Russia
Archive
Nord Stream 2 seeks updated permit from Denmark outmanoeuvring US sanctions
Nord Stream 2, the company building a gas pipeline between Russia and Germany, has reportedly requested a permit allowing it to use pipe-laying vessels...
Archive
Trump pushes end to Russian-Saudi oil production standoff
Oil prices surged on April 2 after US President Donald J. Trump said he expected Saudi Arabia and Russia to end a price war,...
Armenia
Elections in Nagorno-Karabakh don't dismiss democracy
Normally, a free and fair election is a welcome exercise of democracy and freedom. But in the case of the unrecognised Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh,...
Finance
European businesses must consider Russia's poor track record before investing
After years of sanctions, European businesses are returning to Russia. The Russia-German Chamber of Commerce recently announced that German businesses invested more than €3.3...
Archive
Russia sends plane with medical supplies to US for coronavirus response
A Russian military transport plane headed for the United States on Wednesday with a load of medical equipment and masks.
The move comes after president...
Asia & Pacific
Could bad data be to blame for high coronavirus death toll
European countries saw some of the highest death told for coronavirus over the last month. Deaths in Italy have surpassed those in China many...
Archive
Gazprom to proceed with pre-investment phase in Power of Siberia 2 pipeline
Russia gas monopoly Gazprom needs to commence the pre-investment phase and the design-and-survey works for the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline, Russian President Vladimir...
Archive
Russian Duma OKs state-of-emergency bill
The Russian parliament's lower chamber, the State Duma, approved a bill on March 31 that allows PM Mikhail Mishustin to declare a state of...
Archive
CPC sets new monthly crude loading record in March
NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan – The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) Marine Terminal loaded 6,450,676 gross tonnes (51,118,685 barrels) in March 2020, that is 495,682 tonnes up...
Archive
Russian doctor who met Putin tests positive for COVID-19
The doctor who gave Russia's President Vladimir Putin a tour on Moscow's hospital treating Coronavirus patients has tested positive for Covid-19.
"Dear friends, I'm really...
Archive
Kazakhstan bans import of gasoline and diesel fuel from Russia
NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan – As of March 30, Kazakhstan introduced an embargo on imports of gasoline, diesel fuel and jet fuel from Russia for a...
Archive
Moscow goes on full lockdown
Moscow, Russia’s capital and Europe's largest city with a population of 12 million, on Monday imposed a coronavirus lockdown.
Under the new measures, all nonessential...
Archive
Rosneft sells its Venezuelan assets
Russian state oil giant Rosneft announced on March 28 the termination of its operations in Venezuela and the disposal of its assets, related to...
Analysis
Europe's masked corona ball
Response from the Cabinet of Commissioner Lenarčič:
At the end of January, as the outbreak intensified in Wuhan coronavirus epicentre, President von der Leyen triggered...
Archive
LUKOIL starts wind monitoring in Russia’s Rostov region
Russian oil major LUKOIL has started to perform wind monitoring, which is the first stage of developing feasibility study for constructing a wind power...
Archive
In the pipeline: German decision on exempting Nord Stream 2 from amended EU Directive
The German regulator Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA) must come to a decision within the next few weeks on Nord Stream 2’s application for a derogation under...
Asia & Pacific
Locked down, without answers
Most European governments are turning to increasingly harsh lockdowns to confront the coronavirus pandemic. They did so in the wake of watching Italy’s attempt...
Archive
Russia’s Rosatom wins contract for Bulgarian NPP modernisation
Rusatom Service, the electric power division of State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, and Bulgaria’s Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant signed a contract on neutron-flux monitoring...
Archive
Putin postpones constitutional referendum
Russia’s president Vladimir Putin has postponed the public vote on his constitutional reforms, saying that the safety of citizens was his main priority amid...
Archive
MH17 trial resumes amid coronavirus restrictions
The MH17 trial resumed briefly at The Hague on March 23 amid coronavirus restrictions. The three Russians and one Ukrainian are charged with multiple...
Archive
Russia's PM warns companies against firing employees during crisis
Russia's prime minister Mikhail Mishustin has warned companies to keep people employed and pay them their salaries, despite the government’s struggle to tackle the...
Afghanistan
Coronavirus to adversely affect the Caspian region oil market
NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan – Coronavirus pandemic and drop in oil prices adversely affected the oil industry in the Caspian region, a Russian expert on oil...
Archive
Rosatom makes first set of steam generators for Bangladesh NPP
Atommash, which is part of Atomenergomash, the mechanical engineering division of Russian state atomic corporation Rosatom, performed the fit up and welding of set...
Archive
Putin orders Russian constitutional vote despite virus fears
Russia’s president Vladimir Putin on Tuesday ordered a vote on constitutional changes which would allow him to extend his rule and stay on past...
Archive
EU's top diplomat slams Russia for militarisation and human rights abuse in Crimea
Josep Borrell, EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, heavily criticised Russia for the human rights situation in the Crimean peninsula, six...
