Igor Sechin Makes Welcoming Address at CERAWeek International Conference of Energy Industry Leaders
Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin made an online welcoming address at the 39th annual CERAWeek Energy Industry Leaders Conference.
Russia Quotes Law of Sea to Calm Greek-Turkey Tension
The dispute between Turkey and Greece over energy-rich waters in the Mediterranean should be settled on the “basis of international law”, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday. The discovery of huge natural gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean has exacerbated tensions between Ankara and Athens following Turkish exploration operations in waters claimed by Greece…
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85% of Russian Coronavirus Vaccine Volunteers See No Side Effects – Developer
Around 85% of Russian volunteers who receive the country’s highly touted coronavirus Sputnik V vaccine report no side effects, according to the developer of the adenovirus-based shot. The state-run Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology became the first in the world to register a Covid-19 vaccine in August before final clinical trials began the…
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Belarus Opposition Leader Says Nationwide Strike Underway
Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said supporters launched Monday a nationwide strike after her deadline expired for strongman Alexander Lukashenko to step down. “Today the People’s Strike is beginning,” Tikhanovskaya said on her Telegram channel. “Employees of state factories and enterprises, transport workers and miners, teachers and students have gone on strike since this morning.” All…
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Transaction on debut issue of Gazprom’s perpetual Eurobonds closed
October 26, 2020, 17:30 The following information is not intended for use by Canadian investors or within the territory of Canada due to the sanction restrictions. For more information, see the Base Prospectus regarding Eurobonds dated October 6, 2020 . A transaction on placement of a debut issue of perpetual subordinated Eurobonds of Gazprom expressed in US dollars and euros has been closed today. The volume of investor demand has…
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Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Oct. 26
Russia has confirmed 1,531,224 cases of coronavirus and 26,269 deaths. Oct. 26: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 17,347 Covid-19 cases Monday, bringing its official number of cases to 1,531,224 and setting a new record for daily infections. A total of 219 people have died in the past 24 hours. People with high temperatures will no longer be allowed…
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Russia Strikes Kill 78 Turkey-Backed Rebels in Syria: Monitor
Airstrikes by Damascus regime ally Russia killed 78 Turkey-backed rebels in northwestern Syria on Monday, a monitor said, in the bloodiest surge in violence since a truce almost eight months ago. More than 90 others were wounded when Russian warplanes targeted a training camp of the Faylaq al-Sham faction in the Jabal Duwayli area in…
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Is Russia’s Housing Market Facing a Coronavirus Bubble?
Later this week, one of the fastest growing Russian businesses of the last decade will launch on the Moscow stock market — the latest in a small flurry of Russian public offerings set to close out the year. Property developer Samolet was founded just eight years ago, but it has grown aggressively, building more than…
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The Tyranny of Positive Thinking Debated Live Online
Winzavod Center for Contemporary Art, one of Moscow’s oldest and largest venues for contemporary art, has joined with the VII Moscow International Biennale for Young Art to hold a series of educational programs. The public online discussions, online “diaries,” and master classes have just begun and will run until early December. The discussions are on…
DetailsThe Belarus NPP has received permit to perform works on the stage-wise program for the power start-up of Unit 1
On October 23, 2020 the Board of the Ministry for Emergency situations of the Republic of Belarus, based on the resolution of the State Regulatory Authority of the Republic of Belarus, agreed to amend the licenses of the State enterprise “Belorussian NPP” and JSC ASE EC, allowing to start works based on the stage-wise program for…
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1 in 5 Russian Lawmakers Have Had Coronavirus – Speaker
At least one out of every five Russian lawmakers currently have or have had coronavirus, the speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament told President Vladimir Putin on Monday. The 450-member State Duma went partially remote last month to limit the spread of Covid-19 after more than a dozen federal lawmakers were hospitalized with the…
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Russia Opens Military Office in Central African Republic
