Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says he would like to run for a second term as president, but he says a race against his predecessor, Vladimir Putin, would not be good for the country. Mr. Medvedev told the Financial Times newspaper Monday that he and Prime Minister Putin represent the same political force, to a large […]
Medvedev Hints at Presidential Run, but Would Not Run Against Putin
Posted June 20th, 2011 at 4:30 am (UTC-5)
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says he would like to run for a second term as president, but is reluctant to compete for the position against his predecessor, Vladimir Putin. Mr. Medvedev told the Financial Times Monday that a competition for the presidency between himself and Prime Minister Putin would not be “the best scenario” for […]
Soviet-Era Human Rights Activist Yelena Bonner Dies at 88
Posted June 19th, 2011 at 4:55 pm (UTC-5)
Veteran Soviet-era rights activist Yelena Bonner, widow of Nobel Peace laureate Andrei Sakharov, has died in the United States at the age of 88. Bonner died of heart problems Saturday in Boston, where she lived with her son and daughter. Bonner was a relentless critic of human rights abuses by Soviet-era authorities. She was born […]
Soviet-Era Human Rights Activist Yelena Bonner Dies in US
Posted June 19th, 2011 at 1:10 pm (UTC-5)
Veteran Soviet-era rights activist Yelena Bonner, the widow of Nobel Peace laureate Andrei Sakharov, has died in the United States at the age of 88. Bonner died of heart problems Saturday in Boston, where she had lived in recent years with her son and daughter as her health deteriorated. She had previously suffered two heart […]
Reports: Russian Authorities Sue Tycoon-Turned-Politician for Tax Evasion
Posted June 18th, 2011 at 10:05 am (UTC-5)
Russian media say a tycoon who recently entered politics is being sued by a local government for $70 million in allegedly unpaid taxes. The reports, published Saturday, say Russian tax inspectors in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk filed the lawsuit against Mikhail Prokhorov, head of the Onexim investment holding company. Officials told Russian media that […]
Medvedev Pushes Privatization of State-Owned Companies
Posted June 17th, 2011 at 1:55 pm (UTC-5)
President Dmitry Medvedev says Russia’s future will depend on its ability to sell off government-controlled companies and decentralize Moscow’s political power. Mr. Medvedev told a gathering of political and business leaders in St. Petersburg Friday that the country has to reform, regardless of who was chosen to head the nation in next year’s presidential elections. […]
Russia, France Sign Billion-Dollar Contract for Warships
Posted June 17th, 2011 at 12:10 pm (UTC-5)
Russia and France on Friday signed a 1.6-billion dollar contract for two French-made Mistral class warships. The two countries sealed the deal on the sidelines of an economic summit meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia. Negotiations over the sale had been hung up on questions of how much access Russia would have to the military technology […]
Hu: Chinese-Russian Border Disputes Resolved ‘Once and for All’
Posted June 16th, 2011 at 8:15 pm (UTC-5)
Chinese President Hu Jintao says China and Russia have resolved their border disputes once and for all, and are now each other’s most important strategic partner. Mr. Hu was in Moscow Thursday as he and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev marked the 10th anniversary of the Treaty of Good Neighborliness. The pact solidified Chinese-Russian friendship after […]
Russian Court Acquits Top Human Rights Leader of Defaming Chechen Leader
Posted June 14th, 2011 at 5:35 pm (UTC-5)
A Moscow court has acquitted one of Russia’s top human rights activists of criminal charges of defaming the Kremlin-backed leader of Chechnya. In a surprise decision, the court ruled Tuesday that Oleg Orlov was only expressing his opinion when he said Ramzan Kadyrov was responsible for the murder of a fellow activist. The court said […]
Convicted Russian Colonel Buried With Honors
Posted June 13th, 2011 at 1:55 pm (UTC-5)
Hundreds of mourners have attended the funeral of a former Russian army colonel convicted in 2003 of killing a young Chechen woman in a case that came to symbolize Russian army abuses during the conflict in Chechnya. Yuri Budanov was shot to death in Moscow on Friday by an unknown gunman in what appeared to […]
