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Video of a homeless woman singing an Italian opera on a Los Angeles subway platform has become a social media sensation, inspiring multiple offers of professional and financial support. Viewers have reached out through social media to offer Emily Zamourka, 52, housing in the form of an Airbnb. One California man has invited her to perform at…

These days, it’s not very common to see a grey-colored NATO ship sailing into a Russian port. Sailing in the Dvina river delta, the Norwegian Coast Guard ship received some attention. These waters in the White Sea are of strategic importance for Russia. Both the shipyard for building nuclear-powered submarines in Severodvinsk and the mysterious…

At least six top ice-class Arc7 tankers traveled the eastern part of the Northern Sea Route in the last days of September and early October. It is the most complicated part of the Arctic shipping route. Normally, ice lies thick in the area until late July and the waters start to freeze again in early…

The FBI appears to be recruiting Russians living in and around the U.S. capital with awkwardly worded and grammatically incorrect Russian-language Facebook ads, CNN has reported. Washington and Moscow have traded accusations of espionage, disinformation and other influence campaigns as relations between the powers have deteriorated to Cold War levels. An investigation into the 2016…

Russia’s permafrost is expected to thaw at an accelerating rate between now and 2100, a process that could trigger a “feedback loop” of carbon emissions, according to a new report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). More than 50% of Russia’s territory is located in the planet’s frozen cryosphere. The country is…

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev kicks off an official two-day visit to Havana on Thursday in a strong show of Russia’s support for the communist-run island as it faces escalating pressure from the United States. Moscow has sought to renew its commercial, military and political ties with Cuba in recent years, as part of a…

A court in St. Petersburg has ruled that two LGBT groups must be disbanded for posting information for the community on Russia’s largest social network, VKontakte, the city’s joint court press service said Thursday. VKontakte is obliged to block LGBT groups due to Russia’s controversial so-called “gay propaganda law,” which since 2013 has prohibited “propaganda…

Outgoing U.S. Ambassador in Moscow Jon Huntsman has urged the Russian government to release Paul Whelan, an American detained in Russia on suspicion of espionage. Whelan, 49, who Russian authorities say was detained while receiving classified information late in December 2018, faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty of spying. He denies…

Between 10 and 35 Russian mercenaries may have died while fighting in Libya’s civil war that has plunged the oil-producing nation into crisis, the Meduza news website has reported, citing unnamed colleagues and veterans. Forces loyal to eastern commander Khalifa Haftar in April launched an offensive to take Tripoli, held by Libya’s internationally recognized government,…

The personal details of millions of Sberbank customers may have been leaked, in what would be the largest-ever data breach in Russian banking, according to cyber security experts. Analysts at cybersecurity firm DeviceLock found personal information relating to up to 60 million Sberbank credit card holders for sale on the black market. They were able…

North Korea needs to rein in its poachers in Russian waters, Russia’s Ambassador in Pyongyang has said in the wake of a recent flare-up between the allies. Russian guards have detained hundreds of North Korean fishermen in four roundups in recent weeks, one of which resulted in a North Korean man’s death. The detentions mark…

Russians view China most positively out of dozens of countries, according to a U.S.-based Pew Research Center report that shows global perceptions of China have declined in the past year. Chinese President Xi Jinping oversaw a massive military parade through central Beijing on Tuesday to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s…

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday sided with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump in the domestic political storm raging in the United States, and briefly joked that Moscow would hack the U.S. presidential election in 2020. Putin said Trump, who faces an impeachment inquiry over accusations that he pressured Ukraine’s president to dig up dirt…

Many Russian hostels and hotels located in residential buildings are still open for booking despite a controversial ban that went into effect yesterday, according to media reports. Under the new law, it’s now illegal to provide hotel services in residential buildings, sparking concerns for the future of budget travel in Russia. Hoteliers previously warned that…

One of the oldest and largest Italian circuses has arrived in Russia’s northernmost city of Pevek after an epic cross-country trek — but their tour has raised concerns among Russians over the ethics of using wild animals as performers. The Togni circus, which includes human and animal performers, had come all the way from Kazan…

