Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Russia’s space agency Roscosmos has denounced U.S. President Donald Trump’s order allowing commercial lunar mining and the extraction of other resources in space, appearing to liken the policy to colonialism. Trump signed an executive order Monday establishing a U.S. policy which allows “commercial exploration, recovery and use of resources in outer space.” The Encouraging International […]

Authorities have detained a group of shooting-sport enthusiasts in Far East Russia on charges of terrorism under the guise of testing its alleged leader for coronavirus, Russian media reported Monday. The Federal Security Service (FSB) raided the three suspects’ homes in the Sakhalin region over the weekend and a court placed them in pre-trial detention […]

In Buryatia, a Russian region that shares a border with Mongolia, the entire region knows exactly when the coronavirus appeared and who patient “number one” was. Vadim Bredny, the rich owner of a popular retail store chain and a deputy in the city council of Ulan-Ude, flew in from Moscow on March 12. Eight days […]

President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday wished British Prime Minister Boris Johnson a speedy recovery from the coronavirus, saying his “optimism and sense of humor” would help him get better. “I would like to express my sincere support at this difficult moment for you,” the Kremlin quoted Putin as saying in a message to Johnson. “I […]

Russia bribed football officials for the right to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the U.S. Justice Department said Monday in the first explicit accusations of wrongdoing following years of suspicion. FIFA has been dogged by claims of corruption since 2010, when the global football governing body voted to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups […]

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a sanctioned catering magnate with close ties to President Vladimir Putin, has sued opposition activist Lyubov Sobol for libel over her claims that he ordered a poisoning attack on her husband. Prigozhin is seeking Sobol and the pro-Putin religious television channel Tsargrad to retract her remarks made on the air last summer. Sobol’s […]

As the new coronavirus that has killed more than 74,000 people worldwide continues to spread, Russia has stepped up its measures to tackle the pandemic and prevent its spread within the country. There have been 7,497 cases of coronavirus infections reported in Russia so far and 58 deaths. MT The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Russia as […]

As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from […]

The Russian economy has been rocked by the coronavirus outbreak, and the breakdown of the OPEC+ oil production pact between Russia and Saudi Arabia. The turmoil has shocked traders around the world and resulted in sharp volatility on the Russian stock markets and swings in the value of the ruble. The latest on the markets, […]

A UN board of inquiry investigating attacks on civilian establishments in Syria, including hospitals, has refrained from directly holding Russia responsible, according to a summary of its report published Monday. The coordinates of the sites had been communicated to the belligerents by the United Nations to protect them from air strikes. Without mentioning Russia, the […]

Russia could stage its annual celebration of the Soviet victory in World War II without veterans because of coronavirus next month, according to its organizers’ letter cited by Russian media Monday. Questions have swirled over when and whether Russia would hold the massive military parade in Red Square to mark the 75th anniversary of Victory […]

The United States on Monday branded a Russian far-right group as a foreign terrorist organization, the first time it has targeted white supremacists with tools regularly used against jihadist groups. The State Department said that the Russian Imperial Movement runs two paramilitary training camps in St. Petersburg and has pulled in neo-Nazis from across the […]

Russia’s Justice Ministry has registered the political party founded by the co-creator of popular online game World of Tanks, the Kommersant business daily reported Monday, citing the party’s press service.  Vyacheslav Makarov announced the establishment of his Direct Democracy party earlier this year. Pundits have said that the appearance of new political parties in Russia […]

The Kremlin faces the dual task of scaring Russians into self-isolation during the coronavirus pandemic while also tamping down public fears about the virus, the Kommersant business daily reported Monday. Most Russian regions have ordered lockdowns similar to Moscow’s in recent days as President Vladimir Putin declared April a “non-working” month to encourage self-isolation during […]

As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from […]

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman dismissed as disinformation a Russian media report Monday that he was to undergo artificial lung ventilation after being hospitalized with persistent coronavirus symptoms. Johnson said he tested positive for coronavirus on March 27 and was due to re-emerge from seven days of self-isolation Friday. Downing Street announced Sunday that Johnson […]

