Contents tagged with Russia

  • Russia to conduct civil defense training for 40 million people

    The Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) of Russia will carry out civil defense exercises, which will involve more than 40 million people across Russia. Interfax news agency reports that this was announced by the director of Civil Defense and Population Protection Department of the Ministry, Oleg Manuilo.

    "The training will be held from October 4-7. It will involve more than 40 million people, more than 200,000 professionals from search-and-rescue units and about 50,000 thousand units of …

  • Finland says even if Russia objects it is their responsibility to assist MH17 investigation

    Finland has an obligation to cooperate in the investigation of the crash of flight МН17 in eastern Ukraine, a Finnish politician and Chairman of the Opposition Social Democratic Party of Finland (SDP), Antti Rinne, believes.

    According to the politician, this is a serious crime, and that’s why Holland, who is leading the international investigation, sought the assistance of his country.

    “On the other hand, there are weapon supply contracts and these contracts have limits,” he said, as YLE …

  • The names of those responsible for downing of MH17 will be released by the end of the year

    The names of those who “played an active role” in the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 crash will be announced by no later than the beginning of 2017. This statement was made by Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop in an interview with the country’s ABC media company, which was published on the 2nd of October.

    Bishop stated that the investigation revealed the identities of approximately 100 people who were actively involved in the transportation of Buk air defense systems from Russia to the …

  • Ukrainian journalist arrested in Moscow, charged with espionage

    A journalist from the Ukrinform news agency, Roman Sushchenko, was arrested by order of the Lefortovo court of Moscow on charges of espionage. Sushchenko is being held in the Lefortovo detention center. On Sunday, October 2, the Open Russia initiative reported this on its website, quoting human rights activist Zoya Svetova from the Moscow Public Oversight Commission (POC).

    According to Svetova, Sushchenko is being held “in a cell in the quarantine department of Lefortovo prison.” The …

  • Russia's Roskosmos to spend $915 million on new Federation spacecraft

    Roskosmos will spend $915 million to create the first flight model for the new generation of manned spacecraft, "the Federation". This amount was named on the public procurement website. The federal budget of the Russian Federation is indicated as a source of funding.

    The project consists of the development of the “Federation” manned transport spacecraft for flight “into and beyond the Earth orbit, including to the moon.” Interfax news agency published excerpts from the tender documents on …

  • Russia to produce film on the construction of the Kerch Strait Bridge

    The Russian Ministry of Culture posted an announcement on the state procurement website seeking competitive bids for the production of a special project, "a full-length film with partial financial support from the State on the subject of the construction of the bridge across the Kerch Strait." The film must be completed before the end of November 2017.

    The project budget should not exceed 3 million rubles ($47,700). The Ministry of Culture will accept applications for the production of the …

  • Kadyrov proposes shooting 'violators of the peace'

    The Head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, proposed executing the violators of peace in the Republic at the meeting of the regional Government, Novaya Gazeta wrote. “Those who disturb peace in the Chechen Republic should be shot to hell. It doesn’t matter if it’s the law or not. If the issue concerns security, shoot the violators. Do you understand? As-salamu alaykum and everything is fine. That is what we call the law!” Ramzan Kadyrov said.

    Novaya Gazeta quoted Kadyrov exactly from the …

  • Dozens of Ukrainians died due to poisoned alcohol imported by Russian supplier

    A Russian alcohol supplier has been implicated in the alcohol-poisoning deaths of 38 Ukrainian citizens, as the First Deputy Head of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine, Sergey Bilan, wrote on his Facebook page. 

    “We have identified the supplier of the methyl alcohol to the Kharkiv region which has killed 38 people. It was supplied from an enterprise in the Luhansk region, located in Severodonetsk. The enterprise also officially sells methanol and imports the products from the Russian …

  • Media: Aleppo's largest hospital was bombed by Russian and Assad's planes

    At least two barrel bombs hit the biggest hospital in Aleppo, Syria, as reported by Al Arabiya news agency, citing representatives of the medical organization. Medics say that the target of the bombardment was a hospital, located in the opposition-controlled part of Aleppo. Presumably, cluster bombs also were used during the attack.

    In addition, Anadolu news agency reports that the Air Forces of the Russian Federation and of the Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad both dropped bombs of a "great …

  • Russian Finance Ministry: National Wealth Fund will be exhausted by the end of 2019

    The National Wealth Fund (NWF) will be reduced to 500 billion rubles by the end of 2019, the Russian Minister of Finance, Anton Siluanov, stated at the Sochi-2016 forum,” TASS reported.

    “The total of all reserves, the NWF and the Reserve Fund, will only contain 500 billion rubles at the end of the three-year plan. These 500 billion rubles will remain in the NWF,” the Minister said.

    He also noted that it is necessary to be careful with NWF spending on new projects.

    “At a time when we are …