Latest news with #Ural
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Explosions, evacuation, road closures: Ukraine's intelligence conducts special operation in Russia's Vladivostok
Two powerful explosions occurred near Desantnaya Bay in the Russian city of Vladivostok, located in the Far East, on the morning of 30 May. Ukrainska Pravda sources have reported that the blasts were the result of a successful operation by Defence Intelligence of Ukraine. Source: Ukrainska Pravda sources in special services Details: At least two explosions were reported in the area where the 47th Separate Air Assault Battalion of the 155th Separate Guards Marine Brigade (military unit No. 30926) is stationed. One blast occurred near a checkpoint and the other at a location where personnel and command staff of the unit were present. Military personnel, equipment and special assets were hit. Local residents stated that at least ten ambulances and a medical evacuation helicopter arrived at the scene. Damaged equipment is being removed from the military site in military Ural trucks. In contrast, regional authorities claimed the incident was caused by the explosion of two gas cylinders, asserting that "no one was injured". A counter-terrorist operation regime has been declared in Vladivostok. The area around the military site has been sealed off. The road between Lazurnaya Bay and the village of Shchitovaya has been closed. The 155th Marine Brigade has been actively involved in combat operations against Ukraine, including documented participation in the battles in Mariupol, Vuhledar and Russia's Kursk Oblast. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Ya Libnan
20-05-2025
- Business
- Ya Libnan
Russia's worst-kept secret is Putin's greatest weakness
Ravil Maganov ( R) , the chairman of Russia's second-largest oil producer Lukoil and critic of president Putin's(L) war on Ukraine 'died after falling from his hospital window (R) ' . At least six other Russian businessmen, most with ties to the energy industry, have died suddenly in unclear circumstances in the past few months, since the invasion of Ukraine, Sept 2, 2022 By : KEITH KOHL Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. So what happens when you're fooled 16 times? Well, for Europe it looks like the 17th time may in fact be the charm… At least, we can only hope. Ever since Russian tanks started rolling across the Ukrainian border, the world has been desperately trying to find the sanction formula that would bring Putin to heel. The first EU package of sanctions targeted against Russia came in February of 2022, when they levied sanctions against 351 members of the State Duma, and 27 other individuals placed economic restrictions on non-government controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk, as well as restrictions on Russia's access to capital and financial markets. Two days later, the EU enacted its second package, which froze Putin and a few high-ranking officials' assets. Noticeably absent from the early round of sanctions was any decisive measures against Russia's oil and gas exports. In fact, it took roughly ten months until the EU imposed its first ban on Russian oil imports. Still, Putin persisted. 'What about natural gas?' you ask. Don't worry, the EU didn't specifically target Russian gas until mid-2024 because member countries like Germany were still buying a huge amount of it to keep the heat on in the winter. Yet, even when the EU DID go after Russian gas, it was only LNG. The plan to ban pipeline gas from Russia won't be officially decided on until next month, when the EU commission will propose legal measures to ban Russian pipeline gas by the end of 2027 — plenty of time for Putin to draw out the war and get an edge in peace negotiations. That is, he'll gain the edge WHEN he actually attends those peace talks. He was conspicuously absent from last week's negotiations, which is a little odd since he was the one that suggested them in the first place! Now here's the rub… Up until this point, those 16 EU sanction packages accomplished nothing except to move Russian oil exports off the books and onto a vast shadow tanker fleet that sold all of those Ural and ESPO barrels to China and India at steep discount. Even the G7 price capped placed on legit barrels exported out of Russia did nothing more than establish a floor for global crude prices; many of Russia's buyers weren't abiding by the price cap anyway! Late last week we got wind of the newest sanctions package from the EU. This time, the EU is looking to punish Putin for his absence at his own peace talks in Turkey by going after nearly 200 tankers in the shadow fleet that is being used to ship Russian crude on the black market. Better late than never I guess. You see, Russia's greatest weakness is its energy exports, which play a significant role for Putin's budget and the country's GDP. Back in 2022, Russian oil and gas exports accounted for almost 30% of its GDP. If you successfully take those revenues off the table — which in fairness has been happening, albeit slowly — then you'll force Putin to the table. Last month, Russia's fuel export revenue fell by 6% over March levels. Meanwhile, revenues from seaborne oil exports dropped 14% over the same period. Russia's oil exports are now at their lowest point in nearly two years. Couple that with dirt cheap oil prices, and it's not surprising that the country's energy export revenues are projected to be slashed by one-quarter this year. But hey, the 17th time really is the charm, right? Maybe. Until next time, ENERGY AND CAPITAL
