Latest news with #Arkhangelsk
Yahoo
02-08-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Looking for a beautiful, low-maintenance, quiet and long-living cat? This is the breed for you –and everything you need to know
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Russian Blue cat overview Other names: Archangel Blues Life expectancy: 15–20 years Size: 8-10 inches (height), 15–18 inches (length) and 8–15 lb (weight) Coat: solid steel blue Eye colour: green eyes Temperament: devoted, intelligent, sensitive and intuitive Origin/native country: Russia Celebrated for their blue-silver coats, elegant build and low-key energy, the Russian Blue is the perfect mix of beauty and grace. As their name suggests, these feline companions hail from Russia – in the bustling port city of Arkhangelsk, to be exact – and they are a naturally occurring breed. They get their name because of their illustrious blue coat that has a silvery sheen throughout. You might think all this fur requires hours worth of upkeep, but the truth is, Russian Blues are pretty low maintenance on all fronts. This breed can also be a godsend for allergy-prone households because Russian Blues produce less of the allergy-triggering protein found in cats when compared to other breeds. Another fun fact about this beautiful, long-living breed? They are an intelligent, relatively independent and quiet breed, so are best suited for homes that can match this understated energy. If you're considering bringing a Russian Blue home, you'll find everything you need to know in this guide, including their health conditions, enrichment needs, and more. Are Russian Blue cats hypoallergenic? 'Russian Blue cats are not truly hypoallergenic, but may suit some owners with mild allergies,' explains vet Dr Rebecca MacMillan. 'This is because Russian Blues produce less Fel d1 protein in their saliva and urine than many other breeds,'. In the cat realm, Fel d1 is the protein that triggers reactions in those allergic to cats. Therefore, if you are in an allergy-prone household, it's worth reading up on the hypoallergenic cat breeds, like the Siamese, Burmese and the LaPerm, as these pets either produce less of the allergy-triggering protein and/or don't shed too much, which can make them an ideal proposition for allergy sufferers. Do Russian Blue cats shed? Russian Blues do shed some of their shimmering coat, but only minimally so this means you won't find too many loose hairs around your home! 'This can also help allergy sufferers as there will be less saliva-coated hair and dander in the environment,' Dr MacMillan says. 'Just remember that very sensitive people may still react.' For those who would prefer not to have tons of fur all over their clothing, floors and furniture, the non-shedding cat breeds are well worth considering. How long do Russian Blue cats live? Russian Blue cats are pretty long-living cats. So much so, many Russian Blues live until they are between 15–20 years of age with the right care. According to Dr MacMillan, if you want to increase the chances of your cat having a long and healthy life, then there are several things you can do. 'Make sure they are receiving the correct amount of a good quality diet, appropriate for their age and lifestyle,' the vet notes. 'Also monitor their weight closely, as cats that are overweight or obese can have significantly shorter life spans." Thirdly, Dr MacMillan suggests taking your cat to the vets for routine check-ups and ensuring they have all the recommended vaccinations. 'This will keep them safe from potentially fatal diseases,' she says. While regular anti-parasite treatment, like the best flea treatments for cats, will also help to keep them healthy, as will regular preventative oral care. How much grooming does a Russian Blue cat need? If you're considering adopting a Russian Blue, you'll be pleased to know that these cuties have easy grooming requirements. 'Their short coat only needs brushing once a week to remove any loose hairs,' Dr MacMillan says. 'I also recommend introducing regular oral care from an early age. Many cats will tolerate gentle toothbrushing with cat-safe toothpaste, if you encourage this with positive reinforcement training.' As Dr MacMillan says, to help keep cat teeth clean, it's important to get into a good teethbrushing routine. It's also well worth learning how to brush your cat's teeth, so that you can avoid dental disease, like stomatitis and gingivitis, and boost your cat's longevity and quality of life. How much exercise does a Russian Blue cat need? Russian Blues have moderate exercise needs and are not as demanding as some other cat breeds, like an Abyssinian, Bengal or Siamese, which are all high-energy cat breeds that will want to play with you all the time. 'Around 30 minutes of activity a day should be enough to keep them happy,' Dr MacMillan says. So, if you plan on bringing a Russian Blue home, the best cat toys and the best automated cat toys will help keep your kitty entertained. Wisdom Panel Cat DNA Test | Amazon Not sure exactly what breed your cat is? This kit screens for 70+ breeds, 45 genetic health insights and 25+ physical traits – because knowing every detail about your cat helps you understand how best to care for them. View Deal Russian Blue health problems Dental disease is common in many cats and Russian Blues are no different because dental issues in cats often go unnoticed. 'Excessive tartar buildup and gum inflammation can lead to tooth loss,' explains Dr MacMillan. 'That is why preventative oral care is so important.' Obesity is another health condition common in Russian Blues, as it can be hard to say no to those cute little faces! 