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Articles by Daria Litvinova

Going Down in Flames

Incompetence, neglect and rash reforms are undermining 
Moscow firefighters’ ability to tackle major fires.

Russia’s Big Brother Is Trying To Watch You (But Is Annoyed You Won't Let Him.)

Russian authorities want to wipe anonymity out of the Internet. But is it possible?

Russian Court Convicts 'Extremist' Ukraine Library Director

Compared to most librarians, the last 19 months have been unusually dramatic for Natalya Sharina.

The Protests That Aren't Going Away

City authorities struggle to contain growing resentment with their demolition program.

Panic Mode: Moscow Probe Into Anti-Gay Purge Has Chechen Leaders Rattled

Moscow sends a delegation to Chechnya to investigate anti-gay crimes, sending local officials into panic mode.

Unfriended: Ukraine Bans Russia's Biggest Social Networks

Ukraine has banned Russia’s largest social networks and online services. But it probably won’t further damage relations or IT markets

Why Does Russia Loathe Its ‘Old, Fat and Ugly’?

Russia’s intolerance for the overweight is under the spotlight after a flight attendant sued her employers.

The Great Leveler: Muscovites Unite Against Housing Demolitions

A government program to demolish residential buildings is bringing Muscovites together in protest

The Children Russia Can’t Let Go

American families hope to convince the Kremlin to lift its adoption ban by telling stories of success. But is anyone willing to listen?

Russia’s Phony Jehovah’s Witnesses

When Jehovah's Witnesses arrived at the Russian Supreme Court on Wednesday morning, crowds lined the streets — but it wasn't their people.

From Dust Till Dawn: Moscow Renovation Plan to Tear Up City Center

An ambitious renovation program in the center of Moscow steamrolls streets and promises utopian changes.

Are Russian Teens Really About to Storm the Kremlin?

Recent anti-corruption rallies will go down as Russia’s most youthful protests.

‘A Choice Between Prison and the Grave’

For most victims of domestic violence in Russia, self-defense remains the only option — and it often comes with a price.

Why Russia's New 'Thaw' Isn't Really a Thaw

Hopes for Russia’s regime softening its grip on political opponents and human rights are, at the very best, premature.

6 Signs There’s No Such Thing as Internet Freedom in Russia

International human rights group Agora says Russian authorities have declared war on the Internet

Russian Scientists Rally Against Rise of Homeopathic 'Pseudo-Medicine'

The Russian Academy of Sciences has declared homeopathy a “health hazard,” but Russians seem to be in no hurry to give it up.

The Epidemic That Was Forced to Wait in Line

You might think that combating a growing epidemic of a deadly and incurable disease would be any country’s top priority — but you would be mistaken...

Bargaining Chips: Why Russian Orphans Might Become Political Pawns Once Again

European Court ruling raises hope that Russia’s much-derided ban on adoption by U.S. citizens could soon be overturned.

‘We Pray Someone Will Become Their Parents’

American families share their stories, hoping Russia's controversial 2013 adoption ban might finally be overturned, and the orphans they were forced to...

They Fought the Law: Russia Edges Closer to Decriminalizing Domestic Violence

The story of a law protecting victims of familial abuse that only lasted seven months in Russia.

Damned Either Way

You might think officials in Kiev have no bone to pick with anyone in Russia’s anti-Kremlin opposition, but you’d be wrong.

Bill Decriminalizing Domestic Violence Passes First Reading in Russian Parliament

A bill decriminalizing domestic violence has passed its first reading in Russia's State Duma. Some 368 lawmakers voted in favor of the law, with just one...

Don’t Say It

They say “sex sells,” but don't go peddling it near dinner tables in Russia, where families in an ostensibly conservative society say the subject is...

The Time She Didn’t Come Back Alive

Russia mourns the loss of its most prominent humanitarian Elizaveta Glinka, known to millions of Russians more simply — Doctor Liza.

We, the People: The Green Shoots of Russia's Grassroots

Political protest might be dead in Russia, but grassroots activism was very much alive in 2016. The Moscow Times reviews the most memorable cases.

Live Blog: President Putin's 2016 End of Year Press Conference

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annual press conference kicked off at noon today. A record number of journalists – 1,437, both domestic and foreign...

Moscow Student Accused of Islamic State Ties to Hear Verdict Dec. 22

On Dec. 22, Moscow’s District Military Court will hand down a verdict to Varvara Karaulova, the Moscow student accused of attempting to join Islamic...

Catch Up, Kremlin!

You can expect a lot if Alexei Navalny manages to register his candidacy in Russia’s 2018 presidential race, but a boring campaign is out of the question...

First Anger, Then Denial: Russia Reacts to New WADA Accusations

This time around, there wasn’t even outrage. There were no emotional Instagram posts from Olympic sports stars, no apologetic columns from ministers...

