Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Russian Lawmaker Spotted ‘Ghost-Voting’ for Internet Isolation Law
Russian State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin has presumably cast a vote for a controversial bill tightening internet controls while on a working trip to his home region. Shrugging off an outcry from opposition politicians and rights activists, the 450-seat lower chamber of parliament voted in a second reading to pass a largely unchanged version of…
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‘Brazen’ Import Ban Prompts Belarus to Close Russian Pipeline
The president of Belarus has ordered the closure of a Russian oil export pipeline for repairs in retaliation to Moscow’s “brazen” import ban. Belarus and Russia have seen a new flare-up in bilateral tensions barely two months after an amicable meeting between their presidents in Sochi. In late March, the two countries’ Foreign Ministries exchanged…
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Russian Footballer Exits Car, Assaults American Pedestrian in Moscow
A star Russian football player has sparked national outrage this week after stepping out of his Mercedes at a traffic light to beat up a pedestrian who had bumped against his car. The victim is reportedly a U.S. citizen who is working as a translator in Russia’s capital. The incident took place in the aftermath…
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Severstal reports Q1 2019 operatioal results
April 12, 2019 PAO Severstal (MICEX-RTS: CHMF; LSE: SVST), one of the world’s leading vertically integrated steel and steel-related mining companies, today announces its operational results for Q1 2019. Q1 2019 GROUP HIGHLIGHTS Hot metal output increased 6% q/q in Q1 2019 to 2.36 mln tonnes (Q4 2018: 2.23 mln tonnes) following short-term maintenance works…
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ATOMEXPO 2019 to Feature Discussion on Nuclear Technologies as a Driver of Scientific and Technological Innovation
The “Nuclear Technologies as a Key Driver of Scientific and Technological Innovation” roundtable will be held as part of the ATOMEXPO 2019 International Forum on April 16, 2019. The event will bring together Russian and international experts to talk about the contribution of nuclear technologies to the development of scientific and technical process and their…
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ATOMEXPO 2019 to Feature Roundtable on “Risk Management: New Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Development Goals Achievement”
On April 15, a roundtable entitled “Risk Management: New Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Development Goals Achievement” will take place as part of the 11th ATOMEXPO International Forum. The roundtable has been organized by State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM, with representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the World Nuclear Association (WNA) taking…
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Russian Sovereign Wealth Fund Says Planning Joint Deal With Baring Vostok
Russia’s sovereign wealth fund RDIF plans a joint investment in the next couple of months with Baring Vostok, the private equity group whose executives are facing charges in Russia of fraud, RDIF head Kirill Dmitriev told Reuters. A Moscow court on Thursday ruled that Michael Calvey, the U.S. citizen who heads Baring Vostok, should be…
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Russia’s Hypersonic Ballistic Missile and Laser System in Final Tests, Putin Says
Russia is entering the final testing phase of its nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missile dubbed Satan-2, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday. Russia announced plans in 2013 to develop the ICBM to replace a Cold War standby known in the West as “Satan,” or the RS-20B Voyevoda in Russia. Putin unveiled Satan-2 with an array of other…
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ATOMEXPO 2019 Roundtable to Focus on Finding the Best Mix of Nuclear and Renewables for Achieving Sustainable Development
ROSATOM and World Nuclear Association will host a roundtable of presentations and discussion to examine how we can deliver an energy system that can meet the aspirations of the world’s growing population and help achieve global long-term climate change objectives as part of the 11th ATOMEXPO International Forum in Sochi on April 15–16, 2019. What…
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Moscow Court Extends U.S. Investor Calvey’s House Arrest
Update: Moscow’s Basmanny district court has ruled to extend Calvey’s house arrest through July 14, the state-run TASS news agency reported on Friday. A Moscow court has ruled to move detained U.S. investor Michael Calvey from pre-trial detention to house arrest, Russian media reported Thursday. In February, Russia detained Calvey, the founder of the Baring Vostok…
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Moscow Court Releases U.S. Investor Calvey on House Arrest
A Moscow court has ruled to move detained U.S. investor Michael Calvey from pre-trial detention to house arrest, Russian media reported Thursday. In February, Russia detained Calvey, the founder of the Baring Vostok private equity group, on suspicion of fraud along with three other partners in the fund. Calvey denies the allegations, saying the case…
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Russia’s First Artificial Heart for Infants Developed in Moscow
Russian engineers announced on Thursday they have shrunk an artificial heart for infants, giving children with heart defects a new lease on life. A synthetic replacement for the heart remains one of the long-sought holy grails of modern medicine. A functional artificial heart — first successfully implanted in a human in 1982 — lowers the…
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Chechen Court Overturns $140M Gas Debt Write-Off
