themoscowtimes--2020-06-28--Russia's Coronavirus Cases Rise to 634K as Deaths Surpass 9K

Moscow lifted restrictions including compulsory travel passes on June 8 , a move welcomed by residents who rushed out to enjoy the streets and parks .
Many other regions are lifting lockdown restrictions as Russia is preparing to hold a July 1 national vote despite the pandemic .
President Vladimir Putin is seeking public backing for constitutional amendments that would allow him to stay on at the Kremlin beyond his current term .
Critics have cast doubt on Russia 's low official mortality rate and accused authorities of under-reporting to play down the scale of the crisis .
Russia attributes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testing which has identified many cases with mild or no coronavirus symptoms .
The Health Ministry is now adjusting how it reports numbers to include all deaths believed to be related to the virus even if the direct cause of death was another condition or the patient tested negative .
Former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin , a liberal politician known for his outspoken comments , said Russia 's health system requires more funds and modernization in many regions .
`` Medicine is significantly underfunded even according to the current norms and also it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who heads the Audit Chamber that examines government spending , said in an interview with the state-run TASS state news agency .
`` We will carry out a check and show these figures , '' he added .
Nevertheless the economist said Russia `` is not doing a bad job with the pandemic , '' crediting the role of the military , which has built emergency facilities .

The highest number of new cases were in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Russia's fatality rate has remained low compared to other badly-hit countries, raising speculation that Moscow could be underreporting figures.
Russian authorities began easing anti-virus measures in June ahead of a massive World War II military parade in Moscow and a nationwide vote on constitutional reforms that now allow President Vladimir Putin to stay in power until 2036.
Both events were initially postponed due the epidemic.
Moscow opened cinemas and theaters on Aug. 1. In the capital, masks are mandatory in stores and on public transport but not in the streets.
Several institutes in Russia are working on a coronavirus vaccine.
The Russian Defense Ministry has said it developed a "safe" vaccine following clinical trials on a group of volunteers.
The trials are ongoing, and the Defense Ministry expects clinical trials to be fully completed in the coming weeks.
AFP contributed reporting to this article.


themoscowtimes--2020-06-28--U.S. Intercepts Russian Warplanes off Alaska

U.S. warplanes intercepted four Russian reconnaissance aircraft near Alaska on Saturday , U.S. commanders said .
The Russian Tu-142 's @ @ @ @ @ south of Alaska 's Aleutian island chain and `` loitered '' in the Alaskan Air @ @ @ @ @ ) for eight hours .
But they stayed in international airspace and did not enter @ @ @ @ @ the North American Aerospace Defense Command ( NORAD ) said on Twitter .
An ADIZ @ @ @ @ @ air traffic is monitored by the air forces of one or more friendly countries so @ @ @ @ @ react to hostile action .
The U.S. has established four of these zones but a @ @ @ @ @ have also set their own up .
This was the fourth time this month that @ @ @ @ @ aircraft near Alaska .
On May 29 , the Russian Defense Ministry published images of @ @ @ @ @ by Russia after flying over the Baltic and Black seas near Russia .

U.S. warplanes intercepted four Russian reconnaissance aircraft near Alaska on Saturday, U.S. commanders said. The Russian Tu-142's came within 65 nautical miles south of Alaska's Aleutian island chain and "loitered" in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) for eight hours.
But they stayed in international airspace and did not enter U.S. or Canadian airspace, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said on Twitter. An ADIZ is a perimeter within which air traffic is monitored by the air forces of one or more friendly countries so they have extra time to react to hostile action.
NORAD F-22s, supported by KC-135 air refuelers and E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System, intercepted four Russian Tu-142 reconnaissance aircraft entering the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone on June 27, 2020.
video: https://t.co/jPJB21pen3 — North American Aerospace Defense Command (@NORADCommand) June 27, 2020


themoscowtimes--2020-06-28--W.House Denies Trump Briefed on Russia-Taliban Bounty Intelligence

The White House denied Saturday that President Donald Trump had been briefed on intelligence that reportedly showed Russia had offered @ @ @ @ @ they killed U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan .
The rewards purportedly gave incentives to the guerrillas @ @ @ @ @ just as Trump tries to withdraw troops — meeting one of the militants ' key @ @ @ @ @ 's longest war .
It was first reported by The New York Times on Friday @ @ @ @ @ anonymous officials , said that Trump was briefed on the findings in March , but @ @ @ @ @ respond .
Press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said `` neither the President nor the Vice President @ @ @ @ @ Russian bounty intelligence . ''
But she added : `` This does not speak to @ @ @ @ @ intelligence but to the inaccuracy of The New York Times story erroneously suggesting that President @ @ @ @ @ matter . ''
That left open the possibility such intelligence does exist .