A Bitter Pill: Moscow Closes Its Psychiatric Hospitals

Moscow health care “optimization” leaves city with just three psychiatric hospitals for more than 12 million residents.

Russians Want Better Ties With the West, Despite Fearing It

On face value, it was an unusually cheery poll: 71 percent of Russians now want to improve economic, political and cultural ties with the West.

Russia’s Holocaust-Themed Ice-Skating Performance Is Totally Lost on the West

“This is all very weird to me,” Tatiana Navka, an ice-skating celebrity, told The Moscow Times on Monday. “Our show, ‘Ice Age,’ has been on air...

From the Classroom to the Stars

Moscow State University has announced ambitious plans to open its own space faculty. They are unlikely to solve the industry’s longtime problems.

Eunuch, Failure, Puppet-Master: Russian Propaganda Sees Barack Obama Off

Donald Trump will soon be president of the United States, but outgoing President Barack Obama remains Russia's chief adversary. At least, that's what Russian...

Russia Wishes Away Its HIV Epidemic

Epidemiologists have developed the means to stop HIV in its tracks, but Russia is barely listening.

Russian Libraries Victimized in Extremism Witch Hunt

By the time of her trial, Natalya Sharina, the former director of Moscow’s State Library of Ukrainian Literature, had spent more than a year under house...

State and the Arts: Culture Leaders Stand Up to Censorship

Such open confrontation has broken an unwritten contract within the cultural world — a consensus whereby directors of big institutions and influential...

Returning the Names: Moscow to Mourn Victims of Stalin's Terror

On Oct. 29, the eve of the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repression, hundreds of people will gather on Lubyanskaya Ploshchad near the...

IS Fighter or Girl in Love: The Story of Varvara Karaulova

Varvara couldn’t hold back her tears as she listened to her father’s voice cracking as he described the day she disappeared. The defense maintains...

Russia's Refugees: They Picked the Wrong Country

Russia doesn't want refugees, and its asylum system is arranged accordingly, says Svetlana Gannushkina, veteran activist and contender for this year's...

Soviet Prisoner No. 7: The Mysterious Case of Raoul Wallenberg

Seventy years on, relatives are still trying to piece together the story of what happened to a Swedish diplomat abducted by the Soviets during World War...

Winner Takes All: United Russia Secures a Duma Super-Majority

The final result was overwhelming: United Russia took 343 out of the State Duma’s 450 seats, gaining a constitutional super-majority. Russia’s friendly...

Russia’s War Against Greenpeace: When Local Resistance Turns Violent

The attackers came at night. Eight strong men in masks scaled the fence surrounding the camp where a group of Greenpeace activists were staying. They started...

Russia's Cancer Patients: Dying for Pain Relief

In the space of a month, Russia was shocked by several violent suicides involving terminally ill patients. All were reported to have struggled with cancer...

Sexual Assault Scandal Hits Elite Moscow School, Rocks Russian Intelligentsia

“For more than 16 years, we’ve known that the history teacher was having affairs with his students. He was a handsome man: smart, ironic, charismatic...

Russian Paralympians' Last Call for Rio

Alexei Obydyonnov, a two-time world champion in cycle racing, is visibly annoyed when asked about his chances participating in the 2016 Paralympic Games...

Islam Karimov Rumored Dead, Uzbekistan Ponders Future

Reports of the alleged death of the President of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, have been denied by officials in Tashkent, who say his condition is "serious...

Strong Women and Sexy Lenins: the Unforgettable Art of Russia’s Election Campaign

Three weeks ahead of the elections, the streets of Russian cities, towns and villages have become filled with political banners. Some of them are ordinary...

Girls Under the Knife: Is Russia Ready to Tackle FGM?

The stories these women tell send shivers down the spine. They were only children when their mothers took them to see the older women. These women cut...

The Weird Science and New Kremlin Chief of Staff

A bizarre article outlining “spacial scanners” and a means of “registering the unseen” has been linked to the newly appointed top bureaucrat Anton...

Incursion, Desertion, Skirmish: What Really Happened in Crimea?

Some time between Aug. 6 and 8, something was definitely up around the disputed Ukraine-Crimea border. There was some kind of incident — possibly gunfire...

The Fall Guys: Russian Paralympians Stuck on Road to Rio

Barred from Rio, Russia's Paralympic team still hope to make it to the Games by contesting the ban. In the meantime, athletes continue to train.

The Road to Rio: How Russia (Finally) Made It

Defying the majority of forecasts, Russia dodged the bullet. After nine months of scandal, haranguing and waiting, most of its national teams are going...

