Category: another
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Russia Seeks to Jail Navalny
Russia’s prison authority has asked to replace Alexei Navalny’s suspended sentence in the Yves Rocher case with a real prison term, the Kremlin critic said Tuesday, a signal that he could be imprisoned if he returns to Russia following his poisoning. Navalny, 44, is currently in rehabilitation in Germany following what European scientists called poisoning […]
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Siberian Shaman Seeks to Oust Putin in Horseback Crusade
A Siberian shaman whose attempts to trek to Moscow and expel President Vladimir Putin from power ended in his arrest has announced his latest cross-country crusade, this time on horseback. Authorities in Russia’s Far East republic of Sakha declared Alexander Gabyshev mentally ill and placed him in involuntary confinement for attempting to journey to Moscow […]
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Bashneft Plants Over 240,000 Conifer Seedlings in 2020
Bashneft (an enterprise of Rosneft Oil Company) planted over 240,000 conifer seedlings across the Republic of Bashkortostan in 2020.
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Russia Hands 4th Porn Charge to LGBT Activist Tsvetkova Over Vulva Drawings
Russian artist and LGBT activist Yulia Tsvetkova has been hit with pornography charges a fourth time over artwork aimed at ending stigmas around the female anatomy, the independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper reported Tuesday. Tsvetkova, 27, was first charged with distributing pornography online in June 2020 after sharing artwork of vulvas on the “Vagina Monologues” social […]
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Resignation of Yakutsk’s First Female Mayor Raises Questions About Russia’s Ruling Party
Sardana Avksentiyeva was never a typical Russian mayor. In her two-and-a-half-year stint running Yakutsk, a remote, Far Eastern city of 300,000, the 48-year-old political independent rose to national prominence as her populist style, savvy social media use and unorthodox policy positions marked her out from the often uncharismatic technocrats who govern most Russian cities. However, […]
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Russian Activists Announce End to 2-Year Landfill Protests
Russian eco-activists will end more than two years of protests against a controversial garbage dump that would have seen tons of waste shipped from Moscow to northern Russia after its construction was halted. Russians nationwide have protested against plans to ship Moscow’s trash to remote regions since fall 2018 over environmental concerns, with a massive […]
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Telegram Downloads Soar as Trump Supporters Deplatformed
Encrypted messaging app Telegram has become the second-most downloaded app in the United States after President Donald Trump and his supporters were deplatformed in the wake of last week’s deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol, The Daily Telegraph reported Monday. Telegram’s downloads rose as Twitter and Facebook banned Trump while Google and Apple removed conservative […]
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Algeria, Palestine Greenlight Russia’s Coronavirus Vaccine
Algeria and the State of Palestine have approved Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund marketing the jab announced this week. Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) CEO Kirill Dmitriyev said that the countries are the first African and Middle Eastern nations to issue emergency-use authorization approvals. Dmitriyev said deliveries to Palestine, […]
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Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Jan. 12
Russia has confirmed 3,448,203 cases of coronavirus and 62,804 deaths. Jan. 12: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 22,934 new coronavirus cases and 531 deaths. Russia has extended its suspension of flights with Britain through Feb. 1 due to Britain’s surge in new infections linked to a new strain of Covid-19 believed to be more infectious. […]
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Strong Earthquake Hits Mongolia-Russia Border
A 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck early Tuesday in northern Mongolia not far from the border with Russia, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said. The epicenter of the quake, which struck at a relatively shallow depth of 10 kilometers (six miles), was located 33 kilometers south-southwest of Turt, U.S. seismologists said. The epicenter appeared to be located […]
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Armenian Leader Says Karabakh Conflict Unresolved
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh was still not resolved as he met the leader of his country’s arch foe Azerbaijan in Moscow on Monday. President Vladimir Putin hosted the heads of the two former Soviet states for a rare trilateral meeting and urged them to negotiate further steps in a […]
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Russian Jailed in Sweden Over Hammer Attack on Anti-Kadyrov Blogger
A Swedish court on Monday convicted a Russian citizen of the attempted murder of a blogger from Chechnya critical of strongman leader Ramzan Kadyrov, alleging high-level backing for the attack. The assault on Tumso Abdurakhmanov took place in his apartment in the Swedish city of Gavle in February 2020, when the accused struck him in […]
