Russia

19May

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Siberian McDonald’s Owner Takes Over Entire Chain in Russia

Russian McDonald's owner Alexander Govor is taking over all Russian restaurants from the American fast-food group. He plans to continue them under a different name. McDonald's announced a few days ago that it was leaving Russia because of the war in Ukraine. Govor has been involved with McDonald's as a franchise owner since 2015. In Siberia, he ran 25 McDonald's restaurants. The fast-food chain has a total of approximately 850 branches in Russia with about 62,000 employees. This involved collaboration with hundreds of suppliers and other entrepreneurs in the country. McDonald's choice to turn its back on Russia like other large companies has great symbolic value. The chain first opened its doors in the country more than thirty years ago in the waning days of the Soviet Union. Tha...

Kremlin Denies Storming Mariupol Steel Factory

4May

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

News, Russia, Ukraine

Kremlin Denies Storming Mariupol Steel Factory

The Kremlin denies that Russian troops are storming the Azovstal factory in Mariupol, which Ukrainian sources previously reported. The steel mill is the last Ukrainian stronghold of resistance in the southern Ukrainian city. "The order to call off the attack was given publicly," a Kremlin spokesman said. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on April 21 that he ordered the siege of the steel plant and a halt to the attack. According to the mayor of Mariupol, about 200 civilians are still trapped in the underground facilities of Azovstal. There are also reportedly several thousand Ukrainian soldiers there. The first civilians were evacuated last weekend.

No Plans Yet for Zelensky and Putin’s Meeting

27Apr

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

News, Russia, Ukraine

No Plans Yet for Zelensky and Putin’s Meeting

A meeting between the leaders of Ukraine and Russia still seems out of sight. Ukrainian presidential adviser Michailo Podoljak, chief negotiator at the peace talks, says the countries have not yet reached an agreement. In Kyiv, there has been a desire to enter into direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin for some time. Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky called on Saturday to meet with Putin to "end the war". Turkey is trying to arrange this meeting as a mediator. Zelensky also wanted to meet Putin before the Russian invasion, but his efforts were in vain. The Russian president demanded that Zelensky resolve the conflict with pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. Despite pressure from Russia, Ukrainian authorities refused to engage in talks with the militias wi...

Putin Wishes Macron Success After Election Win

25Apr

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

France, News, Russia

Putin Wishes Macron Success After Election Win

Russian President Vladimir Putin toasted his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on his election victory. "I sincerely wish you every success in your state activities and good health," Putin wrote to Macron. Many European leaders already congratulated Macron on Sunday. Chinese leader Xi Jinping also wished Macron luck on Monday. However, due to the time difference, it was in China's middle of the night when the results were announced. Macron has had a lot of contact with Putin this year. Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the French president tried to persuade Putin not to invade the neighbouring country. They have called several times over the past few weeks. Macron then tried to convince Putin to end the war. Macron called these calls a thankless task.

Satellite Images Point to Possible Mass Grave at Mariupol

22Apr

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

News, Russia, Ukraine

Satellite Images Point to Possible Mass Grave at Mariupol

Near the port city of Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine, besieged by Russian troops, satellite images indicate a possible mass grave, according to several media. The American satellite company Maxar released images showing several excavated graves in the suburb of Manhuch, west of Mariupol. Local authorities say thousands of civilians are buried there. Ukrainian President Volodomir Zelensky previously spoke of tens of thousands of deaths in the port city, which has been under siege for weeks. The Ukrainian figures could not be independently verified. Zelensky has not yet publicly commented on the suspected mass grave. Instead, the information comes from Mariupol City Council and Mayor Vadym Boichenko. They speak of graves for "9,000 bodies" but are no longer on site. A satellite ...

Hungary Repeats: We Do Not Support Import Ban on Russian Oil

19Apr

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Business, Hungary, News, Russia

Hungary Repeats: We Do Not Support Import Ban on Russian Oil

Hungary will not support European sanctions targeting Russian oil and gas, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said. In doing so, the minister repeated a previously expressed view of his government via Facebook. Still, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Tuesday that a European import ban on Russian oil is in the works. France has been calling for a ban on Russian oil for some time now. German parliamentarians last week announced that a majority in the Bundestag is in favour of an oil embargo against Russia. Berlin has been cautious until now because Germany is very dependent on that oil. Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky has called for a boycott of Russian oil several times. The European Union has introduced a package of sanctions against Russia becau...

Ukraine Evacuations to Resume on Thursday

14Apr

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

News, Russia, Ukraine

Ukraine Evacuations to Resume on Thursday

The evacuations in Ukraine will resume on Thursday after they were halted on Wednesday due to violations of the agreements. Russia and Ukraine have agreed on nine evacuation routes in the east of the country. The so-called corridor in the east of Luhansk cannot open until Russia stops bombing, says Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk. Other essential routes are in the cities of Mariupol, Berdyansk, Tokmak and Enerhodar. The evacuation routes give people the option to leave regions where there is heavy fighting. According to Ukraine, Russia has already violated the agreements about the routes several times, including by temporarily ceasing fire in the region.

Former Minister: Russia’s Economy Shrinks Largest Since 1994

12Apr

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

Business, News, Russia

Former Minister: Russia’s Economy Shrinks Largest Since 1994

The Russian economy is heading for a contraction of more than 10 percent this year. That would be the biggest drop in the gross domestic product (GDP) since the years after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, said former finance minister Alexei Kudrin. He currently heads the Russian Court of Auditors and is Minister of Finance from 2000 to 2011. Russia is struggling with rising inflation, partly due to the sanctions for the invasion of Ukraine. In addition, there is a capital flight, the massive transfer of assets across borders. The sanctions against the country also mean that Russia faces a debt crisis. According to Kudrin, the Russian ministries of economy and finance are currently working on new forecasts. He tells the Russian news agency RIA that the contraction will ...

Russia’s Space Agency Continues to Honour Agreements Made

11Apr

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

News, Russia

Russia’s Space Agency Continues to Honour Agreements Made

The Russian space agency Roskosmos continues to comply with all international agreements, even if it is decided to cancel the international cooperation. This is what Roskosmos chief Dmitri Rogozin told the RIA Novosti news agency. Roskosmos cannot stop suddenly. "We can't talk about some fast flight of Russia from the International Space Station (ISS). This is because so much depends on Russia, "such as supplying fuel, maintaining orbit, avoiding collisions with space debris" It will also take a long time to get the ISS out of orbit and back. "There is a 500-ton structure flying above the Earth, and it depends largely on us that it doesn't suddenly land on Paris or London." Russia wants to end cooperation with NASA and Canadian and European space agencies following Western sanc...

Barack Obama: This is Not the Putin I Knew

7Apr

By Alan LorenzNo Comments

News, Russia, US

Barack Obama: This is Not the Putin I Knew

Former US President Barack Obama says he is surprised by the course of Russian President Vladimir Putin. "This is not the Putin I knew," Obama told The Atlantic. According to Obama, Putin has always been "merciless" but no longer recognizes the man as the opponent from his tenure. "I don't know who the person is in charge now," Obama said. "That he is now risking everything? I would not have predicted that five years ago." Obama - who was president when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 - has said he is "encouraged" by the united response from the West. "In 2014, I had to scream and drag them in the right direction," it sounds. However, the former president does not want to venture any predictions about an end to this conflict. "I don't want to gamble on what's going on in Putin's he...