A Chechen court has overturned an earlier ruling ordering Russian gas giant Gazprom to write off 9 billion rubles ($140 million) of the region’s gas debt. Unpaid debts on utility bills are a widespread problem in Chechnya’s capital of Grozny, where local media reported extensive raids and mass blackouts over unpaid bills by as many as…
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Athletes Caught Doping in Russia to Face Fines Under New Bill
Russian lawmakers have passed a bill on Thursday to criminalize doping in athletics years after the country was thrust into a doping scandal. Several Russian sports bodies and athletes have been banned from international competition since 2015 following a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report that found evidence of widespread doping. Since late 2016, coaches and other…
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Gazprom Management Committee proposes record dividends of RUB 10.43 per share for 2018
Release April 11, 2019, 14:05 The Gazprom Management Committee reviewed issues associated with arranging and holding the Company’s annual General Shareholders Meeting. The Management Committee endorsed the proposal to convene the annual General Shareholders Meeting of Gazprom in St. Petersburg at 10 a.m. on June 28, 2019. The registration of the Meeting participants is to be carried out on June 26 (from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and on June 28 (from 9 a.m.). In addition, the…
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Putin Announces Arctic Expansion Plans at International Forum – Highlights
With Russia’s economy faltering under an onslaught of Western sanctions, Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the 5th International Arctic Forum in St. Petersburg this week to promote the resource-rich region’s development. Presentations and panel discussions between more than 3,600 Russian and international lawmakers, scientists and businesspeople wrapped up on Wednesday. Delegates discussed topics including the Northern…
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Russian Officials Condemn Julian Assange’s Arrest in London
Russian officials have spoken out against Britain’s arrest of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange on Thursday, expressing hopes that the whistleblower’s rights will be respected. Assange was arrested by London’s Metropolitan Police after Ecuador withdrew his asylum which had allowed him to take refuge in the country’s embassy in the United Kingdom since 2012. A video widely shared…
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ATOMEXPO 2019 to become Platform for International Discussion on Training Professionals for the Economy of the Future
On April 15, State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM and the Union ‘Agency of Development of Professional Communities and Skilled Workers’ (WorldSkills Russia) will host a roundtable discussion entitled ‘Human Capital as a Factor for Economic Growth: From National Interests to International Corporation’. Participants in the discussion will include: Director General the World Nuclear Association…
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Eight More Activists Detained in Northern Russia Following Landfill Protests
Eight activists who participated in a protest in northern Russia against Moscow’s plans to ship waste to surrounding regions were detained Wednesday, Interfax reported. Between 2,000 and 3,000 protesters gathered for Sunday’s demonstration in Arkhangelsk, calling for the region’s governor to resign over the 10.5 billion ruble ($160.7 million) Shiyes landfill’s construction, media outlets reported.…
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Russian Lawmakers Criticize Sudan Coup as ‘Unconstitutional’
Russian lawmakers have spoken out against what they called an “unconstitutional” military coup in Sudan that has reportedly ousted longtime leader and close Russian ally Omar al-Bashir. Sudan’s military deployed troops in Khartoum and surrounded the presidential palace on Thursday following months of protests against al-Bashir’s regime; al-Bashir stepped down soon after, Reuters reported. In January, Russia’s Foreign…
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Russian Outlets Self-Censor Over Telegram Row
Several news outlets have removed a top Russian regulator’s remarks saying that a draft bill designed to disconnect the national internet network from the outside world will in fact target a popular messaging app. Authors of the bill going through parliament say they want to ensure that the domestic internet continues to function in the…
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ATOMEXPO 2019 to Feature Discussion of Areas of Cooperation with Next-Gen Nuclear
On April 16, ANO Rosatom Corporate Academy will hold a round table discussion entitled “Next Generation Nuclear: A Partnership for Development” as part of the ATOOMEXPO 2019 International Forum in Sochi. The round table will be attended by the following organizations: ITER Organization, the Vienna International Nuclear Competence Center, Universum, Goodnight Consulting, Coca-Cola HBC Russia,…
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U.S. Warns Its Citizens of Kidnapping Risks in Russia
Americans traveling to some parts of Russia are at risk of being kidnapped, the U.S. State Department said in an updated travel advisory on Tuesday. Russia was listed alongside Sudan and Niger as one of the most dangerous countries for U.S. travelers in the State Department’s new risk-based system in January 2018. Moscow dismissed the…
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Russia Delivers Flamethrower Systems to Saudi Arabia — Reports
Saudi Arabia has received its first batch of heavy flamethrower systems from Russia, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported Wednesday. Russia signed a deal to supply its “Sunburn” military equipment to Saudi Arabia in 2017. First developed in 2001, the “Sunburn” heavy flamethrower systems’ design was based on the framework of a Soviet T-72…
