Russia - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Latest Russia News

Russian Gay-Rights Group Fined

A gay-rights organization in St. Petersburg has been fined for refusing to register as "a foreign agent.'' More

Jailed opposition activist Leonid Razvozzhayev

Final Charges Presented To Razvozzhayev

Russian opposition activist Leonid Razvozzhayev has been presented with the final charges against him by investigators. More

Latvian Bank Fined For Money Laundering

A Latvian bank has been hit with the stiffest fine possible for involvement in money laundering connected to the case of the whistle-blowing Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky. More

Russian Rights Defender Fined

Prominent Russian human rights activist Svetlana Gannushkina has been fined for refusing to provide documents demanded by prosecutors. More

U.S., Russian Officials Meet Basescu

The director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, John Brennan, has met with Romanian President Traian Basescu in Bucharest. More

More Russia News

Latest Blog Posts

A poor-quality image of Chechen fighter Abdallah Shishani, reportedly killed in Syria in January 2013

How Many Chechens Are Fighting In Syria?

It is almost a year since the first reports surfaced that some Chechens, together with fighters from elsewhere in the Russian Federation, had joined the ranks of the armed opposition to Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad. While their numbers remain unclear, it seems that by no means all of them traveled to Syria directly from Chechnya. More

Aleksei Navalny was front and center at the June 12 opposition rally in Moscow.

Navalny's Game

Aleksei Navalny is on the ropes. But he is also on a roll. More

Blog Archive

Features & Commentary

Archaeological sites like the one at Bolgar have languished, unable to attract any but the most serious visitors.

Hopes Rise For Archaeological Revival In Tatarstan

For decades, archaeological investigations have languished in the central Russian region of Tatarstan. But a new research center at the ancient site of Bolgar has sparked optimism of new breakthroughs in the study of the region’s pre-Mongol civilization.

PHOTO GALLERY: Russia Marks 50th Anniversary Of First Woman In Space

The Textile Worker Who Kicked Off Half A Century Of Women In Space

Five decades ago, Soviet textile worker Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space.

A group of about 70 Russian-speaking Americans took to the streets for New York's gay-pride parade in 2012. Now, moves are afoot to ensure that this year's parade boasts the first-ever Russian and ex-Soviet float.

First-Ever Russian Float To Debut At New York Gay-Pride Parade

Gays and lesbians from Russia and other former Soviet republics will have their own float for the first time at New York City's famous pride parade this month. Organizers say their aim is to celebrate an openness that they never experienced back home, where gay rights continue to erode.

Garry Kasparov: Out Of The Country, But Not Out Of The Picture

Russian chess grandmaster and opposition activist Garry Kasparov announced earlier this month that he intends to remain outside of Russia for the foreseeable future because he fears a politically motivated prosecution. But that does not mean he intends to back away from his opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (right) and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a news conference in Istanbul in 2012. Can the protests in Turkey be compared to those in Moscow last year?

'Turkey's Putin' Faces His Toughest Challenge Yet

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has earned a reputation as "Turkey's Vladimir Putin." Now with nationwide protests threatening the system he created, it is beginning to look as if Russian-style "managed democracy" is not the right model for Turkey.

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.