Russia Proposes Internet Ecosystem to Protect Users From ‘Foreign Influence’ – Report

Russia’s state-controlled telecommunications provider is proposing a 260-billion-ruble ($4.1 billion) online ecosystem to “protect users from foreign influence,” the Kommersant business daily reported Wednesday. Rostelecom’s so-called roadmap reportedly envisions the creation of state-run messengers, gaming services, browsers and operating systems. The telecom provider’s ambitious proposal also includes state-controlled content recommendation systems and speech and gesture…

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Eleven Centuries of Russian Patterns, Now Online

Russia has become home to the world’s largest digital archive of decorative patterns.  The archive, Ornamika.ru, was launched by Maria Loleyt, a former project manager and marketing expert. It contains more than 7,000 authentic decorative patterns created by the national groups that have lived in Russia, the Soviet Union, and the Russian Empire. The ornamental…

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Gazprom Transgaz Nizhny Novgorod wins prize at international talent competition

Background Gazprom Transgaz Nizhny Novgorod is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gazprom that delivers natural gas to 15 regions in the Volga and Central Federal Districts of the Russian Federation. The company’s gas transmission system is composed of trunklines stretching for over 13,000 kilometers. Gazprom Transgaz Nizhny Novgorod operates 54 compressor workshops, 284 gas compressor units, 371 gas distribution stations, 2 mobile CNG refuelers, and 4 gas refueling modules located at gas…

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Russia Ordered to Pay $1M to Police Brutality Victims

Fifty Russian citizens have been awarded compensation totaling more than 1 million euros ($1.1 million) for police brutality and illegal searches, according to four European human rights court rulings issued Tuesday. Russia paid more than 600 million rubles ($9.5 million) to its citizens in compliance with European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) rulings in 2019,…

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“Peasant” Breaks Russian Box Office

“Peasant” has become the highest-grossing domestic film in the history of Russian cinema.  Directed by Klim Shipenko, the comedy has raked in over 3 billion rubles (roughly 45.5 million USD). Only the 2009 Hollywood blockbuster “Avatar” grossed more in Russia.  The film is about a spoiled rich boy who is sent back in time to…

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Russia Sentences 2 ‘Extremist’ Jehovah’s Witnesses

Two Jehovah’s Witnesses have been convicted of extremism in Russia’s Far East, the group said Tuesday amid what activists say is an escalating crackdown on the religious group. The ruling to hand the two worshippers in the Khabarovsk region a two-year suspended sentence comes after Russia’s Supreme Court declared the Jehovah’s Witnesses an “extremist” organization…

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‘Crimea Is Lost,’ Pompeo Reportedly Tells Ukraine

Update: According to a journalist who spoke to prominent Ukrainian anti-corruption worker Yelena Tregub, the NV news website misquoted Pompeo. “When the international community sees Crimea as lost, it’s important to keep the issue and fate of Crimean Tatars in public eye and the U.S. plays a role in this,” BuzzFeed journalist Christopher Miller quoted Tregub as…

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Russia Plans S-400 Deliveries to India in 2021

Russia plans to start deliveries of its S-400 air defense system to India late next year, a Russian official said Wednesday of the arms deal that risks landing Delhi under U.S. sanctions. India, the largest purchaser of Russian military hardware, agreed on the roughly $5 billion deal in 2018. The U.S. has said countries trading…

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Board of Directors reviews annual General Shareholders Meeting related issues

Release February 4, 2020, 17:00 General Shareholders Meeting to be held on June 26, 2020, in St. Petersburg. Lists of nominees approved for Board of Directors and Audit Commission. The Company’s Board of Directors resolved to hold the annual General Shareholders Meeting of Gazprom on June 26, 2020, in St. Petersburg. The list of persons entitled to participate in the Shareholders Meeting will be drawn up on the basis of Gazprom’s Register of Shareholders at the end…

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Sociologist Teodor Shanin Dies at 89

Teodor Shanin, a renowned scholar and president of the Moscow School for the Social and Economic Sciences  — “Shaninka” —  died on Tuesday in Moscow.  Shanin, 89, was credited as the originator of peasant studies, a field which combines sociology, economics, history, and other academic disciplines to form a comprehensive understanding of modern peasant lives. …

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Cat Yoga Brings Muscovites Closer to Zen

Now that January is over and the New Year’s resolutions have worn off, it’s harder than ever to find the motivation to stay active. Luckily, an anti-cafe in central Moscow has come up with a way to tackle the problem. As everyone knows, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is easier when you have a partner —…

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Dali’s Magic Art in Moscow

“Salvador Dali: Magic Art” at Manege Central Exhibition Hall is the first comprehensive exhibition of the famous Spaniard in Russia. The Faberge Museum in St. Petersburg and “The Link of Times” Foundation (both belong to billionaire Viktor Vekselberg) brought to Moscow more than 180 works from different periods of Dali’s life — not just his…

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Russia Combats the Coronavirus, in Photos

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

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Russian Cities See Hottest January in Recorded History

Update: January temperatures across all of Russia were the second-hottest in the country’s recorded history, the Federal Meteorological Service said Wednesday. Scores of cities across Russia including Moscow and St. Petersburg have experienced the hottest January in their recorded histories, an official at Russia’s meteorological center said Monday. The latest record comes after 2019 was declared…

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