Russian-American Obstacles Overshadow Obama-Medvedev Meeting
Paul J. Saunders

The diplomatic tone between Russia and the United States has improved considerably as the two countries have signed an arms control agreement, and Russia supported new United Nations Security Council Sanctions on Iran. These are important accomplishments. Yet the progress in U.S. - Russian relations remains very fragile

Russia's Courtship of Silicon Valley
Stephen Sestanovich

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama discussed a host of subjects at their recent Washington summit. But Medvedev's meetings, shortly before the summit, with California's political and entrepreneurial leaders represent the 'most interesting element' of the trip, says Russian expert, Stephen Sestanovich

Ukrainian Blues: Viktor Yanukovych's Rise and Democracy's Fall
Alexander J. Motyl

In February 2010, Viktor Yanukovych made a remarkable political comeback. In the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election Yanukovych was accused of fraud and ousted by the Orange Revolution, which was led by Viktor Yushchenko and Yulia Tymoshenko. Just over five years later, surrounded by his party's blue-and-white banners, Yanukovych became president

Russia: Prisoners of the Caucasus
Charles King and Rajan Menon

Russia has attempted to secure order in the North Caucasus by adding intelligence agents and beefing up the presence of federal border guards, along with redeploying police from elsewhere in Russia -- but to little avail. In October 2009, President Dmitry Medvedev told Russia's Security Council that the North Caucasus remains the Russia's foremost internal political problem

The NATO Nuisance
William Pfaff

Large and firmly implanted bureaucratic organizations are almost impossible to kill, even when they have no reason to continue to exist, as NATO has not since the Soviet Union, communism and the Warsaw Pact all collapsed.

U.S. and Russia Should Share Anti-Iran Missile Defense
Henry Kissinger

I favor developing a joint missile defense with Russia against Iran. But the U.S. also needs missile defenses controlled by the United States against strategic attack from other directions. So, let's cooperate with Russia on Iran, but we cannot relinquish missile defenses aimed at other threats

Pivot to Foreign Policy: American-Russian Cooperation
Jules Witcover

The United States' new nuclear arms control treaty with Russia marks a sharp pivot from domestic to foreign policy, and in some ways a welcome one. Beyond characterizing the treaty signing as a tangible 'resetting' of the American-Russian relationship

Nuclear Roulette: The Obama Doctrine
Paul Greenberg

Nuclear strategy can be as vague as it is dangerous. The good news is that the new Obama Doctrine turns out to be a lot vaguer than first, unreliable reports indicated. The administration may talk of restricting the use of nuclear weapons to those cases in which nukes are used against us, but it has left a loophole in its Nuclear Posture Review.

Why Neither Ronald Reagan Nor United States Won the Cold War
Alex Kingsbury

Ronald Reagan never claimed to have bested the Soviet Union and won the Cold War. Indeed, the very idea that a winner of the decades-long rivalry between the superpowers emerged was a political formulation. The notion that the United States forced the collapse of the Soviet Union and vanquished communism is not only a myth but a dangerous canard, Jack Matlock says in his new book ...

Despite Obama's Concessions, Russia Remains Unhelpful on Iran
Joshua Kucera

The Obama administration's announcement last month that it was scrapping plans to build missile defense sites in Poland and the Czech Republic removed a prime irritant in the U.S.-Russian relationship; Russians felt the missile defense network was targeted as much at them as against the purported threat, Iran. And the move appeared at first to pay dividends. However ...

Can United States Truly Press 'Reset' Button With Russia
Ian Bremmer and Alexander Kliment

Today, Moscow and Washington elites glower at each other over a host of global disputes, and Russia, far from blossoming into the pro-Western, market-oriented democracy that the 1990s shock therapists dreamed of, has developed into a quasi-authoritarian petro-state at home, guided by zero-sum revisionist ambitions abroad.

Russia - History Made to Order
Paul Greenberg

At the outset of the great break-up of the Soviet Union, many of us hoped Russia would emerge as a free country, if not an ally then a friend. Looking back, any outcome so idyllic was about as realistic as Russia's becoming something other than Russia. Instead, the new Russia that emerged looks a lot like an old one, specifically the tsarist one.

Obama's Missile Defense Concession Holds Opportunity for European Security
Paul J. Saunders

It's a concession, but it could present an opportunity as well. While the move highlights the unhappy geography and tough political choices facing Central European leaders, it could also create an important opportunity to strengthen European security. The administration would do well to use this chance to try to encourage new and different relationships between the former Soviet bloc and Russia.

Working Together, Brazil, Russia, China and India Increase Leverage
Ian Bremmer

In 2003, a report authored by Goldman Sachs economists popularized the term BRICs -- Brazil, Russia, India and China -- to describe a whole new category of emerging-market powerhouse. The report argued that with sound political leadership and relative international stability, the BRIC economies would together outpace the original G6 industrialized nations in dollar terms by 2040 -- a fundamental shift in the global balance of power. Since then, these four countries have assumed ever-greater importance in the international investment community's collective imagination.

Obama's Balancing Act With Russian Relations
by Joshua Kucera

Does President Obama's "reset" of Russian relations mean that Washington will sell out its allies in the region? But Biden's trip gave political leaders in Kiev and Tbilisi reasons for concern.

Heart of the Future Between Russia & United States
by Robert C. Koehler

Last week's announcement from Moscow, of a new treaty between the U.S. and Russia to begin cutting their nuclear stockpiles by a quarter to a third, is indeed "modest" and perhaps downright "disappointing" in its tentativeness, as critics have pointed out. Even so, the heart of the future beats here.

The West's Reckless Approach to Relations with Russia
by Wiliam Pfaff

The failure last week of Russian talks with the European Union on energy supplies to Europe is one more occasion for Russian-Western tension.

 

All around the world
Many of St. Petersburg’s restaurant owners have the curious habit of mixing various kinds of cuisines in their establishments.

In the Spotlight: Sex Shows
Every night, TNT airs a show called “Sex With Anfisa Chekhova,” whose curvaceous host promises that she knows “everything about sex.

Word’s worth
Молния: a lightning bolt, a news flash, a zipper Everyone knows that during a thunderstorm, you wait for a bolt of lightning (молния) and then count the seconds until you hear the clap of thunder (гром).

Celluloid dreams
The history of the “Dream Factory” takes center stage at this year’s Open Cinema international short film festival which kicks off at the Dom Kino cinema on Friday.

Australian PM Wins Key Backer
SYDNEY — Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard won the support of a key independent MP on Thursday, leaving her close to breaking the worst political deadlock in decades after elections failed to produce a winner.

Evacuations Start as Hurricane Earl Closes In on U.S.
RALEIGH, North Carolina —Tens of thousands of people were ordered to evacuate North Carolina’s barrier islands as Hurricane Earl closed in on a large part of the US east coast on Thursday.

Pakistan Aid Hit by Stall In Funding
THATTA, Pakistan — Relief efforts in flood-ravaged Pakistan are being stretched by the “unprecedented scale” of the disaster, with the flow of international aid almost at a standstill, the UN said Thursday.

Israel, Palestine Relaunch Talks
WASHINGTON — Israeli and Palestinian leaders are set to resume direct talks on Thursday, seeking to clinch an elusive peace deal for the Middle East within a year against a backdrop of renewed violence.

Putin’s Ticking Time Bomb
Moscow’s horrendous daily traffic jams and this summer’s wildfires have something in common: The roots of both of these problems can be found in the government’s gross incompetence.

The Summer of Extremes
This summer has been one of weather-related extremes in Russia, Pakistan, China, Europe, the Arctic — you name it. But does this have anything to do with global warming, and are human emissions to blame? While it cannot be scientifically proven — or disproven, for that matter — that global warming caused any particular extreme event, we can say that global warming very likely makes many kinds of extreme weather both more frequent and more severe.

State May Cut Stake in VTB Bank to 50%
MOSCOW — The government may sell more than 35 percent of VTB to bring its stake in the bank to just over 50 percent, Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said in comments released Monday, a move that may force the lender toward greater transparency.

Aeroflot Sues Moscow for Traffic Jam
MOSCOW — Aeroflot has filed a lawsuit against the Moscow city government, seeking compensation for losses caused by a days-long traffic logjam on a highway leading to Sheremetyevo Airport, court documents showed Wednesday.

Knauf Wins Piracy Lawsuit
MOSCOW — A Moscow court awarded 5 million rubles, or $160,000, in damages to Knauf in a case against a counterfeiter, the German building materials manufacturer said Wednesday.

Coca-Cola Acquires Juice Maker Nidan
MOSCOW — Coca-Cola, the world’s largest soft-drink maker, said Wednesday that it had acquired one of Russia’s biggest juice producers, Nidan Soki, as part of its plans to expand in the fast-growing market.

Jailing of Pregnant Mother of 4 Sparks Protest
MOSCOW — A mother of four who is pregnant with a fifth child has become a cause celebre after a court jailed her for three years even though it could have waived the sentence under a legal provision allowing leniency for mothers with young children.

Robbers Break Into Investigators’ Office
MOSCOW — Masked intruders broke into the Moscow region branch of the Investigative Committee early Tuesday, rifling through 18 offices and cracking open 25 safes after tying up the sole security guard, investigators said.

Natural Monopolies Off Sale List for 2011
MOSCOW — The state will not privatize stakes in its natural monopolies or defense firms next year, Economic Development Minister Elvira Nabiullina told reporters Tuesday in the latest sign of skittishness in the government to part with key assets.

Building Collapse Causes Traffic Mayhem
An eight-story building that until recently housed the city’s main police investigation department partially collapsed on Wednesday.

Heat, Hurricane Push Up Prices
A number of regions in the European section of Russia are now facing shortages in eggs that will in turn lead to significant price increases.

Well-Known Emigres Rally At Foreign Demonstrations
MOSCOW — The opposition’s attempts to stage rallies in Moscow and St. Petersburg got an unexpected boost this week when Russian emigrants took to the streets in several world capitals to express their solidarity.

City to Launch Own TV Channel
A new TV channel, 100-percent owned by the City Administration and titled “St. Petersburg” will begin its broadcasting on Oct.