'However, obesity is linked to an increased risk of other ailments like diabetes, joint disease, and cancer,' Dr MacMillan highlights. 'Owners must weigh their pet's food out carefully and keep an eye on their cat's body condition, to ensure they don't put on any extra pounds.' As with many pedigree breeds, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can be a problem for Russian Blues. 'This condition causes thickening of the muscular heart walls,' the vet explains. 'This affects the heart's ability to effectively pump blood around the body. Heart failure can occur, as well as blood clots and sudden death.' Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is an inherited condition so purchasing your kitten from a reputable breeder who has screened their cats will reduce the risk. Asthma in cats isn't uncommon and it's a respiratory condition that can affect this breed. 'In affected cats, the body overreacts to inhaled allergens leading to inflammation and constriction of the airways,' Dr MacMillan says. 'Asthmatic cats can have breathing difficulties, wheezing, and start open-mouth breathing.' If any of these symptoms occur, owners must seek urgent help from a vet if their cat is showing any signs of asthma. 'Reducing things like cigarette smoke, air fresheners and scented candles in the environment can help ease symptoms, but many cats will require long-term medication too,' Dr MacMillan adds. How much does a Russian Blue cost? Russian Blues are pretty expensive cats. Costing anywhere between $1,400–3,800, their distinct appearance and pleasing personality traits make them particularly desirable – and therefore on the pricier side. This is around the same price tag as a Bengal or Savannah cat. Though Russian Blues aren't considered to be one of the rarest cat breeds in the US, they aren't your everyday cat you might come across. Should I get a Russian Blue? That depends. The long-living Russian Blues are sweet-natured kitties who thrive in human company. These cats are a relatively quiet breed and can get a bit scared by noisy children, bouncy dogs, or strangers. This is why Dr MacMillan suggests they would be best suited to a peaceful household, perhaps an elderly owner or a family with calmer, older children. Due to the fact Russian Blues produce less Fel d1 protein in their saliva and urine than many other breed and shed minimally, this breed might also suit allergy sufferers or those who don't want to spend all day picking up after their kitty. Although they enjoy playing, they also like a bit of alone time and will often take themselves off for a nap. 'They are usually content being left for short periods too, if you need to head out for a bit,' Dr MacMillan adds. Russian Blue Cats As Pets | Amazon This book covers the ideal habitat, food, shedding, feeding, diet and diseases – all specific to Russian Blues – and is written to help to those who desire advice and a better understanding for their new or existing Deal Read next: Facts about Russian blue cats Edited by Georgia Guerin. Solve the daily Crossword
The Sun
17-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Vladimir Putin expands nuclear missile base after test at frozen site killed five in horror radiation leak disaster
VLADIMIR Putin has expanded one of his nuclear weapons bases with new secured structures that could be used as missile launchpads. Bombshell satellite images show construction work inside the strictly controlled military site of Nenoksa - where five people were killed after a nuclear-powered missile exploded at the testing site. 8 8 8 Three new facilities - each the size of a football field - can be seen at the centre of the naval testing site. They have been constructed near a railway line that is thought to bring missiles and testing gear into Nenoksa. The area, which before 2023 was forest, is now surrounded by double-barbed wire fences. The entire compound, located some 40 miles west of Arkhangelsk in northern Russia, is thought to be more than 61,000 square meters wide - and is heavily fortified. Construction at the Russian military site is thought to have begun in 2023, according to the Barents Observer, which has been tracking all its activities. Several big containers, reportedly used to store missiles, can be seen in the pictures. A dedicated launch pad with two missile containers can be seen in the centre. Both launchers are directed towards the White Sea, the latest Google Earth images show. Similar blue launcher containers can also be seen in other test facilities for missiles in Russia. This includes the Kapustin Yar in the Astrakhan region and recent years, at Pankovo at Novaya Zemlya in the Arctic. Chernobyl 2.0: Putin's drone strike has exposed a NEW PROBLEM The latter has been used by Rosatom for testing the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile under development. Another launch area is located by the shore in the northwest outskirts of the Nenoksa test range seems to still be active. There is no public information available revealing what kind of missile tests will take place at the new constructions that can be seen on the latest satellite images. In 2019, five Rosatom experts were killed after they were exposed to radiation at the Nenoksa site. American nuke experts saod the testing of a Russian nuclear cruise missile was to blame for a huge explosion at a military site. Russia's state nuclear agency confirmed the deaths were caused by a blast, which left a further three people injured and sparked radiation fears. The accident happened while testing 'isotopic power sources in a liquid propulsion system', state nuclear agency Rosatom said in a statement. But US experts claim Rosatom may have been testing an experimental nuclear-powered cruise missile, which Vladimir Putin last year claimed to be 'invincible against all existing and prospective' defence systems. 