Russia Today
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Russia Today
185 years of Tchaikovsky: Honoring the composer who gave the world its most iconic ballets
Thanks to 'The Nutcracker', this Russian composer gifted the world some of its most beloved Christmas melodies. His 'Swan Lake' became an unexpected symbol of the 1991 August Coup that signaled the Soviet Union's collapse. His ballets packed theaters when impresario Sergey Diaghilev, who brought Russian ballet to the world stage, introduced them to Western audiences. And even those who know little about classical music instantly recognize the stirring opening chords of his 'Piano Concerto No. 1'. A socialite who struggled against his own inclinations, a man of deep sensitivity known to friends as having a 'glass soul,' he also composed some of the most significant sacred music in the Russian Orthodox tradition. We're talking, of course, about Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Discover the life, work, and personal trials of Russia's most celebrated composer in this RT feature. A child of the Empire Many great composers seemed destined for music from birth – Beethoven's father sang at court, Mozart's was a deputy kapellmeister. These prodigies grew up in refined, aristocratic homes. Pyotr Tchaikovsky's story, however, took a different path. Born in 1840 in the industrial town of Votkinsk in the Ural region, Tchaikovsky came from a family rooted in the Russian Empire's rising professional class. His father, Ilya Tchaikovsky, managed an ironworks – one of the Empire's most advanced metallurgical plants. On his father's side, Pyotr's family traced its roots to the Cossacks of Little Russia (modern-day Ukraine), who had served Russia faithfully since the 17th century. During the Great Northern War, his ancestor, Colonel Fyodor Chaika, sided with Tsar Peter I against Hetman Ivan Mazepa's betrayal. After the Battle of Poltava, the family eventually adopted the surname Tchaikovsky and joined the Russian nobility. His mother's family added Western European flair. French sculptors and Austrian officers – including Michael Heinrich Maximilian Assier, who became Andrey Mikhailovich Assier upon settling in Russia – rounded out the family tree. Assier rose to the rank of active state counselor, equivalent to a major general. From an early age, music filled Tchaikovsky's home. His father played flute, his mother played harp and piano, and the family owned a grand piano and a mechanical organ known as an orchestrion. Through it, young Pyotr first encountered Mozart's 'Don Giovanni', leaving a lasting impression. His earliest music teacher was Maria Palchikova, a former serf who had taught herself to read and play music. He also absorbed French cultural influence from Fanny Dürbach, a governess brought from St. Petersburg. This blend of European classical training and authentic Russian heritage shaped his artistic vision. Even as a child, Tchaikovsky showed a deep emotional connection to music. He once became so engrossed while tapping rhythms on a window frame that he broke the glass and severely cut his hand. 'In daily life, people were drawn to him because they could feel how deeply he cared,' recalled his brother Modest. 'He was so sensitive that the slightest thing could hurt him. He was like a child made of glass.' This emotional intensity would later complicate his life – but it also fueled his extraordinary creativity. From bureaucrat to composer Ilya Tchaikovsky envisioned a stable career for his son in law or government. At age ten, Pyotr entered St. Petersburg's prestigious Imperial School of Jurisprudence. Though the school's rigid discipline made him feel isolated, Tchaikovsky quickly earned the affection of teachers and classmates. Remarkably, he avoided both corporal punishment and bullying – no small feat in that era. Even in a school focused on legal studies, his love of music persisted, though his talents weren't immediately obvious. While clearly more musically inclined than his peers, no one yet foresaw the heights he would reach. At 19, after graduating, he landed a civil service job at the Ministry of Finance – a respectable, if uninspired, start to his career. But the lure of St. Petersburg's vibrant intellectual and social scene soon proved irresistible. He befriended future poets, writers, and critics, attended salons, banquets, and musical soirées, and embraced a hedonistic lifestyle. 'I, a sickly man with neurosis, cannot live without the poison of alcohol. Every night I find myself drunk,' he later confessed. Along with mounting debts, this lifestyle clashed with his government duties. At 21, he enrolled in music classes offered by the Russian Musical Society, which soon became the St. Petersburg Conservatory. He was among the first composition students. When he abandoned his bureaucratic post, no one in the office seemed to notice. 