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Gorbachev Expects Biden to Extend U.S.-Russia Arms Curbs
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev said on Monday he expected U.S. President-elect Joe Biden to extend a landmark arms agreement with Russia and urged the two sides deepen arms reductions. The New START Treaty is the Cold War rivals’ last remaining nuclear reduction pact and is set to expire Feb. 5. The fate of the […]
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Russia to Trial ‘Light’ One-Dose Version of Sputnik Jab
Russia will trial a one-dose version of its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, officials said on Monday, as they aim to provide a stopgap solution for badly hit countries. The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which financed the development of the two-dose Sputnik V jab, said it was also financing clinical trials of “Sputnik Light,” a less […]
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Moscow to Track Residents’ Income, Grades, Pets in Digital Database – Kommersant
Moscow plans to expand its residents’ digital profiles to include data on their incomes, school grades and pets, the Kommersant business daily reported Monday, citing public documents. Moscow City Hall currently collects the gender, age and income level of residents signed up to its mos.ru municipal services website and as part of its monitoring systems. In […]
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Endangered Wildlife Killed in Russian Nature Park Fire – Activists
Man-made fires have burned down forests and killed endangered animals at a protected Russian nature park on the border with China and North Korea, Russian activists say. Animals including Far Eastern forest cats as well as several endangered species either burned alive or died by asphyxiation while endangered plants such as relict oaks burned to […]
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Billionaire Georgia Party Leader Says Quitting Politics
The billionaire leader of Georgia’s ruling party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, who is widely seen as the Western-backed country’s most powerful man, announced Monday he was quitting politics. Ivanishvili made the announcement after his Georgian Dream party claimed a narrow victory in a tightly contested parliamentary election last year that sparked protests. “My mission has been accomplished,” […]
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Siberian City’s First Female Mayor Steps Down
Sardana Avksentiyeva, the popular independent mayor of one of the world’s coldest cities, has submitted her resignation nearly three years after defeating a Kremlin-backed incumbent for the role. Avksentyeva, 50, became the first woman mayor of the Siberian city of Yakutsk in September 2018 elections that drew international attention for being free and fair and […]
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Russia Confirms First Case of New UK Virus Strain
Moscow on Sunday confirmed its first case of the new UK coronavirus strain, despite an earlier decision by officials to suspend flights from Britain to stop the mutation reaching Russia. One person returning to Russia from the UK was found to have been infected with the new strain, the head of Russia’s health regulator Rospotrebnadzor […]
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Kyrgyzstan Populist on Course for Victory in Presidential Vote
Populist Sadyr Japarov was on the path to an easy win Sunday in Kyrgyzstan’s presidential election, the first vote following recent political upheaval in the Central Asian country. Results published by the ex-Soviet country’s Central Election Commission (CEC) showed Japarov with close to 80% of the vote after an automated count. A referendum held in […]
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Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Jan. 10
Russia has confirmed 3,401,954 cases of coronavirus and 61,837 deaths. Jan. 10: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 22,851 new coronavirus cases and 456 deaths. Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed by phone the potential for joint production of a coronavirus vaccine, the Kremlin said. Hungary will not purchase the Sputnik V […]
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Avalanche Kills Three at Russian Arctic Ski Resort
Three people were killed after an avalanche swept through a ski resort outside the Arctic city of Norilsk overnight, Russian investigators said Saturday. The Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said it was notified at 00:30 local time that an avalanche had buried four buildings under snow at the Otdelnaya Gora ski complex in the […]
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Russian Mid-Air Collision Kills Three
Three people have died in a mid-air collision between two light aircraft near St. Petersburg, Russian media reported Friday. One of the planes landed safely with its pilot unharmed. Interfax, citing Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry, said the crash occurred at an airfield that hosts regular competition aerobatics events next to the Leningrad region village of […]
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Russia Suspends e-Visas Due to Coronavirus
Russia has suspended its electronic visa system until further notice because of the coronavirus pandemic, tourism authorities have said. Citizens of 52 countries, including EU member states, China and India, were expected to be able take advantage of e-visas from Jan. 1, 2021. However, most foreigners are still unable to enter Russia after it banned […]