8 8 8 Russian officials initially tried to play down the radiation leak, saying the levels were normal. But a spokeswoman for Severodvinsk, a city close to the test site, said in a statement that a "short-term" spike in background radiation was recorded at noon Thursday. In separate interviews, two experts said that a liquid rocket propellant explosion would not release radiation. They said the explosion and radiation release could have resulted from a mishap during the testing of a nuclear-powered cruise missile at a facility outside the village of Nyonoksa. Neither the Defence Ministry nor Rosatom have identified the type of weapon that exploded during the test. But Rosatom's statement said the explosion occurred during tests of a "nuclear isotope power source," which led observers to conclude it was the "Burevestnik" or "Storm Petrel," a nuclear-powered cruise missile. NATO has code-named the missile "Skyfall." The missile was first revealed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in his 2018 state-of-the-nation address, along with other doomsday weapons. Ankit Panda, an adjunct senior fellow with the Federation of American Scientists, said: "Liquid fuel missile engines exploding do not give off radiation, and we know that the Russians are working on some kind of nuclear propulsion for a cruise missile." Arkhangelsk is a city in the north-east of Russia and was once the country's main seaport until 1703. 8 8
Al Jazeera
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Russia stalls ceasefire talks as it intensifies attacks on Ukraine
Russia has added new conditions for a ceasefire to a litany of existing ones, prompting United States President Donald Trump to threaten new sanctions against Russian oil. Visiting Russia's newest nuclear submarine, the Arkhangelsk, on March 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin said a temporary administration should be installed in Ukraine to lead the country to elections. Russian officials have been trying to discredit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy since negotiations began in February, in an apparent effort to undermine Ukraine's position. For example, the Kremlin continued to accuse Ukraine of breaking a ceasefire on energy infrastructure, which Moscow proposed on March 18 and Kyiv has not agreed to. Russian and Ukrainian technical teams have failed to nail down what would be protected under the deal. On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he would give his US counterpart a list of energy facilities struck by Ukraine 'so that they can present concrete evidence about what the word of the current Ukrainian authorities is worth, if you can call them authorities at all'. A day later, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted Ukraine had not actually agreed to the moratorium. There were many other Russian objections in the ceasefire talks. Sergey Ryabkov, the Russian deputy foreign minister, told an interviewer on Tuesday that the US-led talks 'leave no room for Russia's core demand' to address 'the root causes of this conflict' which officials in Moscow have defined as reversing NATO's eastward expansion and the treatment of Russian minorities in Ukraine. Russia also objects to peacekeepers enforcing any ceasefire. Russian ambassador at large Rodion Miroshnik told an academic conference in Armenia on Wednesday that Russia saw any European force in Ukraine as 'a blatant occupation of Ukraine by Europe'. The European Union has proposed putting a peacekeeping force in place after a peace agreement is signed. Trump began to show his first signs of impatience with the Russian position on Sunday, telling NBC in a phone call he was 'angry and p****d off' with Putin and that he might place a '25 to 50-point tariff on all [Russian] oil' within the next month and sanction companies that buy it. It was unclear what the relevance of such tariffs would be. Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, banned all imports of Russian oil to the US in 2022. Trump's impatience came on the day he played golf with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who told him a deadline was necessary to make a ceasefire happen. 'April 20 would be a good time for a full ceasefire without any conditions … because a deadline is needed, because it is Easter and because President Donald Trump will have been in office for three months,' Stubb later told reporters. Trump did not adopt Stubb's suggestion, telling reporters on Monday the deadline was 'psychological … If I think they're tapping us along I will not be happy about it,' he said on board Air Force One. Asked if he thought Putin was stalling, he said, 'I don't know. I don't think so. I think he wants to make a deal.' The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) suggested Putin was not likely to reach a quick ceasefire. ODNI's 2025 Annual Threat Assessment on Thursday said Putin 'appears resolved and prepared to pay a very high price to prevail in what he sees as a defining time in Russia's strategic competition with the United States, world history, and his personal legacy'. Ukraine's Ministry of Defence said Russia increased its assaults along the front line even as it negotiated a ceasefire. Combat