Russia

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Medvedev Rips 'Provocateurs, Extremists'

President offers some reforms, but opposition says not enough

(Newser) - Outgoing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev used his final state-of-the-nation address today to offer reforms in the wake of the massive protests and upheaval that have gripped the country since the Dec. 4 parliamentary elections , but he also railed against the "provocateurs and extremists" who threaten stability, reports the AP...

53 Feared Dead in Russian Oil Rig Disaster

Huge wave sank platform as it was being towed

(Newser) - Up to 53 people are believed to have perished in icy waters north of Russia's Sakhalin Island after an oil rig sank while it was being towed. Seven of the 67 people who were on board have been confirmed dead. Fourteen others were plucked from the water alive immediately...

15 to Attempt Daring Climb of K2

K2 has never been conquered in the winter

(Newser) - A Russian team of mountain climbers is undertaking an expedition that no human has ever accomplished—scaling K2 ... during winter. The 15 adventurers will face temperatures colder than 50 below zero and ferocious 40mph winds in an attempt to ascend the second-highest peak in the world, which lies on the...

Russia Finally a WTO Member
 Russia Finally a WTO Member 
Dec 16, 2011 1:28 PM CST

Russia Finally a WTO Member

Move could boost Russian, European economies

(Newser) - Russia finally got its secret decoder ring for the World Trade Organization today, ending an 18-year quest for admittance. The vote is likely to provide a boost for both Russia's economy and that of its top trading partner, the European Union, the AP predicts, with the latter potentially boosting...

Russia Catches Iranian With Radioactive Metal

He was trying to board a plane to Tehran

(Newser) - Russian custom agents have seized 18 pieces of radioactive metal from an Iranian man who was trying to board a flight to Tehran, the customs agency announced today. The incident occurred sometime in the past—the agency didn't specify when—at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport. The man's luggage...

Putin Slaps West, Denies New Elections

Also says McCain 'nuts', protesters wearing condoms

(Newser) - Protesters be damned, Vladimir Putin outright rejected calls for new elections today in a marathon appearance on a call-in show. Instead, notes the AP , he continued to place the blame for the widespread protests on the West's "well-organized pattern of destabilizing society," adding that they "still...

Russia Wildly Exaggerates Crowds at Pro-Putin Rally

Authorities say 25K; media put it at 5K or fewer

(Newser) - Authorities said 25,000 people attended a pro-Putin rally yesterday in Russia, but the real number was "not even close" to that amount, reports the New York Times —and many of the attendees weren't there of their own free will. "Apparently it’s our duty. We’...

Nets Owner to Run Against Putin

But Mikhail Prokhorov says he won't attack him too vociferously

(Newser) - Eccentric Russian billionaire and New Jersey Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov has his eye on a new prize: He wants to be president of Russia, he announced today. "This is the most important decision of my life," he said at a news conference, according to Bloomberg . Prokorov promised to...

Kremlin Tries to Calm Protesters

Medvedev writes conciliatory note on Facebook

(Newser) - Russian leaders are swiftly trying to ease tensions over national elections that have sparked massive demonstrations in Moscow and around Russia, the Guardian reports. "We respect the point of view of the protesters," said a rep from Prime Minister Putin's office. "We will continue to listen...

Thousands Protest Russia Vote Results
 Thousands Protest 
 Russia Vote Results 
UPDATED
Dec 10, 2011 9:52 AM CST

Thousands Protest Russia Vote Results

Police give rare permission for mass rally in Moscow

(Newser) - Tens of thousands of Muscovites thronged to a square across the river from the Kremlin today to protest alleged electoral fraud and urge an end to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's rule. The demands were repeated at other rallies across the country in the largest public show of discontent in...

Ruckus Erupts After Raunchy Medvedev Tweet

Prez allegedly called jailed activist a 'sheep' with an affinity for...

(Newser) - Well, this isn't very presidential: Dmitry Medvedev appeared to retweet a disparaging remark against jailed opposition activist Alexei Navalny shortly after riot police stopped a second post-election protest Tuesday night. "Today it became clear that a person who writes in their blog the words 'party of crooks...

Putin Blames Protests on ... Hillary Clinton

He accuses US State Department of being behind the demonstrations

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton is the secret mastermind behind the post-election protests roiling through Moscow and St. Petersburg, Vladimir Putin alleged today, in his first public comments on the unrest. "She sent a signal to some activists in the country," Putin told supporters, according to the Telegraph . "They got...

As Russia Erupts, Gorbachev Steps In

More rallies expected for today

(Newser) - Mikhail Gorbachev is stepping into the fray, and urging Russian authorities to annul the results of Sunday's scandal-ridden elections and hold a new vote. His voice is joined by those of thousands of Russians who have taken to the streets of Moscow and St. Petersburg since Monday, and Gorbachev...

Russia Now World's Most Dangerous Nation to Fly

Series of deadly crashes blamed on lax regulation

(Newser) - Russia is now, mile for mile, the deadliest place in the world to fly, the Wall Street Journal finds. Nine fatal crashes—including one that killed an entire professional hockey team —have claimed a total of 140 lives. While eight of the crashes involved old Soviet-era aircraft, experts say...

Russia Jails Protest Leaders
 Russia Jails Protest Leaders 
Dec 6, 2011 9:34 AM CST

Russia Jails Protest Leaders

But more demonstrations planned for tonight

(Newser) - Two notable opposition figures have been charged with crimes relating to yesterday’s massive election protest in Moscow—even as angry Russians plan for more protests tonight. Ilya Yashin, the leader of the Solidarity movement, was convicted by a judge today of organizing an unauthorized rally and disobeying police orders,...

Thousands Protest Putin in Moscow

 Thousands Protest 
 Putin in Moscow 
ELECTIONS FALLOUT
Dec 5, 2011 2:13 PM CST

Thousands Protest Putin in Moscow

They say he stuffed the ballot box

(Newser) - Somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 people poured into the streets of Moscow today chanting things like “Russia without Putin!” to protest the prime minister’s allegedly rigged victory in the weekend’s election. Police detained an as-yet-unknown number of demonstrators, including several hundred who were marching...

Putin's Party Walloped in Russian Vote

May lose majority in parliament

(Newser) - Vladimir Putin's grand plans to be Russia's next president may have hit a snag: The PM's United Russia party suffered a major setback in parliamentary elections held today, reports Reuters , securing only 48.5% of the vote amid allegations of widespread voter fraud. That marks a significant...

Putin Officially Running for Prez

United Russia party nominates him to run in March elections

(Newser) - Vladimir Putin has decided that he'd like to be Russia's top dog again, so his United Russia party today obliged him by formally nominating him to run for president in March's elections. Pooty-poot, who has relegated himself to the No. 2 prime minister job since 2008, has...

Russian Newscaster Seems to Flip Off Obama On-Air

Not so, says the station: But it still fired her

(Newser) - Some things need no translation: A Russian newscaster has been fired after she raised her middle finger while mentioning Barack Obama in a news item, reports the Telegraph . The privately owned REN TV called the on-air move by Tatyana Limanova "unacceptable." The channel, though, added that Limanova was...

Russia Threatens to Aim Missiles at NATO Shield

Medvedev also says he'll back out of the START treaty

(Newser) - Russia is once again making noise about NATO's plans to build a missile defense system in Eastern Europe. Dmitry Medvedev warned that Russia would deploy new missiles and aim them at the shield installations today, in a harshly-worded statement that the AP sees as an attempt to rally domestic...

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