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Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Jan. 8
Russia has confirmed 3,355,794 cases of coronavirus and 60,911 deaths. Jan. 8: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 23,652 new coronavirus cases and 454 deaths. Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed by phone the potential for joint production of a coronavirus vaccine, the Kremlin said. Hungary will not purchase the Sputnik V […]
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Russian Hacker Jailed in U.S. for $19M Fraud
A Russian hacker was sentenced to 12 years in a U.S. prison Thursday for consumer data theft worth $19 million from 100 million customers of over a dozen financial service companies, the Justice Department said. Andrei Tyurin, 37, pleaded guilty in 2019 after his extradition from the country of Georgia the previous year, admitting to […]
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Russia Sees U.S. Democracy ‘Limping’ After Capitol Stormed
Russia on Thursday pointed to the storming of the U.S. Capitol building as evidence of America’s decline, with officials saying its out-of-date electoral system and deep divisions had left its democracy “limping on both feet”. Under banners reading “Storm of the Capitol” and “Chaos in Washington”, Russian state television showed rolling images of mobs of […]
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Putin Silent on Washington Unrest as Russian Foreign Ministry Calls U.S. Electoral System Archaic
President Vladimir Putin made no statement on the unprecedented chaos in the United States when he spoke briefly with journalists after attending an Orthodox Christmas service, while Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the U.S electoral process is archaic and prone to violations. A rampaging mob of Trump supporters on Wednesday stormed a session of Congress being held […]
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Russia Passes 60K Coronavirus Deaths
Russia surpassed 60,000 confirmed coronavirus deaths Thursday, according to daily official figures. National task force figures showed 506 new deaths and 23,541 infections detected in the past 24 hours. Autopsy-based statistics suggest the official death toll is a fraction of the true number. A total of 3,332,142 cases and 60,457 fatalities have been registered in […]
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Putin Silent on U.S. Capitol Violence
President Vladimir Putin made no statement on the unprecedented chaos in the United States when he spoke briefly with journalists after attending an Orthodox Christmas service in a remote medieval church late Wednesday. A rampaging mob of Trump supporters stormed a session of Congress to certify Joe Biden’s election win, triggering violence and accusations the […]
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Russian Gold Mine Accident Kills Two
At least two miners died after a rockfall at a Trans-Siberian Gold company-owned mine on Russia’s Pacific coast, emergency officials said Wednesday. Three of the five engineers who were installing ventilation systems at the Asacha deposit in the Kamchatka region climbed out on their own, the Emergency Situations Ministry’s regional branch said in a statement. […]
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Russians’ Economic Optimism at Two-Decade Low – Poll
Russians’ economic optimism for 2021 has fallen to a two-decade low, according to a Gallup International poll cited by the RBC news website Wednesday. The survey results come after a year when Russians’ incomes fell and the double blow of the coronavirus pandemic and declining global oil demand battered the national economy. The poll said […]
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Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Jan. 6
Russia has confirmed 3,308,601 cases of coronavirus and 59,951 deaths. Jan. 6: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 24,217 new coronavirus cases and 445 deaths. Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed by phone the potential for joint production of a coronavirus vaccine, the Kremlin said. Hungary will not purchase the Sputnik V […]
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Russia ‘Likely’ Behind SolarWinds Hack – U.S. Intelligence Agencies
U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies said Tuesday that Russia was probably behind the massive SolarWinds hack that has shaken government and corporate security, contradicting President Donald Trump, who had suggested China could be to blame. A joint statement by the FBI, Directorate of National Intelligence, the National Security Agency and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security […]
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Putin, Germany’s Merkel Discuss Joint Coronavirus Vaccine Production
Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed by phone the potential for joint production of a coronavirus vaccine, the Kremlin said Tuesday. Putin and Merkel discussed cooperation in the fight against Covid-19 “with an emphasis on potential prospects for the joint production of vaccines,” according to a statement on the Kremlin’s website. […]
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The Kremlin Tightens the Screws on Public Dissent
