Ryazan Oil Refining Company and Russian Ecological Society Hold Round Table
Ryazan Oil Refining Company and Russian Ecological Society (RES) have held a round table in the video conference format.
Oxygen Shortage Deaths Lead to Dismissals, Resignations in Southern Russia
Two senior health officials in southern Russia have left their positions after the start of investigations into the deaths of several coronavirus patients due to an oxygen shortage in a hospital, authorities said Tuesday. Russia’s health watchdog said last week it was investigating claims by hospital workers and officials in the city of Rostov-on-Don that…
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Nagorno-Karabakh Briefing | Oct. 28
Fighting continued Wednesday in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region after the third attempt at a ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan — a U.S. brokered deal — fell apart within minutes of coming into effect earlier in the week. Oct. 28: What you need to know today Azerbaijan said Wednesday an Armenian missile strike on its Barda…
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Russia Sets New Single-Day Coronavirus Deaths Record
Russia reported 346 deaths from Covid-19 Wednesday, the highest single-day death toll amid a record surge in cases as authorities strive to promote prevention methods while avoiding a total lockdown. The new figure smashes the previous record of 320 Covid-19 deaths set only 24 hours ago. Wednesday’s increase brings Russia’s overall Covid-19 death toll, as…
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New Methane Discharge Discovered in Russia’s Arctic – Guardian
A new source of methane discharge has been discovered in the Arctic Ocean near eastern Siberia, raising concerns of a “new tipping point” that could speed up the pace of global warming, The Guardian reported Tuesday. Scientists found the potent greenhouse gas bubbling from a depth of 350 meters in the Laptev Sea, with surface-level…
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Russian enterprises expanding capabilities for manufacturing of offshore production equipment
October 28, 2020, 09:55 The Gazprom Board of Directors took note of the information on expanding the agreement of cooperation in import substitution of equipment, components, and spare parts for subsea production complexes, entered into by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation and Gazprom in order to ensure the preferential use of domestic equipment in the projects for the pre-development of the Kirinskoye and Yuzhno-Kirinskoye gas and…
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Gazprom facilitating development of gas exchange trading in Russia
October 28, 2020, 09:50 The Gazprom Board of Directors took note of the information on the development of the natural gas exchange trading system. It was noted that the participation of the Gazprom Group entities has been systemically important for the organized gas exchange trading activities at the St. Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange (SPIMEX) since the launch of said trading in 2014. The Group offers the bulk…
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Gazprom stepping up cooperation with Russian manufacturers of gas-powered equipment
October 28, 2020, 09:45 The Gazprom Board of Directors took note of the information on the ongoing import substitution of products, equipment and technologies meant for the NGV market development. It was noted that the production and sale of natural gas as a vehicle fuel is among strategic activities of Gazprom in Russia. The Company is rapidly developing the CNG filling station network, consistently expands its own fleet of vehicles fueled by natural…
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Amur GPP construction project is 67.1 per cent complete
October 28, 2020, 09:40 The Gazprom Board of Directors expressed its approval of the Company’s ongoing work on its major investment projects. In the east of Russia, the systematic expansion of production capacities continues at the Chayandinskoye field in Yakutia. In 2020, it is planned to bring onstream 103 gas wells, a gas pre-treatment unit (GPTU-2), and a membrane unit for helium concentrate extraction. Moreover, capacity increase will be finished at the operating comprehensive gas treatment…
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Gazprom Board of Directors approves revised investment program and budget for 2020
October 28, 2020, 09:35 Gazprom’s overall amount of investments for 2020: RUB 922.489 billion. Gazprom’s borrowings for 2020: RUB 501.287 billion. The Gazprom Board of Directors endorsed the revised investment program and budget (financial plan) for 2020. As per the revised investment program for 2020, the overall amount of investments will stand at RUB 922.489 billion, which is RUB 182.235 billion less than was envisaged in the investment…
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Anti-Lukashenko Strike ‘Just the Beginning,’ Belarus Opposition Leader Says
Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya has called Monday’s general strike aimed at putting pressure on President Alexander Lukashenko a “collective success” and vowed to continue calling for his resignation. Tikhanovskaya had given Lukashenko until Sunday to quit, halt violence against protesters and release political prisoners, warning he would otherwise face a general strike from Monday.…
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Russia Foreign Minister Self-Isolates After Covid Contact
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will self-isolate after coming into contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19, his ministry said Tuesday. Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on Facebook that the minister, 70, “feels well” but that planned visits and meetings will be postponed to a later date. On Monday, Lavrov was on a working…
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Azerbaijan Accuses Armenia of Deadly Missile Strike on Civilians
Azerbaijan accused Armenia of a missile attack that killed four civilians Tuesday, as Washington urged the two sides to abide by a ceasefire aimed at halting weeks of fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh. With clashes over the disputed Caucasus region entering a second month, international mediators are pushing to bring a stop to frontline clashes and shelling…
