Latest news with #SaintPetersburg
Associated Press
5 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Atomic Capital Completes Sale of UFirst, a Leading Children's Education Network in Russia
05/28/2025, Saint Petersburg // KISS PR Brand Story PressWire // Atomic Capital has successfully advised on the sale of 100% of UFirst, a leading provider in the Russian children's education sector. Previously UFirst, formerly part of the international education group English First (EF), was acquired and developed by its local management team. Today, the network encompasses 15 educational centers across Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Novosibirsk, delivering a broad portfolio of programs including English and Chinese language courses, coding, exam preparation, and MBA tracks designed specifically for children and teenagers. The Russian market continues to demonstrate strong investment appeal for international companies. Despite the challenging global landscape, Russia remains one of the most promising destinations for foreign investors and strategic partners, providing unique opportunities for business growth, new project implementation, and efficient capital allocation. Atomic Capital brings extensive experience and expertise in facilitating complex deals involving international companies – acting both on behalf of buyers and sellers. The company supports clients entering or exiting the Russian market, helps optimize market entry and exit strategies, and provides comprehensive financial and legal advisory services at every stage of the deal, ensuring a high degree of transparency and efficiency in all processes. Atomic Capital regularly partners with international companies – both those seeking to enter or expand their business presence in Russia and those considering the sale of their Russian assets. The company delivers a high level of support at every stage and is committed to achieving the best possible outcomes for all parties involved. 'We believe that the role of a professional financial adviser in M&A goes far beyond the deal itself – it is about creating long-term value for all stakeholders. We are grateful to all parties for their high level of engagement and professionalism. This project is the result of coordinated effort and mutual trust,' said Alexander Zaitsev, CEO of Atomic Capital. Atomic Capital invites companies from all over the world to collaborate in the Russian market and guarantees a personalized approach, transparency, and a consistently high standard of service for every project. Original Source of the original story >> Atomic Capital Completes Sale of UFirst, a Leading Children's Education Network in Russia
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Strategic microelectronics plant on fire in Russia's St Petersburg
A fire broke out at the Avangard plant in the Russian city of St Petersburg on the night of 28-29 May. The plant specialises in microelectronics production and is classified as a company of strategic importance in Russia. Source: Russian Telegram channels citing eyewitnesses; local emergency services Details: Reports indicated the fire had started at around 01:00 in the areas of the plant where microchips were manufactured and assembled. According to Russian Telegram channel SHOT, a large column of thick black smoke rose above the site of the fire. The flames covered an area of about 100 sq m. "Firefighters are extinguishing a fire in a production building at 72 Kondratyevsky Prospect. There is a fire covering an area of 100 square metres on the fourth floor of the six-storey building," the Ministry of Emergency Situations in Saint Petersburg stated. The Piterskaya Khronika and SHOT Telegram channels, citing eyewitnesses, also reported loud explosions that occurred before the fire. However, there have been no official reports of a drone attack. For reference: The Avangard plant, where the fire occurred, is a large research and production facility. It manufactures radio electronics, microchip products, instruments and basic structures for radio-electronic equipment. The plant is designated as a Federal Scientific and Production Centre and is included in the list of Russia's strategic and systemically important businesses. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
South China Morning Post
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Yuri Grigorovich, patriarch of Russian ballet whose career spanned 8 decades, dies aged 98
Legendary Russian ballet dancer and choreographer Yuri Grigorovich has died aged 98. Advertisement Born in the Soviet city of Leningrad to a ballet family, Grigorovich's career – as a dancer, then choreographer – spanned 80 years. He was for three decades the lead choreographer at Moscow's famed Bolshoi Theatre and its artistic powerhouse, running it with an iron fist, it was said. 'Yuri Grigorovich, one of the key figures in the world of ballet in the second half of the 20th century, has died,' the Bolshoi said on social media. Russian ballerina Natalia Bessmertnova during a rehearsal at the Bolshoi Theatre in 2008 with her husband, choreographer Yuri Grigorovich, who has died aged 98. Photo: AFP 'An entire era has come to an end,' Saint Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre, where he started his career, posted online. Advertisement Grigorovich made his name staging classics such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and The Stone Flower. The latter was his most famous piece, based on a series of folk tales from the Ural Mountains accompanied by composer Sergei Prokofiev's music.
