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Articles by Roland Oliphant
news
Ministry Says Bison Killed to 'Discredit Park Management'
The European bison killed by an apparent overdose of amphetamines and caffeine may have been the victim of a hit to discredit the nature reserve's...
news
Mysterious Bison Death Fuels Corruption Row
An adult female European Bison turned around and leisurely defecated in the direction of a group of tourists from Moscow.
news
Truck Traffic Restrictions to Bring Questions and Costs
A plan to ban heavy trucks from the Moscow Ring Road during daylight hours could cause massive traffic jams in the Moscow region, increase the cost...
news
NSCP Management Vows Not to Be Distracted by Shareholder Dispute
The embattled management of Russia's largest Black Sea port has insisted that it will press ahead with ambitious growth plans despite calls for a change...
news
Relatives of Dead to Sue Russian Railways Over Dangerous Crossing
Bereaved relatives are preparing a class action suit against Russian Railways over dozens of deaths at a railway crossing in the Moscow region.
news
Less Booze, More Comfort For Travelers Using New Vnukovo Terminal
A complete ban on alcohol sales at airports and on board aircraft could make air travel more expensive, a Moscow airport executive said Wednesday...
news
Heaviest Snowfall in a Century Hits Moscow
The heaviest snowfall in a century brought Moscow and the surrounding region to a near standstill and left hundreds of people without power, officials...
news
Employment Dispute Highlights Shortage of Skilled Pilots
An employment dispute between Russia's largest airline and an outspoken union leader has highlighted a sharpening confrontation between pilots and Russia's...
news
Aeroflot Plans Lawsuit Sue Over Boeing 777-ER Delay
Aeroflot could sue the Federal Civil Aviation Agency for hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages after the national carrier's newest airliner...
news
Church Seeks to Restrict Access to Solovki
Access to the Solovetsky islands, home to one of Russia's most important monasteries, could be restricted in a bid to preserve the archipelago's...
news
Thais Rail Against Russian-Owned Businesses
Hundreds of protesters on the Thai island of Phuket, a popular destination for Russian tourists, on Monday expressed displeasure with "Russian-owned"...
news
City to Landscape Vacant Lots
Residents of several city neighborhoods may soon enjoy new parkland thanks to City Hall's decision to landscape and plant greenery on disused construction...
news
Skolkovo Graduate Plans Recycling Revolution in Primorye
The Primorye region, well-known as a refuge for endangered species like Amur tigers and leopards, might become a mecca for ecofriendly business under...
news
Tetra Pak Promotes Sustainable Forestry
Nikolai Zinovyev thinks you have to be slightly crazy to be a wildlife photographer.
news
Russia to Submit Arctic Claims by Year's End
The federal government will submit its final Arctic territorial claims with the United Nations by the end of the year, the country's leading Arctic...
news
$3.3Bln to Clean Up Soviet Pollution
The government is preparing to allocate 100 billion rubles ($3.3 billion) to clean up pollution left over by Soviet-era industry.
news
Report Says $30Bln in Annual Infrastructure Savings Possible
Russia could save more than $30 billion a year out of the $1.5 trillion it has earmarked for infrastructure spending by 2030 through simple efficiencies...
news
Ministers Offered WTO Training
Government ministers were offered a free crash course in WTO rules after one of the country's most senior financiers savaged officials for failing...
news
Aeroflot, Transaero Undeterred by Dreamliner Woes
The global grounding of Boeing's flagship 787 Dreamliner has not deterred Russian airlines from buying the aircraft, the country's two largest airlines...
news
'Living' Resources to Get Consolidated Ministry
Environmentalists have cautiously welcomed plans to create a new ministry to run the country's fisheries, forestry and hunting sectors, but warned...
news
State Finds Cure for Hangover
The Health Ministry's chief narcologist, Yevgeny Bryun, warned Monday that it would take a month for many Russians to recover from the excesses of New...
news
History Repeated Itself as Farce in 2012
Two hundred years ago this month, the miserable shreds of Napoleon's Grande Armee shuffled out of Russian territory, thanking their lucky stars they had...
news
Scramble for the Arctic to Dominate Environmental Agenda
2012 saw the climate-change-fueled dash for the Arctic’s riches dominate the environmental agenda.
news
Vnukovo Airport Launches $1.4Bln Terminal
The authorities might have deemed Christ the Savior Cathedral as inappropriate for a Pussy Riot performance, but they have chosen it as the venue to celebrate...
