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opinion Alexey Eremenko

Three Possible Scenarios for Life After Coronavirus in Russia

These are good starting points for thinking about what is probably going to be a perfect storm.

opinion Alexey Eremenko

How Will Putin’s Reforms Pan Out for Russian Business?

By addressing the “2024 problem” early Putin has given the investment community some breathing room.

opinion Alexey Eremenko

Kremlin Is Out of Moves to Instigate New Sanctions

The “softness” of the new U.S. measures shows that the sanctions environment has found its equilibrium.

opinion Alexey Eremenko

The Golunov Case Exposes Russia's 'Submerged State'

Businesses and foreign investors would do well to remember that even Putin’s brightest plans can be derailed by a single official far down the chain...

opinion Alexey Eremenko

Waging a Proxy War on Russian Journalism

Much has been said since 2014 about Russia's proxy war in Ukraine, where Russian troops and equipment are often reported and even sometimes captured...

The Hidden Russia: The Quirkiest News of 2014

Military incursions, a plummeting ruble, homophobic violence and corruption: News from Russia makes life here seem like an endless stream of rights...

Red Cross: 'Winter Is Coming' to East Ukraine

"Winter is coming." The words of doom from the hit TV series "Game of Thrones" spell as much danger for war-torn eastern Ukraine as they do for the...

Facebook Censors Page in Support of Putin Critic Navalny

Facebook complied with an official request to ban a page in support of Russia's leading opposition activist, triggering a wave of censorship allegations...

The Duma's War on Monsters and Russia's Other Oddball Initiatives

Pro-Kremlin lawmaker Ilya Kostunov said in 2012 that even the stupidest among the State Duma's 450 lawmakers is smarter than the average voter. Alternative...

Raising the Right Professionals: An Uphill Battle for Russia

For a split second in December, it looked like 77 percent of Russians would be forced out of their current jobs. This is the estimated percentage...

Russian Social Media Reacts to Ruble Crisis With 'Arctic Fox Day'

A leading Russian economist likened the public reaction to the falling ruble to the "calm of someone facing suicide." But on the Internet, it looked...

Who Will Be Thrown to the Lions Over the Ruble Mess?

As the ruble free-falls like a skydiver with a faulty pack two days ahead of President Vladimir Putin's annual press conference, it is clear that someone...

Violence Against LGBTs Getting Worse in Russia, Study Says

Russia's controversial law against gay propaganda has become a "license to harm" for Russian homophobes, who have expanded to target closeted gays...

Communists, Locals Defend Seafood-Guzzling Cat Over Midnight Feast in Store

Perhaps it is the effect of the economic crisis, but a cat that gorged itself on caviar and other seafood delicacies in a Russian fish store just...

Q&A: WWF, Greenpeace: A Tale of Two Environmental Giants

The heads of the WWF and Greenpeace in Russia talk to The Moscow Times about their aims, frustrations and contrasting approaches.

Life After Putin: Teaching Future Russia

The professional future is bright in Russia, according to an atlas of Russia's future job market recently published by Skolkovo's Moscow School of Management...

Culture Minister: No Money for 'Russia-Smearing' Films

The Russian government throws a lot of money at filmmakers — but it has nothing for those who smear the country with "sh-t," the culture minister...

Russia's Most/Least Eco-Conscious Oil Companies Named in Study

The first environmental ranking of Russia's domestic oil and gas companies was rolled out Tuesday, and the top scorers say they were surprised by the...

France Gives Russia 'Last Chance' to Negotiate With West – Experts

The weekend meeting between the French and Russian presidents has given France a chance to become "the new Germany" for Russia, which lost its last...

Q&A: How to Disappear in the Internet Age

Ever wanted to just vanish, to abandon everything and start your life from scratch? Well, there is a man who can make that happen — though he charges...

Islamic State Suspected in Chechnya Terrorist Attack

A new breed of Caucasus extremists is behind the terrorist strike in the Chechen capital Grozny — and they just may be connected to the terrorist...

Russia Fails to Make Headway in Global Corruption Ranking

Russia slipped three places to rank a dismal 136th out of 175 countries in Transparency International's annual latest corruption survey, unveiled Wednesday...

Russia to Make Internet Providers Censor Content – Report

The Kremlin is pushing to have Russian Internet providers filter content before delivering it to users, a potentially very costly censoring procedure...

Homoerotic Calendar Has 'Orthodox Christian Priests' Posing Naked

In a provocative stunt to remind believers that homosexuality is not a deadly sin, a gay rights group has published a calendar featuring almost-naked...

Sex Slavery Thrives in Russia Out of Public View

Zhenya, a young Russian woman, was lucky: A client took pity on her and took her away from the brothel.

