REGIONS: COUNTRIES:

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.

In the Spotlight: Eurovision
Last Sunday, Russia chose Pyotr Nalich, a quirky singer who became famous through YouTube and isn’t part of the glitzy Russian pop scene, as its entry for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

Baby Woolly Mammoth Sets Out on U.S. Tour
CHICAGO — Some 42,000 years after, scientists say, she fell into mud near a river and suffocated, an intact baby woolly mammoth from the Ice Age is to go on display for the first time in the United States at The Field Museum.

In Brief
Metro Tender Awarded ST. PETERSBURG (Vedomosti) — The entrance complex to the new Obvodny Kanal metro station will be built by the company Nevsky Dom.

Zenit Tops Soccer Rich List
MOSCOW — Zenit St. Petersburg, sponsored by gas exporter Gazprom, topped Russian soccer’s rich list with a 2010 budget of $99 million, 52 percent more than its nearest rival, Finans magazine said.

Aeroflot Travelers Angry Over Treatment in NYC
MOSCOW — Aeroflot passengers complained Sunday that they had to sleep on the floor and chairs at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport after bad weather delayed their flight by more than 24 hours.

Putin Signs Raft of Deals in Delhi
MOSCOW — Prime Minister Vladimir Putin won support for Rosatom to build a dozen ultrasafe nuclear reactors in India, part of more than $10 billion in deals in energy, arms, telecom and other cooperation signed during his visit Friday.

Sochi Olympic Chief Slams ‘Unconstructive’ Ecologists
MOSCOW — Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak accused environmentalists on Friday of taking an “unconstructive” position over preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

United Russia Lead Dented in Elections
MOSCOW — Russia’s dominant ruling party United Russia was leading regional elections but suffered a string of surprising setbacks against the backdrop of the economic crisis, results showed Monday.

Teen Smoking Called a ‘National Catastrophe’
MOSCOW — Moscow’s top doctor said Friday that smoking-related diseases are growing and warned that teenage smoking is leading to a “national catastrophe.

University Dean Fired, Disputes Official Version
Marina Shishkina, the dean of the journalism faculty of St. Petersburg State University, was fired this month by the university’s rector, Nikolai Kropachev.

Hundreds Protest Against Hotel Construction
Hundreds of concerned St. Petersburg residents and preservationists gathered in the historic Lopukhinsky Gardens on Saturday to protest plans to build a multistory hotel on the site.

Georgian Opposition Slams News Hoax
TBILISI, Georgia — Georgia’s opposition politicians on Monday denounced the government over a hoax television broadcast that said Russia had invaded and the president had been killed.

Olympic Workers Unpaid For Months
MOSCOW — Hundreds of workers at an Olimpstroi-funded construction site in Sochi have not been paid in months, with some complaining that they are going hungry after giving up their passports as collateral to get food at grocery stores.

The Other Russia
“I see an era in which stale cafeteria food being served on golden glittering plates at high prices is gradually coming to an end.

Holy Russia in the spotlight
PARIS — Russian icons, with their somber tones and gold-framed visages, perplex many Western art viewers. The Louvre Museum is seeking to lift that mystery by throwing its influential spotlight on the icons and nearly 1,000 years of Russian history and art.

Chernov’s choice
Yury Shevchuk slammed the Kremlin during an appearance by his rock band DDT at a music radio awards ceremony in Moscow on Sunday.

Hitting the high notes
The State Hermitage Museum will play host to the 4th ‘Dedication to Maestro’ international music festival from March 12 to March 20, once again celebrating renowned composers and musical diversity.

Mexico’s Slim Succeeds Bill Gates as ‘World’s Richest’ Person
MEXICO CITY — Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim is the first man from a developing nation to become the world’s richest person — a shift that underlines the loosening of America and Europe’s stranglehold on the top spots in the billionaires’ club.

Greece May Lead Way For U.S. Economy
WASHINGTON — Greece is a financial basket case, begging for international help. Is America heading down that same road? Many of the same risky financial practices that now threaten the Greeks were at the center of the all-too-recent U.

Religious Hatred Leads to Carnage in Nigeria
JOS, Nigeria — Christians and Muslims once shared their lives together in Nigeria’s fertile central belt, buying each other’s goods in mixed neighborhoods and cultivating each other’s farms across a sun-baked plateau.

Un-Soviet Sports
After Russia’s dismal performance at the Olympic Games in Vancouver, there has been a prolonged, heated discussion about who should be blamed for the failure.

The Real Four I’s
President Dmitry Medvedev was elected president two years ago on March 2, 2008, with 70 percent of the vote, so this is a good time to analyze his midterm results.

Anti-Monopoly Service Plans Gas Station Cap
MOSCOW — The Federal Anti-Monopoly Service wants to ban oil companies from buying and building gas stations in regions where they have at least 35 percent of the market.

Kremlin Prepares to Unveil Its Version of Silicon Valley
MOSCOW — In nine days, President Dmitry Medvedev will indicate where the future Russian Silicon Valley will be created, and one of the early favorites is the area near the business school Skolkovo in Moscow.

Kremlin Orders Probe Into LUKoil Car Crash
MOSCOW — President Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday ordered Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev to investigate a fatal car crash involving a LUKoil vice president that caused public outrage over a perceived police cover-up.

The St. Petersburg Times
Issue #1556 (17), Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Room for improvement: migrant workers’ rights under discussion
The protection of migrant workers’ rights was high on the agenda of the Business and Human Rights International Forum held in Moscow by the United Nations and the Russian government.

Kiev may become the venue for new START signing
Relations between Russia and Ukraine are getting back on track, and Kiev could be the venue for the signing of the nuclear reduction treaty, the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers said after meeting in Moscow.

Police name main suspect in Orthodox priest murder
The Russian police claim to have identified the main suspect in the murder case of Russian Orthodox priest Daniil Sysoyev, who was shot dead in November 2009.

Hungry meddler hijacks locomotive
A man in Russia’s Yaroslavl Region has hijacked a locomotive because he needed to travel to a local shop for groceries.

Israel endures Palestinian “day of rage” as Washington fumes on sidelines
As Israel attempts to console Washington over an ill-timed announcement on new settlement construction, Palestinians have also weighed in on the matter, with violence erupting in East Jerusalem on Tuesday.

Medvedev warns bureaucrats against putting off his orders
Russia’s President Medvedev has criticized officials for not executing his orders and warned them that they will be punished, and may even be dismissed.

Viral magnetic injection helps build 3-D tissue
By levitating cells with magnetic nanoparticles and weak magnetic fields, scientists say they can produce three-dimensional tissue, which would resemble the natural thing better than cultures grown in a flat Petri dish.

Klitschko respects “dangerous little man” Chambers
WBO and IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko says he is treating his rival Eddie Chambers seriously ahead of their Saturday bout.

