Russia - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Latest Russia News

In Russia, Drunk Driver Who Killed Seven Jailed

A Russian drunk driver who triggered nationwide debate after killing seven people, including five orphan children, in a road accident last year has been sentenced to prison. More

Jailed Pussy Riot member Maria Alyokhina

Pussy Riot Member Starts Hunger Strike

A parole hearing in the Russian town of Berezniki has been adjourned until May 23 after a jailed member of the all-female opposition group Pussy Riot refused to continue taking part via video-link. More

The governor of Kirov Oblast Nikita Belykh arrives for a court hearing on the Navalny case on may 22.

Governor Casts Doubt On Navalny Case

The governor of Russia's Kirov Oblast has cast doubt on embezzlement charges against opposition leader and anticorruption blogger Aleksei Navalny. More

Moscow Says Top Islamist Militant Killed

Moscow has announced it has killed an alleged ally of one of Russia's most-wanted insurgents. More

Anna Politkovskaya in a 2006 photo during a visit to RFE/RL's Moscow bureau

Politkovskaya Case To Be Tried Again

The case of the 2006 killing of Russia's prominent investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya is set to be tried again in court. More

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Latest Blog Posts

Acting Daghestan leader Ramazan Abdulatipov in the People

Makhachkala Bombing Highlights Daghestani Leader's Herculean Task

Ramazan Abdulatipov, whom Russian President Vladimir Putin named acting president of Daghestan in late January, has wasted no time in identifying his priorities. More

Hurley Hangs With Kadyrov In Grozny

For months now, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has been treating his numerous social media followers to a blow-by-blow account of his life. Besides posting posting pictures of mundane activities such as a trip to the dentist, Kadyrov has used the Instagram photo-sharing service to display images of him hanging out in a bathrobe with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and chatting with French actor and tax exile Gerard Depardieu. Now he has added another luminary to his collection of pix. More

Blog Archive

Features & Commentary

Amnesty International says abusive governments can no longer use the issue of sovereignty to justify their actions.

Amnesty Report Notes Worldwide Abuses, As Well As Courage Of Activists

In a new report, the global rights group Amnesty International documents abuses in 159 countries and territories that it says were "inflicted by those in power on those who stand in the way of their vested interests."

Prosecutors have "brought us to the brink of sanctions on the one hand and are undermining our authority and business reputation on the other," says Levada

Levada Center, Russia’s Most Respected Pollster, Fears Closure

The director of the independent Levada Center says the polling organization could be forced to close down after Russian prosecutors warned that it must register as a "foreign agent."

The Alley of Russian Poets is the brainchild of Uli Zislin, a Russian-born poetry collector and songwriter.

A Walk Down Washington's Alley Of Russian Poets

In a corner of a park in the U.S. capital lies an unexpected memorial to some of Russia's greatest writers. Washington's Alley of Russian Poets, a short path lined with trees and plaques, recently celebrated its 10th anniversary.

Gazprom employees at the launch of production at the Bovanenkovskoye gas field in the far northern Yamal-Nenets Region in October 2012

At 20, Russia's Gazprom Struggles To Stay Dominant

After two decades as Russia's marquee company, is Gazprom losing its mojo? A changing energy market and emergence of new energy sources is challenging the company's longtime dominance.

Dzokhar (left) and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, suspected of carrying out the Boston Marathon bombings, in a handout photo released through the FBI website days after the April 15 attack.

FBI Probes Exiled Chechen Rebel For Link To Bombing Suspect

The FBI has been investigating a former Chechen rebel fighter over his association with one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

U.S. Photographer Travels The 'White Road'

"White road" -- the words offered to travelers throughout much of Central Asia as they embark upon a journey. American Ivan Sigal, 43, was bid "white road" countless times between 1998 and 2005, as he and his camera crisscrossed the steppe. He knew the region well, having worked for years to help design and establish local media outlets in the former Soviet Union and Afghanistan. Thousands of photos later, the result is an ambitious project of the same name, as black-and-white images from the Central Asian republics, Russia, and Afghanistan are coupled with a travelogue written in stream-of-consciousness style. The viewer finds scenes of joy, scenes of gloom, and the shades in between that make this presentation of the region, as least as far as Sigal is concerned, a metaphor "about living." (12 PHOTOS)

A Day In The Life Of An Adoptive Family

Ileshea and Arthur Stowe adopted Mishka, an orphan from Vladivostok in the Russian Far East, four years ago. Mishka is now 5 years old and lives with his parents and their two other children, 11-year-old Mary Claire and 9-year-old Michael, in Maine. Families like the Stowes have been thrust into the spotlight in recent months as Russia imposed a ban on the adoption of Russian children by U.S. citizens, effective from the beginning of the year. RFE/RL's Russian Service asked Ileshea Stowe to describe an ordinary day with Mishka.

Soviet Tourism Posters Of The 1930s

Intourist, the Soviet travel agency, was established in 1929 to attract foreign visitors to the U.S.S.R. Using the classic elements of early communist graphic design, Intourist managed to entice tens of thousands of foreigners (many from the United States) to special tourist sites set up for them in the Soviet Union.

Russian Orphan Joins U.S. Family Amid Adoption Ban

Denis, a 3-year-old Russian boy, has joined his new adoptive parents from the United States. He is one of the last Russian orphans to go to an American family after a new law banning U.S. adoptions was signed by President Vladimir Putin.

About RFE/RL's Russian Service

RFE/RL's Radio Svoboda is the leading international broadcaster in Russia. As Russia witnesses increasing control of the media by state authorities, Radio Svoboda has become a key forum for those who lack access to other means of free expression.