Rosneft Implements Unique Projects to Support Indigenous Minorities
The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is celebrated on 9 August.
Powerful Blast at Optical Plant Near Moscow Triggers ‘Total Evacuation’
Updated with new injury count. A powerful explosion ripped through an optical equipment factory outside Moscow, triggering a “total evacuation” from all nearby buildings, local authorities said Wednesday. At least 35 people were injured, with four in serious condition, authorities told state media. Plumes of smoke billowed high into the air from the Zagorsk Optical-Mechanical…
1 Killed, Dozens Injured in Blast at Optical Plant Near Moscow
Updated with new injury count, death toll, missing persons. A powerful explosion ripped through an optical equipment factory outside Moscow, triggering a “total evacuation” from all nearby buildings, local authorities said Wednesday. Plumes of smoke billowed high into the air from the Zagorsk Optical-Mechanical Plant in the town of Sergiyev Posad, around 70 kilometers northeast…
3 Years After Anti-Lukashenko Protests, Belarusians in Ukrainian Army Seek to Enact Change Through Force
Andrzej Kshetussky was one of hundreds of thousands of Belarusians who peacefully protested against the fraudulent re-election of their country’s longtime leader, Alexander Lukashenko, in 2020. Three years after those protests were brutally repressed, he is now fighting alongside the Ukrainian army against invading Russian forces. “We lost all protest infrastructure [and] oppositional organizations in…
Chechnya’s Grozny Establishes ‘Sister City’ Ties With Occupied Mariupol
Grozny, the capital of Russia’s majority-muslim republic of Chechnya, has established sister city ties with the occupied southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, over a year after it was devastated by invading Russian forces. “Grozny Mayor Khas-Magomed Kadyrov and head of Mariupol’s [Russian-installed] administration Oleg Morgun signed an agreement establishing twin city relations between the cities,”…
Russian State Media Giant Applies for Banned Liberal Radio’s Trademark
Russia’s state-run news agency Rossiya Segodnya has applied to trademark the brand of Ekho Moskvy, the liberal radio station that was banned following the invasion of Ukraine, according to Russia’s Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Rospatent). Sputnik Radio, one of several Rossiya Segodnya products, took over Ekho Moskvy’s FM frequencies after it was taken off…
Two Drones Shot Down Near Moscow, Says Russia
Two Ukrainian drones headed toward Moscow were shot down Wednesday, Russian authorities said, the latest in a surge of drone attacks targeting the capital. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on the Telegram messaging app that “both [drones] were shot down by air defense,” noting that one was downed in the Domodedovo area on the southern outskirts of…
Ex-Austrian Minister Who Danced With Putin Rents Summer Home in Russian Village
A former Austrian foreign minister who danced with Russian President Vladimir Putin at her wedding has been residing in a Russian village this summer, local media reported Tuesday. Karin Kneissl made headlines in 2018 when Putin attended her wedding at an Austrian vineyard, where both were photographed waltzing arm-in-arm. Kneissl revealed in an interview with…
‘Blood-Red’ Siberian Glacier Sparks Fears of Faster Melting
A Siberian glacier has turned crimson red from algae bloom, raising the likelihood of even faster ice melt than at the current rate triggered by climate change, Russian scientists warned Monday. Red algae covers glaciers in the Altai Mountains near Russia’s borders with Kazakhstan and Mongolia every year, Tomsk State University’s (TSU) Faculty of Geology…
Russian Strikes on East Ukraine Residential Block Kill at Least 7
Rescue workers combed through the rubble of damaged apartments in the city of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday, a day after Russian strikes killed at least seven people. The target of the missile attack was a command post of the Ukrainian armed forces, the Russian Defense Ministry indicated in a daily briefing. Pokrovsk, which…
Russia Pulls Thousands of Soviet-Era Military Vehicles From Major Storage Facility