Russia has opened a Defense Ministry representative office and donated 10 armored vehicles to the Central African Republic in Moscow’s latest effort to expand its influence on the continent, Reuters reported Saturday. The moves come amid President Vladimir Putin’s push to revive Soviet-era influence and challenge other powers’ foothold in resource-rich Africa. In the conflict-torn…
DetailsROSATOM equips cars with lithium-ion batteries for the first Russian electric kart race
RENERA LLC, a subsidiary of the TVEL Fuel Company and ROSATOM’s integrator for energy storage solutions, has organized the first electric kart race in Russia. MINI class race cars were equipped with lithium-ion batteries manufactured by ROSATOM. The race was organized together among racers of 9-11 years old at the Izhorets karting track in Kolpino,…
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In Russia, ‘There’s Nothing to Hide’: A Phone Call With One of Putin’s Closest Friends
The voice on the other end of the line belonged to the man who introduced Vladimir Putin to his ex-wife and is godfather to their eldest daughter. It was warm and friendly and suggested I ask my questions now, despite a pending meeting. “I fear if you try me later you won’t reach me,” Sergei…
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Belarusians Protest Lukashenko Ahead of Strike Ultimatum
Belarusian demonstrators flooded the streets of the capital Minsk on Sunday, the final day of an ultimatum set by the opposition for the embattled strongman leader to resign after months of mass protests. Videos taken by bystanders that were circulated by local media showed a convoy of buses carrying security personnel to the city centre…
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Turkey Rejects U.S. Pressure Over Russian Air Defense System
Turkey on Saturday dismissed U.S. criticism that the Russian defense systems it has bought are not compatible with Ankara’s NATO commitments. The Pentagon on Friday strongly condemned the first test of a Russian-made S-400. “We have been clear and unwavering in our position: an operational S-400 system is not consistent with Turkey’s commitments as a…
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The Enduring Glamour of Mushroom Julien
Mushroom season continues its stately autumnal progress. Having stocked the freezer with mushroom soup, mushroom lasagna, and mushroom pâté, I suddenly remembered that most quintessentially mushroom-y dish of them all; one I’m guessing none of us has enjoyed in quite some time: Mushroom Julien. This fixture of glitzy Soviet-era restaurants and theater buffets is another…
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Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Oct. 24
Russia has confirmed 1,497,167 cases of coronavirus and 25,821 deaths. Oct. 24: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 16,521 Covid-19 cases Saturday, bringing its official number of cases to 1,497,167. A total of 296 people have died in the past 24 hours. A device that tests for the coronavirus based on the sound of a cough could appear at…
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Russia Continued Developing Novichok After Program’s Official Closure, Investigation Says
Russian military scientists continued working on the Novichok nerve agent’s development long after Moscow said it destroyed its chemical weapons stockpiles, an international investigation said Friday. The investigation comes amid mounting questions in the West over Russia’s alleged use of chemical weapons on foreign and domestic soil, accusations that Moscow denies. The European Union and…
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Death of Sea Life Off Russia Peninsula ‘Caused By Algae’
Blooming algae was behind a recent mass death of sea animals that saw octopuses and seals wash up on the shore off a Russian peninsula, scientists said on Friday in the final conclusion to their probe. Locals in Kamchatka, a volcanic peninsula in Russia’s Far East, raised the alarm in September after the animals were found…
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Years of ‘Stone Age’ Forced Sterilizations Claimed at Russian Institution
At least 15 women at an assisted-living facility in Russia’s fourth-largest city of Yekaterinburg have been subjected to forced sterilization over the years, media outlets and officials reported this week. One former resident died after undergoing the surgical procedure, her widower told national television. Law enforcement and health authorities in the Sverdlovsk region launched a…
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Film About Gorbachev and Reagan in Pre-Production
HOLLYWOOD—The historic 1986 Reykjavik summit between Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. President Ronald Reagan will be the backdrop for a new satirical film. The working title of the movie is “Tear Down This Wall,” Reagan’s famous entreaty to Gorbachev. Based on the book “An Impossible Dream: Reagan, Gorbachev and a World Without the Bomb”…
DetailsRosneft Completes Development of Innovative Isopropyl Alcohol Technology
Scientists of the Rosneft United Research and Development Centre have developed an innovative technology for processing acetone produced by Rosneft’s enterprises into isopropyl alcohol (isopropanol), a high-margin product that is now mainly imported in Russia.