“If He Beats You, It Means He Loves You”

The issue of domestic violence is once again the agenda in Russia, as ultraconservative lawmakers and religious leaders call for the decriminalization...

Putin’s Game of Thrones: The Men in Epaulets Take Over

In a matter of hours, Putin replaced four governors, four envoys and an ambassador with men with security services backgrounds.

Office Politics, Kremlin-Style: Customs Chief Exposed During FSB Raid

Stacks of cash, security officers, confused victims, compromising photos — these are now the stock images of Russia’s new political season. The raids...

Moscow City Hall Denies Permit for Rally Against Anti-Terror Laws

Moscow City Hall has refused to give permission for a rally against the infamous anti-terror legislation “the Yarovaya package,” organizer Leonid Volkov...

Russia Nervous as Rio Olympics Ban Looms

The Court of Arbitration of Sport has rejected the appeal of Russian track and field athletes over their Olympic ban. All eyes are now on the International...

When Pokemon Virtual Reality Meets Russian Reality

“Pokemon Go,” the latest online game by Nintendo, went viral in a matter of days after it was released in the United States, Australia and New Zealand...

Fighting Back: How Angry Kiosk Owners Took Moscow To Court

With authorities expanding a controversial scheme bulldozing against allegedly illegal kiosks, some entrepreneurs have decided to fight for Russia's small-scale...

U.K. Government Warns of Russian Military Threat

The language was stark. No longer was Russia an ally or partner. Instead it was to be seen as a “strategic competitor” and military threat. Russia...

Navalny: Russian Deputy Prime Minister Owns 10 Elite Apartments

Russian oppositioner Alexei Navalny has accused Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov of buying 10 apartments, the total cost of which is estimated at 600...

Mad and Bad: A Look Back at Russia's Most Notorious Parliament

In the end, the State Duma went out with a bang, passing a dozen hard-line amendments on its last day.

'I Don't Want to Die': Harrowing Tales From Russia's Summer Camp

Of the 47 children and four young instructors that went boating on June 18, only 37 came back alive.

Why Kerch May Prove a Bridge Too Far for Russia

"Our grandfathers built the Baikalo-Amur Siberian Mainline. So we are going to build the bridge," says a videoclip on the website devoted to construction...

Russian Hooligans at Euro 2016 Threaten Kremlin’s Goals

In the closing minutes of the June 11 match in Marseilles, Vasily Berezutsky rose to head home the equalizing goal. What happened next made front-page...

Banned Russian Runners Struggle to Keep Their Careers Afloat

As his first international race, the Kanazawa marathon was a special occasion for Viktor Ugarov, 30.

German Ambassador to Russia Knows How to Break Through the Iron Curtain

It is hard to imagine Rüdiger von Fritsch, a distinguished ambassador in his seventh decade, ever having been a hitchhiker. But that is exactly where...

No, You Apologize: Russia and Turkey Struggle to Mend Fences

Eight months after the dramatic falling out with Russia, the Turkish elite is sending mixed messages.

Suicide Watch: Why Russian Teens Are Killing Themselves

Over the course of six months, 130 teenagers were reported to have killed themselves under the influence of suicide masterminds operating within the social...

Ready, Steady, Dope: Russian Elite Sport in Deep Trouble

The cocktail already has a name — the "Rodchenkov." Its standard base is three shots of different steroids; the variable part is the alcohol mixer...

'Absurd, Groundless, Defamatory': Russia Reacts to NYT Doping Allegations

Top Russian officials and athletes have denied the existence of a state-sponsored doping program at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

In the Flesh: Russian Scientists Work to Preserve Lenin's Corpse

He lies in a glass sarcophagus. Dressed in an austere black suit, Vladimir Lenin, the first Soviet leader, looks, on first impressions, to be sleeping...

Pulitzer Winner Warns News 'Losing to Kittens and Boobs'

Sergey Ponomarev, Russia’s Pulitzer-winning photojournalist, on competing with entertainment and people’s ignorance.

The Savchenko Endgame: Will Prisoner Exchange Happen in Time?

A long-anticipated prisoner exchange involving Nadiya Savchenko and Oleg Sentsov is in the works. The question is: will it happen in time?

Navalny to Sue Media Holding VGTRK Over Browder-Link Accusations

Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny is set to file a lawsuit against state-owned television and radio company VGTRK in connection with the film...

Why Panama Papers Are Unlikely to Trouble Russian Officials

The Panama leaks exposed much about Russian officials' unsavory offshore lives, but is unlikely to cause any immediate trouble for them. At least for now...

Boxing In Unwanted Children: Controversial Scheme Divides Russia

Nina (not her real name) was desperate when she opened the box and placed her one-year-old son inside. Months earlier, her husband had left her, and now...