Interpol Declares Hunt for Former 'Church Banker'

A once-prominent Russian banker with ties to the Kremlin and the Russian Orthodox Church has been put on Interpol's wanted list, according to the...

Russian Senator Requests Probe, Sanity Check for Ultraconservative Lawmaker

A Russian senator has requested that a criminal investigation be carried out into a St. Petersburg lawmaker notorious for his militant religious zeal,...

Russian NGO Golos Still Labeled 'Foreign Agent' Despite Court Ruling, Lawyer Says

Russia's leading independent vote monitor Golos remains on a restrictive list of "foreign agents" despite a Constitutional Court ruling to the contrary...

Is Russia's Cyberwar Heating Up Amid New Cold War?

A recent influx of reports about Russian electronic espionage activity has prompted fresh concerns that the Kremlin may be gunning for a cyberwar with...

Q&A With Dean of Top Russian Business School

A Western business education is a new thing for Russia: A "Soviet MBA" is as much of an oxymoron as a "capitalist commissar."

Books, Milk and Radios: Russia Prepares Online Exports Expansion

The government's attempt to hike the customs duty for foreign goods that Russians buy online caused an uproar earlier this year.

Russia to Block Piracy Websites Permanently After One Copyright Violation

Starting next May, websites guilty of more than one copyright violation will be permanently blocked in the country.

Russia and Breakaway Georgian Region to Create Joint Military

Russia will form a joint army with Georgia's breakaway province of Abkhazia under a new cooperation pact that one expert said is part of the continuing...

Russia's Hermitage Museum Gives Away Its Black Cats

Russia's most famous museum, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, on Friday gave away for one day only some of its most coveted exhibits: black cats.

Russian Orthodox Priest Says Comet Could've Brought Life to Earth

A Russian Orthodox Church spokesman has voiced backing for the panspermia theory of life origin, which holds that life was transported here from elsewhere...

10 Kremlin Moves That Hurt Russia's Economy

As the Russian economy ambles toward recession, the government grapples with how to explain the downturn.

Make Science, Not War: In Luhansk, Enthusiasts Chase Lightning

The war raging this summer in the Ukrainian province of Luhansk did not put off two local science enthusiasts from pursuing their audacious goal of harnessing...

Russia Moves to Send North Korean Refugees Back Home to Uncertain Fate

A new governmental agreement drafted by Russia and North Korea will see Moscow hand over Koreans who have fled the totalitarian regime in their...

Rumored Oil Rig Incident Highlights Arctic Exploration Risks

Recent rumors of a storm ravaging an oil rig in the Arctic have driven environmentalists to question the safety of oil exploration in the inhospitable...

Blackwater.ru: The Future of Russian Private Military Companies

In Soviet times, Russian military professionals worked across the globe from Cuba to Vietnam, teaching, advising and sometimes just pointing Kalashnikov...

Russia Plows Ahead With Construction at UNESCO Sites

Russian authorities are proceeding with two giant construction projects in protected areas, despite potential consequences including UNESCO sanctions...

Mayor of Notoriously Corrupt Russian City Charged With Fraud

The former mayor of Moscow suburb Khimki, a city infamous for corruption, violence and public dissent, was charged on Tuesday with fraud and abuse...

Muscovites Warned to Stay Inside as Toxic Chemicals Engulf City

Russian emergency services on Monday warned Muscovites to stay indoors and seal off access to fresh air amid reports of toxic chemical fumes permeating...

Siberian City Rallies Against Putin's 'Eternal Winter'

Locals in the city of Chita in eastern Siberia have staged a rare public protest against the Kremlin-approved decision to introduce "permanent wintertime"...

Outspoken Actor Alexei Devotchenko Found Dead in Moscow

Acclaimed theater actor and opposition activist Alexei Devotchenko has been found dead in a pool of blood at his apartment in northeastern Moscow, news...

Specter of 'Russian Taliban' Looms in Ukraine

Women in Ukraine's separatist-held Luhansk region will be arrested if they are seen in cafes, an insurgent warlord has said.

National Unity Day March Shows Decline of Anti-Kremlin Nationalism

Russia marked National Unity Day on Tuesday with a remarkable show of disunity, with three major distinct rallies taking place across Moscow, including...

Russia's Pension Tsar Implicated in $8 Million Fraud

The head of Russia's flagging state-owned Pension Fund owns property he cannot legally afford on his salary, anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny...

Russia Mulls 'Deadly' Ban on Foreign Medication

For many Russians with “orphan diseases,” as rare illnesses are called, it is a routine practice to ask friends or relatives going abroad to bring...

2 Jailed in Russia's First-Ever Mercenary Conviction

A court in Moscow convicted two Russians of setting up an illegal mercenary squad, the first sentence in the country's history to be handed down...

