Ask the experts

Ask the experts

A Kyrgyz court on Monday authorized the...

A Kyrgyz court on Monday authorized the arrest of former interior minister Moldomusa Kongantiyev on charges of power abuse, 24.kg news agency reported an interim deputy minister as saying.

A large fire which broke out in a construction...

A large fire which broke out in a construction market outside Moscow on Monday was successfully put out, a Russian Emergencies Ministry spokesman said.

A Moscow priest who was shot down by a masked...

A Moscow priest who was shot down by a masked gunman last week was laid to rest at a church cemetery in the capital"s west amid tight security.

Another victim of bombings in the Moscow...

Another victim of bombings in the Moscow metro has died, bringing the total death toll to 40, a spokesman for the Russian health ministry said on Friday.

A Russian military expert questioned on...

A Russian military expert questioned on Wednesday Tehran"s claims that it could build its own S-300 surface-to-air missile systems.

At least 300 people have died after a powerful...

At least 300 people have died after a powerful earthquake hit north-west China"s Qinghai province early on Wednesday.

Authorities of southwest Siberia"s Kemerovo...

Authorities of southwest Siberia"s Kemerovo Region delivered in Moscow a shirt made for the Russian president by the last surviving member of a Russian Old-Believer family in the wilds of the Siberian taiga, a spokesman for the local administration said on Thursday.

BAKU, September 15 (RIA Novosti) - A two-day...

BAKU, September 15 (RIA Novosti) - A two-day international gas conference that opens Tuesday in Azerbaijan"s capital will in particular discuss the Nabucco pipeline, the event"s organizer said.

BEIJING, December 10 (RIA Novosti) - The...

BEIJING, December 10 (RIA Novosti) - The deployment of a U.S. missile shield in central Europe would disrupt the strategic balance among the world's nuclear powers, the Russian defense minister said on Wednesday.

Drivers shoveling their way to their cars...

Drivers shoveling their way to their cars or helping other drivers push cars out of snowdrifts have been a usual sight in Moscow in the last four days as the Russian capital has been battling blizzards.

Dynamo Moscow insisted on Tuesday that Liverpool...

Dynamo Moscow insisted on Tuesday that Liverpool attacking midfielder Yossi Benayoun was still a transfer target.

Even if Russia and the United States sign...

Even if Russia and the United States sign a new strategic arms reduction treaty, it may not be immediately ratified by the U.S. parliament, Mikhail Margelov, the head of Russia"s upper house international affairs committee, said on Thursday.

Experts from the International Luge Federation...

Experts from the International Luge Federation have concluded that there was nothing wrong with the track where a Georgian luger died in a training accident, saying the crash was the athlete"s fault.

Kiev is seeking to be the venue for the...

Kiev is seeking to be the venue for the signing of a new nuclear arms reduction treaty between Russia and the United States, a respected Russian business daily reported on Tuesday.

Kyrgyzstan"s interim government thanked...

Kyrgyzstan"s interim government thanked on Monday Russia for its assistance in the arrest of former Kyrgyz interior minister, Kyrgyz media reported.

MOSCOW, April 21 (RIA Novosti) - The ongoing...

MOSCOW, April 21 (RIA Novosti) - The ongoing economic crisis has already had an effect on everyone in Russia, from oligarchs to humble office workers, and now even Lenin in his Red Square mausoleum has felt the pinch.

MOSCOW, April 6 (RIA Novosti) - Russian-born...

MOSCOW, April 6 (RIA Novosti) - Russian-born American billionaire and Google co-founder Sergey Brin may become a space tourist in 2012, the president of Space Adventures announced at a press conference.

MOSCOW, August 14 (RIA Novosti) - Dutch...

MOSCOW, August 14 (RIA Novosti) - Dutch trainer Dick Advocaat, dismissed by Zenit St. Petersburg after a series of poor results, paid a final visit to the club on Friday, the Russian side said on its official website.

MOSCOW, August 25 (RIA Novosti) - Russia...

MOSCOW, August 25 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is concluding talks with Saudi Arabia on selling 30 Mi-171B helicopters, a source close to the negotiations said on Tuesday.

MOSCOW, August 26 (RIA Novosti) - Russia"s...

MOSCOW, August 26 (RIA Novosti) - Russia"s Foreign Ministry has said that the Arctic Sea cargo ship, earlier reported to have gone missing before being found with hijackers on board, was constantly monitored throughout the incident.

MOSCOW, August 2 (RIA Novosti) - Russian...