The Russian economy has been rocked by the coronavirus outbreak, and the breakdown of the OPEC+ oil production pact between Russia and Saudi Arabia. The turmoil has shocked traders around the world and resulted in sharp volatility on the Russian stock markets and swings in the value of the ruble. The latest on the markets, […]

As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from […]

As the new coronavirus that has killed more than 69,000 people worldwide continues to spread, Russia has stepped up its measures to tackle the pandemic and prevent its spread within the country. There have been 6,343 cases of coronavirus infections reported in Russia so far and 47 deaths. MT The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Russia as […]

As the new coronavirus that has killed more than 64,000 people worldwide continues to spread, Russia has stepped up its measures to tackle the pandemic and prevent its spread within the country. There have been 4,731 cases of coronavirus infections reported in Russia so far and 43 deaths. MT The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Russia as […]

Police detained a 32-year-old Russian man Saturday night after he allegedly shot and killed five of his neighbors with a hunting rifle in an apartment block. The incident happened around 10 p.m. in the village of Yelatma, some 320 kilometers east of Moscow in the Ryazan region, Russian media has reported. Reports say the alleged […]

Christian Querouix, a 69-year-old pensioner, who shares his time between France and Russia, had a difficult choice to make. Should he return to France, one of the European countries most affected by the coronavirus, or stay in Russia where the number of infected people is growing by the day?  “I have diabetes and I am […]

Two people were killed and six injured when a gas explosion ripped through a five-storey residential building outside Moscow on Saturday, with rescue workers still looking for survivors.  The blast took place in the town of Orekhovo-Zuyevo during stay-at-home orders aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus. The emergencies ministry said two people were […]

After weeks of working on overdrive, Anastasiya Vasilyeva, a doctor turned activist, finally had some time to kill.  It was late Thursday morning and the head of the independent Doctors’ Alliance labor union had just passed the halfway point between Moscow and the Nizhny Novgorod region, six hour’s drive northeast of the Russian capital. Vasilyeva, […]

As the new coronavirus that has killed more than 53,000 people worldwide continues to spread, Russia has stepped up its measures to tackle the pandemic and prevent its spread within the country. There have been 4,731 cases of coronavirus infections reported in Russia so far and 43 deaths. MT The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Russia as […]

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church blessed Moscow on Friday to ward off the coronavirus, circling the city in a motorcade with a holy icon and reciting prayers. Patriarch Kirill’s convoy took a main highway around the Russian capital which is under strict lockdown measures and passed near the Kremlin walls, an AFP photographer […]

Italy was engaged in a war of words with Russia on Friday over allegations Moscow hid spies among doctors it had sent to the country’s coronavirus epicenter near Milan. The unusual exchange between the traditionally friendly nations followed the publication of an Italian newspaper story about the purportedly nefarious nature of the Russian mission. The Russians came […]

Moscow enacted a strict self-isolation order this week as city authorities seek to clamp down on the coronavirus pandemic that has infected nearly 3,000 of the Russian capital’s residents. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin on Thursday extended the quarantine until at least May 1, meaning 12 million people will be expected to stay in their homes for […]

Doctors at one of St. Petersburg’s top hospitals have filmed a video appeal asking the public for protective gear as they prepare to admit coronavirus patients. Pokrovskaya Hospital in Russia’s second-biggest city has been repurposed alongside two other existing facilities to accommodate a potential influx of coronavirus patients this week. St. Petersburg is Russia’s third-most […]

Air pollution in Moscow has significantly fallen as the coronavirus pandemic has pushed the city’s 12 million residents indoors and shuttered all nonessential business, the pro-Kremlin Izvestia newspaper reported Friday. The Russian capital has ranked as one of the most polluted cities in the country due to heavy traffic congestion which releases toxic fumes. Mayor […]

Russia has sent military medics and equipment to Serbia, the latest country Moscow is helping to fight the global coronavirus pandemic as it also flexes its soft power muscles. Russia’s Defense Ministry pledged to send 11 flights with 87 army medics to Serbia after President Vladimir Putin spoke with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic by phone […]

Prague authorities on Friday said they had removed a controversial Soviet-era statue, despite protests from Moscow, to make way for a World War II memorial. Plans to remove the bronze statue of Soviet general Ivan Konev triggered a sharp reaction from Moscow last year. While Konev is regarded as a hero in Russia, many Czechs […]