The People vs. Nadezhda Savchenko: Highlights of the Notorious Case

The Donetsk municipal court in southern Russia has begun the sentencing of Ukrainian military pilot Nadezhda Savchenko, who has been on trial on charges...

Kadyrov to Get Another Term, Say Kremlin Sources (Exclusive)

Barely a month has gone by without a controversy involving Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

Happy to Be a Weapon: Russian Prank-Callers Target Kremlin Opponents

Pranksters Vovan and Lexus hit headlines with fake Poroshenko-Savchenko letter.

Poroshenko's Letter Urging Savchenko to End Hunger Strike Fake

Ukrainian military pilot Nadezhda Savchenko has stopped her hunger strike. However, the letter from Ukrainian President urging her to stop the hunger strike...

Like, Share, Convict: Russian Authorities Target Social Media Users


Since Putin's return to the Kremlin in 2012, dozens of websites have been blocked and branded "extremist," and the number of people prosecuted has ballooned...

Deadly Explosions Raise Questions over Russian Mining Safety

Sergei (not his real name) was more than 700 meters underground when the blast came. The next thing he knew, he was lying on the ground, dizzy and disorientated...

Russian Opposition Battles Fear, Disunity Following Nemtsov’s Death

Ilya Yashin was in the middle of a press conference presenting a special report on the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, when a police officer tried...

Standing Up for Reason: Russian Academia Fights Pseudoscience

A woman named Nikol looks to the camera, wiping away the tears of happiness. She has reason to be happy, having navigated through to the next round...

Putin’s Pre-emptive Strike: Kremlin Moves to Liquidate 'Foreign Agents'

Kremlin officials insisted the "foreign agent" label did not mean an organization should automatically close its doors, but the moves this month would...

Moscow's Overnight Demolition Blitz Sparks Legal Debate

You could hear a young woman yelling, but her voice was diluted in the sound of bulldozers, smashed glass and metal.

Moscow Hard Currency Mortgage Holders Take to the Streets

Negotiations between banks and defaulting mortgage holders were last week reduced to a series of emotional protests in bank offices and central Moscow...

Navalny Launches New Lawsuit Against Russian Prosecutor General

Russian opposition leader and head of the Anti-Corruption Foundation Alexei Navalny plans to file another lawsuit against Russia's Prosecutor General...

Russian Surfers Turn Remote Region into Year-Round Surfing Mecca

Khalaktyrsky beach in Russia's Kamchatka region is now home to local surfers who ride the waves in winter's freezing cold.

British Inquiry Finds Putin 'Probably' Approved Litvinenko Murder

A British inquiry into the high-profile case of Alexander Litvinenko, a Russian former FSB officer poisoned in London in 2006, concluded that he was murdered...

Kadyrov Set to Play Hardball With Russian Opposition

The Chechen elite's campaign against the Russian opposition elicits public outcry and receives silent nod from the Kremlin

Kadyrov's Aide Threatens Russian Opposition Activists With Dog

Magomed Daudov, aide to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and a speaker in the republic's parliament, used Kadyrov's dog to threaten Russian opposition...

Russian Legal Activists Offer Advice for 'When They Come for You'

A team of St. Petersburg lawyers and journalists take on high treason cases and continue the crusade against the abuse of freedom of information...

Behind Bars, Out on Parole — Russia's Big 2015 Court Cases

In 2015 Russia was shaken by a series of high-profile trials, with authorities coming down hard on enemies of the regime and showing leniency to friends...

Russian Women: Obey Thy Father, Husband, Son

Russia remains a conservative country where traditional gender paradigms dominate. Rather than being admired for its progressive gender dynamics, Western...

Khodorkovsky Says 'Revolution Inevitable' in Russia

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the exiled former oil tycoon turned political opposition figure, gave a press conference Wednesday, prompted by another round...

Inoculated Against Russian Propaganda

Amid government tightening its grip over media, some Russian journalists have turned propaganda into their subject of exploration — and exposure.

New Yeltsin Center to Answer Questions About Russia's 'Wild '90s' Legacy

There is no univocal opinion about "the wild '90s" in Russia, with many issues yet to be addressed.

Controversy Mounts Over Renaming Moscow Metro Station Honoring Bolshevik Revolutionary

City Hall says "let Muscovites decide," but Moscow residents doubt their voices will be heard over the din of the authorities.

Terrorist Attacks Force Russia and the West to Talk About Collaboration

President Vladimir Putin and Western leaders are edging closer to consolidation against a common enemy after a series of ruthless terrorist attacks...

U.S., France Welcome Russia's 'Change of Course' in Syria

Russia and key members of the Western anti-Islamic State coalition appeared to be moving toward a unified approach in Syria this week.

Muscovites Get Keen On Making, Not Buying

More crafts shops are appearing in Moscow every day, with more young men trading lucrative office jobs for the opportunity to make things themselves...