clashes numbered 4,270 in March compared with 3,274 in February, it said. Russia was also not relaxing its use of glide bombs – some 10,577 have been used in the first three months of the year. All of last year, 40,000 were used, the ministry said. Russian forces may have seized the village of Novolyubivka near Lyman on Tuesday. Their long-range aerial attacks also continued unabated throughout the week. Russia launched 172 drones against Ukraine on March 29, of which 94 were shot down and 69 disoriented using electronic jamming. Several drones struck high-rise apartment blocks in Dnipro, setting at least a dozen houses alight. Four people were reported killed and 21 injured. Zelenskyy in his evening address said drones hit houses and a hospital in Kharkiv, injuring 55 people, including five children. German magazine Bild said Russia was improving its tactics by grouping drones in loitering formations at high altitudes before sending them all to strike a target at once. Russia sent 111 drones to strike a military hospital and civilian infrastructure in Kharkiv city on Sunday morning. Ukraine downed 65 and disoriented 34. Six Shahed drones also hit civilian properties in the Kharkiv region, causing several injuries. 'The geography and brutality of Russian strikes, not just occasionally, but literally every day and night, show that Putin couldn't care less about diplomacy,' Zelenskyy said in his evening address on Sunday. 'For several weeks now, there has been a US proposal for an unconditional ceasefire. And almost every day, in response to this proposal, there are Russian drones, bombs, artillery shelling and ballistic strikes. Russia deserves increased pressure.' But Russian strikes continued, hurting civilians. On Wednesday a Russian missile injured 17 civilians including a child in Kryvyi Rih, part of an overnight attack of 74 Shahed drones, of which 41 were shot down and 20 disoriented, said the Ukrainian Air Force. The air force said it shot down more drones the following night. Only in the Black Sea did Russia seem to show any real will for a ceasefire. Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk said though there was no official ceasefire, in practice, Russian forces were not attacking Ukrainian ports, and the Black Sea Fleet remained in the eastern part of the Black Sea. Ukraine said it made advances in recruitment and training in the past months. Commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskii said improved training showed results in March. 'We have … increased the duration [of training] to 1.5 months, introduced a mandatory adaptive period for newcomers to combat brigades, and this is yielding positive results,' he wrote on social media on Monday. 'This month we recorded a decrease in losses compared to the previous ones.' Conscription is mandatory for Ukrainian males aged 25 and older. This year, Zelenskyy launched voluntary conscription for those aged 18-24. Last month Ukraine's Defence Ministry increased the number of brigades accepting such volunteers from six to 16, expanding recruitment from land forces to naval, airborne and unmanned units. This week, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said the 18-24 volunteer law had been amended to allow recruits to the National Guard and State Border Service in addition to the armed forces. Ukraine's Defence Ministry said 884 people volunteered to join the armed forces in March, versus 9,765 for the entire war, suggesting volunteer recruitment rates were climbing. The Harpies, a volunteer unit operating unmanned vehicles, targets women, and last week advertised itself as 'an environment for women who seek revenge on the enemy, to protect their children, families and the state'. 'The unit also involves men, but the role of pilots delivering the final blow will be performed exclusively by women,' it said. Convicts are also playing a role. Ukrinform, the Ukrainian armed forces information service, said 8,000 former convicts had joined the armed forces and 900 applications were in process. Parole was approved in the May 2024 law that lowered the compulsory conscription age to 25. Ukraine has been designing its own weapons to boost autonomy, speed up construction, lower costs and allow their unrestricted use. This week the Defence Ministry reported it approved 350 new weapons for use so far this year, 87 percent of them domestically produced, compared with fewer than half of the 100 or so models approved last year. Europe continued to provide Ukraine with generous weapons support. Zelenskyy met German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in Kyiv on Tuesday and thanked her for a new 3bn-euro ($3.3bn) military aid package, bringing Germany's 2025 total to 7bn euros ($7.7bn) and war total to 43bn euros ($47.4bn). The Netherlands on Monday said it was releasing a 500m-euro ($550m) tranche to help drone operations better integrate with ground operations. Sweden announced a $1.6bn aid package to improve Ukraine's air defence, artillery, satellite communications and naval capabilities. The United Kingdom and France said on Wednesday they would chair a meeting of countries contributing peacekeepers at NATO headquarters on April 10. The UK and Germany, meanwhile, plan to chair a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group providing weapons to Ukraine the following day. It will be the second Ramstein meeting not attended by the US, which has adopted a neutral stance. Asked whether Europe was willing to enter a dialogue with Putin, Kremlin spokesman Peskov said on Thursday, 'There have been no signals yet.'
