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European Court Rules in Favor of Anti-Kremlin Protesters

The European Court of Human Rights ruled that the Russian state violated the European Convention on Human Rights with regard to protesters arrested in...

Russia Using Syria to Overshadow Ukraine, Analysts Say

The recent flood of media reports claiming that Russia is boosting its military presence in Syria has detracted international attention from the Ukraine...

Allegations of Russian Troops Reflect Battle Over Syria's Future

Russia is not planning a full-scale military invasion in Syria, but it will protect its main asset — the regime of President Bashar Assad — to the...

Russia's Regional Elections Marred by Pressure on Observers, Fraud

Multiple violations were registered by independent elections watchdogs during Sunday's regional elections across Russia.

'Sanctions Don't Matter' on Russian Market, Says Germany's BSH CEO

Despite Western sanctions and the economic decline in Russia, what matters for Germany's BSH, one of the largest home appliance producers in the world...

Lack of Manifestos Points to Political Complacency in Russian Regions — Experts

Only five acting governors taking part in elections in 21 Russian regions next week have published electoral manifestos, the Petersburg Politics think...

What Trump as U.S. President Would Mean for Russia

Donald Trump might hope that he will have a great relationship with President Putin if he gets elected into the White House, but the problem is that...

U.S. Is Immoral and Racist, Russians Say in Poll

Russians believe the United States is an immoral and unequal country where people are not warm to each other or are openly racist, a survey by the state-owned...

Putin's Judo Partner to Take Control of Russia's Biggest Airport

President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Friday that will likely place Moscow's second-largest airport, Sheremetyevo, under the control of his businessman...

Security Council Head Orders 'Measures' Against Officials, Who Use WhatsApp, Google

The Secretary of Russia's Security Council Nikolai Patrushev has ordered heads of far eastern regions to “take measures” against government officials...

By Blocking Wikipedia, Russian Government Shows its Power Over Web

After blocking a Wikipedia article for less than than 18 hours, Roskomnadzor removed it from a list of banned webpages on Tuesday in a move that reflects...

Plan to Withdraw Police From Russia's Museums Sparks Fears

An announcement that Russian museums would no longer be guarded by police sparked concern that foreign museums could stop lending their national treasures...

Independent Elections Watchdog Expert Attacked in Moscow

An expert working for a prominent Russian elections watchdog that has been labeled a foreign agent by the Justice Ministry was attacked in a Moscow metro...

New Policy on Commemorating Victims of Repression At Odds With Actions

The government announced a new policy this week condemning attempts to justify mass Soviet repression, a move that appears to directly contradict official...

Russian Police Bust Underground Cheese Factory

Police officers have uncovered a vast illegal factory in the Moscow region that was making cheese using products that are banned from being imported into...

Head of Russia's Mighty Rail Monopoly Looks Set to Step Down

Vladimir Yakunin was nominated as a senator for the upper chamber of the Russian parliament Monday, a position that would oblige him to step down as head...

Attack on Exhibit Sparks Fears New Law Has Empowered Russian Marginals

As Russian lawmakers and Orthodox Church voiced dismay over an attack by activists, many observers said the state was to blame for giving people...

EU Visits to Crimea Reflect Democracy, Not Divisions Over Russia, Say Analysts

The current trend for delegations of European lawmakers visiting Crimea shows that opinion on Russia policy within the EU is far from unanimous, analysts...

Russian Officials Arrested for Murder, Financing Terrorism

A Moscow court ordered the head of a region in Russia's restive republic of Dagestan to remain under arrest Wednesday on suspicion of a catalog of crimes...

Elderly Russian Woman Suspected of Multiple Macabre Murders, Dismemberments

After a St. Petersburg pensioner was detained on suspicion of having dismembered an elderly acquaintance, she confessed that this was only the latest in...

Moscow, Kiev Grapple With Historic Ties to Prince Vladimir

Tuesday marked the passage of a millennium since the death of Vladimir the Great. Leaders of both Kiev and Moscow took advantage of the opportunity to...

