Russian news, notes and thoughts

September, 2011 /

30 September, 2011  // Russia's Proton-M space rocket has put Mexican QuetzSat-1 telecommunications satellite into a designated orbit on Thursday night. This was the second successful launch following a recent string of launch failures.

29 September, 2011  // One policeman and seven civilians were killed when a car bomb exploded in Dagestan Republic on Wednesday. Three car bombs killed six people and gunmen killed four more, including a high-level law enforcement official, last week in the region.

28 September, 2011  // Russia has abandoned new purchases of its popular AK-74 automatic rifle, its top general said. The reserve of 10 million Kalashnikovs for an army of one million servicemen is more than enough.

27 September, 2011  // Coca-Cola announced the launch of its largest in Russia $120 million plant in Rostov-on-Don in a move aimed at countering the growing influence in the region of PepsiCo. The company said it planned to invest about $3 billion in Russian economy in the next three years.

26 September, 2011  // Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, who has been in his post since 2000, resigned on Monday following criticism of President Dmitry Medvedev. Really bad news.

26 September, 2011  // Russia sells natural gas; South Korea wants to buy it. Building a pipeline seems like such an obvious solution but there is one problem. The crucial few hundred kilometers separating two countries run through North Korea.

24 September, 2011  // Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called on the ruling United Russia party on Saturday to endorse Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for president in 2012. One more decade of lost opportunities for Russia?

22 September, 2011  // Two car bombs killed a Russian policeman and wounded 60 other people in Makhachkala - the capital of the violence-plagued republic of Dagestan. One of the reasons why FC Anzhi prefers to train near Moscow coming to Makhachkala only to play the matches.

21 September, 2011  // Russia's economy would slip into recession for one to two years if oil prices fall to $50 a barrel next year and stay at that level, according to the International Monetary Fund.

19 September, 2011  // Russian basketball team won the European championship bronze medal on Sunday when they beat the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia 72-68 in the dying seconds of a thrilling contest for a podium finish.

17 September, 2011  // Volkswagen expects Russian car market to become the Europe's largest in 2013 expecting new car sales in Russia to reach 2.4 million units this year, up from 1.9 million in 2010.

16 September, 2011  // Fedor Emelianenko, Russia's most decorated mixed martial artist, is scheduled to fight in Moscow on Nov. 20. Trying to break a three-bout losing streak dating back to 2009, Emelianenko, 34, meets American Jeff Monson. The loss in Moscow will be definitely the end of Fedor's career.

14 September, 2011  // With no space shuttles to take astronauts to ISS the U.S. relies upon Russian rockets. But amid deep concerns over a recent rocket crash, Russia announced it was postponing the launch of the latest space station crew to Nov. 12. Will ISS be abandoned in case of the failure of the mission?

12 September, 2011  // David Cameron has told Dmitry Medvedev that he wants Britain to build a stronger relationship with Russia despite there being unresolved issues. It is the first visit by a British leader since the murder of Russian ex-spy Litvinenko in London in 2006.

11 September, 2011  // Russians beat the team of Brazil 12:8 in the final match of Beach Soccer World Cup in Ravenna, Italy and won the world championship for the first time in history. Great!

9 September, 2011  // Russian bombers have flown around Japan amid a territorial dispute, Tokyo's Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said Friday, calling on Moscow to refrain from "provocative" military action. Russia would have only benefited from giving the islands back to Japan but unfortunately the majority of Russian people and therefore politicians will not accept it.

9 September, 2011  // Russia blamed a one-off production fault in a rocket engine for the crash of an unmanned spaceship last month but nevertheless ordered checks of all similar rocket motors. Need double, triple checks to make the space flights successful.

8 September, 2011  // Russia's second-largest city Saint-Petersburg is commemorating the 70th anniversary of the start of a deadly 29-month-long Nazi siege during the World War II that cut its population by nearly a million people.

7 September, 2011  // At least 43 people have died in the crash of Yak-42 plane carrying a top ice hockey team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. The plane crashed immediately after takeoff from an airport near Yaroslavl city. Our condolences to the relatives and friends of the victims.

6 September, 2011  // Russia will begin pumping the first gas through the long-awaited $10 billion and 1,220 km Nord Stream pipeline so that European clients can receive gas next month or in November. Transit countries will not be happy.

5 September, 2011  // Russia have grabbed second place in the unofficial medals count at World Athletics Championships, equaling Soviet Union's 1991 record. Russian athletes have won 9 gold, 4 silver and 6 bronze medals. Russian sport is on the rise, isn't it?

4 September, 2011  // Russian jumper Anna Chicherova claimed her first ever senior major title after clearing 2.03 meters in the high jump final at the Daegu worlds, ending a 12-year wait since she won the first world youth title back in 1999. Our congratulations!

1 September, 2011  // As world leaders gathered for a major conference to try to consolidate international support and reconstruction aid for Libya, Russia recognized rebel government despite its opposition to NATO bombing campaign. Economic interests are above everything else.

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