new criminal charge…
Russia has confirmed 6,663,473 cases of coronavirus and 172,909 deaths, according to the national coronavirus information center. Russia’s total excess fatality count since the start of the coronavirus pandemic is around 531,000. August 18: What you need to know today Russia on Wednesday reported 20,914 new coronavirus cases and 799 pandemic deaths. Thailand will allow tourists vaccinated with Russia’s Sputnik V to…
A Russian military transport aircraft prototype has crashed during a test flight outside Moscow, killing all three crew members on board, the aircraft’s developers said. Videos of the incident broadcast on state media and shared on social media showed the aircraft tipping to one side and falling to the ground after its right engine caught fire.…
Russia’s 2021 wildfires are already its largest in the history of satellite observations, burning across 17.08 million hectares of land, the Greenpeace Russia environmental group has said. The new record beats the previous record set in 2012, when fires burned 17 million hectares of land across Russia, and comes with weeks left to go in…
Russia said Tuesday that the Taliban’s initial assurances since completing their military takeover of Afghanistan have been a “positive signal” and that the militants are behaving in a “civilized manner.” Moscow has been cautiously optimistic of the new leadership in Kabul and is seeking contact with the militants in an effort to avoid instability spilling…
Newly minted NATO member North Macedonia has expelled its second Russian diplomat this year, Balkan media reported and Moscow confirmed Tuesday. Citing unnamed foreign ministry sources, the Almakos news website said Monday that the Russian diplomat, an unidentified deputy military attaché, was expelled last Wednesday. According to the Balkan Insight, North Macedonia’s foreign ministry said…
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev who ended the U.S.S.R.’s decade-long war in Afghanistan in 1989, on Tuesday warned against repeating the mistakes of the U.S. invasion of the country. “From the very start (the U.S. invasion) was a bad idea, although Russia initially supported it,” Gorbachev told the RIA Novosti news agency. “Failure should have…
Specialists from the Tyumen Petroleum Research Centre (Rosneft’s research and development institute) have developed software to conduct virtual tours across the Company’s Sorovskoye field.
Orenburgneft, an enterprise of the upstream complex of Rosneft Oil Company, has reduced water intake from natural sources at the Lebyazhinskoye field by 28%.
Argentina’s health minister and presidential adviser are visiting Russia to discuss delays in the supplies of the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, the state-run TASS news agency reported Monday. Argentina was among the first countries to use Sputnik V but hit “critical” second-dose shortages in late spring. Argentine presidential adviser Cecilia Nicolini said in a leaked…
Russia has confirmed 6,642,559 cases of coronavirus and 172,110 deaths, according to the national coronavirus information center. Russia’s total excess fatality count since the start of the coronavirus pandemic is around 531,000. August 17: What you need to know today Russia on Tuesday reported 20,958 new coronavirus cases and 805 pandemic deaths. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has cancelled rules requiring employers in…
The Russian foreign ministry said Monday the situation in Kabul was “stabilizing” after the Afghan capital fell to the Taliban who have started to “restore public order”. Russia’s ambassador was due to meet the Taliban on Tuesday and Moscow claimed the militants had vowed to “guarantee the safety of local people”, despite thousands of Afghans…
In the day since a Taliban offensive swept away the U.S.-backed Afghan government, Russian officials are taking satisfaction from their principle global adversary’s humiliation as they prepare to work with the Islamist militia, Russian Afghanistan experts told The Moscow Times on Monday. “You can’t blame Russia for feeling a little smug about what is happening…
Russia on Monday sentenced four Crimean Tatars to between 12 and 18 years in prison for taking part in a banned Islamic group, the defendants’ lawyer said. A military court in southern Russia “has carried out a guilty verdict,” lawyer Ayder Azamatov told the Interfax news agency. The four Crimean Tatars — a predominantly Muslim…
Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh has been sentenced over her role in this winter’s protests calling for his release, Russian media reported Monday. Yarmysh is at least the fourth Navalny ally to be convicted for violating coronavirus restrictions on mass events by calling on supporters to take to the streets in January…
Libya’s UN-backed government has issued an arrest warrant for toppled dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s son on charges of war crimes allegedly committed by shadowy Russian mercenaries, the BBC reported Friday. The order for Saif al-Islam Gaddafi’s arrest was made public after the British broadcaster published an investigation into possible war crimes committed by the Russian private…
Eight bodies have been recovered or found on board a helicopter that crashed into a lake on a sightseeing trip in Russia’s Far East, authorities said Monday. The Mi-8 helicopter was carrying 16 tourists and crew when it crash-landed Thursday into the Kuril Lake in poor visibility in the Kamchatka peninsula 6,500 kilometers east of…
Russia has confirmed 6,621,601 cases of coronavirus and 171,305 deaths, according to the national coronavirus information center. Russia’s total excess fatality count since the start of the coronavirus pandemic is around 531,000. August 16: What you need to know today Russia on Monday reported 20,765 new coronavirus cases and 806 pandemic deaths. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has cancelled rules requiring employers in…