Prime Minister Opposes Deripaska’s Dividend
MOSCOW — Prime Minister Vladimir Putin dipped a careful toe into the heated and high-stakes battle for control of Russia’s largest miner on Tuesday, telling Norilsk Nickel’s warring shareholders during a visit to the plant that it paid unusually high dividends last year.

Dozens Arrested at Latest Strategy 31 Demos
Despite Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s warning, hundreds more people than ever before took part in the banned pro-constitution demos in Moscow and St.

LG In Pirated Software Probe
MOSCOW — Police have opened a software piracy investigation into the Russian branch of LG Electronics, in the first anti-piracy case against a major foreign company.

Rediscovering a Legendary Musical Teacher
The discovery of a long-lost musical masterpiece is always something of event. Imagine, then, what it feels like to find the entire legacy of a wonderful composer.

The St. Petersburg Times
Issue #1606 (67), Friday, September 3, 2010

 

Dixy posts 1H 2010 net profit of $2.5 million
Russian grocery retail chain Dixy has posted a 1H 2010 net profit of $2.5 million under IFRS.

World leaders gather at Global Policy Forum in Yaroslavl
On September 9-10, 2010 the Russian city of Yaroslavl will host Global Policy Forum “The Modern State: Standards of Democracy and Criteria of Efficiency.”

Beslan school massacre remembered six years on
Three days of commemorations to mark six years since the Beslan school siege got underway on Wednesday in Russia's Republic of North Ossetia. More than 300 died in the massacre led by Chechen militants in 2004

Wildfires return to Russia
Wildfires have returned to Russia, killing five people and injuring at least 14 in southern and central areas. Hundreds of buildings have been destroyed, including over 300 homes in the Volgograd and Saratov regions.

Snake charmers – dark side of the mystery craft
Once an icon of Indian culture, snake charmers today are struggling for survival.

Afghan civilian casualties increase under Petraeus
United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is flying to Afghanistan to meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai to discuss a NATO airstrike that killed 10 civilians.

Settlement policy closes the door to peace – Palestine’s chief negotiator
Middle East talks in Washington have produced a pledge from Israeli and Palestinian leaders to continue regular negotiations, with the goal of a new peace deal by the end of the year.

Middle East peace talks open in Washington
Leaders of Israel and Palestine set up a date for the next peace talks as a result of today’s meeting in Washington.

Peace talks kick off amid skepticism
It’s another picture perfect moment for US president Barack Obama. The leaders of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Jordan and Egypt have been summoned to Washington, DC for the latest round of peace talks.

Russia beats Greece in bizarre thriller
Timofey Mozgov scored 18 points Thursday as Russia defeated Greece 73-69 to advance to the knockout round of the FIBA World Championship. Russia (4-1) finished second in Group C behind hosts Turkey.

“We will always be with Russia” – Trandsnistrian president
Igor Smirnov, the president of Transdnistria, explained to RT who was behind the decision to break away from Moldova and how life's changed ever since.

It’s time to end too big to fail – Bernanke
Federal Reserve Chief Ben Bernanke testified before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission (FCIC) in a public hearing regarding the causes of the financial crisis.

The curious case of Aleksandr Lukashenko
A huge controversy has been stirred over the last few days as some media claimed that Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko has changed his birth date.

Russia has the richest expats in the world – study
According to a recent study, carried out by HSBC Bank International, 36 percent of foreigners working in Russia earn more than $250,000 a year.

Cult fashion house throws a show in Moscow
One of the world's most provocative fashion houses, Maison Martin Margiela, has brought its wares to the Russian capital. RT invites you to look at the most unusual items.

RT
RT

 

Russia deploys missile defense system in Abkhazia, Georgia

Putin positioning to reclaim Russian presidency

KGB Successor Gains More Power
The Russian Federation is looking more and more like the USSR.

Election Brings Poland Closer to EU

A New Strategic Partnership Emerges
The European Union, under German direction, is forging a new strategic relationship with Russia.

Kyrgyzstan Pleas for Russian Intervention to Quell Unrest
Will beleaguered Bishkek agree to shut down America’s last Central Asian military base, in exchange for Moscow’s help?

Economic Crisis Draws Russia and the EU Closer
What does it mean when these two powers have the appearance of cooperation?

Russian Sphere of Influence Expands in Ukraine
The Kremlin ramps up efforts to restore Russia’s empire.

How Russia Outmaneuvered America
The fascinating power politics behind an overlooked coup in Central Asia

Poland's Test
Poland’s tragedy—Germany and Russia’s opportunity

Did the Kremlin Overthrow a U.S. Ally?
Moscow reasserts its influence in another former Soviet state.

Russia's Influence Advances in Ukraine
Moscow is making strides in its plan to reestablish its position as a regional power in Eurasia.

Signs of Ukraine Returning to Russia

Russia Reins Back Former Soviet States
Russia is winning in Ukraine, and other nations are taking note.

Iran, Turkmenistan Launch New Gas Pipeline

Beginning of a New Russian Empire
Jan. 1, 2010, marks the start of a customs union between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. This supranational alliance is an important step toward the creation of an even bigger and stronger Eastern alliance.

Stalin Still Popular in Russia
The Kremlin pushes a dangerous agenda to rewrite this dictator’s legacy.

Russia Seeks to Win the War for Ukraine
Will Russia regain control of Ukraine?

Keep an Eye on the Balkans
Trouble is brewing.

Germany and Russia's Pipeline Plans Progress

Wary View of Democracy in Eastern Bloc
A poll shows Ukrainians becoming more pro-Russian.

Nations of the East Agree to Unite
Asia made good progress toward creating an Asian trading community at the latest Asian summit.

Russia-China Relations Reaching New Highs
Vladimir Putin’s visit to Beijing reveals Russia and China to be on the fast track to allegiance.

Iran Close to Building Nuke, Say Press Leaks
Iran could be close to creating a fully functioning nuclear missile—with Russia’s help.

EU Report Condemns Georgia
Europe’s report on the 2008 Georgia war legitimizes Russia’s actions, giving further proof of a German-Russian deal.

theTrumpet.com: Russia
theTrumpet.com -- Understand your world.

 

Ukraine wants to change gas agreement with Russia
The Ukrainian government plans to demand from Russia to reduce prices for gas supplied to Ukraine.Prime - Minister Mykola Azarov said this week that prices are too high and unfair.Analysts dont believe in easy negotiations.They say that Russia will be ready to reduce gas prices if Ukraine will be ready...

President displeased with economic performance in H1
When receiving the reports of the Government and the National Bank of Belarus on 27 August President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko criticized heavily the Government and the National Bank of Belarus for poor implementation of the countrys social and economic development program in H1 2010 BelTA has learnt. In his opening...

Russia reviews list of vegetal product exports
Specialists of Russias agriculture food watchdog Rosselhoznadzor agreed to review the list of Moldovan companies that will export vegetal products to Russia Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Valeriu Cosarciuc said in a news conference in 26 August. Cosarciuc said the decision was taken as a result of negotiations carried out...

EU provides 1 million lei for referendum
A contribution to the Government of Moldova in the amount of approximately 1.1 million lei to assist the conduct of the constitutional referendum on 5 September 2010 will be provided through the Democracy Support Program a joint initiative between the European Union and the Council of Europe Info-Prim Neo reports...

Venezuelan oil tanker to come in end of August
A tanker with a pilot consignment of Venezuelan oil for Belarus will arrive in Lithuania in the night of 29 August .If the sea is calm then the tanker will dock at the Lithuanian oil terminal on Sunday at 8h00 informed Rokas Masiulis director general of Klaipedos Nafta. We are fully...

Drought to cut economic growth says Klepach
Russian Deputy Economic Development Minister Andrei Klepach said on 24 August that the summer drought will mean higher inflation and a forecast growth rate that is less than half that expected in other so-called BRIC countries.Russias summer drought would lower its economic growth by at least 0.4 to 0.8 percentage...

Russia Armenia sign military cooperation pact
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on 20 August met in Yerevan with his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan and assured Armenia of Moscows military protection for Armenia.The two leaders signed an agreement extending the stationing of Russian forces in Armenia until 2044 with Medvedev assuring Moscows military protection if the country is...

Kremlin critics detained after Moscow protests
Russian human rights activist Lev Ponomaryov and opposition politician Boris Nemtsov were detained at protests in Moscow on 22 August officials said.The two men were taking part in unofficial demonstrations ahead of an event that had been given the go-ahead and had provoked the police reports said.Around 20 other demonstrators...

Kyivs court allows RosUkrEnergo to take $ 5.4 billion
The court acknowledged that Naftogaz Ukrainy had violated a contract and must return Rosukrenergo 12 1 billion cubic meters of gas to the 1 September or Ukrainian opposition called this decision Itrsquo;s an attempt to present authority to pay the sponsor of the current presidential election campaign at the expense...

Government to support Riga-based Belarusian school
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has instructed the government oblast administrations and Minsk City Hall to provide all kinds of support to the Riga-based Belarusian school the press service of the President of Belarus told BelTA. The school will get furniture training equipment computers sports gear textbooks toys and everything else...

WB supports Moldovan companies development
The World Bank will encourage the Moldovan companies to develop their businesses by strengthening the investment and marketing positions. From September 1 the companies will benefit from grants to access business consultancy services Info-Prim Neo reports. The grants will be provided within the World Banks Competitiveness Enhancement Project that has been...

Borrowing costs in Belarus down by nearly 40%
Borrowing costs in Belarus went down by nearly 40% in January-July 2010 the press service of the Belarus President quoted Chairman of the Board of the National Bank of Belarus NBRB Piotr Prokopovich as informing Alexander Lukashenko on 17 August. The President was informed about the performance of the Belarusian...

President says he wont let Parliament dissolve
Acting President Mihai Ghimpu Wednesday said he will consider dissolving the legislative body after the 5 September constitutional referendum and his decision will depend on the results of the plebiscite. I will not allow Moldova to be engulfed in a chaos Mihai Ghimpu said adding the constitutional and social crisis...

Russia failed Belarus Lukashenko says
Russia has turned out to be incapable of helping Belarus to resolve the problems that could have emerged if Belarus had recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko told media on 13 August. Reporters asked the Belarusian head of state to comment on his Russian counterpart Dmitry...

