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Articles by Jonathan Earle

FLEX Students Return Energized and Inspired for Change

For Ivan Chesnokov's 18th birthday, his mother and stepfather redecorated his room in floor-to-ceiling posters of a fluttering American flag and the...

U.S. and Russia Sign New Anti-Proliferation Deal

Russia and the United States have a signed a bilateral agreement for protecting, controlling, and accounting for nuclear materials, continuing important...

Prokhorov to Skip Mayoral Election

Citing problems with transferring his foreign assets to Russia, billionaire businessman Mikhail Prokhorov announced Thursday that he would not run for...

Anti-Gay Propaganda Bill Passed in 436-0 Vote

The State Duma has unanimously passed a bill introducing stiff fines for portraying homosexuality in a positive light to children, a move LGBT activists...

News of Putins' Divorce Met With Shrugs

Ordinary Russians reacted with a mix of compassion, skepticism and indifference to Thursday's announcement that President Vladimir Putin and his wife...

Thousands Evacuated After Metro Tunnel Fire

Thousands of passengers were evacuated from two metro stations in downtown Moscow during rush hour on Wednesday morning after an electrical fire sent smoke...

Sobyanin Calls for Early Mayoral Vote

Mayor Sergei Sobyanin will ask President Vladimir Putin to declare early mayoral elections, the first in Moscow since 2003, in a move analysts said...

U.S. Congressmen Meet With FSB About Boston Bombing

They say there is no one thing that could've been done to stop the Boston bombing.

Guriyev Exit Renews Brain Drain Fears

Reports that prominent, liberal economist Sergei Guriyev has fled to France under pressure from investigators appeared to send shockwaves through Russia's...

Top Investigator Alleges Pro-Pedophilia Lobby

The existence of a powerful pro-pedophilia lobby within the government explains why adults who sexually abuse children tend to receive light sentences...

Foreigners Helping to Secure Olympics

A senior Border Guards Service official on Monday moved to calm fears about security at the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, telling reporters...

Surkov Replaced by Trusty Technocrat

The veteran foreign policy advisor will be in charge of organizing a government that has repeatedly been accused of poor work recently.

European Rights Watchdog to Expand in Russia

The Council of Europe, the continent's oldest human rights organization, has announced an agreement to upgrade its Russian office, a sign that Russia...

Pakistan Roots Seen in Moscow Terror Plot

Suspected militants targeted this week in a deadly raid outside Moscow as they purportedly plotted an attack on the city received training in the troublesome...

Kremlin Faces Barbs From All Sides on Human Rights

Russia is facing a renewed barrage of international criticism, led by the European Union, over its human rights record in connection with an ongoing...

Orphan Abuse Case Prompts Call for Public Oversight

An online video that appeared to show teenage girls savagely beating younger pupils at a remote Siberian boarding school for orphans has sparked a criminal...

Russia Downplays U.S. Spy Scandal

Senior Russian officials on Wednesday downplayed the capture and release of an alleged U.S. spy, suggesting that while the incident won't help already...

'We Haven't Forgotten You,' U.S. Parents Tell Russian Orphans

"We miss your smile every day, and we want you to know that we haven't forgotten about you," a group of Americans have written in an open letter to the...

Netanyahu in Russia for Urgent Syria Talks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to urge President Vladimir Putin to nix planned deliveries of sophisticated ground-to-air missile...

Kremlin Gifted Obama a State-Made DVD About His Life

A U.S. accounting of the gifts presented to U.S. leaders shows that Russians tend toward more traditional and modest offerings compared with some world...

More Ballet Trouble: Ex-Ballerina Volochkova Robbed

Robbers stole two safes and attacked the domestic help at the home of former Bolshoi ballerina Anastasia Volochkova in northern Moscow. Her young daughter...

More Questions Than Answers in Psych Ward Fire

President Vladimir Putin called Friday morning's deadly blaze at a Moscow region psychiatric hospital a "major tragedy" and ordered government ministries...

In Marathon Show, Putin Pledges to Stay the Course

The president says that despite sluggish growth and reliance on natural resources, basic economic policies will not change.

NGOs: Crackdown on Civil Society 'Unprecedented'

Since Vladimir Putin's return to the presidency in May, civil society has been the target of a government crackdown whose scale and severity is unprecedented...

Lavrov Chastises West Over Syria Weapons

Russia has accused Britain and France of throwing a political wrench in the wheels of a proposal to send United Nations inspectors to investigate...