news
Magnitsky Act Sparks Russian Fury
Russia will impose a visa ban on U.S. citizens accused of human rights abuses in response to the "absurd" trade and human rights bill passed by the...
news
Russia Likely to Soften Emissions Targets
Russia is expected to announce targets of cutting its carbon emissions to between 15 and 25 percent below 1990 levels when chief negotiator Alexander...
news
Forest Workers Getting Pay Raises, but Tasks Remain Daunting
Forestry workers can expect a pay raise next year as the government seeks to get a grip on the endemic wildfire problem and widespread illegal logging...
news
Q&A: Economist Wermuth Keeps Shepherding Progress
After nearly two decades in and out of Russia, Jochen Wermuth no longer pretends to be a disinterested observer.
news
British Want to Up Exports to Russia as Europe Slows
British officials are hoping to capitalize on the success of the London Olympics by selling their event expertise to the organizers of the Sochi...
news
Official Says Rate of Road Construction Extremely Slow
It will take 1,000 years to build a decent road network at current rates of construction, a top official has said.
news
Medvedev Motorist 'Megafine' Spurs Disdain
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was showered by a wave of ridicule and negative public sentiment on Monday following a weekend tirade against bad driving...
news
Ambitious Wind Farm Plan Unveiled
A scheme to build massive wind farms in Russia's Arctic northwest and sell the resulting electricity to Europe could kick-start the country's renewable...
news
Russia's Miss Earth Contestant Speaks Her Mind
Russia's delegate to the Miss Earth beauty pageant this week made international waves with an essay eviscerating her home country as a "beggar" and a...
news
Magnitsky Act 'Law by New Year'
U.S. President Barack Obama could sign the Magnitsky act into law by the end of this year, backers of the bill have said.
news
Russian Railways Fined Over Freight Services
The Federal Anti-Monopoly Service has hit Russian Railways with a 2.2 billion ruble ($69 million) fine following complaints from businesses reliant on...
news
Professionals, Activists Question Duty-Free Ban
Aviation professionals and consumer rights activists have reacted with bemusement to plans to ban passengers from carrying duty-free alcohol on board...
news
Muscovites Getting Used to Paid Parking
Yelena, a freelance consultant who lives in central Moscow, was trying to get the hang of the city's first automated paid-parking system. And it...
news
Wine Importers Battle Advertising Ban, Import Tariffs
Censorship is often imposed for malicious reasons — a crackdown on political enemies, thought control or social engineering.
news
Richard Branson Invests in Russian Green Growth
British tycoon Richard Branson and Rusnano chief Anatoly Chubais have launched a $200 million investment fund to back green growth and energy-efficiency...
news
New Putin Limo Unveiled
After six full years of development, President Vladimir Putin finally has a car more beautiful than U.S. President Barack Obama's.
news
Aeroflot Could Create Budget Carrier Within A Year
Aeroflot could start a low-cost airline in less than a year and is also willing to sacrifice its monopoly on more than 30 international routes.
news
Government to Crack Down on Animal Trafficking
Legislation to criminalize trafficking in endangered species or their body parts could be put before parliament as early as next summer, Deputy Natural...
news
Bill Allowing Foreign Pilots Is in the Works
The Transportation Ministry is drawing up a bill to allow Russian airlines to employ foreign pilots in a bid to tackle a chronic shortage of qualified...
news
Rosneft Deal Yields Individual Riches and Fearsome Bears
Rosneft’s acquisition of TNK-BP has reportedly made Viktor Vekselberg Russia’s wealthiest man and gives the state back control of the oil industry...
news
$61 Billion Deal Makes Rosneft the Largest Publicly Traded Oil Firm
Rosneft chief Igor Sechin proclaimed the “third-largest deal” in history as the state-owned oil firm put together a $61 billion scheme that will see...
news
New Tiger Reserve Opened as State Unveils $11Bln Environmental Program
Environmentalists have welcomed the creation of a new nature reserve for Amur tigers in the Russian Far East as a key step toward preserving the species...
news
Medvedev Mulls Ending Kyoto Role
President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered a review of Russia's involvement in the Kyoto Protocol, raising the possibility that the country could finally...
news
Business Lobbying for Kyoto Emissions Role
Representatives of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, the Economic Development Ministry and state-owned banks VTB and Sberbank...
news
Medvedev Declares War on Smoking
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev launched a “war on smoking” Tuesday and promised a British-style smoking ban in the highest-profile attack by a government...