Russia plans to partially evacuate staff from its embassy in Kabul following the Taliban’s swift takeover of the Afghan capital, a Foreign Ministry official said Monday. The United States military evacuated its embassy staff and other foreigners Sunday as the insurgent group’s forces entered Kabul and the Afghan government collapsed. At least three people have…
Luxembourg has refused to grant a licence for Russian state-backed network RT to broadcast a German-language channel from the country, the authorities said. “The Luxembourg Department of Media, Telecommunications and Digital Policy concluded that Luxembourg is not the competent jurisdiction for ‘RT auf Deutsch’ as the technical criteria are not met,” the office of Luxembourg…
Luxembourg has refused to grant a license for Russian state-backed network RT to broadcast a German-language channel from the country, the authorities said. “The Luxembourg Department of Media, Telecommunications and Digital Policy concluded that Luxembourg is not the competent jurisdiction for ‘RT auf Deutsch’ as the technical criteria are not met,” the office of Luxembourg…
Russia does not plan to evacuate its embassy in Kabul as Taliban fighters reached the outskirts of the Afghan capital in their blistering military takeover of the country, foreign ministry official Zamir Kabulov told Russian agencies Sunday. “No evacuation is planned,” Kabulov said, adding that he was “in direct contact” with Moscow’s ambassador in Kabul and…
Russia on Saturday said the expulsion of BBC reporter Sarah Rainsford was “retaliation” for London denying accreditation to an unnamed Russian reporter and had nothing to do with Moscow’s alleged bid to muzzle the media. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said “the saga goes back” to summer 2019, when a Russian reporter had to leave…
Turkey battled disaster on two fronts on Saturday with eight people dying when a fire-fighting aircraft crashed and rescuers racing to find survivors of flash floods in the north that have killed at least 55. Ankara and Moscow announced that all eight people on the Russian plane had perished on the fire-fighting mission. The air…
President Vladimir Putin on Saturday said the scale of natural disasters that have hit Russia this year is “absolutely unprecedented” as local officials ask for Moscow’s help to tackle fires and floods. A former skeptic of man-made climate change, the Russian leader called on authorities to do everything possible to help Siberians affected by the…
The BBC’s Moscow correspondent said Saturday she was told by the Russian authorities that she “can’t ever come back to Russia” after her visa was not renewed and she was effectively expelled from the country. Moscow told veteran correspondent Sarah Rainsford that she would have to leave the country when her current visa expires in…
Russia has confirmed 6,557,068 cases of coronavirus and 169,683 deaths, according to the national coronavirus information center. Russia’s total excess fatality count since the start of the coronavirus pandemic is around 531,000. August 14: What you need to know today Russia on Saturday reported 22,144 new coronavirus cases and a new pandemic record of 819 deaths. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has cancelled…
The BBC blasted Russian authorities Friday for their shock move to expel veteran correspondent Sarah Rainsford from the country. The news organization called the move a “direct assault on media freedom,” and said it was urging Russia to “reconsider” its decision. Authorities in Moscow said they would not extend Rainsford’s visa when it expires at…
Russia’s largest, coldest region is blanketed by thick smoke from wildfires that have torn across the Siberian taiga at an unprecedented scale. Authorities the republic of Sakha (Yakutia) have declared a state of emergency over the rapidly advancing fires and hazardous smoke. Here’s a closer look at the scene from the ground that locals have…
The Russian military has blamed Azerbaijan for breaching its volatile truce with Armenia for the first time since deploying its peacekeeping mission, South Caucasus media reported Friday. Moscow has deployed around 2,000 peacekeepers in and around the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh to observe the ceasefire between the arch-enemies reached last November. Deadly clashes continued around…
Russia has given veteran BBC correspondent Sarah Rainsford until the end of the month to leave the country in retaliation for what it called discrimination against Russian media in Britain, Bloomberg reported Friday. Rainsford’s visa expires on Aug. 31 and will not be renewed, Bloomberg cited the Russian state-run Rossiya 24 broadcaster as saying late…
A longtime Jehovah’s Witness has been sentenced to prison in southern Russia this week for taking part in Bible discussions, the religious organization said Friday. Vasily Meleshko, 60, and his wife Zoya had been practicing Jehovah’s Witnesses for more than 30 years when they were violently detained this spring. The Abinsk district court in the…
Russia on Friday recorded its highest daily coronavirus death toll for a second day running, even as the country’s outbreak epicenter Moscow lifted some restrictions. A government tally showed 815 Covid-19 fatalities over the past 24 hours and 22,277 new cases. Russia, the fourth worst-hit country in the world in terms of cases, has since…
Russia has confirmed 6,557,068 cases of coronavirus and 168,864 deaths, according to the national coronavirus information center. Russia’s total excess fatality count since the start of the coronavirus pandemic is around 531,000. August 13: What you need to know today Russia on Friday reported 22,277 new coronavirus cases and a new pandemic record of 815 deaths. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin…