Russian Cheese King to Italy: Recognize Crimea to Export Parmesan Again

Italy should recognize Crimea as Russian territory before being allowed to export parmesan into the country again, the head of Russia’s cheesemakers union said Sunday. Russia banned wholesale imports of fresh EU food produce including parmesan in retaliation to Western sanctions over Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.  Italian Ambassador to Moscow Pasquale Terracciano on…

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Belarus Police Detain Opposition Protesters, Journalists

Police in Belarus detained dozens of protesters and at least five journalists on Saturday, a rights group said, as the opposition restarted rallies against strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko’s rule. Protests erupted in the ex-Soviet country last August after Lukashenko claimed a sixth presidential term in a vote the opposition and Western diplomats said was rigged. news Belarus…

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Russia to Deepen Ties With Myanmar Military Junta, Top Defense Official Says in First Visit After Coup

Russia and Myanmar are deepening their defense ties as Moscow’s military supplies continue to pour into the country, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said Friday at a meeting with the country’s commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing. Fomin’s visit marked the first high-profile visit to Myanmar by a foreign official since the country was rocked by…

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Russian ambassador to Bolivia visits the construction site of the Center for Nuclear Technology Research and Development (CNTRD) in El Alto

March 24 – Mikhail Ledenev, the head of the Russian embassy at the Plurinational State of Bolivia, and the representatives of the Bolivian Ministry of International Affairs accompanied by Alexey Altynov, Vice President of JSC Rusatom Overseas, visited the construction site of the Center for Nuclear Technology Research and Development (CNTRD) in El Alto located…

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Document signed on main terms of prospective EPSS contract with Linde for Gas Processing Complex in Ust-Luga

Background Linde plc is one of the world’s largest companies focused on industrial technologies for natural gas treatment and separation with the recovery of ethane, propane and heavier hydrocarbon fractions. In addition, the company designs and builds cryogenic facilities for natural gas and helium liquefaction. Linde Engineering is an engineering and technical subdivision of Linde. Gazprom and RusGazDobycha are implementing the project for…

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Independent Russian Journalist, Elections Expert Reports Threats

An independent Russian journalist and elections expert has reported receiving threats toward his family and surveillance over his article about a regional elections official seeking re-election to the State Duma this September.  Vasily Weissenberg, an expert at the independent Golos election monitor, had published an article about Andrei Gibert, the head of the Yamal-Nenets autonomous district’s…

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Fake Russian-Language Tiktok Scams Popular Accounts – Kommersant

A fake “TikTok for Business” website has appeared in Russia that hijacks popular accounts with a fraudulent content monetization scheme, the Kommersant business daily reported Friday. This is the first time that the widespread social media entrapment method has involved the popular Chinese short-video app, the newspaper cited the Infosecurity cybersecurity company’s leading analyst Alexander…

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A Decade After Pussy Riot’s ‘Punk Prayer,’ Maria Alyokhina Still Has Plenty to Protest About

Maria Alyokhina is no stranger to being prosecuted for her politics. The veteran Pussy Riot member is best known for her role in the group’s “Punk Prayer,” the provocative February 2012 protest in neon balaclavas at Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral. She and fellow activist Nadya Tolokonnikova would spend two years in a prison colony…

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Russia’s Second Coronavirus Vaccine Triggers Antibodies, Studies Say After Controversy

Russia’s second coronavirus vaccine triggers antibodies in all recipients, according to early-trial study results involving 100 volunteers published Thursday. EpiVacCorona, a two-shot peptide vaccine developed by the Siberia-based Vektor Institute, came under scrutiny this week after Phase 3 trial participants claimed that it does not produce an immune response. No peer-reviewed research on the jab has…

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ROSATOM began manufacturing passive core flooding systems for Akkuyu NPP Unit 1 (Turkey)

The Volgodonsk Branch of JSC AEM-technology (part of ROSATOM machine-building division Atomenergomash) has started a new project manufacturing Passive Core Flooding System Tanks for the Akkuyu NPP Unit 1 (Turkey). Atommash will manufacture the Passive Core Flooding System Tanks for Units 1 and 3 of the Akkuyu NPP under construction. Each Passive Core Flooding System…

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Russia Rolls Out 3rd Coronavirus Vaccine

Russia has introduced its third registered coronavirus vaccine for general use, Interfax reported Thursday, citing its developers and the Education and Science Ministry. CoviVak, developed by the state-run Chumakov Research Center, is a two-dose, whole-virion vaccine that uses complete, but inactive, particles of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19. Mass production of CoviVak began Thursday…

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Gazprom and YaNAA agree to extend cooperation to 2021–2023

March 25, 2021, 13:50 A working meeting between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, and Dmitry Artyukhov, Governor of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area (YaNAA), took place today via a video link. The parties discussed relevant issues of cooperation. The Company is developing a major gas production center on the basis of the Bovanenkovskoye field in the Yamal Peninsula. Pre-development of the second key field in the region, Kharasaveyskoye, is underway, and geological…

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Russia Launches More UK Telecom Satellites into Space

A Soyuz rocket blasted off from the Vostochny cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East on Thursday carrying 36 UK telecommunications and internet satellites, the Roscosmos space agency said. OneWeb, a London-headquartered company, is working to complete the construction of a constellation of low earth orbit satellites providing enhanced broadband and other services to countries around the world.…

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Trudeau Says Putin Behind ‘Terrible Things,’ Skirts Killer Label

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday Vladimir Putin is responsible for “terrible things,” but wouldn’t go so far as U.S. President Joe Biden in calling the Russian leader a “killer.” Trudeau, unaccustomed to criticizing other world leaders in public, was questioned during an interview on SiriusXM radio’s The Bridge with Peter Mansbridge about Biden’s…

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Telegram Raises $1Bln, With Russian Direct Investment Fund Buying Bonds

Telegram has sold more than $1 billion in bonds to international investors, founder Pavel Durov announced Tuesday —  with Russia’s state-run Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) now among the firm’s backers. Durov, who founded Russia’s leading social network VKontakte before launching messaging app Telegram, said the investment will “enable Telegram to continue growing globally, while sticking…

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Trial Subjects For Russia’s Second Coronavirus Vaccine Urge Probe Into Effectiveness

Clinical trial volunteers for Russia’s second coronavirus vaccine have demanded the country’s Health Ministry launch an investigation to explore claims the jab does not produce an immune response. The group — which is currently taking part in Phase 3 studies for Russia’s EpiVacCorona shot, a peptide vaccine developed by the Vektor Institute in Novosibirsk —…

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Russia Probes Artistic Human Corpse Exhibition After Uproar

Russia will probe an artistic exhibition of preserved human corpses after the display sparked an uproar among conservative religious groups and public figures. German anatomist Gunter von Hagens’ traveling “Body Worlds” exhibition opened at Moscow’s VDNKh exhibition center on March 12. Its display of donated human bodies and organs aims to educate visitors “by looking inside…

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Gazprom adds over 480 billion cubic meters to its gas reserves through geological exploration in 2020

March 24, 2021, 11:05 Gas reserve addition rates have been surpassing production rates for 16 consecutive years. The Gazprom Board of Directors took note of the information about the ongoing work for resource base support, geological surveys, and geological exploration performed by the Company. It was highlighted that Gazprom, which has the largest reserves and output of natural gas in the world, is effectively expanding…

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Gazprom continuing to enhance corporate governance quality

March 24, 2021, 10:35 The Gazprom Board of Directors took note of the information about the current state of corporate governance, corporate ethics, and transparency of activities at Gazprom. It was highlighted that year after year the Company systematically enhances its corporate standards taking into account, inter alia, the opinions of the investment and expert community. As a result, the corporate governance system conforms to the listing…

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Debt for gas supplies reduced in most Russian regions in 2020

March 24, 2021, 10:25 Leaders in debt reduction include the Moscow, Ulyanovsk and Volgograd Regions, the Republic of Tatarstan, and the Astrakhan Region. Heat suppliers are increasing the level of their payments and reducing their debt. At the same time, debt remains a pressing issue in the development of the domestic gas market. The Gazprom Board of Directors took note of the information on improving the payment…

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Russia, After Confusion, Says Coronavirus Re-Vaccination Possible

Russian health officials said Tuesday that re-vaccination with any of Russia’s domestically produced coronavirus vaccines after receiving the country’s Sputnik V shot is possible, clarifying earlier remarks suggesting that antibodies could destroy future vaccine components. Natalia Pshenichnaya, senior epidemiologist at national consumer protection watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, said earlier in the day that the Sputnik V shot’s long-term…

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Gazprom reduces greenhouse gas emissions and saves 3.92 million tons of fuel equivalent on fuel and energy in 2020

March 24, 2021, 09:45 Greenhouse gas emissions reduced by 14 per cent against 2019. 3.27 billion cubic meters of natural gas and 305.9 million kWh of electricity saved. Gazprom and Gazprom Neft rank first among Russian oil and gas companies according to the international climate rating compiled by CDP. The Gazprom Board of Directors approved the Company’s ongoing efforts for environmental protection, energy efficiency enhancement,…

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