Contents tagged with Russia

  • Naftogaz to Discuss Gas Transit Tariffs with Gazprom

    The delegation Naftogaz of Ukraine will visit Moscow in the near future to discuss new tariffs for the transit of gas through Ukraine.  These discussions will be held with the Chairman of Gazprom, Alexander Medvedev.  This was reported to the Agency Gas Information (AGI) by an inside source.

    The transit rate is currently determined by the long-term contract (from 2009 to 2019) between Naftogaz of Ukraine and Gazprom.  This rate is dependent on the value of the fuel component and inflation in …

  • US Adds Five Names to the Magnitsky List of Sanctioned Russians

    The U.S Treasury Department reported that five additional people have been placed on the Magnitsky sanctions list. A Sevastopol native and former Deputy Interior Minister of Russia, Alex Anichin, as well as Yevgeny Antonov, Boris Kibis, Pavel Lapshov and Oleg Urzumtsev (all citizens of the Russian Federation) were added to the list.

    The US State Department has clarified that the Russians were included to the Magnistky list on the basis of reliable information concerning human rights violations. …

  • Kadyrov's Video Showing Opposition Leader in Crosshairs Removed from Instagram

    The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, said that Instagram has removed his video depicting the leader of the Parnas party, Mikhail Kasyanov, because the application protects "American dogs," as he wrote on his Instagram page on Monday, February 1st.

    "I always honestly and openly express my opinions in words and writing. But when I say a few words about the US lap dogs they immediately removed the post from Instagram. Here is this touted freedom of speech in America! You can write whatever you …

  • Russian Finance Ministry Rejects Large Portion of Anti-Crisis Plan

    Russia's Finance Ministry refuses to support a significant portion of the draft anti-crisis plan prepared by the Ministry of Economic Development. RBC reports that in the Finance Ministry’s address to the government it categorically objected to 37 items in the 86-point plan. The total value of rejected items was 210.2 billion rubles.

    The most expensive demand rejected involves funding agriculture with an additional 23 billion rubles. A similar decision concerns an additional subsidy of …

  • Russian Media Regulation Agency Issues Warning To The New Times

    Roskomnadzor, the Russian media regulation agency, issued a warning to The New Times magazine for the article "If Only There Was No War." The warning was received on the day they published an investigation into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s alleged eldest daughter.

    The New Times received its first warning from Roskomnadzor in nine years. Chief Editor Yevgenia Albats told RBC that the breach was found in January's issue of the magazine (№ 392) in the category "January Of Our Anxiety." The …

  • Russian Freight Carriers No Longer Allowed In Poland and Turkey

    Russian labor permit agreements in the cargo business with Poland and Turkey have expired. Negotiations to renew them have been unsuccessful for different reasons. Cargo transportation between Russia and the two nations has consequently stopped completely. 

    Poland has not yet renewed permits for Russian freight forwarders from Kaliningrad due to dissatisfaction with Russia’s new legislative requirements. According to them, conditions for foreign freight companies appeared to be seriously …

  • Gazprom's Position Falls in Ranking of World's Top Companies

    According to the analytical company Brand Finance, Gazprom has fallen in the rankings of the world’s most expensive leading brands.  The Russian gas monopoly has lost 187 positions from last year, to 299th place in the new ranking. This report was published on the 1st of February.

    First place on the list is currently held by Apple.  Second and third are held by Google and Samsung respectively.  There were also two fewer Russian companies in the updated list: sales network Magnit and …

  • Representative of Syrian Opposition: Russia is attempting to Occupy Syria

    A spokesman for the High Negotiating Committee, Salim al-Muslat, told an Anadolu Agency reporter that Russia, as a member of the UN Security Council, should make efforts to cease the bloody conflict in Syria, not try to occupy the country. Salim al-Muslat was in Geneva participating in the Syrian peace negotiations. Salim expressed his hope that the United Nations will put pressure on Moscow in order to end airstrikes in Syria.

    Al-Muslat also noted that the final decision on the participation …

  • Russia Writes Off $170 Million Mongolian Debt

    Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the ratification of an intergovernmental agreement on the 31st of January, allowing Russia to write off 97.8 % of Mongolia's debt ($170 million).

    “To ratify the agreement between the Russian and Mongolian Governments regarding the settlement of the financial liabilities of Mongolia to the Russian Federation, signed in Moscow on the 14th of December 2010,” reads the text of the law, which was published on an official government website. The law was …

  • Turkish PM: Russia Continues to make Mistakes in Syria

    The Turkish Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, said “In Syria the regime that allowed their people to be victims of genocide are just as responsible as terrorist organizations like Daesh. Turkey and Saudi Arabia are going to continue to support Syria’s moderate opposition. At the same time we will pursue our efforts to restore stability in Yemen, Lebanon and Libya.”

    The Prime Minister, who was in Saudi Arabia on a visit, held a press conference at the Royal Palace. Ahmet Davutohlu discussed his …