Russia’s largest known military equipment storage facility has been stripped of nearly half of the Soviet-era tanks and armored vehicles that were stored on its grounds before Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, The Moscow Times’ Russian service reported, analyzing satellite imagery of the storage site. The Vagzhanovo military equipment depot — located outside…
Russia Pins Recruitment Office Arson Attacks on Ukraine
Moscow on Tuesday accused Ukraine of inciting Russians to set fire to military recruitment offices, following a recent uptick in the number of arson attacks. Since President Vladimir Putin sent troops to Ukraine last year many military recruitment offices across Russia have come under attacks. The General Prosecutor’s Office linked the attacks to the “successful advance of…
Poland Restores Druzhba Pipeline After Leak Discovery
Poland has resumed pumping oil through a key pipeline linking Russia to Europe that was damaged over the weekend, the Polish pipeline operator PERN said Tuesday. Though flows through the Druzhba pipeline have dropped sharply after Russia invaded Ukraine, its operation was partly halted late Saturday after Polish operators discovered a leak at one of its sections. PERN…
Russian Exports to China Drop in Wartime First
Russian exports to China dropped in July, the first time since steadily rising in the months following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing Chinese customs data. China’s July 2023 imports from Russia declined by 8% compared to July 2022, totaling $9.2 billion. China’s overall monthly imports shrank 12.4%. It was…
Poland Says Belarus, Russia ‘Organizing’ New Migrant Influx
Poland’s government on Monday accused Belarus and Russia of orchestrating another migration influx into the European Union via the Polish border in order to destabilize the region. “We’re talking about an operation organized by the Russian and Belarusian secret services that is getting more and more intense,” Polish Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Wasik told reporters. Tomasz Praga,…
Nearly 100 Wildfires Blazing Across Russia’s Republic of Sakha
Nearly 100 wildfires are currently burning in Russia’s Far East republic of Sakha (Yakutia), the local branch of the Russian emergencies ministry said Monday. The 98 wildfires have engulfed a combined area of 125,600 hectares (310,364 acres) of land — roughly half the size of the country of Luxembourg, authorities said. Emergency officials added that…
Russia Shifts Domestic Health Spending to Occupied Ukraine – Vedomosti
Russia has reallocated healthcare spending from dozens of its regions to build and repair hospitals in the occupied territories of eastern Ukraine, the Vedomosti business daily reported Monday, citing a government decree. Sixty-one out of 85 Russian regions — including annexed Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol — saw cuts of some 2.4 billion…
‘Animal Burial Ground’: Illegal Fish Dump Sparks Investigation in Kamchatka
The appearance of several tons of dead fish in a forest in Russia’s Far East Kamchatka region has prompted local authorities to open a probe into unauthorized dumping. The inspection was initiated after photos of the incident appeared on social media, depicting a vast amount of fish strewn across the ground. Kamchatka regional authorities said…
Russia Says Advanced in Northeast Ukraine in Recent Days
Russia said Monday its troops had advanced three kilometers (two miles) along the Kupiansk front in northeast Ukraine over the last three days, as it seeks to regain territories it lost earlier in its offensive. The city of Kupiansk and surrounding areas of Ukraine’s Kharkiv region were liberated by Ukrainian forces last September, but Moscow…
Russia Evacuates Far East Village Ahead of First Post-Soviet Moon Lander Launch
The first moon landing mission in Russia’s post-Soviet history will be accompanied by an evacuation of a village where rocket boosters are expected to fall this week, a local official said Monday. The Luna-25 lunar lander is scheduled to launch from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East at 23:10 GMT on Friday, Aug. 11. It…
Rosneft Improves Waterflooding Technologies
Rosneft specialists have developed the MUZA (the Injected Agent Control Module) software to control waterflooding at the fields.