New chilled weather improves situation with wildfires
Russia on 17 August said it has halved the area of its worst forest and peat-bog fires in the countrys history as a record heat wave finally relented and new weather brought torrential rains and winds. Wildfires have directly killed at least 54 people and left thousands homeless. The heat and...

Russia wants more cooperation with Afghanistan Pakistan
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called on August 18 for closer cooperation between Russia Pakistan Afghanistan and Tajikistan. All four nations should revert to the economic projects under way during Soviet times the Russian leader told a news conference after a four-nation summit in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. At the...

Economic crisis worsens Ukrainian-Romanian relations
In Bucharest demonstrations and civil unrest were prompted by the ongoing inability of the authorities of Romania to manage the economic crisis without assistance of International Monetary Fund which agreed to sponsor the efforts of Bucharest to cope the state budget deficit. By giving financial assistance the IMF imposes heavy...

New markets the EU and leading nuclear disarmament
Summer period is usually full of symbolic occasions for Ukraine: Constitution Day Day of the Declaration of National Sovereignty Independence Day. Each milestone in new history of the young country is remembered and celebrated with certain piety. This year 20th anniversary of the Declaration of National Sovereignty celebrated on 16...

Food exports up 46.1% in January-May
In January-May this year Belarus exported $1198 worth of foodstuffs up 46.1% over the same period of last year. Import increased by 4.3% to $644.9 million BelTA learned from the Belarus National Statistics Committee. The increase in food export is attributed to the rising export value of white sugar by...

Basescu pleads for Moldova Serbia EU accession
Energy cooperation in the Baltic and Black Sea areas was another subject tackled during the official meeting between President Basescu and his Lithuanian counterpart Grybauskaite. On official visit to Lithuania yesterday President Traian Basescu re-iterated Romanias support for the accession of R. Moldova to the European Union and also advocated Serbias...

Electricity production up 13.2% in January-June
In January-June this year Belarus produced 16.9 billion kWh of electricity up 13.2% from the same period a year earlier. The production of heat energy increased by 9.5% to 10.5 million Gcal BelTA learnt from the National Statistics Committee of Belarus. In H1 the power engineering industry of Belarus produced...

Russia bans Moldovan wine
Russia broke off talks with Moldova about lifting a ban on imports of the countrys wine after a Moldovan minister said there was nothing dangerous about its wine a senior health official said as cited by the Moscow Times. The Federal Consumer Protection Service banned wine imports from Moldova earlier...

Romanians to invest €23m in monitoring gambling industry
River Invest Company is ready to invest around €23 million in monitoring of the Belarusian gambling industry Aleksei Busel director of the BelISA Institute /Belarusian Institute of System Analysis and Information Support for Scientific and Technical Sphere/ told reporters on 14 July BelTA has learnt. The company may attract its...

Food security strategic goal says Medvedev
Russia has everything to become a large player on the international food market and this should be a strategic goal President Dmitry Medvedev told a State Council meeting held in the southern Belgorod region on 13 July. Meat produced in Russia has already been exported to such countries as China...

Russia to ship oil products to Iran
Russia said on 13 July it is ready to ship oil products to Iran after other foreign companies had halted their deliveries to the country in response to a United Nations sanction resolution. Russian companies are prepared to ship oil products to Iran said Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko after...

Air force to acquire new missile defense systems
Russias air force will soon be equipped with the latest S-500 and S-400 ground-to-air missile systems Commander-in-Chief Alexander Zelin was quoted as saying by the press on 13 July. We will acquire a very significant quantity of these systems before 2020 Zelin said. The S-500 air defense system is a system...

Business human rights and spies
Russia and Germany concluded their 12th interstate consultations on 15 July at the Urals city of Yekaterinburg hailing closer ties and business-to-business cooperation. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed a broad range of issues during the consultations including foreign policy economy culture technology and innovation. Parallel...

EU urges Russia to protect human-rights workers in North Caucasus
The European Union on 15 July urged Russia to protect human-rights workers in the troubled North Caucasus region a year after a leading activist was murdered. Natalia Estemirova specialized in documenting abuses in the Russian republic of Chechnya where Russian forces fought two wars against Islamist separatists in 1994-96 and 1999-2000....

Balance of payments in May
KIEV-In May the current account of Ukraine was positive and equal to $997 million so 22.5% less than in April. Main reason is decrease in the inflow of foreign currency in financial account. So since the beginning of 2010 the positive balance of the countrys current account is equal to...

Belarus parliament endorses Customs Unions Code: RIA
Belarus parliament on Wednesday ratified the Customs code of the Customs Union with Russia and Kazakhstan said the RIA Novosti news agency citing sources from the parliament. The lower house of the National Assembly ratified the Customs code during a closed session said the report which has not yet been officially...

Moscow and Vienna on reintegration agenda
A Moldovan delegation headed by Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Victor Osipov will take part in a 5+2 format meeting in Vienna on 7 - 8 July. Prior to this Victor Osipov will pay a short visit to Moscow on 5 July Info-Prim Neo reports. According to a communique from the...

Housing infrastructure to come down
The cost of one square meter of housing should be cheapened Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said when conferring state awards on 1 July. According to the president housing and social infrastructure has been recently constructed at a high pace in the country. The Stolitsa underground shopping mall and Minsk-Arena sports...

Belarus keen on good relations with Germany
Belarus is interested in preserving good relations with Germany Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said as he met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Germany to Belarus Gebhardt Weiss on 1 July. The meeting took place in view of the expiry of the diplomats terms of office BelTA has learnt. Alexander...

Russia Siemens discuss cooperation plans
Russian Prime Minister Putin and Siemens AG CEO Peter Loescher have discussed plans for further Siemens assistance on Russian energy transport and public health plans. They met in Zhukovski near Moscow on the fringes of an international engineering conference. Siemens AG is planning a major expansion of its cooperation with...

BP attempts to calm Russian fears over business
BP CEO Tony Hayward on 28 June attempted to calm Russian worries about his companys business in the country at a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin in Moscow. Hayward told Sechin that BP would remain active in Russia Interfax quoted a spokeswoman for Sechin as saying. Russia is...

US Russia play down espionage case reaffirm improving relations
The United States has no plans to expel Russian diplomats or take any other action against Moscow following the arrest of 11 individuals accused of spying the State Department said on 30 June. ldquo;We are not anticipating any additional diplomatic steps on our end at this point rdquo; spokesman PJ...

NATO-Ukraine Commission meeting in Brussels
On June 10 -11 a NATO-Ukraine Commission meeting in Brussels of Defence Ministers was held. The event was notable for the present of newly appointed Minister of Defense of Ukraine Mykhailo Yezhel. In his report he defined quite clearly the new goals and parameters of relations between Ukraine and NATO....

Lukashenko urges more Chinese investment projects
In a session on cooperation with the Peoples Republic of China on 25 June Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko urged to speed up the implementation of Chinese investment projects BelTA has learnt. According to the head of state cooperation with China and those new foreign economic areas that have been recently...

Canada eyes agricultural market
As Vice Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vasile Bumacov reported at a press conference on Thursday the Canadian association will open in Moldova its headquarter through which will promote Moldovan agricultural products in the foreign business environment. Bumacov mentioned the association will deal with attracting investments to Moldova and develop...

Trade with Nigeria low at $500 million
Trade relations between Ukraine and Nigeria have been very low at $500 million annually leader of Ukraine Business Delegation to Nigeria Oleksiy Levenets has said as cited by Xinhua News Agency. Levenets told reporters in Abuja at a Nigeria-Ukraine Business Forum organized by the Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission NIPC that...

Brest Oblast foreign trade 27.1% up in January-April
In January-April 2010 the foreign trade of the Brest Oblast reached $931.6 million or up 127.1% over the same period last year BelTA has learned from the main statistics department of the Brest Oblast. In the period under review the export of the Brest Oblast increased by 35.1% to $468.6...

First radio for women launched in Chisinau
It will broadcast in Chisinau and suburban localities on the frequency 90.7 FM. The musical program of the new radio station will be composed of 80s 90s and modern hits. Aquarelle FM is a part of Aquarelle company that runs an advertising agency Aquarelle and Business Class magazines and is...

Moscow Paris boost energy economic cooperation
French energy concern Electricite de France EDF is to join in on the Russian-Italian gas pipeline project South Stream at the end of the year with a 20% share. Alexei Miller head of the Russian gas giant Gazprom said EDF would acquire equal 10% stakes from Gazprom and Italian energy...

Witnesses unaware of YUKOS embezzlement
Russias Minister of Industry and Trade Viktor Khristenko has testified for the defense in the trial of former oil tycoon and ex-head of YUKOS Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Khristenko said that as first deputy finance minister and then deputy prime minister in the early 2000s he was unaware of the embezzlement of...

Medvedev seeks US help to steer Russia into a new economic age
Amid their renewed sense of cooperation Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and US President Barack Obama are determined to capitalize in the economic sphere. Following their meeting in the White House Obama on 24 June signaled his strong commitment to working for Russiarsquo;s entry into the World Trade Organization part of...

Why Energy Efficiency is Important
As the EU and Ukraine develop closer economic integration through the negotiation of a Free Trade Agreement a key element in the relationship will be co-operationnbsp; in respect of energy policy and energy efficiency. This is the topic of the second in a series of Energy Round Tables organised by...

EU Ukraine promise closer ties
The European Union EU and Ukraine stressed early last week the strength of their bilateral relations vowing to further deepen such relations in the coming year. At the 14th EU-Ukraine Cooperation Council held in Luxembourg EU foreign policy chief Cathrine Ashton welcomed the commitment made by Ukrainian President Yanukovych and...

Belarus asks Russia to lift oil duties
Belarus suggests that Russia should lift duties from oil products in 2010 and from oil as from 1 January 2011 President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko told media on 18 June. Speaking about the recent talks in Moscow and in particular about the duties on oil and oil products that Belarus pays...

Bulgaria facilitates visa regime for Moldovans
The period for issuing a visa for Moldovan organized tourists is reduced to 10 days. This is presumed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria regarding the facilitation of the visa regime for Moldovas citizens. to the message of the Bulgarian Embassy to Moldova some categories of citizens are...