Leningrad NPP Unit 6 Connected to Grid, Delivers First Electricity to Russian Power System
23th October 2020, Sosnovy Bor, Russia. The Leningrad NPP Unit 6 equipped with Rosatom’s flagship Generation III+ VVER-1200 reactor was connected to the grid and reached the power capacity of 240 MW. “Today, Leningrad NPP Unit 6 was synchronized with the grid for the first time and provided electricity to the Russian unified power system.…
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Russia Surpasses 17K Coronavirus Cases in New One-Day Record
Russia confirmed 17,340 new coronavirus cases Friday, setting a new one-day record as the country grapples with a second wave of the virus. This is the first time that Russia has confirmed more than 17,000 Covid-19 infections in a single day. Friday’s increase pushes the overall number of Covid-19 cases in Russia to 1,480,646, or…
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Russia-China Military Alliance ‘Quite Possible,’ Putin Says
President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that a future military alliance with China can’t be ruled out but is not needed right now, the Associated Press reported. Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club, Putin said that Russia has stepped up military cooperation with China through joint military exercises and the sharing of sensitive Russian military technologies. …
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Putin Says Karabakh Deaths Soaring as Diplomats Scramble
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that weeks of fighting over the mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh province had left close to 5,000 people dead as world leaders scrambled to broker a truce. The disputed region in Azerbaijan is controlled by Armenian separatists backed by Yerevan, who declared independence as the Soviet Union fell in a conflict that…
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EU, UK Slap Sanctions on Russian Spies for Hacking German Parliament
The EU and Britain imposed sanctions Thursday on senior Russian intelligence officers for their alleged role in hacking the computer network in the German parliament in 2015. The head of the GRU military intelligence agency, Igor Kostyukov, and intelligence officer Dmitri Badin have been banned from EU soil and are subject to an asset freeze.…
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Oil Spill Hits Russia’s Pacific Coast Amid String of Pollution Incidents
An oil slick has appeared in a bay near a ship repair plant on Russia’s Pacific coast, local media reported Thursday, marking at least the third oil spill to hit Russia this month. Aerial photographs showed a rainbow-colored area consistent with an oil spill on the water’s surface near the shipyard in the Far East city…
DetailsIgor Sechin addresses the Speech at XIII Eurasian Economic Forum in Verona
Rosneft Oil Company Chief Executive Officer Igor Sechin has virtually addressed the speech “Returning to Growth” at the XIII Eurasian Economic Forum in Verona, Italy.
Snowden Granted Permanent Russian Residency – Lawyer
Russia has granted permanent residency to former U.S. spy agency contractor and whistleblower Edward Snowden after his current permit expired, his lawyer told state media Thursday. Russia granted Snowden, 37, asylum in 2013 after the former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor exposed mass surveillance by U.S. intelligence agencies around the world. He faces up to…
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Catholics Will Convert to Orthodoxy Over Pope’s LGBT Support, Russian Church Predicts
Pope Francis’ endorsement of same-sex civil unions will lead the Catholic faithful to convert en masse to Orthodox Christianity and Protestantism, a senior Russian Orthodox Church official said Thursday. Francis became the first pontiff to voice support for same-sex couples in a documentary that premiered in Rome on Wednesday. His stance marks a departure from…
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Russia to Probe Virus Deaths Caused By Oxygen Shortage
At least 13 coronavirus patients were reported to have died when their oxygen supply ran out at a hospital in southern Russia last week. Russia’s health watchdog said Wednesday that its affiliate in the Rostov region was looking into the reports that the patients died due to a lack of oxygen in their hospital on…
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Return of the Amazon: Sarra Lebedeva at the Tretyakov Gallery
The Engineering Building of the Tretyakov Gallery is hosting an exhibition that is a must-see for anyone interested in early 20th-century Soviet art. It is a show of works by Sarra Lebedeva, one of the ‘Amazons of the Avant-Garde’ that included the better known Vera Mukhina, Anna Golubkina, and Yekaterina Belashova. The exhibition is the…
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In Photos: 10 Years of Sobyanin’s Moscow
Wednesday, Oct. 21 marked 10 years since Sergei Sobyanin was first voted into office by the Moscow City Duma. Born in a remote Siberian village, Sobyanin rose through the ranks to the highest echelons of the Russian political elite throughout his career. His mayorship of Moscow has been marked by a number of ambitious projects,…
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Putin: Russia’s Rise in Coronavirus Deaths Due to Improved Methodology
Coronavirus deaths are on the rise in Russia partly because of improved cause-of-death methodology, President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday. Russia’s national coronavirus information center has confirmed a total of 25,242 Covid-19 deaths after reporting record daily fatalities of over 200 in 10 of the last 15 days. By comparison, daily Covid-19 deaths crossed the 200…
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Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Oct. 22
Russia has confirmed 1,463,306 cases of coronavirus and 25,242 deaths. Oct. 22: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 15,971 new Covid-19 cases Thursday, bringing its official number of cases to 1,463,306. A total of 290 people have died in the past 24 hours. A number of Russian regions risk facing a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic that…