Russia Opens Record Number of Treason Cases in 2023 – Holod
Russia is on track to open more criminal cases for treason in 2023 than over the past 20 years combined, Russia’s independent news website Kholod reported Monday. Authorities launched 82 treason investigations between January and July — a fourfold increase from the 20 cases investigated in all of 2022 — Kholod said, citing publicly available…
Kremlin Says ‘Theoretically Possible’ to Not Hold Presidential Elections
Russian President Vladimir Putin can choose not to hold presidential elections next year because he will “obviously” win re-election, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said late Sunday. Putin is widely expected to declare his bid for a sixth overall presidential term. Pre-war constitutional changes allow him to remain president until 2036. “Although elections are a requirement…
European Companies Record Billions in Losses From Russia Operations – FT
European companies have suffered at least 100 billion euros ($110 billion) in direct losses from operations in Russia since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine, the Financial Times reported late Sunday. A survey of major European companies showed that a total of 176 companies that have posted annual reports for 2022 and financial statements this…
Drone Shot Down Southwest of Moscow
Russia said Monday it had shot down a Ukrainian drone southwest of Moscow, as drone attacks on the Russian capital and its surrounding regions have surged in recent weeks. Authorities said the drone was downed in the central Kaluga region, less than 200 kilometers from Moscow, adding that the incident “affected neither people nor infrastructure.” The drone…
Russia Says Hit Airbases in Western Ukraine
Russia said Sunday that its forces struck military airbases in the Khmelnytskyi and Rivne regions in western Ukraine and that “all targets were hit.” “Overnight Russia’s armed forces carried out strikes… on Ukrainian armed forces airbases around the settlements of Starokostiantyniv in the Khmelnytskyi region and Dubno in the Rivne region,” the Russian Defense Ministry said. Ukraine said it…
Moscow Mayor Says Air Defense Shot Down Drone
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Sunday that Russian air defense had destroyed a drone nearing the capital, which had been rarely targeted throughout the conflict in Ukraine until several attacks this year. “Today at around 11 am a drone attempted to make a breakthrough toward Moscow. It was destroyed while approaching by air defense forces,”…
Russia Strikes Ukraine Blood Center, Aeronautics Group – Zelensky
Moscow escalated its attacks in Ukraine on Saturday, with President Volodymyr Zelensky denouncing a deadly strike on a blood transfusion centre as a “war crime.” A separate strike struck a key factory, both attacks coming just hours after Kyiv hit a Russian tanker in the Kerch Strait. The attacks were the latest since Moscow exited…
Russia Says Intercepted U.S. Drone Over Black Sea
Russia said Saturday it scrambled an Su-30 fighter jet to “prevent a violation of the Russian state border” by a U.S. Reaper MQ-9 military drone over the Black Sea. “As the Russian fighter approached, the foreign reconnaissance drone performed a U-turn away from the border,” the Russian Defense Ministry said. The ministry said the drone belonged…
Russia Says Seized Settlement in Northeast Ukraine
Russia on Saturday said it captured a settlement in northeastern Ukraine, where Kyiv has reported increased attacks. “In the area of Kupiansk, as a result of the competent and professional actions of the military units of the Western command, the settlement of Novoselivske was liberated,” the Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram. It added “offensive…
Russian Tanker Hit by Ukrainian Drones: Russian Media
A Russian tanker was hit by Ukrainian drones in the Kerch Strait, briefly halting traffic on the strategic bridge linking Crimea to Russia, Russian media reported early Saturday. The tanker was damaged in the attack and two tugboats had arrived at the scene, the state-run TASS news agency said, citing the Maritime Rescue Center. No…
Russian Lawmakers to Trade Foreign Cars for Domestic Brands, State Duma Speaker Says
The speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament said that lawmakers will ditch their foreign-made cars for domestic car brands, Interfax reported Friday. “We discussed with the heads of the State Duma factions the issue of the use of domestically assembled cars by deputies. Everyone supports this decision. We agreed that the deputies will use Moskvitch,…
Putin Signs Law Allowing Asset Freezes of Sanctioned Foreigners
President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed a law allowing Russian banks and other financial institutions to block the assets of sanctioned foreign organizations and individuals. The law allows Moscow to freeze the funds and property of legal entities controlled by foreign citizens and organizations against whom Russia has imposed what it calls “special economic measures.” It…
Russia Sentences Navalny to 19 Years Behind Bars in ‘Extremism’ Trial
A Moscow court has sentenced jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny to 19 years in prison, Interfax reported Friday, on a string of new “extremism” charges that his supporters have called an attempt to keep him out of politics forever. President Vladimir Putin’s most vocal domestic opponent, who is already serving a nine-year prison sentence on…
Putin Signs Law Raising Maximum Draft Age
President Vladimir Putin has signed a law that raises the upper age limit for military conscription, as Moscow continues its efforts to widen the pool of potential recruits for its war in Ukraine. Under previous Russian law, all men aged 18-27 were required to complete a one-year term of compulsory military service, a requirement that…
Poland Detains Belarusian Suspected of Spying for Russia
Poland on Friday said it had detained a Belarusian man on suspicion of being part of a “Russian spy ring” which it claimed planned to derail trains carrying aid to Ukraine. Poland, a key ally of Ukraine, had previously reported arrests in the investigation, including that of a Russian ice hockey player in June who…
Russian Man Accused of Military Office Arson Found Dead in Home
An elderly man charged with trying to set fire to a Russian military enlistment office has been found dead in his home near St. Petersburg, local media reported late Thursday, amid a nationwide wave of arson attacks linked to phone scams. The 76-year-old was detained on Wednesday after cameras captured him throwing Molotov cocktails at an…
Rosneft Enterprises Release Over 17.1 Million Fry into Russian Rivers
In June and July, Rosneft subsidiaries released more than 17.1 million fry of various fish species into Russian rivers.