'He simply stopped showing up.' The greatest musical talent in Russia At the conservatory, the now mature Tchaikovsky finally began to realize his full potential. He composed his first significant works: a cantata based on Schiller's 'Ode to Joy' and the overture 'The Storm', inspired by Ostrovsky's play. These works revealed his ability to draw equally from Western and Russian musical traditions. While artistic circles can be competitive, Tchaikovsky inspired admiration rather than jealousy. His classmate – and future critic – Herman Laroche declared, 'You are the greatest musical talent in contemporary Russia. In fact, you're our only hope for the future of Russian music.' Graduating with the conservatory's top honor, the grand silver medal, Tchaikovsky soon moved to Moscow to teach at the conservatory there. During the late 1860s and early 1870s, he composed the 'Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture', which a biographer described as revealing the main themes of his future work: the psychological drama of unfulfilled love, youthful passion, and the omnipresent shadow of death. He also embraced Russian history and folk culture, which shone through in his opera 'The Oprichnik', set during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. Premiered at the Mariinsky and Bolshoi Theaters, the opera was, in Tchaikovsky's words, 'a triumph beyond anything I could have imagined. A huge crowd of students escorted me back to my hotel.' Not all his works were instant hits. The now-iconic 'Swan Lake' struggled at first and only gained worldwide acclaim after his death. Triumph and turmoil By the 1870s and 1880s, Tchaikovsky's fame had soared. His concerts sold out. For his '1812 Overture', celebrating Russia's victory over Napoleon, Emperor Alexander III awarded him an order of merit and helped him clear his debts. He toured Europe, receiving praise from luminaries like Wagner and Liszt, and traveled to the United States, where he conducted at Carnegie Hall's grand opening. By then, he had composed all the operas, ballets, and symphonies that would become his lasting legacy. Yet personal happiness eluded him. His engagement to Belgian soprano Désirée Artôt, a frequent performer in Russia, ended due to her family's objections. Heartbroken, he poured his emotions into 'Romance', Op. 5, for piano. At 37, he married Antonina Milyukova, a former student. Though she adored him, their marriage quickly soured. Just three months in, he fled to Switzerland. Though they never divorced, they lived apart for the rest of his life. Speculation about Tchaikovsky's homosexuality persists. While he had close relationships with prominent homosexual figures and young male students, serious biographers suggest his attachments were largely aesthetic and intellectual. In his letters, he often lamented his inclinations and struggled to repress them. Finding solace in faith The turbulence of his personal life took a toll on this man with the 'glass soul.' But in his 30s, Tchaikovsky found solace in Orthodox Christianity. Though indifferent to religion in his youth, by the 1870s and 1880s he had turned to faith for comfort. He studied the Gospels and became deeply engaged with Orthodox church music. Religious themes began to surface in his compositions. In his 'Sixth Symphony', the hymn 'With the Saints Give Rest' foreshadows death. The 1812 Overture features the troparion 'Save, O Lord, Your people and bless Your inheritance.' He also composed music for major liturgies, including the 'Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom' and the 'All-Night Vigil'. Metropolitan Ilarion observed, 'He was not just a believer but was deeply rooted in the Orthodox Church. The beauty and profound poetry of Orthodox worship always drew him.' Tchaikovsky himself once said, 'My love for Orthodoxy is tied directly to my deep affection for the Russian spirit.' A legacy beyond time Tchaikovsky died suddenly at age 53 during a cholera outbreak in St. Petersburg. His death shocked the nation. The emperor placed the Imperial Theaters in charge of his funeral and paid the expenses himself. The requiem Mass at Kazan Cathedral was so crowded that many mourners couldn't even get inside. Tchaikovsky's life shows that it's never too late to follow your true calling, that the path to greatness is rarely smooth, and that passion and hardship often go hand in hand with genius. His body of work – blending Western European influences with the soul of Russian Orthodox culture – created masterpieces that still captivate audiences worldwide. Today, ballets like 'The Nutcracker', 'Swan Lake', and 'Sleeping Beauty' are staples of every major opera house. Immune to politics or sanctions, these timeless classics stir emotions ranging from bittersweet nostalgia to warmth and inspiration. So, when you hear the 'Waltz of the Flowers' from 'The Nutcracker' drifting through city streets on Christmas Eve, remember the brilliant Russian composer who gave the world such beauty – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
How Rain-Sensing Wipers Know It's Raining Before You Do
