themoscowtimes--2020-07-05--Russia's Coronavirus Cases Rise Past 680K

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 lifted lockdown restrictions ahead of a July 1 national vote despite the pandemic .
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 its lower virus death figures to mass testing which has identified many cases with mild or no coronavirus symptoms .
The Health Ministry is now adjusting how it reports numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 needs a serious overhaul , '' Kudrin , who heads the Audit Chamber that examines government spending , said in an interview with the state-run TASS state news agency .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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--2020-07-06--Residents Near Secretive Russian Arctic Missile Test Site to Be Evacuated Ahead of ‘Military Work’

On Sunday , a message appeared on the local administration ’ s website posted saying that from 6 am on July 7 to 6 pm on July 8 , Nenoksa will fall into `` the danger zone '' as the first scientific center of military unit 09703 will be conducting unspecified work .
Officials also issued a warning to ships traveling through the White Sea .
Authorities will provide residents of Nenoksa with five buses that will leave the village at 5 am on Tuesday .
Local residents of Nenoksa village on the coast of the White Sea in Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the opportunity to evacuate their homes on Tuesday ahead of planned work at the military missile site where a deadly nuclear accident occured last summer .
In August last year , an explosion near the Nyonoksa testing site during a rocket engine test killed five Russian nuclear workers and led to a radiation spike .
The Moscow Times reported that the doctors who treated victims of the nuclear rocket explosion were nuclear accident victims , leading to one of them being contaminated with radioactive cesium-137 .
The secrecy surrounding the accident has led @ @ @ @ @ @ @ involved the Burevestnik nuclear-powered intercontinental cruise missile , dubbed the SSC-X-9 Skyfall by NATO .
Last month , authorities in Norway , Sweden and Finland said they had detected small increases in levels of radioactivity .
A Dutch research center said that the source may have been western Russia and may `` indicate damage to a fuel element in a nuclear power plant . ''

On Sunday, a message appeared on the local administration’s website posted saying that from 6 am on July 7 to 6 pm on July 8, Nenoksa will fall into "the danger zone" as the first scientific center of military unit 09703 will be conducting unspecified work. Officials also issued a warning to ships traveling through the White Sea. Authorities will provide residents of Nenoksa with five buses that will leave the village at 5 am on Tuesday.
Local residents of Nenoksa village on the coast of the White Sea in Russia’s Far North will be given the opportunity to evacuate their homes on Tuesday ahead of planned work at the military missile site where a deadly nuclear accident occured last summer.
In August last year, an explosion near the Nyonoksa testing site during a rocket engine test killed five Russian nuclear workers and led to a radiation spike.
The Moscow Times reported that the doctors who treated victims of the nuclear rocket explosion were nuclear accident victims, leading to one of them being contaminated with radioactive cesium-137.
The secrecy surrounding the accident has led outside observers to speculate that the explosion involved the Burevestnik nuclear-powered intercontinental cruise missile, dubbed the SSC-X-9 Skyfall by NATO.
Last month, authorities in Norway, Sweden and Finland said they had detected small increases in levels of radioactivity. A Dutch research center said that the source may have been western Russia and may "indicate damage to a fuel element in a nuclear power plant."


themoscowtimes--2020-07-06--Denmark Paves Way for Russia's Nord Stream 2 Restart

Denmark ’ s Energy Agency agreed Monday that Nord Stream 2 could use pipe-laying vessels with an anchor , rather than those only with advanced self-positioning technology as outlined in the original permit for the project .
Swiss group Allseas had previously provided self-positioning vessels to lay the 1,230 kilometer pipeline through the Baltic Sea , but quit in December ahead of the introduction of U.S. sanctions .
The decision could allow Russia to complete the final 120 kilometer stretch of pipeline through Danish waters using its own vessels .
Construction was put on hold in December 2019 after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effectively blocked western companies from providing vessels to lay pipelines .
Gazprom ’ s controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline overcame another major obstacle to completion Monday , as Denmark granted permission for the pipeline to continue being laid with the use of less technologically advanced ships , potentially negating the impact of U.S. sanctions against the project .
“ The change means that [ Nord Stream 2 ] can use pipe-laying vessels with anchors , either independently or in combination with self-positioning pipe-laying vessels , ” the agency said .
Russia could now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , such as the Akademic Cherskiy , which is currently docked in German waters in the Baltic , having set sail from Russia ’ s Far East port of Nakhodka in February , or another pipe-laying ship , the Fortuna , which is also located in the Baltic .
The Akademik Cherskiy is more than three times slower than the vessels that were being used by Allseas , according to Independent Commodity Intelligence Services — meaning the final stretch would take more than three months to complete .
Nord Stream 2 has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relationship between the U.S. , Europe and Russia .
The U.S. wants to block the initiative , as it believes it will increase Europe ’ s reliance on Russian energy and decrease its energy security .
Poland and Ukraine are among the European countries which stand to lose lucrative gas transit fees should the project — which can ship gas directly from Russia to Germany — come online .
Meanwhile , German Chancellor Angela Merkel has questioned the legal basis for U.S. sanctions against the pipeline and said it is “ right ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bipartisan group of U.S. senators led by Ted Cruz is still trying to block the project from being completed , having drafted tough new legislation which threatens sanctions on any firm involved in laying the final stretch of pipeline .
The new sanctions would extend beyond vessel-owners to companies which provide insurance , reinsurance , technology , equipment , tethering facilities or port facilities to any vessel involved in the completion of the project .