Rouble tipped for strong rise over three years
Russian Deputy Economy Minister Andrey Klepach has forecast the Russian currency could appreciate by as much as 20% over the next three years.

Russian container traffic shows signs of turning corner
Russian container traffic, has grown 18.3% year on year in January and February, after slumping 22% in 2009 with sea borne traffic rising between up to 47% according to Kommersant.

“The Euro will collapse either totally or in part” – MEP
EU finance Ministers have assessed the financial lifeline for debt-stricken Greece. Any concrete decisions on the issue will be made by the European Commission, should Greece decide to formally request economic aid.

Belarus and Venezuela reach agreement on oil shipments
The first days talks between Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has seen the two nations reach agreement on oil shipments to Belarus.

ROAR: Russia invites competitors to dialogue on the Arctic
Moscow has again claimed its rights to the continental shelf in the northern region and has convened an international conference on problems concerning the Arctic.

Waffen SS veterans hold official memorial march in Latvian capital Riga
Latvian Waffen SS veterans have been parading in the Latvian capital Riga to honor their comrades who died fighting on the German side during the Second World War.

Sberbank to charge commission on utilities payments
The Moscow government has decided that commissions on utilities payments should be paid for by residents and not suppliers. Starting May 1, Sberbank will levy a 3% commission, according to Gzt.ru.

RT
RT

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.

Iran Nuclear Crisis Will Not Be Solved by the UN
Russia will make sure the UN is a lame duck, leaving only one other major player left to solve the issue.

Russia and India Committed to Strategic Partnership

Japan Wants East Asian Community
Japan’s new Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama is pushing for an East Asian community. This will mark a new phase for Asia.

China and Russia Undermining U.S. Power
The giants of the East are positioned to upset U.S. sanctions on Iran by supplying Tehran with gasoline.

America's Fatal European Policy
The current American administration has just enacted its most disastrous foreign-policy decision to date.

Venezuela Recognizes Pro-Russian Breakaway Provinces of Georgia
Russian influence expands in America’s backyard.

World Leaders Believed German Reunification Would Lead to World War III
Documents released leading up to the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall contain a powerful warning for us today.

The World Shakes, America Slumbers
America’s wispy presence at this week’s 70th-anniversary commemoration of the start of World War II did not go unnoticed.

Russia Reacts to Japanese Elections

Russian Investors Save German Shipyard
The German-Russian relationship strengthens.

Russia's Ghost Ship Reemerges
The missing freighter has been located, but we’re still searching for the truth.

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

Eastern neighbourhood:EU holds its members responsible?
Significant developments to the East the European neighborhood marked last year and at the birth of 2010. Moldova came first in a row as in there an Alliance for European integration won a power wrestling against longstanding communists having thus changed internal political assets for an explicit pro-EU embrace. Second...

Belarus to fight for abolishing oil duties in Customs Union
Belarus will fight for abolishing the oil export duties that Russia has introduced within the Customs Union framework Belarus Vice Premier Andrei Kobyakov told media on 11 March. I would like to make it clear one more time: we have no intention of giving up on the initial principles which...

PCRM says will find signatures needed
The president of the Communists Party PCRM former head of state Vladimir Voronin accuses the Alliance for European Integration of establishing a dictatorial regime. He said the PCRM will not cooperate with it from now on and started to collect signatures to hold a referendum and give a vote of...

Putin says Russia getting cozy with India over nuclear power
On a visit to New Delhi to visit political and business leaders Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said his country is cooperating more closely now with India on the question of nuclear energy that he said held a lot of promise as an energy source. Russia signed an agreement with...

Tension eases Russia Ukraine will restart naval exercises
Military forces from Russia and Ukraine will resume a naval exercise last held seven years ago Ukrainian general staff officials said. The bilateral maneuvers called Farvater Mira Fairway of Peace will take place in June and involve warships aircraft and hundreds of service personnel operating in the Black Sea and...

Berezovsky wins libel case over Litvinenko murder
Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky on 10 March won libel damages of GBP 150 000 $223 000 after a court in London rejected a claim that he was implicated in the radioactive poisoning of ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko in 2006 Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa reported. London-based Berezovsky 64 a close friend of Litvinenkorsquo;s...

A balance of payments
According to the National Bank of Ukraine in January Ukraine had a positive amount in its current account $229 million. but at the same time negative results in the balance of payments has increased up to $1.1 billion. because of deficit at financial account. The main reason remains the same...

Next 5+2 consultations to be held in Kazakhstan
The next ordinary consultations on the Transnistrian conflict settlement in the 5+2 format will be held in Astana city on the invitation of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office the State Secretary/Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Kanat Saudabayev the OSCE press service has reported. This years first such consultations on the Transnistria...

Societe Generale may increase BelRosBank capital
Frances Societe Generale SC is considering increasing the capital of BelRosBank informs the press service of the Belarusian bank. Jean-Louis Mattei Head of SG International Retail Banking announced these plans at a recent meeting with chief of Belarus National Bank Piotr Prokopovich informs the banks press service. The sides considered...

Tymoshenko dismissed
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine supported a resolution on vote of no confidence to the government of Yulia Tymoshenko. According to an UNIAN correspondent 243 out of 286 lawmakers registered in the session hall supported this decision. 10 lawmakers voted against this decision. 172 lawmakers from the Party of Regions...

Balti authorities change in privatization conditions
At the last meeting the Balti Municipal Council BMC changed the privatization conditions of Teleradio-Balti Company TVB . Councilors decided to put to privatization the building of the institution. They motivated in this way the building will become more attractive for potential investors DECA-press Agency informs. The privatization conditions laid...

Oil export data to be submitted to Russia
Belarus will submit the data on oil export from its territory to third countries to Russia. The relevant agreement on data exchange is planned to be signed by the State Customs Committee of Belarus and the Federal Customs Service of Russia as stipulated in Resolution No. 280 of the Council...

Efficiency of marketing services to increase
Belarusian companies are expected to increase the efficiency of the activity of the foreign trade and marketing services. The issue is envisaged in Resolution No 284 of the Council of Ministers of Belarus BelTA learnt from the Council of Ministers Office. The organizations subordinate to the Ministry of Construction and...

Two years into Medvedevs first term as president
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev marked the halfway point of his four-year term in office on 2 March. Medvedev 44 marked the anniversary on a state visit to France. Today is the 2nd anniversary of the election of President Medvedev and although the inauguration was not until May 08 it is effectively...

Khodorkovsky condemns Russias legal system
Russias justice system is still mired in violence and arbitrariness despite reforms promised by Kremlin chief Dmitry Medvedev jailed oil executive Mikhail Khodorkovsky said in a newspaper article on 3 March. The assembly line criminal justice system every year destroys dignity and faith of thousands of people and as a...