Boston Bombing Seen as U.S.-Russian Intelligence Failure

Revelations that Moscow alerted Washington in early 2011 to suspicious behavior by one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, but did not provide...

Skolkovo Executive Linked to Payments to Opposition Lawmaker

Investigators have accused a top manager at the government's flagship Skolkovo Foundation of making $750,000 in improper payments to a State Duma deputy...

New Charge Makes Five Against Navalny

A day after opposition leader Alexei Navalny's landmark embezzlement trial kicked off in Kirov, investigators slapped the Kremlin foe with yet another...

Navalny Trial Adjourned For a Week

The politically charged trial of opposition leader Alexei Navalny opened Wednesday morning in Kirov, only to be adjourned 40 minutes later when the judge...

United Russia Boasts Highest 2012 Earners

For the second year in a row, United Russia’s Grigory Anikeyev topped the State Duma’s earnings list, raking in a whopping 1.1 billion rubles ($35...

Navalny's Taunts Led to 'Speedy' Investigation

Days before the much-anticipated trial of opposition leader Alexei Navalny is scheduled to begin, an Investigative Committee spokesman has suggested...

'Quality Issues' Led to Work-and-Travel Visa Crunch

Concerns about safety and health are behind record visa refusal rates for Russian students applying to work and travel in the U.S. this summer, a U.S....

Russia Seen as Powerless to Influence Pyongyang

The White House has urged Moscow to do more to restrain saber-rattling North Korea, but despite historically strong ties with its nuclear-armed neighbor...

Udaltsov Ally Confesses to Plotting Revolts

A close ally of opposition leader Sergei Udaltsov has confirmed the authenticity of a video clip that purportedly shows Udaltsov and two other leftist...

Putin Approves Ban on Foul Language in Media

President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a bill that introduces fines of up to 200,000 rubles ($6,000) for media outlets that use foul language, the...

U.S. Embassy Slams Door on Student Workers

Without warning or explanation, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow has rejected an unprecedented percentage of Russian university students applying for visas...

Putin Ramps Up Declaration Requirements

President Vladimir Putin has expanded declaration requirements for more than 1.3 million state employees and given the Kremlin the power to demand...

Putin Borrows From Soviet Union on Social Justice

President Vladimir Putin described the Soviet Union as a land of opportunity and called for two Soviet relics, mandatory school uniforms and the...

NGO Checks 'Unprecedented' in Post-Soviet Russia

The Moscow Helsinki Group, Russia's oldest human rights organization, on Thursday became the latest NGO inspected in a massive government campaign...

Independent Poll Workers Highly Concentrated in Moscow

Unprecedented numbers of independent poll workers will help ensure clean elections in Moscow and St. Petersburg through 2018, a group of leading vote...

'Berezovsky Was a Scapegoat and a Criminal'

"Is Boris Berezovsky the godfather of Russia's godfathers? It sure looks that way," Russian-American journalist Paul Klebnikov wrote in an article published...

Oil and Gas to Dominate Xi's Visit

Newly minted Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to push for increased oil and gas supplies from Russia and reaffirm warm bilateral ties on a...

U.S. 'Concerned' About NGO Inspections

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow has expressed "great concern" about reports that government inspectors have recently searched hundreds of non-governmental...

Golodets: 118,000 Orphans in State Care

There are about 118,000 orphans in Russian state care, and the number of domestic adoptions fell from 2011 to 2012, senior government officials told...

Hundreds of NGOs Checked for Foreign Agents, Extremism

Acting on instructions from the Prosecutor General's Office, government inspectors in at least nine Russian regions have conducted hundreds of unannounced...

Editor and Deputy Trade Blows Over 'Insulting' Article

A highly public spat between a prominent lawmaker and a well-connected newspaperman about "political prostitution" and threats against journalists...

Activist Strip-Searched at St. Petersburg Airport

A prominent opposition-linked activist and two others were detained, threatened and strip-searched at Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg late Thursday after...

Russian Catholics Greet New Pope With Open Arms

Russia's small Catholic community greeted the election of Pope Francis with elation and hopes that the new pontiff will continue to improve ties with...

Scandal Hits Duma Anti-Graft Chief

Irina Yarovaya, head of the State Duma's powerful Anti-Corruption and Security Committee, on Monday became the latest United Russia deputy to face...

Local Self-Government Flounders in Obscurity

Two municipal deputies picketed outside the Moscow City Duma last month, but nobody seemed to notice. Few passers-by stopped to ask what their handmade...