99 Years of ZiL: From Car Plant To Potential New Heart of Moscow?

An ambitious project hoping to revive Moscow's largest abandoned industrial zone takes off.

From Russian Soccer Moms to Football Fanatics

Less than two years after they started training together, Moscow's GirlPower female football team is preparing to take part in the Cup of Europe.

Fate of Transaero, Russia's Biggest Private Airline, Hangs in Balance

A second deal to take over Transaero has fallen through, leaving little hope that the airline can avoid bankruptcy.

Director of Moscow Library of Ukrainian Literature Accused of Inciting Hatred

On Wednesday the peaceful routine of the Moscow Library of Ukrainian Literature was interrupted by law enforcement officers who raided the library, seizing...

Russian Gallery Owner Evicted After Hosting Auction for Political Prisoners

A Russian art gallery owner said he is being evicted from an exhibition space in Moscow after hosting a benefit auction for political prisoners.

Putin's Movement Not Taking On Bigger Role Until 2016, Say Experts

The All-Russian People's Front, the organization created in 2011 by President Putin, made the headlines this week as authorities announced plans to give...

United Russia Deputies Introduce New Version of Administrative Code

Lawmakers from the ruling United Russia party have introduced a new version of the Administrative Code — the document that outlines sanctions for offenses...

Upscale Hotel to Be Built in Moscow's Historic Zaryadye District

City Hall's plans to renovate Moscow's historic Zaryadye district, located right next to the Kremlin and Red Square, are once again about to change.

70 Years of Russian, Soviet Leaders Making History at the United Nations

Seventy years ago, on Oct. 24, 1945, the United Nations charter came into force, ratified by the five permanent members of the Security Council and the...

Russian Academia Divided Over FSB Vetting of Research Papers

A report this week of scientific articles becoming subject to vetting by FSB before publication rattled Russian academics, coming on the heels of several...

Moscow's American Center Moves to U.S. Embassy From Library

A month after news broke about the American Center sponsored by the U.S. Embassy being shut down in Moscow's Library of Foreign Literature, the embassy...

Residents Protest Creation of Educational Center for Special Needs Kids

Residents of an apartment building in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk have refused to approve the opening of an educational center that would be...

TV Witch Hunt Drives Human Rights Activist Out of Russia

A human rights activist has fled to Paris seeking asylum after she was featured in a in a series of apparent witch hunts that have proliferated amid...

Putin Slams U.S. Refusal to Meet With Russian Delegation

President Vladimir Putin called the position of U.S. officials who rejected a Russian proposal to send a delegation to Washington in order to discuss Syria...

State Duma Elections of 2016 Double in Cost From Previous Vote

The State Duma elections of 2016 will cost more than twice as much as the elections of 2011, the Interfax news agency reported Wednesday, citing the secretary...

3 Suspected Terrorists in Detention Pending Moscow Investigation

A Moscow district court ruled on Tuesday to keep three men suspected of plotting a terrorist attack on the capital's public transportation system in jail...

Lawmakers Move to Force Russian Media to Report Foreign Funding

Russian media will be obliged to report funding they receive from abroad to the media watchdog Roskomnadzor, if an inter-party group of deputies get...

More Russians Play U.S. Green Card Lottery, Despite Propaganda

The number of Russians entering a competition to win the right to permanently reside in the U.S. has grown by 58 percent — nearly 100,000 people...

Muscovites Take to Streets to Protest Latest Paid Parking Expansion

Last week, when the paid parking zone expanded well outside the Third Ring Road and deep into residential areas, angry drivers took to the streets...

Russian Space Enthusiast Raises 1 Million Rubles to Prove U.S. Moon Landing

When Vitaly Yegorov watched in awe as NASA's Curiosity rover landed on Mars three years ago, he never could have imagined his fascination with space would...

All-Russia People's Front Calls for Cap on 'Golden Parachutes' for Ex-Governors

The All-Russia People's Front (ONF), a political movement backed by President Vladimir Putin, announced plans Monday to demand that the government set...

Russia Can't Sell Its Syria Propaganda – Analysts

Almost as soon as the first reports of Russian air strikes in Syria hit the press, President Vladimir Putin accused the West of launching a new...

The 5 Weirdest Online Petitions Russians Have Started and Signed

Two of Russia’s most notorious online petitions on activist website Change.org had gathered more than 640,000 signatures by the time this article went...

Putin Promises to Rewrite 'Foreign Agents' Law

President Vladimir Putin met with the presidential Human Rights Council on Thursday and promised to rewrite the so-called "foreign agents" law.

Putin Expresses Doubt About Running for President for 4th Time

President Vladimir Putin expressed doubt he would run for office a fourth time in an interview with the U.S. journalist Charlie Rose for the CBS network...