Russia may consider new Iran sanctions
Russian President Dmitri Medvedev said his country is ready to consider new sanctions against Iran if persuasion fails to stop it from enriching uranium. Medvedev made the threat against Tehran after talks with his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy at the start of a major two-day diplomatic and commercial visit to...

Chinese Russian firms ink energy pacts with Serbia
This month Serbia has inked there energy contracts which are of strategic importance. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and Srbijagas signed a 150 million Euro loan to enhance the companys gas pipeline network and construct new underground storage in the village of Itebej in Vojvodina Beta news agency...

Delic expects support from EU
Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Delic recently announced that European Commission Deputy President Catherine Ashton strongly supports Serbias European aspirations Beta news agency reported. The deputy prime minister pointed out that Ashton is touring the region which is expected to be brief but comprehensive. Delic expressed hope that the EU foreign...

Oil refineries to start making profit in Q1 2010
The Belarusian oil refineries should start making profit in Q1 2010 First Vice-Premier of Belarus Vladimir Semashko said at a session of the Gomel Oblast Executive Committee on 25 February BelTA has learnt. The First Deputy Prime Minister said that at the beginning of the year the Belarusian oil refineries...

Elections sooner rather than later?
The political analyst Igor Botan states that the constitutional reform will be possible in the Republic of Moldova only after anticipated elections are conducted and a new Parliament elected. According to Botan anticipated elections practically cannot be avoided anymore and they will take place most probably this year in autumn...

Railway engineering with Slovakia to commence
Belarus and Slovakia will cooperate in the production of rolling-stock and repair of locomotives and cars Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Slovak Republic to Belarus Marian Servatka told reporters. Slovakias ZOS Vrutky a.s. and the Belarusian Railways are setting up a joint company to repair locomotives and cars Marian...

Barbed wire on border with Romania to be recycled?
The Government of Moldova has not yet decided what to do with the barbed wire fence going along the border with Romania when it is removed. Prime Minister Vlad Filat stated for Info-Prim Neo that they expect the persons responsible for storing the barbed wire to submit proposals. We will not allow...

Baltics question need for sale of French warship to Russia
The Baltic states of Latvia and Lithuania said on 24 February that they remained to be convinced that the sale of a high-tech French warship to Russia was a good idea questioning how it could contribute to regional stability. After a meeting in Riga at which he hosted newly installed Lithuanian...

Ukraine under Yanukovich: Plus ça change?
Five years ago he was the villain of the Orange Revolution. Today Viktor Yanukovich is Ukraines President-elect beating his long-time rival the serving Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko - by a whisker. With the elections declared free and fair by the international community Ukraine continues to consolidate democracy and media pluralism...

Czech Ungheni power plant will increase energy security
A power plant that is to be built in Ungheni by Czech investors will contribute to a higher level of energy security without damaging the environment in the region. The conclusion was made at a meeting between Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat and a group of businessmen from the Czech...

Israeli investment interest is growing
The interest of Israeli businessmen in Belarus has been growing Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Israel to Belarus Eduard Shapira said as he met with Chairman of the Mogilev Oblast Executive Committee Piotr Rudnik. The Israeli diplomat is in the Mogilev oblast on a one-day official visit....

Wine industry commercial example
Belarus and Moldova are interested in expansion of the trade and economic cooperation Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Ivan Bambiza noted during the opening of the 12th Belarus-Moldova Intergovernmental Commission for Trade and Economic Cooperation in Minsk on 16 February BelTA reported. The Vice Premier said that Moldova is an...

Telenor Alfa agree on Vimpelcom-Kyivstar JV
Telenor and the Alfa Groups shareholders have been offered by the firm to consolidate their Ukraine and Russian mobile operations four months after ending their bitter dispute over Vimpelcom. Approval of the minority shareholders has been seeked by the companies on the long-delayed merger between Russian-based Vimpelcom and Ukraine operator...

Russia Abkhazia vow stronger political ties
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on 17 February that stronger contacts between Russia and Abkhazia at the political and regional levels are a pledge of Abkhazias development as an independent state. After the talks with his Abkhazian counterpart Sergei Bagapsh Medvedev noted that last year the two countries created a...

Fiat and Russian firm Sollers sign $3 bln joint venture
Italian car-maker Fiat and the Russian car factory Sollers recently entered a joint venture to produce half a million cars per year news agencies reported. The contract signed in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly included an agreement to produce nine new models. The agreement would turn Sollers...

Medvedev Netanyahu against WWII reinterpretation
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu on 15 February spoke out against reinterpretations of the history of World War II Interfax reported. We cant allow what happened to be reinterpreted and abused Medvedev said at the start of a meeting with Netanyahu. Its important for both our...

Anti-missiles vs. the Re-start
This February the US announced the plan to construct missile defense elements anti-missiles in Romania and Bulgaria in the black sea water area. These systems will supposedly provide protection for the US and their European allies against possible Iranian threat. Russian Minister of Foreign affairs stated that the Russian Federation...

Russia delays oil extraction from Shtokman by three years
Russia is to begin oil production from the extensive but difficult-to-access Shtokman gas fields in the Barents Sea three years later than planned the companies involved in the project in Zurich said recently. French energy company Total together with Russian gas monopoly Gazprom and oil company Statoil blamed the delay...

Strong new leaders come forth
As the dust settles from Ukraines Presidential election public attention turns to the first important task of the new administration: the appointment of the government team that will implement the reforms needed to stabilize the economy and start the process of recovery. A new generation of capable leaders is not...

Some 425 enterprises set up in Grodno in 2009
In 2009 425 enterprises were set up in Grodno Grodno Vice Mayor Alexander Sivtsov told BelTA. The new companies created around 3 000 jobs with the total number of jobs up by 8 040 in Grodno last year. Summing up last years social and economic development of Grodno Alexander Sivtsov said that...

Ukrainian border demarcation is final
On 29 January the Moldovan and Ukrainian foreign ministers set up the first intermediary sign on the central sector of the Moldovan-Ukrainian state border. The event took place in Velika Kisnitsa village of Iampol district in Vinitsa region Info-Prim Neo reports quoting a communique from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and...

Ukraine makes full payment for Januarys gas
The information department of Russian gas monopoly Gazprom confirmed that Ukrainian oil and gas company Naftogaz has fully paid for supplies of natural gas in January. Earlier Naftogaz said Ukraine had acquired 2.55 billion cubic meters of gas from Gazprom in January. Kiev paid Russia for January gas imports two...

IMF $574 ECF/EFF arrangements for Moldova
The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund IMF approved three-year arrangements for the Republic of Moldova under the Extended Credit Facility and the Extended Fund Facility. With each facility providing an equal amount the combined financial assistance will be equivalent to SDR 369.6 million about $574.4 million to support...