Russian Journalist Gets U.S. Award for Courage

A top Russian investigative journalist who has covered extrajudicial kidnappings in the North Caucasus and the killings of fellow journalists will...

Stalin Lives On, 60 Years After Death

Yury Fidelgoltz, a Stalin-era gulag survivor, has an answer ready when he hears people pine for the “good old days” under Uncle Joe.

Braving Cold, Thousands March for and Against the Kremlin

Ignoring snow flurries and a sharp drop in the temperature, thousands of people hit Moscow’s streets Saturday for the first major political marches in...

Adopted Boy's U.S. Death Inquiry Rejected

Russia does not accept the conclusions of U.S. experts that the death of a 3-year-old adopted Russian boy in Texas in January was accidental, the Foreign...

Mass Demonstrations Set for Saturday

Tens of thousands of protesters and thousands more law enforcement officers are expected in central Moscow on Saturday afternoon for two marches...

Astakhov: 'Pedophiles' Want My Resignation Most

The official at the center of Russia's controversial ban on U.S. adoptions struck back at critics Thursday, saying that "pedophiles" were his most...

Latest Case Opened into U.S. Adoptee Death

Investigators have opened a murder case into the death of a 9-year-old Russian boy in the care of a U.S. family, the Investigative Committee said...

A Just Russia Might Sanction Gudkovs

Gennady and Dmitry Gudkov will lose their leadership positions within the oppositional A Just Russia party for rejecting an ultimatum to quit the protest...

McFaul Slams 'Sensational Exploitation' of Orphan's Death

U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul has condemned "sensational exploitations" of the recent death of a Russian toddler in the United States and said he...

Russian Orphan Was 'Found Unresponsive'

The U.S. adoptive mother of a Russian boy, whose death sparked an ongoing war of words between Russia and the United States, told investigators that...

Children's Ombudsman Urges Return of Dead Orphan's Brother

Days after the death of an adopted Russian boy in the United States sparked outrage among lawmakers and senior officials, the Russia's children's...

Latest Orphan Death Sparks Official Furor

With striking unanimity and furor, senior officials and lawmakers on Tuesday condemned the latest death of an adopted Russian child in the United...

Meteor Shockwave Rocks RuNet

The 10-ton meteorite that lit up the sky over the Urals region, smashing windows and spooking locals, sent a shockwave of an entirely different kind through...

Ethics Chief Asks for Timeout After 'Exposure'

State Duma Deputy Vladimir Pekhtin asked to be temporarily relieved of his duties as chairman of the Duma's Credentials and Ethics Commission until...

U.S. Begins Push for New Arms Cuts

President Barack Obama's pledge to pursue new cuts to the U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals appeared to be under way Wednesday, with the State Department's...

Duma Passes No Smoking Bill, Ban Likely June 1

The State Duma on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed a wide-ranging anti-smoking bill that would ban lighting up in almost all public places and practically...

Kremlin Backs Youth Politics With Reformed Nashi

Nashi, the controversial pro-Kremlin youth group known for fierce campaigns against government critics at home and abroad, will be split into several...

Gay Marriage Threatens Adoptions to Britain, France

Adoptive parents in France and Britain could find it more difficult to adopt Russian orphans now that parliaments in both countries have approved same-sex...

Smut-Free Web Evokes Censorship Fears

The government's plans to protect children from harmful online content are causing increasing alarm among anti-censorship activists, who see one region's...

Thrill-Seeking Russian Judge Wounded in Syria

That very nearly describes Sergei Berezhnoi, a 57-year-old arbitration court judge in Belgorod who traveled to Syria last week to observe the country's...

Russians Not Lining Up to Adopt Americans

When the now-infamous ban on U.S. adoptions was first introduced in the State Duma in mid-December, some Russians suggested that a more appropriate...

Investigators Raid Kirov Governor's Office

In an unprecedented assault on a sitting regional leader, masked officers on Tuesday raided the office of Kirov Governor Nikita Belykh, once an outspoken...

Russia Is Sued Over U.S. Adoptions Ban

Four American families affected by a new ban on U.S. adoptions have appealed to the European Court of Human Rights, complaining that the law, which...

Forest Defender Stabbed in Moscow Region

A State Duma deputy's assistant and local lawmaker who battled development in Moscow region forestland is in critical condition after being stabbed...