Annual dairy export to reach $2bn
In the next five-year term Belarus plans to raise the export of dairy products up to $2 billion Agriculture and Food Minister of Belarus Mikhail Rusyi told the head of state on 18 June. Mikhail Rusyi said that the demand for dairy products is on the rise in many countries...

Russia News - New Europe News
Russia News - New Europe News: The European News Source.

 

Drought to cut economic growth says Klepach
Russian Deputy Economic Development Minister Andrei Klepach said on 24 August that the summer drought will mean higher inflation and a forecast growth rate that is less than half that expected in other so-called BRIC countries.Russias summer drought would lower its economic growth by at least 0.4 to 0.8 percentage...

Russia Armenia sign military cooperation pact
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on 20 August met in Yerevan with his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan and assured Armenia of Moscows military protection for Armenia.The two leaders signed an agreement extending the stationing of Russian forces in Armenia until 2044 with Medvedev assuring Moscows military protection if the country is...

Kremlin critics detained after Moscow protests
Russian human rights activist Lev Ponomaryov and opposition politician Boris Nemtsov were detained at protests in Moscow on 22 August officials said.The two men were taking part in unofficial demonstrations ahead of an event that had been given the go-ahead and had provoked the police reports said.Around 20 other demonstrators...

New chilled weather improves situation with wildfires
Russia on 17 August said it has halved the area of its worst forest and peat-bog fires in the countrys history as a record heat wave finally relented and new weather brought torrential rains and winds. Wildfires have directly killed at least 54 people and left thousands homeless. The heat and...

Russia wants more cooperation with Afghanistan Pakistan
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called on August 18 for closer cooperation between Russia Pakistan Afghanistan and Tajikistan. All four nations should revert to the economic projects under way during Soviet times the Russian leader told a news conference after a four-nation summit in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. At the...

Food security strategic goal says Medvedev
Russia has everything to become a large player on the international food market and this should be a strategic goal President Dmitry Medvedev told a State Council meeting held in the southern Belgorod region on 13 July. Meat produced in Russia has already been exported to such countries as China...

Russia to ship oil products to Iran
Russia said on 13 July it is ready to ship oil products to Iran after other foreign companies had halted their deliveries to the country in response to a United Nations sanction resolution. Russian companies are prepared to ship oil products to Iran said Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko after...

Air force to acquire new missile defense systems
Russias air force will soon be equipped with the latest S-500 and S-400 ground-to-air missile systems Commander-in-Chief Alexander Zelin was quoted as saying by the press on 13 July. We will acquire a very significant quantity of these systems before 2020 Zelin said. The S-500 air defense system is a system...

Business human rights and spies
Russia and Germany concluded their 12th interstate consultations on 15 July at the Urals city of Yekaterinburg hailing closer ties and business-to-business cooperation. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed a broad range of issues during the consultations including foreign policy economy culture technology and innovation. Parallel...

EU urges Russia to protect human-rights workers in North Caucasus
The European Union on 15 July urged Russia to protect human-rights workers in the troubled North Caucasus region a year after a leading activist was murdered. Natalia Estemirova specialized in documenting abuses in the Russian republic of Chechnya where Russian forces fought two wars against Islamist separatists in 1994-96 and 1999-2000....

Russia Siemens discuss cooperation plans
Russian Prime Minister Putin and Siemens AG CEO Peter Loescher have discussed plans for further Siemens assistance on Russian energy transport and public health plans. They met in Zhukovski near Moscow on the fringes of an international engineering conference. Siemens AG is planning a major expansion of its cooperation with...

BP attempts to calm Russian fears over business
BP CEO Tony Hayward on 28 June attempted to calm Russian worries about his companys business in the country at a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin in Moscow. Hayward told Sechin that BP would remain active in Russia Interfax quoted a spokeswoman for Sechin as saying. Russia is...

US Russia play down espionage case reaffirm improving relations
The United States has no plans to expel Russian diplomats or take any other action against Moscow following the arrest of 11 individuals accused of spying the State Department said on 30 June. ldquo;We are not anticipating any additional diplomatic steps on our end at this point rdquo; spokesman PJ...

Moscow Paris boost energy economic cooperation
French energy concern Electricite de France EDF is to join in on the Russian-Italian gas pipeline project South Stream at the end of the year with a 20% share. Alexei Miller head of the Russian gas giant Gazprom said EDF would acquire equal 10% stakes from Gazprom and Italian energy...

Witnesses unaware of YUKOS embezzlement
Russias Minister of Industry and Trade Viktor Khristenko has testified for the defense in the trial of former oil tycoon and ex-head of YUKOS Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Khristenko said that as first deputy finance minister and then deputy prime minister in the early 2000s he was unaware of the embezzlement of...

Medvedev seeks US help to steer Russia into a new economic age
Amid their renewed sense of cooperation Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and US President Barack Obama are determined to capitalize in the economic sphere. Following their meeting in the White House Obama on 24 June signaled his strong commitment to working for Russiarsquo;s entry into the World Trade Organization part of...

Gazprom warns Belarus of gas supply cuts over debt
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on 16 June gave Belarus five more days to inform Moscow about its plans to pay up on years worth of back debts on gas deliveries Moscow daily Kommersant reported. The Russian energy giant Gazprom estimates that Belarus outstanding payments will reach some €500 million by...

Russia in 2010: Surviving and Thriving
Russia will have a better second half an Uralsib investor bank report showed on 16 June. Year-to-date Russian equities have been a high-beta theme within the volatile global markets performing better in the run-up to the mid-April global market peak and with greater volatility since. As global growth indicators strengthen...

Putin Sarkozy discuss Mistral-class warships deal
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin paid a working visit to France on 10-11 June where he met with his French counterpart Francois Fillon and President Nicolas Sarkozy and opened a Russian exhibition in Paris which is being held as part of the Year of Russia and France. Putin and Sarkozy agreed...

Ukraine signs nuclear deal with Russia
Russia is to loan the Ukraine €4.1 billion to finance the building of two reactors at a nuclear plant in western Ukraine under a deal signed in Kiev on 9 June. The agreement signed by Ukrainian Energy Minister Yuri Boiko and the head of Russian nuclear company Rosatom Sergey Kiriyenko...

Merkel Medvedev urge EU-Russia security ties
Germany promised recently to support closer security ties between Russia and the European Union. Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev were speaking after two day of talks at Meseberg Palace near Berlin. Moscow often uses Berlin as a channel to communicate with the EU. Medvedev also urged unity in...

Opposition demonstrators detained Putin criticizes ban
As the EU-Russian summit go under way in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don Russian police on 31 May briefly detained more than 100 opposition demonstrators in Moscow and St Petersburg according to the opposition website kasparov.ru. Among those apprehended were well known politician Ilya Yashin and the editor-in-chief of current...

NATO-Russia cooperation on missile defense possible
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization NATO and Russia could in the future work together on a joint missile defense shield a senior US official said on 1 June in the Latvian capital. There could indeed be advantages to both sides security if we can work together and at least coordinate...

Brussels ready to support Russias modernization program
Following the conclusion of the 25th summit between Russia and the European Union in Rostov-on-Don Russia on 1 June a joint statement said the Partnership for Modernization a bilateral agreement on the protection of classified information and a declaration condemning Israelrsquo;s attack on a Gaza-bound international aid flotilla were among...

Miller Boyko discuss Gazprom Naftogaz JV
Russian gas monopoly Gazprom and Naftogaz Ukrainy agreed on 28 May that they could move toward a complete merger after they create a joint venture Gazprom said in a statement. After talks on 28 May Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller and Ukrainersquo;s Fuel and Energy Minister Yuri Boiko suggested that a...

Gazprom expects larger gas exports in 2010
Russian gas monopoly Gazprom expects larger natural gas exports in 2010 compared with 2009 Ria Novosti quoted Mikhail Malgin head of the Gazprom Export department for northwestern markets as saying on 30 May. ldquo;Naturally we are expecting positive dynamics compared with 2009. The economy has begun to recover after the...

Medvedev calls for military weaponry upgrade by 2015
The share of modern weaponry in Russian permanently ready units must be brought to 30% by 2015 President Dmitry Medvedev said on 24 May. In fact no other units will exist by this time Medvedev was quoted as saying by the press at a meeting on budgets of defense and...

Gazprom skyscraper in doubt
The future of a proposed 400-meter-high skyscraper to house Russian energy giant Gazprom in St Petersburg was in doubt on 24 May following the intervention of President Dmitry Medvedev local media reported. Work on the Okhta Center set to house the headquarters of Gazprom the worlds largest gas company has been...

PSA scales back Trnava output
The Trnava plant in Slovakia would be operated just three days a week till the end of May media reports informed last week citing the owner the owner PSA Peugeot Citroen. Peter Svec local spokesman for the French OEM reportedly attributed the decision to the global economic recession which still...

Moscow cautions US and EU against unilateral Iran sanctions
Russia has warned the United States and the European Union against adopting individual sanctions that go beyond a UN Security Council resolution planned in the dispute over Iranrsquo;s nuclear program Ria Novosti reported on 19 May. ldquo;There is information that the US and the European Union are not limiting themselves...

Medvedev al-Assad discuss trade energy
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev on 11 May to discuss cooperation on economic and energy matters. Political coordination continues in an organized ongoing way. We concentrated on activating our economic cooperation Al-Assad afterwards told a joint press conference with Medvedev in Damascus. The leaders discussed...

Moscow Beijing seek enhanced ties
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao announced their countries plans to solidify cooperation and partnership in their bilateral strategic relations. Hu was in Moscow for the celebrations marking the 65th anniversary of the victory of the Great Patriotic War over Nazi Germany. Medvedev said that Russia was...

South Stream unaffected by energy merger
A potential merger between Russian and Ukrainian energy companies has no bearing on the South Stream natural gas pipeline Russian Energy Minister Sergey Shmatko said on 11 May in Syria. Smhatko said during the visit that a potential merger between Russian gas monopoly Gazprom and Ukrainian utility Naftogaz isnt related to...

A Gentler Kinder Russia?
Ahead of the 31 May EU-Russia summit in Rostov Moscow has signaled a much friendlier foreign policy aimed at attracting more investment especially from the West. ldquo;The Russian leadership is really keen on attracting more investment and on attracting more technologies that come with the investments if they originate in...