Denmark’s Energy Agency agreed Monday that Nord Stream 2 could use pipe-laying vessels with an anchor, rather than those only with advanced self-positioning technology as outlined in the original permit for the project.
Swiss group Allseas had previously provided self-positioning vessels to lay the 1,230 kilometer pipeline through the Baltic Sea, but quit in December ahead of the introduction of U.S. sanctions.
The decision could allow Russia to complete the final 120 kilometer stretch of pipeline through Danish waters using its own vessels. Construction was put on hold in December 2019 after the U.S. introduced sanctions against the project which effectively blocked western companies from providing vessels to lay pipelines.
Gazprom’s controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline overcame another major obstacle to completion Monday, as Denmark granted permission for the pipeline to continue being laid with the use of less technologically advanced ships, potentially negating the impact of U.S. sanctions against the project.
“The change means that [Nord Stream 2] can use pipe-laying vessels with anchors, either independently or in combination with self-positioning pipe-laying vessels,” the agency said.
Russia could now complete the project using its own vessels, such as the Akademic Cherskiy, which is currently docked in German waters in the Baltic, having set sail from Russia’s Far East port of Nakhodka in February, or another pipe-laying ship, the Fortuna, which is also located in the Baltic.
The Akademik Cherskiy is more than three times slower than the vessels that were being used by Allseas, according to Independent Commodity Intelligence Services — meaning the final stretch would take more than three months to complete.
Nord Stream 2 has been a major source of contention in the relationship between the U.S., Europe and Russia. The U.S. wants to block the initiative, as it believes it will increase Europe’s reliance on Russian energy and decrease its energy security. Poland and Ukraine are among the European countries which stand to lose lucrative gas transit fees should the project — which can ship gas directly from Russia to Germany — come online. Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has questioned the legal basis for U.S. sanctions against the pipeline and said it is “right” that the project is completed.
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators led by Ted Cruz is still trying to block the project from being completed, having drafted tough new legislation which threatens sanctions on any firm involved in laying the final stretch of pipeline. The new sanctions would extend beyond vessel-owners to companies which provide insurance, reinsurance, technology, equipment, tethering facilities or port facilities to any vessel involved in the completion of the project.


themoscowtimes--2020-07-06--Russia Breaks Heat Records in First Half of 2020

Russia broke all recorded heat records in the first six months of the year , and the head of the @ @ @ @ @ has warned of “ dangerous weather events ” to come in July .
`` The @ @ @ @ @ were the warmest in the history of instrumental weather observations in Russia , '' the @ @ @ @ @ chief Roman Vilfand as saying .
Vilfand also forecast a very hot summer in Russia @ @ @ @ @ will be one of the hottest on record .
`` The fact that there will @ @ @ @ @ certain .
With a 99 % probability , it will be among the five hottest @ @ @ @ @ Vilfand as saying .
Vilfrand told the state-run RIA news agency on Monday that weather @ @ @ @ @ be dangerous because of unusual circulation of air masses in the atmosphere .
“ Despite @ @ @ @ @ level of precipitation is the highest in the fall , July is the month with @ @ @ @ @ weather events from a climate point of view , '' he said .

Russia broke all recorded heat records in the first six months of the year, and the head of the country’s weather service has warned of “dangerous weather events” to come in July.
"The first six months of 2020 were the warmest in the history of instrumental weather observations in Russia," the RBC news website quoted weather chief Roman Vilfand as saying.
Vilfand also forecast a very hot summer in Russia, forecasting that this season will be one of the hottest on record.
"The fact that there will be a high temperature is certain. With a 99% probability, it will be among the five hottest years," RBC quoted Vilfand as saying.
Vilfrand told the state-run RIA news agency on Monday that weather in Russia in July could be dangerous because of unusual circulation of air masses in the atmosphere.
“Despite the popular belief that the level of precipitation is the highest in the fall, July is the month with the highest number of dangerous weather events from a climate point of view," he said.


themoscowtimes--2020-07-06--Russian Orthodox Leader Warns Turkey Over Hagia Sophia Move

The leader of Russia 's Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill said on Monday he was `` deeply concerned '' by calls in Turkey to alter the status of the Hagia Sophia , the historic former cathedral in Istanbul .
Turkey 's top court is debating whether one of the architectural wonders of the world can be redesignated as a mosque , a move that could inflame tensions with the West and the Christian community .
A ruling expected in the coming days on the site , which is currently a museum .
Kirill said in a statement he was `` deeply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hagia Sophia as `` one of the greatest monuments of Christian culture '' .
`` A threat to Hagia Sophia is a threat to the whole of Christian civilization , and therefore to our spirituality and history , '' the Orthodox church leader said .
`` To this day , for every Russian Orthodox person , Hagia Sophia is a great Christian shrine , '' he said , urging the Turkish government to be cautious .
He said that altering the current neutral status of the historic building would cause `` deep pain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sophia was first constructed as a cathedral in the Christian Byzantine Empire in the sixth century but was converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453 .
Transforming it into a museum was a key reform of the post-Ottoman authorities under the modern republic 's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk .
But calls for it to serve again as a mosque have sparked anger among Christians and tensions between historic foes and uneasy NATO allies Turkey and Greece .