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themoscowtimes--2020-06-27--Russia Spies Aided Taliban Attacks, U.S. Intel Says – NYT

U.S. intelligence has concluded that a Russian unit offered rewards to Taliban-linked militants to kill troops of the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan , The New York Times reported Friday .
The purported bounties gave incentives to the guerrillas to target U.S. forces , just as President Donald Trump tries to withdraw troops and end America 's longest war .
The newspaper , citing anonymous officials , said that Trump was briefed on the findings in March , but has not decided how to respond .
It said that militants were believed to have collected bounty money , but that it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ troops were under suspicion .
The newspaper quoted a Kremlin spokesman saying only that Russia was unaware of the accusations .
Russia has a tortured history in Afghanistan , where the former Soviet Union in its final years was bogged down in a devastating fight against Islamic guerrillas , then backed by Washington .
But Russia has more recently been accused by the United States of quietly providing small arms to the Taliban .
The New York Times said there were different theories on why Russia would support Taliban attacks , including a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down in war .
It said that the Russian unit may also be seeking revenge over the U.S. killing of Russian mercenaries in Syria , where Moscow backs President Bashar al-Assad .
According to the newspaper , the Taliban operation was led by a unit known as the GRU , which has been blamed in numerous international incidents including a 2018 chemical weapons attack in Britain that nearly killed Russian-born double agent Sergei Skripal .
U.S. intelligence concluded that Russia intervened in the 2016 presidential election in a bid to assist Trump , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump has scoffed at the findings and sought a warmer relationship with President Vladimir Putin , even as his administration keeps imposing sanctions over Russia over its actions on Ukraine .
Russia on Saturday denounced the report claiming that Moscow 's spies had offered rewards to Taliban-linked militants to kill troops of the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan as `` baseless '' and dangerous .
The `` baseless and anonymous accusations , '' published by the newspaper , had `` already led to direct threats to the life of employees of the Russian Embassies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Russian Embassy in Washington wrote on Twitter .
`` Stop producing # fakenews that provoke life threats , @ nytimes , '' it added in a later tweet .

U.S. intelligence has concluded that a Russian unit offered rewards to Taliban-linked militants to kill troops of the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan, The New York Times reported Friday. The purported bounties gave incentives to the guerrillas to target U.S. forces, just as President Donald Trump tries to withdraw troops and end America's longest war. The newspaper, citing anonymous officials, said that Trump was briefed on the findings in March, but has not decided how to respond. It said that militants were believed to have collected bounty money, but that it was unclear whether specific killings of U.S. troops were under suspicion.
news Spy Cases Map Contours of Kremlin Geopolitics Read more
The newspaper quoted a Kremlin spokesman saying only that Russia was unaware of the accusations. Russia has a tortured history in Afghanistan, where the former Soviet Union in its final years was bogged down in a devastating fight against Islamic guerrillas, then backed by Washington. But Russia has more recently been accused by the United States of quietly providing small arms to the Taliban. The New York Times said there were different theories on why Russia would support Taliban attacks, including a desire to keep the United States bogged down in war. It said that the Russian unit may also be seeking revenge over the U.S. killing of Russian mercenaries in Syria, where Moscow backs President Bashar al-Assad. According to the newspaper, the Taliban operation was led by a unit known as the GRU, which has been blamed in numerous international incidents including a 2018 chemical weapons attack in Britain that nearly killed Russian-born double agent Sergei Skripal.


themoscowtimes--2020-06-28--Russian Mining Giant Admits Waste 'Violations' at Arctic Plant