Rosneft and Voronezh Tourist Information Centre Present Joint Project to Develop Car Tourism
Rosneft and the Voronezh Tourist Information Centre (TIC) presented a joint project to develop car tourism.
Russian Nature Reserve Seeks $4.6 Mln from Norway Over Reindeer Damages
Authorities in northern Russia are seeking millions of dollars in damages from neighboring Norway after a herd of wild reindeer crossed over the border and damaged a protected nature reserve last winter, The Barents Observer reported. Natalya Polikarpova, director of the Murmansk region’s Pasvik nature reserve, said the animals ate away moss and shrubs and…
Russia Revises Defense Budget Plan Amid Soaring Military Expenditures – Reuters
Russia has nearly doubled its defense budget plan after spending more in the first half of 2023 than originally targeted for the entire year, Reuters reported Friday, citing a government document it obtained. Defense spending has increased every month since President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in February last year. In June, Russia stopped the…
Russian Defense Minister Visits War Zone in Ukraine
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited the war zone in Ukraine to inspect a command post and captured Western military hardware, the army said Friday. Footage published by the Defense Ministry showed Shoigu boarding a helicopter, meeting with officers and inspecting a Swedish armored combat vehicle captured by Russian forces. The footage also showed Shoigu…
Russia Says Thwarted Ukraine Attacks on Black Sea Naval Base, Crimea
Russia said Friday it had thwarted Ukrainian sea and air drone attacks on a naval base in the Black Sea and the Crimean peninsula. The number of attacks in the sea has increased from both sides since Moscow exited a deal last month that had allowed Ukrainian grain exports via the shipping hub during the…
Ukrainian Drones Attack Russian Black Sea Naval Base, Annexed Crimea
Russia claimed Friday it had thwarted Ukrainian sea and air drone attacks on a naval base in the Black Sea and the Crimean peninsula. “Tonight, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, with the use of two unmanned sea boats, attempted an attack on the Novorossiysk naval base of the Russian Armed Forces,” the Defense Ministry said…
Nearly 80 Civilians Killed in Russia Since Invasion Of Ukraine — Reports
At least 79 civilians have been killed on Russian soil since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine last year, the independent news website 7×7 reported Tuesday. The Belgorod region which borders Ukraine, which has regularly been targeted by drone attacks and shelling, saw the highest share of civilian losses, with 48 people killed. Other casualties were…
Russia Enlisted Over 230K Troops in 2023 – Medvedev
Russia has enlisted over 230,000 additional personnel into the army since the start of the year, Moscow’s Deputy Security Council Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday. Moscow has conducted an aggressive military recruitment campaign this year as it seeks to stave off an ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive and hold territories it has captured during the conflict. “According…
New Bill Puts Russia’s Lake Baikal at Risk of Deforestation, Harmful Urbanization
A controversial new bill seeking to ease logging restrictions along the shores of Lake Baikal could deal irreversible damage to the Siberian lake’s unique ecosystem, experts and activists have told The Moscow Times. Baikal was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996 and recognized as the planet’s most outstanding example of a freshwater ecosystem.…
Navalny Says Expecting ‘Stalinist’ Prison Term in Extremism Trial
Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny said Thursday he expects a Russian court to deliver a “Stalinist” verdict on extremism charges on Friday as he urged supporters to continue “cold-blooded” opposition activities. Prosecutors have requested a jail term of 20 years for Navalny on charges that include financing extremist activities, publicly inciting extremist activities and “rehabilitating…
Russia and China Plan Cross-Border Protected Zone for Tigers and Leopards
Russian authorities have approved a draft agreement with China to establish an international protected area for rare tigers and leopards, the Russian Natural Resources Ministry said Tuesday. The proposed Russian-Chinese nature reserve — called Land of Big Cats — will encompass habitats in the southwest of Russia’s Primorye region and the mountainous region of northeastern…
