The share of Russians who think their country is going in the wrong direction has grown to a high of 45 percent of the population, according to a new poll published by the independent Levada Center pollster. Recent polls suggest that Putin’s approval rating has dropped to five-year lows, while a majority of Russians have…
Murtaja Lateef / EPA / TASS Zalina Gabibulayeva has had five children, four husbands and two jail sentences. All her spouses were Islamist militants who are either dead or in prison, the last two in Syria, where she was among hundreds of women stranded by the war before officials brought her back to Russia. “I…
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday accused the government in Kiev of flagrantly meddling in the life of Orthodoxy in Ukraine where a new national church has broken away from Moscow’s orbit. Speaking at a Russian Orthodox Church event attended by Patriarch Kirill in Moscow, Putin said that Russia reserved the right to defend people’s rights to…
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled Thursday that Russia must compensate Georgian nationals who were rounded up and deported more than a decade ago. Russia ordered the expulsion of 4,634 Georgians between September 2006 and January 2007. Georgia said the expulsions were a deliberate policy to exact revenge for the arrests of four…
Rich Russians no longer welcome in London flock back to Moscow. vespermoscow.com Moscow real estate executives Boris Azarenko and Denis Kitaev should write the U.K. Home Office a thank-you note. Their company, luxury apartment developer Vesper, is seeing a pickup in demand from wealthy Russians, as Britain’s anti-money laundering measures block many from London, once…
The infamous troll farm at the center of a major U.S. election interference scandal has been reportedly evicted from its St. Petersburg headquarters after other tenants complained about repeated bomb threats to the building. The so-called Internet Research Agency was charged in February with running a propaganda campaign to interfere in the 2016 U.S. election.…
Russia will host the Taliban and Afghan politicians opposed to President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday, Russian and Taliban sources said, promoting its role of power broker in what a U.S. official called an attempt to “muddle” the U.S.-backed peace process. Moscow snubbed the Afghan government, sources said, to ensure the participation of the Taliban who…
The daughter of the first activist prosecuted under Russia’s law against “undesirable organizations” has reportedly died in intensive care. Anastasia Shevchenko, a coordinator for the Open Russia pro-democracy NGO, was placed under house arrest last week over violations of the 2015 law against “undesirable organizations.” Human Rights Watch called Shevchenko the first activist to be…
Russia’s state communications regulator said on Thursday that the BBC World News channel had committed “certain violations” while operating in Russia, Russian news agencies reported. Russia said last month it was launching an investigation into the BBC in response to pressure it said London was applying on a Kremlin-funded broadcaster’s operations in Britain. The regulator,…
Rauf Arashukov (Andrei Nikerichev / Moskva News Agency) The dramatic detention of Russian senator Rauf Arashukov, 32, on murder charges Wednesday has sent shockwaves throughout the country. The senator, who is the son of a high-ranking gas official, was detained by security forces during a live parliamentary session and has been charged with several crimes,…
A budding Russian blogger has been fined by police for riding a traditional carpet through the snowy streets of Nizhny Novgorod, 400 kilometers east of Moscow. Videos posted by local news outlets showed two lightly dressed young men riding the carpet attached to a car, in what appears to be an affordable local alternative to…
Russia and the United States failed to bridge their differences over a landmark Cold War-era arms treaty at last-ditch talks in Beijing, Russia’s deputy foreign minister was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies on Thursday. The impasse sets the stage for the United States to begin pulling out of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty,…
Scientists using sophisticated techniques to determine the age of bone fragments, teeth and artifacts unearthed in a Siberian cave have provided new insight into a mysterious extinct human species that may have been more advanced than previously known. Research published on Wednesday shed light on the species called Denisovans, known only from scrappy remains from…
Robert Mueller (Zhang Jun / Zuma / TASS) U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office said on Wednesday that self-proclaimed hackers in Russia stole evidence in an attempt to tarnish its investigation of a firm charged with funding a Russian propaganda campaign to interfere in the 2016 U.S. election. Prosecutors said in a court filing in…
Six Russian sailors held hostage by pirates have been freed in Nigeria a month after they were captured in neighboring Benin. Authorities had said pirates kidnapped six Russian sailors of the Panama-flagged container ship MSC Mandy near Benin in West Africa on the night of Jan. 1. The armed pirates reportedly plundered 24 crew members…