The Independent
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
Israeli-born, Russia-raised Indy 500 pole winner Robert Shwartzman calls for peace around the world
Israeli-born IndyCar driver Robert Shwartzman used his platform after a stunning pole-winning run for the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday to call for peace both in the nation where he was born and Russia, where he was largely raised and under whose banner he drove until its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Making his debut in the 'The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,' the 25-year-old Shwartzman's four-lap average of 232.790 mph beat out a host of open-wheel racing's biggest stars to earn the first spot on the starting grid for the May 25 race. Then, he made an impassioned plea for peace in the Middle East, where Israel has been at war with Hamas-led Palestinian groups since 2023, and Eastern Europe, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with top U.S. officials Sunday ahead of a phone call Monday between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed at ending their war. 'I just want peace in the world,' Shwartzman said. 'I want people to be good, and I don't want the separation of countries, saying, 'This is bad country. This is good country.' There is no bad or good. We're all human beings, and we just have to support each other. We need to find ways to, let's say, negotiate things. Find ways to agree on things, you know? Because from my experience, there is always, you know, a gold medal, I'm calling it — like, there's always the right path.' Shwartzman was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, and raised in Saint Petersburg, Russia. He began racing go-karts when he was 4 years old, and eventually, his budding career in motorsports took him to Italy and elsewhere in Europe. He's a former member of the Ferrari Driver Academy and served as a Formula 1 reserve driver until just last year. In November, he was hired by Italy-based Prema Racing as one of two drivers for its nascent IndyCar program. He'd never raced on an oval before arriving at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where speeds can reach up to 240 mph on the straightaways, and he was considered an afterthought to qualify anywhere near the front of the prestigious Indy 500. Shwartzman was surprised by the raucous cheer he received upon winning the pole — and really, the reception he has had among American racing fans throughout the month — given the way he was treated by many fans in Europe. 'Here, I feel really good with the fans. In my couple years in Europe, it was a bit more tense for me, I have to admit,' Shwartzman said. 'Some fans supported me but some were against me. There were very tough moments in my life where I didn't do anything bad. I didn't support anything. I generally support people from my country, but all people with respect, and some people were saying bad things just because of where I was born.' Perhaps those experiences were one of the reasons why Shwartzman was so vocal in asking for peace on Sunday. 'I really hope that at the end of the day, everything's going to be good in the world. It's going to be all calm,' he said. 'From my side, I try to just, you know, represent my country and do my best, let people know that I'm here and that I'm giving it all.' ___
RNZ News
09-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Russia and China mark victory in WW2 as Ukraine war grinds on
By Dmitry Antonov and Guy Faulconbridge , Reuters Russian military vehicles move on Dvortsovaya Square during the general rehearsal of the Victory Day military parade in central Saint Petersburg. Photo: Olga Maltseva Russia marks the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II on Friday (local time) with a military parade attended by China's Xi Jinping that Moscow fears Ukraine will try to disrupt after three years of devastating war. President Vladimir Putin, the longest-serving Kremlin chief since Josef Stalin, will speak at a parade where thousands of Russian soldiers usually march by and drive military hardware such as intercontinental ballistic missiles and tanks past Lenin's Mausoleum on Red Square. But the Ukraine war, Europe's deadliest since World War II, haunts this celebration. Ukraine attacked Moscow with drones for several days this week, and Moscow and Kyiv accused each other of breaking a 72-hour ceasefire declared by Putin. The Kremlin said the attendance of Russian allies such as Xi, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and several dozen leaders from the former Soviet Union, Africa, Asia and Latin America shows Russia is not isolated even if Moscow's former WW2 Western allies want to stay away. From Europe, the leaders of Serbia and Slovakia will attend. "The victory over fascism, achieved at the cost of enormous sacrifices, has an everlasting significance," Putin told Xi in the Kremlin. "The countless sacrifices made by both our peoples should never be forgotten." The Soviet Union lost 27 million people in World War Two, including many millions in Ukraine, but pushed Nazi forces back to Berlin, where Adolf Hitler committed suicide and the red Soviet Victory Banner was raised over the Reichstag in 1945. For Russians - and for many of the peoples of the former Soviet Union - 9 May is the most sacred date in the calendar, and Putin, angry at what he says are attempts by the West to belittle the Soviet victory, has sought to use memories of WW2 to unite Russian society. Chinese Communist Party historians say China's casualties in the 1937-1945 Second Sino-Japanese War were 35 million. The Japanese occupation caused the displacement of as many as 100 million Chinese people and significant economic hardship, as well as the horrific 1937 Nanjing Massacre, during which an estimated 100,000 to 300,000 victims were killed. Moscow and Kyiv do not publish accurate casualty numbers for the war in Ukraine, though US President Donald Trump, who said he wants peace, said hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides have been killed and injured. Putin has sought to insulate Moscow from the grinding artillery and drone war being fought 600 km away in Ukraine, though Ukrainian drone attacks have in recent days disrupted air travel to the Russian capital. The Kremlin said the military is doing everything it can to ensure security for the parade next to the Kremlin which Russia said was targeted in 2023 by Ukrainian drones. There were some drone attack warnings announced overnight in some western Russian regions but no reports of attacks on Moscow, which along with the surrounding region has a population of at least 21 million. Security is very tight in Moscow. Putin proposed a 72-hour ceasefire would run on 8, 9 and 10 May, though Ukraine said Russia had broken the ceasefire, a claim dismissed as absurd by Moscow. The Kremlin said military units from 13 countries, including China, will take part in the parade along with Russian troops, though it was unclear how North Korea - which has helped Russia fight in Ukraine - would be represented. In Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on allies to help it resist Russia, which now controls about a fifth of Ukraine. "Evil cannot be appeased. It must be fought," Zelensky said, according to the Kyiv Post. He criticised Moscow's Victory Day parade. "It will be a parade of cynicism. There is just no other way to describe it. A parade of bile and lies." -Reuters
