Russians Facing Tidal Wave of Proposed Anti-Gay Laws
Stockbyte/Thinkstock(ST. PETERSBURG, Russia) — Just a few months ago Sasha Semanova and her fellow activists thought they had turned the corner in their fight for gay rights in Russia, but now they are facing an avalanche of proposed laws that they be…
Russian Leaders Do Some Role Swapping
Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images(MOSCOW) — Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is getting ready to assume the presidency again on May 7 after having previously held that position.The current president, Dmitry Medvedev, isn’t exactly heading for retirement. …
Russian Cyber Criminals Rake in Billions
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(MOSCOW) — They say crime doesn’t pay, but for Russian-speaking cyber criminals it has paid very, very well.According to a new report, they raked in over $4 billion in 2011 — nearly a third of the $12.5 billion global cybe…
The Real-Life Ukrainian Barbie Doll
Facebook(NEW YORK) — With a teeny waist, disproportionately large breasts and wide, icy-blue eyes, 21-year-old Valeria Lukyanova says she is the real natural deal. A real-life Barbie, that is.That’s what she claims anyway. Many are crying foul t…
Adopted Russian Boy Rejected By US Mom Adjusts in Foster Care
ABC News(TOMILINO, Russia) — Artyom Saleviev’s mischievous grin quickly fades when asked about the five months he spent in the United States.“I do not want to talk about this,” he said quietly, as he looked down at the floor. Asked i…
Russia Accuses Neighbor of Pig Sabotage
Jupiterimages/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — A top Russian health official has accused neighboring Georgia of launching a devastating biological war… against Russian pigs.Gennady Onishchenko, the Kremlin’s chief “sanitary doctor,” said tha…
Russia Slams US Over ‘Merchant of Death’ Sentencing
U.S. Department of Justice via Getty Images(MOSCOW) — The Russian government blasted the United States on Friday for its “unjustified” decision to sentence Viktor Bout, the infamous international arms dealer, called the “Merchant of Death” by some, to…
Russia Warns Against Arming Syrian Opposition
Alessio Romenzi/AFP/Getty Images(MOSCOW) — Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that he plans to meet with representatives from both sides of the conflict in Syria over the coming days to discuss the implementation of Kofi Anna…
Russian Fem Spy Spooked US, But It Wasn’t Anna Chapman
Secretary Clinton: Spy ring target? State Department photo(WASHINGTON) — A female Russian agent got “close enough” to a sitting U.S. cabinet member that the FBI felt they had to swoop in and arrest the lot — but it wasn’t the famous femme fatale Anna…
School of Ice Fishermen Rescued in Russia
File photo/ Ron Chapple Studios/Thinkstock(MOSCOW) — Over the weekend a group of about 675 fishermen off the coast of the island of Sakhalin, in far eastern Russia, were hoping to drop a line through the ice for one last time this season when the mass…
Thirty-Two People Killed in Passenger Plane Crash in Siberia
Medioimages/Photodisc/Thinkstock(MOSCOW) — A passenger plane crashed in Siberia early Monday morning, killing dozens of people and severely injuring the few who survived.UTair flight 120 went down just minutes after taking off from Tyumen en route to …
US Envoy in Moscow: ‘Impossible’ to Prevent Politics from Derailing Diplomacy
Asst. Secy. Rose E. Gottemoeller. State Dept photo(MOSCOW) — A top U.S. envoy Friday dismissed claims that Russia was the United States’ greatest adversary and instead painted Moscow as a complex, but essential partner on a range of issues.&ldq…
Former KGB Chief Found Dead in Moscow, Police Say
Creatas/Thinkstock(MOSCOW) — Russian police confirmed Friday that former KGB chief Leonid Shebarshin was found dead of apparent suicide in his apartment in Moscow, Russian news agency Interfax has reported.The 77-year-old former head of Soviet foreign…
Obama’s Hot Mic Moment Turned ’007′ Movie Spoof
Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — American Crossroads, the pro-Republican super PAC co-founded by Karl Rove, is likening President Obama to a rogue James Bond in a new spoof video that seizes upon his hot mic moment with Russian President Dmi…
US Ambassador to Russia Suggests His Emails Hacked, Phone Tapped
Anton Belitsky/Epsilon/Getty Images(MOSCOW) — Michael McFaul, the U.S. ambassador to Russia, suggested his emails were being hacked and his phone tapped after he was confronted by a Russian TV news crew as he arrived at a meeting that he had not publi…
Russia Won’t Attend Friends of Syria Meeting
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(MOSCOW) — Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said its representatives would not attend an international Friends of Syria gathering in Turkey this weekend that will discuss how to end the violence in Syria, including poss…
Russian President Says Mitt Romney Is Stuck in Cold War
Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images(SEOUL) — Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has accused Mitt Romney of being stuck in the Cold War, after the Republican presidential candidate said Russia was the United States’ “number one geopolitical foe.&rd…
White House Dings Romney for Saying Russia Is Top Geopolitical Foe
KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images(SEOUL, South Korea) — White House press secretary Jay Carney on Tuesday took issue with comments from Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney stating that Russia was America’s “number one geopolitical fo…
Obama’s Russian Comments ‘Destructive of American Interests,’ Gingrich Says
Richard Ellis/Getty Images(WILMINGTON, Del.) — Newt Gingrich, the first candidate to campaign in Delaware, on Monday night pushed his $2.50-per-gallon-of-gas energy plan and jabbed President Obama about comments caught on an open microphone with outgo…
Mitt Romney Says Russia Is No. 1 Geopolitical Foe
Bill Clark/Roll Call(SAN DIEGO) — Mitt Romney said Monday that Russia — not Iran or North Korea — is the United States’ “number-one geopolitical foe,” adding that Russia “always stands up for the world’s worst actors.&r…