DetailsROSATOM and Apulia continue cooperation by testing lutetium-177 used in cancer treatment
Isotope JSC, official distributor of isotope products manufactured by ROSATOM’s enterprises, successfully delivered lutetium-177 produced according to EU GMP standards to Nuclear Medicine Department of Policlinico of Bari (Apulia, Italy) for quality evaluation. The activity was implemented within the scope of the Healthcare Memorandum of Understanding signed between Apulia Region and ROSATOM in November 2019.…
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Russia Moves to Open Defense Ministry Office in Serbia
Russia is moving toward opening a Defense Ministry office in Serbia to deepen military ties with its longtime ally, a move that risks straining relations with the West, Reuters reported Tuesday. Serbia, which claims military neutrality, is an EU candidate country that also maintains close ties with Moscow. Belgrade suspended its military drills with all…
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Severstal reports Q3 & 9M 2020 fiacial results
October 22, 2020 PAO Severstal (MOEX: CHMF; LSE: SVST), one of the world’s leading steel and steel-related mining companies, today announces its Q3 & 9M 2020 financial results for the period ended 30 September 2020. CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL RESULTS FOR Q3 AND 9M 2020 $ million, unless otherwise stated Q3 2020 Q2 2020 Change, % 9M…
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North Pole Ice Cap Too Thin for Testing Russia’s Giant Icebreaker
Russia’s nuclear-powered Arktika icebreaker will need to undergo a second test voyage to prove its capabilities after Arctic sea ice levels were too thin during its first test run. After reaching the North Pole on her maiden voyage, state nuclear-powered icebreaker agency Atomflot said the Arktika proved its ability to navigate in ice conditions, adding…
DetailsRussian Federation flag raised on board ROSATOM’s nuclear icebreaker “Arktika”
On October 21, the state flag of the Russian Federation was raised on board FSUE Atomflot’s (a ROSATOM company) universal nuclear-powered icebreaker “Arktika” in Murmansk. The list of event attendees included Mikhail Mishustin, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Yuri Borisov, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Alexey Likhachev, ROSATOM State Atomic Energy Corporation…
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2nd Coronavirus Wave Could Be 10X Worse in Russia’s Regions, Disease Expert Says
A number of Russian regions risk facing a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic that is 10 times worse than the first, a senior Russian vector-borne disease expert said Tuesday. “The situation in the regions is very different,” Alexander Lukashev, who heads the Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University’s (MSMU) Martsinovsky Institute of Medical Parasitology,…
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Gazprom and VNG discuss issues related to gas supplies
October 21, 2020, 15:55 A working meeting between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, and Ulf Heitmueller, Chairman of the Executive Board of VNG, took place today via a video conference call. The parties discussed relevant issues of cooperation. It was noted that the amounts of gas supplied by Gazprom to Germany in August, September, and the first 20 days of October 2020 were higher than the…
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Russia Hosts New Talks in Search of Karabakh Truce
Russia hosted the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan for separate talks this week as world powers seek to step up hitherto failed efforts to agree a lasting truce to halt fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and his Armenian counterpart Zohrab Mnatsakanyan for separate talks on…
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‘Consciousness Without Borders’: New Russian Art
The St. Petersburg exhibition “Consciousness Without Borders” showcases the work of two young contemporary artists, Yulia Virko and Anthony Gelfand. This show is an expanded version of a previous joint show held at Center for Contemporary Art Winzavod in Moscow earlier this autumn. Both Virko and Gelfand create their own realities based on what they…
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Russian Mayor Urges Kicking Maskless Passengers Off Public Transit
Public transport passengers “can and should” kick out fellow passengers who don’t wear masks, the mayor of Russia’s fourth-largest city of Yekaterinburg said Tuesday. The Sverdlovsk region, where Yekaterinburg is the administrative center, is Russia’s fifth most-affected federal subject by the coronavirus pandemic. It has confirmed a total of 33,425 Covid-19 cases and 718 deaths…
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Kyrgyzstan Sets New Polls as New PM Reassures Russia
Kyrgyzstan’s electoral authorities said Wednesday parliamentary polls annulled over unrest would be repeated in December as acting leader Sadyr Japarov moved to assure Russia of the two countries’ strategic partnership. The Central Asian country’s elections commission said the fresh elections would be held on Dec. 20, after a previous vote was annulled over political chaos…
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Muscovites Bid Farewell to Warm Fall Weather
Independent journalism isn’t dead. You can help keep it alive. The Moscow Times’ team of journalists has been first with the big stories on the coronavirus crisis in Russia since day one. Our exclusives and on-the-ground reporting are being read and shared by many high-profile journalists. We wouldn’t be able to produce this crucial journalism…
DetailsRosneft Designs Synthetic Crude Oil Unit
Scientists of the Rosneft United Research and Development Centre have developed a laboratory unit designed to convert methane to synthetic liquid hydrocarbons.