Читайте русскую версию здесь. “Oh, come on! Virus? What virus?” Olga, a 35-year-old businesswoman waved her hand dismissively. “It’s a conspiracy, not a virus. Whose conspiracy? The Chinese, who do you think?! They released it so they could get ahead of Europe and Russia and rule the world. They’ve got a vaccine for it.” Olga, […]

The United States may have violated its own sanctions by purchasing ventilators and other protective gear from Russia to fight the coronavirus pandemic, the RBC news website reported Friday. Footage of the controversial cargo during unloading in New York showed boxes of ventilators made by a subsidiary of Russia’s KRET tech firm, itself a subsidiary […]

As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from […]

Moscow will not enforce its coronavirus quarantine with scannable QR codes, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced Thursday, leaving room for a reversal if residents stop following self-isolation orders during the pandemic. Sobyanin extended citywide lockdown measures until May 1 immediately after President Vladimir Putin announced a month-long extension of the nationwide paid “non-working” period to encourage […]

Russia’s top climate scientist Dr. Vladimir Kattsov is confident that serious environmental changes lie in store this century. “Russia is among the countries where the average warming greatly exceeds the global average, and Russia is warming especially quickly the closer you get to the Arctic,” Kattsov, 58, told The Moscow Times in an interview in […]

The FBI has arrested a Russian rapper in the United States on cryptocurrency laundering charges after finding photographs of him flashing large sums of money on social media, authorities have said. Maxim Boyko, 29, was arrested at a Miami condo Saturday, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, after arriving in the U.S. with his wife in […]

As the new coronavirus that has killed more than 53,000 people worldwide continues to spread, Russia has stepped up its measures to tackle the pandemic and prevent its spread within the country. There have been 4,149 cases of coronavirus infections reported in Russia so far and 34 deaths. MT The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Russia as […]

Russia’s officially reported numbers — which are still smaller than those in European countries — have sparked suspicion. Experts warn that Russia’s testing capacity is hampered by bureaucracy, while officials warn that the real number of cases is likely much higher. Most of Russia’s cases are in Moscow. Last week, Moscow changed the way it […]

The Russian economy has been rocked by the coronavirus outbreak, and the breakdown of the OPEC+ oil production pact between Russia and Saudi Arabia. The turmoil has shocked traders around the world and resulted in sharp volatility on the Russian stock markets and swings in the value of the ruble. The latest on the markets, […]

Russia on Thursday published a government decree establishing an export quota for certain grains until the end of June as its virus cases spiked. The measures came after the heads of three global agencies including the World Trade Organization and the World Health Organisation on Wednesday warned countries against imposing export restrictions that could interrupt […]

Russia could be heading for its deepest recession in a generation with millions of workers set to lose their jobs, economists have warned, in a stark assessment of the economic costs of the coronavirus outbreak, and Russia’s response to the pandemic. In an address to the nation Thursday afternoon, President Vladimir Putin extended a shutdown […]

As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from […]

Russian Fashion Council with support of Fashion Fund has announced the dates of the virtual Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia. On April 4 and 5, both emerging and established designers will present their new collections. For the first time ever, the event will be totally digital. This solution was developed to support designers and fashion houses […]

As the only remaining independent, English-language news source reporting from Russia, The Moscow Times plays a critical role in connecting Russia to the world. Editorial decisions are made entirely by journalists in our newsroom, who adhere to the highest ethical standards. We fearlessly cover issues that are often considered off-limits or taboo in Russia, from […]

President Vladimir Putin announced the extension of Russia’s nationwide “non-working week” until April 30 after the country registered a sharp increase in coronavirus cases on Thursday.  Confirmed coronavirus cases in Russia spiked overnight with 771 new cases registered across the country, bringing official totals to 3,548 infections and 30 deaths. Speaking in a televised address, […]

A 36-year-old Russian journalist died from the coronavirus this week, authorities said on Thursday two days after her passing, drawing criticism for allegedly withholding the news. Anastasia Petrova, chief editor of the Delovoy Interes business weekly in the city of Perm 1,400 kilometers east of Moscow, was hospitalized with pneumonia on March 24. Regional health […]