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Pushkin House Shortlists Elena Kostyuchenko's 'I Love Russia' for 2024 Book Prize

An investigative journalist explores the dark heartland of her country.

Tom Parfitt’s ‘High Caucasus’ is Shortlisted for Pushkin House Book Prize

A walk through a mountain range and history is revealing and healing.

As Russia Claims Win, Analysts Say Capture of Soledar Is ‘Pyrrhic Victory’

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that its forces had won a significant victory on Friday with the capture of the eastern Ukrainian town of Soledar...

‘The Happiest Day’: Joy in Kherson as Ukrainian Troops Re-Enter City

Russian troops withdrew from the right bank of the Dnipro River on Friday in a major military defeat for the Kremlin that led to scenes of jubilation in...

Elizabeth Wilson Chronicles the Miraculous Life of Maria Yudina

"Playing With Fire" is one of 10 books shortlisted for the 2022 Pushkin House Book Prize.

The Hacker Hunters Chasing Russian Shadows

U.S. investigators are stepping up the fight against Russian cybercriminals. But are they going after the right guys?

Peak Obsession: How Russia's Love for Cult U.S. Drama Twin Peaks Defined the 90s

Debut of a new season of U.S. drama evokes memories of a Russian craze.

'I Had to Breathe Through My Clothes': Russian Police Pepper-Sprayed Protesters in a Cell

St. Petersburg protesters claim of abuse and use of pepper spray while in detention.

Russia's Most Unorthodox Priest Is 'Difficult to Have Around'

The 42-year old cleric has an unusual and, for the Church, controversial passions in the literary field.

Russia Is Becoming a Cryptocurrency Haven

The Rise of Bitcoin: Why Russia thinks its future is crypto

The Noble Survivors

Aristocratic families in Russia lost everything 100 years ago as Nicholas II, Russia’s last tsar, abdicated as Lenin’s Bolsheviks seized power.

Young Volunteers Are Putting Out Russia's Hidden Forest Fires

Young Russians are volunteering to put out the forest fires their firefighters can’t

The Man Who Maybe Sparked a Revolution

Mikhail Rodzianko is credited as the man who persuaded Nicholas II to abdicate. Four generations later, his descendants struggle with his legacy.

Izvestia at 100: A Russian Century Through the Lens of the Top Soviet Newspaper

Born in the midst of Russia’s March 1917 revolution, top Soviet newspaper Izvestia chalks a century today. Its history reflects the contours of Russia's...

Inside A Hacker’s Mind

Fifteen years ago, Sergei Pavlovich was a leading player in Russian-language cyber-crime. Today, he suggests electoral systems are ripe for abuse.

Kadyrov's Hollywood

Under the close watch of the republic’s strongman leader, Chechen movie pioneers are producing the world’s most unexpected cinema.

Undercover Millionaire: How a Cop Tasked With Fighting Corruption Ended Up With $125 Million in Cash

The bundles of pristine U.S. dollars were neatly packed in plastic bags and boxes. The money was stacked so high that it took law enforcement several days...

A Very German Coup: AEB Boardroom Squabble Over Russian Sanctions

The tussle for control of the AEB, the most influential foreign business association in Russia, is part of an ongoing debate within Europe over how to...

Wheat Kings: Russia Enjoys a Bumper Crop This Harvest

A mild winter and a warm, wet summer mean Russia looks set to see its largest wheat harvest ever and retain its crown as the world’s top wheat exporter...

Angry Farmers Stage Tractor March on Moscow

Authorities take to force to halt a "tractor march" making its way from southern Russia to the capital. Participants of the protest action say that they...

Narkomfin: Restoration in Sight for Russia's Crumbling Constructivist Gem?

Russian real estate developer Alexander Senatorov began buying apartments in Moscow’s Narkomfin building in 2006 as a gift for his fiancée, Alexandrina...

The Kremlin Opens to the World as Putin Orders Greater Access

For much of the Soviet period, Moscow’s Kremlin was heavily guarded and shrouded in mystery. Few people apart from high-ranking officials or foreign...

Corps Couture: The Rise of Russia's Patriotic Fashion Industry

For T-shirt manufacturer Alexander Konasov, 2014 and 2015 were particularly good years. It all started in February 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea, and...

First Death in Russia's Arctic Anthrax Outbreak

A 12-year old was announced as the first victim of a rare outbreak of anthrax in northern Russia's Yamal-Nenets autonomous region Monday as the deadly...

The True Tale of Russia's German Dairy King

"It was Putin who wanted to meet me," says Stefan Durr, the German-born Russian farmer whose company EkoNiva became the largest producer of milk in Russia...

Evacuated Egypt Baggage Piles Up in Russian Airport

The baggage of Russian tourists evacuated from Egypt is piling up in the public spaces of Moscow's Domodedovo Airport as it awaits collection, according...

