The article is about testing the cladding material last January.
...and thanks for posting it.
Lightbridge did similar cladding tests in 2017. And now they are manufacturing the actual prototype rods to be installed and made operational. They are right on the verge of signing up their first power utility as a customer.
So Lightbridge is, at the very least, two years ahead of the Russian project.
And then there are the many Lightbridge patents already in place to protect the design.
Personally, that article does not cause me to worry a bit.