Railways OKD Doprava to set up joint venture
The Belarusian Railways and the Czech transport and logistics company OKD Doprava are considering an opportunity of setting up a joint company BelTA learnt from the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Belarus. The Belarusian Railways has been developing cooperation with the Czech OKD Doprava. The sides are considering an...

Lavrov hails unification of fishing standards by Norway
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on 3 February held talks in Moscow with his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store in Moscow noting the dynamic evolution of good-neighborly Russian-Norwegian relations and the mutual striving for the further advancement of intensive political dialogue and practical cooperation. Lavrov said the unification of measures for...

Russias inflation below 2% in January
Consumer Price Index CPI amounted to 101.6% in January 2010 down from 102.4% in January 2009 according to the Russian Federal Statistics Service Rosstat . In five of Russias federal districts the increase in consumer prices amounted to 2.4% or more. The highest inflation was registered in the Novgorod and...

Russia Libya sign arms deal
Libya has agreed to buy $1.8 billion worth of weapons from Russia Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin announced on 30 January Interfax reported. This is not just about small arms said Putin after the contract was signed. Russian media reports stated that the deal included 20 fighter jets tanks and...

Russia should consider joining the EU and NATO says Medvedevs institute
According to a paper released on 3 February by the Institute of Contemporary Development INSOR a think tank headed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Russia will join NATO and the EU reduce its military reintroduce gubernatorial elections and four-year presidential terms and disband its Interior Ministry and Federal Security Service...

Russia finally ratifies Strasbourg Court reform
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on 4 February signed a law on the ratification of Protocol 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights opening the way for European Court of Human Rights reforms. The lower house of the Russian parliament approved Protocol 14 on 15 January and the upper house...

Ukraine : its the economy
Ukraine goes back to the polls on 7 February for the Presidential run-off vote between Yulia Tymoshenko and Viktor Yanukovych. The choice facing voters is not between the personality or image of the candidates. Ukrainians must decide simply who they trust to manage their economy and sustain the recovery. Ukraines economy...

Customs Union for Russia Belarus Kazakhstan
On 25 January at the World Customs Organisation in Brussels the Eurasian Economic Community EurAsEC held a conference on their joint plans to establish a Customs Union for Russia Belarus and Kazakhstan. The Customs Union foresees a single trade procedure in relation to third countries and a harmonised economic policy...

World Bank approves $20 million for social project
The World Bank Board of Directors approved an additional financing credit to the Republic of Moldova in the amount of US $20 million for the Social Investment Fund II Project.The additional financing will complement the total credit of US $40 million allocated under Phase I and II of the project....

Export duties on oil products should come down soon
Belarus will have to nullify the export duties on oil products First Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Semashko told a press conference in Moscow on 27 January. Up to the present day the export duties on Belarusian oil products have been equal to the Russian export duties. I suppose we will...

Putins Lada Niva has a German engine
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has installed an Opel motor in his four-wheel-drive Lada Niva. Putin on 25 January revealed the secret of his cars power - the more powerful motor from Opel the European subsidiary of the US carmaker General Motors - to a group of university students while...

Rosoboronexport sales increase 10% in 2009
Russias state-controlled weapons exporter increased its sales by 10% in 2009 Interfax reported on 28 January. The Rosoboronexport Chief Executive Anatoly Isaikin said sales had risen to $7.4 billion. Rosoboronexport is planning to sell arms to Iraq and Afghanistan in cooperation with the United States. Baghdad and Kabul have already expressed...

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

Putin calls for human rights protection in Caucasus
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on 23 January told officials in the North Caucasus to ensure what he called the normal work of human rights groups operating in the tumultuous region continues. In a meeting in the northern Caucasian administrative centre of Pyatigorsk Putin requested that local authorities do everything...

Medvedev and Sargsyan discuss ties Nagorny Karabakh
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his visiting Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan have discussed a wide range of issues in the sphere of bilateral cooperation a Russian presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko was quoted as saying by the press. The meeting between the two presidents was held in a traditionally friendly and...

India Russia to ink fighter-jet deal
India is set to sign a $1.2-billion order for 29 Russian MiG-29K fighter jets for the Indian Navy the Times of India newspaper reported on 18 January. A Russian team was due to arrive last week in New Delhi to finalize the sale after the Indian government cleared the acquisition...

Finance Ministry reports 2009 budget deficit
According to preliminary data from the Finance Ministry Russias budget deficit amounted to 2.326 trillion rubles approximately $78.58 billion in 2009 news agencies reported. Next years deficit was forecasted at 6.8% of GDP. Budget revenue reached 7.336 trillion rubles $247.83 billion or 109.3% of the target figure for 2009. Meanwhile...

Medvedev outlines measures for fighting corruption
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev outlined on 18 January fighting corruption and supervising the efficiency of budget expenditures among the priorities of the Audit Chamber Russias supreme finance controlling bodys foundation. In order to suppress corruption one of the most serious problems in Russia it was necessary to control over budget...

Nabucco South Stream face off in Austria
Gazprom plans to close negotiations with Austria in the near future for the South Stream gas pipeline and sign an intergovernmental agreement the CEO of the Russian gas monopoly Alexei Miller said on 19 January. ldquo;It is not surprising: ever since the idea of the South Stream project was conceived...

Russia unveils own car scrappage scheme
Russia will this year introduce a scrappage scheme similar to the cash for clunkers programs that bolstered car sales across Europe in 2009. The plan will encourage consumers to buy new cars by handing out cash in return for their own ageing vehicles. It was announced at a meeting between...

Putin calls for speedy elimination of energy failures
Russias Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has urged power engineering specialists to fix energy failures without delays Itar-Tass quoted him saying during a meeting with the regional development minister Viktor Basargin on 11 January. Putin said the country had entered the heating season on time and the national energy suppliers have...

Medvedev vows to destroy Caucasus bandits
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called for the killing of rebel fighters in the troubled Russian-controlled Caucasus region on 8 January - two days after a suicide bomb attack killed six people in the autonomous republic of Dagestan. As far as these bandits are concerned our policy remains the same: they...

Putin Medvedev hit Sochi slopes to publicize 2014 Olympics
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin hit the slopes in Sochi planned site of the 2014 Winter Olympics to give the Russian resort town a boost. At the Russian ski resort of Krasnaya Polyana Medvedev and Putin went skiing and snowmobiling and talked with other tourists. The president...

Russia sets minimum price for vodka
Russia set a new minimum price for all vodka sold in the country in a bid to curb alcoholism and the production and sale of bootleg vodka both widespread in Russia. The minimum price of 89 rubles $3 for a half-liter bottle of vodka came into effect on 1 January just...