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Russia Jails Last FSB Scandal Suspect for Treason
A former agent of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has been sentenced to six years in maximum-security prison on charges of treason in the agency’s worst scandal in recent history. Ex-FSB operative Dmitry Dokuchayev was the last of four high-profile figures to receive treason sentences. All four were arrested in Russia in December 2016 shortly…
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More Than 7,000 People Killed in Fires in Russia Last Year, Official Data Shows
More than 7,000 people have died in fire-related accidents in Russia in 2018, according to data released Wednesday by Russia’s Investigative Committee. Sixty people, many of them children, died in the Siberian city of Kemerovo in March 2018 after the Winter Cherry mall caught on fire due to faulty wiring. Inspections uncovered violations in at…
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Zvezda Shipyard Signs Contract with Sovkomflot to Build Arctic Gas Carrier for Arctic LNG 2 Project
Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex and Sovkomflot PJSC have signed a contract to make a pilot gas carrier vessel for the Arctic LNG 2 project. The contract states that the vessel shall be delivered in Q1 2023. Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex has unique equipment for Russian shipyards, as well as advanced world-class technology, which provides for the implementation…
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Famil Sadygov elected Member of Gazprom Management Committee
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Russian Lawmakers Pass Law Banning Hostels in Apartments
Russian senators have passed a bill on Wednesday banning hostels in residential buildings, sending the bill to President Vladimir Putin’s desk to be signed into law. Hoteliers have warned that the ban could shutter up to 40 percent of hostels in Moscow and 80 percent in St. Petersburg, costing 16 billion rubles ($243 million) of…
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Freed Director Serebrennikov Met With Applause at Surprise Onstage Appearance
One day after his release from house arrest, theater director Kirill Serebrennikov made a surprise public appearance at the Gogol Center, where he had worked as artistic director before his arrest. Following a Tuesday evening performance of “Dead Souls,” Serebrennikov ran onstage and was met with applause from the audience. He later took selfies and…
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Where Chinese Diners Eat in Moscow
Despite the decades-old Moscow-Beijing Friendship, authentic Chinese food has been really hard to find in the Russian capital. But as thousands of Chinese students and tourists flock to Moscow each year, they have been hankering for a taste of home — and now they found it. Assuming that your Mandarin isn’t up to reading the…
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Kremlin Comments on Poroshenko vs. Putin Campaign Posters in Ukraine
While Ukraine currently faces a difficult choice for its leadership, Russia has settled on President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said Wednesday in response to campaign billboards depicting Ukraine’s president facing off against Putin. Posters showing Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko opposite Putin with a caption reading “The Decisive Choice” appeared in Ukraine ahead of the country’s…
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Russia Launches World War II-Themed TV Channel Targeting Youth
Russia’s state television has launched a new channel that targets the younger generation with programming dedicated entirely to World War II. The Pobeda (“Victory”) television channel, which will broadcast wartime movies and shows 24/7, appeared in cable and satellite packages ahead of May 9, Russia’s national holiday marking the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany. news…
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Russian Investigators Call for Detained U.S. Investor Calvey to Be Moved to House Arrest
Russian investigators have asked for jailed U.S. investor Michael Calvey to be released from pretrial detention and placed under house arrest instead. In February, Russia detained Calvey, the founder of the Baring Vostok private equity group, on suspicion of fraud along with three other partners in the fund. Calvey denies the allegations, saying the case…
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Gazprom and Rosgeo discuss cooperation issues
Release April 10, 2019, 13:35 A working meeting between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, and Sergey Gorkov, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Rosgeo, took place today at the Arctic: Territory of Dialogue 5th International Arctic Forum in St. Petersburg. The parties discussed cooperation-related issues, in particular the prospects of conducting 3D seismic surveys in the east of Russia and on the Arctic shelf. Information…
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Gazprom and OMV discuss further steps in strategic partnership
Background OMV AG is Gazprom’s main partner in Austria. The companies cooperate in gas production, transportation and supplies. In June 2018, an Agreement was signed to extend until 2040 the existing contract between Gazprom Export and OMV Gas Marketing & Trading GmbH for Russian gas supplies to Austria. In October 2018, Gazprom and OMV signed the Memorandum on Strategic Cooperation. Also in October 2018, Gazprom and OMV inked the…
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Half of Russians Say They’ll Never Live to See a Decent Salary – Survey