Norilsk Nickel cited a `` flagrant violation of operating rules '' in a statement announcing it had suspended employees responsible for dumping wastewater from a dangerously full reservoir into wildlife .
A Russian mining giant behind an enormous Arctic fuel spill last month said Sunday it had suspended workers at a metals plant who were responsible for pumping wastewater into nearby tundra .
The incident occurred at the Talnakh enrichment plant near the Arctic city of Norilsk , the company said , one month after the unprecedented fuel leak sparked a state of emergency declared by President Vladimir Putin .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ from a fuel storage tank at one of the company 's subsidiary plants near Norilsk .
The fuel seeped into the soil and dyed nearby waterways bright red .
A source told Interfax news agency Sunday that in the most recent case , around 6,000 cubic meters of liquid used to process minerals at the facility had been dumped and that the discharge had lasted `` several hours . ''
It was impossible to determine how far the wastewater had dispersed , the source said .
Independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta published videos from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wastewater from the reservoir and dumping foaming liquid into nearby trees .
The journalists claimed the factory deliberately funneled the wastewater into wildlife areas and hastily removed their pipes when investigators and emergency services arrived on the scene .
The Investigative Committee , which probes serious crimes , said it had received reports of `` unauthorized dumping of liquid waste into the tundra '' on the site of the facility , and had opened an inquiry .
Heavy machinery used to clear the pipes crushed a car delivering officials to the scene , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one was injured in the incident which was also being probed .
Norilsk Nickel spokeswoman Tatiana Egorova earlier Sunday told AFP that employees of the factory had pumped out `` purified water '' and that an internal investigation was underway .
Russia 's natural resources agency said the decision to remove water from the reservoir was taken to avoid an emergency after heavy rains and recent tests had caused water levels to increase dramatically .
The local emergency services in a statement said the wastewater was not likely to reach the nearby Kharayelakh @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month took place at a plant owned by a subsidiary of Norilsk Nickel , which had said that the fuel tank had collapsed or sank due to melting permafrost due to climate change .
Putin declared an emergency situation after the accident and the head of Norilsk Nickel , oligarch Vladimir Potanin , promised to pay the costs of the clean-up .
The Russian authorities said earlier this month they had cleared the spill from the surface of a river , but the full clean-up could take years .

Norilsk Nickel cited a "flagrant violation of operating rules" in a statement announcing it had suspended employees responsible for dumping wastewater from a dangerously full reservoir into wildlife.
A Russian mining giant behind an enormous Arctic fuel spill last month said Sunday it had suspended workers at a metals plant who were responsible for pumping wastewater into nearby tundra.
The incident occurred at the Talnakh enrichment plant near the Arctic city of Norilsk, the company said, one month after the unprecedented fuel leak sparked a state of emergency declared by President Vladimir Putin.
More than 21,000 tons of diesel leaked from a fuel storage tank at one of the company's subsidiary plants near Norilsk. The fuel seeped into the soil and dyed nearby waterways bright red.
A source told Interfax news agency Sunday that in the most recent case, around 6,000 cubic meters of liquid used to process minerals at the facility had been dumped and that the discharge had lasted "several hours."
It was impossible to determine how far the wastewater had dispersed, the source said.
Independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta published videos from the scene showing large metal pipes carrying wastewater from the reservoir and dumping foaming liquid into nearby trees.
The journalists claimed the factory deliberately funneled the wastewater into wildlife areas and hastily removed their pipes when investigators and emergency services arrived on the scene.
Unauthorized dumping
The Investigative Committee, which probes serious crimes, said it had received reports of "unauthorized dumping of liquid waste into the tundra" on the site of the facility, and had opened an inquiry.
Heavy machinery used to clear the pipes crushed a car delivering officials to the scene, Novaya Gazeta reported.
Interfax said no one was injured in the incident which was also being probed.
Norilsk Nickel spokeswoman Tatiana Egorova earlier Sunday told AFP that employees of the factory had pumped out "purified water" and that an internal investigation was underway.
Russia's natural resources agency said the decision to remove water from the reservoir was taken to avoid an emergency after heavy rains and recent tests had caused water levels to increase dramatically.
The local emergency services in a statement said the wastewater was not likely to reach the nearby Kharayelakh river.
The massive fuel spill last month took place at a plant owned by a subsidiary of Norilsk Nickel, which had said that the fuel tank had collapsed or sank due to melting permafrost due to climate change.
Putin declared an emergency situation after the accident and the head of Norilsk Nickel, oligarch Vladimir Potanin, promised to pay the costs of the clean-up.
The Russian authorities said earlier this month they had cleared the spill from the surface of a river, but the full clean-up could take years.


