Latest Russia Headlines
All the headlines from our Russia Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Best Affirms SCHWARZMEER UND OSTSEE (SOVAG) Ratings; Outlook Stable
Jul 16 2012 // A.M. Best Europe Rating Services Limited has affirmed the financial strength rating (FSR) of ‘B++’ (Good) and the issuer credit rating (ICR) of “bbb” of SCHWARZMEER UND OSTSEE...
Russian Lawmakers Ratify WTO Entry
Jul 11 2012 // Russian lawmakers voted on Tuesday to ratify accession to the World Trade Organization, bringing the world’s largest country into the club that sets global trade rules after a tortuous 18-year negotiating...
Death Toll Mounts from Floods in Southern Russia
Jul 9 2012 // The death toll from severe flooding in the Black Sea region of southern Russia has risen to at least 150 [later reports put the number of deaths at more than 170]. Torrential rains dropped more than 28 centimeters (nearly...
Best Special Report on Russia Says ‘Insurance Revolution Begins to Gain Pace’
Jun 26 2012 // A.M. Best ahs issued a special report – “Russia’s Insurance Revolution Begins to Gain Pace,” which notes that “insurance penetration is low, even when including compulsory lines such as...
Ratings Recap: Validus Re, African Re, Arab Orient, Bosna Re, SOGAZ
Jun 21 2012 // A.M. Best Co. has removed from under review with developing implications and affirmed the financial strength rating of ‘A-‘ (Excellent) and issuer credit ratings of “a-” of Bermuda-based Validus Re...
UK Insurer Cancels Coverage on Russian Ship Going to Syria
Jun 20 2012 // A British company said Tuesday it has cancelled insurance for a Russian ship it says was carrying munitions to Syria – a shipment the British government says included refurbished military helicopters. U.K.-based...
Wreckage of Russian Sukhoi Plane Strewn on Indonesian Mountain
May 10 2012 // The wreckage of a Russian Sukhoi aircraft with about 50 people on board was found on Thursday strewn on a steep ridge on a mountain south of the Indonesian capital where it crashed during a demonstration flight. There were...
Business Moves
Apr 16 2012 // Peachtree, Personable Holdings A Florida domiciled auto insurer that provides coverage to 18,000 drivers in the state and Georgia has been acquired by California equity firm looking to enter the non-standard...
Business Moves – Southeast
Apr 16 2012 // Peachtree, Personable Holdings A Florida domiciled auto insurer that provides coverage to 18,000 drivers in the state and Georgia has been acquired by California equity firm looking to enter the non-standard...
Melting Arctic May Redraw Global Geopolitical Map
Apr 3 2012 // This year’s frenzy of oil and gas exploration in newly accessible Arctic waters could be the harbinger of even starker changes to come. If, as many scientists predict, currently inaccessible sea lanes across the top...
Liberty Mutual Acquires KIT Finance, Enters Russian Auto Insurance Market
Mar 29 2012 // Liberty Mutual, one of the largest insurance companies in the world, said it would enter the Russian market with a deal to acquire KIT Finance Insurance, which primarily writes auto coverage in St. Petersburg and...
Freezing European Weather May Last to End of February
Feb 8 2012 // The worst February cold spell Europe has seen in decades may last until the end of the month, leading meteorologists said, raising the prospect of further deaths and an extended spike in European spot gas prices. “We...
Europe Freeze Kills 89; Fears Rise over Russian Gas
Feb 1 2012 // Record-low temperatures in parts of Eastern Europe pushed the death toll from Arctic conditions to at least 89 people on Wednesday, and have forced Russian gas provider Gazprom to warn over supplies to Europe. Europe had...
Arctic Ice Melt Lifts Hopes for Russian Maritime Trade
Jan 27 2012 // When severe snowstorms prevented life-sustaining fuel supplies from reaching the frozen Alaskan town of Nome, U.S. officials turned to a Russian company for help. The relief mission through perilous, ice-choked seas was...
WTO Risks its Future by Keeping Doha Talks Alive
Dec 28 2011 // The 153 members of the World Trade Organization agree on two things: We’re in a hole. And we must keep digging. The hole is the Doha Development Round, a decade-old negotiation that was billed as the next stage of...
Ratings: Transsib Re, Tokio Marine Pacific, MAPFRE Panama, Union Nationale, Sovereign (NZ), Labuan Re, Tugu, ARIG
Dec 22 2011 // A.M. Best Europe – Rating Services Limited has upgraded the issuer credit rating to “bb+” from “bb” and affirmed the financial strength rating of B (Fair) of Russia’s OJSC Transsiberian...
Russian Oil Rig Sinks; More than 50 Feared Dead
Dec 19 2011 // A drilling rig with 67 crew on board capsized and sank off Russia’s far eastern island of Sakhalin on Sunday while being towed through a winter storm, leaving more than 50 dead or missing in the icy Sea of...
WTO approves Russia’s Membership after Marathon Meeting
Dec 16 2011 // Russia was admitted into the World Trade Organization on Friday after 18 years of negotiation, finally binding it into the global economy two decades after the Soviet Union collapsed. Russia’s $1.9 trillion economy...
Russian Aviation Safety Facing Criticism After Hockey Team Crash
Dec 1 2011 // A prominent Russian lawyer said Wednesday he will challenge the powers of a regional aviation watchdog following a crash that killed an entire Russian professional ice hockey team and other recent air disasters that have...
Reuters Analyst Warns World Must Keep Focus on Climate Risk
Nov 17 2011 // Gerard Wynn, a Reuters market analyst, has expressed his own views on the necessity of continuing to deal with the challenges presented by extreme weather and its global impact. Rising temperatures are driving more...