Kremlin opponents arrested after unsanctioned rally
About 50 people were arrested in Moscow on 31 January night after a large police contingent broke up an unsanctioned. Among the arrested was Lyudmila Alexeyeva 82 considered by many to be the grand dame of Russias human rights movement and a member of the Moscow Helsinki Group. Interfax quoted Alexeyeva...

Police seizes 16 tons of caviar from Moscow market
Russian police confiscated 16 tons of untaxed red caviar during a raid on a wholesale market in Moscow Interfax reported. The caviar which had spoilt would have had a market value of 400 000 $577 134 . The glass jars of fish eggs stood out to inspectors because they lacked...

Medvedev promises reforms
Year-end in Russia can often produce a surprise. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered that the countrys police force be slashed by 20% and officers get pay raises as part of an effort to root out corruption. Medvedev spoke on 24 December of deficits in Russian democracy and promised to...

Russia to invest billions in shipbuilding
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on 28 December announced a major shipbuilding program worth 3.5 billion in the far-eastern city of Vladivostok Russian news agencies reported. Putin emphasized that the state shipbuilding holding company and its partners would be able to meet demand through 2020. By 2015 around 100 icebreakers...

Russia India seal nuclear defense trade deals
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sealed agreements to boost cooperation in the civilian use of nuclear energy and to increase defense cooperation after talks in Moscow on 7 December. We have discussed the key aspects of our economic and military-technical cooperation Medvedev told Singh...

Investors attitude is still edging higher
Investors attitude to Russia is still edging higher albeit very cautiously Chris Weafer chief strategist at Moscows Uralsib bank wrote in a note to investors on 7 December. Having started the year with a big underweight in Russia the big institutional investors rebuilt their exposure to a neutral position i.e....

Europe needs all the pipelines it can get says Finlands FM
The European Union needs all three planned pipeline projects to bring Russian Caspian and Middle East gas supplies to Europe Alexander Stubb Finlandrsquo;s foreign minister told New Europe. ldquo;We need Nord Stream we need Nabucco and we need South Stream. Nord Stream will provide 10 percent of the gas consumption of...

Kuwaiti investors interested in Serbia
The Kuwaiti delegation headed by Prime Minister Nasser Mohammed Al-Sabah recently paid a visit Serbia. The delegation comprised of Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammad Sabah Al-Sabah Finance Minister Mustafa Yassim Al-Simali Trade and Industry Minister Ahmad Rashed Al-Haroun and his associates as well as Kuwaiti Ambassador to Serbia Fawzi Abdulaziz...

Serbia to draw $200mn from IBRD for public finances
Serbia will withdraw $200 million by the end of the year from loans given by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. We are talking about two loans that will directly support the Serbian budget Finance Minister Diana Dragutinovic told a news conference. On 17 November the World Bank...

Incentives announced for industry and banks
At a recent conference in Belgrade Economy Minister Mladan Dinkic announced that the government and National Bank of Serbia NBS introduced incentives for the industry and banks in 2010 Beta news agency reported. The state will continue with subsidized loans and as of January 1 the NBS will prepare incentives...

Lavrov Westerwelle reaffirm strategic partnership
Germany and Russia stressed their interest in pursuing their strategic partnership in talks between Kremlin leaders and Berlins new foreign minister Guido Westerwelle. Westerwelle making his first trip to Moscow since his recent appointment as foreign minister in Germanys new coalition government met Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and President Dmitry Medvedev...

Medvedev orders probe into death of jailed lawyer
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on 24 November ordered an investigation into the mysterious death of a detained lawyer who was to be a possible key witness in a corruption case. The death of Sergey Magnitsky 37 two weeks ago while in detention has triggered a wave of speculation of a possible...

Audi starts assembling cars in Russia
Volkswagen subsidiary Audi said on 23 November that it has started assembling cars in Russia. Models A4 A5 and Q5 will be rolling off the production lines at VWs plant in Kalgua the report said. Q7 and A6 models will follow in January 2010 it added. Volkswagen began producing Tiguan...

Investigators take closer look at cargo of Arctic Sea
Russian investigators have raised the possibility that the Arctic Sea freighter which went missing for several weeks this summer might not have been transporting wood as advertised according to an advance report from newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta. We dont rule out any possibilities the paper quoted chief investigator Alexander Bastrykin in...

Medvedev criticizes United Russia over elections
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev criticized leaders of Russias ruling party - United Russia - recently for bad political habits and ordered them to win future elections fairly. Elections which are intended to be a competition of ideas and programs are sometimes turned into affairs in which democratic procedures are confused...

A Russian Perspective on Kazakhstans upcoming OSCE chairmanship and regional politics
MOSCOW - Russia recognizes the importance of the opportunities that are open to Kazakhstan in its upcoming chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. So Moscow is certainly interested in having a coordinated position with Astana on the key items of the agenda. This was the underlying...

Obama Medvedev discuss nuclear deal for December
The United States and Russia plan to set aside their differences over nuclear disarmament and reach a new agreement over strategic arms in December the presidents of the two nations said on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Singapore on 15 November. US President Barack Obama and Russia President...

Russia will never complete Iranian nuclear plant
A Russian announcement that it will not be able to keep to schedule on a joint Iranian-Russian nuclear power plant project prompted an Iranian official to question whether Russia will ever complete its part of the work. The Russians have never told us the truth and just followed their own...

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

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.

Oil caught in tug-of-war
Oil prices fluctuated wildly Tuesday then settled slightly lower after a handful of dismal economic reports countered signs that OPEC nations were starting to comply with planned output cuts.

Oil jumps 3.9% on supply worries
Oil prices rose nearly 4% on the first trading day of 2009, as fighting in the Middle East and Russia's energy dispute with Ukraine raised concerns about future supply disruptions.

12 dead in Russian mine blast
Twelve people were killed and six were injured in an explosion at an open-cast mine in Russia's northwest Murmansk region, a local emergency official said Friday.

U.S., Russia snub cluster bomb ban
The United States and Russia were absent Wednesday as representatives from countries from around the world gathered to sign a treaty banning the use of cluster bombs.

Blast kills 3 outside Russia subway station
Three people were killed when a car blew up near a subway station in Russia's second-largest city, St. Petersburg, on Tuesday, authorities said.

Magnitude 7.0 quake rocks Russia's far east
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's far east Monday evening, seismologists reported, but there was no immediate report of damage in the remote area.

Experts say overcrowding behind deadly sub accident
Naval experts have said overcrowding may have been behind an accident on a new Russian nuclear submarine that killed 20 people, agencies have reported.

20 killed on sub were poisoned
An accident that killed 20 people on a new Russian nuclear submarine was caused by a malfunctioning fire safety system that spewed out chemicals, according to an initial investigation, officials said Sunday.