Bill to Limit Gubernatorial Elections Approved

State Duma deputies on Wednesday overwhelming passed in its first reading a bill that would give regional assemblies the right to abolish direct elections...

Supreme Court Orders Final U.S. Adoptions Carried Out

The Supreme Court has instructed lower courts to allow orphans adopted by Americans to be permitted to join their new families in cases where the legal...

Vote Watchdogs Urge Activists to Become Elections Officials

A presidential election in Russia isn't scheduled for another five years, but the people who will run the polling stations and count the ballots...

NTV Expos Alleges Anti-Church Campaign

State-controlled NTV television on Sunday aired its latest documentary-style film targeting prominent opposition figures, this time for allegedly being...

Opposition Figures' Legal Woes Mount

Two opposition figures saw their legal troubles mount on Friday, as investigators pressed ahead with an embezzlement charge against protest leader Alexei...

Ombudsman's Plans for Orphans Slammed

Experts sharply criticized children’s ombudsman Pavel Astakhov’s proposals Thursday to create an orphan agency and inspect orphanages in Moscow, measures...

Duma Bill To Clamp Down on NGOs

Amid the public furor over the State Duma's proposed ban on U.S. adoptions, many seem to have overlooked the fact that the so-called "anti-Magnitsky...

Russian Students Astonished by U.S. Holiday Cheer

Many travelers have pined for home during the holiday season. It's the lucky exception who, finding himself in company of new friends, realizes that...

Adoption Ban Advances in the Duma

Despite intense criticism from the public and senior officials, State Duma deputies on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved measures that would ban U.S...

Adoption Ban Faces Wave of Criticism

A growing chorus of senior government officials and ordinary citizens have publicly denounced a ban on U.S. adoptions proposed by pro-Kremlin State...

Retaliatory Ban of U.S. Adoptions Proposed

State Duma deputies stepped up Russia's retaliatory response to the so-called Magnitsky Act on Monday by introducing a measure that would ban U.S....

Soul-Searching Starts After Puny Rally

Hundreds of protesters braved subfreezing temperatures and the threat of detention on Saturday to voice a wide range of grievances against President Vladimir...

Georgian Organized Clashes, Investigators Say

On the eve of the next major anti-government protest, investigators announced that they had evidence that a Georgian politician helped organize violent...

American Throat Singer Takes Tyvans to Moscow

Sean Quirk was a college student in Minnesota when he first heard Tyvan throat singing, the hypnotic, multipitch singing technique native to the southern...

Plea Bargain Upheld in Politkovskaya Case

A Moscow judge upheld a controversial plea bargain that could complicate efforts to determine who ordered the killing of Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna...

Activists' Homes Searched in Riots Case

Investigators searched the apartments of three opposition activists Tuesday in connection with a criminal case into an alleged plot by top protest...

U.S. Report: Russia Drags Behind Developing Peers

To maintain its role in the world, Russia will need to diversify its economy, improve opportunities for foreign investment and exports, as well as...

Duma Deputies Strike Back Over Magnitsky Act

In a widely expected response to the passage of the U.S. Magnitsky Act, State Duma deputies on Monday introduced a bill that would make Americans...

Magnitsky Bill Likely to Reopen Old Wounds

Historical mistrust and relatively weak trade links could amplify the Magnitsky Act's damage to U.S.-Russian relations, although Washington will likely...

Year After First Protest, Future of Movement Uncertain

One year ago Wednesday, tens of thousands of protesters filled Chistiye Prudy, a leafy park in downtown Moscow, in a spontaneous protest against State...

In Istanbul, Putin Slams Missile Plan

President Vladimir Putin used his first known trip in almost two months to boost economic ties with Turkey and slam a NATO plan to place surface-to-air...

Prison Revolt Yields More Questions Than Answers

There were either 250 participants or about 1,000. They demanded improved conditions or nothing at all. Their protest was plotted by criminal masterminds...

Russia Sidelined in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Among members of the Middle East Quartet, Russia enjoys perhaps the warmest relationship with Hamas, the radical Islamist party that controls the Gaza...

Chelyabinsk Prison Revolt Ends With Calls for Reform

A revolt at a maximum security prison in the Chelyabinsk region by prisoners complaining of corruption and abuse has ended, regional prison officials...

Medvedev: Russia Will Stay Neutral on Syria

Russia will stay neutral on the Syrian civil war but continue to honor arms contracts with President Bashar Assad's regime, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev...