Russian Psychiatric Care Homes in Need of Drastic Reforms, Say Experts

Seventy-five percent of Russians approve of committing people who suffer from mental illnesses to psychiatric institutions against their will, a survey...

St. Petersburg Schoolchildren Forced to Take Drug Tests

Eleven students in the 8th and 9th grades of St. Petersburg's School No. 380 were forced to take a drug test at school last week, the Novaya Gazeta...

Muscovites Express Outrage Over Never-Ending Roadworks

Moscow authorities have re-covered a brick-paved sidewalk in the city center with asphalt, eliciting outrage from Muscovites who say they are tired of...

Expansion of Moscow's Paid Parking Zone in October

The paid parking zones and green tow trucks that have become part of the Russian capital's landscape in the last three years have cost Muscovites more...

Pro-Kremlin Media Share Fake Image of U.S. Ambassador at Opposition Rally

Several pro-Kremlin media, including the website of the sensationalist TV channel Ren-TV, incorrectly reported Sunday that U.S. Ambassador John Tefft had...

Russian Soldiers Who Went Public on Syria Deployment Facing Threats, Lawyer Says

Several Russian contract soldiers who claimed this week they were being deployed to Syria, undermining Russian government denials that it has sent combat...

News of Closure of American Center in Moscow Rattles Muscovites

News of the possible shutting down of an American culture center sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Moscow after 22 years of operation rattled Muscovites...

Russia's HIV Patients Struggle to Get Treatment

When Russian health care officials announced last week they would start replacing foreign HIV medication with drugs produced in Russia, patients' rights...

LDPR Faction Storms Out of Russian Parliament After Squabble

The State Duma's LDPR faction, led by nationalist rabble-rouser Vladimir Zhirinovsky, stormed out of the parliament's plenary session Wednesday after a...

Russian Parliament Resumes Work With Smear Attack on Opposition Deputy

The first fall session of the State Duma was marked Tuesday by virulent anti-Western sentiment and the launch of a smear campaign against the Duma's only...

Former Russian Railways Head Yakunin Declines Senator's Seat

The former head of Russian Railways Vladimir Yakunin raised eyebrows once again Tuesday when he said he didn't want a seat in the upper chamber of the...

Regional Elections Highlights: Ruling Elite Re-Elected, Opposition Trolled

Nationwide elections that took place Sunday ended with few surprises, leaving most of the governors and lawmakers from the ruling United Russia party in...

Russian Regions Prepare to Vote After Campaign of Tricks, Complacency

On Sunday, the governors of 21 Russian regions and more than 1,300 heads of small city administrations will be elected, together with deputies for 11 regional...

Moscow Residents Assaulted for Protesting Against Construction in Park

On Tuesday morning, a group of uniformed men arrived at a popular park in northern Moscow and attacked several local residents who were camping there in...

No Reason for Russia to Deploy Troops to Syria, Experts Say

Media reports of a Russian military presence in Syria have stirred high-profile accusations that Russia is reinforcing its support for Syrian President...

Russian State Media Merger Rumor Prompts Industry Mudslinging

Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti and Ekho Moskvy got into a public mudslinging match last week as they exchanged rumors about each other merging...

Fire Paralyzes Moscow's Domodedovo Airport

A fire that broke out on the first floor of Domodedovo Airport on Thursday morning was relatively small — the flames only enveloped 15 square meters...

Russian Scientists Hope to Clone Mammoths

In Russia's northern republic of Sakha, reviving the past has become the future for scientists who have set up a lab devoted to cloning mammoths.

Russia's New Personal Data Law Will Be Hard to Implement, Experts Say

The new law that requires all Internet services store the personal data of Russian users on Russian territory — in effect from Tuesday — will be the...

'Russian Sinatra' Kobzon's EU Visa Causes Media Storm

Often called “Russia’s Sinatra,” iconic crooner and a longtime parliament member Iosif Kobzon has been vocal in his support for Russia's annexation...

Why Is Russia's Growth in Life Expectancy Slowing?

Life expectancy in Russia has been growing several times slower than in the rest of the world for the past 20 years, according to a research done by the...

Russians Consider Marrying, Giving Birth and Education Most Important Things

When asked what the most important things to do before turning 30 are, most Russians chose getting married, giving birth and receiving an education, a...

Amnesty International Highlights Russia's Prostitution Problem

Amnesty International adopted a resolution on Aug. 11 stating that prostitution should be decriminalized all over the world.

Authorities Question Vasilyeva's Quick Release on Parole

The flash-like release on parole of Yevgenia Vasilyeva, former Defense Ministry property manager convicted to five years in prison for mass embezzlement...