Kremlin Set to Create Incubator for Patriotic Superstars – Report

Russia is reportedly to get its own incubator to harvest patriotic pop stars, if a former Soviet rock star gets his way.

Prosecutors in Russia's Far East Want Chinese Culture Center Shut Down

Prosecutors in Russia's far eastern city of Blagoveshchensk have asked the city court to shut down a local branch of the Confucius Institute, an organization...

How Russia's Most Notorious Artist Convinced His Interrogator to Switch Sides

When young investigator Pavel Yasman was tasked with interrogating Russian artist Pyotr Pavlensky, known for his shocking political protest stunts, he...

As Economic Crisis Starts to Bite, Shoplifting Surges in Russia

With real incomes sinking under the weight of Russia's economic crisis, shoplifting has been on the rise across the country, the Izvestia newspaper reported...

French Parliamentarians Head to Crimea for Controversial Visit

French members of parliament have inspired delight in Russia and provoked ire abroad with a planned visit to Crimea, where they are set to arrive Thursday...

Fearing Criminal Prosecution, Chubais Allies Flee Russia – Report

Several men with ties to post-Soviet market reformer and Rusnano founder Anatoly Chubais have fled the country amid mounting fears of a crackdown following...

Russian 'Miss Charming' Loses Title After Being Exposed as Neo-Nazi

After a series of social media postings exposed the Russian Football Premier League's newly crowned “Miss Charming” as a racist, organizers of the...

Divisions Revealed as Kremlin Critic Moves to Work for Ukraine Government

The outcry over prominent Russian Kremlin critic Maria Gaidar's decision to become a deputy to Mikheil Saakashvili, demonstrates the extent to which...

Russian Scientist Hounded by Officials After Buying Banned Substance

When young Russian scientist Dmitry Lopatin ordered a can of solvent from an online store in China last year for work on his design for a new kind...

Russian Scientist Hounded by Officials After Buying Banned Substance

When young Russian scientist Dmitry Lopatin ordered a can of solvent from an online store in China last year for work on his design for a new kind of...

Kremlin Human Rights Council Defends Crimean NGO Against 'Undesirables' List

Russia's Presidential Council for Human Rights has stood up for a small Crimean NGO that was last week included on a list of potential “undesirable organizations”...

Muslim Organization Claims Islamic State Actively Recruiting Fighters in Russia's Far East

Recruiters for feared terrorist organization the Islamic State are actively recruiting new members in Russia's Far East, a regional Muslim organization...

Russian Constitutional Court Determines Moscow Not Bound to All Human Rights Court Rulings

Moscow can refuse to comply with judgments handed down by the European Court of Human Rights in certain cases, Russia's Constitutional Court held Tuesday...

The Romanovs Will Not Reign Again; Russia Already Has Its Tsar – Experts

As calls continue to mount for the former imperial family to make a triumphant return to Russia, pundits told The Moscow Times this would never happen...

Putin Aide Urges Russians to Quit Facebook, Citing Free Speech Concerns

After Facebook blocked the accounts of several prominent Russians for their use of a divisive term for Ukrainians, an aide to President Putin advised...

Russian Senators Propose Ban of 12 Foreign NGOs, Reining In Civil Society

Russian senators released a list Wednesday of 12 foreign NGOs whose work they believe poses a threat to national security, and who should thus be...

Russian Elections Monitor Golos Sees Offices, Staff Homes Searched

A wave of dawn raids was carried out Tuesday at staff homes and the offices of Golos, a respected Russian election-monitoring NGO, as the official...

7 New Laws That Will Change the Face of Russia

Russian lawmakers have kept themselves very busy this year. Over the course of its spring session, which ended Friday, Russia's State Duma passed a total...

Promoters Drop Russian Rock Star for Waving Ukrainian Flag on Stage

After she waved a Ukrainian flag on stage Friday at a Tbilisi concert, Russian venues have shut their doors on beloved rock star Zemfira.