Russia Belgium discuss Atlantic initiative
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on 3 May that his country is interested in cooperating with Belgium on promoting the President Dmitry Medvedevs initiative on signing the North Atlantic Security Treaty Itar-tass reported. This document North-Atlantic zone security treaty will help resolve a simple but crucial task of bringing...

Manufacturing highest in 2 years
Russian manufacturing growth jumped in April to the highest level in almost two years as orders rose and companies resumed hiring VTB Capital said news agencies reported on 3 May. VTB Capitals manufacturing purchasing managers index rose to 52.1 in April from a reading of 50.2 in March its highest since...

Gazproms net profit rises in Q4 2009
Russian gas monopoly Gazproms net profit in the fourth quarter of 2009 rose nearly tenfold compared to a year ago as its gas sales picked up the company said. Gazprom posted a 4.9% increase in full-year net profit boosted by a paper gain on a revaluation of its oil unit Gazprom...

Russias participation in missile shield to boost security
General Stephane Abrial NATOrsquo;s Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation the top military commentator on how to reform and modernize the alliancersquo;s forces said in Brussels on 4 May that the EU and NATO can and should work together as much as possible.nbsp; ldquo;We should ensure that we help countries bring...

Putin Berlusconi talk energy economic issues
Russia is willing help Italy with its planned nuclear energy program Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on 26 April in talks with Italian counterpart Silvio Berlusconi. The two leaders spoke at a joint news conference following their meeting in the northern Italian town of Lesmo near Milan. In 2008 Berlusconis...

New Russian FSB bill worries campaigners
The Russian Federal Security Service FSB will in future be able to take action against suspicious citizens and organizations without prior permission from the justice system or the police Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told Russian daily Kommersant on 26 April. The new powers would be enshrined in a law designed...

Medvedev promotes energy business in Oslo
During his visit to Norway Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stressed that the two countries business communities need to encourage investment cooperation in different sectors and in various regions of Russia. Medvedev arrived on 26 April in Oslo as part of a visit to Scandinavia. Medvedev placed special emphasis on venture...

Putin vows to tackle bureaucracy
In an annual address to the lower house of Russias parliament on 20 April Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin pledged to free Russian businesses from the excess paperwork that burdens their operations. He said state agencies regulating business are inefficient. Putin pledged to lift restrictions for startups and to drop...

Russia shuts down last plutonium reactor
Russia shut down a reactor capable of producing weapons-grade plutonium recently - the last of its kind in the world - days after the country participated in a historic US nuclear security summit the Ria Novosti reported. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had announced the imminent shutdown of the reactor which...

US Russia ink deal to scale back plutonium stockpiles
The United States and Russia signed a deal on 13 April to eliminate tons of weapons-grade plutonium as part of the effort to reduce stockpiles of dangerous nuclear materials. US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov signed the pact that had been in the...

Russia: Accelerating Growth Drivers
Investors have been wary of Russia risk Uralsib bank in Moscow said in its Russia Strategy released on 13 April. Russia is not over-owned by international investors leaving plenty of scope for emerging-market investors to add more Russia exposure. Economic improvement is expected to be much stronger in 2H10 and...

Dacia sales quadrupled in France in March
New registrations of Romanian-made Dacia cars in France have increased four times in March compared to the same period last year according to data released early last week by the Committee of French Automobile Manufacturers CCFA Romanian Times reported. Car maker Dacia a Renault subsidiary in Romania had 17 099 cars...

Romanian car market shows recovery signs
Car sales are up by 16.3 % in February compared to January the Association of Car Producers and Importers said early last week Romanian Times reported. But although 4 604 cars were sold in February that figure is still low compared to last year. In the first two months of...

Putin Rasmussen open new cargo route will boost ties
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin Danish premier Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Ecuadorian Minister of Industries Xavier Abad Vicuna inaugurated Russias first direct trans-Atlantic freight route on 22 March. The opening ceremony took place in St Petersburg. The ECUBEX service run by Denmarks Maersk Line will run on a weekly basis...

Fyodorov denies plans for US tanker bid
The chief of Russian aircraft manufacturer United Aircraft Corp says that his company has no plans to seek or participate in any joint bid for a $35-billion US military contract for new aerial tankers. United Aircraft chief executive Alexei Fyodorov denied recent US media reports that his company would make a...

UNEP urges Russia to improve environment before Olympics
The United Nations Environment Program UNEP called on 16 March on Russia to improve environmental protection and tourism in the Black Sea city of Sochi site of the 2014 Winter Olympics before the arrival of hordes of athletes and fans. While Russian authorities have conducted assessments on the direct impacts...

Russia News - New Europe News
Russia News - New Europe News: The European News Source.

 

Russian man arrested in Spain after nightclub fire that killed 156
Investigators have arrested a suspect from Russia in connection with a fire that killed 156 people in a nightclub in Russia in 2009, the Spanish National Police said Thursday.

Russia tops Ivory Coast, 72-66
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Russia routed Ivory Coast 72-66 in its third Group C game of the world championships Tuesday to recover from its loss to Turkey.

9 die, 480 rescued from burning retirement home in Russia
A fire at a retirement home northwest of here killed nine people early Monday morning, Russian state media said.

Police officer, militants killed in anti-terrorism operation in Russia
Five suspected militants and one policeman were killed during a special anti-terrorism operation Saturday morning in the North Caucasus republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, Russian state media said.

Suspected mastermind of Moscow subway attacks killed
A leader of an Islamist terror network, who was suspected of masterminding the March subway attacks in Moscow, was killed over the weekend, state-owned media said.

Russia set for Iran's nuclear plant launch, top nuclear official says
Russia's top nuclear official Thursday called the pending supply of nuclear fuel to Iran's first atomic energy plant "an event of crucial importance" that proves that "Russia always fulfills its (international) obligations."

Presidents of Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan meet
The presidents of Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan held a quartet meeting in Russia's southern Black Sea resort of Sochi Wednesday, where they discussed the international battle against terror and the war on drugs, as well as economic issues, according to the Kremlin.

Moscow reduces hours for some alcohol sales
Moscow, Russia, authorities have cut the daily sales hours for beverages with more than 15 percent alcohol, making it illegal to buy such beverages in stores between 10 p.m. and 10 a.m., according to Russian state-run news agency RIA-Novosti.

Russia says alleged Romanian spy must leave
The Romanian diplomat Russian officials said they caught "red handed" Monday, "attempting to obtain secret military information" has been declared "persona non grata" and has to leave Russia in 48 hours, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry website.

Satellite images show scope of Russian wildfires
Satellite photographs on NASA's website show hundreds of hot spots generated by wildfires across central and western Russia.

Russia moving ahead with Iran nuclear reactor
Russia will start loading a nuclear reactor in Iran with fuel next week, moving the project closer to being complete, both nations said Friday.

U.S. sending wildfire help to Russia
The United States is contributing an estimated $4.5 million worth of firefighting equipment and other supplies to help battle massive wildfires in Russia, according to the Obama administration.

What's behind the weather chaos?
Is the record-shattering heatwave that has been blamed for the death of thousands in Russia somehow related to the devastating flooding in Pakistan?

Officials say nuclear facility safe from fires; health risks remain
Fires around a nuclear production facility in western Russia have been fully stabilized and a red alert on the situation has been dropped, the national emergency ministry said Wednesday.

State Department warns against travel to Russia
The State Department on Tuesday issued a travel warning for Russia because of wildfires and hot weather in the Moscow region and surrounding areas.

Heat and smog double death rate in Moscow
The mortality rate in Moscow, Russia, has "doubled recently" because of an extended streak of heat and smog, Andrei Seltsovsky, the head of the city health department, told Russian news agencies Monday.

Russian capital enveloped by smog amid wildfires
Moscow remained under a blanket of dense fog Friday as wildfires covering large swathes of western Russia continued to burn.

15 dead in Siberian plane crash
A passenger plane crashed Monday night near the Krasnoyarsk region of Siberia in southeastern Russia, killing all 15 people aboard, the Ministry of Emergencies said, according to Interfax.

Firefighters gain control over wildfires in Russia
With nearly 86,000 people evacuated from fire-ravaged regions, Russian authorities said Sunday that firefighters were gaining control over blazes sweeping across thousands of acres in western Russia.

Russian wildfires leave 28 dead, thousands homeless
At least 28 people have been killed and thousands left homeless by wildfires sweeping through western Russia, authorities said Saturday.

Dozens arrested at Russia protests
Russian authorities arrested at least 135 opposition protesters, including a leading Kremlin critic, at rallies demanding freedom of assembly, state media said.

Bad weather kills 7 in Russia
Strong winds and stormy weather left at least seven people dead in the Leningrad region of north Russia, the state-run RIA-Novosti news agency reported Friday.

Moscow hits record high of 102 degrees
Besieged by a heat wave, Moscow, Russia, surpassed the century mark Thursday for the first time in recorded history.

Rash of drownings as Russians attempt to escape heat
More than 1,000 Russians have drowned recently as they attempted to find relief from a stifling heat wave -- many of them after drinking alcohol, officials said.

U.S., Russia swap spies
The United States and Russia completed a spy swap Friday, exchanging the agents on chartered planes at an airport in Vienna, Austria, a U.S. official and Russian media said.

U.S. exchanges expelled agents with Russia, reports say
A plane carrying 10 Russian agents who were expelled from the United States for intelligence gathering took off from Vienna, Austria on Friday, apparently bound for Moscow, state-run Russian media reported.

Why Russia and the U.S. still spy
The arrests of 11 people accused of being part of an espionage ring under deep cover for Russia shocked their neighbors in the suburbs. Presumably it was also news to President Obama, coming as it did right after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's departure.

Russia begins to restrict natural gas supplies to Belarus
Russia began to cut off natural gas supplies to Belarus on Monday as talks over unpaid debts continued, Russian state media reported.

U.S. and Russia can end the suffering
The United States operates an air base in Kyrgyzstan. The keystone of the Pentagon's Northern Distribution Network, it keeps essential matériel moving into Afghanistan for NATO troops, notwithstanding steady disruption on the roads out of Pakistan.