Russian Anti-War Store Owner Jailed 1.5 Years
A Russian grocery store owner who has openly opposed the war in Ukraine was sentenced to one-and-a-half years in prison on Thursday, independent media reported. Dmitry Skurikhin, 48, gained notoriety for featuring pro-Ukrainian slogans and posters on the facade of his store outside of St. Petersburg following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. Skurikhin has…
8.5K Russian Airborne Troops Wounded in Ukraine, Commander Says
At least 8,500 members of the Russian Airborne Forces have been wounded in the year and a half since Russia invaded Ukraine, the elite troops’ commander said Wednesday. Airborne Forces commander Mikhail Teplinsky disclosed the figures in a video message congratulating comrades on Paratroopers’ Day, which marked 93 years since the founding of the corps. “More…
Russia’s Mordovia Becomes First Region to Pass Abortion ‘Propaganda’ Law
Russia’s republic of Mordovia has become the country’s first region to ban so-called abortion “propaganda” and the act of “influencing” women to undergo the procedure, independent media reported. The regional-level law passed Thursday potentially sets the stage for similar laws across the country. According to the law’s explanatory note cited by the Mediazona news website,…
Russia’s Mordovia Becomes First Region to Outlaw ‘Coercion’ Into Abortion
Updated to reflect that the final version of the legislation does not introduce fines for abortion “propaganda,” as was previously reported. Russia’s republic of Mordovia has become the country’s first region to outlaw the act of “coercing” women into undergoing abortion, independent media reported. The regional-level law passed Thursday potentially sets the stage for similar…
Moscow Adds Norway to List of ‘Unfriendly’ States
Moscow on Thursday added Norway to its list of “unfriendly” countries that restricts the number of local staff its diplomatic mission in Russia can hire. “The government has included the Kingdom of Norway in the list of foreign states that commit unfriendly acts against Russian diplomatic and consular missions abroad,” Russia’s cabinet of ministers said…
Russian Factories Face Record Labor Shortages
Russia’s industrial worker shortage reached a new high last month, the RBC news website reported Thursday, citing a survey by the Yegor Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy. The survey found that 42% of Russian industrial enterprises faced a shortage of workers in July, surpassing April’s record-setting shortage of 35%, according to the same survey of around…
Russia Says Downed 6 Ukrainian Drones Near Moscow
Russian air defense systems shot down six Ukrainian drones outside Moscow, Russia’s military and regional authorities said Thursday. The drones were intercepted while attempting to “fly through” western Russia’s Kaluga region overnight, Kaluga Governor Vladislav Shapsha wrote on the messaging app Telegram. The Kaluga region lies southwest of Moscow and northeast of the Bryansk region,…
Russia Says Downed 7 Ukrainian Drones Near Moscow
Updated with new downed drone count. Russian air defense systems shot down seven Ukrainian drones outside Moscow, Russia’s military and regional authorities said Thursday. The drones were intercepted while attempting to “fly through” western Russia’s Kaluga region overnight, Kaluga Governor Vladislav Shapsha wrote on the messaging app Telegram. The Kaluga region lies southwest of Moscow…
‘I Feel Calm’: Few in Moscow Bat an Eye as Drones Crash Into Capital’s Skyscrapers
Drones targeted the Moscow City business and finance district, a cluster of modern skyscrapers towering over the Russian capital, for the second time in three days Tuesday. But while Kyiv said the back-to-back incidents were a sign of how the war has come home to Russia a year and a half into its offensive on…
Bashneft Invests 3.6 Billion Rubles in Environment-Oriented Projects in H1 2023
Bashneft (part of Rosneft) invested over 3.6 billion roubles in environmental projects in the first half of 2023, 33% more than in the same period last year.
Russia Hits Ukraine Grain Export Route Near Romania
Russian drones on Wednesday damaged infrastructure at a Ukrainian port on the Danube, as Moscow targeted facilities vital for grain shipments from Ukraine following the collapse of a key export arrangement. Turkey, which along with the United Nations-brokered the deal to allow Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, urged Russia after the port strike not to take…