Latest news with #SaintPetersburg
Forbes
6 days ago
- Forbes
Baltic Cruises Have Changed But They Still Deliver Big On Culture
Tallinn's medieval old town feels like it belongs in a storybook. getty Not so long ago, Saint Petersburg was the undisputed crown jewel of Baltic cruises. With its imperial architecture, opulent palaces, and rich cultural heritage, the Russian city was the centerpiece of many itineraries. It often warranted an overnight stay to give passengers time to watch an evening ballet performance in a historic theatre on top of the cultural experiences and canal cruises by day. But following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Saint Petersburg vanished from cruise schedules. The geopolitical fallout reshaped the Baltic cruise map almost overnight. In its place, cruise lines have been doubling down on Scandinavia's coastal capitals and adding calls to lesser-known destinations like Klaipeda in Lithuania or the Danish island of Bornholm. While Saint Petersburg's absence leaves a noticeable gap, the Baltic Sea remains one of Europe's most culturally diverse regions to explore by cruise ship. Cultural Highlights Of Baltic Cruises From medieval Old Towns and Viking heritage sites to sauna culture and summer archipelagos, these ports offer something truly different, even for seasoned cruisers. In Stockholm, the journey often begins with a showstopper: the Vasa Museum. Home to a nearly intact 17th-century warship salvaged from the seabed after more than 300 years, it's a staggering display of maritime ambition and failure housed in a museum purpose-built to do it justice. Helsinki offers a different kind of contrast. Its streets reveal a mix of curving Art Nouveau architecture and sleek Nordic minimalism, with design shops, saunas, and island fortresses adding to the city's offbeat allure. Just offshore, the sea still feels part of daily life, with ferries and kayaks connecting the urban with the wild. A clash of architectural styles and modern Nordic design awaits visitors to Helsinki, Finland. getty Then comes Tallinn, a city that feels like it belongs in a storybook. The medieval Old Town is immaculately preserved, with its red-tiled roofs, watchtowers, and narrow lanes evoking another age entirely. Its compact, walkable nature makes it ideal for cruise visitors. Riga, often overlooked, is a revelation. Its Art Nouveau quarter is among the finest in the world, with swirling facades and hidden courtyards. The old city blends Hanseatic history with a creative energy that feels distinctly modern. Further south, Gdańsk wears its turbulent history on its sleeve. Once a major Hanseatic port, then a flashpoint of World War II, the city has rebuilt itself with color and confidence. In smaller ports, visitors encounter a slower pace and a strong sense of place, often with fewer crowds. Lithuania's Klaipeda was an unexpected highlight for travel writer Deborah Stone. Writing in The Times , she said it was an e-biking trip in Lithuania that took her breath away: 'Our group of 15 set out to cycle to the Curonian Spit, pedalling along pine-lined paths that gave way to dunes.' She also picked out the Danish island of Bornholm as another unexpected highlight: 'We sipped wine at one of the country's largest vineyards and ate smoked herring on rye in the fishing village of Snogebaek.' Which Lines Run Baltic Cruises? The Baltic region has become a popular destination for Americans and Brits eager to tick off multiple European capitals in one trip, as well as Germans and Scandinavians taking advantage of easy regional embarkation points. A broad spectrum of cruise lines serves the Baltic Sea, offering everything from value-focused voyages to ultra-luxury expeditions. Viking Ocean Cruises is one of the most prolific operators in the region, with more than 200 departures each year. Their smaller, adult-only ships are designed to maximise time in port and deliver a deeper cultural experience. Overnight stays in cities like Stockholm and Copenhagen often feature on itineraries. Holland America Line also sails extensively in the Baltic, offering classic mid-size ships and elegant itineraries with plenty of historical context. MSC Cruises is a major presence too, particularly appealing to families and budget-conscious travellers. They offer frequent sailings from Germany and Scandinavia on their larger resort-style ships. Norwegian Cruise Line and Princess Cruises also run regular summer programs, with Norwegian favouring a flexible, entertainment-rich approach and Princess offering longer itineraries with well-paced port calls. Luxury lines like Silversea, Seabourn, and Regent Seven Seas cater to guests looking for more refined experiences, often adding lesser-visited ports such as Visby, Klaipeda, or the Danish island of Bornholm. Departure Ports For Baltic Cruises Most Baltic Sea cruises depart from major Northern European ports. Copenhagen is the standout hub, with strong air connections and easy city access. Stockholm is another frequent starting point, prized for its scenic sailaway through the Swedish archipelago. Many German cruises depart from Warnemünde or Kiel, while others begin in Amsterdam or Rotterdam. Longer voyages may also start in Southampton, appealing to British travelers seeking a no-fly option with the likes of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines or Ambassador Cruise Line. How To Pack For Baltic Cruises Packing for a Baltic cruise requires a bit of balance. The weather in this