Former Nuremberg prosecutor chides U.S., China, Russia
One of the attorneys who prosecuted Nazi war criminals at the end of World War II cautioned the United States, Russia and China on Wednesday over their opposition to the final inclusion of "crimes of aggression" in the mandate for the International Criminal Court.

Death toll rises to 7 in Russia bombing
The death toll rose to seven Thursday from a bombing outside a planned performance by a dance company in Russia, officials said.

Russia: 3 killed from subway bombings group
Three men involved in the Moscow subway bombings in March were killed when they fought back during an attempt to arrest them, the director of the Federal Security Service told the Russian president Thursday.

Official: U.S.-Russia adoption agreement to be finalized by Friday
A draft agreement on international adoptions between the United States and Russia will be finalized by Friday, Moscow's children's rights commissioner said Wednesday.

12 dead, 83 trapped in Russia mine after blasts
Hazardous conditions inside Russia's largest coal mine forced officials to suspend efforts Sunday to rescue dozens of workers trapped inside after a pair of explosions, the country's Ministry for Emergency Situations said.

Russian mine blasts kill 11, trap dozens more
A pair of explosions at Russia's largest coal mine has left 11 dead and has trapped roughly 70 others -- including 20 rescue workers -- the country's state-run TV reported Sunday.

To Russia, for love: Adoptive parents on edge as suspension threatened
Valera remembered being left in the Russian snow. How he lost his lower arms and some of his toes, he wasn't always sure. At times, he said he was in a fire. The truth of what the 14-year-old experienced in his early years, no one will ever know.

Investigators yet to talk to adoptive family of returned Russian boy
Investigators haven't been "afforded an opportunity" to interview a Tennessee family that sent an adopted boy back to his native Russia alone, the county district attorney's office said Tuesday.

Russian judge shot dead in Moscow
A judge in several high-profile cases was gunned down Monday as he walked out of his apartment to go to work, officials said.

Nuclear balance of terror must end
Today, President Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev signed a treaty fixing a ceiling for each country of 1,550 nuclear warheads and 700 deployed nuclear delivery vehicles.

Observers: Corruption hits Russian security
On the day a suicide bomber killed two police officers in the Russian republic of Ingushetia, a leading independent journalist in Moscow said the Kremlin will never defeat terrorism if it does not end corruption in law enforcement agencies.

Suicide attack kills 2 police officers in Ingushetia
A suicide bomber killed two officers and wounded four others outside a police station in the Russian republic of Ingushetia Monday, authorities said.

Blast derails train in Russia
An explosion that derailed a train in Russia's North Caucasus was being investigated as an act of terrorism, Russian media reported.

Moscow fears 'war unleashed on its streets'
A change in tactics among Chechnya's militants is threatening to bring their nationalist fight to the heart of Russia's cities, terrorism analysts fear.

Female suicide bombers blamed in Moscow subway attacks
Russian investigators combing two subway stations attacked by female suicide bombers think Chechen rebels may have been behind the rush-hour strike that killed dozens of people.

Attacks bear hallmarks of Chechen 'Black Widows'
Monday's bomb attacks on the Moscow subway bear the hallmarks of an operation carried out by female Chechen suicide bombers called "Black Widows," according to security analysts.

Russia cuts time zones to 9 on Sunday
The world's largest country by land mass is challenging time: This weekend, Russia is cutting the number of its time zones from 11 to 9.

Russia, U.S. near arms control deal
Talks between Russia and the United States on a new arms-control agreement are "almost at the finish line," a State Department official said Wednesday.

Richard Deitsch: Daily Olympic Briefing, Feb. 24
VANCOUVER, B.C. -- Armageddon comes early to the two biggest and two best hockey nations in the planet. So proclaims SI's Michael Farber about today's leave-town quarterfinal between Russia and Canada. "At 4:45 p.m. Vancouver time Wednesday -- that's 3:45 a.m. Thursday in Moscow, so set those alarms in your dacha -- the most compelling game of the tournament (with apologies to Team USA) will commence," says Farber. "This is Alex Ovechkin vs. Sidney Crosby. This is Hockey Night in Canada vs. Hockey Morning on the Volga. This is Mike Babcock vs. Slava Bykov, two of the best bench coaches in the world. This is 38 years of vibrant history, oozing respect and antipathy."

Men's Olympic hockey schedule
United States vs. Switzerland, 3 p.m. Russia vs. Canada, 7:30 p.m. Finland vs. Czech Republic, 10 p.m. Sweden vs. Slovakia, 12 mid.

Moscow cop jailed over supermarket rampage
In a high-profile court case, a Moscow police officer was sentenced to life in prison Friday for killing two people and injuring seven in a drunken shooting rampage at a supermarket last year.

Russia tests its first stealth fighter jet
Russia tested its fifth-generation Sukhoi fighter jet in the Russian Far East on Friday.

White House: U.S. and Russia close to arms-control deal
A new arms-control treaty between the United States and Russia is nearly complete, the White House said.

Oil ends at highest level in 14 months
Oil continued to rally for an eighth straight session and closed at the highest level in more than fourteen months as a pricing dispute and disruption in crude exports between Russia and Belarus worried investors.

Russia: A bear of an economic year
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in a New Year's address thanked his fellow Russians for their ability to "take a punch and keep coming" in the past year, which was Russia's worst in more than a decade.

U.S., Russia say arms control talks to resume next year
The United States and Russia say they will be unable to reach a deal on an arms control treaty by the end of the year to replace their existing one, which expired this month.

Commentary: Celebrating in the capital of our oppression
It was well below freezing as I stood in line to pass through the metal detector and get searched, but a warm sensation came over me.

NATO chief asks Russia to bolster help for Afghanistan
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen is asking Russia to broaden its presence in Afghanistan with more choppers and expanded police training.

Russia plans 'green' winter Olympics
It's meant as the crowning glory of Russia's post-soviet revival: in 2014 the winter Olympics will be held here, in the pristine mountains of Sochi in Russia's Caucasus.

Abolishing nuclear arms: It can be done
When President Obama called for a world free of nuclear weapons in Prague, Czech Republic, this spring, many dismissed this part of his speech as idealistic rhetoric.

Russia seeks U.S. help in fight against heroin epidemic
Russia's top drugs adviser has called on the United States to use its troop surge into Afghanistan to help stem the flow of drugs entering its borders, as heroin addiction reaches epidemic levels.

Alcohol takes its toll on Russians' health
In Russia, where the government has designated alcoholism a "national disaster," men have an average life expectancy of just 60 years -- one of the lowest in Europe.

Russian corruption fight explodes on YouTube
The month of November has been a poignant one for Russia and its fight against corruption -- arguably its biggest vice.

Darren Eliot: Russia rises again on world stage
There is a buzz surrounding Russian hockey like never before, at least not since pre-Glasnost days. Much of the anticipation has to do with Russia winning the World Championships in successive seasons heading into an Olympic campaign. So much of their promise comes from the talent level of their young core, many of whom have little if any knowledge of how it used to be.

Russia settles suit against U.S. bank for a pittance
A bizarre and troubling civil racketeering case filed against the Bank of New York Mellon by the Russian customs service -- ostensibly brought under U.S. law but filed in a Moscow court -- may be coming to an unexpectedly rational end.

Medvedev: U.S. blocking Russia's WTO entry
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday accused the United States of "blocking" Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization.

20 killed in Russia as truck plows into bus
At least 20 people were killed and 40 injured Friday as a result of a major road accident in southern Russia, officials said.

Gas pipe deal aims to end Russia's monopoly
Officials from six countries gathered Monday in Turkey and signed a deal to build a U.S.-backed pipeline, aimed at breaking Russia's near-monopoly on natural gas supplies to Europe.

Russia allows U.S. weapons shipments to Afghanistan
Russia will allow the United States to ship weapons across its territory to Afghanistan, Kremlin spokesman Alex Pavlov said Friday.

Russia vetoes U.N. mission in Georgia
The rift between Russia and Western powers over Georgia burst back into full view on the U.N. Security Council when Russia vetoed a resolution that would have extended the U.N. observer mission in Georgia.

Russia's bleak picture of health
In Russia, a country often associated with consumption of mass amounts of vodka, men have an average life expectancy of just 60 years -- one of the lowest in Europe.

Q&A: The return of the Russian superpower?
From the uncertainty that followed the breakup of the Soviet Union, a newly invigorated Russia has emerged, displaying unprecedented political, military and economic confidence that has, at times, put it on a collision course with the West.

Snapshots of Russia by train
In a special report for CNN's Eye on Russia week, Moscow Correspondent Matthew Chance travels across the vast country from the northern port of Murmansk in the Arctic to the southern city of Sochi on the Black Sea. Here Chance recalls some highlights from his epic journey.

Eye on Russia: Opportunity and Influence
CNN wants to hear from viewers in both English and Russian for its weeklong focus on modern Russia.

Russia edges US to reach worlds final
The United States lost to Russia 3-2 in the semifinals of the world hockey championships Friday, beaten on a power-play goal with less than two minutes left.

Canada attacks Russia for expulsion of diplomats
Canada will ask the Russian ambassador to explain why two Canadians who worked at the NATO Information Office in Moscow had their diplomatic accreditation revoked, Canada's foreign ministry said Wednesday.

Georgia foils mutiny at military base ahead of training activities
Georgian authorities foiled an attempted army mutiny that they believe was designed to disrupt planned NATO exercises in the former Soviet republic, the country's interior ministry said Tuesday.

Report: Russia detains 29 suspected pirates
Russian authorities detained 29 suspected Somali pirates in waters off the Horn of Africa, a Russian state-run news agency reported Wednesday.

Russia advances at World Championships
Defending champion Russia got the win it wanted and the tough match it needed with a 4-2 victory over Switzerland on Tuesday at the ice hockey world championship.

Russia declares end to Chechnya 'operation'
Russia declared an end Thursday to its 10-year anti-terror "operation" in the autonomous republic of Chechnya.

Russia to build 6 nuclear subs with cruise missiles
Russia will build at least six nuclear-powered submarines with long-range cruise missiles for its navy, a source in the Russian Defense Ministry told the Itar-Tass news agency.

