Contents tagged with Russia

  • With no one to sell to, Gazprom cuts natural gas purchases from Turkmenistan

    The head of Russian natural gas giant Gazprom, Alexei Miller, recently reported to President Vladimir Putin that his company is able to harvest 617 billion cubic meters of gas annually, but last year it was able to sell only 444 billion, meaning the Public Joint Stock Company has a surplus of 173 billion cubic meters of natural gas.

    While western sanctions against Russia do not specifically target hydrocarbons, the conflict in Ukraine has undoubtedly led many western countries to turn to …

  • Russian airstrikes in Syria add to influx of refugees to Europe

    Human rights activists claim that civilian victims of the Russian bombing campaign in Syria number in the hundreds in densely populated areas. This Saturday, a senior U.S. official reported that only one-third of Russian aviation air strikes are being aimed at the positions of the so-called Islamic State. The indiscriminate bombing forces civilians to flee, further exacerbating the crisis in Europe caused by the massive influx of refugees.

    Among the 5,000 air strikes inflicted by the Russian …

  • Nemtsov's Assassination was not First Attempt

    The 5 men suspected of assassinating Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov in February of 2015 were indicted on December 29th. They were charged with "a contract murder committed by an organized group and the acquisition, transport and storage of illegal firearms," the Russian Investigative Committee said.

    Rosbalt has reported that the suspects in Nemtsov’s assassination case allegedly attempted to kill the opposition leader several times before finally succeeding on the evening of February 2 …

  • Erdogan: Russia is not Bombing Islamic State Targets in Syria

    After Friday prayers at the Al-Imam Ali Mosque, Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told reporters that Russia doesn't attack the Islamic State, but it is bombing the Syrian opposition. In his comment, he criticized Russia’s actions in Georgia in 2008 and in Ukraine.

    “The actions that Russia is taking in Syria, what does Russia say they are doing? They say they are there at the request of the Syrian Government. Currently, the Syrian Government is not legitimate. The United Nations …

  • Ukrtransgaz: Ukraine Imports more Gas from Europe than from Russia

    As of the end of 2015, Ukraine had imported more gas from the European Union throughout the year than it has from Russia. The press center of the Public Joint Stock Company, Ukrtransgaz (a subsidiary of Naftogaz Ukraine) reported on January 6, 2016, that, "Ukraine has received 10.3 billion cubic meters of gas from European sources."

    "Most of the natural gas, 9.7 billion cubic meters, was imported through the ‘Slovak corridor’... while 6.1 billion cubic meters was imported from Russia to meet …

  • Russia Accused of Using Cluster Bombs in Syria

    A group of Russian activists claimed on Thursday that there was evidence that Russian aircraft in Syria are equipped with cluster bombs, despite the statements of the authorities.

    Last month, international human rights organization Human Rights Watch reported that Russia either used cluster bombs in Syria or provided the Syrian army with a new batch of such ammunition, or did both. The Russian Defense Ministry denied the reports of the HRW.

    However, on Thursday, the Conflict Intelligence Team  …

  • Patriarch Kirill: Russia's Actions in Syria are in Defense of the Homeland

    The Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill has expressed his support of the Kremlin’s actions in Syria. The Patriarch said that Syria is a neighbour of Russia and stated that Russian military action in Syria is in defense of the Fatherland. In his interview with TV channel, Russia-1, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church stressed that if the terrorists in Syria are victorious, it would result in misfortune and evil for Russia. Kirill explained that the war in Syria is defensive and …

  • Ukrainian Intelligence: There are 8,000 Russian Soldiers in Donbas

    According to various sources, the number of Russian soldiers within the territory of Ukraine has remained virtually unchanged for a quite some time. There are almost 7,700 Russian soldiers in the Donbas region, as reported by Vadym Skybytsky, representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, speaking on Ukrainian television.

    According to his data, in total there are 34,000 people in the so-called First and Second Army Corps.

    "The First and Second Army …

  • Ukraine Proposes New Trade Route to Bypass Russia

    Ukraine will try to circumvent the blockade of the transit of goods through Russian territory by using a "New Silk Road". The route will be put to the test on January 15th as a train departs from the city of Ilyichevsk for a demonstration. This information was provided by the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine, as reported by Apostrophe.

    The Ministry stated that on January 15th the first train will ride the new "Silk Road" from Ukraine to China. The container train will leave from …

  • Russians continue to buy real estate in Turkey

    Citizens of Russia continue to buy real estate in Turkey, despite the recent crisis in relations between the two countries following the incident in which a Russian plane that was shot down for violating Turkish airspace. Last year, real estate sales to Russians totaled $398 million  worth of property.

    Fatih Elibol, senior manager at the international real estate investment consultancy Realty-TR, noted in an interview with an AA reporter that Russians continue to buy property in Turkey despite …