Russia Digs In Its Heels against Syria Intervention
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(MOSCOW) — Any hope in Western capitals that Russia might be willing to sever ties with President Bashar Assad and perhaps even support international intervention in Syria following the Houla massacre may be quickly fading away.P…
Twitter War Rages On Between Russia and US Ambassador
SAEED KHAN/AFP/Getty Images(MOSCOW) — The Twitter war between the Russian Foreign Ministry and U.S. Ambassador in Moscow Michael McFaul has flared up again after the ministry said it was “utterly shocked” by a presentation the U.S. envoy g…
Russia Says Syrian Regime ‘Bears Main Responsibility’ for Bloodshed
ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/Getty Images(MOSCOW) — Russia, the most steadfast ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, on Monday joined the international condemnation of last week’s brutal massacre of more than 100 people, most of whom were …
Gay Activists Detained While Demanding Right to Hold Parade
Creatas/Thinkstock(MOSCOW) — About 40 gay activists were detained by police in Moscow Sunday while trying to demand their right to hold a gay pride parade, according to organizers of the march.Russian authorities have repeatedly denied gays the right…
Vladimir Putin’s Decreasing Popularity May Be Irreversible: Poll
Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images(MOSCOW) — An independent Russian polling group says President Vladimir Putin’s decreasing popularity may be irreversible.Putin remains Russia’s most popular politician, but the independent Levada Center released a report o…
Kalashnikov Clothing? Rifle Maker Considers Expanding to Fashion
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(MOSCOW) — Looking to expand your summer wardrobe? Well, the makers of the AK-47 assault rifle think they may have something in your size. The owners of the Kalashnikov say their brand may be worth $10 billion, and they’re …
Twitter File Suggests Obama’s Inauguration More Fun Than Putin’s
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(MOSCOW) — A video on YouTube comparing President Obama’s inauguration with that of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s on Monday is making the rounds on Twitter in Russia. So far it has been viewed nearly 44,000 times…
Russia Says It Foiled Sochi Olympics Terror Plot
Ryan McVay/Digital Vision/Thinkstock(MOSCOW) — Russian authorities said on Thursday they have foiled a terror plot targeting the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.Ten weapons caches, which included anti-aircraft missiles capable of taking down low-fl…
Wreckage of Russian Commercial Jet Found in Indonesia
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(JAKARTA, Indonesia) — Russia’s struggling aviation industry was delivered a severe setback on Wednesday when its new Sukhoi Superjet-100 disappeared on a test flight over the mountains in western Indonesia.Wreckage of the plane …
Russia’s Putin Tells Obama He’ll Skip G8 Summit
ALEXEY DRUZHININ/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Russian President Vladimir Putin told President Barack Obama on Wednesday that he will be skipping next week’s high-stakes G8 economic summit and sending Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in his place, the …
Russian Jet Missing After Falling Off Radar in Indonesia
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(MOSCOW) — Authorities fear a Russian passenger jet has crashed in Indonesia after it fell off radar screens while it was on a test flight near Jakarta.The Sukhoi Superjet-100 was carrying at least 44 people and vanished from det…
Anonymous Attacks Kremlin Website After Putin’s Inauguration
JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK/AFP/Getty Images(MOSCOW) — The hacker group Anonymous has struck again, this time targeting the Kremlin’s website just days after Vladimir Putin’s inauguration.The site Kremlin.ru was down for about an hour on Wednesday. An…
Occupy Moscow? Anti-Putin Protests Continue
Police detain an opposition supporter during a rally in Moscow on May 6. (ANDREY SMIRNOV/AFP/Getty Images)(MOSCOW) — Hundreds of young people camped out in a square in central Moscow on Monday night, defying riot police who have detained more than 700…
Occupy Moscow? Anti-Putin Protests Continue
Police detain an opposition supporter during a rally in Moscow on May 6. (ANDREY SMIRNOV/AFP/Getty Images)(MOSCOW) — Hundreds of young people camped out in a square in central Moscow on Monday night, defying riot police who have detained more than 700…
Vladimir Putin Sworn in for Third Term as Russia’s President
Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images(MOSCOW) — Vladimir Putin returned to the Kremlin, where he was sworn in for a third term as Russia’s president.In the opulent, gold-covered St. George’s hall, Putin took the oath of office on Monday and deliver…
Anti-Putin Protesters Clash with Riot Police in Largest Rally Since December
ANDREY SMIRNOV/AFP/GettyImages(MOSCOW) — Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets Moscow on Sunday, the eve of President-elect Vladimir Putin’s inauguration, in the largest and most confrontational protest since December.By the end of…
Russian Opposition Plans Anti-Putin ‘March of Millions’
NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP/GettyImages(NEW YORK) — Opponents of Russian President-elect Vladimir Putin are planning to hold another large protest in central Moscow on Sunday, the eve of his inauguration.The plan calls for protesters to march down a main …
Video of Moscow Parking Brawl Goes Viral
Creatas/Thinkstock(MOSCOW) — Video of an expletive-laden brawl over illegal parking in central Moscow went viral on YouTube where it has been viewed over two million times since it was posted on Tuesday.The video shows members of a pro-Kremlin youth g…
Putin and Medvedev Lead May Day Parade, Grab a Beer
DMITRY ASTAKHOV/AFP/GettyImages(MOSCOW) — Russian President-elect Vladimir Putin and his protégé, outgoing President Dmitry Medvedev, apparently worked up quite a thirst after leading over 100,000 people in a May Day march down a main av…
Russians, Scandinavians Top ‘Atlas of Breast Cup Sizes’
Stockbyte/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Relax, all you data-hungry world travelers. At last there’s a guide to the countries with the biggest breasts. German newspaper Bild has published a World Map of Breasts, a color-coded plan showing how women arou…