Stories from Moscow · Russia

Ahead of Victory Day, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin presented commemorative badges for the 85th anniversary of the Battle of Moscow. The recipients were Great Patriotic War participants Ekaterina Evdokimova, Semyon Ulyulko, and Vladimir Fumin.

The Russian insurance company INGOSTRAKH has extended its partnership with the Bolshoi Theatre's youth opera program.

Increased anxiety among the Russian people, stemming from the perceived approach of Ukrainian forces towards Moscow, led to heightened security measures for the May 9th celebrations. These celebrations honor the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

The Ural FC 12 tournament is scheduled to take place on May 15 in Luzhniki. The main event of the evening will feature a fight between Vladimir Daineko and Mikhail Makhnatkin.

Reports from media outlets, including Spiegel, IRD, Sky, RA, NHK, and AFP, indicated the Kremlin revoked accreditation for their foreign journalists covering the Moscow parade.

A source discussed the expansion of foreign economic contacts, stating that these are intended to cause damage to established political, historical, humanitarian, and economic relations.

An actress, identified as Ruina Vasilievna, has agreed to play a role in a film.

Piotr Arak, chief economist of Velobank, stated that something is a 'powerful engine for our entire economy.' The specific subject of his comment was not detailed in the provided transcript.

New regulations for couriers have been announced in Moscow, imposing fines for non-compliance. Individuals face fines up to 5,000 rubles, officials up to 50,000 rubles, and companies up to 200,000 rubles. Aggregators like Yandex and Cooper stated they already applied similar requirements, including photo control, and violations could result in a ban for couriers. New regulations for courier services in Moscow, previously announced by Diptrans, now include a requirement for photo control before a delivery is completed. Konstantin Krokhmal, head of the public road safety system, stated that couriers' chaotic lane changes, red light running, and creation of dangerous situations are rarely recorded by cameras in Moscow. The Moscow Department of Transport, Diptrans, has reported that work is restricted around metro stations in an event zone.

The Russian Football Union announced referee appointments for the 29th round of the Russian Premier League. Rafael Shafeev is among the appointed referees, with Lokomotiv also mentioned in the assignments.