In Russia’s staid parliament, the dying days of 2020 were marked by unusually frenzied lawmaking activity, most of it centering on civil rights. Over the course of a few days in late December, the State Duma passed a flurry of bills introducing sweeping new restrictions on political protests, legalizing censorship of social media and cementing […]
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Russia in 2021: Looming Elections Dominate the Domestic Scene
Elections to the State Duma look set to be the focus of Russian domestic affairs this year after a turbulent 12 months dominated by succession, constitution and opposition. Even before the coronavirus upended the world, 2020 had been an extraordinary year for Russia’s usually staid politics. In January, ex-president Dmitry Medvedev abruptly resigned as prime […]
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New Evidence in Ukraine Journalist’s Murder – Police
Police in Ukraine have received new evidence that may help identify those who ordered the murder of award-winning investigative journalist Pavel Sheremet in 2016. “The documents and audio recordings, the last of which are dated by 2012, are already at the disposal of the investigation,” the police said in a statement. Fragments of these recordings published […]
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Exile in Russia Snowden Welcomes Rejection of Assange Extradition
Fugitive U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden said Monday he hoped the British refusal to extradite Julian Assange would mark “the end” of attempts to see the WikiLeaks founder face espionage charges in the United States. A British court on Monday ruled citing health concerns that Assange should not be extradited to the United States where he […]
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Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Jan. 4
Russia has confirmed 3,260,138 cases of coronavirus and 58,988 deaths. Jan. 4: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 23,351 new coronavirus cases and 482 deaths. Hungary will not purchase the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine for large-scale inoculation due to Russia’s lack of production capacity, Reuters quoted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff as saying. Moscow […]
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Foreign Policy Experts Map Russia’s Plans for 2021
Russia had to tread a fine foreign policy line in 2020. The country’s near abroad was rocked by unprecedented unrest as uprisings in Kremlin-friendly Kyrgyzstan and Belarus and war in the Caucasus challenged its influence in the region. In the U.S., the election of Joe Biden is set to fundamentally change the course of American […]
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Moscow Metro Hires First Women Train Drivers
The Moscow metro said Sunday it had hired female drivers for the first time in its recent history, following recent changes in controversial Russian legislation prohibiting women from many professions. The Russian capital’s transport system, which oversees the sprawling metro system, said in a statement that “the first female electric train drivers in modern history […]
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Hungary Cools on Russian Covid Jab
Hungary is unlikely to use Russia’s coronavirus vaccine due to its limited production capacity, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Sunday while criticising the EU’s vaccine acquisition approach. Often at loggerheads with Brussels over democratic standards, Orban has sent experts to monitor vaccine development in Russia and China, and received samples of Moscow’s controversial Sputnik V […]
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Russian Women to Watch in 2021
The Moscow Times has compiled a list of the most impressive Russian women in 2020. It includes movers and shakers across different parts of Russia, generations, and occupations. However, all of these women have one thing in common — they were able to use their platforms to tackle the new and old challenges of 2020 and […]
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Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Jan. 3
Russia has confirmed 3,236,787 cases of coronavirus and 58,506 deaths. Jan. 3: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 24,150 new coronavirus cases and 504 deaths. Hungary will not purchase the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine for large-scale inoculation due to Russia’s lack of production capacity, Reuters quoted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff as saying. […]
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Car Bomb Hits Near Russia Base in Northeast Syria
A car bomb detonated near a Russian military base in northeastern Syria Friday in the first such jihadist attack in the area against the ally of Damascus, a war monitor said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported several wounded in the attack after midnight in the Tal Saman area in Raqa province, […]
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Russia in 2021: As Climate Crisis Rages, Scientists Fear the Worst is Yet to Come
Russia came under siege from climate change in 2020, and experts warn that Arctic heatwaves, fires and melting permafrost could be worse this year. The year began with the warmest winter in 140 years of recorded meteorological data, leaving Moscow — a city usually covered in snow for four months of the year — entirely […]
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Putin Urges Unity in 2021 as Second Wave Batters Russia