news
Onishchenko: Kefir and Cars Don't Mix
Drivers who think they scrupulously avoid a drink before getting behind the wheel may nonetheless be endangering the lives of others — if they have...
news
Carlsberg to Invest $32M in Green Projects
Carlsberg Group, the nation's largest beer producer with its Baltika brand, plans to invest a billion rubles ($32 million) in environmental protection...
news
Ministry Mulls Hiring Foreign Pilots
The Transportation Ministry is considering throwing the doors open to foreign airline pilots in a bid to tackle a growing shortage of qualified...
news
Kiosk Owners Want Putin to Halt Tobacco and Beer Bans
The Coalition of Kiosk Owners said Wednesday that it would submit a 165,000-signature petition to President Vladimir Putin this week to halt pending...
news
Altai and Chechnya 'Greenest Economies' in New Integrated Index
The Altai republic and Chechnya have the cleanest economies in Russia.
news
Roads to Take Precedence Over Homes
City Hall will give priority to road-building over new home construction in the expanded Moscow.
news
Gazprom Neft Delays Arctic Drilling for Safety Reasons
Gazprom Neft has delayed the start of oil operations at its offshore Prirazlomnoye oil field due to safety concerns.
news
Russian Railways Moves Closer to French Logistics Purchase
Russian Railways has entered into exclusive negotiations to buy PSA Peugeot-Citroen's GEFCO logistics holding, after the French carmaker identified...
news
Mitvol Accuses Kremlin of Ruining His Campaign
Khimki mayoral candidate Oleg Mitvol has accused the Kremlin of undermining his campaign in the Moscow region town.
news
Environment Ministry Calls Meeting over Murmansk National Park
The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry has called an emergency meeting after environmentalists walked out of a working group meant to resolve...
news
Investment Planned to Boost Rail Passenger Growth
Russian Railways will invest in a massive overhaul of its passenger services in the next 15 years as it battles to stave off increasing competition from...
news
Government Mulls Railways Subsidies Increase
The government may double subsidies to Russian Railways next year in a bid to stave off reductions of passenger services.
news
Russia Mulls Internal Carbon Trading
President Vladimir Putin could make an announcement on an internal carbon trading system by the end of the month.
news
Kremlin Challenges EU on Gas Prices
The Kremlin raised the stakes in a standoff between Gazprom and EU antitrust authorities on Tuesday, making it illegal for Gazprom to trade with...
news
Khimki Toll Road to Open in 2014
The controversial Moscow to St. Petersburg toll road will open to traffic in 2014 "regardless" of developments on parallel Leningradskoye Shosse...
news
AvtoVAZ Counting on Energy Efficiency
AvtoVAZ expects to save up to 300 million rubles ($9.4 million) through energy efficiency measures in 2012.
news
Arctic Clean-Up Goal on Target
Over 100 personnel plus equipment and vehicles have been deployed to clear Cold War-era military and industrial waste from the Franz Josef archipelago...
news
Lada Counts on Foreign Designer to Compete With Imports
Strong and soft. Light and dark. Robust but elegant. The Lada of the future is a creature of carefully chosen contrasts, with a lovely line and lots...
news
Gazprom Puts Shtokman and Partners on the Shelf
Development of the vast Shtokman gas field will be put on hold indefinitely until a more cost-effective plan can be worked out.
news
Greenpeace Ends Standoff With Gazprom
Greenpeace activists have left the vicinity of the Prirazlomnaya oil rig, bringing to an end a five-day standoff at Gazprom’s pioneering ice-class oil...
news
Greenpeace Moves Protest from Arctic Rig to Ship
Greenpeace activists chained themselves to the anchor chain of the arctic rig support vessel Anna Akhmatova on Monday.
news
Gazprom Says No Disruption After Greenpeace Raid
A team of Greenpeace International activists abandoned an occupation of Gazprom's Prirazlomnaya oil platform after complaining of being bombarded by ice-cold...
news
Report: No High-Speed Rail Lines for World Cup
Russia might abandon plans to build high-speed rail lines for the 2018 World Cup.
news
Business Fights Back Against Kremlin War on Vice
With World Trade Organization membership taking effect this week, lovers of high-end imported spirits are in for a treat: Tariffs on whiskies, cognacs...
news
Russian Railways Threatens Commuter Train Cancellations
Russian Railways will slash local passenger services across several regions of the country because of funding shortfalls.