Amid Crackdown on NGOs, U.S. Group Moves Staff Out of Russia

The National Democratic Institute, or NDI, a U.S. based nonprofit that promotes democratic development, has moved its Russia country director and other...

Senior Deputy Compares Bout to Magnitsky

The government needs to do more to protect the rights of Russians abroad, including convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout, the head of the State Duma's...

Soldiers' Rights Group Faces Eviction

Laden with debt and starved of foreign donations, one of the country's most prominent soldiers' rights organizations might be forced to close its office...

Defense Contractor and Serdyukov 'Friend' Arrested

The head of a major defense contractor and his associate on Friday became the latest suspects arrested in a growing corruption scandal linked to former...

Future Leaders: FLEX Parents Face Learning Experience of Their Own

Darya Andreyeva, 17, a FLEX exchange student staying in Pocola, Oklahoma, wanted to run the race to raise funds for breast cancer research.

Expats Say, 'Sure, Why Not?' to English-Language Radio

Dial-surfing radio listeners were treated to an unfamiliar sound today — spoken English.

$200M 'Embezzled' Through Glonass Contractor

A major space industry contractor stole 6.5 billion rubles ($200 million) in federal funds earmarked for the troubled Glonass satellite navigation system...

McFaul to Focus on Economic Ties

"I got a little bit of sleep, but I was up pretty early," U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul said Wednesday afternoon, shortly after his boss, President...

Moscow Region Loses Capable Governor in Shoigu

Since his appointment as Moscow region governor in May, the former Emergency Situations Minister improved management and set the troubled region on the...

May 6 Detainees Face Dangerous Waiting Game

Six months have passed since bloody clashes between protesters and riot police at an opposition rally on the eve of President Vladimir Putin's inauguration...

Pro-Kremlin Youth Target Mormons

A week after President Vladimir Putin called totalitarian sects a "threat to society," pro-Kremlin youth activists in Moscow staged a picket against...

'Yeti Fur' Found in Siberian Cave

There's a high likelihood that hairs recovered during a state-sponsored expedition in a southern Siberian cave came from a yeti.

Sobchak's Mother Gone From Federation Council

There were many familiar faces at the Federation Council's opening session on Wednesday, but that of long-time senator Lyudmila Narusova wasn't one...

United Russia Deputy Upbraids TV Host

A State Duma deputy has called on veteran television journalist Vladimir Pozner to apologize for saying on national television that Russian courts...

A Just Russia Threatened as Founding Groups Split From Party

A Just Russia, the moderate-left State Duma party that includes several leading opposition figures, suffered another setback Monday when leaders of two...

No Gays Allowed in Entrepreneurship Program

That's one of the five criteria for applicants to the "Academy for Entrepreneurship," a program for aspiring business leaders organized by outdoor-goods...

Corruption Fight Gets iPhone App

The fight against corruption has gone mobile.

McFaul Condemns Threats to Human Rights Researcher

U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul has condemned a series of anonymous threats against a prominent human rights researcher that sent a chill through the human...

New NTV Documentaries Likely to Cause a Stir

State-controlled NTV television is scheduled to air two new politically themed documentaries this weekend — an opposition expose on Friday and a...

UNICEF Scales Back, May Exit Russia

UNICEF, the United Nations children's agency, is cutting back its presence on the ground in Russia and might even exit the country, a development...

Friends and Foes to Mark Putin's 60th

Opponents and supporters of President Vladimir Putin are preparing to mark his 60th birthday on Sunday with marches, concerts, giant birthday cards...

USAID Gone, Kremlin Tightens Control Over Non-Profits

On Monday, the same day that the U.S. Agency for International Development ended its 20-year presence in Russia, President Vladimir Putin proposed...

Education Gives China an Edge Over Russia, LSE Says

China and Russia are natural business partners, but China has a headstart in developing its economy after investing more in education over the past...

Duma Bill Would Send Blasphemers to Jail

State Duma deputies on Wednesday introduced a bill to punish blasphemers with fines up to $16,000 or years behind bars.

Kazan Cop Torture Scandal Yields Its First Convictions

Two former police officers in Kazan became the first punished in connection with the brutal death of a 52-year-old detainee in March.

Kicked Off Airwaves, Radio Liberty Rethinks Strategy

U.S. government-funded Radio Liberty has reiterated its commitment to operating in Russia after Nov. 10, when a new law forces it to discontinue AM...