Almost half of Russians say a decent salary is out of their reach no matter how long they live to earn it, the government daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta cited research as saying Wednesday. On average, Russians named 66,000 rubles ($1,000) as a decent monthly salary, according to the government’s Financial University survey cited by the outlet.…
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Russia Marks First Workplace Discrimination Win by Trans Woman
A printing press in St. Petersburg will rehire a transgender woman and pay her two years’ worth of lost income in Russia’s first known court case to acknowledge workplace discrimination against a transgender woman. Anastasia Vasilyeva was fired from the printing press after 10 years of employment after changing her identification papers from male to…
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U.S. Aid Agency Plans ‘Framework’ to Counteract Russia Influence Globally
The head of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) said on Tuesday the agency would soon unveil an effort to try to use U.S. assistance to counteract Russian influence around the world. “USAID will soon unveil a Framework to help us counter malign Kremlin influence, especially in Europe and Eurasia,” Mark Green said at…
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Head of ROSATOM Alexey Likhachev took part in the panel section “The Northern Sea Route – The Key to the Development of the Russian Arctic” of the Forum “The Arctic – Territory of Dialogue”
On April 9, 2019 in Saint-Petersburg the Director General of ROSATOM took part in the panel section “The Northern Sea Route – The Key to the Development of the Russian Arctic” which was held in the framework of the 5th International Arctic Forum “The Arctic – Territory of Dialogue”. Maxim Akimov, Deputy Prime Minister of…
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Head of ROSATOM Alexei Likhachev took part in the panel section “The Northern Sea Route – The Key to the Development of the Russian Arctic” of the Forum “The Arctic – Territory of Dialogue”
On April 9, 2019 in Saint-Petersburg the Director General of ROSATOM took part in the panel section “The Northern Sea Route – The Key to the Development of the Russian Arctic” which was held in the framework of the 5th International Arctic Forum “The Arctic – Territory of Dialogue”. Maxim Akimov, Deputy Prime Minister of…
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Head of ROSATOM Alexei Likhachev took part in the panel section “The Northern Sea Route – The Key to the Development of the Russian Arctic” of the Forum “The Arctic – Territory of Dialogue”
On April 9, 2019 in Saint-Petersburg the Director General of ROSATOM took part in the panel section “The Northern Sea Route – The Key to the Development of the Russian Arctic” which was held in the framework of the 5th International Arctic Forum “The Arctic – Territory of Dialogue”. Maxim Akimov, Deputy Prime Minister of…
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Ex-Mayor of Vladivostok Receives Long Jail Term for Corruption
The former mayor of Russia’s Far East capital of Vladivostok has been sentenced to 15 years behind bars on charges of large-scale commercial bribery and abuse of power. Igor Pushkaryov was detained in June 2016 on accusations of abusing his authority to mastermind a large-scale trade deal between the local government and a building supply…
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Putin Says Norwegian Spy Suspect Can’t Be Pardoned Until His Trial Is Over
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that he could not consider pardoning a Norwegian held in Russia on espionage charges as a verdict had not yet been reached in his trial, Russian news agencies reported. Frode Berg, a retired guard on the Norwegian-Russian border, is being tried in Russia for allegedly gathering information about…
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Russia Adds Leftist Group to Terror List for Allegedly Plotting Election, World Cup Attacks
Russian authorities have blacklisted an anti-fascist activist group whose members are on trial on charges of plotting to overthrow the government as a terrorist organization. Federal agents opened a criminal case against Set — Russian for “Network” — in the fall of 2017, leading to the arrests of 11 people in St. Petersburg and Penza…
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Environmentally Conscious Russians Most Concerned About Saving Water, Recycling – WWF
Environmentally conscious Russians are most likely to conserve water and recycle compared to other eco-conscious practices, according to a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) online poll published Tuesday. WWF Russia conducted its fourth annual online survey among 60,000 Russian respondents in 800 cities on March 30, the day of Earth Hour, an international event to promote environmental…
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Putin Speaks on ‘Witch Hunt’ Mueller Investigation — Reports
President Vladimir Putin has commented publicly for the first time on U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s alleged collusion with President Donald Trump’s campaign. Russia has repeatedly denied claims that it interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, although U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that it did. Last month, Mueller’s nearly two-year investigation concluded…
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Siberia’s Historic Capital, and Russia, Look to New Plastics Plant for Economic Future
TOBOLSK — Workers at Russian petrochemicals company Sibur’s soon-to-be-completed ZapSibNefteKhim plant in Tobolsk will arrive for shifts at a building decorated with an enormous portrait of the city’s most famous son — the inventor of the periodic table of elements Dmitri Mendeleyev. It’s a fitting image for a factory that will be one of the…
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Rebel Leader Says East Ukraine Wants to Join Russia
