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Sunday, May 19, 2013

Latest Russia News

A woman in Moscow holds a portrait of Mikhail Khodorkovsky to mark his continued imprisonment on his birthday in June 2012.

Supreme Court To Hear Khodorkovsky Appeal

Russia's Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal against the second conviction of jailed former oil tycoon and Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky. More

Russian Film Director Balabanov Dead At 54

Russian film director Aleksei Balabanov, whose films include the 1997 crime film "Brother" (Brat) and its sequel, "Brother-2," died after collapsing from an apparent heart attack in the village of Solnechnoye outside St. Petersburg. More

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel (left) and General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff

U.S. Criticizes Russia On Missiles To Syria

The United States supports Syria’s rebels and has demanded the exit of the Assad regime. More

Aleksandr Litvinenko's widow, Marina, who has battled for a full public inquest into her husband's death, leaves the High Court in London in March.

U.K. Ruling Puts Litvinenko Inquest In Doubt

A British coroner has ruled that he could not hear evidence about the alleged role of the Russian state in the killing of Aleksandr Litvinenko. More

Navalny's Father Summoned To Investigative Committee

The father of Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny has been summoned to appear before federal investigators. More

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Latest Blog Posts

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (left) chairs a meeting of the Government Commission on Social and Economic Development of the North Caucasian Federal District in Grozny in June 2012, flanked by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, Ingushetia head Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, and Daghestan

Two North Caucasus Republics Set Election Precedent

In line with a recent amendment to last year's law reintroducing direct elections for the heads of Russia's 83 federation subjects, the Daghestani and Ingushetian parliaments have voted overwhelmingly for an alternative option. Will others follow suit? More

Podcast: Cracking Surkov’s Hall Of Mirrors

Did the gray cardinal of the Kremlin jump ship? Was he pushed? And what are the implications of Vladislav Surkov’s exit from the halls of power? More

Blog Archive

Features & Commentary

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.

A map showing the rights of homosexuals around the world (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Interview: In 78 Countries, 'Blind Hatred' Persists Against Homosexuals

What is the state of LGBT rights in the world today? To mark International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) has released a map charting the rights of homosexuals around the world. The co-secretary general of ILGA, Renato Sabbadini, spoke to RFE/RL's Claire Bigg.

'In Prison, He'd Still Be Alive': Anticorruption Video Goes Viral In Russia

A former prisoner, newly freed because of bribes, is gunned down in the street. The message: "In prison, he'd still be alive." It's all in the name of fighting corruption in Russia's republic of Daghestan.

Young people at the private club Malevich in St. Petersburg in February.

St. Petersburg LGBT Activists Test 'Propaganda Law' With Tolerance Event

Gay and transgender activists in St. Petersburg are planning a small rally on May 17 despite the city's notorious law banning so-called "homosexual propaganda." It comes with authorities in the Russian capital, Moscow, holding out against a similar event there.

A man in Moscow looks at a computer screen displaying a photo published by the Russian state English-language RT website, which shows Ryan Christopher Fogle being detained by the Federal Security Service in Moscow.

Ex-Soviet Intelligence Officer Calls CIA Spy Case 'Badly Staged Comedy'

Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on May 14 that it had detained a U.S. diplomat in Moscow for allegedly trying to recruit a Russian counterterrorism officer. The incident is one of the strangest spy scandals involving Russia in recent memory. But Boris Volodarsky, a veteran of Russia's GRU military intelligence service now based in London, believes the case was entirely fabricated. He spoke to RFE/RL’s Claire Bigg.

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.