Attack on Chubais Ally Marks Death of Russian Meritocracy – Experts

The criminal case opened against the founder of Russia's key innovations project is directed against its current head Anatoly Chubais, and reflects Russia's...

Putin Urged to Repatriate Up to 40,000 Jews in Crimea

President Vladimir Putin should allow 40,000 Jews living abroad and other migrants who left Crimea before it was annexed from Ukraine by Russia in 2014...

Russia Only Has Itself to Blame for Lost Influence in Post-Soviet Sphere

As Russian officials blame Western NGOs for protests that have swept the Armenian capital in recent days, analysts argued that Moscow only has itself...

'Russian Kissinger' Yevgeny Primakov Dies at 85

Revered statesman Yevgeny Primakov, a former Russian prime minister who steered the country toward stability after its worst economic collapse in 1998...

'Russian Kissinger' Yevgeny Primakov Dies at 85

Revered statesman Yevgeny Primakov, a former Russian prime minister and foreign minister who steered the country toward stability after its worst economic...

Fears of Chinese Expansion Mar Budding Alliance With Russia

The image of Russia's increasingly friendly relations with China took a hit this week when a regional governor's stated intention to rent out swathes...

Conservative Activists Drive Popular Kubana Festival Out of Russia

One of Russia’s largest rock festivals will be transplanted to the Latvian capital of Riga in light of a recent determination by Kaliningrad regional...

Putin Offers Little Change at Russia's Top Economic Forum

More than a year into an economic firestorm that is pushing Russia into its first recession in six years, the plenary session of Russia's flagship...

Putin Offers No Change at Russia’s Flagship Economic Forum

President Vladimir Putin on Friday failed to announce any decisive action to spur Russia’s economy and ignored calls for comprehensive reform of the...

Lack of Action Questions Forum's Reform Agenda

Amid the grandiose, ambitious slogans of this year's International Economic Forum, which opened Thursday, the need to shift from defining problems...

Russia-China Alliance Could Launch New World Order

Amid the fanfare of Russia's Victory Day celebrations in May, President Putin held a round of talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, signing...

New $27 Million Museum Aims to Push Russian Art Into Global Limelight

As politicians and church leaders trumpet Russia's role as a guardian of conservative social values in a world drowning in obscenity, the country's...

Poll: Russians Dislike West About as Much as Westerners Dislike Russia

A staggering majority of Russians view the West negatively, and the feeling is mutual, a poll conducted by the U.S.-based Pew Research Center revealed...

Criminal Case Opened Against Opposition Lawmaker Ponomaryov

Russian federal investigators have launched a criminal case against opposition-minded State Duma Deputy Ilya Ponomaryov, who moved to the United States...

Beleaguered Russian Science Foundation Dynasty Delays Decision on Closure

Beleaguered science organization the Dynasty Foundation, which has been grappling in recent days with whether or not to shut its doors, announced that...

Sky News Denies Claim It Self-Censored Due to Putin Decree

Despite media claims to the contrary, Sky News did not postpone its report about Russian soldiers that allegedly perished in Ukraine, a spokesperson...

No Peaceful End in Sight for Ukraine, Analysts Say

Diplomacy will be essential to ending the ongoing Ukraine conflict, but more than a year into it the key stakeholders in the crisis lack the political...

Rare Russian Bastion of Independent Media Suffers Identity Crisis

As several top commentators publicly severed ties with Ekho Moskvy, experts speculated that the editorial policies of Russia's leading independent radio...

Longtime American Expat Denied Re-Entry to St. Petersburg

During a routine passport inspection at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport, a U.S. citizen who had lived in the city for more than two decades was informed...

Czech, Slovak Officials Angered by Russian Documentary on 1968 Invasion

Czech and Slovak officials have voiced anger over the way Russian state television depicted the 1968 Moscow-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in a recent...

