The Moscow Times

A boom in infrastructure development at the head of the Gulf of Finland near St. Petersburg is causing stress to the environment and risk of ecological disaster.

Two employees of the U.S. Embassy were involved in automobile accidents in Moscow over the weekend, Interfax reported. No one was injured in either accident.

Russia faces domestic fuel shortages after authorities restricted the transport of crude oil by rail, forcing several refiners to cut production.

Half a century ago, this town on the White Sea coast was a supply mecca for residents of the nearby metropolis Arkhangelsk, who regularly made the 35-kilometer trip just to buy sausage, which was usually available in the well-stocked stores of strategically important defense industry centers.

A dark cloud was cast Wednesday on the revival of Russia’s aviation industry when a Sukhoi-built Superjet 100 with 50 people on board disappeared from the radar screens of Indonesian flight controllers.

Gale-force winds in Moscow and the surrounding area Tuesday night put about 300 transformers out of commission and knocked down almost 300 trees.

A prosecutor's office official said an investigation showed that pilots were flying who had not had the necessary training and that flight schools do not have adequate numbers of teachers, planes or flight simulators.