Former Defense Official Convicted for Embezzlement Gets Quick Parole

Flamboyant former Defense Ministry property manager Yevgenia Vasilyeva, sentenced to five years in prison for mass embezzlement in May, is out on parole...

Russian Foreign Minister Accuses Netherlands of Concealing Facts About MH17

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused the Netherlands of concealing from Russia findings from the investigation into the downing of Malaysia...

Russia's 'Foreign Agents' Risk Losing Right to Run Media

As the crackdown on Russian NGOs continues, the Communications Ministry has suggested forbidding those labeled as “foreign agents” from launching and...

Nudists in Despair as Moscow Authorities Move to Close Naturist Beach

Moscow nudists may soon lose their best-known beach in the Serebryany Bor natural park, as city authorities plan to expel the naturists from their...

Election Watchdog Reveals United Russia Candidates Receive Foreign Funding

A number of United Russia candidates running in gubernatorial elections in Russian regions this year have received foreign funding for their campaigns...

Beavers Blamed for Road Collapsing in Russia's Tyumen Region

When a small section of a federal highway collapsed Tuesday in the Tyumen region, local authorities were quick to blame beavers, Ura.ru news website reported...

Russian Shaman Battles Oil Giant Over 'Sacred Lake'

In western Siberia's Khanty-Mansiisk autonomous district, a Russian oil giant is about to get rid of the only person standing between it and a lake...

Navalny Accuses Putin Spokesman of Having Multimillion-Ruble Honeymoon

Russian opposition leader and head of the Anti-Corruption Foundation Alexei Navalny accused Russian President Vladimir Putin's longtime spokesman Dmitry...

Russian NGOs Call on Medvedev to Reconsider Banning Foreign-Made Medical Goods

Several Russian NGOs appealed to the government last week to reconsider banning foreign-made medical goods, Kommersant newspaper reported Monday.

Russian Government Media Watchdog Deems Navalny's United Russia Video Harmful to Children

Russian government media watchdog Roskomnadzor added a video calling United Russia a “party of crooks and thieves” to the list of banned web pages...

5 Suspiciously Expensive Initiatives That Have Outraged Muscovites

As the ruble weakens, prices grow and life in Moscow becomes increasingly expensive due to the economic crisis gripping Russia, some City Hall spending...

Putin to Institute Prize for Human Rights Workers

President Vladimir Putin is about to sign a decree on the creation of a prize for human rights workers with overall funding of about 6 million rubles ($92...

Travelers Complain of Foreign Food Confiscation at Russian Customs

Amid the food destruction frenzy that spread across Russia last week, officials appear to have widened their remit and started confiscating food items...

Woman Arrested for Stealing Guide Dog Declares Hunger Strike

A stolen guide dog drama that seized Muscovites' imagination two weeks ago is far from over.

15 Years on, Russians Less Inclined to Cast Blame for Kursk Submarine Tragedy

Fifteen years after the sinking of the Kursk submarine, the number of Russians who blame the authorities for not doing enough to rescue the sailors has...

Russian Foreign Ministry Gets New, Outspoken Mouthpiece

Maria Zakharova, a Foreign Ministry official generally credited with a dramatic vulgarization of the tone of its official releases, has been appointed...

Russian Opposition Cornered by Authorities in Regional Election Race

Attempts by the opposition's Democratic Coalition to take part in upcoming regional elections have been thwarted by local election commissions' refusal...

Russian Man Thought to Have Killed His Entire Family Also Suspected of Raping, Killing Girl

Oleg Belov, the man suspected of slaughtering his children, pregnant wife and elderly mother, could also be charged with raping and killing a 19-year-old...

5 Major Road Accidents That Shocked Russia This Summer

After yet another road accident claimed a further 16 lives this week in Russia, Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said Wednesday that there have in fact...

Russian Media Speculate: Where Is Convicted Defense Official

The whereabouts of Yevgenia Vasilyeva became the most discussed question this week for Russian media, civil rights activists and politicians after...

6 Children, Their Pregnant Mother Massacred in Russian City

The dismembered bodies of six children and their pregnant mother were found in an apartment in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod on Tuesday morning,...

Protesters Against Church Construction Gain Rare Victory

Long-lasting protests by residents against building a Russian Orthodox church in a park in northeastern Moscow appear to have resulted in a rare...

Putin Federalizes Crimean Architectural Reserve After Priest Appointed Its Leader

Following the controversial decision of Sevastopol Governor Sergei Menyailo to appoint a clergyman to oversee a revered site of ancient ruins in Crimea...

Putin Spokesman's Lavish Sochi Wedding Ignites Media Firestorm

As President Putin's longtime spokesman Dmitry Peskov wed Olympic figure skating champion Tatyana Navka this weekend, a multimillion-ruble watch spotted...