Anarchist Russian Farmer to Defend His Village Currency in Court

Mikhail Shlyapnikov, a farmer in the isolated Russian village of Kolionovo, began printing kolions, exchange notes to be used by villagers instead...

Russian Oligarchs' Exes Battle for Former Husbands' Fortunes

As Russia's richest man, Vladimir Potanin, prepares to go to court over his ex-wife's divorce settlement, lawyers say there's no risk of her winning...

Soviet Tradition of Snitching Makes Comeback in Russia

Last week Anna Reshyotkina, editor-in-chief of a glossy magazine in Yekaterinburg, was unexpectedly summoned to the Prosecutor's Office for a 30-minute...

Putin Classifying Troop Losses Proves They're in Ukraine – Analysts

Legal amendments introduced Thursday that classify as state secrets any losses sustained during peacetime special operations are further confirmation of Russia's...

Risque Miss Russia Photo Shoot Prompts Prosecutorial Probe

Prosecutors in the Sverdlovsk region have launched an investigation after Miss Russia was pictured draped in material resembling the Russian flag on the...

Death of Novorossia: Why Kremlin Abandoned Ukraine Separatist Project

Standing in front of a small Moscow church last September, President Vladimir Putin told journalists that he had lit candles inside for people who had...

Russians Honor Deceased Poet Brodsky on His 75th Birthday

Sunday marked what would have been the 75th birthday of beloved poet Joseph Brodsky, Russia's most recent Nobel Prize winner in literature.

Independent Radio Station Ekho Moskvy's Founding Editor Quits Amid Scandal

The founding editor of Ekho Moskvy, Russia's leading talk-radio station, has resigned from his post citing the deterioration of journalistic standards...

Shoigu at 60: The Man Who Would Be Russia's King?

Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, a close ally, friend and rumored potential successor of President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin, turned 60...

Amid Heightened Scrutiny, Kadyrov Urges Chechen Men to Lock Up Their Wives

A member of the Presidential Human Rights Council called for a probe Wednesday into the recent scandal-mired wedding between a Chechen police chief...

Putin Calls for Purer Russian Language, Free of Foreign-Derived Words

President Vladimir Putin advocated the preservation of the Russian language on Tuesday, criticizing the use of foreign-based words online and on...

U.S. Man Sentenced for Rape of Adopted Russian Daughter

An American man received a three-year prison sentence and a seven-year suspended sentence in the American state of Georgia for the rape of his adopted...

Chechen Teen Bride Gripes to Prosecutors Over Media Firestorm

The 17-year-old bride has filed a complaint with Chechen prosecutors against the investigative reporter who first exposed the scandal on a national...

Freshly Emboldened Russia Poses 'Enduring Global Challenge' – NATO Military Chief

NATO must pursue a long-term policy that would deter a resurgent Russia, Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Commander of U.S. European Command Philip...

Kerry Brings Cautious Signs of Russia Detente to NATO Meeting

After his visit to Sochi on Tuesday for talks with President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry...

The Indelible Mark of World War II on Modern Russia

Victory Day hits a raw nerve among Russians, likely owing to the fact that the vast majority of Russian families have been acutely impacted by World...

Russia's Media Offensive Seen by the West as Real Threat

Western governments and institutions are scrambling to devise a commensurate response to Russia's state-run media offensive, analysts told The Moscow...

Russian Militant Loyal to Islamic State Killed in Dagestan

A Dagestani militant commander believed to have joined forces with terrorist organization the Islamic State has been killed by Russian security forces...

Russian Climbers Missing on Everest in Wake of Nepal's Deadly Earthquake

At least four Russian mountain climbers have been reported missing on Mount Everest following a major earthquake in Nepal that killed more than 2,350 people...

Kadyrov Authorizes His Police to Shoot Officers From Other Parts of Russia

Chechnya's notoriously outspoken leader Ramzan Kadyrov has told his top law enforcement officers they can open fire at officers from other parts of Russia...

