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Articles by Lukas I. Alpert

In the Town of Klin, the Holiday Spirit Lasts All Year

It feels a bit like Christmas all year round in this cheerful town just two hours northeast of Moscow.

Prominent Businessman Shot Near FSB Headquarters

A prominent business leader was shot and wounded by three masked men in the heart of Moscow on Friday — just steps away from FSB headquarters.

N.Y. Firefighters Score a Moscow ‘Miracle on Ice’

It may not have been as momentous a victory as the legendary "Miracle on Ice," but for a group of New York City firefighters it was just as satisfying...

Bookmakers Say Odds Are on a Putin Victory

In the world of gambling, Russia's presidential election is turning into a sucker's bet.

U.S. Visa Deal Hits a Snag in New Duma

The timeline for final ratification of the much-anticipated visa agreement with the United States has been put into doubt by new political realities...

Lugovoi Declared Poison Victim, Too

In a strange twist Wednesday, the Investigative Committee announced that the lead suspect in the bizarre polonium poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko in...

Expats, Officials Fume Over Tariffs

A head of state rarely throws up his arms in frustration over a minor tariff issue. But President Dmitry Medvedev nearly blew his top when questioned about...

American's Odd Tale of Love Lost in Ukraine

Many come to the East following a dream, but some — like Cary Dolego — get seriously lost along the way. The 53-year-old came to Ukraine looking...

Moscow Fumes as Pilot Jailed

Straining relations between Russia and Tajikistan, a Tajik court ended a puzzling trial Tuesday by sentencing a Russian pilot to a lengthy 8 1/2-year...

Medvedev Drives Car in Secret

He is president by day, concerned motorist by night.

3 Russians Vie to Be 7 Billionth Person

The global population officially topped 7 billion on Monday, and a worldwide fight immediately erupted over which lucky baby was the first to reach...

11 Jailed in 2 Trials Tied to Riots

Two city courts have simultaneously jailed radical activists accused of participating in December's race riots on Manezh Square and North Caucasus natives...

Bolshoi Theater to Reopen After Restoration

The Bolshoi Theater reopens to the world Friday following a six-year, scandal-plagued renovation that has returned the cultural icon to its original...

Cigarette Fire Causes Metro Disruption

A fire started by a carelessly discarded cigarette brought metro service to a standstill on the green line Wednesday morning, forcing more than 500...

Data on 1.6 Million MTS Users Leaked

Personal data of 1.6 million mobile phone users appeared online in the second such leak in three months, government regulators acknowledged Tuesday...

Luxury Clinic Sued After Expat Left Blinded in One Eye

When Alyona Kojevnikov slipped on ice and hit her head last winter, her first instinct was to go to a posh private clinic to make sure she was all...

Occupy Wall Street Protests Find Little Resonance in Moscow

They've swarmed the streets of New York, spread to cities across America and erupted in fury in European capitals, but the Occupy Wall Street protests...

Cops Who Injured Cyclist Were Intoxicated

Two Moscow cops who struck and injured a teenage cyclist with their service car over the weekend while on duty were drunk, city police said Monday...

People’s Front Demands an Overhaul of Criminal Code

A senior official with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's All-Russia People's Front said Thursday that the country's Criminal Code should be rewritten from top...

News Analysis: Ukraine Pushed Toward Russia’s Arms

Ukraine's foreign minister insisted Wednesday that the conviction of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko would have no affect on relations with the West...

Echoes of Magnitsky In Principal’s Death

Investigators announced Tuesday that a criminal inquiry has been opened into the death of a Moscow school principal awaiting trial on corruption charges...

Suicide Costs Russia Equivalent of Large City

An alarmingly high suicide rate in Russia has cost the country the equivalent in population of a large metropolis since the Soviet collapse.