Owner Denies Abusing Killer Whales in Moscow

A scandal-mired company that owns two orcas in Moscow has waved away as "laughable" claims that the conditions in which the mammals are being kept...

What Can Russia Bring to War Against Islamic State?

Moscow will not join the U.S. effort to thwart the Islamic State terrorist group until Russian-American relations improve, Russian Foreign Minister...

'Imprisoned' Killer Whales Spark Outcry in Moscow

Russian police have refused to open a case into orca whales being held in Moscow in what animal rights campaigners say are cramped tanks that could...

Russia Wants State Control of Root Internet Infrastructure

Russia has mounted an effort in recent weeks to bring the root infrastructure of the Internet under control of state-affiliated bureaucracies, both...

Terrorist Attacks in Russia's North Caucasus Down 50%

The number of terrorist attacks in Russia's restive North Caucasus has halved year-on-year, but the situation remains tense, the head of the Federal...

WWF: Russia Only G8 Member With Growing Biocapacity

Russia is the only country among the world's biggest economies whose biological resources not only exceed its environmental footprint but are continuing...

Putin Orders Troops to Retreat From Ukrainian Border

President Vladimir Putin on Saturday ordered the withdrawal of Russian forces from the Ukrainian border, in what analysts saw as a move aimed at diplomatic...

The Red Fury: Comic Books Finally Taking Root in Russia

Russia's first annual Comic Con has a genuine armored tank, but surprisingly few comics.

Nature, Not Hunger, Drove Putin's Amur Tiger to Ditch Russia for China

A giant cat with links to President Vladimir Putin ditched Russia for China not out of hunger, but because of its restless nature, a tiger expert said...

Q&A: Russian Nobel Laureate on Fun, God and the 'Ideal Physicist'

Russia missed out on the Nobel Prize in Physics this week, despite some solid contenders. But two Russian-born scientists won as recently as 2010, bringing...

Russian Dissenter Faces Jail for Calls to Kill Journalist

A little-known liberal opposition activist was charged with extremism Wednesday, apparently over calls to kill a journalist.

Russia to Use Social Media in Fight Against Pseudoscience, Report Says

The Russian government allotted 30 million rubles ($750,000) for a social media campaign to combat rampant pseudoscience, Izvestia reported Tuesday...

36% of Russians Think Dual Citizens Should Have Fewer Rights

More than a third of Russians support the notion that the fundamental rights of dual passport holders should be limited, though the majority of the...

Vladimir Putin's (Imaginary) Bucket List

As President Putin turns 62, The Moscow Times looks back at his 10 most epic career accomplishments thus far, and gives a nod to a few other goals...

Cabinet Wants to Compensate Russian Victims of 'Illegal' Asset Seizures Abroad

The Russian government has reversed its previous denunciation to endorse legislation proposing to reimburse the rich and powerful for any overseas...

Russia Is Running Out of Forest

It seems unfeasible that Russia, which holds a fifth of the planet's forests, could run out of wood. And yet it is happening, at least with commercially...

Russia's Political Future Seen in Its Self-Governing Past

A common criticism of the current Russian government is its tendency to act as an overseer of the nation rather than its representative.

Russia Speeds Up Law to Ban Most Foreign Web Services

The State Duma approved a bill to expedite a new set of Internet regulations that, experts say, would provide for the banning of such web services...

Kremlin's Chief of Staff Calls Greenpeace 'Extremist'

The head of the presidential administration, Sergei Ivanov, has accused the environmental group Greenpeace of extremism — a charge considered a criminal...

Saving Europe's Last Virgin Forests: The Primeval Nature of Russia's Far North

In the beginning, Europe was forest country. Most of it is long gone, but a touch of the old world still survives in the Russian north.

Strippers and Fraud: Kremlin's United Russia Sweeps Local Votes

The United Russia party swept most of 6,024 local polls conducted nationwide on Sunday amid the usual flurry of violation reports, and scandals over...

Russian Post Foils Teen's College Application

Not getting in to the college of your choice is never nice — but it's even worse if it happens because the postal service delayed your application...

Q&A: Cosmo Emancipates Russians Through Sex Tips and Fun

When Cosmopolitan magazine came to Russia in 1994, it had its work cut out for it.

Russian Elections 'Building an Elite of Lackeys'

A pint-sized lapdog runs laps around the voters mingling with Moscow legislature candidate Igor Sviridov in the darkening gloom of a local playground...

Russia Is Scared of the 21st Century — For Now

As the dust settles over eastern Ukraine, the consensus is solidifying that the conflict there was the first battle of an attempted Cold War revival...

Russian Gas Pipeline to China Threatens Mummies, Leopards

Only twice in its history has UNESCO had to strike sites from its World Heritage List. But Russia now risks contributing a third case, thanks to plans...