U.S. Says United Russia Took Aid Funds

United Russia officials bristled at an accusation by the U.S. State Department that the party had been a recipient of U.S. aid funds, calling it groundless...

USAID Exit to Hit Small Organizations Hard

The government has refused to backtrack on a demand that the U.S. Agency for International Development cease operations in the country by Oct. 1, despite...

Zyuganov Denies Scandalous Libya Tweet

Communist Party chief Gennady Zyuganov has denied responsibility for a scandalous Twitter post this week that seemed to compare slain U.S. diplomat J...

Natives of 'Russian America' Salute Shared Past

An unofficial delegation of U.S. history buffs and Native Americans have marked the 200th anniversary of the founding of Fort Ross, once Russia's...

Opposition Calls for More Rage in Fight With Kremlin

Sending a signal of defiance to President Vladimir Putin, an eclectic crowd of tens of thousands marched peacefully through central Moscow over the weekend...

Top Challenger Quits Ryazan Governor Race

The top challenger in Ryazan's gubernatorial race has pulled out and endorsed the ruling party's candidate in an apparent backroom deal that casts...

Will the Counter-Revolution Come on Horseback?

A pair of modern-day Cossacks begins their patrol at 8 p.m. on a cool September evening. They're on the lookout for lawbreakers: drunks, drug addicts...

U.S. Citizens Urged to Vote Early

With Nov. 6 elections in the United States just around the corner, officials at the U.S. Embassy and volunteers from the two major political parties...

Charges Filed in Hockey Jet Tragedy

On the eve of the anniversary of the plane crash that devastated Yaroslavl's Lokomotiv hockey team, investigators have charged an airline official...

September March of Millions Permit Resought

Opposition activists have re-applied for a permit to hold a March of Millions rally on Sept. 15, three months after the first march drew tens of thousands...

Vokrug Sveta Tight-Lipped on Gessen's Departure

Vokrug Sveta, Russia's oldest travel magazine, confirmed that a disagreement over authority between the publisher and editors led to the departure...

After Borodino Battle, Cars Returned to Moscow at a Snail's Pace

Sunday's epic Battle of Borodino re-enactment triggered an equally epic traffic jam as an estimated 180,000 visitors snarled local roads and highways...

Brit Empowers Kids and Convicts With Theater

On his first trip to Russia three years ago, Alex Dower directed a group of inmates from Colony 29 in Perm in three short productions, including...

Putin Urges Patriotism on Borodino Battlefield

President Vladimir Putin used the 200th anniversary of one of the bloodiest battles of the Napoleonic Wars to call for unity and patriotism, while...

Russian Teens Find Surprises in U.S. Schools

School started early for a group of Russian teens spending their first year away from home in the United States — and it came with a few surprises...

Smoking Law Could Hit Classic Cartoons

Lovers of Soviet-era cartoons were sent into a tizzy Wednesday after reports surfaced that the classic “Nu, Pogodi” and “Cheburashka” programs...

Pro-Church Activists Interrupt Pussy Riot Event

A group of Orthodox Christian activists accompanied by an NTV camera crew burst into a theater event about punk band Pussy Riot and scolded those...

Dissenting United Russia Member Faces Expulsion

The only United Russia official to publicly call for Pussy Riot's release said he won't give up his post or party membership, days after his superior...

Orthodox Clergyman Wants Guards at Holy Sites

A week after three punk-rock protesters were imprisoned for performing in a church, a Russian Orthodox official has thrown his weight behind a controversial...

Spanish Police Arrest Khimki Forest Activist

Acting on a new request from Russian prosecutors, Spanish police have arrested one of the suspected masterminds of a July 2010 mob attack on Khimki’s...

Kasparov Complains of Police Abuse

Opposition leader Garry Kasparov will ask investigators to check whether police illegally detained, assaulted and defamed him in connection with a raucous...

Putin's Approval Ratings Sag Over Summer

Russians’ opinion of President Vladimir Putin has soured over the summer, with approval ratings and other indicators dropping since May.

Bomb Scare Forces Aeroflot Landing in Iceland

Icelandic police detained a “Ukrainian” passenger shortly after a bomb threat forced a New York-to-Moscow flight to make an emergency landing in Reykjavik...

Olympic Medalists Get Luxury Cars

Besides fame and glory, this year's Russian Olympic medalists are getting a handsome cash prize and a new luxury car.

Bulgaria Charges Russian With Embezzlement

Bulgarian prosecutors have charged controversial Russian-Lithuanian businessman Denis Yershov with embezzling $690,000 from the country’s second-largest...