themoscowtimes--2020-06-29--Explainer: Russia's Arctic Environmental Disasters

Russia 's Arctic has been hit by three separate environmental disasters linked to mining giant Norilsk Nickel in the span of a month .
The company , headed by metals tycoon Vladimir Potanin , has been accused of attempting to cover up the scale of the damage .
Here ’ s an overview of what has happened : More than 21,000 metric tons of diesel leaked from a fuel storage tank at one of Nornickel 's subsidiary plants near the city of Norilsk .
In what has been described as the worst-ever fuel spill in the Arctiс , the fuel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ waterways bright red .
President Vladimir Putin declared an emergency following the accident , which the company said may have been caused by permafrost melt accelerated by climate change , and Potanin promised to pay for the costs of clean-up .
At least three plant managers and one operator have been detained , while the mayor of Norilsk and a federal inspector have been charged with negligence .
Authorities said this month they had cleared the spill from the surface of a nearby river , but added that the full clean-up could take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enrichment plant was found to be pumping wastewater from a dangerously full tanker into nearby tundra near Norilsk .
Around 6,000 cubic meters of liquid used to process minerals at the facility had been dumped , an unnamed source told Interfax .
The independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper published video from the scene in a report claiming the factory had deliberately discharged the wastewater into nearby wildlife areas .
The journalists said Norilsk Nickel employees hastily removed pipes when investigators and emergency services arrived on the scene .
Norilsk Nickel told AFP that employees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ purified water '' and that an internal investigation was underway .
Russia 's natural resources agency said the decision to remove water from the reservoir was taken to avoid an emergency after heavy rains and recent tests had dramatically increased water levels .
The Investigative Committee , which probes serious crimes , said it has opened an inquiry into the reports of `` unauthorized dumping of liquid waste into the tundra.
” Less than 24 hours later , news agencies reported that a fire erupted at an industrial waste landfill outside Norilsk with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Emergency officials said that they have localized the blaze and that the nearest buildings were not under threat .
Norilsk Nickel denied owning and storing industrial waste at the landfill .
“ We place bricks , concrete and household waste there , not industrial waste , ” it told the state-run TASS news agency .
“ According to our information , there ’ s no harmful or dangerous waste there.
” Forbes reported that the landfill ’ s legal owner , Baikal-2000 , deals with the treatment and disposal of non-hazardous waste @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the landfill for compliance with environmental and fire safety laws .
Activists and journalists have accused Nornickel of downplaying the scale of these disasters .
Toxic fuel from the massive diesel spill on May 29 may have already reached the Arctic Ocean despite claims of successful cleanup efforts , environmental activist Georgy Kavanosyan alleged in a recent video investigation .
Kavanosyan accused Potanin of attempting to cover up the scale of the damage .
The Moscow-based hydrogeologist said he needed to take extra precautions and seek alternative points of entry into Norilsk ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after the spill .
Novaya Gazeta also accused Norilsk Nickel of attempts to stifle its coverage of the June 28 wastewater discharge .
Its journalists claimed that authorities in Norilsk attempted to detain them three times during the course of their investigation , while airport authorities barred them from taking soil and water samples on board their flight to Moscow .
“ What are Norilsk Nickel and the local security forces who are in bed with it afraid of ?
” asked the Novaya Gazeta-led collective of independent Russian news outlets called Syndicate-100 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ secrets prohibits classifying information about the environment , it noted .

Russia's Arctic has been hit by three separate environmental disasters linked to mining giant Norilsk Nickel in the span of a month. The company, headed by metals tycoon Vladimir Potanin, has been accused of attempting to cover up the scale of the damage. Here’s an overview of what has happened: Diesel spill, May 29 More than 21,000 metric tons of diesel leaked from a fuel storage tank at one of Nornickel's subsidiary plants near the city of Norilsk. In what has been described as the worst-ever fuel spill in the Arctiс, the fuel seeped into the soil and colored nearby waterways bright red. President Vladimir Putin declared an emergency following the accident, which the company said may have been caused by permafrost melt accelerated by climate change, and Potanin promised to pay for the costs of clean-up.
At least three plant managers and one operator have been detained, while the mayor of Norilsk and a federal inspector have been charged with negligence. Authorities said this month they had cleared the spill from the surface of a nearby river, but added that the full clean-up could take years. Wastewater dump, June 28 Norilsk Nickel’s Talnakh enrichment plant was found to be pumping wastewater from a dangerously full tanker into nearby tundra near Norilsk. Around 6,000 cubic meters of liquid used to process minerals at the facility had been dumped, an unnamed source told Interfax. The independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper published video from the scene in a report claiming the factory had deliberately discharged the wastewater into nearby wildlife areas. The journalists said Norilsk Nickel employees hastily removed pipes when investigators and emergency services arrived on the scene.
Вот так «Норникель» продолжает загрязнять Арктику!
Водой эту воду было назвать сложно — жидкость пенилась как шампунь, имела резкий химический запах и очевидно убивала живое.
Видео: Елена Костюченко / «Новая газета» pic.twitter.com/oKpN22XsTS — Новая Газета (@novaya_gazeta) June 29, 2020