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opinion Justin Lifflander

There’s a Glimmer of Hope in U.S.-Russia Relations (Op-ed)

The world is looking to Russia and America for a new kind of INF Treaty

'Russian Lessons for Reagan' Launch at Gorbachev Foundation Reunites Old Friends

The Russian language version of Suzanne Massie’s book brought together a multi-generational club of peace-makers and optimists

Things Ain’t the Way They Used to Be

Business in Russia today may be more stable, but it is not as much fun for foreigners

opinion Justin Lifflander

Whatever it Takes to Remember Holocaust, Even an Ice-Skating Routine

To me, most art is like music was to Louis Armstrong: it’s either good or bad. In Russia, ice dancing is an art-form no less respectable than others...

Russia Invaded By Clowns

A platoon of amateur clowns descended on Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on Sunday to kick off the 32nd annual Patch Adams humanitarian clowning tour of...

Got a Diplomatic Dilemma? Send in the Clowns

While some potential visitors have crossed Russia off their list, a group of humanitarian clowns still regards the country as an ideal destination...

Despite Economic Woes, the Book Fair is Bigger Than Ever

Other countries have book fairs where publishers come to do business. The 17th International Book Fair for High-Quality Fiction and Non-Fiction —...

Patch Adams and His Clowns Bring Health and Humor to Armenia

One Russian philanthropist has just completed the trial run of a unique investment vehicle: a bus filled with clowns.

opinion Justin Lifflander

What I'd Like to See at Next Year's Victory Day

Though some observers might find themselves overwhelmed by the flow of enthusiasm in honor of the 70th anniversary of Russia's victory over Nazi Germany...

opinion Justin Lifflander

The Curious Incident of the Cat and the Missile

Twenty-five years ago last week a nondescript railcar rolled away from the Votkinsk Machine Building Factory in the Ural Mountains.

10 Unlikely Candidates to Replace Michael McFaul (Photo Essay)

U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul by his own admission failed to quell a tide of anti-Americanism during his two-year stint in Russia, and last week...

Q&A: Matlock, Reagan's Soviet Teacher, Never Stops Learning

Career diplomat Jack Matlock has befriended many world leaders, but perhaps none taught him a more important lesson than U.S. President Ronald Reagan...

Q&A: Tele2's Jere Calmes Matures Along With the Market

The adage about success being the fruit of hard work and good luck, attributed to the likes of Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Goldwyn and a host of sporting...

10 Tips for a Free Snowden (Photo Essay)

Now that U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden is a genuine expat, free to roam Russia's capital while he figures out his next move, here is a list...

Thom Moore's Irish Ballads From Russian Heart

Thom Moore is another proof point that you can leave Russia, but it never quite leaves you.

U.S. Tourists and Medvedev's Staff Mingle in Cuba

Should Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev stop by the venerable Hotel Nacional during his visit to Havana this week, he might take note of an ironic composition...

Q&A: 25 Years On, Gorbachev Recalls Nuclear Milestone

Mikhail Gorbachev regrets the Soviet Union's deployment of hundreds of SS-20 intermediate-range nuclear missiles at bases in Eastern Europe and Western...

How 2 Cold War Foes Implemented the INF Treaty

Thirty Soviet inspectors moved to Utah in June 1988 to watch the gates of the Hercules plant, which manufactured Pershing II intermediate-range missiles...

U.S. Senate Passes Combined Rights and Trade Bill

American business leaders rejoiced while Russian officials fumed at the expected news that the United States Senate had passed the combined human-rights-trade...

Rostelecom President's House Searched

Officers from the Interior Ministry’s investigative department searched the suburban home of Rostelecom’s president Alexander Provotorov and the residence...

Q&A: Media Mogul Peter Gerwe Keeps Earning and Learning

Gerwe, currently head of Sistema's media empire, built one of Russia's first FM radio stations and first private TV network using out-of-the-box thinking...

Q&A: Kremlinologist's Russian Skills, Preserved in Alcohol

Every April for the past 17 years, former U.S. soldier Igor Belousovitch has gone to Arlington National Cemetery at the invitation of the Russian Embassy...

Q&A: Success of 'Angry Birds' Hatched in Soviet Nest

Finding Peter Vesterbacka in a crowd isn't hard. It's not just that he's the one not wearing a suit … anymore. His bright-red hooded sweatshirt is adorned...

Cuban Cigar Paying Homage to Local Tastes

In addition to pizza with mashed potato topping and caviar-flavored potato chips, Russian consumers will now have a Cuban cigar especially designed...

Mobile Operators Ready to Handle New Year's Eve Jams

Even the airwaves have traffic jams in Moscow, at least on New Year’s Eve, but congratulating your family and friends while celebrating the arrival of...

U.S. Businesses Seek Gains in WTO Entry

With Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization looking likely sometime next year, companies are now starting to contemplate the opportunities...

U.S. Takes Close Look At J-1 Visas

The process by which Russian students get summer work visas to the United States will be improved and tightened in an effort to eliminate criminal abuse...

Cigar Smoking Survives and Thrives

Imports of handmade cigars should return to pre-crisis levels in 2012 after falling by nearly half last year, Russia's exclusive importer of Cuban cigars...

Laughter, the Best Medicine With Patch Adams

American doctor and clown Hunter “Patch” Adams is back in Moscow, with a troupe of 32 clowns from North America and Europe who will visit orphanages...

E-Government Needs $2.6Bln For Services

The Communications and Press Ministry is seeking 80 billion rubles ($2.6 billion) next year to help government agencies deploy systems that will let citizens...

4G Business Model Poses Questions

There will be a race for high-speed broadband mobile Internet, starting when the government issues the rights to use new radio frequencies. But, operators...