Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
-
Inmates Discovered in Long-Abandoned Moscow Prison Tower – Watchdog
At least two inmates have been housed in a tower long thought to be abandoned at the infamous Butyrka prison in central Moscow, the Public Monitoring Commission (PMC) prison watchdog has said. The 19th-century Butyrka prison has held notable figures behind its bars, from persecuted Soviet-era writers Alexander Solzhenitsyn and Isaac Babel to Adolf Hitler’s…
-
UN Investigators Link U.S., Syrian and Russian Forces to War Crimes
Airstrikes by U.S.-led coalition forces in Syria have killed or wounded many civilians, indicating that required precautions were ignored and war crimes may have been committed, United Nations investigators said on Wednesday. Syrian government and allied Russian warplanes are also conducting a deadly campaign that appears to target medical facilities, schools, markets and farmland and…
-
Russian Police Throw Smoke Bomb, Detain Protesters After Local Election in Far East
At least 17 protesters rallying against the results of a local election in Far East Russia have been detained Tuesday night after security officials threw a smoke grenade into the bus they were in. Hundreds of protesters have demanded a re-do of Sunday’s vote in the republic of Buryatia’s administrative center of Ulan-Ude, where a…
-
Mass Nationwide Raids Target Russian Opposition Leader Navalny’s Allies
Russian authorities have swept through at least 150 homes and offices of opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s allies across the country early Thursday as part of what his allies say is a politically motivated investigation. This is at least the third wave of raids linked to Navalny in the past week. The first two were reportedly part…
-
U.S. Blacklists 2 Russians for ‘Torturing’ Jehovah’s Witnesses
The United States has imposed travel restrictions on two Siberian investigators over the alleged torture of detained Jehovah’s Witnesses this year. Investigators in the city of Surgut were alleged to have stripped, suffocated, doused with water and applied stun guns on at least seven Jehovah’s Witnesses who were detained on extremism charges in February. Russia…
-
Russian Theater Director Serebrennikov Goes Free After Court Returns Case
A Moscow court has returned theater director Kirill Serebrennikov’s criminal fraud case to prosecutors two years after his high-profile arrest, a move that observers say is a key step toward his case being thrown out. Serebrennikov was detained in August 2017 on charges of embezzling 68 million rubles ($1 million) in government funds as part…
-
“Children in the Arts: Painting, Graphics, and Porcelain in the 19th and 20th Centuries” exhibition opens in Magistralny
Background Gazprom Dobycha Irkutsk, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gazprom, operates gas and gas condensate production and treatment facilities and acts as an engineering and construction customer for the pre-development of gas and condensate fields in the Irkutsk Region, with Gazprom acting as the license holder. The Kovyktinskoye gas and condensate field, with Gazprom Dobycha Irkutsk acting as its development operator since 2011, serves as a resource base…
-
Wildfires Fully Extinguished in Siberia’s Irkutsk Region, Authorities Say
Wildfires that burned across swathes of Siberia this summer have been fully extinguished in the Irkutsk region, Interfax cited regional authorities as saying Wednesday. Irkutsk is one of several regions that have been affected by the “unprecedented” wildfires throughout Siberia since June. The wildfires exceeded 3 million hectares, an area the size of Belgium, at…
-
Alexey Miller and Serbian Ambassador Slavenko Terzic discuss continuing expansion of Serbia’s gas transmission infrastructure
Release September 11, 2019, 16:20 A working meeting between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, and Slavenko Terzic, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Serbia to the Russian Federation, took place in Moscow today. The meeting participants expressed appreciation for their cooperation in the energy sector. The parties paid particular attention to the continuing expansion of gas transmission infrastructure in Serbia, highlighting…
-
Russian Soldier Stationed in Armenia Found Dead, Media Reports
A Russian soldier has been found dead in an Armenian city where Russia has a military base, Armenian investigators told the state-run TASS news agency Wednesday. The 23-year-old serviceman’s body was found with signs of violent death, TASS quoted Armenian investigators as saying. The unnamed soldier had been stationed at the Gyumri military base in…
-
Putin Seeks to Increase Arctic Gas Deliveries to China
Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller visited the Kremlin for talks with President Vladimir Putin just days after returning from high-level meetings in Beijing. Natural gas export was on the president’s agenda, including the building of infrastructure for deliveries to China. Putin told Miller that he wanted to see deliveries of natural gas from the Yamal Peninsula…