New Museum Stakes Claim to Russia's Gulag Legacy

Russia's largest museum devoted to the horrors of the Soviet gulag has opened, even as many Muscovites remain unwilling to talk about political repression...

Ukrainian 'Vikings' Go on Trial Accused of Fighting in Chechen War

Ukrainian history teacher Stanislav Klykh told his mother he could be released in a few days during a phone call after his arrest on a trip to Russia in...

Russia to Exhume Alexander III as Romanov Probe Widens

Russian investigators said Monday that they will exhume the remains of Russian Tsar Alexander III to confirm the identity of two of his grandchildren,...

Russia Says Fewer Air Strikes in Syria

Disarray among the Islamic State terrorist organization has prompted a decrease in the number of sorties being flown by Russian jets in Syria, the Defense...

Russia's 'War' Mentality Boosts Treason Case Count

The number of convictions for treason in Russia tripled in 2014 and experts say the figure looks set to rise again this year as Russia's intelligence...

Lukashenko Victory Set to Stoke EU Rapprochement, Moscow Unease

Autocratic Belarussian leader Alexander Lukashenko looked set to win a fifth term as president Sunday in a largely uncontested and protest-free election...

Russia-Turkey Ties Fray Over Syria

Growing Turkish anger over Russia's weeklong bombing campaign in Syria appeared Wednesday to be driving a wedge between the two Black Sea neighbors, who...

Ex-U.K. Ambassador a Lonely Friend of Russia

As the United Kingdom's ambassador to Russia from 2004 to 2008, Anthony Brenton was one of the first Western diplomats to be systematically hounded by...

Russia Pledges to Step Up Air Attacks in Syria

Defense officials in Moscow said over the weekend that Russia would broaden its air bombardment of Syria and claimed a five-day bombing campaign had...

Russian Jets Pound Assad's Enemies in Syria

Russian air strikes in Syria continued for a second day Thursday as evidence grew that the Kremlin was targeting more moderate opposition groups fighting...

Putin's UN Speech Fails to Surprise

A much-anticipated speech by President Putin to the UN General Assembly on Monday saw the Russian leader criticize Western policy in the Middle East...

Live Blog: Vladimir Putin Speaks at the UN General Assembly

With Russian President Vladimir Putin set to address the United Nations General Assembly on Monday evening, follow our live blog for minute-by-minute...

Putin Seeks Center Stage at UN Gathering

When President Putin takes the podium at the UN General Assembly on Monday, he is expected to put Syria and the fight against the Islamic State at the...

Middle East Leaders Line Up for Putin

Turkish President Recep Erdogan on Wednesday became the third Middle Eastern leader in as many days to hold talks with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow...

Russian Radio Engineer Sentenced to 14 Years for Treason

A Moscow court sentenced Gennady Kravtsov, a former employee of Russia’s military intelligence services, to 14 years in prison Monday for sending a job...

Russian Radio Engineer Faces 15 Years for Applying for Job Abroad

In 2010, Gennady Kravtsov wrote a job application letter, translated it using an online program, and sent it to a Swedish defense firm.

Russia Apathetic Over Corbyn Labour Victory

The election of Jeremy Corbyn to lead Britain's Labour Party over the weekend barely caused a stir in Russia — despite mainstream media in Britain and...

Russia's Biggest Banking Crashes of the Last 2 Years

The license of mid-sized Russian lender Admiralteisky Bank was revoked by the Central Bank on Friday, a day after security service raids and scenes of...

Ukrainian Flag Stunt Climber Sentenced to 2 Years in Russia

A Moscow court sentenced 20-year-old Russian climber Vladimir Podrezov to two years and three months in jail Thursday for “assisting vandalism” by...

Apple to Store Users' Personal Data in Russia – Report

U.S. tech giant Apple will store the personal data of its Russian users at a data center inside Russia to comply with a new law, the Kommersant newspaper...

Putin Dubs European Migrant Crisis 'Predictable'

President Vladimir Putin said the influx of migrants into Europe is the result of U.S. policy and maintained nothing unusual was happening to the Russian...

Pamela Anderson Main Attraction at Russia's Far East Forum

The first day of a new economic forum in Russia's far eastern city of Vladivostok designed to showcase the region was dominated Thursday by Hollywood celebrity...

Putin Flies to China Amid Economic Gloom

President Vladimir Putin will be one of the most noteworthy guests at Chinese celebrations to mark the end of World War II when he arrives in Beijing...

British Man Arrested on Drug Charges in Samara

A British man in the Volga river city of Samara, who worked at one of the city's universities, has been arrested on drug charges while awaiting deportation...

Russian Court Sentences Ukrainian Director Sentsov to 20 Years

A Russian military court sentenced Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov to 20 years in a high-security prison on Tuesday after finding him guilty of masterminding...