Businesses Push Inclusive Employment for Bottom Line

Yury Sidorov was afraid he wouldn't find a job after he lost the use of his legs in a car accident five years ago.

Opposition Kicks Off Summer Road Rallies

The opposition has been on the move this summer, with activists shuffling from Pussy Riot pickets in Moscow to electioneering in the Ryazan region...

Investigator Removed From Hermitage Tax Case

Police have sacked the lead investigator in a high-profile tax-evasion case against Hermitage Capital CEO Bill Browder and the company’s late lawyer...

Vkontakte to Allow Same-Sex Relationships

In a small but symbolic victory for LGBT activists, Russia's most popular online social network, Vkontakte, will now allow members to indicate that...

Militant Claims Responsibility for Kazan Mufti Attack

An Islamist militant has claimed responsibility for attacks on two moderate Muslim leaders last month in the republic of Tatarstan, as regional investigators...

Nationalist Launches Latest Bid to Relocate Lenin

Vladimir Lenin may be dead, but the question of what to do with his corpse is still very much alive.

Harvard Scientist Found 5 Days After Going Missing

A missing Harvard scientist has been found in a Moscow region village.

Navalny Faces 10 Years for Timber Theft

Opposition leader Alexei Navalny compared himself to jailed former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky after prosecutors charged him with organizing the theft...

Investigators Tell Navalny to Return for 2nd Day of Questioning

Opposition leader Alexei Navalny said after meeting with investigators Monday that he had been asked to return for a second day of questioning and expected...

Q&A: Malykhina Earned First $1M After Year in U.S.

Even by the standards of today's young entrepreneurs, Marina Malykhina was precocious, earning her first $1 million by age 19.

Modesty Masks Fierce Olympic Hopes for Russian Team

The Olympic Games are perhaps the ultimate rebuttal to the old saying that "a game is just a game."

Think Tank Wants Arctic Ocean to Become 'Russian Ocean'

From the Indian Ocean to the Sea of Japan to the Gulf of Mexico, bodies of water are often named after a country that borders them. But not the Arctic...

Election Observers Condemn Local Vote

In a stinging rebuke to the authorities and United Russia, election observers said Monday that weekend municipal elections in a provincial town had...

Pussy Riot Detention Extended to 2013

A court extended into next year the detention of three women suspected of performing an anti-Putin song in a Moscow church, prompting condemnation...

U.S. Cultural Tip: Don't Wear a Speedo. Ever.

At a pre-departure orientation for high school students going to the U.S. on the FLEX program, the participating teens received a jarring crash course...

Without Russian Visa, Cuban Sails Baltic Sea for 2 Months

A Cuban man who spent 47 days in visa limbo on a Baltic Sea ferry has arrived on dry land after Russian border guards took pity and allowed him to disembark...

Political Opposition Sees Hope in a Small Ryazan Town

Saturday is wedding day in Kasimov, a crumbling provincial town 250 kilometers from Moscow. Precessions of honking cars make their way down Sovetskaya...

Ryazan Governor Resigns, But Vows to Vie for Post Again

Ryazan Governor Oleg Kovalyov resigned Wednesday, but was immediately appointed acting governor by President Vladimir Putin, and he pledged to run in an...

Duma Ratifies U.S. Adoptions Pact

Russian and U.S. officials hailed the State Duma's ratification Tuesday of a long-awaited treaty designed to protect children involved in international...

Pussy Riot Suspects to Remain in Jail

A Moscow court has refused to free three women accused of performing an anti-Kremlin song in Christ the Savior Cathedral from pretrial detention...

Duma to Consider Harsher Libel Penalties

Opposition activists and human rights defenders have condemned a new State Duma bill that would dramatically increase the punishment for defamation...

Duma Deputy Denounces Ban on U.S. Adoptions

A senior State Duma deputy has condemned as "unconstitutional" a new law in the Kemerovo region that bans Americans from adopting local children.

Pussy Riot Suspects Go on Hunger Strike

The three jailed punk rockers facing hoolganism charges went on hunger strike Wednesday to protest a Moscow court ruling that they must finish preparing...

Kremlin Allies Demand Navalny Inquiry

A leader of the Nashi youth group on Tuesday became the latest Kremlin ally to accuse opposition leader Alexei Navalny of graft and tax evasion.