-
Espionage Probe not Aimed Against Russia, Says Bulgarian PM
A Bulgarian investigation into alleged espionage involving Russian non-governmental organizations is not intended to influence relations with Moscow, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said on Wednesday. Prosecutors charged the head of a Bulgarian non-governmental organization (NGO) on Tuesday with spying for Russia as part of a scheme they said aimed to draw Bulgaria away from its…
-
Serbs Ignore EU Warning Over Plan to Join Russian-Led Trade Bloc
Serbia’s plan to join a Russian-led economic union is drawing fire from the European Union, which the Balkan nation says it wants to be part of. The EU’s executive commission has made clear that Serbia will have to cancel any bilateral trade agreements with other countries if and when it joins the EU, and leaders…
-
PhosAgro CEO Andrey Guryev Takes Part in the Opening of the 21st Mendeleev Congress on General and Applied Chemistry
St Petersburg – PhosAgro CEO Andrey Guryev took part in the opening ceremony of the 21st Mendeleev Congress on General and Applied Chemistry, which was held today at the St Petersburg Mining University. Taking place 9–13 September 2019 under the auspices of the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), the congress is one…
-
‘Silence Has Stopped Being a Spell of Protection’: Politics Dominate Russian GQ Awards
The GQ Russia Person of the Year awards — typically an ordinary star-studded affair — turned political Tuesday night when recipients took turns voicing their opinions on this summer’s high-profile news stories. Award winners praised the recent Russian-Ukrainian prisoner exchange and the release of Meduza investigative journalist Ivan Golunov amid near-unprecedented outcry over his arrest…
-
Russia Warns of ‘Pandora’s Box’ in Crimea Atrocities Court Clash
Russia warned Europe’s human rights tribunal it risks opening a “Pandora’s Box” of politically motivated cases if it accepts Ukraine’s claims that Moscow-led forces committed atrocities in the Crimea. The legal gambit by Russia’s Deputy Justice Minister Mikhail Galperin came as both sides faced off at the first public hearing at the European Court of Human…
-
St. Petersburg Re-Elects Governor Beglov After Controversial Campaign
Alexander Beglov has been confirmed the winner of Sunday’s gubernatorial vote in St. Petersburg following a controversial campaign. Russians voted in local and regional elections nationwide Sunday, including in gubernatorial elections in 16 regions. Critics said St. Petersburg’s gubernatorial race suffered from a lack of real competition against Beglov, a Kremlin ally who has been…
-
Rosneft Expands Range of Petrochemicals Sold at SPIMEX Exchange Trades
Rosneft Oil Company has expanded the range of petrochemical products sold at the exchange trades of the Saint Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange (SPIMEX).
-
Russia Calls Suggestion That Suspected CIA Mole Unmasked Election Meddling Slander
Russia on Wednesday condemned as lies and slander suggestions a suspected CIA mole in President Vladimir Putin’s administration had handed over information to the United States about alleged Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential elections. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov made the comment after U.S. media reports, confirmed to Reuters by two sources, said a CIA informant…
-
Russia’s Rosneft Rebuffs U.S. Sanctions Threat Over Venezuela Trading
Russian state oil major Rosneft said Tuesday that attempts to curb its business in Venezuela would be illegal and that the United States was using the threat of sanctions as a form of unfair competition. The U.S. could impose sanctions on Rosneft “at some point,” U.S. special envoy to Venezuela Elliott Abrams said Tuesday as…
-
Russia’s Net Public Debt Falls to Zero
Russian President Vladimir Putin has a bee in his bonnet about debt. Having lived through the 1998 crisis when Russia’s financial system was wiped out for the want of a few billion dollars to meet the government’s obligations, there has been a strong “never again” meme that has run through the Kremlin’s financial policy. Amongst…
-
Russia Ranks 3rd in Suicide Rates Globally, UN Says
Russia has the world’s third-highest suicide rate, the World Health Organization said Monday in a global study published ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day. Globally, nearly 800,000 people die by suicide every year — more than are killed by malaria or breast cancer, or by war or homicide, the WHO said. The UN public health…
-
Back in Ukraine, Sentsov Plans to Make More Films and Speak Up for Prisoners in Russia
Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov plans to start making films again and to champion the rights of prisoners in Russian jails, he said on Tuesday, days after being freed in a landmark prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia. Sentsov was the most high-profile prisoner to be swapped on Saturday among 35 Ukrainian detainees to return home…