Opposition Mayor of Russian City Refuses to Go Without a Fight

In an office building in Russia's northern city of Petrozavodsk, chance encounters between representatives of the mayor's office and the local legislature...

Navalny’s Opposition Coalition Stymied in Siberia

Efforts to inject some of Russia's almost invariably pro-Kremlin regional and municipal legislatures with opposition-minded lawmakers ended in failure...

Navalny Ally Testifies in German Trial Against Suspected Hacker 'Hell'

A German court case against Sergei Maximov, the man believed to be pro-Kremlin hacker "Hell," has burst back into the spotlight following a guest...

Labeled as 'Foreign Agent,' Russian NGO Committee Against Torture Shuts Its Doors

Russian human rights organization the Committee Against Torture has formally decided to close its doors, citing its refusal to accept the label of "foreign...

Campaign Seeks to Rename Moscow Metro Station Honoring Regicide

Long-running calls for the renaming of a Moscow district named after a revolutionary who played a part in the execution of Russia's last imperial...

Communists Refuse to Go Ahead With First Post-Soviet Referendum

After collecting nearly 160,000 signatures in support of the restoration of a monument to feared Soviet secret police chief Felix Dzerzhinsky in the center...

Moscow Seeks to Ease Life for Homeless (Video)

Reports about a movie theater and hair salon opening for homeless people in Moscow raised eyebrows, with some quick to say that the priority should...

Badgered U.S. Academic Loses Promised Job Amid Russian Media Maelstrom

A U.S. entrepreneur who stumbled unwittingly into the spotlight earlier this month after having lost his job at a Nizhny Novgorod university, has been...

Homeless Muscovites Receive Dedicated Movie Theater, Hair Salon

A movie theater for Moscow's homeless population had its inaugural screening over the weekend, attracting scores of the city's less fortunate, the Metro...

Economic Crisis Driving Foreigners Out of Russia – Experts

Foreigners that used to live and work in Russia are now fleeing en masse, the Federal Migration Service has revealed.

Belarussian Models Tell Harrowing Tales of '700 Kilometers of Hell'

When a pair of teenage Belarussian models set off on foot for the daunting journey from Minsk to Moscow, they wanted to do something bold — to go...

Belarussian Teen Models Traveled by Foot From Minsk to Moscow

A pair of Belarussian teen models made headlines Thursday amid claims they had traversed the 700-kilometer expanse between Minsk and Moscow by foot over...

Activist Says Kremlin-Loyal Youth Organization Paying Activists to Sabotage LGBT Group

The founder of a support group for Russian LGBT teens has accused a Kremlin-loyal youth organization of paying young activists to lobby for the group's...

Russian Interior Ministry Cuts All Bark, No Bite, Experts Say

After President Vladimir Putin signed an order this week reducing the Interior Ministry payroll by 10 percent, or about 110,000 jobs, speculation ran...

One Year After Fatal Crash, Moscow Metro Sees Sweeping Closures

Exactly one year after a train crashed into a tunnel wall in the Moscow metro, killing 24 and injuring more than 200 people, efforts to prevent any repeat...

Moscow Doctors Strike as Officials Say No Problems With Health Care System

The doctors' protests that dominated local media headlines earlier this year may have slipped from the spotlight, but a handful of determined Moscow...

Society Divided Over Whether Russian Crooner Should Be Treated Abroad

The prospect of controversial Russian crooner and longtime State Duma deputy Iosif Kobzon getting Russian President Vladimir Putin to lift the U.S. and...

Poll Shows Russian Attitudes to Gay People Are Worse Than Decade Ago

Russian intolerance of gay people and same-sex marriages has grown significantly in the last decade, state-run pollster VTsIOM said Friday.

Russian City of Ufa Takes Drastic Measures Ahead of Global Summits

Ufa officials went out of their way to prepare for the high-profile BRICS and SCO summits being held in the Russian city this week, urging residents to...

Dismissed U.S. Academic Returns to Russia to Forgive and Forget

Kendrick White, a U.S. entrepreneur who made the headlines last week when he was dismissed from his post as vice rector of a Russian university, is...

Indignant Over 'Foreign Agent' Label, 2 Russian NGOs Shut Their Doors

Prominent science foundation Dynasty decided Sunday to shut its doors, according to a concise one-sentence statement published Wednesday on its website...

Chief Editor of Russian Sexual Services Magazine Nabbed for Pimping

The chief editor of Flirt magazine, a publication known around the capital for its flagrant advertisements for sexual services, was detained in Moscow...

Russian Police Launch Selfie Safety Campaign

Russian police took action this week to tackle a growing new problem: the deadly selfie. The Interior Ministry has designed an illustrated instruction...