MOSCOW, August 2 (RIA Novosti) - Russian natural gas production for the first half of 2005 grew by 3789.1 million cubic meters, or 1.1 %, to a total of 372,905.1 million cbm. Russian gas monopoly Gazprom produced 85% of Russia"s natural gas, with 319,365.2 million cbm, up by 1385.3 million cbm (0.4 %) from the same period last year. Domestic consumption of natural gas reached 226,413.3 million cbm, an increase of 2553.3 million cbm (1.1 %) compared with last year"s period. Gas exports aggregated 92,212,4 million cbm, up by 8802.3 million cbm (9 %) compared with the first half of 2004.

MOSCOW, February 12 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's...

MOSCOW, February 12 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's top investigator accused on Thursday the country's current and former deputy finance ministers of being behind schemes to embezzle huge amounts of state funds.

MOSCOW, February 17 (RIA Novosti) - A total...

MOSCOW, February 17 (RIA Novosti) - A total of 50,670 people have been diagnosed with HIV in Russia in 2008, Russia's chief sanitary official, Gennady Onishchenko, said on Tuesday.

MOSCOW. (Igor Tomberg for RIA Novosti) -...

MOSCOW. (Igor Tomberg for RIA Novosti) - On the sidelines of the Russian President's visit to India, state-run Russian company Rosneft, and state-owned Indian Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) signed a memorandum on expanding cooperation.

MOSCOW, July 29 (RIA Novosti) - The deployment...

MOSCOW, July 29 (RIA Novosti) - The deployment of a Russian military base in southern Kyrgyzstan has been coordinated with Kyrgyz authorities, an aide to the Russian president said on Wednesday.

MOSCOW, July 31 (RIA Novosti) - A Moscow...

MOSCOW, July 31 (RIA Novosti) - A Moscow Region court sanctioned the arrest of a man accused of attempting to murder Isa Yamadayev, whose two brothers were gunned down in Moscow and Dubai over a seven-month period, a court spokeswoman said on Friday.

MOSCOW, June 29 (RIA Novosti) - A Russian-Argentine...

MOSCOW, June 29 (RIA Novosti) - A Russian-Argentine agreement scrapping bilateral visa requirements entered into force on Monday.

MOSCOW, June 29 (RIA Novosti) - Moscow"s...

MOSCOW, June 29 (RIA Novosti) - Moscow"s most expensive rental apartment costs over 1.5 million rubles ($50,000) per month, a spokesman for the DOKI Real Estate Agency said on Monday.

MOSCOW, March 3 (RIA Novosti) - Russian...

MOSCOW, March 3 (RIA Novosti) - Russian Olympic Committee head Leonid Tyagachev resigned on Wednesday, two days after President Dmitry Medvedev said senior sports officials should quit over the country"s poor showing at the Winter Olympics, the committee"s press chief said.

MOSCOW, May 12 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian...

MOSCOW, May 12 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian government"s foreign debt, including liabilities of the former Soviet Union, declined 2.7% in January-March 2009 to $39.5 billion, the Finance Ministry reported on Tuesday. However, exchange rate differences mean that when calculated in euros, the government"s foreign debt increased 3.8% to 29.9 billion euros, the ministry said. Non-restructured debts to official creditors that are parties to the Paris Club of creditor nations declined $100 million to $1.3 billion in the reporting period, the ministry said. Debts to official creditors outside the Paris Club ($1.9 billion), former Communist bloc countries ($1.4 billion) and also former Soviet debts to foreign commercial creditors ($1.2 billion) were unchanged in January-March 2009, the ministry said. Also unchanged in the reporting period were outstanding government domestic foreign currency-denominated bonds (OVGVZ) at $1.8 billion and Russia"s foreign currency denominated government guarantees at $0.6 billion. The Russian government"s liabilities to international financial institutions shrank by $300 million to $4.3 billion, and the amount of Russia"s outstanding Eurobonds declined from $27.7 billion as of January 1 to $27 billion as of April 1, the ministry said.

MOSCOW, May 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's...

MOSCOW, May 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Defense Ministry will start on Tuesday the first of a series of auctions to sell off military properties in Moscow to raise money to house servicemen.

MOSCOW, October 30 (RIA Novosti) - All the...

MOSCOW, October 30 (RIA Novosti) - All the crewmembers of the cargo ship at the center of a mysterious hijacking case have been formally recognized as victims of pirate attack, Russia"s special investigations committee said on Friday.

MOSCOW, October 3 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's...

MOSCOW, October 3 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) will participate in the joint development of a new cruise missile with India only if a decision is made to adopt it for service with the Russian Air Force, the company said on Friday.

MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti commentator Tatyana...

MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti commentator Tatyana Sinitsyna) - There are more than three million people who were born as test tube babies, that is, with the help of biomedical reproductive technologies.

MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti military commentator...

MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti military commentator Ilya Kramnik) - Russia and Belarus have begun the West 2009 war games.

MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator...

MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Maxim Krans) - The much-publicized polar expedition of Artur Chilingarov, deputy speaker of Russia's State Duma, has eclipsed another event which has a direct bearing on the country's northward expansion.

MOSCOW, September 18 (RIA Novosti) - The...

MOSCOW, September 18 (RIA Novosti) - The total number of registered HIV cases in Russia since 1987 has reached half a million, Russia"s chief sanitary official said on Friday.

MOSCOW, September 21 (RIA Novosti) - Russia"s...

MOSCOW, September 21 (RIA Novosti) - Russia"s unemployment rate calculated under International Labor Organization standards fell by 100,000 people to 6.2 million in August, a 1.6% decline month on month, the country"s top statistics body said on Monday.

MOSCOW, September 23 (RIA Novosti) - The...

MOSCOW, September 23 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Navy"s Ladny frigate will provide security for the Arctic Sea vessel until it is handed over to its owners, a high-ranking military official said on Wednesday.

MOSCOW, September 3 (RIA Novosti) - Moscow...

MOSCOW, September 3 (RIA Novosti) - Moscow has every chance of becoming a global capital on a par with such cities as New York, London and Tokyo, Forbes magazine wrote in its latest issue.

MOSCOW, September 3 (RIA Novosti) - Russia...

MOSCOW, September 3 (RIA Novosti) - Russia and Saudi Arabia are holding talks on military-technical cooperation, which may include sales of military equipment to the Arab country, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Thursday.

MOSCOW, September 8 (RIA Novosti) - Russian...

MOSCOW, September 8 (RIA Novosti) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov dismissed on Tuesday media speculation that the Arctic Sea cargo ship, recently hijacked in the Atlantic, was carrying missiles for S-300 air defense systems.

Nicaragua and the former Georgian republic...

Nicaragua and the former Georgian republic of South Ossetia have signed an agreement on the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations, a spokeswoman for the South Ossetian president said on Wednesday.

NIZHNY NOVGOROD, December 14 (RIA Novosti)...

NIZHNY NOVGOROD, December 14 (RIA Novosti) - Russia owes its demographic problems to moral decay, said Alexis II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church. He was making a video address to the maiden Church public forum, underway in Nizhny Novgorod, regional and industrial center on the Volga River. The current demographic crisis takes root not only in economic instability but in loose public morals, warned His Beatitude. "Drinking and drug addiction are hitting the community. That is why many parents never give a thought to their children, and the kids are left to the mercy of fate." The Patriarch pointed out a decreasing number of weddings, and called on the nation to make adoptions. "It takes the entire community to solve the demographic problem. Motherland"s future depends on whether we solve it or not," stressed Alexis II. Metropolitan Kliment of Kaluga and Borovsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate management office, addressed the forum to demand a legal ban on abortions. "We urgently need a legislative prohibition of abortions. Meanwhile, there are three aborted babies to each that comes into the world. This country needs two and a half to three million births a year to prevent degeneration. That means every married couple is to have four or five children, not one as now. "It is up to Russia"s State Duma [parliament"s lower house] to debate an abortion ban, and it is in duty bound to consider the matter," said the Metropolitan. The Russian population is decreasing by 700,000 to a million a year, pointed out other forum speakers. The population will make 138.2 million by the start of 2011, and 75 to a hundred million by 2050, forecasts the State Statistical Committee. Patriarch Alexis II has blessed the Church public forum, Spiritual and Moral Bases of Russia"s Demographic Development. The forum was convened by the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church with assistance from the presidential special representative to the Volga federal district, the Business Russia nationwide public association, and the national film festival, Russian Family.

NIZHNY NOVGOROD, December 20 (RIA Novosti)...

NIZHNY NOVGOROD, December 20 (RIA Novosti) - A Russian provincial school head accused of pirating Microsoft software said on Thursday he will appeal a guilty verdict in Russia"s Supreme Court and in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Alexander Ponosov, a school principal in a small town in the Perm Region, was fined 5,000 rubles ($194) in May for buying a set of computers for the school which had unlicensed Microsoft software installed. "I have sent a preliminary claim against the verdict to Strasbourg, and I will complete the official documentation with a lawyer"s help in the near future. In addition, we will appeal the ruling in Russia"s Supreme Court," Ponosov said. The court put the material damage to the Microsoft Corporation at 266,000 rubles ($10,322). But Ponosov maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings, saying he was unaware that the Windows software installed on the PCs was counterfeit. Microsoft has taken no legal action against him. The maximum possible penalty under Russian law for this offense is five years in prison. Piracy had been a stumbling block in Russia"s WTO accession talks with the United States until an agreement was reached in November 2006, when Moscow promised a clampdown on intellectual property violations in the country, the second-largest market for pirated material after China.