President Vladimir Putin in his New Year’s speech on Thursday urged Russians to unite in the face of the country’s battle with the coronavirus pandemic. Appearing in front of the Kremlin for an address to be broadcast just before midnight in each of Russia’s 11 time zones, Putin acknowledged that a second wave of infections […]
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Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Jan. 1
Russia has confirmed 3,159,297 cases of coronavirus and 57,019 deaths. Dec. 31: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 27,747 new coronavirus cases and 593 deaths. Hungary will not purchase the Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine for large-scale inoculation due to Russia’s lack of production capacity, Reuters quoted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff as saying. […]
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2020: The People Russia Lost
In 2020 the number of deaths in Russia of prominent and beloved public figures was devastatingly high, many from the coronavirus, but some from other causes as well. The performing arts were particularly hard hit by Covid-19, since by the nature of the professions, people at work cannot be masked or socially distant. We honor […]
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Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Dec. 31
Russia has confirmed 3,131,550 cases of coronavirus and 56,426 deaths. Dec. 31: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 26,513 new coronavirus cases and 599 deaths. Algeria will begin rolling out the contentious Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine developed by Russia in January, the government said late Wednesday. Authorities will receive an initial shipment of 500,000 doses. Russians who […]
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Putin Business Ally Vows to Pursue Libel Claim Against Navalny
A company run by Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, purportedly close to President Vladimir Putin, on Wednesday said he was pursuing a libel settlement against opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Prigozhin’s Concord catering company said in a statement it was seeking 840,000 euros ($900,000) in damages as it looks to “defend its honor, dignity and commercial reputation. […]
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New Online Restrictions and Sobering-Up Stations: Putin Signs Slew of New Laws
President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday has signed a number of bills into law ahead of the New Year holiday, ranging from new restrictions on protests and online information to the return of Soviet-era “sobering-up stations.” Here’s an overview of all the latest legislation: Restrictions on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook Russia’s federal media watchdog now has the […]
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1,725-Seat School Constructed in Nizhnevartovsk with Support from Rosneft
Nizhnevartovsk has opened a modern school for 1,725 pupils built as part of the National Education Project with the support of Rosneft Oil Company.
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Bashneft Increases Volume of Associated Petroleum Gas Utilisation
Up to 750,000 cubic metres of associated petroleum gas per year will be brought into the production cycle from the Metelinskoye oil field in Duvansky District of the Republic of Bashkortostan.
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Saratov Refinery Starts Producing Diesel with New Russian-Manufactured Additive
Saratov Refinery, an enterprise of Rosneft Oil Company’s refining complex, started producing Euro-5 diesel with the new additive manufactured in Russia.
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Outspoken Moscow Priest Defrocked by Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church has defrocked one of the country’s most prominent priests after he was found to have slandered a fellow priest who died from Covid-19. Protodeacon Andrei Kuraev, a well-known radio and television personality whose views on homosexuality, blasphemy and Russia’s Orthodox hierarchy have made him one of the country’s best-known priests, had […]
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Outspoken Moscow Theologian Defrocked by Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church has defrocked one of the country’s most prominent theologians after he was found to have slandered a fellow priest who died from Covid-19. Protodeacon Andrei Kuraev, a well-known radio and television personality whose views on homosexuality, blasphemy and Russia’s Orthodox hierarchy have made him one of the country’s best-known religious figures, […]
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Moscow Expands List of UK Officials Banned From Russia
Moscow on Wednesday expanded a list of UK officials banned from entering Russia in a tit-for-tat response to British sanctions imposed over the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that in response to “unconstructive and unfriendly” UK penalties it had “decided to expand the number of British citizens who […]
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Putin Signs Controversial ‘Foreign Agent’ Law Expansion
President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a bill allowing any politically active, foreign-funded individual or organization to be labeled a “foreign agent.” The new law significantly widens the scope of who can be recognized as a foreign agent in Russia and has been criticized as an effort to stamp out critical voices. The foreign […]