Archive
Russian scholars, legal experts speak out against 'constitutional coup'
Hundreds of scholars, journalists, and legal experts in Russia warned that of a "constitutional crisis and a pseudo-legal, unconstitutional coup", after the country’s lower...
Archive
Russia, Saudi Arabia scrap opens oil pipes, floods market
While Moscow is in a much better financial position today than Saudi Arabia, or Russia’s position in 2014, Russia stands to lose a lot...
Archive
Turkey, Russia carry out first joint patrol in Syria
Turkey and Russia have completed their first joint military patrol along a strategic highway in Syria's northwestern region.
Under the recently agreed ceasefire, Syria’s president...
Archive
Turkey says Idlib ceasefire details agreed on with Russia
Turkish defence minister Hulusi Akar announced on Thursday that Turkish and Russian officials have agreed on the details of a ceasefire deal in Syria's...
Archive
Playing Russian roulette with the US shale oil industry
The rapid growth of the US shale industry seems to be at the heart of the Saudi-Russia crude oil price war. Already weak from...
Archive
Dutch prosecutors claim Moscow is trying to thwart MH17 investigation
Dutch prosecutor Thijs Berger said Tuesday that there are “strong indications” Russia wants to undermine investigations in the MH17 case.
He explained that there was...
Archive
Russian Duma passes president-for-life bill allowing Putin to stay on past 2024
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday supported a constitutional amendment that would allow him to seek reelection in 2024 by restarting the term count.
If...
Energy
Kazakhstan calls for consensus on OPEC+ deal
NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan – Kazakhstan’s Energy Minister Nurlan Nogayev on 11 March called for the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies led...
Archive
US will offer Patriot missiles to Turkey if Russian-made S400 is mothballed
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the United States has offered to sell his country its Patriot missile defense system if it promises...
Archive
Russia’s Gazprom and Austria’s OMV introduce asset sale deal amendments
Gazprom Chairman CEO Alexey Miller and OMV Chairman Rainer Seele signed on 6 March in St Petersburg the contract on the amendments to the...
Archive
TCS Group founder Tinkov claims he's fighting leukaemia amid US tax charges
Oleg Tinkov, the founder of TCS group which includes Russia’s popular retail bank Tinkoff, is currently facing extradition to the United States after being...
Energy
Coronavirus negatively impacts Kazakhstan’s economy
NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan - Kazakhstan in February received less than 2.1 billion tenge ($5.49 million) of customs duties and taxes from importing goods from China,...
Archive
Oil price war
Crude prices plunged to record lows on 9 March as an oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia commenced after the latter refused...
China
Kazakhstan adopts new foreign policy concept
NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan – Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed on 9 March a decree identifying new priorities in the country’s foreign policy for the next...
Archive
EU's top diplomat says Brussels needs to improve its relations with Russia and Turkey
Amid growing tensions with Turkey over the humanitarian crisis caused by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to flood the Greek-Turkish border with migrants who...
Kazakhstan
Russia, Kazakhstan discuss security cooperation, coronavirus
NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan – Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, who is visiting Nur Sultan on 6...
Archive
Putin, Erdogan agree ceasefire in Syria’s Idlib
Russia and Turkey agreed a ceasefire in Syria's Idlib province, Russia’s president Vladimir Putin announced on March 5 after talks with his Turkish counterpart...
Archive
COVID-19 no hit for Russian oil exports to China
Russia’s oil exports to China were almost unaffected last month amid the coronavirus outbreak as the East Asian country has been benefiting from lower...
Archive
Syria violence escalates, brawl in Turkish parliament ahead of Putin-Erdogan talks
Russia’s president Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan are set to meet today in Moscow in a bid to ease tensions...
Archive
Turkey shoots down warplane as Syrian forces retake town
Turkish forces downed a warplane flown by Syrian government forces over Idlib on Tuesday, as a strategic town in northwest Syria fell under the...
Archive
Russia rejects UN’s claims on war crimes in Syria
Russia on Tuesday rejected a claim by United Nations investigators that Russian air attacks in Syria amounted to a war crime by targeting civilian...
Archive
Putin says Russia has developed new unique weapons
Russia's president Vladimir Putin said that the country has developed unique offense weapons. He added that Russia does not have the intention of starting...
Archive
Putin proposes constitutional ban of same-sex marriage
Russian President Vladimir Putin submitted a draft amendment to the country’s constitution that would ban same-sex marriage, among a number of other suggested constitutional...
Archive
Turkey announces major offensive against Syrian government forces
Turkey said Sunday it was pursuing a military operation called “Operation Spring Shield” in northwest Syria after the government forces killed 34 Turkish soldiers...
Iran
Syrian peace talks in Kazakhstan may be postponed due to coronavirus
NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan – It’s not known whether the next round of Syrian talks scheduled for March in Kazakhstan’s capital Nur-Sultan will be postponed, First...
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