Russia

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Heir Not Just Putin's Puppet
 Heir Not Just Putin's Puppet
Feb 28, 2008 3:16 AM CST

Heir Not Just Putin's Puppet

Medvedev favors Western style and outlook

(Newser) - The man hand picked by Vladimir Putin to be his successor and a virtually certain victor in this Sunday's election has been portrayed in the West as the Russian president's personal puppet. But Dmitri Medvedev, who plans to appoint Putin as his prime minister, may be more independent, reform-minded and...

Stable Russia Hardly Guaranteed
Stable Russia Hardly Guaranteed
OPINION
Feb 27, 2008 1:15 PM CST

Stable Russia Hardly Guaranteed

Putin-Medvedev partnership at odds with country's wish for single, strong leader

(Newser) - When Dmitry Medvedev takes over as Russia's president and Vladimir Putin assumes the mantle of prime minister, after Sunday's elections, Russia will be moving into uncharted territory—and Der Spiegel writer Christian Neef isn’t confident it’ll work. Putin’s Russia isn’t nearly as stable as it looks,...

Not Your Parents' Russian Vodka
Not Your Parents' Russian Vodka
Feb 25, 2008 8:15 PM CST

Not Your Parents' Russian Vodka

Premium imports, in fancy bottles, begin to arrive on US shores

(Newser) - If a shot of Georgi isn’t your style, Russian vodka makers are rushing to sell a new wave of premium bottles, the Los Angeles Times reports. Vodkas from France, Finland, and the US have gained popularity stateside over the past few years, but buyers couldn't find anything Russian other...

Russia Steps Up Support for Serbia
Russia Steps Up Support for Serbia
Feb 25, 2008 4:46 AM CST

Russia Steps Up Support for Serbia

Leaders meet in Belgrade as tensions over Kosovo continue

(Newser) - Unrest and uncertainty marked the one-week anniversary of Kosovo's independence as ethnic Serbs within Kosovo and around the world continued to protest, and Serbian ally Russia deployed top officials to Belgrade to meet with Serbian leaders, BBC reports. Serb protesters in northern Kosovo brandished posters of Vladimir Putin and a...

Serb Protests Rock Kosovo
Serb Protests Rock Kosovo
Feb 23, 2008 7:29 AM CST

Serb Protests Rock Kosovo

Independence stokes tensions between Russia and West

(Newser) - Mobs of Serb nationalists chanting "Kosovo is ours!" threw stones, bottles, and firecrackers at UN police yesterday as a bridge in northern Kosovo separating Serbs from ethnic Albanians became a flashpoint for conflict over the fledgling independent state. The State Dept. meanwhile ordered non-essential diplomats and all dependents...

Germans Find Hidden Nazi Gold
Germans Find Hidden Nazi Gold
Feb 20, 2008 7:44 AM CST

Germans Find Hidden Nazi Gold

Gold pinpointed in cavern, stolen chamber of the czars could be nearby

(Newser) - Treasure hunters in Germany have announced they've found a secret stash of Nazi gold in an underground cavern and they believe it could be from the looted Amber Room of the Russian czars, Der Speigel reports. Instruments have detected what could be 2 tons of gold in the cavern near...

Kosovo Independence Splits EU
Kosovo Independence Splits EU
Feb 18, 2008 6:11 AM CST

Kosovo Independence Splits EU

Some fear feisty new nation could inspire separatists elsewhere

(Newser) - A meeting of EU officials today to discuss Kosovo is likely to reveal deep-seated divisions within the European Union. While Britain, France and Germany are expected to recognize the newly independent Kosovo immediately, other states like Cyprus, Greece, Romania and Spain worry about the message such recognition will send to...

EU Force Set for Kosovo on Eve of Independence

2,000 police and judges to help smooth transition

(Newser) - As Kosovo stands poised to declare independence from Serbia, the European Union is preparing to send a civilian police and justice mission to help enforce the rule of law in the fledgling country. The US and most of the EU support Kosovar independence; Serbia and Russia oppose it, but will...

Serbia Softens Threats Over Kosovo
Serbia Softens Threats Over Kosovo
Feb 15, 2008 5:43 PM CST

Serbia Softens Threats Over Kosovo

Belgrade won't sever ties with countries that recognize new state

(Newser) - After earlier threatening to sever ties with countries recognizing an independent Kosovo, Serbia softened somewhat today in announcing it would merely pulls its ambassadors in those nations, the Guardian reports. Kosovo is likely to make official its break from Serbia—a move that worries the province's ethnic Serbs—on Sunday,...