Russia slams U.S., threatens missile deployment
Just hours after U.S. President-elect Barack Obama delivered his victory speech, Russia's leader delivered a scathing rebuke of U.S. policy and reminded Obama of some of the major foreign policy challenges he will face in office.

Bailout Could Turn Tables on Russia's Oligarchs
They amassed some of the world's biggest fortunes in the wild privatizations of Russia's post-Soviet chaos and the oil boom that followed. Now some of Russia's richest men are facing the choice of losing some of their empires or pleading at the Kremlin's doors for a bailout.

The case for emerging markets
Are emerging markets a bargain right now? The instinct is right, as developing-country indexes have taken a serious thumping this year. Year-to-date, Argentina's main index is down 51%. China's is down 63%. Russia is down 68%. Overall, the MSvCI Emerging Markets index is down 52% year-to-date, versus *just* a 34% drop for the S&P 500.

Russia, Iran, Qatar Discuss Gas Cartel
Iran, Russia and Qatar discussed the formation of an OPEC-style cartel among some of the largest natural gas producing nations on Tuesday

World Court to Rule on Georgia-Russia Case
The International Court of Justice plans to rule on whether to order Russia to take immediate steps to halt what Georgia calls ethnic cleansing in the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia

Russia: Rights lawyer in possible poison attempt
A prominent Russian human rights lawyer says she and her children are ill after a suspicious substance was found in their car in France.

Somalia asks Russia for help with pirates
The Somali government has asked Russia to intervene against pirates who have seized a Ukrainian cargo ship, the Somali ambassador to Russia said Wednesday.

Just how scary is Russia?
The Cold War was supposed to be history, a topic today's twentysomethings know about only from the classroom, not from doing duck-and-cover drills in elementary school, as their parents did. In the 17 years that have passed since the demise of the Soviet Union, any threat Russia posed had pretty much been relegated to defaulting on its debt.

Russian ships to visit Venezuela; naval exercises possible
Russia announced Monday it might hold joint military maneuvers with Venezuela in the Caribbean, and the United States said it is scrapping a once ballyhooed deal with Moscow on nuclear technology.

Russia agrees Georgia withdrawal deadline
Moscow has agreed to withdraw its forces from Georgia outside of its two breakaway provinces within one month, the presidents of Russia and France said Monday following the latest efforts to end the region's territorial crisis.

Russia to Keep Troops in Georgia
Russia said that it will station troops in two Georgian breakaway provinces for the foreseeable future

Russia to Send Ships, Planes to Venezuela
Russia's plan to deploy ships and warplanes to the Caribbean for joint military exercises with Venezuela is allowing President Hugo Chavez to capitalize on tensions between Moscow and the U.S. and showcase a growing military alliance

U.S. risks Russia row with Ukraine NATO backing
The United States has backed Ukraine's bid for NATO membership a day after similarly supporting Georgia, in a move which may further stoke tensions with Russia.

Cheney bashes Russia for 'brutality' in Georgia
Vice President Dick Cheney harshly criticized Russia's military incursion into Georgia on Saturday, calling the action "an affront to civilized standards."

U.S. may pull nuclear deal to punish Russia, source says
The Bush administration is poised to withdraw an agreement with Russia on nuclear trade as punishment for Russia's military action last month against U.S. ally Georgia, a State Department source said Friday.

Russia weighs response to NATO ships
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says it is weighing its options following the arrival of more NATO vessels in the Black Sea, according to reports.

Russia's MegaFon to Sell iPhone
MegaFon, Russia's third-largest mobile phone company, said Tuesday it will start selling Apple's iPhone 3G in Russia later this year

Putin Vows 'Answer' to NATO Ships
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia will respond calmly to an increase in NATO ships in the Black Sea in the aftermath of the short war with Georgia

Analysis: Can Europe stand firm against Russia?
Europe and Russia, says the EU's current chairman Nicolas Sarkozy, are at a crossroads. Heading for a 'crucial' meeting with Moscow's leaders on September 8, he said at the Brussels emergency summit that Russia had to decide whether it wanted isolation or co-operation with its 27 neighbors.

Russia Blocking Georgian Homes
Russian troops remaining in Georgian territory are effectively preventing Georgians from returning to their homes

Transcript: CNN interview with Vladimir Putin
CNN's Matthew Chance interviewed Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Thursday.

Zakaria: Russia overplayed hand in Georgia
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has accused the United States of orchestrating the conflict in Georgia to benefit one of its presidential candidates.

Georgia Ends Diplomacy with Russia
Georgia severed diplomatic ties with Moscow on Friday to protest the presence of Russian troops on its territory

The New Gambit: Moscow's View
A Putin insider explains Russia's new assertiveness as a reaction both to Western provocation and U.S. politics

Analysis: Is Ukraine the next domino?
Western politicians are currently scrambling for air tickets to Kiev. Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband rushed to Ukraine soon after Russia announced its recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney will follow.

The New (Old) Russian Imperialism
Moscow's hard line on the separatist provinces of Georgia suggests its adventurism is far from over, but it may find the next episodes messier

Russia Flexes Its Muscles in Mideast
The re-emerging Cold War tensions are spreading, as Russia agrees to strengthen military ties with Syria

Analysis: A new Cold War -- or more hot air?
It was against the terms of the Russia/Georgia cease-fire, brokered by France's President Nicolas Sarkozy. It was directly in contravention of the request not to do it from President George W. Bush of the United States. But Russia's President Dimitri Medvedev has gone and done it anyway. He has made Russia the first country to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Russia condemned for recognizing rebel regions
Western nations and organizations Tuesday condemned Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for recognizing the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, two breakaway regions in Georgia.

US 'Appalled' at Russian Rebel Tie
The United States said Russia is behaving "appallingly" by granting formal diplomatic recognition Tuesday to two breakaway Georgian provinces

Russia Recognizes Georgian Rebels
President Dmitry Medvedev says Russia has recognized the independence of the breakaway Georgian territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia

Russia Recognizes Georgian Regions
Russia's parliament voted unanimously Monday to urge the president to recognize the independence of Georgia's two breakaway regions, stoking further tensions between Moscow and the small Caucasus nation's Western allies

Bush warns Moscow over breakaway autonomy
U.S. President George W. Bush has urged Russia not to recognize the independence of Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, saying he was "deeply concerned" by the Russian parliament's move toward recognition.

Supply worries nudge oil higher
Oil prices rose slightly Monday as a flat U.S. dollar countered worries that tensions with Russia could interrupt the flow of crude between Europe and Asia.

Huge fire as Georgian train hits landmine
A train carrying fuel hit a mine and burst into flames near the Georgian city of Gori Sunday morning, according to an Interior Ministry spokesman.

Russia: We've completed pullback
Russia said Friday that its forces have withdrawn from Georgia into South Ossetia, fulfilling its end of the cease-fire agreement reached last weekend.

Tbilisi: Russian troops hold Georgian checkpoints
Most Russian troops have withdrawn from eastern and western Georgia, but they still maintain some checkpoints in the country, a spokesman for Georgia's Interior Ministry said Saturday.

Georgia-Russia conflict brings back Cold War memories
For some Americans, the recent fighting between Georgia and Russia has recalled days of the Iron Curtain, bomb shelters and hiding under desks. Those Cold War memories are especially intense for some iReporters, U.S. veterans who served under the constant threat of nuclear war.

Oil Jumps $5 on US-Russia Conflict, Sliding Dollar
Oil prices shot up more than $5 a barrel Thursday, rising to the highest level in over two weeks as escalating tensions with Russia stoked fears of supply disruptions to the West

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

Pro-Kremlin Party on Top, but Opposition Gains Seats
The small shift in support from the United Russia party comes as the nation’s economy continues to suffer.

Alcohol Cited in 2008 Russian Crash
The crash, which involved a Boeing 737 operated by a domestic subsidiary of Aeroflot, killed all 88 people aboard.

Panic in Georgia After a Mock News Broadcast
Residents rushed to buy food or staggered from their homes to safety after a television station broadcast pretended to report on a Russian invasion of the country.

Perestroika Lost
Russia must regain the freedoms lost over the last 25 years to “shock therapy” and the iron grip of Russian leaders who opted for a more radical version of reform.

Obama and Medvedev Talk About Arms Treaty
President Obama and President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia moved closer to an agreement on a treaty that would slash both countries’ active nuclear arsenals.

Its Sports Empire Crumbling, Russia Scrambles
A new anxiety is gripping Russia: if its athletes perform as badly as they did in the Vancouver Winter Olympics, the country could be humiliated at home in Sochi in 2014.

India and Russia Build Ties With Pacts
The agreements, which signal a warming between the two nations, will provide India with nuclear power plants and weapons for its military.

Where Some Envision Czar’s End, Church Sees Building Site
The Russian Orthodox Church plans construction at the site where scientists believe the Romanov family’s remains were dumped in 1918.

When Gorbachev Took Charge
Twenty five years ago, the last of the Soviet old guard died, and a new star appeared.

On Hearing 'Whole Lotta Love' for the First Time in Moscow
Western rock bands did more to demolish the Soviet mentality than even Solzhenitsyn and his 'Archipelago.'

Tale of Botched Traffic Operation Increases Russians’ Mistrust of Moscow Police
Russia’s law enforcement agencies are under fire for a series of episodes that have exposed widespread criminality and incompetence in the ranks.

Tycoon Wins Libel Suit in Ex-Spy’s Murder Case
Boris A. Berezovsky, who fled Russia in 2003, won a lawsuit against a Russian broadcaster that had linked him to the high-profile death of Alexander V. Litvinenko.

Delay on Arms Pact Slows Reset of U.S.- Russia Ties
After months of delay and discord, negotiators are making a fresh effort to wrap up a long-delayed arms control treaty.

Russia Confirms Killing of Militant Leader in Raid
Officials said Russian forces killed a man who trained suicide bombers in the Caucasus and was responsible for the bombing of a luxury train in November.

Tarnishing Hockey’s Golden Moment
After a stirring men’s hockey tournament in Vancouver, the N.H.L. may decide not to participate in the Sochi Games in 2014.

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.

GORKI, MOSCOW REGION. With Russian Railways CEO Vladimir Yakunin.

Photo: the Presidential Press and Information Office

GORKI, MOSCOW REGION. With Head of Russia\'s Border Guard Service Vladimir Pronichev.

Photo: the Presidential Press and Information Office

MOSCOW. At meeting on execution of presidential instructions.

Photo: the Presidential Press and Information Office

MOSCOW. At meeting on execution of presidential instructions. With Chief of Staff of Presidential Executive Office Sergei Naryshkin.

Photo: the Presidential Press and Information Office

MOSCOW. At meeting on execution of presidential instructions.

Photo: the Presidential Press and Information Office

MOSCOW. At meeting on execution of presidential instructions. With Chief of Staff of Presidential Executive Office Sergei Naryshkin (centre) and Presidential Aide Arkady Dvorkovich.

Photo: the Presidential Press and Information Office

THE KREMLIN, MOSCOW. At a presentation ceremony for officers appointed to command positions and promoted to senior military (special) rank.

Photo: the Presidential Press and Information Office

THE KREMLIN, MOSCOW. With medal winners at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Photo: the Presidential Press and Information Office

THE KREMLIN, MOSCOW. With Vice President of the Russian Academy of Sciences and winner of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics Zhores Alferov.

Photo: the Presidential Press and Information Office

THE KREMLIN, MOSCOW. Ceremony presenting state decorations to medal winners at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. With Olympic biathlon champion Olga Zaitseva.

Photo: the Presidential Press and Information Office

THE KREMLIN, MOSCOW. Ceremony presenting state decorations to medal winners at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. With Olympic biathlon champion Svetlana Sleptsova.

Photo: the Presidential Press and Information Office

THE KREMLIN, MOSCOW. Ceremony presenting state decorations to medal winners at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. With Olympic cross-country skiing champion Nikita Kryukov.

Photo: the Presidential Press and Information Office

THE KREMLIN, MOSCOW. Ceremony presenting state decorations to medal winners at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. With Olympic biathlon champion Olga Medvedtseva.

Photo: the Presidential Press and Information Office

THE KREMLIN, MOSCOW. Ceremony presenting state decorations to medal winners at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. With Olympic biathlon champion Anna Bogaliy-Titovets.

Photo: the Presidential Press and Information Office

THE KREMLIN, MOSCOW. Speech at ceremony presenting state decorations to medal winners at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Photo: the Presidential Press and Information Office

GORKI, MOSCOW REGION. With Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak.

Photo: the Presidential Press and Information Office

THE KREMLIN, MOSCOW. With Ryazan Region Governor Oleg Kovalyov.

Photo: the Presidential Press and Information Office

THE KREMLIN, MOSCOW. With King Abdullah II of Jordan.

Photo: the Presidential Press and Information Office

GORKI, MOSCOW REGION. With Irkutsk Region Governor Dmitry Mezentsev.

Photo: the Presidential Press and Information Office

GORKI, MOSCOW REGION. Meeting on CIS countries’ information presence in Russia.

Photo: the Presidential Press and Information Office

GORKI, MOSCOW REGION. Meeting on economic issues.

Photo: the Presidential Press and Information Office

THE KREMLIN, MOSCOW. Before beginning of news conference following talks with Prime Minister of Sweden Fredrik Reinfeldt.

