U.S. Imposes New Sanctions on Russia over Skripal Poisoning

U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed another round of sanctions on Russia over the poisoning of a former spy in Britain, the White House said on Friday, a move Moscow said would hurt already strained U.S.-Russia ties. The move came hours before a landmark Cold War-era arms control treaty expired, after Washington withdrew, accusing Moscow of violating it, which Russia denies. Washington…

Moscow’s Opposition Protests, In Photos

Nearly 1,400 demonstrators were detained, some violently, during last Saturday’s rally to demand that independent candidates be allowed onto the ballot in Moscow’s city council elections. While officials warned citizens not to attend the unauthorized protest, thousands of people took to the streets to voice their discontent. The ensuing scenes of riot police dispersing protesters soon became powerful…

Russia’s HIV Patients Panic Over Drug Shortage

Hundreds of thousands of HIV patients in Russia face a severe shortage of antiretroviral therapy medication under new government procurement rules, health officials say. Russia centralized HIV medication-buying procedures in 2017 in a bid to provide more patients with treatment, empowering the Health Ministry instead of regional authorities to carry out drug tenders. The changes…

Japan Says Russian Prime Minister’s Visit to Disputed Island Is Regrettable

A visit on Friday by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to an island claimed by both Japan and Russia was extremely regrettable, Japan’s foreign ministry said, urging Moscow to take constructive steps to advance ties. In his first visit since 2015, Medvedev traveled to one of four Russian-held islands off Japan’s northern region of Hokkaido, known as Iturup in Russian…