A Russian man is seeking more than $15,000 in damages from Apple after claiming that the U.S. tech giant drove him to homosexuality, the Govorit Moskva radio station has reported.  The plaintiff, identified as D. Razumilov, alleges that he became “mired in same-sex relationships” this summer after receiving 69 GayCoins on a cryptocurrency payment app…

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday took aim at teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg, telling an energy forum he did not share the excitement about her United Nations speech last month. The 16-year-old Swede electrified the UN summit in New York when she denounced world leaders for failing to tackle climate change, unleashing the outrage…

A wave of resignations sweeping Russia’s health sector has reached the country’s capital this week after employees at one of Moscow’s best cancer hospitals threatened to quit in protest of its new leadership. Nurses, doctors, ambulance staff and paramedics across Russia have expressed their grievances by resigning or staging various forms of strikes since the…

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that there was no evidence that Iran was responsible for an attack on Saudi oil infrastructure last month and that the United States had not presented any proof of Iran’s role. France tried to set up a meeting between the leaders of Iran and the United States after…

Ukraine has agreed to sign a peace plan with pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine that it had previously rejected, marking the first major breakthrough since a lapsed 2015 peace accord and a step toward an international peace summit. Negotiators meeting in Minsk, Belarus on Tuesday agreed on a schedule to allow elections in eastern Ukraine’s…

State military shipping company Oboronlogistika has made 11 shipments to the Arctic archipelago of Novaya Zemlya and other parts of the region so far this year as part of its exclusive delivery agreement with the Defense Ministry. About 30,000 tons of goods were delivered, the company said. In 2018, the company’s total delivery volume amounted to 11,000 tons. Various…

Protesters in Russia’s Buddhist republic of Kalmykia took to the streets against the appointment as mayor of a one-time leader of separatist-held eastern Ukraine. Dmitry Trapeznikov, 38, briefly led the self-proclaimed Donetsk people’s republic in war-torn eastern Ukraine after his predecessor was assassinated last year. On Thursday, the Kalmyk governor announced that he appointed Trapeznikov…

Russian border guards opened fire on a North Korean fishing boat and detained 21 crew for alleged poaching in the Sea of Japan, the Federal Security Service was quoted as saying on Wednesday. Five people were injured in the incident, which caused a fire on board, the Interfax news agency cited the service as saying.…

Talks to end the five-year conflict in eastern Ukraine produced the first major breakthrough since a lapsed 2015 peace accord, paving the way for an international summit to cement progress. Negotiators meeting Tuesday in the Belarusian capital of Minsk agreed on a schedule under which elections will be held in the breakaway regions and a…

A Russian state journalist has sued the organizer of a training course for war correspondents over injuries he says he received during the training. Svyatoslav Pavlov’s gruesome account of the course at a military site in Crimea included scenes of ripped earlobes and bags placed over journalists’ heads causing asphyxiation. The courses are required for…

Russia’s lower chamber of parliament on Sept. 30 passed legislation that could allow dual citizenship for foreigners wanting to become Russian citizens, the RBC news website reported Tuesday.  Analysts believe the new rules may increase the attractiveness of a Russian passport, as in the past foreigners applying for the documents have had to renounce their…

Belarus believes that its ally Russia’s terms of integration are “unacceptable,” its foreign minister has said following media reports that the two countries plan to form an economic confederacy in the next two years. Russia and Belarus, currently members of a largely symbolic union state, have been in talks to deepen their integration, a process…

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Nicolas Maduro briefly discussed Caracas’ debt obligations to Russia last week during a visit to Moscow by the Venezuelan leader, the Kremlin said on Tuesday, without providing details. Close ally Moscow has acted as a lender of last resort for Caracas, with the Russian government and oil giant Rosneft providing at least $17…

The Russian former chief economist of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), who fled Russia in 2013, has told journalist and online personality Yury Dud that he will continue to support people who want to make Russia more democratic. Sergei Guriyev left the country for fear of being arrested over his support for…

Russian state experts confirmed that the slain father of three teenage daughters facing up to 20 years in jail for killing him had abused them, the sisters’ lawyers have announced Tuesday. The high-profile case has divided Russian society into those who say that Krestina, Angelina and Maria Khachaturyan acted in self-defense and those who view them…