Prokhorov Ally Targeted by Urals Police

An opposition leader believed to have caused a clash between the Kremlin and billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov has been targeted in a police inquiry that...

Purchase of Gudkov's Security Firm Denied

Ares, a private security firm in St. Petersburg, has denied buying the Oskord private security company from State Duma Deputy Gennady Gudkov.

Su-27s Grounded After Karelia Crash

The Air Force grounded its Su-27 fleet after a fighter jet crashed Thursday in a forest near Karelia’s Besovets airport, coincidentally not far from...

Fursenko Goes Back to School

Former education minister Andrei Fursenko has been tapped to head a new science and education advisory body in charge of long-term planning, signaling...

Navalny Fears State Hand in New Hacking Attack

Opposition leader Alexei Navalny has asked investigators to look into whether law enforcement officials helped hackers break into his e-mail and Twitter...

St. Pete's Architectural Heritage Under Threat

St. Petersburg's grand boulevards and classical facades seem timeless, yet the city's architectural heritage is vanishing at an alarming rate.

Alexeyeva Dumps Presidential Rights Council

One of the nation's most prominent human rights activists has resigned from the body after the Kremlin introduced a method of selecting members that...

High-Profile Activist Charged in May 6 Protest Violence

Moscow police filed criminal charges Thursday against a high-profile activist and hinted at further legal troubles for a pair of Duma deputies in the latest...

Shein Loses Astrakhan Election Challenge

Former Astrakhan mayoral candidate Oleg Shein, who has waged a noisy public campaign to overturn the results of the March 4 election he said he lost because...

Detentions, Searches Suggest Crackdown Accelerating

Authorities signaled that they are ready to follow through on increasingly forceful threats against the protest movement, with opposition leader Ilya Yashin...

Report: Russia Less Peaceful Than North Korea

North Korea might be an authoritarian state that harshly punishes dissent and operates gulag-like labor camps, but it’s more peaceful than Russia.

$1M Seized in Opposition Leaders’ Homes on Eve of Rally

Investigators seized at least 1 million euros worth of cash stuffed in dozens of envelopes during raids of apartments belonging to four leading opposition...

Putin Throws Down Gauntlet for Protesters

President Vladimir Putin signed into law Friday a controversial bill that dramatically raises fines on illegal protests.

Prokhorov Will Not Reveal Donors

Billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov's new Civil Platform Party, which aims to bring grassroots activists into power, will not reveal its sponsors.

Navalny's Funds Come Under Scrutiny

A United Russia parliamentarian has asked investigators to check opposition leader Alexei Navalny's Yandex.Money accounts for evidence of money laundering...

Newsmaker: Golodets Called Prokhorov's Stand-In

The highest-ranking woman in the new government spent eight years working for billionaire former presidential candidate Mikhail Prokhorov, sparking...

Anti-Kremlin Camp Running Out of Options

Following police raids and complaints from local residents, the future of an opposition encampment looked grim Thursday.

Occupy Camp on the Move After Police Move In

After days of speculation, riot police swooped in and dismantled the opposition's Occupy-style encampment in a central Moscow park early Wednesday...

Court Orders Protest Camp Dismantled

Responding to local residents’ complaints of filth and an unsafe environment for children, a Moscow court ordered police to do something about a protesters’...

City Denies Police Will Target Protester Camp

A senior city official denied Monday that plans were afoot to close an opposition protest camp on Chistiye Prudy, now in its sixth day.

Big-Name Writers Lead Protest Rally of 10,000

A week after bloody clashes between radical youths and riot police tarnished the first major protest rally in months, the moderate middle-class opposition...

An Opposition Stronghold at Chistiye Prudy

Liana, a 23-year-old copywriter, turned to the woman sprawled out beside her sleeping on the mat where they had spent the night.

In Snub to the West, Putin Will Skip G8 Forum

Forty-eight hours into his third term, President Vladimir Putin has backed out of a high-profile meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama and other G8...

Opposition Faces Decline or Radicalization

Hundreds of arrests and heavy rain showers couldn't stop the opposition from pulling off four days of round-the-clock protests against President Vladimir...

A Day-by-Day Look at This Week's Protests

As anti-Kremlin protests ended a fourth straight day Wednesday, demonstrators seemed to have proven that public anger is high enough to draw crowds...

Protesters Play Cat-and-Mouse With Police, Scores Detained

A day after the first violent clashes between police and demonstrators since rallies began in December, central Moscow on Monday became the focal...