Cars are packed to the gunwales these days with sensors, hand-holding driver-assist systems, and various arcane doodads that serve to isolate the driver from the actual physical act of driving. The more money you spend the less you have to be present, and you end up with systems that dim your headlights automatically, adjust your cruising speed, and even keep you in your lane as you drive. Feels kinda excessive to me, but then again, I consider anything made since the 1990s a "new" car, and mostly commute on either Ural sidecar rigs or 50-year-old Japanese bikes. Not a lot of driver-assist systems on a Yamaha XS850, unless you count the self-canceling turn signals. Ah, but I digress. It's not all bad. One modern, high-tech doohickey that's actually cool and useful are rain-sensing wipers. It is kinda nice to just set your wiper stalk to the automatic position and let the sensors do the math of figuring out when to turn them on and at what speed to set them. As much as I love my 2022 Kia Soul, I do spend a lot of time when it's raining dicking around with the right-hand control stalk trying to find the right speed for the intermittent wipers. It'd be nice to just push a button and have a little computer do it for me. Not even I am immune to convenience. How do they work, though? How do rain-sensing wipers actually, you know, sense the rain? Sorcery? Machine telepathy? A tiny faerie sitting behind your rearview mirror looking out for rain? Let's find out. Read more: GM Hopes A Clutch Pedal Is Enough To Make Enthusiasts Buy EVs Rain-sensing wipers have been around, in one form or another, since the 1960s. Based on technologies developed for the aviation industry — and primitive rain-sensing technology showcased in GM's 1951 LeSabre concept — early systems used a variety of mad science and trickery to sense when rain was in the air. In the late '60s, Ford engineers figured out how to use windshield-mounted conductive assemblies to sense rain. Japan's Denso was also tinkering with automatic wipers, patenting their own in 1968. Citroën unveiled (probably) the first mass-produced rain-sensing wipers on its high-tech SM halo car in 1970. This system used an absurdly complicated system — very on-brand for the SM, honestly — that monitored the wiper motor's current draw. If the wipers were running and the motor was drawing a lot of power, say when the windshield was dry and there was more resistance as the wipers moved across the glass, the wiper system would park the wipers for a set amount of time. As the wipers were parked, rain would build up on the windshield which allowed for smoother operation once the wipers kicked back in. Other systems followed over the next two decades, with a real standout patented by Nissan in the early '80s. It wasn't until the mid '90s, however, when we got the first truly modern rain sensing system. GM unveiled its "Rainsense" automatic wipers in 1996 on that year's Cadillac STS, Eldorado, and DeVille. It used a simple system wherein a tiny module mounted behind the rearview mirror shone infrared LEDs through the windshield then measured the degree of refraction. If there was no water on the windshield, all the light reflected back to the sensor and all was good. No need for the wipers. If there was rain on the windshield, less light would be bounced back and the sensor would know something was up. Something moist. Using a bunch of fancy math, the system calculated how much water was on the windshield based on the refraction, then turned the wipers on and adjusted them accordingly as long as it was raining and the auto system was engaged. Pretty clever stuff. Rainsense quickly spread from Cadillacs to Buicks and on down The General's food chain until even humble Chevys were equipped with it. Nowadays, nearly every marque has its own style of rain-sensing wiper, the majority of which are based on the same technology that underpins GM's Rainsense system. Just a couple of IR lights, a sensor, and a little computer that's good at physics and a driver never has to adjust or even turn on their wipers ever again. Pretty cool, if you ask me. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukrainian drones destroy Russian Smerch-2 rocket launcher in Donetsk Oblast
Soldiers of the 63rd Separate Mechanized Brigade, part of the Steel Lions unit, shared footage on Feb. 11 showing a rare Russian Smerch-2 anti-submarine rocket launcher being destroyed by drones in the Lyman sector of the front line in Donetsk Oblast. Drones have played a pivotal role for both Ukraine and Russia throughout the full-scale invasion, used extensively for reconnaissance and combat operations. According to the brigade's statement, Russian forces had mounted a Smerch-2 anti-submarine rocket launcher on a Ural vehicle and concealed it in the forests of the Lyman sector before it was targeted and destroyed. 0:00 / 1× Ukraine has developed and deployed a wide range of aerial, naval, and ground-based drones for battlefield operations. Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said Kyiv delivered more than 200,000 domestically produced drones to front-line units in December alone. The Smerch-2 is a Soviet-era rocket and bomb launcher designed to destroy submarines and attack torpedoes. It features a stationary installation with 12 radially arranged 213 mm caliber barrels and was adopted by the Soviet Navy in 1961. Read also: Russian troops overrun Kurakhove, approach Pokrovsk east, south, and southwest We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