The leader of Russia's Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill said on Monday he was "deeply concerned" by calls in Turkey to alter the status of the Hagia Sophia, the historic former cathedral in Istanbul.
Turkey's top court is debating whether one of the architectural wonders of the world can be redesignated as a mosque, a move that could inflame tensions with the West and the Christian community.
A ruling expected in the coming days on the site, which is currently a museum.
Kirill said in a statement he was "deeply concerned" by the moves, describing Hagia Sophia as "one of the greatest monuments of Christian culture".
"A threat to Hagia Sophia is a threat to the whole of Christian civilization, and therefore to our spirituality and history," the Orthodox church leader said.
"To this day, for every Russian Orthodox person, Hagia Sophia is a great Christian shrine," he said, urging the Turkish government to be cautious.
He said that altering the current neutral status of the historic building would cause "deep pain" among the Russian people.
Hagia Sophia was first constructed as a cathedral in the Christian Byzantine Empire in the sixth century but was converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453.
Transforming it into a museum was a key reform of the post-Ottoman authorities under the modern republic's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
But calls for it to serve again as a mosque have sparked anger among Christians and tensions between historic foes and uneasy NATO allies Turkey and Greece.


themoscowtimes--2020-07-06--Russian Experts Not Worried About Bubonic Plague Outbreak on Mongolian Border

Top infectious diseases specialist Vladislav Zhemchugov said on Monday he isn ’ t concerned a recent outbreak of bubonic plague @ @ @ @ @ will spread to Russia .
Last week , Mongolia quarantined its western region near the @ @ @ @ @ two suspected cases of the bubonic plague linked to the consumption of marmot meat .
@ @ @ @ @ the city of Bayan Nur in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia issued a notice @ @ @ @ @ case of the plague — one of the deadliest diseases in history .
Zhemuchogov said @ @ @ @ @ a bigger outbreak of the plague as he believes both Mongolian and Chinese anti-plague agencies @ @ @ @ @ level.
” “ Everyone in the area will be vaccinated and they will have a @ @ @ @ @ said Zhemchugov , who works at a private health clinic in Moscow .

Top infectious diseases specialist Vladislav Zhemchugov said on Monday he isn’t concerned a recent outbreak of bubonic plague in Mongolia and northern China will spread to Russia.
Last week, Mongolia quarantined its western region near the border with Russia after identifying two suspected cases of the bubonic plague linked to the consumption of marmot meat. On Sunday, authorities in the city of Bayan Nur in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia issued a notice after a hospital reported a case of the plague — one of the deadliest diseases in history.
Zhemuchogov said he is not worried about a bigger outbreak of the plague as he believes both Mongolian and Chinese anti-plague agencies are “of the highest level.”
“Everyone in the area will be vaccinated and they will have a strict quarantine there,” said Zhemchugov, who works at a private health clinic in Moscow.


themoscowtimes--2020-07-06--Putin’s Relative Elected as Head of Anti-Corruption Party

Russian President Vladimir Putin ’ s first cousin once removed was elected on Sunday to head the People Against Corruption political party , the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported .
Roman Putin , son of President Putin 's cousin Igor , said he aimed to run with the party in the upcoming regional elections in September , and then in the elections to the State Duma , where the party has no faction .
According to its website website , the party ’ s goal is to “ fight with the consequences of and , above all , with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ With the appointment of a successful entrepreneur , public and political figure , the party will receive a new impetus in the development of anti-corruption activities , and the implementation of various social projects , ” Grigoriy Anisimov , the head of the party 's high council said in a statement on Sunday .
Roman Putin is a businessman and , like Vladimir Putin , a former employee of Russia ’ s FSB security service .
He is also the director of a firm called Putin Consulting Ltd and the chairman of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Last March , Roman Putin launched the People of Business party , a right-wing conservative project aimed at supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs .

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s first cousin once removed was elected on Sunday to head the People Against Corruption political party, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported.
Roman Putin, son of President Putin's cousin Igor, said he aimed to run with the party in the upcoming regional elections in September, and then in the elections to the State Duma, where the party has no faction. According to its website website, the party’s goal is to “fight with the consequences of and, above all, with the causes of corruption."
“With the appointment of a successful entrepreneur, public and political figure, the party will receive a new impetus in the development of anti-corruption activities, and the implementation of various social projects,” Grigoriy Anisimov, the head of the party's high council said in a statement on Sunday.
Roman Putin is a businessman and, like Vladimir Putin, a former employee of Russia’s FSB security service. He is also the director of a firm called Putin Consulting Ltd and the chairman of the board of the Russian Academic Foundation.
Last March, Roman Putin launched the People of Business party, a right-wing conservative project aimed at supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs.