Vladimir Putin was appointed Russia’s acting prime minister on Aug. 9, 1999 by then-President Boris Yeltsin. He’s remained in power ever since, either in the role of president or prime minister. We went to the streets of Moscow to ask locals how they view Putin’s two-decade-long rule.
Bruised Russian teenager Alexander Kostyuk spent three days in hospital being treated for concussion he said he sustained on Aug. 3 when four policemen beat him with truncheons at an opposition protest in Moscow. It was the second peaceful demonstration in as many weeks by an increasingly defiant opposition to President Vladimir Putin. Both were…
A series of explosions rocked a Russian ammo depot in Siberia for the second time in a week on Friday, injuring five people, the state-run TASS news agency cited doctors as saying. A fire broke out following the explosions at the site in the Krasnoyarsk region, TASS reported. The explosions were caused by a lightning strike,…
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has accused Japan of “illegally” including Pacific islands claimed by both Moscow and Tokyo in a map of the Olympics the Japanese capital will host next year. Japan has been seeking the return of the Kuril Islands — which it calls the Northern Territories — since Soviet troops seized them at the…
Moscow has banned depictions of sex and drugs from its walls under new restrictions aimed at drawing a line between art and blight, but is drawing a mixed response from artists and stirring the debate on cities’ role in regulating street art. Perceived by some as an act of vandalism, graffiti painting has grown in…
Background Gazprom Transgaz Stavropol is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gazprom. The company operates linear gas trunklines that pass through 10 constituent entities of the North Caucasus and Southern Federal Districts of the Russian Federation. It also ensures that gas is supplied to Georgia, Armenia, Turkey, and the Republic of South Ossetia. Gazprom Transgaz Stavropol consists of 18 branches, including 10 gas pipeline operation centers. The company’s annual gas transmission volumes…
At least six victims of a military site explosion in northern Russia have allegedly been taken to Moscow with radiation exposure, according to unconfirmed media reports published a day after the mysterious blast. Authorities in a nearby city reported a brief spike in radiation Thursday when a rocket engine blew up at the testing site…
A transport junction was built with the support of Bashneft, an enterprise of Rosneft Group, on the major Ufa highway which connects the northern and southern parts of the city.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was appointed acting prime minister on Aug. 9, 1999, by then-president Boris Yeltsin. He has been in office as president or prime minister ever since, a period spanning two decades. Here are some highlights of Putin’s 20 years in power: Aug. 9, 1999 — During an economic crisis, Boris Yeltsin names little-known…
Residents of two northern Russian cities are stocking up on iodine that is used to reduce the effects of radiation exposure after a mysterious accident at a nearby military testing site, regional media have reported. The Defense Ministry has given few details of the accident, saying only that two people were killed and six injured…
By the calendar it’s still summer, but the weather is decidedly autumnal. All that means is that you have all the more reason to party! The second half of August is simply packed with small (and not so small) festivals and concerts that you should definitely see if you happen to be in the Russian…
Russia on Friday accused the U.S. Embassy of having meddled in Russia’s internal affairs when it published a map online showing the route of an unauthorized anti-government protest earlier this month. Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had summoned a senior U.S. diplomat over what it said was a post on Twitter and the…
Russian lawmakers are moving to further restrict the locations where citizens will be allowed to protest following weeks of demonstrations over Moscow authorities’ refusal to allow the opposition from running for local office. Thousands of Muscovites have taken to the streets in the past month to protest the decision to bar opposition members from running…
On this day 20 years ago, Russian President Boris Yeltsin named Vladimir Putin the country’s acting prime minister and successor for the presidency. At the time, most Russians knew little about the 46-year-old head of the Federal Security Service (FSB), who had largely kept out of the public eye. The Kremlin’s political opponents, meanwhile, criticized Yeltsin’s…
The world was a very different place in 1999. We were introduced to Britney Spears. Bill Clinton was impeached. Napster was launched. And everyone worried about Y2K and the havoc it would soon wreak on dial-up internet and our giant PCs. It was also the year Vladimir Putin was appointed as prime minister of Russia…
A former top prosecutor in Russia has encountered resistance as he tries to sue Stalin over orders to execute over 80,000 people and send nearly 200,000 to the gulags, Russia’s Kommersant business daily has reported. Ex-prosecutor Igor Stepanov filed a report seeking to launch criminal proceedings against Stalin, citing the Soviet leader’s 1937 order to…
To keep our newsroom in Moscow running, we need your support. With your help, we can continue with our mission to keep you informed with breaking news, business analysis, thought-provoking opinions, the best of culture and insights into everyday life.
An aide to Italy’s deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini, at the center of accusations the ruling League party sought millions of euros via a secret Russian oil deal, flew back-and-forth to Moscow last year, news website BuzzFeed said on Thursday. Flight records show Salvini’s former spokesman Gianluca Savoini went to Moscow on three separate occasions…