The Labor Ministry has sent the Russian government a report outlining the pros and cons of introducing a four-day work week as discussions around shortening the work week have become increasingly widespread. The report, a response to the idea first proposed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev over the summer, was put together after consultations with…

In Russia, the first of the month is often marked with a slew of new laws and rules coming into effect. This October is no exception. Life will change for Russians in ways both big and small starting today. Here’s a look at some of the new rules and laws taking effect: Fire safety Starting…

A Russian football fan has been sentenced to one year in prison for punching a riot police officer in a brawl involving ultras at St. Petersburg’s Gazprom Arena earlier this year. Riot police charged a crowd of football fans outside the stadium during halftime of an Aug. 3 Russian Premier League match between FC Zenit…

Gennady Laguteev remembers the day a shell landed in his garden and destroyed his veranda. It was Aug. 5, 2014, just after the war between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian government forces had erupted in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbass.  “I kept the chair I used to sit in out there, even though it was…

Russia remains a nation of heavy drinkers, but alcohol consumption has fallen 43% from 2003 to 2016, a key factor in the country’s rapid rise in life expectancy, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday.  Alcohol consumption fell in the mid-1980s due to a campaign by the last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, but rates exploded…

Russia’s Investigative Committee said Tuesday that one of its employees, senior investigator Vladislav Kapustin, was stabbed to death at the entrance to its central office in Moscow. “The attacker was arrested,” spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said in a statement.  A disheveled eyewitness told the Znak.com news website she was in the middle of a conversation with…

Russian border guards have detained 87 North Korean poachers and 11 small vessels in waters in the Sea of Japan which Moscow considers its own exclusive economic zone, the Interfax news agency said on Tuesday. It is the third such round-up of North Korean fishermen in recent weeks amid what the Kremlin has said is…

The United States has imposed sanctions on two Russians over their alleged involvement in the Internet Research Agency, a Russian organization accused of interfering in U.S. elections. The Internet Research Agency is believed to be financed by billionaire restaurateur Yevgeny Prigozhin, known as President Vladimir Putin’s “chef.” A U.S. special counsel indicted Prigozhin and 12…

A veterans’ hospital in Russia’s fourth-largest city has banned a transgender hairstylist from volunteering to give free haircuts to its elderly patients. A local charity in Yekaterinburg had put out a call for stylists, makeup artists and hairdressers to provide beauty services to the hospital’s patients at no cost. Marta Katasrofa, a transgender hairdresser, was…

Russia plans to build its own reusable Argo rocket to compete with Elon Musk and supply the International Space Station (ISS) by 2024, the RBC news website reported Monday. Russia has previously accused Musk’s SpaceX of squeezing it out of the carrier rockets market with the company’s relatively low-cost Falcon 9 rockets. Last year, Russia’s…

The Kremlin said on Monday that Washington would need Russian consent to publish transcripts of phone calls between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Congress is determined to get access to Trump’s calls with Putin and other world leaders, the U.S. House Intelligence Committee’s chairman said on Sunday, citing concerns that the Republican…

A majority of Russians charged under a law banning “blatant disrespect” toward the authorities have been disrespectful toward President Vladimir Putin, according to research by the Agora human rights group. Sept. 29 marked six months since Russia imposed up to 300,000 rubles in fines and 15 days in jail for repeated “blatant disrespect” toward government…

At least 600 people gathered to protest police brutality in the Far East Russian republic of Buryatia on Sunday following the detention of an anti-Putin shaman’s supporters and a disputed local vote. Demonstrations erupted in the city of Ulan-Ude this month to demand the release of the shaman’s detained supporters as well as a rerun…

In the two weeks since attacks blamed on missiles or drones shut down half of Saudi Arabia’s oil output, the country that has arguably moved most deftly to position itself for any upside is Russia. Within hours of the attacks, Moscow’s state arms exporter said it would hold talks with countries in the Middle East…

The head of Russian anti-doping agency RUSADA has called for a full overhaul in the country’s sports management that would include the dismissal of state officials involved in an ongoing doping scandal.  RUSADA finds itself on the brink of suspension for the second time over alleged manipulation of anti-doping laboratory data which has sparked concern…