The head of one of eastern Ukraine’s breakaway regions has said his separatist-held republic wants to join Russia as a full-fledged member. The Donetsk and Luhansk regions, collectively known as the Donbass, are combat zones between pro-Russian separatists and the Ukrainian military in a conflict that broke out in April 2014. More than 13,000 people have…
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Christie’s to Auction Historic Faberge Tiara
Auction house Christie’s is to sell a tiara by Faberge, jeweller to the Russian Tsars, made of aquamarines and diamonds and with a pre-sale estimate of $230,000-340,000. The tiara was made in 1904 as a wedding gift from Germany’s Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, to his bride, Princess Alexandra of Hanover and Cumberland.…
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ATOMEXPO 2019 to Feature Discussion of the Main Areas in the Development of Quality Management and the Formation of Supply Chains
ROSATOM will host a roundtable discussion entitled “Responsible Consumption and Production: Quality Management in the Nuclear Industry’s Supply Chains for International Projects” as part of the 11th ATOMEXPO International Forum in Sochi on April 15–16, 2019. The roundtable will be attended by representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the World Nuclear Association (WNA),…
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Russian Riot Police Complain of Evictions in Video to Putin
Russia’s riot police officers have released a video address to President Vladimir Putin complaining that they and their families are being evicted from their homes after retirement. The officers in the video said they had participated in assignments including quelling anti-Kremlin protests in 2011-2013 in central Moscow. They went on to accuse their superiors of…
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Russia Defends Arctic Military Expansion Amid Tensions With U.S.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov defended his country’s military buildup in the Arctic amid U.S. warnings of rising tensions in the remote and energy-rich region. “We don’t threaten anyone. We ensure sufficient defense capabilities given the political and military situation around our borders,” Lavrov said during a panel at the International Arctic Forum in St.…
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Russia’s Migrant Numbers Hit Record Low in 2018
Russia’s migrant numbers have declined by the highest amount in the post-Soviet period last year as the country grapples with its own population crisis, the Vedomosti business daily reported on Monday. For the first time in a decade, migration has been unable to cancel out Russia’s population decline. Faced with the need for up to…
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On This Day: ‘Spartacus’ by Yury Grigorovich at The Bolshoi
Premiering at the Bolshoi on April 9, 1968, “Spartacus” has gone on to become on of the theater’s most iconic productions. The ballet tells the story of Spartacus, leader of the slave uprising against the Romans, and was originally composed by Aram Khachaturian in 1954. Khachaturian was awarded a Lenin Prize for his composition in…
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Program signed to develop standards for natural gas liquefaction
Release April 9, 2019, 13:35 The Program for standardization of developing technologies and equipment in oil refining, petrochemistry, and natural gas processing and liquefaction (LNG), particularly for projects on gravity-based structures with LNG production trains and for gas carriers transporting LNG, was signed today at the Arctic: Territory of Dialogue 5th International Arctic Forum in St. Petersburg. The signing ceremony took place in the presence of Alexey…
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Gazprom raises gas exports to France by 58 per cent in five years
Release April 9, 2019, 13:30 A working meeting between Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee, and Sylvie Bermann, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to the Russian Federation, took place today at the Arctic: Territory of Dialogue 5th International Arctic Forum in St. Petersburg. The parties discussed issues related to cooperation in the gas sector, including gas supplies. It was noted that France ranks…
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Russian Operatives Offered Money to Multiple Madagascar Presidential Candidates – BBC
Russian political operatives disguised as “tourists” have offered money to at least six presidential candidates in Madagascar last year in exchange for Russia’s support for the eventual winner, a BBC investigation reported on Monday. Former leader Andry Rajoelina, 44, was declared the winner of a hard-fought presidential vote in December, rejecting his rival’s accusations of fraud. Yevgeny…
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Rosneft’s Reserve Replacement Ratio Amounted to 138% in 2018
In 2018, Rosneft Oil Company provided an increase in reserves from exploration in the amount of 454 million tonnes of oil equivalent. The coefficient of replenishment of production with the increase in reserves according to the Russian classification was 138%. The Company has proved its leading position in exploration efficiency, providing consistently high reserve replacement…
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Russia Violated Navalny’s Rights With House Arrest, European Court Rules
The European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday that Russia violated the rights of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny by placing him under house arrest in 2014 and imposing other restrictive measures on him. Navalny was placed under house arrest in February 2014 and held there for months while he was investigated for embezzlement…
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