Controversial Russian Priest Dies During Coronavirus Rehabilitation
A senior Russian priest notorious for making controversial remarks about women has died at age 69 during his rehabilitation from the coronavirus, a Russian Orthodox Church spokesman announced Wednesday. Earlier this year, Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov was crowned “Sexist of the Year” by Russian feminists for claiming that women have “weaker minds” than men and comparing common-law…
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Alexey Miller reelected as President of International Business Congress
Background The International Business Congress (IBC) is an international non-governmental and non-profit organization. The IBC consists of 118 members from 23 countries, among them Gazprom, OMV AG, Bank of China, China National Petroleum Corporation, Comita D. D., DNV GL AS, Ernst and Young BV, Huawei Technologies Co Ltd., Mitsubishi, Mizuho Bank, N.V. Nederlandse Gasunie, Pietro Fiorentini S.P.A., PetroVietnam, SAP LLC, Siemens, Shell, Schneider Electric,…
DetailsLeningrad NPP: Test Tubine Launch Took Place at Unit 6
A test turbine launch took place at NPU No. 6 with a VVER-1200 reactor (a water-water energetic reactor) at the Leningrad NPP (a branch of ROSATOM, part of its power division). The experts performed a dry run of the turbine and increased the number of revolutions, in a phased approach, to the designed value of…
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Russia Breaks Record for Daily Coronavirus Deaths
Russia has confirmed a record daily death toll from the coronavirus at 317 fatalities Wednesday as the country sees a record-breaking surge in cases but resists reintroducing strict lockdown measures. The previous highest death toll of 286 Covid-19 deaths was recorded last Thursday. The new increase brings Russia’s overall Covid-19 death toll, as reported by…
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‘Stumbling Into a New Arms Race’: Imagery Shows Russia Preparing for Nuclear-Powered Missile Test
Russia plans to resume tests of its Burevestnik nuclear-powered missile, a move that risks reigniting an arms race with the United States just as the countries appeared on course to renew nuclear arms deal extension talks, according to a new analysis of satellite images. Researchers noted high levels of activity at the dismantled test site…
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U.S., Russia Edge Back Towards Talks on Nuclear Arms Pact
Russia and the United States on Tuesday were edging closer to breaking an impasse in long-running talks aimed at extending a landmark nuclear arms deal, due to expire within months. U.S. officials said they were ready to meet Russian diplomats as soon as possible, shortly after Moscow stated it could compromise on an American demand.…
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Slight Arctic Warming Could Trigger Abrupt Permafrost Collapse – Study
A few degrees of warming in the Arctic could trigger an abrupt thaw of the permafrost that makes up two-thirds of Russia’s landmass and a subsequent climate change feedback loop, according to a new study based on ancient warming episodes. Three of the region’s largest warming events in the past 27,000 years coincided with rapidly…
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Russian Eco-Disasters Spark Environmental Fears
The largest country in the world is facing a number of ecological crises. In the past month alone, Russia’s environment has seen mass aquatic die-offs in not one, but two places. In the Far East republic of Kamchatka, up to 95% of seabed life was wiped out in the Avacha Bay earlier this month, potentially…
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Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Oct. 20
Russia has confirmed 1,431,635 cases of coronavirus and 24,635 deaths. Oct. 20: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 16,319 new Covid-19 cases Tuesday, bringing its official number of cases to 1,431,635 and breaking the country’s record for new infections. Senior Russian healthcare professionals say they expect the country’s number of daily Covid-19 infections to peak at 20,000 before…
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Armenians and Azerbaijanis in Moscow Pay Tribute to Karabakh Victims
Sunday marked three weeks since the start of the latest escalation in fighting between longtime foes Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. A Moscow-brokered ceasefire has proven to be unreliable as military and civilian casualties continue to rise on both sides. Over the weekend, members of the Armenian and Azerbaijani diasporas in…
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