Russia ready to help bring peace to Afghanistan
Russia said Friday it is ready to help normalize the situation in Afghanistan, where U.S.-led forces are battling the Islamic fundamentalist Taliban for control of the country.

Report: Russian bank hostages freed
A police operation freed five bank employees who had been taken hostage in central Russia, a regional governor told state TV.

Bank of New York in settlement talks with Russia
The good news is that a Moscow judge adjourned Tuesday's scheduled pretrial hearing in Russia's dubious $22.5 billion suit against the Bank of New York Mellon to allow the parties to pursue settlement talks. The agency bringing the suit, the Russian Federal Customs Service, had requested the talks in a short letter that the bank's lawyers received Friday.

Google's Russian threat
Arkady Volozh, CEO of Yandex, Russia's largest online-search company, is playing with a set of nesting dolls (for real!). Instead of the traditional folk decoration, though, these figurines are outfitted with the names of Internet companies doing business in Russia. The first and biggest doll has Yandex emblazoned on its belly in bold red and black letters. A smaller doll bears the Google logo, followed by one representing Rambler, Russia's other homegrown search engine. "We were charitable with these dolls," Volozh says. "If we had been honest, we would have left the second doll blank and made Google third. We're that much bigger than them."

Deaths rise in Russia nursing home fire
The death toll in a nursing home fire in northwestern Russia rose to 23 Sunday, as rescue workers discovered more bodies in the ruins, officials said.

U.S. can't confirm report on Russia easing missile stance
The United States cannot confirm a media report that Russia will not follow through on its threat to deploy missiles near Poland in response to a U.S. plan to place a missile defense system in the eastern European country, a state department spokesman said Wednesday.

Report: Russia to build naval base in rebel region
Russia will begin the construction of a new naval base this year in Georgia's pro-Russian separatist region of Abkhazia, according to a Russian media report Monday.

Security cameras film Russian killings
Russian investigators have no suspects in Monday's killings of a prominent human rights lawyer and a journalist despite round-the-clock efforts to find the gunman, officials said Wednesday.

Russia resumes gas flow to Europe
Russian energy giant Gazprom resumed pumping natural gas to Europe via Ukraine Tuesday, nearly two weeks after the flow was cut off, a Gazprom spokesman told CNN.

Human rights lawyer, journalist killed in Russia
A masked man shot and killed on Monday a Russian human rights lawyer known for his work on abuses by the Russian military in the breakaway region of Chechnya, Russian media reported.

Reports: Russia to open gas flow to Europe
Russia's Gazprom planned to resume gas supplies to Europe Tuesday, with lines to be reopened by 7 a.m. GMT (2 a.m. ET), Russian media quoted a Gazprom official as saying.

Russia, Ukraine agree to resume gas flow
The prime ministers of Russia and Ukraine reached an agreement early Sunday morning to resume gas supplies to Europe by early next week.

Russia: Gas flow to resume within days
Gas will resume flowing "in the next few days," Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told reporters following summit talks in Moscow aimed at resolving the ongoing dispute between Ukraine and Russia which has left many parts of Europe without natural gas.

Russia invites Europe to weekend gas talks
Russia is hoping for wide participation at talks this weekend in Moscow to resolve a gas dispute that has left parts of Europe stuck in the cold, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday.

EU leaders slam 'brutal' gas stoppage
Frustrated European Union leaders lashed out Wednesday at Russian and Ukrainian energy companies whose dispute over natural gas has stopped supplies to Europe for the past week.

Russia to restore gas supply to Europe
Russia will start pumping natural gas to Europe again Tuesday after an interruption of nearly a week, energy giant Gazprom's deputy CEO Alexander Medvedev said Monday.

Russia to turn gas back on
Russia said Monday it would restore gas supplies to Europe after Ukraine, which has been engaged in a dispute with Russia, dropped conditions that had angered Moscow.

Russia backs off deal with Ukraine
Just as millions of Europeans struggling through cold winter temperatures thought a resolution had been reached in the Russia-Ukraine natural gas standoff, Russia said it will not proceed on a deal.

Russia, Ukraine to allow gas monitors
The European Union, Russia and Ukraine have agreed on allowing a team of independent investigators to monitor inflowing gas pipelines from Russia into Ukrainian territory to help end a dispute that has left millions short of gas supplies.

Ukraine, Russia cut off gas to Europe
Ukraine and Russia said the supply of natural gas to Europe was completely shut off Wednesday, but each side blamed the other for the cut-off, which comes as Europe faces a wave of freezing temperatures.

Russia: News & Videos about Russia - CNN.com
Find stories, videos, and photos about Russia from CNN.com.

 

Putin Extends Ban on Russian Grain Exports
Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin announced Thursday that Russia’s ban on grain exports would be extended well into next year because of continued uncertainty over production.

Russia: Putin Defends Violence Against Protesters Without Permits
Mr. Putin told the Kommersant newspaper that the opposition had to abide by the law and receive permission to march.

Appeal to Thai Leader for Russian Suspected of Trafficking Weapons
The lawyer for Viktor Bout, accused of being an arms trafficker, made the appeal to keep his client from being extradited to the United States.

Chechen Leader’s Village Is Attacked
Insurgents in Chechnya attacked the home village of the region’s leader, touching off a battle in which more than a dozen people were killed, officials said.

At Least 16 Die in Russian Raids
At least 14 militant suspects and two police officers have died in three raids in the volatile North Caucasus region, the police said.

Kremlin Relents, for Now, to Foes of Russia Highway
Environmentalists were handed a surprising victory when President Dmitri A. Medvedev postponed construction of a Moscow-St. Petersburg highway.

Rights Advocate Jailed in Moscow
A Russian court sent a leading human rights activist and Kremlin critic to jail for three days for taking part in an unsanctioned protest demonstration in Moscow.

Sjeng Scheijen’s ‘Diaghilev,’ on Ballet Russes Founder
The Dutch scholar Sjeng Scheijen traces the life and career of Serge Diaghilev, the impresario of the Ballets Russes.

Austria Won’t Charge Leader of Chechnya in Ex-Bodyguard’s Killing
Prosecutors said they did not have enough evidence to file charges against Ramzan A. Kadyrov, who is believed to have ordered the killing of Umar S. Israilov.

Hacker’s Arrest Offers Peek Into Russian Criminal World
American authorities said Vladislav A. Horohorin headed “one of the most sophisticated organizations of online financial criminals in the world.”

Russian Cable Station Plays to U.S. Audience
Russia Today devotes six hours a day to news about the United States, and sees itself as an alternative to mainstream media.

Russian Forces Kill Suspect in Moscow Bombings
The March 29 bombings at the Lubyanka and Park Kultury subway stations filled Moscow with a sense of dread that terrorists from the Caucasus were once again taking aim at major Russian cities.

Revisiting the Russian Name I Changed
A new life and renewed interest in old family roots.

Iran Opens Its First Nuclear Power Plant
Russia, which helped build the plant, emphasized that it could not be used for nonpeaceful purposes.

An Oasis of Culture in a Fiery Russian Summer
Tarusa, known as the Russian Barbizon for its concentration of painters echoing that of the village south of Paris, is again a flourishing summer playground.

NYT > Russia
Broad and multi-faceted coverage of Russia, updated by The Times's Moscow bureau; multimedia; travel; descriptions of Russian industry, and archival articles published in The New York Times.

 

Piracy: Unlawful Noble Act
The Internet is full of reports saying that “Russian security agencies are going to stop the work of two major metropolitan centers selling electronics, home appliances and media vehicles, Gorbushka - Russia's Legendary and Largest record fair presumably known for its incredible abundance of pirated disks to all liking sold at very low prices. The old Gorbushka was the place where you could buy the so-called “zero copies” of movies - the recording quality for VHS fell with each re-write, it was nothing close to modern digital recordings

Putin Praised: Russian Superman
Russian Premier Vladimir Putin has received a glowing accolade by one of the USA’s most fashionable writers. Dubbed "Russia’s Superman" the article calls Vladimir Putin "The face of New Russia" and "man of the decade", "Russia’s answer to John Wayne".

Abkhazia and South Ossetia: Two Years of Independence, But No Peace
August 26th marks two years since Russia's recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Russia's Ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin stated that Russia's recognition of the independence of S. Ossetia and Abkhazia was a confirmation of Russia's refusal to annex the two republics. "The decision is a response to political speculators who claimed that Russia wanted to obtain new territories," Rogozin said. The confrontation between Russia and Georgia still remains a big issue

Russian Officials Fiddle Away Budget of Iceland
Last year, Russian regional authorities wasted 415 billion rubles of budget funds, Vladimir Putin said at a recent meeting of the government. The amount exceeds the annual budget of such a nation as Iceland. The head of the Russian government again urged to cut the official personnel on regional and municipal levels

Russia Develops Military Airborne Laser System
Russia is developing a military airborne laser system based on the IL-76 and designed to counter enemy intelligence means in different environments. The design in principle is not new as it was started in 1980. But a decade later, the funding was ceased because of lack of money, however now it was recommenced and goes as planned. However, some military experts doubt the effectiveness of the installation and consider spending money on it is absolutely unnecessary and ruinous to the Russian budget

Merchant of Death Doomed for Not Playing to USA's Rules
Russian businessman Viktor Bout will be extradited to the United States in accordance with the decision taken by the authorities of Thailand after more than two years of legal proceedings. The verdict is not subject to any appeal. Washington does have many questions to ask the businessman. He apparently decided not to play to the rules of the West - that's why he get so much attention from the United States.