A state-funded Russian film that lionises a Soviet World War II tank and its crew has become the second highest grossing home-grown production since the collapse of the Soviet Union, part of a Kremlin-backed drive to instil patriotism in young people. The Kremlin has long put the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany at the heart of a…
A teacher in the Moscow suburb of Khimki has quit her job after reportedly goading first graders into beating up their classmate during gym class. The eight-year-old was reportedly hospitalized with a concussion after his peers ganged up on him, encouraged by the teacher’s “let’s cut his foot off and eat it” comments. “He was…
The Kremlin on Wednesday claimed that Russia is not at war with Ukraine, in a response to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s recent call for a “cold peace” between the two countries. Poroshenko made the comments while launching an uphill re-election campaign on Tuesday with a promise to steer his country toward the West and join…
A Russian senator has been detained on murder charges during a live session at the Federation Council building in Moscow on Wednesday. Rauf Arashukov, 32, who represents the North Caucasus republic of Karachayevo-Cherkessia, was detained inside Russia’s upper chamber of parliament, Russian state media reported, citing sources present at the session. Russia’s Investigative Committee later…
A majority of Russians say they believe that a war could break out between Russia and other countries, according to a poll published Wednesday by the independent Levada Center. The fear of war among Russians has gradually subsided after the 2014 annexation of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine, when it peaked at 68 percent in…
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Wednesday he was ready to sit down for talks with the country’s opposition and open to the possibility of third countries mediating, Russia’s RIA news agency reported. RIA released his comments as the struggle for control of Venezuela intensified with the government preparing an investigation that could lead to…
The unusual arrival of a Russian passenger plane in Caracas has set social media abuzz with rumors about its mission after the Kremlin pledged to support its ally Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro against a U.S.-backed effort to drive him from office. The Boeing 777, with space for some 400 passengers and belonging to Russia’s Nordwind…
A crack has reportedly been uncovered on a Russian rocket during pre-launch preparations, a second defect in less than a year. The U.S. microsatellite startup OneWeb was scheduled to send its first satellite into orbit on a Russian launch vehicle on Feb. 19 as it arrived in French Guiana last week. It was the second hole…
Russian chess grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik, regarded as one of the strongest players in the world, announced on Tuesday he was retiring from professional competition. Kramnik, 43, made waves in 2000 when he defeated defending champion Garry Kasparov at the World Championship. Currently ranked seventh by the World Chess Federation, he became the undisputed world champion…
Russia has dropped further in an annual corruption index compiled by the Transparency International watchdog for 2018, tying with countries like Lebanon, Mexico and Papua New Guinea. Russia had consistently ranked in the bottom half of the global civil society group’s annual corruption perceptions index. Federal prosecutors said they cracked down on $27 million worth…
A school in Far East Russia is being investigated after a teacher reportedly punished students for being tardy by forcing them to sit through the rest of class in gas masks. Parents complained that a health and safety teacher made their seventh-graders wear gas masks for being late, a children’s rights official in the republic…
Russia expects Venezuela will probably have problems servicing its sovereign debt to Moscow, Russia’s Deputy Finance Minister said on Tuesday, after Washington imposed sweeping sanctions on Venezuela’s state oil firm in a move the Kremlin called illegal. The Trump administration on Monday imposed restrictions on the PDVSA oil company, aimed at curbing the OPEC member’s crude exports…
Local officials have installed giant fans to chase away air pollution in a Russian mining town that has been plagued by toxic air for months. Smog first engulfed the town of Sibai in November after suspected emissions from an abandoned copper mine, sparking protests. Local authorities began to issue medical masks and activated charcoal to…
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that U.S. sanctions on Venezuela’s state oil company amounted to illegal and open interference in the Latin American country’s domestic affairs. Moscow is assessing the impact of the sanctions on Russia and intends to use all legal mechanisms at its disposable to protect Russia’s interests in Venezuela in light of…
A senior state corporation manager has been fired after boasting about his sexual relations with junior employees during a gaming stream leaked online, Russian media reported Tuesday. A Twitch livestreaming platform video appeared on Monday purporting to show Ruslan Gorring, the deputy head of a state mineral exploration corporation, cursing out other players. The nearly…