region can be highly variable, even in summer. While you might encounter cool sea breezes and the occasional rainy day, especially in coastal cities like Helsinki or Tallinn, you should also be prepared for surprisingly warm, sunny summer days. Lightweight layers are key, including a waterproof jacket and a mix of long and short sleeves. Comfortable walking shoes are a must for exploring cobbled old towns, and don't forget sunglasses and sunscreen. Daylight hours can be long, especially in the northern ports. The variation in temperatures surprised travel blogger Charli Moore when she visited the region. She recommends a capsule wardrobe with versatile trousers, thermals, waterproof and warm coats, and multiple shoes to handle cobbles and cold. While Saint Petersburg's absence has reshaped the region, Baltic cruises continue to thrive as one of Europe's most fascinating cultural cruise itineraries. MORE FROM FORBES Forbes 5 Life Lessons From Finland, Once Again The 'World's Happiest Country' In New Report By David Nikel Forbes How To Pack Smartly For Your Next Cruise Vacation By David Nikel Forbes Avoid These 10 Rookie Mistakes On Your First Cruise By David Nikel
News.com.au
11-07-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Minister's death spooks Russian elite amid corruption clampdown
The reported suicide of Russia's transport minister hours after he was dismissed by President Vladimir Putin, sparking speculation he would be arrested on corruption charges, has shaken the country's elite. Roman Starovoyt was buried in Saint Petersburg on Friday, with his family weeping at his open coffin before it was lowered into the ground. The 53-year-old was found dead in his car on Monday in an elite Moscow suburb -- hours after Putin issued a decree to fire him, with no explanation. Russian investigators say he shot himself. Media reports said he was being investigated for corruption and could have been arrested within days. While government departments sent flowers and some ministers attended a memorial ceremony in Moscow a day earlier, there was unease over the fate of Starovoyt, who had climbed the ranks of Russia's bureaucracy to a seat in the cabinet. Many who came to the ceremony in Moscow refused to speak to AFP. "It's a great loss. Very unexpected," said Valentina, a 42-year-old translator whose husband worked with Starovoyt. "He was very active, cheerful and loved life very much. I don't know how it happened." - 'Scapegoat' - Starovoyt had been governor of Russia's western Kursk region before being promoted to Moscow, just a few months before Ukrainian troops captured dozens of border settlements in a surprise cross-border incursion. His successor was arrested in the spring for embezzling funds intended to beef up the fortifications that Ukraine ended up slicing through with ease. "They tried to make him the scapegoat... It's easier to put the blame on a civilian official," political commentator Andrey Pertsev told AFP. The case is one part of a wider crackdown on officials alleged to have enriched themselves at the expense of the Russian army during the Ukraine offensive. The crackdown is a Kremlin campaign that has ripped up previous norms about what is acceptable for Russian officials. "There used to be rules, where people knew that once you climbed up high enough, they wouldn't mess with you," Pertsev said. "But they do not work any more." In a sign of how out of favour Starovoyt had become, Putin has not publicly commented on his death. Asked if Putin would attend the ceremony in Moscow, his spokesman told reporters: "The president has a different work schedule today." At the funeral in Saint Petersburg on Friday, two regional governors were the highest-ranking officials to show face. - 'Holy war' - While Putin has criticised corruption and vowed to stamp it out throughout his 25 years in power, his rule has been characterised by systemic graft, critics say. The smattering of high-profile arrests has more typically been used to target opponents or come about as the result of infighting among those lower down Russia's chain of power. But the military offensive against Ukraine has changed that. "Something within the system has started to work completely differently," analyst Tatiana Stanovaya wrote after Starovoyt's death. "Any action or inaction that, in the eyes of the authorities, increases the state's vulnerability to hostile actions by the enemy must be punished mercilessly and uncompromisingly," Stanovaya said. In such a climate, it was inevitable that heads would have to roll over the Kursk failings. Nina Khrushcheva, a professor at The New School, a university in New York City, said Starovoyt's apparent suicide showed the Russian elite was "scared". The current climate is such that "it is impossible to leave the top brass", said Khrushcheva, who is also the great-granddaughter of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. "This is something we have not really seen since 1953," she told AFP, referring to Joseph Stalin's execution of a close ally. To the Kremlin, the Ukraine military campaign is a "holy war" that has rewritten the rules of loyalty and service. "During a holy war, you don't steal... You tighten your belts and work 24 hours a day to make the weapons you need." That atmosphere, said Stanovaya, has created a "sense of hopelessness" among officials in Moscow that is unlikely to fade. "Going forward, the system will be ready to sacrifice increasingly prominent figures," she warned.