Sentsov Case Highlights Plight of Ukrainian Prisoners in Russian Jails

Oleg Sentsov is expected to be sentenced to a long prison term Tuesday after a high-profile trial — but the case has focused attention on an entire...

Prosecutors Seek 23 Years for Ukrainian Director as Trial Wraps Up

Russian prosecutors requested a 23-year prison sentence Wednesday for Ukrainian activist and film director Oleg Sentsov, who is accused of carrying out...

Chechen Film Studio Unveils First Major Production

The first large-scale film produced by ChechenFilm went on general release Monday as Chechnya's strongman leader Ramzan Kadyrov looks to boost the region's...

Russian Propaganda Feeds on Kiev's Culture War

A series of Ukrainian bans on Russian cultural works and prominent artists has been used to burnish already pervasive propaganda tropes of Ukraine as an...

Government Proposal to Limit Russians' Ownership of Livestock Elicits Outrage

A proposal by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to cap the quantity of poultry, sheep, pigs and cattle Russians can own without registering as farmers provoked...

Western Experts Cry Foul Over Russian Books Published in Their Names

Prominent Western experts and journalists accused a Russian publishing house Sunday of pirating their work and printing books using their names without...

Russia Pushes Ahead With Law to Confiscate Foreign Assets

The Russian government has introduced a bill to parliament that allows the confiscation of property belonging to foreign states.

Ruble Tumbles to February Lows on Weak Oil

The Russian currency sank to its lowest level since February on Thursday, extending a recent rout as the price of crude oil fell below $48 a barrel...

Russian Official Lauds Condom Restrictions

A senior Russian official has praised plans to restrict condom imports as part of a drive to reduce reliance on foreign-made goods, suggesting Wednesday...

Russian Officials Bicker as Child Killer Suspect Hospitalized

A man suspected of killing his six children, his pregnant wife and his mother was in the hospital Wednesday in the Vladimir region after being injured...

Staff Rebel Against Priest Appointed to Head Historic Site in Crimea

Employees working at the historic site of Chersonesus on the Crimean Peninsula have said they will not work under an Orthodox priest appointed director...

Russia Blames Stockholm for Tit-for-Tat Diplomat Expulsions

Sweden has expelled a Russian diplomat and Moscow has retaliated by throwing out a Swedish diplomat.

Exiled Ukraine Officials Announce 'Savior Committee' in Moscow

A group of exiled Ukrainian officials led by former Prime Minister Nikolai Azarov announced Monday the formation of a so-called Savior of Ukraine Committee...

Russian Women Accused of Posing as Jihadist Brides to Dupe Islamic State – Report

A group of women from the North Caucasus republic of Chechnya have been accused of posing as cash-strapped Jihadist brides in a bid to defraud Islamic...

Russian Journalist Arrested on Suspicion of Extremism

A journalist working for a prominent Russian news outlet has been placed in pretrial detention over his alleged affiliation with a political group banned...

Ruble Fall Stokes Russian Holidaymaker Woes

Alexandra Khomenok booked a European holiday earlier this month, but her plans hit a stumbling block this week as the ruble took an abrupt plunge,...

Odessa Club Cancels Concert by Patriotic Russian Rapper

A club in the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa called off an upcoming performance by Russian rapper Timati after local governor and ex-Georgian President...

Karzai Hails Deepening Russian-Afghan Ties

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai praised "blossoming" relations between Kabul and Moscow on Thursday as the standoff between Russia and the West...

Russian Officials See 'Color Revolution' in Armenia

Russian lawmakers said Wednesday that rolling protests on the streets of the Armenian capital of Yerevan could be the first stage of a "color revolution...

Russia Tops 2014 World Asylum Claims

With hundreds of thousands of people having been displaced by fighting in eastern Ukraine, Russia recorded the world's highest number of asylum applications...

German Drugmaker Merck Flaunts Russian Expansion as Others Flee

The Russian head of pharmaceutical and chemical giant Merck dreams of one day supplying golden pigment to gild the onion domes of Orthodox churches...

Majority See FIFA Scandal as Attack on Russia

Most Russians think that corruption allegations against officials at FIFA leveled by U.S. investigators last month are an attempt to prevent Russia from...

20 Years On, Russia Remembers Budyonnovsk Attack

Russia marked Sunday the 20th anniversary of an attack on the southern town of Budyonnovsk that left more than 100 people dead and some 500 injured...

Men's Magazine Maxim Fined, Threatened With Closure in Russia

A Russian court ordered prominent men's magazine Maxim to pay a 25,000-ruble ($456) fine Thursday for printing bad language, the second such punishment...

Investigators Turn on Moscow's Domodedovo Airport

Privately owned Domodedovo Airport faced the latest in a series of legal battles Monday as Russian investigators opened several criminal cases against...