Russia expects Venezuela will probably have problems servicing its sovereign debt to Moscow, Russia’s Deputy Finance Minister said on Tuesday, after Washington imposed sweeping sanctions on Venezuela’s state oil firm in a move the Kremlin called illegal. The Trump administration on Monday imposed restrictions on the PDVSA oil company, aimed at curbing the OPEC member’s crude exports…
The suspect in one of the most brazen art heists in recent history has confessed to having stolen prominent artist Arkhip Kuindzhi’s painting over the weekend to pay for his debts, Russian media have reported. Kuindzhi’s 1908 “Ai Petri, Crimea” was briefly stolen from Moscow’s Tretyakov Gallery on Sunday before police recovered it in a…
Russia last saw major fortunes change hands via inheritance more than a century ago. Roman and Arkady Abramovich Nick Potts / FA Bobo / PIXSELL / PA Images With Vladimir Putin now in his last consecutive presidential term, post-communist Russia’s first generation of billionaires is starting to test his commitment to private property by giving…
Russia’s Justice Ministry has proposed exempting officials in “exceptional circumstances” from anti-corruption regulations in new draft legislation, following a plan set by Russian President Vladimir Putin last year. Russia ranks among the world’s most corrupt countries, with Transparency International’s annual corruption perceptions index ranking it in 138th place this year out of 180 countries. Read More Putin…
Russia’s health ministry has said that it wants to legalize the import of hashish and marijuana for research purposes, according to a recently published draft bill. Russia bans the circulation of drugs, including marijuana and other cannabinoids whose use is legalized in certain U.S. states and European countries. Hashish contains higher concentrations of the psychotropic…
A top Russian official has accused Western intelligence agencies of preparing for the possibility of civil war and the breakup of the country into separate regions. In 2017, U.S.-funded media reported on a movie about a Siberian secessionist movement spearheaded by billionaire philanthropist George Soros and the State Department. Soros and the U.S. are routinely…
Seventy-five years after the Leningrad siege ended, the city’s residents won’t be told how to remember. Daniel Kozin / MT There are no individual graves at the Piskaryovskoye Cemetery in northern St. Petersburg. So, the crowds of mourners who brought wreaths threw them in one big pile at the feet of “The Motherland,” a towering…
Alexander Avilov / Moskva News Agency Moscow was hit with its heaviest snowfall in nearly 70 years over the weekend, Russian media reported. While snow piled up on the pavements and snowplows hit the streets, many Muscovites rejoiced. The snowstorm started on Saturday morning and continued uninterrupted for some 37 hours, the weather news website Meteonovosti reported. …
The Kremlin has denied reports that private military contractors who carry out secret missions for Russia flew into Venezuela to reinforce security for its leader in the face of mass protests. Global superpowers split into two camps last week after the United States, Europe and Latin American allies backed opposition leader Juan Guaido declaring himself…
Russia’s cultural capital, St. Petersburg, has also distinguished itself as most tolerant of the LGBT community, according to the results of a recent survey. Russia banned “homosexual propaganda” among minors in 2013, leading the courts to ban gay pride events and public polling show surging anti-LGBT sentiment. In recent weeks, authorities in the North Caucasus…
A public official has been dismissed following reports that she had forced teachers to remove snow in freezing weather, authorities in the Saratov region southeast of Moscow said Monday. Reports and footage of women identified as Saratov school teachers shoveling snow into wicker bags sparked outrage across Russia over the weekend. Heavy snowfall and slow…
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on Sunday lifted sanctions on aluminum giant Rusal and other Russian firms linked to oligarch Oleg Deripaska, defying a Democratic-led push in the U.S. Congress to maintain the restrictions. Earlier this month, 11 of Trump’s fellow Republicans in the U.S. Senate joined Democrats in a failed effort to keep the…
Russian police have recovered a painting by prominent artist Arkhip Kuindzhi stolen from a Moscow gallery on Sunday and detained the suspected thief, TASS state news agency said on Monday, citing a police official. A 31-year-old man told police where he had hidden the painting, TASS quoted a spokeswoman for the Russian Internal Ministry, Irina Volk,…
St. Petersburg marked the 75th anniversary of the lifting of the Siege of Leningrad this weekend with a military parade in the center of the city and commemorations of the fallen. The World War II-era siege, which lasted for 872 days and killed an estimated one million people, is remembered every year on Jan. 27 —…
Over three-quarters of Russians have said they oppose handing a chain of Pacific islands to Japan as the countries seek to resolve a long-standing territorial row, according to a state-funded poll released on Monday. Tokyo has been seeking the return of the Kuril Islands — known in Japan as the Northern Territories — since Soviet…