Photo: the Presidential Press and Information Office

THE KREMLIN, MOSCOW. Meeting on establishment of modern research centre in Russia.

Photo: the Presidential Press and Information Office

Kremlin.Ru: Photo Chronicle
Photos from the Russian Presidential Press Service published on the official presidential website (last 30 photos)

If something in the country goes wrong, his authority grows. If everything is fine, people do not think about the “chief of the nations.” It is easy to understand the veterans, who died in fierce battles for Motherland and Stalin. Stalin is their wartime glory. However, there are young people in Russia who defend Stalin too. Their Stalinism is much more dangerous. Only naive Stalinists believe that Stalin means law and order in everything

Soviet Mr. Trololo Becomes Hugely Popular Online
Eduard Khil, a well-known singer of the Soviet past, has received enormous attention recently. One of his hits of 40 years, a song without words called “I Am So Happy to Finally Be Back Home” has become hugely popular on the Internet. The video with the song received over 2 million views; hundreds of people posted delightful comments of the song

Pravda.Ru - Analitics
Pravda.Ru

Putin sarcastic about Minsk's improving ties with West

Russia to boost Afghan drug control mission
Russia will boost its drug control mission staff in Afghanistan, Russia's drug control chief said on Tuesday.

Russia to send more drug police to Afghanistan

Russian Expo 2010 pavilion to be completed on time
The Russian pavilion for the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai will be completed on time

Man shot dead by Russian police linked to priest's murder
A gun found on a man who was shot dead by police in south Russia was used in the murder of a priest in Moscow last year

Moscow noncommittal on time, venue for arms pact signing
The timeframe and venue for the signing of a new U.S.-Russian strategic arms reduction deal have yet to be determined, the Russian foreign minister said on Tuesday

Turkmen leader reassures Moscow on natural gas supplies
Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov on Tuesday confirmed the Central Asian republic's readiness to supply the required gas volumes to Russia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

Russian youth movements to hold rally in Moscow
Major Russian youth organizations will hold a mass rally to announce their federal projects in downtown Moscow on March 31, the Young Russia movement leader said on Tuesday.

Russia floats out second Gepard class frigate for Vietnam
Shipbuilders in Russia's republic of Tatarstan floated out a second frigate for the Vietnamese Navy on Tuesday, a spokesman for the Zelenodolsk shipyard said.

Senior Russian lawmaker says EU ignores Nazi threat
A demonstration by Waffen-SS veterans, which took place on Tuesday in the Latvian capital, is a "challenge for humanity" and should not be neglected by the international community, a senior Russian lawmaker said.

Putin 'not scheduled' to meet Lukashenko during visit to Belarus
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin did not plan to hold talks with Alexander Lukashenko during his visit to Belarus, the Russian government said on Tuesday, denying speculation the Belarusian president had gone to Venezuela to avoid a meeting.

Russian economy to grow faster than projected in 2010 - ministry
Russia's economy could grow by as much as 4-4.5% in 2010 compared with the government's forecast of 3-3.5%, an Economic Development Ministry official said on Tuesday.

Some 7,000 cars sold in Russia since car scrapping program launched
Russian dealers have sold some 7,000 cars as part of a new car scrapping program since it was launched a week ago, an Industry and Trade Ministry official said Tuesday.

Russian police close 200 drug dens since start of March
Police have closed around 200 drug dens across Russia since the start of March as part of efforts to combat rising drug use in the country, a Federal Drug Control Service spokesman said on Tuesday.

30 avalanches block Russia-South Ossetia road
Around 30 avalanches have come down on the Transcaucasian highway, cutting off the only direct road between Russia and South Ossetia, a spokeswoman for North Ossetia's emergencies ministry said on Tuesday.

Nord Stream secures funding for Russia-backed Baltic pipeline
Nord Stream has secured 3.9 billion euros ($5.3 billion) in financing allowing it to start building a pipeline to pump Russian natural gas to Europe under the Baltic Sea, The Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

Kiev wants to host signing of historic Russia-U.S. arms cuts deal
Kiev is seeking to be the venue for the signing of a new nuclear arms reduction treaty between Russia and the United States, a respected Russian business daily reported on Tuesday.

Interior Ministry reform

Medvedev continues shake up of Russia's law enforcement system
President Dmitry Medvedev has dismissed a deputy Russian justice minister and appointed a new interior minister in the volatile North Caucasus republic of Ingushetia as part of his efforts to improve law enforcement in Russia, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

Russian doctors help people affected by Chilean earthquake
Russian specialists have helped 41 people affected by the Chilean earthquake since they arrived to the devastated country, a Russian emergencies ministry representative said on Tuesday.

Turkmenistan views Russia as strategic partner - president
Turkmenistan views Russia as a strategic partner, President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov said at the start of a meeting with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Russian police detain suspected killer of Moscow cop
The suspected killer of a policeman in western Moscow was detained in the early hours of Tuesday, the chief spokesman for the Russian capital's police told RIA Novosti.

Sochi public council to discuss environmental issues of 2014 Games
The Public Council which oversees preparations for 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games will gather on Tuesday to address environmental issues.

Main news of March 15
A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours

Georgian TV channel apologetic over bogus report of Russian invasion
The Georgian broadcaster at the center of the latest furor over a fake TV news report said on Monday it was sorry it might have inconvenienced some people and would honor the code of journalistic ethics.

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?
0

Russian Defense Spending will Increase by 8% in 2010
0

Russian Culture: At A Glance
0

President of Ingushetia Survived the Attack
0

USA Cancels Missile Defense System Russia Condemned as a Threat
0

Deadly Flowers
0

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)

BBC Sports (Russian Edition)

Novosti (Russian Edition)

Russia News in Russian

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

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Russia & Russian News. Russia News Headlines & Russian Current Events Articles | Russia

The St. Petersburg Times
Issue #1556 (17), Tuesday, March 16, 2010

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

Russia: News & Videos about Russia - CNN.com
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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.

Kremlin.Ru: Photo Chronicle
Photos from the Russian Presidential Press Service published on the official presidential website (last 30 photos)

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Pravda.Ru

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

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

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

NYT > RussiaBroad 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.

Kremlin.Ru: Photo ChroniclePhotos from the Russian Presidential Press Service published on the official presidential website (last 30 photos)

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Russian Spy, World and Russian NewsRussian Spy covering news and analysis on politics, business, culture and sport in Russia and the World, CIS and former Soviet Union

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The St. Petersburg Times
Issue #1556 (17), Tuesday, March 16, 2010

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

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

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

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

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.

Kremlin.Ru: Photo Chronicle
Photos from the Russian Presidential Press Service published on the official presidential website (last 30 photos)

Pravda.Ru - Analitics
Pravda.Ru

RIA Novosti
RIA Novosti

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