-
Russian Officials React to Abrupt Exit of Trump Adviser Bolton
Russia is cautiously optimistic about the exit of U.S. national security adviser John Bolton, Russian media quoted the country’s officials as saying on Wednesday. U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly fired Bolton amid disagreements with his hardline aide over how to handle foreign policy challenges such as North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan and Russia. Dmitry Novikov, the…
-
Bulgarian Official Charged With Espionage for Russia
Bulgarian prosecutors charged the head of a non-governmental organisation (NGO) on Tuesday with spying for Russia as part of a scheme they said aimed to draw Bulgaria away from its Western allies and towards Moscow. Bulgaria, Moscow’s most loyal satellite in Soviet times, is now a member of NATO and the European Union but has close cultural…
-
Russia’s Ruling Party Sees Voter Support Drop in Crimea 5 Years After Annexation
Voter support for Russia’s ruling party has fallen significantly in the major Crimean port city of Sevastopol since 2014, the RBC news website has reported, citing official data from regional and local elections held across the country Sunday. United Russia, which supports President Vladimir Putin, saw a decline in support in nearly every region compared…
-
Anton Kamenskikh wins International Welding Competition in Manual Arc Welding category
Release September 10, 2019, 18:00 With support from the International Institute of Welding, the 2019 Arc Cup International Welding Competition took place in Langfang, China. The competition involved more than 300 professionals from 10 countries. The Russian Federation was represented by a team of 19 welders who had won awards and prizes at industry competitions. Among the participants was Anton Kamenskikh from Gazprom Transgaz…
-
Automation May Push 20M Russians Into Unemployment, Study Says
More than 20 million Russians risk losing their jobs to automation over the next decade if they don’t develop new skills, according to new research. Economists estimate that robots will take over more than 20 million manufacturing jobs worldwide by 2030. Automation is expected to lead to major job losses despite bringing in increased productivity…
-
Russian Scholar Dies From Self-Immolation While Protesting to Save Native Language
An academic in central Russia died Tuesday after setting himself on fire over what has been reported as an act of protest over perceived government policy against his native language. Albert Razin, 79, was hospitalized in critical condition in the republic of Udmurtia after committing an act of self-immolation outside an administrative building in the…
-
Russia Almost Ready for Reciprocal Response After U.S. Missile Test
To keep our newsroom in Moscow running, we need your support. With your help, we can continue with our mission to keep you informed with breaking news, business analysis, thought-provoking opinions, the best of culture and insights into everyday life.
-
Dziga Vertov’s ‘Anniversary of a Revolution’ Has its Second Moscow Premiere
On Sept. 6, 100 years after its first premiere, Dziga Vertov’s first film, “Anniversary of the Revolution,” had its second Moscow premiere at the Oktyabr Theater. The film had been thought to be lost, but film historian Nikolai Izvolov found it in pieces in the state film archives and painstakingly restored it and put it…
-
Russian Nuclear-Powered Cargo Ship Loaded With Seafood Approaches Norway
The world’s only remaining civilian nuclear-powered cargo ship, the Sevmorput, is sailing south into the Norwegian Sea en route to St. Petersburg with 204 refrigerated containers of frozen fish from the Pacific aimed for the market in European Russia. The ship will arrive in St. Petersburg by the end of this week after sailing south along…
-
Russia Looks to Crack Down on Vaping Amid U.S. Deaths
Russia’s Health Ministry has ordered a comprehensive study on the effects of electronic cigarettes in the wake of at least five deaths related to the use of the devices in the United States. The American Medical Association on Monday urged Americans to stop using e-cigarettes of any kind until scientists have a better understanding of…
-
Opposition Leader Navalny’s Offices Across Russia Searched After Election
Security officials have carried out searches in five of opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s regional offices across Russia, days after local elections where he urged supporters to vote strategically against Kremlin-aligned incumbents. The raids in the cities of Ufa, Samara, Perm, Chelyabinsk and Saransk took place less than a week after Navalny’s Moscow offices were raided.…
-
First Britten-Shostakovich Festival Orchestra Concert Held in Sochi
The first concert of the unique Russian-British Britten-Shostakovich Festival Orchestra has been held in the Sirius Park of arts and sciences in Sochi.