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‘Very Nice’: Kazakhstan Adopts Borat’s Catchphrase for Tourism Drive
“Very nice!” Kazakhstan is adopting its fictional resident Borat Sagdiyev’s famous catchphrase as its new tourism slogan alongside the release of the comedy-slash-mockumentary’s sequel. The lean-in attitude marks a reversal from the confrontational stance the Central Asian country adopted upon the release of the first Borat movie in 2006. Back then, Kazakh authorities banned the…
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Russia Seeks Accelerated WHO Registration for Virus Vaccine
Russia has applied to the World Health Organization for accelerated registration and prequalification of its Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, the country’s sovereign wealth fund said on Tuesday. Russia announced in August it had registered the world’s first coronavirus vaccine, named Sputnik V after the Soviet-era satellite. On Tuesday, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which…
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Putin Orders Government to Improve Abortion Prevention Efforts
President Vladimir Putin has urged the government to improve abortion prevention strategies in an effort to reduce the number of terminated pregnancies and offset Russia’s population decline. Putin’s order was made public days after Poland’s top court deemed abortions performed in cases of fetal defects to be unconstitutional. For Poland, which already had some of…
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Beyond Moscow: People With Disabilities Are Stepping Out
With the baby carriage I can go to the store but not to the pharmacy, because there is no ramp. That was part of my daily planning when I became a mother. Life with a baby carriage was sometimes complicated, but the lives of many disabled people, especially in smaller Russian cities and towns, often shrinks…
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Russian State TV Anchor Ignites Backlash With Anti-Mask Social Media Post
A prominent Russian news anchor has sparked backlash after publicly backing the anti-mask movement and questioning the dangers of Covid-19 in a viral Instagram comment published just hours before the Russian government reinstated a countrywide mask mandate. In his original post, businessman Yan Yanovsky complained that most spectators at Spanish opera singer Plácido Domingo’s recent performance at…
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France’s Macron ‘the No. 1 Terrorist in the World,’ Chechen Mufti Says
The grand mufti of Russia’s southern republic of Chechnya has joined a growing chorus of Muslim figures and countries condemning France over its assertion of the right to mock religion following the murder of a French schoolteacher. The Islamic world’s backlash came after French President Emmanuel Macron, reacting to the Oct. 16 beheading of teacher…
DetailsRosneft Subsidiaries Release Over 700,000 Fries of Valuable Fish into Volga River
The subsidiaries of Rosneft Oil Company operating in the Volga Region have finished the seasonal works of replenishment of aquatic biological resources by releasing more than 700,000 fries of sterlet, common carp, and silver carp into the Kuibyshev, Saratov, Volgograd and Sorochinsk reservoirs.
New natural gas filling stations opened in Moscow
October 27, 2020, 11:30 Gazprom’s gas refueling network in the region has been expanded to seven facilities. Two stations of the network are the largest in Europe. Two more CNG filling stations will be opened this year. A ceremonial event celebrating the commissioning of two new infrastructure facilities for refueling motor vehicles with natural gas, eco-friendly vehicle fuel has taken place today in Moscow via…
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Russia Reports Record Daily Coronavirus Deaths
Russia has confirmed a record daily coronavirus death toll at 320 fatalities Tuesday as the country seeks to slow a record-breaking surge in cases with new restrictions. The previous record death toll of 317 Covid-19 deaths was recorded less than a week ago last Wednesday. Tuesday’s increase brings Russia’s overall Covid-19 death toll, as reported…
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‘We’re in Hell’: Russia’s Second Wave of Covid-19 Is Catching the Regions Off Guard
In a video widely shared across Russian social media last week, dozens of bodies wrapped in black plastic bags line the walls of a decrepit basement in a hospital in Barnaul, the capital city of the Altai region in Siberia. “The deceased Covid-19 patients were being stored in the basement of the hospital due to…
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Russia Reinstates Mask Mandate, Restricts Nightlife to Stop Virus Spread
Russia has reinstated a nationwide mask mandate starting Wednesday amid a record-setting second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, consumer safety watchdog Rospotrebnadzor has announced. Russians will be required to wear masks in all crowded places, including public transport, taxis, parking lots and elevators, Rospotrebnadzor said Tuesday. Russia imposed a national mask mandate and other quarantine…
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Urals Doctors Appeal for Russian Army Medics as Coronavirus Surges – BBC
Medics in the Ural Mountains city of Kurgan have appealed for the Russian government to send in army medics to help the local health care system stretched thin by the coronavirus pandemic, BBC Russia reported Monday. The national Covid-19 information center ranks the Kurgan region, with a population below 830,000, Russia’s eighth least-affected subject with…
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Third Attempt at Nagorno-Karabakh Ceasefire Collapses Within Minutes
A third attempt at halting weeks of fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh collapsed quickly on Monday with Armenia and Azerbaijan trading accusations of violating the U.S.-brokered ceasefire within minutes. As fighting over the disputed region enters its second month, international mediators are scrambling to bring a stop to frontline clashes and shelling of civilian areas that have…
DetailsIgor 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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