Serbia, Russia Blast Kosovo Independence

Serbia won't cooperate, Putin hits 'hypocrasy' of Western support

(Newser) - Serbian and Russian leaders today lambasted Kosovo's imminent declaration of independence from Serbia, the Guardian reports. Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica declared the move illegal, and said his government won't cooperate with European efforts to keep Kosovo running. Russian President Vladimir Putin blasted as "immoral and illegal" Western nations'...

Lovefest Film Puts 'Putin' in Romantic Light

Just in time for Russian elections, gag movie hits the fans

(Newser) - A warm and fuzzy Russian movie about a politician's rise to the Kremlin, released today for Valentine's Day, bears more than a passing resemblance to Russian President Vladimir Putin, CNN reports. "It's a film about the life of a politician, about love, and the relationships every person has,"...

Russia to Ukraine: Don't Join NATO, Or Else

...We may aim nuclear missiles at you

(Newser) - If Ukraine joins NATO and hosts the US missile-defense program, Russia may aim nuclear missiles at its neighbor, Vladimir Putin said today in a press conference with Ukranian president Viktor Yushchenko. Russia’s president claimed that “it is horrible to say and even horrible to think” that such measures...

Kremlin Closes Top Russian University
Kremlin Closes Top Russian University
Feb 12, 2008 10:20 AM CST

Kremlin Closes Top Russian University

Shutdown reportedly retaliation against target of Putin's ire

(Newser) - A leading Russia university, attacked by Vladimir Putin as an agent of American and European intervention, has been shut down, the Guardian reports. A court ordered the European University at St. Petersburg to close on Friday, ostensibly because its aging buildings posed a fire hazard, but school officials say the...

Russian Bombers Harry US Ship
Russian Bombers Harry US Ship
Feb 12, 2008 5:10 AM CST

Russian Bombers Harry US Ship

Yank fighters scramble to intercept jets

(Newser) - US fighter jets intercepted Russian bombers near the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz south of Japan today, Reuters reports. In an apparently tense moment, one of the Russian "Bear" bombers flew over the deck of the carrier. Four US F18 fighters took off from the Nimitz to escort the hostile...

Putin: Russia Ready for 'New Arms Race'

Lame-duck prez takes veiled jabs at NATO weapons plans, US Middle East policy

(Newser) - Russian president Vladimir Putin virtually renewed Cold War hostilities today, accusing the West of starting a new arms race and vowing to respond in kind, Reuters reports. “It is already clear that a new arms race is unfolding,” Putin said, citing recent NATO decisions to expand to Russia’...

Key Watchdog Won't Monitor Russia Vote

Group cites Kremlin's excessive restrictions on March 2 election

(Newser) - Europe's main election watchdog will boycott Russia's March 2 presidential vote due to excessive Kremlin restrictions, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights announced today. The group had agreed to send just 70 monitors to oversee the campaign, the New York Times reports, but when Russia barred them from...

Russians Smash Records at Sotheby's Sale

Recession-defying London art auction brings in $230M

(Newser) - Sotheby's held its most successful sale ever of modern and impressionist art in London last night, with Russian collectors leading a buying frenzy on a day stock markets tumbled. The auction house sold 67 lots worth $230 million—topping high estimate, Bloomberg reports. "There was a lot of buying...

Putin Critic Committed to Mental Hospital

Disturbing echo of Soviet era tactics

(Newser) - An opponent of Russian president Vladimir Putin has been imprisoned  in a mental hospital in a move reminiscent of the "punitive psychiatry" used to discredit dissidents in the old Soviet era. Roman Nikolaichik, a member of chess champ Garry Kasparov's anti-Putin coalition, Other Russia, was certified mentally unstable after...

Poland, US Move Closer on Missile Shield

Countries agree, in principle, on military cooperation plan

(Newser) - Poland agreed, in principle, yesterday to host controversial US missile interceptors on its soil, the AP reports, after Condoleezza Rice sat down with Poland's foreign minister and agreed to help upgrade its military in return. The foreign minister told reporters in Washington that there was still a lot of negotiating...

Putin Opponent Kasyanov Barred From Election

Ex-PM decries 'farce' after disqualification from presidential race

(Newser) - Mikhail Kasyanov, a former Putin loyalist who became one of his fiercest critics, has been disqualified from the presidential ballot, reports the BBC. Russia's electoral commission ruled that too many of his supporting signatures were fraudulent—up to 5% is OK. Kasyanov has another theory: "There is no doubt...

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