FIFA Scandal Casts Shadow on Russia's World Cup

Doubts were cast Wednesday over Russia's legitimacy as the host nation for next World Cup as Swiss authorities launched an investigation into criminal...

Q&A: Ruben Vardanyan, Russia's Armenian Financier Turned Philanthropist

On one side of Ruben Vardanyan's open-plan office hangs a wall-size photograph of an Armenian mountain panorama. If you look closer you can see —...

Chechen Leader Kadyrov Becomes Russia's Newest Film Star

Kadyrov has scored starring roles in two films: an epic action film featuring a camouflage-clad Kadyrov firing a machine gun into the sky, and a...

Driver in Deadly Siberian Crash Amnestied Without Serving Day in Prison

A driver who caused a high-profile fatal crash in the Siberian city of Irkutsk has been amnestied without serving a single day in prison, local news...

Court Rules Songs by Russian Metal Bands Are 'Extremist'

A court in Russia's Far East said Monday that it had found signs of "violence and intolerance" in songs by two Russian metal bands and that it has...

Crimean Lawmaker Refuses to Duel With Night Wolves' Chief Over Land Dispute

A top Crimean official declined a proposed duel over a land dispute with the head of Russia's nationalist Night Wolves biker group Monday, according to...

Russian Parliament Speaker Backs Early Elections

The speaker of the State Duma — Russia's lower house of parliament — Sergei Naryshkin said Thursday he supports an initiative to bring forward...

Foreign Anti-Torture Experts Expelled From Russia

A German expert who was taking part in a seminar organized by a Russian anti-torture NGO has been ordered to leave Russia for violating migration...

Russian Prosecutors Visit Zoo, Leave Trail of Death and Destruction

A group of prosecutors and veterinary service officials arrived at closing time at a Crimean zoo called Fairytale and quickly set about firing tranquilizer...

Prominent Economist to Leave Russia, Cites Politics

Prominent liberal economist and commentator Konstantin Sonin, who was reportedly squeezed out of a top job at a Russian public university earlier this...

Polonsky Deported Amid Warming Russia-Cambodian Ties

Colorful Russian businessman Sergei Polonsky was formally charged with fraud by Russian investigators Monday after being deported in flip-flops and shorts...

Russia Steps Up War on Nazi Imagery

On a Saturday evening in February, journalist Polina Petruseva was detained by police at her apartment in the western Russian city of Smolensk, accused...

Boris Nemtsov's Report Counts Hundreds of Russian Dead in Ukraine

Russian opposition leaders published Tuesday a report initiated by slain Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov that details alleged Kremlin military involvement...

Catholic Priest to Appeal Closure of Kirov Baby Box

A Catholic priest in the city of Kirov will file a court appeal against the closure of a baby box by prosecutors, local news website Devyatka reported...

Chinese Leader Tops Meager Victory Day Guest List

While Russia's Victory Day celebrations will be some of the most extravagant since the end of the Soviet Union, tensions over Ukraine have left the international...

Moscow Court Finds Glamorous Ex-Defense Ministry Official Guilty in Corruption Case

A Moscow court ruled Wednesday that former Defense Ministry official turned celebrity Evgeniya Vasilyeva was guilty of fraud as one of Russia's most...

Putin Raises 'Extremism' Fines for Russian Media Tenfold

President Putin signed legislation Saturday that will increase tenfold the maximum fine that can be levied on Russian news organizations accused of inciting...

Hate Seethes as Russia Marks One Year Since Deadly Odessa Inferno

When protestors gathered Saturday in Moscow to mark one year since 48 people were killed in Odessa during street battles between pro-Russia and pro-Ukraine...

Preservationists Warn Over New Status for Soviet Ensemble VDNKh

A Stalinist complex built in the 1930s on a swamp on the outskirts of Moscow to champion the achievements of communism will soon receive a new...

Russian Cabbage Prices Triple as Much-Loved Staple Falls Victim to Inflation

The cost of a cabbage in Russia has almost tripled in less than six months.

Russia Steps Back From Brink of Major Pensions Overhaul

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced Thursday that Russia would not scrap pension fund contributions, preserving a key pool of investment capital...

Putin Acts to Spur Russian Farming to Replace Banned Produce

President Putin appointed a regional governor from southern Russia to head the Agriculture Ministry on Wednesday in an apparent bid to galvanize...

Millions of Russians Edge Toward Poverty as Economic Pressure Mounts

Some experts predict that almost 10 million people — from a population of 143 million — could this year join the 16.1 million people already living...

Analysts Warn Ruble's Surge Could Snap at Any Moment

The Russian currency continued a recent run of strength Thursday, taking the ruble to fresh 2015 highs, as warnings multiplied that the gains were...