Norway"s Petter Northug grabbed the gold...

Norway"s Petter Northug grabbed the gold medal in the men"s 50 km mass start cross country skiing race at the Olympic Games in Vancouver.

Olympic gold medalist Evgeni Plushenko won...

Olympic gold medalist Evgeni Plushenko won the Russian Figure Skating Championships on Saturday to become an eight-time national champion.

Over 20 people were killed and some 100...

Over 20 people were killed and some 100 injured in separate bomb attacks in Iraq on Thursday during the Shiite religious festival of Ashura, local media reported.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said...

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Saturday the German mediator in the Gilad Shalit talks has given Israel two to three weeks to approve a prisoner swap deal to free the kidnapped soldier, according to Ynet.

Poland expressed on Saturday satisfaction...

Poland expressed on Saturday satisfaction with the Russian investigation into a crash that killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski on April 10.

Russia and the United States have synchronized...

Russia and the United States have synchronized all the documents on a new strategic arms pact, which could be signed in Prague, a Kremlin source said on Wednesday.

Russia could still deploy Iskander missiles...

Russia could still deploy Iskander missiles in its exclave on the Baltic Sea if new threats emerge in Europe, Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov warned on Friday.

Russia could unite the Urals and Siberian...

Russia could unite the Urals and Siberian time zones as part of a project to slash the time difference across the country"s vast territory, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday.

Russian and Belarusian police have arrested...

Russian and Belarusian police have arrested all the members of the so-called "International" criminal group, a Russian Interior Ministry spokesman said on Friday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and...

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton have discussed the new arms cuts treaty and the upcoming Mideast quartet meeting in Moscow, the Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said...

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he agrees with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that Israelis and Palestinians should begin direct talks to resolve the ongoing conflict.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his...

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan have discussed a wide range of issues in the sphere of bilateral cooperation, a Russian presidential aide said.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday...

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday listed five main components of the fight against terrorism in Russia"s North Caucasus region.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed...

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed Thursday a decree to streamline the law enforcement structure, in particular ordering staff cuts and instituting the rotation of senior personnel at the Interior Ministry.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will hold...

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will hold an informal meeting with his visiting Croatian counterpart, Stjepan Mesic, on Monday, the Kremlin said.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will meet...

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will meet with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt on March 9 in Moscow, the Kremlin said Wednesday.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin started...

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin started his working visit to India late on Thursday.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will...

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will discuss in Moscow with his Croatian counterpart Jadranka Kosor issues of cooperation in the oil and gas sector.

Russia"s wildlife specialists are combing...

Russia"s wildlife specialists are combing the Far Eastern tundra to trap an Amur tiger which has begun hunting reindeer and dogs, the country"s environmental watchdog Rosprirodnadzor has said.

Russia switched to daylight saving time...

Russia switched to daylight saving time (DST) on Sunday, turning the clocks forward one hour at 2:00 a.m. local time.

Russia will restrict its greenhouse gas...

Russia will restrict its greenhouse gas emissions to 25% of 1990 levels by 2020, President Dmitry Medvedev promised on Monday.

STAVROPOL, June 21 (RIA Novosti"s Valery...

STAVROPOL, June 21 (RIA Novosti"s Valery Oliyanchuk) - The ataman council of the Georgiyevsk department of the Tersky Cossack Troops in the Stavropol territory (Russia"s south) has sent an open letter to the local and territorial authorities condemning the activities of Jehovah"s Witnesses. First of all, the Cossacks and Orthodox clergymen are concerned about the political activities of the sect. In particular, the sect prohibits its members to serve in the army, join other organizations, vote in elections, respect the national flag and anthem, and celebrate birthdays and Christian holidays. The main purpose of Jehovah"s Witnesses is to collect money and enlist new members. "On March 26, 2004 Moscow"s Golovinsky Court satisfied the petition of the prosecutor"s office of Moscow"s northern district and decided to liquidate the community of Jehovah"s Witnesses in accordance with Article 14 of the law on freedom of conscience as its activities are aimed at religious discord, breaking families, etc." the open letter reads. It contains the request of Cossacks and Orthodox clergymen to thoroughly analyze the activities of Jehovah"s Witnesses in the Stavropol territory, first of all, the Georgiyevsk district, and to take relevant measures. The suit against Jehovah"s Witnesses was initiated in September 1998. Having checked the community, the prosecutor"s office of Moscow"s northern district came to the conclusion that its activities are aimed at religious discord, breaking families, etc. Moreover, Jehovah"s witnesses persuaded gravely ill people to give up medical aid for religious reasons. The prosecutor"s office accused Jehovah"s Witnesses of extremist activities.