Eastern Europe

MOSCOW. Feb 13 (Interfax) - A mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has undergone rotation at the Khmelnitsky nuclear power plant, the plant fully complies with nuclear safety standards, Khmelnitsky NPP General Director Andrei Kozyura s...

MOSCOW. Feb 13 (Interfax) - The World Bank announced on Friday the allotment of an extra $50-million grant for repairs and reconstruction of Ukrainian transport infrastructure, enhanced capacity of export-import corridors, and humanitarian assistance.The ...

MOSCOW. Feb 13 (Interfax) - The Russian government's planned changes to oil industry taxation were discussed with senior executives from oil companies at a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak on Saturday that was also attended by Financ...

MOSCOW. Feb 13 (Interfax) - The Russian government has submitted a bill to the State Duma that proposes to revise the value of the average price of Urals crude on world markets for the calculation of the mineral extraction tax (MET) and excess profit tax ...

MOSCOW. Feb 13 (Interfax) - Moscow and Brasilia are continuing the successful development of political and economic dialogue despite the external attempts at creating problems on this track, Russian Ambassador to Brazil Alexei Labetsky said in an intervie...

MOSCOW. Feb 13 (Interfax) - Ukraine harvested 79.4 million tonnes of main crops on 18.5 million hectares as of February 10, 2023, including 53.7 million tonnes of grains and legumes, the Ukrainian media said with the reference to the website of the Ukrain...

MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - Ukraine has lost 44% of its nuclear-power generation, 75% of its thermal power capacity and 33% of combined heat and power plants, the Ukrainian media reported citing Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal."Almost 20 power-...

MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - The Russian Ministry of Justice has added singer Zemfira (Ramazanova), and former State Duma member Dmitry Gudkov and political scientist Abbas Gallyamov, both currently staying abroad, to the register of foreign agents.The reg...

BRUSSELS. Feb 10 (Interfax) - International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said he remained hopeful that he would eventually be able to reach agreement on setting up a safety and security zone around the Zaporozhye Nuclear Powe...

MOSCOW. Feb 9 (Interfax) - Rosatom said Russia stands ready to implement International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi's initiative to provide physical and nuclear safety around the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant."For hi...

MOSCOW. Feb 9 (Interfax) - Russia's economy may stage a modest growth in 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with representatives of the Russian aviation industry on Thursday."I believe to many of those who earlier tried and a...

MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - The Central Bank of Russia (has not changed its position regarding cryptocurrencies: a negative opinion on its use in the domestic market, but it is ready to allow its use for export settlements.At the same time, the issue of c...

MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - Cooperation between Moscow and Tehran is not directed against third countries, including Israel, Russian Ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov said."We understand that Iran has always been and is a very sensitive subject fo...

MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - A new international automobile crossing point has been opened at the Dyakovtsy-Racovat border section between Ukraine and Romania, head of the Chernovtsy regional military administration Ruslan Zaparanyuk said on Friday."Th...

ISTANBUL. Feb 10 (Interfax) - The death toll from the powerful earthquake in Turkey has reached 18,991, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday."The death toll from the earthquake, whose epicenter was in Turkey's Kahramanmaras, has r...

MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - Ukraine and Egypt are mulling joint logistical projects in the agribusiness industry, including the establishment of a logistical hub in Egypt for importing Ukrainian grain.Ukrainian Agrarian Policy and Food Minister Nikolai So...

MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian unified power system is operating amid an acute shortage of electricity after sustaining severe damage on Friday, with the Kharkov region experiencing the most difficult power supply problems."The most difficu...

CHISINAU. Feb 10 (Interfax) - Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita said at a press briefing on Friday that her government has decided to resign following consultations with Moldovan President Maia Sandu."The government was operating in a permanen...

MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - King Philippe of Belgium has granted an audience to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in Brussels.Ukrainian media reported with reference to the presidential office on Friday that Zelensky thanked King Philippe, the Belgian...

KRASNOGORSK, Moscow region. Feb 10 (Interfax) - The Lyubertsy District Court in the Moscow region has finalized the jury's verdict and sentenced former Khabarovsk Governor Sergei Furgal to 22 years in a high-security penitentiary in a murder case, an ...

MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) -The Central Bank of Russia's board of directors decided at its Friday meeting to hold the key rate at 7.5% per annum, the regulator said in a statement.This is the third time in a row that the Central Bank has decided to hol...

MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - A number of thermal and hydropower generating facilities and high-voltage infrastructure elements sustained serious damage in several parts of Ukraine on Friday, Energy Minister German Galushchenko said."Emergency outages h...

ALMATY. Feb 10 (Interfax) - Nostrum Oil & Gas plc, the parent company of Kazakhstan-based oil producer Zhaikmunai LLP, has completed the restructuring of two Eurobond issues, the company said.The company implemented the restructuring of its $725 million 8...

MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has appointed Ruslan Davydov acting head of the Federal Customs Service (FCS).The government press service said the relevant order had been signed.Davydov had been first deputy head of t...

MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - Aeroflot plans to launch regular flights from Moscow to Ganja, Azerbaijan, beginning on March 5, the press service of the Russian flagship carrier said in a statement.Flights will operate once per week using Airbus A320 aircraf...

MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - The Ukroboronprom state-owned defense company of Ukraine and one of the NATO member countries have begun jointly producing 120mm shells, and a contract for their delivery was signed with the Ukrainian Defense Ministry a few day...

TBILISI. Feb 10 (Interfax) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has reaffirmed the United States' steadfast support for the strengthening of Georgia's deterrence and defense potential.He made the statement on Twitter on Friday following a meeting...

MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - Russia and Iran are actively cooperating in banking and are planning to ramp up the share of national currencies in mutual settlements, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said."We are continuing to work with Ira...

MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - Russia intends to cut oil production by 500,000 barrels per day in March, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told reporters."As of today, we are fully selling the entire volume of oil produced; however, as previously sta...

MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - Following the exposure of corruption schemes, PJSC Ukrtatnafta promptly transferred more than 500 million hryvni in taxes underpaid by the company's former management to the Ukrainian budget, the Security Service of Ukraine...

ALMATY. Feb 10 (Interfax) - A 4.5 magnitude earthquake has been registered in Kyrgyzstan on Friday, Kazakh seismologists said."The epicenter of the earthquake was in Kyrgyzstan, 338 km southwest of the city of Almaty," the Kazakh Emergency Situati...

MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - Kiev and the Kiev and Dnepropetrovsk regions are seeing emergency blackouts on Friday because of the damage risk, DTEK said."Emergency blackouts are being applied in Kiev and the Kiev and Dnepropetrovsk regions because of t...

MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - Global Ports Investments PLC has applied to the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in order to delist its global depository receipts, the company said in a statement.Global Ports also intends to send an application to the Lon...

MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - Softline Holding plc, an international information technology company that has been trading under the Noventiq brand since October 20, has signed a letter of intent with special purpose acquisition company Corner Growth Acquisi...

MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - The Ukrenergo electricity transmission system operator allowed unlimited power consumption between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Friday, which is one hour longer than on Thursday, the Ukrainian media said with the reference to distribut...

MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada will keep the International Monetary Fund (IMF)'s stance in mind while upgrading bills on industry preferences and will not adopt them in a form that could endanger cooperation with the IMF, hea...

MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - There continue to be risks that oil production in Russia will decline, and the authorities plan to assess them soon, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told reporters."Yes, there are such risks [of oil production droppin...

MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - Alor Broker (Alor+ LLC) has proposed to all holders of Veon Holdings Eurobonds maturing in 2023, who as of January 31 kept their Eurobonds in Russian depositories and in Russian infrastructure, to buy out the bonds or swap them...

MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who recently visited Kiev, handed over ten generators to the Ukrainian capital, Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klichko said."On Thursday, Kiev received ten generators as assistance from the Paris Mayor's Of...

BRUSSELS. Feb 9 (Interfax) - European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen has praised Ukraine's efforts to prepare for its membership of the European Union. but reiterated that this comes with certain conditions Kiev must comply with and th...

MOSCOW. Feb 9 (Interfax) - Gazprom-Media Holding has denied reports that have appeared in the media suggesting that the company plans to buy telecoms operator Megafon ."Information suggesting that Gazprom-Media Holding is preparing to buy Megafon is n...

MINSK. Feb 9 (Interfax) - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday signed Decree 31 that approves a draft memorandum on Belarus's obligations to receive the status of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member state, the presidentia...

MOSCOW. Feb 9 (Interfax) - Power consumption limits are to be lifted in the Kiev region on Friday, February 10, to measure actual power consumption there, Ukrainian media have reported with reference to the DTEK power supply company.It is expected that no...

MINSK. Feb 9 (Interfax) - A prosecutor has asked a Minsk court trying a number of defendants in a tax evasion case involving the unregistered Belarusian human rights center Viasna to sentence Nobel Prize winner and human rights activist Ales Bialiatski to...

LONDON/WASHINGTON. Feb 9 (Interfax) - The United States and the United Kingdom together sanctioned seven Russian citizens on Thursday, in relation to their cyberspace activities deemed illegal by London."The individuals designated today are: Vitaly Ko...

MOSCOW. Feb 9 (Interfax) - The State Duma Budget Committee plans to look over the amendments to the Tax Code prepared by the government at the session on Monday which will be dedicated to the tax obligations of the oil sector and the work of the damper me...

MOSCOW. Feb 9 (Interfax) - The State Duma has passed in the third reading the law establishing a zero mineral extraction tax for palladium for the Russian Platinum project in the Krasnoyarsk Territory for a period of 12 years from January 1, 2026 (with th...

MOSCOW. Feb 9 (Interfax) - Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller held a working meeting with Kazakh Energy Minister Bulat Akchulakov and Uzbek Energy Minister Zhurabek Mirzamakhmudov."Participants of the meeting discussed the possibilities of trilateral cooperati...

ASTANA. Feb 9 (Interfax) - Kazakhstan's KazMunayGas (KMG) and Russian oil company Lukoil have signed a number of agreements in Astana on the project to develop the Kalamkas-Sea, Khazar, Auezov blocks in the Kazakh sector of the Caspian Sea, KMG's ...

MOSCOW. Feb 9 (Interfax) - VK Play, the gaming division of Internet holding VK is launching an internet subdivision called VK Play Investments which will invest funds into the development of Russian game developers, VK said in a statement.Specifically, 30...