Russia Faces Gloomy Aftermath of Forest Fires
The Russian summer of fires and heat is drawing to its end. Nearly all forest fires in the country have been extinguished. Now the country will have to face the aftermath of the natural disaster, which unexpectedly took the national scale and affected many lives. Pravda.Ru's special correspondent Dmitry Reznichenko went on a hitchhiking trip across the regions, which suffered from the fires most

Russian Oppositionists Take Their Absurdity to Georgia
The leaders and activists of the United Civil Front, chaired by Garry Kasparov, held an anti-Russian meeting in Gori, Georgia. They gathered in Gori demanding Prussian Prime Minister Putin's resignation. However, for some strange reason, the activists were expressing their protests in the English language

Russia's Liberal Oppositionists Madly in Love with Putin
Russia's "liberal" opposition has been repeating the name of the Russian prime minister for weeks already. Is there any explanation to that? Who is guilty of the forest fires? Putin . Who is guilty of the poor harvest ? Putin . Who is guilty of the smog that shrouded Moscow and several other Russian cities ? Putin in the first place, and then local officials. It seems that Putin is guilty of the anomalous heat wave too

Forest Fires Cause Damage of $15 Billion to Russian Economy
Experts started to calculate the losses, which the Russian economy suffered as a result of unusually hot summer and immense forest fires. The damage may total one percent of the GDP growth in 2010, which is equal to $15 billion, or 450 billion rubles. For the time being, the experts take account of direct costs and negative short-term consequences for the economy

Moscow Literally Burnt by the Sun
Moscow is suffocating. Thick toxic smog has been covering the sky above the city for days. The sun in Moscow looks like the moon during the day: it's not that bright and yellow, but pale and orange with misty outlines against the smoky sky. Muscovites have to experience both the smog and sweltering heat at once. Today, August 9, the temperature is expected to hit the level of 37-39 degrees above zero Centigrade

Moscow Under Gas Attack
The smog from forest and peat bog fires has shrouded Moscow on Friday morning again. The pungent smoke has covered almost the whole city. The gas attack is accompanied with extremely high temperatures. The city is about to brave another absolute record for summer temperatures on August 6: 40 degrees above zero Centigrade. Meteorologists said that the first week of August would become the hottest in 130 years of observations in Russia

Medvedev Cracks Down on Russian Navy Administration
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has taken a number of personnel decisions regarding the management of the Russian Navy in connection with the fire on the Navy base in Moscow. Medvedev also announced the dismissal of a number of senior representatives of the Russian Navy. The President has also warned the leadership of the Defense Ministry that it would also bear responsibility in case of recurrence of the situation that took place at Moscow Navy base, where the fire occurred

Wildfires and Russian Bureaucracy: Perfect Combination
In July of this year, Moscow has set over 10 temperature records for 130 years of local weather monitoring. Of course, abnormally high temperatures were observed not only in the capital, but nearly on the entire territory of Central Russia, Siberia and the Urals. It would be very strange if such weather would not bring forest and peat fires. Yet, it seems that the fires happened out of the blue, when no one expected

Tons of Toxic Chemicals Flow from China to Russia
On Wednesday, approximately 7,000 containers of hazardous substances were washed away to a tributary of the Amur River with floods from the territory of chemical plants in China. Russian Emergency Ministry has sent a request to the Consulate General of China in Khabarovsk to specify the measures that China has adopted to eliminate the consequences of the emergency

Russian Court Bans Access to YouTube Entirely
A court of the city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur in Russia's Khabarovsk region, the Far East, ruled to restrict access to world's largest video hosting YouTube and four other websites, which, as legal experts believed, contained extremist materials. Google's division in Russia claimed that the ruling of the court had been made in violation of the Constitution of the Russian Federation

Russia Considers Adopting Europe's Experience of Chemical Castration for Pedophiles
This is not the first such initiative. A similar project was submitted for consideration of the State Duma in September of last year. There were talks about it back in 2008. Evidently, the idea is in the air. In the 21st century the idea of special measures against pedophiles first emerged in 2000 in England, after the murder of eight-year-old Sarah Payne by Roy Whiting. After the murder a special register was started which now includes over a hundred thousand of British pedophiles

Thick Smog of Peat and Forest Fires Covers Moscow
In addition to unbearably hot weather, Muscovites now suffer from strong smell and thick smoke of peat fires. The smoke has already reached the center of Moscow. The cloud of pungent smoke could be seen in the south-west and in the west of Moscow. The visibility on the roads was not more than 300-500 meters. The situation in the south, south-east and in the east of the city is much worse - the smoke there is thicker

Russia's Medvedev in Finland To Discuss 'Family Affairs'
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev arrived with a visit to Finland. In recent years, Finland has been one of the main partners of Russia in Europe. However, “family matters” have become, perhaps, the most sensitive issue in bilateral relations in recent years. There had never been that many scandals involving mixed Russian-Finnish families. We still hear about the story of the abduction of Anton Salonen, whose Finnish dad (with the help of staff consulate in St. Petersburg) brought him to Finland in the trunk of his company car

Russia To Assign Trillions for Strategic Nuclear and Ground Forces
The Russian government agreed to increase the funding of the state armaments program for 2011-2020 by 50%, from 13 trillion to 20 trillion rubles. According to the official, a large-scale program aimed at the development of defense-industrial complex (DIC) must be approved along with the state program of armaments for 2011-2020 before 2020

English pravda.ru - Russia - Articles
English pravda.ru

 

Russian Navy headquarters to stay in Moscow
The headquarters of the Russian Navy will not be transferred from Moscow to St. Petersburg, a high-ranking Defense Ministry official told RIA Novosti on Friday.

Medvedev, Putin's approval ratings go up after wildfires - polls
The Russian president and prime minister's approval ratings have risen in the aftermath of wildfires that ravaged a large part of European Russia this summer, business daily Vedomosti said on Friday.

Russian Health Ministry puts $66,000 price tag on life
Proposed health legislation on a mandatory liability insurance program would see healthcare providers in Russia pay out $66,000 for deaths caused by negligence, a business daily said on Friday.

Death toll from wildfires in Russia's Volgograd Region rises to 4 (Update 2)
Wildfires raging in Russia's Volgograd Region have now killed 4 people and injured 14, a Emergency Ministry spokeswoman said on Friday.

Russia to remember victims of terrorist attacks
Numerous events will be held across Russia on Friday, to mark the Day of solidarity in fight against terrorism and the final day of the Beslan school siege, in which 334 people were killed.

Wildfire approaches federal highway in Volga area (Update 1)
Wildfires have been raging in forests on both sides of the M5 "Urals" federal highway linking Moscow and the Urals near the city of Togliatti in the Volga area.

Kadyrov offers $326,000 for info about attackers on his home village
Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov said he was ready to pay ten million rubles ($326,000) for true information about the location of militants who attacked his home village in late August.

RIA Novosti
RIA Novosti

 

Medvedev Maintains Putins Policies, Little has Changed
Most of Putin’s foreign policies remain the same a year+ Medvedev has taken over as President. After President Dmitry Medvedev was elected last year, then-President Vladimir Putin made a rather telling promise about his chosen successor. “Medvedev is no less a Russian nationalist than I am, in the positive sense of the word, and I do not [...]

Somali Pirates Capture UK Ship with Ukrainian Crew
The UK-owned bulk carrier Ariana was sailing under the Maltese flag, and Somali pirates captured the vessel with 24 Ukrainian crew onboard. Vasily Kirilitch, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry press secretary, confirmed to Interfax that all the sailors are Ukrainian nationals. He said the country’s embassies were instructed to “take prompt measures to set constant contact with ship-owner, [...]

NATO Expelled Two Russian Diplomats Accused of Spying
By Tom Forrest – A NATO diplomat claims the Russians were expelled over the case of Herman Simm, who was jailed for treason for handing over over 1,900 pages of information to Russia’s Intelligence Service. Two Russian diplomats Victor Kochukov and Vasily Chizhov have lost their accreditation to NATO”S headquarters in Brussels. It is not clear [...]

Latvia wants to Collect $200 Billion from Russia
Latvia is a former Soviet republic, and has calculated the damage that Latvia suffered from the Soviet occupation after WWII. It has been 48 years and Latvia claims Russia owes Latvia $200 billion. The amount includes Latvia’s costs for the loss of its independence, the export of the population, the environmental damages and even [...]

Is the USA Violating the Rights of Foreign Nationals?
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Russian Defense Spending will Increase by 8% in 2010
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Russian Culture: At A Glance
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President of Ingushetia Survived the Attack
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USA Cancels Missile Defense System Russia Condemned as a Threat
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Deadly Flowers
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Russian Spy, World and Russian News
Russian Spy covering news and analysis on politics, business, culture and sport in Russia and the World, CIS and former Soviet Union

 

BBC Frontpage (Russian Edition)

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Capital: Moscow

Russia, also the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country extending over much of northern Eurasia. It is a semi-presidential republic comprising 84 federal subjects. Russia shares land borders with the following countries (counter-clockwise from northwest to southeast): Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania (Kaliningrad Oblast), Poland (Kaliningrad Oblast), Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia and North Korea. It is also close to the U.S. state of Alaska, Sweden and Japan across relatively small stretches of water (the Bering Strait, the Baltic Sea, and La P�rouse Strait, respectively).

At 17,075,400 square kilometres (6,592,800 sq mi), Russia is by far the largest country in the world, covering more than an eighth of the Earth�s land area; with 142 million people, it is the ninth largest by population. It extends across the whole of northern Asia and 40% of Europe, spanning 11 time zones and incorporating a great range of environments and landforms. Russia has the world's largest mineral and energy resources, and is considered an energy superpower. It contains approximately one-quarter of the world's unfrozen fresh water and has the world's largest forest reserves.

The nation's history began with that of the East Slavs. The Slavs emerged as a recognizable group in Europe between the 3rd and 8th centuries AD. Founded and ruled by Vikings and their descendants, the first East Slavic state, Kievan Rus', arose in the 9th century and adopted Christianity from the Byzantine Empire in 988, beginning the synthesis of Byzantine and Slavic cultures that defined Russian culture for the next millennium. Kievan Rus' ultimately disintegrated and the Russian lands were divided. The most powerful successor state to Kievan Rus' was Moscow, which gradually came to dominate the cultural and political legacy of Kievan Rus'. By the 18th century, the Grand Duchy of Moscow had expanded through conquest, annexation and exploration to become the huge Russian Empire, stretching from Poland eastward to the Pacific Ocean.

Russia established worldwide power and influence from the times of the Russian Empire to being the preeminent constituent of the Soviet Union, the world's first and largest Communist state, and can boast a long tradition of excellence in every aspect of the arts and sciences. The Russian Federation was founded following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, but is recognized as the continuing legal personality of the Soviet Union. Russia is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and a leading member of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the G8. It is one of the five recognized nuclear weapons states and possesses the world's largest stockpile of weapons of mass destruction.

 

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia