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Articles by Ezekiel Pfeifer

Moscow Purges Soviet-Era Exhibition Center VDNKh of Illegal Buildings

The new management of Moscow's iconic All-Russia Exhibition Center, or VDNKh, has cleared the sprawling territory of illegally built structures and shish-kebab...

After Rocky 2 Years, McFaul Quits as Ambassador

Michael McFaul, who has served as U.S. ambassador to Russia over a two-year period marked by heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow, announced...

Khodorkovsky Travels to Germany, Says Didn't Admit Guilt

Mere hours after being let out of prison after being incarcerated for more than 10 years, former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky left the country on Friday...

Putin Says New 'Instantaneous' Weapons Pose Danger to Global Stability

President Vladimir Putin has said conventional weapons systems designed to disarm a country's nuclear capability could have "extremely negative consequences"...

Anti-Doping Lab to Be Reformed, Mutko Says

Following the provisional suspension of Russia's main anti-doping lab over the weekend, Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said Monday that reforms would...

CIS Leaders Uneasy About Volatile Afghan Border

Leaders of countries that make up the Collective Security Treaty Organization met in Sochi on Monday to discuss current threats to their nations...

Court Rejects Navalny Election Appeal

A Moscow court on Friday rejected a lawsuit brought by opposition politician Alexei Navalny seeking to cancel the results of the city's Sept. 8 mayoral...

Bill Targeting Gay Parents Is 'Unenforceable,' Deputy Says

One of the main backers of an anti-gay law that has drawn harsh criticism from rights groups and Western governments poured cold water Thursday on a...

Sochi Authorities Begin Raids to Find Illegal Migrants

Migration authorities in Sochi on Tuesday kicked off a campaign to catch migrants working in the country illegally in an effort to rid the city...

Russia Tells Tourists Not to Go to Egypt

Tour operators stand to lose millions of dollars as Russian travelers cancel their vacations to the nation beset by unrest.

PACE Draft Report Slams Russia on Magnitsky Case

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on Tuesday released a draft version of a report on the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in which...

The Putins Announce They're Getting Divorced

President Vladimir Putin appeared on national TV on Thursday night with his rarely seen wife, Lyudmila, to announce that after almost 30 years of marriage...

Q&A: Sharapova's First Business Aims for the Sweet Spot

For her first truly independent venture outside of a tennis court, Maria Sharapova is relying on familiar tools: high heels, her cover-girl lips, and neon...

Pskov Governor Didn't Declare French Villa, Navalny Says

Anti-corruption lawyer and opposition leader Alexei Navalny published documents on his blog Tuesday showing that Pskov Governor Andrei Turchak's wife...

Progress Made on Nunn-Lugar Replacement, Foreign Ministry Says

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said progress has been made with the United States in talks on a deal to replace the Nunn-Lugar weapons reduction...

At Least 17 Killed in Komi Mine Explosion

A pocket of methane gas exploded in a coal mine in the far northern Komi republic Monday morning, killing at least 17 miners.

Group of Masked Men Attacks Gay Club

Police started an inquiry Friday to identify a group of men who wreaked havoc in a Moscow gay club — attacking clubgoers, overturning tables and throwing...

Rogozin Says Suspects in U.S. Smuggling Case Did Not Supply Russian Military

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said Friday that a group charged in the U.S. with smuggling millions of dollars worth of advanced technologies...

Putin Invited Gessen to Kremlin to Help Her Get Her Job Back

President Vladimir Putin invited Masha Gessen, fired as editor of the Vokrug Sveta magazine for refusing to cover his hang-gliding stunt with cranes...

Pussy Riot Films Dramatic Thank-You Stunt

Members of punk band Pussy Riot have released a video in which they thank musicians Madonna and Bjork for their support of the group while they rappel...

'Free Pussy Riot' Murder Suspect Confesses

A university professor has confessed to the brutal murder of two women in a Kazan apartment where the words "Free Pussy Riot" were written in blood...

Archived Live Blog: Verdict to Be Announced in Pussy Riot Trial

Live updates on the announcement Friday of a guilty verdict in the trial of members of punk group Pussy Riot, and on the protests set to coincide...

5 Suspects Held in Tatarstan Attacks

Five suspects have been detained in connection with attacks in Kazan last week on two of Tatarstan's most prominent Muslim leaders.

Archived Live Blog: 'March of Millions' Opposition Protest

Live updates on Tuesday's "March of Millions" opposition march and rally, which comes a day after police searches of the homes of opposition leaders...

Mixed Sentiments from Inauguration Attendees

Vladimir Putin took the presidential oath of office in a ceremony Monday, while some of the guests were aware of the brutal standoff the previous...

On Eve of Inauguration, Mass Protest Ends in Violence

At a long-planned opposition event Sunday that drew unexpectedly large crowds, demonstrators who gathered to protest Vladimir Putin's imminent inauguration...

Archived Live Blog: Putin's Inauguration and Street Protests

Live updates on Vladimir Putin's presidential inauguration and his first actions as president, as well as on opposition demonstrations in central Moscow...

Amid Protests, Putin Sworn In for Third Presidential Term

Vladimir Putin on Monday said the country was entering a fundamentally new stage of development as he was sworn into office for a third term as president...

Archived Live Blog: 'March of Millions' and People's Front Rally

Live updates on the competing opposition and pro-Kremlin demonstrations planned for Sunday.

Archived Live Blog: Medvedev's Final Interview as President

In his final interview as president, Dmitry Medvedev spoke about his future in the United Russia party, his views on the country's struggle with corruption...

Shein to End Hunger Strike Tuesday

Former Astrakhan mayoral candidate Oleg Shein has announced that on Tuesday he will end his 40-day hunger strike over alleged electoral fraud as his goals...

Pussy Riot Members Ordered Held Until June 24

A Moscow court on Thursday ruled to extend the detention period to June 24 of three members of punk group Pussy Riot, whose jailing has been harshly criticized...

Archived Live Blog: Putin's Address to State Duma

In his final address to the State Duma as prime minister, Vladimir Putin noted improvement in agriculture and in the country's demographic situation. He...

Firefighters Battle Towering Inferno in Moskva-City

The towering inferno that tore through the 67th floor of the under-construction Vostok tower in Moskva-City may have costs millions of dollars in damages...

Parents Charged in Bryansk Missing Child Tragedy

The father of a toddler in Bryansk has admitted to killing the child and staging her abduction.

U.S. Irked by Treatment of McFaul

The Obama administration has complained to Russia about the harassment of its outspoken ambassador, who has confronted television news crews and taken...

Putin Says Government Post Available for Prokhorov

Speaking with journalists Wednesday for the first time since winning a third term as president, Vladimir Putin played down the possible impact of alleged...

Live Blog: Post-Election Rallies

Two major demonstrations related to Sunday's presidential election are being held in downtown Moscow this evening: a rally by pro-Kremlin youth organizations...

Ex-Elections Boss Slams Vote Fraud Prosecution

The former head of the Central Elections Commission criticized prosecutors for failing to pursue voting-fraud cases and said the street protests...

Bureaucrats Block Protesting Lego Men

Unprecedented protests have been held across Russia in recent months at which tens of thousands of demonstrators have been allowed to verbally lambaste...

Archived Live Blog: Rallies in Moscow

The Moscow Times is covering Saturday's rallies in Moscow. The first event of the day, an opposition march, is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. local time...

Exiled Russians Plan Corruption List

A group of Russian businessmen calling itself the International Anti-Corruption Committee is creating a list of 50 corrupt government officials and plans...

Teachers Told to Attend Pro-Putin Rally on Feb. 4

Moscow schoolteachers have been ordered to attend a rally supporting Prime Minister Vladimir Putin that is planned for the same day as an opposition...

Day 1 at Omnivore: Turnips Take Center Stage

Seaweed butter, rye-bread spaghetti, gooseberry mascarpone cream, leek powder, pine cone jam, turnip confit—with such a parade of ingredients, the Omnivore...

Top Foodie Festival 'Omnivore' Comes to Moscow

Moscow is a conservative town gastronomically, but slowly, surely, a small contingent of food hipsters has formed, eaters eager to have Roquefort replace...