news
Gazprom Vague on Oil Spill Response Plan
Gazprom Neft Shelf, the Gazprom subsidiary behind the Prirazlomnaya oil platform, rejected claims by environmental groups that the rig poses a threat...
news
Greenpeace Vessel Hails Prirazlomnaya Platform
Kumi Naido, executive director of Greenpeace International, will be in Moscow on Monday to spearhead a campaign against Russia’s drive for oil and gas...
news
Despite Chilly Reception, Greenpeace Vessel Nearing Arctic Oil Platform
Visible from the deck of a Greenpeace vessel in the Barents Sea is the drilling tower of Russia’s first Arctic oil rig, a flagship for the country's...
news
Cossacks, Activists Unite Against $6Bln Mining Project
Environmental activists hope growing discontent will persuade President Vladimir Putin to block Ural Metal and Mining Company's plans to extract $6...
news
Murmansk Poised for Risky Renaissance
With their strangely elegant keel-less black hulls supporting the bulky but streamlined superstructure, there is something ineffably spine-tingling about...
news
Leopards Returning to North Caucasus
Leopards may be reintroduced to the North Caucasus by next year.
news
Marooned Firefighters Pray for Rain
A team of firefighters marooned in a burning forest hundreds of kilometers from help have been told to stay put in case they walk into a "ring...
news
Russia to Donate Tigers to South Korea
Russian conservation specialists will go to South Korea to aid efforts to reintroduce Siberian tigers, which were wiped out on the Korean peninsula...
news
Duma Makes Car Ownership Simpler, More Expensive
Drivers will find that servicing their cars is simpler but buying a new one is slightly more expensive.
news
Wild Pigs Bear Sobering Message About Forests
The four wild boars that wandered into Krylatskoye on the city’s western flank not long ago were bearing a message: Something is not right with the Moscow...
news
Nod to Levitin Brings Airport Merger Closer
Former Transportation Minister Igor Levitin will oversee the merger of Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo airports.
news
Baikal Paper Plant Faces Closure
Managers at the Baikalsk Pulp and Paper mill are drawing up plans for closure if the controversial factory does not win a renewal of its license to release...
news
Luxury Car Market Booming
Appetite for luxury cars in Russia is such that the country could "easily" be on course to become one of the biggest markets for Rolls Royce.
news
Norilsk Abandons Voronezh Nickel Deposits
Norilsk Nickel will not challenge the outcome of a tender it lost to develop nickel and copper deposits in the Voronezh region because of opposition...
news
Arctic Park to Get Visitor Centers
At their simplest, they are Quonset huts filled with stuffed specimens of the local wildlife. At their best, visitor centers at national parks can...
news
European Parliament Scrutinizes Khimki Road
Members of the European Parliament have announced moves to pressure French civil engineering company Vinci to quit the project to build the controversial...
news
Navalny Elected to Aeroflot Board
Alexei Navalny, the bane of both the Kremlin and state corporations, found himself elected to the board of state-owned Aeroflot on Monday — and immediately...
news
Hazy Forecast for Russia's Global Green Agenda
President Vladimir Putin has apparently pulled out of the global sustainable-development summit in Rio de Janeiro that starts Thursday, dealing a further...
news
Waste-Processing Bill Debated
Legislation proposed by the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry would oblige manufacturers and importers to pay for processing waste from their...
news
Size of Burning Forest Territory Exceeds 2010 Disaster
The Siberian wildfires that killed eight people last week are spiraling out of control and could be more disastrous than the fires of 2010.
news
Overall Exports and Vehicle Imports Up
Car imports surged 16 percent in the first four months of this year, according to customs service figures, reflecting continued recovery in the auto...
news
Demand for Environmental Engineers Not Translating Into Jobs
Graduates of Russia's environmental science faculties are struggling to find employment in their sphere despite a global trend toward demand for their...
news
Americans See WTO Boosting Energy-Efficiency Market
The United States has become the latest foreign government to join a rush to stake out claims in Russia’s nascent energy-efficiency market.
news
Scientists, Military Return to Arctic
Both scientists and soldiers will be heading to Russia's most northerly outposts this summer as the country reinforces both its military and scientific...
news
Russians Push 'Land Bridge,' New Line to Vienna
A new wide-gauge railway line to Vienna could be a key part of Russian plans to build a Eurasian “land bridge” between China and Europe.
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Russian Railways in Smoking Crackdown, Privatization Freeze
Smokers will find train journeys longer and a tad more frustrating as traditional indulgence of the habit is phased out on Russian Railways' passenger...