-
U.S. Spy Evacuated From Russia Was Possibly a Senior Kremlin Official’s Aide – Kommersant
A top U.S. spy who was reportedly evacuated from Russia could have been a senior Kremlin official’s aide who now lives in the Washington, D.C., area, the Kommersant business daily has reported. The United States had allegedly extracted one of its highest-level moles in the Russian government in 2017 over fears he could be caught,…
-
Protest Erupts in Far East Russia After Pro-Kremlin Candidate’s Victory
Hundreds of protesters gathered in Far East Russia overnight to demand a re-run of this Sunday’s local election won by a pro-Kremlin candidate and to call for the release of an anti-Putin shaman’s supporters, local media have reported. Igor Shutenkov won 52.25% of the votes in the republic of Buryatia’s administrative center of Ulan-Ude, beating…
-
Reading Comic Books Is ‘Pathetic,’ Says Russia’s Culture Minister
It’s “pathetic” for adults to read comic books, Russian Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky has said, sparking backlash among the country’s comic book fans. Mainstream comic book culture began to catch on in Russia earlier this decade after years of lingering Soviet-era stigma that placed “serious literature” on a pedestal at the expense of disdained mass…
-
Russia Declassifies WWII Docs Relating to Soviet-Nazi Pact
Russia’s Defense Ministry has declassified a trove of documents relating to a Soviet-Nazi nonaggression pact signed 80 years ago which historians say paved the way for the start of World War II. Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact pact on Aug. 23, 1939. A secret protocol that accompanied the non-aggression treaty divided…
-
Who Did Russia and Ukraine Swap During Their Prisoner Exchange?
Russia and Ukraine on Saturday exchanged 35 prisoners each in a carefully negotiated swap that could signal a thaw in relations. The swap — which included high-profile figures like filmmaker Oleg Sentsov and potential MH17 witness Vladimir Tsemakh — was seen as a key step toward resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine that has claimed more…
-
On This Day Lev Tolstoy Was Born
Lev Tolstoy was born into a family of Russian nobility in Tula in 1828. The fourth of five children, Tolstoy’s mother died when he was two and his father when he was nine. He and his siblings were then raised by relatives. At 16, he enrolled in Kazan University and began studying law and languages.…
-
France Says EU and Russia Must Rebuild Trust But Too Early to End Sanctions
France’s foreign minister said on Monday Europe and Russia should try to overcome their mutual distrust and work towards improving relations but that it was still too early to lift EU sanctions against Moscow. The European Union imposed the sanctions over Moscow’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula in 2014 and its support for pro-Russian armed…
-
Moscow Celebrates Its 872nd Birthday, in Photos
Each year, Muscovites celebrate the founding of Moscow in 1147 with a huge citywide bash during the first weekend of September. From free entry to museums to special performances and parades through the city center, there was no shortage of ways to wish the Russian capital a happy birthday. Here are a few of our…
-
Working meeting between Vladimir Putin and Alexey Miller
Message to the Media September 9, 2019, 15:45 A working meeting took place today between Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, and Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee. Alexey Miller briefed Vladimir Putin on the Company’s preparations for the upcoming autumn/winter period. Particular attention was paid to the issues of gas supplies to foreign markets. Gazprom website Editorial Board Shorthand record…
-
Russia’s Elections: ‘Smart Voting’ Successes, Alleged Tampering and More
Incumbent governors backed by President Vladimir Putin avoided runoff elections in 16 Russian regions Sunday, one year after Putin replaced at least 15 governors as a result of 2018 election setbacks. The governors’ races lacked the high stakes of Moscow’s legislative elections, where pro-Putin candidates lost one-third of the seats following a summer of the…
-
Summer Spartakiada Games conclude at Gazprom Transgaz Ukhta
News from projects and regions September 9, 2019, 15:00 Photos On September 4–7, Gazprom Transgaz Ukhta hosted the final round of its Summer Spartakiada Games. During three competition days, teams of employees representing 23 branches from the Komi Republic and the Arkhangelsk, Vologda and Yaroslavl Regions vied for the main prizes. The finalists competed in six disciplines – football, volleyball, swimming,…
-
Russian Emergency Services Make Final Check on Floating Nuclear Power Plant
The Akademik Lomonosov power barge on Sept. 6 passed the Sannikov Strait south of the New Siberian Islands and made it into the East Siberian Sea. The floating installation now has only about three days left of its extensive voyage across the Northern Sea Route. According to the Northern Sea Route administration, the installation and its…
-
Russia’s Massive Gold Stash Is Now Worth More Than $100Bln
Russia’s long-running bet on gold is looking better every month. The country quadrupled gold reserves in the past decade as it diversified away from U.S. assets, a move that has paid off recently as haven demand sent prices to a six-year high. In the past year, the value of the nation’s gold jumped 42% to…
-
PhosAgro Opens Registration for Capital Markets Day, Which Will Be Held in London on 25 September 2019
Moscow – PhosAgro (MOEX/LSE ticker: PHOR), one of the world’s leading vertically integrated phosphate-based fertilizer producers, announces the opening of registration for the Company’s Capital Markets Day, which will be held in London on 25 September 2019. At the event, the Company’s Board of Directors and executive management team will present the Company’s new strategy…
-
Google, Facebook Rebuff Russia Over Political Advertising Accusation
Google said on Monday that it supported responsible political advertising that complies with local legislation, after Russia accused it of circulating such advertising during local elections at the weekend. The tech giant neither affirmed nor denied in a statement that it had disseminated any such advertising. The state communications watchdog said Google and Facebook had…
-
Russian Tennis Star Medvedev Completes Journey From Villain to Hero at US Open
Daniil Medvedev once reveled in his role as the villain of Flushing Meadows but on Sunday the Russian completed his transformation to unlikely hero after taking Rafael Nadal the distance in a pulsating U.S. Open final. Despite losing to the Spaniard in a five-set thriller, Medvedev’s performance suggests more Grand Slam finals are in his…
-
Russia’s Ruling Party Loses a Third of Moscow Election Races After Protests
Russia‘s ruling United Russia party, which backs President Vladimir Putin, has lost one-third of its seats in the Moscow parliament, near-complete data cited by Russian news agencies showed on Monday, in an awkward setback for the Kremlin. However, the party still retained its majority in the Moscow assembly following Sunday’s nationwide local elections, and its candidates for regional…
-
Russians Vote in Regional Elections After Biggest Protests in Years
Russians voted on Sunday in some of the most closely observed regional elections in years, after the exclusion of many opposition candidates triggered huge protests in the capital. The protests began in mid-July after the Central Election Commission refused to register large numbers of candidates, saying they had failed to collect enough signatures from genuine…
-
‘Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews’
Award-winning journalist Sam Sokol is the author of “Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews,” a book covering the tragic fate of the Jewish communities in Ukraine since the 2013 Euromaidan revolution, the annexation of Crimea and war in the Donbass. As a reporter for the Jerusalem Post covering European diasporas, Sokol was ideally placed to…
-
Signaling Readiness for Thaw, Russia and Ukraine Swap Prisoners
Russia and Ukraine on Saturday swapped 35 prisoners each, including filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, 24 Ukrainian sailors and potential MH17 witness Vladimir Tsemakh, in a key step toward bringing an end to the war in eastern Ukraine that has claimed more than 13,000 lives since 2014. Laden with wide-ranging implications, the move underlines new Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s…
-
Gazprom Dobycha Orenburg holds 14th Warmth of Children’s Hearts Festival
Background The key areas of activity of Gazprom Dobycha Orenburg are production, treatment, and transportation of hydrocarbons and a number of commercial products of partner companies. The main source of raw materials for the company is the Orenburgskoye oil, gas and condensate field that contains unique components including methane, ethane, propane, butanes, helium, mercaptans, etc. This is why the Orenburg Gas Processing and Helium Plants…
-
Russian Prison Tattoos Are a New Sign of Political Protest
Oleg Navalny, the brother of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, is now exhibiting the tattoo sketches that he made while serving a 3.5-year sentence in prison. His exhibition comes on the back of months of anti-government protests in Moscow and the arrests of activists that face up to 3 years in prison.
-
Russia Says Facebook, Google Must Ban Political Ads During Moscow Election
Russian state watchdog Roskomnadzor said on Friday it asked Facebook and Google to ban the publication of political advertising during elections on Sunday and on the preceding day, in line with Russian law. Russia will hold several regional elections on Sunday, including in Moscow. Non-compliance would be viewed as meddling in Russia’s sovereign affairs, the…
-
Russian National Guard Takes Over Siberian Schoolkids’ Education
Russia’s National Guard has taken over teaching duties at a fifth-grade class in the Siberian city of Irkutsk this week. Officer Alexei Volk, wearing a military uniform, assumed homeroom teaching duties over the class of 12 girls and 20 boys on the first day of school. “Primarily, we will instill patriotic upbringing and a positive…
-
Russian City Installs Memorial to North Korea’s Kim Jong Il
The city of Novosibirsk in Siberia has unveiled a memorial plaque Friday honoring Kim Jong Il, the father and predecessor of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Kim, who led the secretive state until his death in 2011, visited the Russian city on Aug. 11, 2001, after talks with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. A…
Got any book recommendations?