Al Jazeera
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,227
Here is how things stand on Saturday, July 5 : Fighting Russian air defences have downed dozens of Ukrainian drones in widely dispersed parts of the country, including two near the country's second-largest city, Saint Petersburg, according to officials. All external power lines supplying electricity to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine were down for several hours before being restored, the UN nuclear watchdog said. Ukrainian authorities blamed Russian shelling for the power cut, adding that technicians had to take action to restore it. Dutch and German intelligence agencies say that Russia is increasing its use of prohibited chemical weapons in Ukraine, including the World War I-era poison gas chloropicrin. Moscow denies this. Weapons United States President Donald Trump said he discussed sending Patriot interceptor missiles to Ukraine in calls with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. A German government spokesman said the country was exploring the possibility of purchasing more Patriot air defence systems from the US for Ukraine. Politics and diplomacy Trump said that he discussed sanctions with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a Thursday call, who is worried about them and understands they might be forthcoming. The US president repeated that he was 'very unhappy' with his Russian counterpart, adding: 'He wants to go all the way, just keep killing people – it is no good.' Zelenskyy says he agreed with Trump, to work to strengthen Ukraine's air defences, as concerns mounted in Kyiv over US military aid deliveries. The two leaders had a 'very important and fruitful conversation' by phone on Friday, Zelenskyy said. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius will travel to Washington later this month for talks with his US counterpart about air defence systems, as well as production capacities, the ministry said.
Free Malaysia Today
23-06-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Russian government, central bank spar over economic downturn
Russia's GDP growth slowed to 1.4% year-on-year in the first quarter. (Sputnik/AFP pic) ST PETERSBURG : Russian officials sparred publicly on Friday over how to boost the economy, as growth slows more than three years into its Ukraine offensive. Moscow had shown unexpected economic resilience in 2023 and 2024, despite the West's sweeping sanctions, with massive state spending on the military powering a robust expansion. But economists have long warned that heavy public investment in the defence industry is no longer enough to keep Russia's economy growing. Businesses and some government figures have urged the central bank to further cut interest rates to stimulate activity. 'The indicators show the need to reduce rates,' Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said at Russia's flagship economic forum in Saint Petersburg. 'We must move from a controlled cooling to a warming of the economy,' said Novak, who oversees Russia's key energy portfolio in the government. He described the current economic situation facing the country as 'painful'. The call for more cuts to borrowing costs comes a day after Moscow's economy minister warned the country was 'on the verge of a recession'. 'A simple and quick cut in the key rate is unlikely to change anything much at the moment, except for… an increase in the price level,' the central bank's monetary policy department chief Andrey Gangan said. The central bank lowered interest rates from a two-decade-high earlier this month, its first cut since September 2022. The bank, which reduced the rate from 21% to 20%, said at the time that Russia's rapid inflation was starting to come under control but monetary policy would 'remain tight for a long period'. The central bank has resisted pressure for further cuts, pointing to inflation of around 10%, more than double its 4% target. Russia's gross domestic product (GDP) growth slowed to 1.4% year-on-year in the first quarter, the lowest quarterly figure in two years. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has typically been content to let his officials argue publicly over some areas of economic policy, is set to speak on Friday afternoon at the plenary session of the economic forum.
Free Malaysia Today
23-06-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Despite Trump's rapprochement, West steers clear of Russia's Davos
Russia is set to host some 200,000 guests from 140 countries at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum. (AFP Pic) ST PETERSBURG : Westerners are set to be few and far between at Vladimir Putin's landmark business forum, once an emblem of East-West ties, which kicks off Wednesday in the Russian president's home city of Saint Petersburg. Despite US President Donald Trump pushing a rapprochement with Putin, Russia's offensive on Ukraine means Americans and Europeans will largely shun the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) – once dubbed 'Russia's Davos' – for a fourth year running. Some 20,000 guests from 140 countries are set to take part in the forum both online and in person, according to the Kremlin. Among the states sending high-level government figures are the likes of China, Vietnam, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the Central African Republic and Burkina Faso. Russian officials said some Western executives will attend. 'American business representatives, but I can't say at what level,' Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters at a briefing Tuesday. According to the official programme, not a particularly high one. A panel on Thursday, titled simply 'Russia-USA', will feature the head of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, some private investors, the founder of a microphone manufacturer and the head of a crypto project. But in one high-profile win for Putin, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto skipped an invitation to the G7 in Canada, choosing instead to meet Putin and attend SPIEF. The forum comes amid intense speculation in Russia about the prospect of sanctions relief and the return of Western firms that left the country after Moscow launched its offensive on Ukraine in February 2022. Hundreds of companies sold off, abandoned or gave away their Russian operations – ranging from McDonald's and Nike to Ford and Goldman Sachs. Putin has at times blasted them for departing, warned they will not be allowed to return and said Russia is better off without them. He has also introduced punitive counter-sanctions, restricting the ability of firms from so-called 'unfriendly' countries from accessing their profits and imposing huge exit fees and taxes on any wishing to leave. Trump's return to the White House and opening of diplomacy with Russia led to a frenzy of headlines in Russian media about whether he would ease US sanctions. Once a fixture of Europe's business calendar, SPIEF was where Western leaders, CEOs and major investors gathered to seal deals on entering and expanding their footprint in Russia. Then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel attended in 2013, as did Mark Rutte, the Netherlands' prime minister and now the secretary-general of Nato – the man marshalling the military alliance's response to Putin's Ukraine offensive. Its prestige started to dip after 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine and was hit with the first tranche of Western sanctions. But even as recently as 2018, French President Emmanuel Macron and Japan's then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sat on stage alongside Putin.