Private military contractors who do secret missions for Russia flew into Venezuela in the past few days to beef up security for President Nicolas Maduro in the face of U.S.-backed opposition protests, according to two people close to them. A third source close to the Russian contractors also told Reuters there was a contingent of them in Venezuela,…
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday called on the United States to drop what it called irresponsible plans to deploy a missile defense system in space, saying the move risked fueling an arms race. The ministry said in a statement that the plans looked like an attempt to resurrect the so-called Star Wars…
Amnesty International has declared the first activist to be prosecuted under Russia’s law against “undesirable organizations” a prisoner of conscience on Friday. A law passed in 2015 allows prosecutors to limit or halt the work of foreign organizations deemed “undesirable,” punishing those breaking these limits with fines or prison terms lasting up to six years.…
Russia on Friday offered to mediate between the government and opposition in Venezuela if necessary, saying it was ready to cooperate with all political forces that acted responsibly, the RIA news agency reported. The comments came a day after Moscow said Nicolas Maduro was Venezuela’s legitimate president and not opposition leader Juan Guaido, who declared himself…
The World Cup party has long ended, but some fans seem to be unable to let go. Police have said that around 5,500 foreigners who traveled to Russia visa-free for the midsummer football tournament in 2018 are yet to leave, state media reported on Friday. Read More Mexico’s World Cup Party Goes on as Fan…
Russia’s athletics federation said on Friday it would withdraw its appeal against the decision by the global athletics governing body IAAF to prolong its suspension over evidence of state-sponsored doping. The federation had filed an appeal against at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in September against IAAF’s decision to extend the ban, imposed…
Russia’s athletics federation said on Friday it would withdraw its appeal against the decision by the global athletics governing body IAAF to prolong its suspension over evidence of state-sponsored doping. The federation had filed an appeal against at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in September against IAAF’s decision to extend the ban, imposed…
Russian police reportedly prevented a school shooting in Siberia on Friday when they detained a student armed with a rifle who had opened fire on the building after being refused entry. Armed attacks have rocked schools across Russia over the past year, including a deadly October shooting and bombing at a college in annexed Crimea…
Thousands of people have been evacuated from public buildings in at least seven Russian regions over bomb threats in the second wave of panic to have hit this month. Russia has been hit by mass bomb scares since late 2017, when anonymous phone calls about planted explosives in 170 cities turned out to be fake.…
Nicolas Maduro, Igor Sechin and Manuel Quevedo, December 16, 2017 / Reuters The United States and a slew of Latin American nations have recognized Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president, leaving Nicolas Maduro ever more isolated. Though China is Venezuela’s top lender, Russia has also been a long-standing ally of Maduro and his…
At least three armed suspects who attacked traffic police in Russia’s North Caucasus on Thursday night have been shot and killed, investigators have said. The restive region has been the site of frequent attacks on law enforcement officials, including a grenade attack on National Guard troops in Ingushetia last December. Armed attacks have also been…
The United States has offered to hold talks on arm control issues with Russia on the sidelines of a United Nations meeting in Beijing next week, a senior State Department official said on Thursday. Under Secretary of State Andrea Thompson told reporters the talks almost certainly would include a dispute over a Cold War-era treaty…
A new Russian stealth drone has been reportedly photographed in detail for what may be the first time in Siberia. Military analysts said first grainy images of Okhotnik, an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) built by the Sukhoi design bureau, may have appeared online as early as 2017. On Wednesday, the U.S. aviation online outlet…
Russians reportedly took out 8.61 trillion rubles ($130 billion) in loans last year as real personal incomes declined. Russian economic growth has been hampered by a volatile currency, low oil prices and Western sanctions since Moscow’s 2014 annexation of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine. Real disposable incomes were forecast to drop for the fifth year in…
Russia’s Defense Ministry has published video footage of its fighter jets intercepting a Swedish reconnaissance plane over the Baltic Sea. Russia and NATO countries have increasingly scrambled their jets to intercept each other’s aircraft in recent years. Military think-tanks have warned of growing Russian-NATO airspace interactions as tensions at their borders are on the rise.…