Russia on Wednesday hosted leaders of five other former Soviet nations for security and economic talks, while emphatically rejecting U.S. claims that Moscow is attempting to rebuild the Soviet empire. President Vladimir Putin met at the Kremlin with the leaders of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, in what is known as the Collective Security […]
Russia Hosts Regional Forum, Denies Efforts to Rebuild Soviet Empire
Posted December 19th, 2012 at 6:40 pm (UTC-5)
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Amnesty: NGOs Call for End to Russian Crackdown on Civic Freedoms
Posted December 19th, 2012 at 1:35 pm (UTC-5)
A group of international non-governmental organizations has called on European Union leaders to urge Russian President Vladimir Putin to end what they call his crackdown on Russian civil society. In a statement Wednesday, human rights group Amnesty International announced that the eight organizations are seeking a commitment from the Russian government to ensure the involvement […]
Russian Parliament Passes Measure Banning US Adoptions
Posted December 19th, 2012 at 11:05 am (UTC-5)
Russia’s parliament has approved a measure banning Americans from adopting Russian children. Lawmakers from Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, approved the bill after a second reading Wednesday. To become law, the bill must pass a third reading, then clear the upper house before going to President Vladimir Putin for his signature. Mr. […]
Russia, Ukraine Postpone Gas Talks
Posted December 18th, 2012 at 11:10 am (UTC-5)
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych have postponed talks in which they were to discuss a new deal on natural gas supplies and stronger economic ties. Officials on both sides said Tuesday more time was needed to prepare documents they planned to sign. The meeting was meant to resolve a gas pricing […]
Russian Activists Support US ‘Magnitsky Act’
Posted December 17th, 2012 at 2:15 pm (UTC-5)
Russian rights activists say they will draft a list of Russian human rights violators, after the United States passed a law last week that imposes sanctions on such individuals. Ex-Soviet dissident and leader of the Moscow Helsinki Group for Human Rights, Lyudmila Alexeyeva, announced the creation of a new group that she says will investigate […]
Romanian President Reappoints Rival Ponta as PM
Posted December 17th, 2012 at 10:35 am (UTC-5)
Romanian President Traian Basescu has reappointed his arch-rival as prime minister and asked him to form the country’s new government. The move Monday follows Prime Minister Victor Ponta’s center-left governing alliance winning a two-thirds majority in parliamentary elections earlier this month. There are concerns that the partnership may not last. The two men have been […]
4 Opposition Leaders Arrested at Anti-Putin Rally
Posted December 15th, 2012 at 12:05 pm (UTC-5)
Russian police have detained about 40 people, including four prominent opposition figures, in efforts to break up an unsanctioned anti-government rally in Moscow. Opposition leaders Alexei Navalny, Sergei Udaltsov, Ilya Yashin and Ksenia Sobchak were among those detained Saturday. The protest was organized to commemorate a year of rallies against President Vladimir Putin and his […]
Opposition Leader Arrested at Anti-Putin Rally
Posted December 15th, 2012 at 9:00 am (UTC-5)
At least four prominent Russian opposition figures have been arrested in conjunction with an anti-government rally in Moscow, as protesters commemorate a year of rallies against President Vladimir Putin. Police arrested leftist leader Sergei Udaltsov and Alexei Navalny at the rally, as well as activists Ilya Yashin and Ksenia Sobchak. The detainees tweeted about their […]
Opposition Leader Arrested at Anti-Putin Rally
Posted December 15th, 2012 at 8:05 am (UTC-5)
Hundreds of people have gathered in Moscow’s Lubyanka Square for an anti-government rally, and at least one prominent Russian opposition figure has been arrested. Leftist leader Sergei Udaltsov was detained Saturday as protesters marked one year since a series of demonstrations against the government of President Vladimir Putin began. The city of Moscow had denied […]
Eleven-year Sentence Doled Out in Politkovskaya Killing
Posted December 14th, 2012 at 10:25 am (UTC-5)
A Russian court has sentenced a former police officer to 11 years in prison and fined him some $100,000 for his role in the 2006 murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya. The sentencing of Dmitry Pavlyuchenkov came Friday after a speedy trial in which the defendant struck a plea bargain that qualified him for a […]