Police Ignore Men Armed With 'Kalashnikovs' at Moscow Train Station

Ordinary Russians do not enjoy the right to bear arms, but Moscow police appears to be dismissive of those who do it anyway, a pro-Kremlin activist...

Shaky Cease-Fire Takes Hold in Ukraine

A tense armistice was settled in Ukraine over the weekend after official Kiev agreed to pardon the pro-Russian rebels and grant autonomy to the...

Report: Serial Killer Jack the Ripper Fled from Russia

The latest effort to identify legendary serial killer Jack the Ripper pegged him as a native of the Russian Empire who fled to London to escape...

Navalny Accuses Moscow's Top Election Official of Corruption

An official who has overseen elections in Moscow since 1994 has failed to disclose that he owns a business and real estate abroad, whistleblower and opposition...

Russia Blacklists Jazz Band for Playing 'American' Music

In Soviet times, jazz music was distrusted and reviled as a subversive means of American influence, and it looks like the distrust of the century-old...

Russian Orthodox Church Risks Schism Over Conflict in Ukraine

On the last day of summer, a Russian Orthodox priest imposed against his parishioners who had fought in Ukraine's "fratricidal war" a 20-year ban...

Russia's 'Secret War' in Ukraine Technically Legal

The secrecy shrouding a group of Russian paratroopers allegedly deployed to Ukraine has caused an outcry among the liberal media and immeasurable...

Sites Named for New NATO Bases in Eastern Europe

The five NATO new bases intended to contain the Russian threat will be located in Poland, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, a German newspaper...

Inquisitive Pskov Lawmaker Beaten Unconscious

A Pskov region lawmaker was found stumbling through the streets covered in blood on Friday, after having called attention to reports that local paratroopers...

As Rebels Advance, Russia Is Accused of Sending Troops to Ukraine

Rumors about Moscow's direct involvement in the Ukrainian civil war multiplied Thursday as the pro-Russian insurgents there mounted a sudden counteroffensive...

Extreme Climber Uses Moscow Roof Stunt to Fund Ukraine's Army

A Russian media company widely known for its tendency to cheerlead for the Kremlin allegedly paid $5,000 to a Ukrainian activist for a video of his...

Putin Downplays Reports of Russian Soldiers Captured in Ukraine

President Putin on Tuesday made light of reports on the capture of 10 Russian paratroopers by Ukraine's security services.

Russian Paratroops in Ukraine: Lost in a Game of Thrones (Video)

A slew of reports about Russian paratroopers slain or captured in Ukraine have reignited fears of a Russian invasion in the war-torn country, but...

Opposition Leader Navalny's Wife Questioned

Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of firebrand opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was questioned by federal investigators Monday in a move the couple referred...

Gay Porn About Ukraine Rebel Leader Strelkov Sold on Amazon

Merging war and sex in what skeptics said was a smear campaign, a short story has gone on sale on Amazon.com detailing the sexual exploits of an...

On Independence Day, Ukraine's Existence Questioned

On Sunday, Independence Day was celebrated for the 24th time in Ukraine — a nation that, in the eyes of many Russians, does not exist at all.

Archaeologists Find Giant One-Armed Warrior in Siberia

Archeologists appear to have discovered a forgotten legend in western Siberia, where they unearthed a uniquely preserved burial site for a mighty...

Russia's 12 Most Surreal Legislative Initiatives

Sometimes, a song can cost you a lifetime of achievements, a lesson Russian rock legend Andrei Makarevich may soon learn the hard way.

Dissernet Activists Track Russian Officials With Black-Market Degrees

What do more than 40 lawmakers, a strident children's rights advocate, a Ukrainian separatist, a federal minister, a chief investigator and the head...

Siberian Activist Threatened With Severed Sheep's Head

A severed sheep’s head was found on the doorstep of a Siberian activist who irked local authorities by staging a rally in support of the Russian Constitution’s...

Rosneft Boss Sechin Sues Leading Russian Business Paper Vedomosti

Igor Sechin, the head of state-run gas giant Rosneft and a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, is suing Russia's leading business newspaper Vedomosti...

Russia's 'Most Diverse' Elections Offer No Real Choice

An all-time record 63 parties will compete in the upcoming regional elections next month, but pundits and opposition candidates say undesirables have...

3rd 'Gas War' Looming Between Russia, Ukraine, EU

Weather forecasters promise 32 degrees Celsius in Kiev on Thursday — which makes the near-citywide absence of hot water due to a shortage of Russian...

Russian View: Ukraine Is Safe From a Moscow Invasion

Concerns voiced by Kiev and the West that Moscow's humanitarian convoy to Ukraine's battle-scarred east is nothing more than a Trojan Horse are —...