Amnesty of Russian Prisoners Won't Include Corporate Raiding Victims

An amnesty bill that passed by the State Duma in its first reading Wednesday will exclude numerous entrepreneurs who were put behind bars as a result...

Russian Ultranationalists Get Life Sentences for Slew of Hate Killings

Three members of the Militant Organization of Russian Nationalists, whose members committed a series of shocking high-profile hate murders, were given...

Western Rejection Rains on Russia's Victory Day Parade

The Kremlin's iconic watchtower has been renovated especially for the occasion, but a host of world leaders have rejected invitations to Russia's...

Russian Problems Take Precedence Over Ukraine During Putin's Annual Show

The state of the Russian economy and the lives of ordinary people took precedence over foreign policy and the Ukraine crisis during President Vladimir...

Russian Release of 'Child 44' Canceled for Being 'Negative' About Soviet Union

A major Russian film distribution company has decided to cancel Russian showings of the British film "Child 44" that depicts a Soviet secret services...

Putin Prepares to Field Questions at Annual Call-In

President Vladimir Putin took a day off from public meetings Wednesday to prepare for his epic annual live call-in show Thursday.

Despite Confrontation, Russia Still Looks to West for Approval

Despite the ongoing confrontation with the West over Ukraine, Russian leaders still see it as the ultimate source of prestige and approval, analysts...

Hillary Clinton as U.S. President 'Wouldn't Fix' Russia-U.S. Relationship

Should Hillary Clinton — who once compared President Putin to Adolf Hitler — become the next U.S. president, no improvement should be expected in U...

European Opera Houses Weigh In on Russian Theater Scandal

The heads of leading German opera houses have spoken out in protest against the Russian culture minister's decision to fire a theater director over...

Analysts: To the Kremlin, Foreign Meddling a Greater Threat Than Graft

As far as the Kremlin is concerned, foreign meddling poses a greater threat to the country than corruption does, analysts said Wednesday.

Kremlin Reliance on the Russian Orthodox Church May Backfire, Analysts Say

While the Russian federal government's reliance on the Orthodox Church is a tool aimed at consolidating society, in using it the authorities risk...

Putin: Education Should Inspire Patriotic Fervor in Young Russians

President Putin has vowed to instruct the Education Ministry to shore up patriotism among Russia's youth by way of captivating curriculums and academic...

Putin Refused Poroshenko’s Offer to ‘Take Donbass’ — Forbes

President Putin in February turned down an offer from his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko to “take Donbass,” asking Poroshenko whether he was...

Moscow Clubs Refuse to Host Tribute Concert to Slain Russian Opposition Leader Nemtsov

Moscow clubs and concert venues have refused to host a concert in remembrance of the politician Boris Nemtsov, who was shot dead in central Moscow at...

Russia Shouldn't Put All Its Middle East Eggs in Iran's Basket, Warn Experts

Siding with Iran completely significantly limits Moscow's options in future conflicts in the Middle East, analysts say.

Experts: Putin's New Ethnic Affairs Agency Aims to Thwart Political Threats

A government agency charged with maintaining interethnic and interfaith harmony in Russia is a bid to prevent foreign powers and internal opposition...

Fear Makes People Support Putin, But They Will Demand More – Experts

President Vladimir Putin's sky-high approval ratings are often puzzling to Western politicians and pundits. Some refuse to believe that the president's...

Cultural Figures Demand Minister's Sacking Over Opera Scandal

Leading cultural figures have called for the dismissal of Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky, saying his position on a controversial opera production...

Amid Acts of Vandalism, Activists Appeal for Permanent Nemtsov Memorial

As opposition activists scramble to fix defilements to a memorial to Boris Nemtsov, city authorities are being urged to install a permanent memorial...

Russian Cultural Elite Wants Medinsky Fired for Interfering With Wagner Opera Production

Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky fired on Sunday the director of a Novosibirsk opera house that for weeks has been embroiled in scandal over a production...