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Uncertain World: Russia Lays Siege to Ukraine

Weekly column by Fyodor Lukyanov

The presidents of Russia and Ukraine have met for the first time since Vladimir Putin’s re-election. This is a strange period in bilateral relations: nothing seems to be happening and there are no public conflicts between the two countries, yet occasional statements coming from both sides clearly point to mutual dissatisfaction and strain in the relationship.

Due West: Putin Signals Foreign Policy Shift

Weekly column by Konstantin von Eggert

Ever since his inauguration on May 7, President Vladimir Putin has been engaged in frenzied activities designed to convince the world that he is in full control of Russian politics, economics and foreign policy.

Women Talk: Eat, Pray, Love - and Eat Again!

Biweekly column by Svetlana Kolchik

On one of my recent trips to Italy, I was to take a bus from the quaint Tuscan town of Siena to Rome, and then catch a plane back to Moscow.

Deeper Than Oil: Under The Gaze of a Kazakh Poet

Weekly column by Marc Bennetts

I’ve been spending a lot of time recently at Moscow’s week-old opposition camp, the gathering of anti-Putin activists that sprang up overnight in the center of the capital, under the gaze of a 19th century Kazakh poet philosopher named Abai Kunanbayev (born Qunanbaiuli).

Trendwatching: The Unbearable Lightness of Being a Russian Pilot

Weekly column by Natalia Antonova

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking the same things I am thinking. You’re asking yourself: after the Sukhoi Superjet-100 crash - what exactly is it going to take to reform the Russian aviation sector?

Features, Opinion & Analysis »

Occupy Yourself

Alexey Kovalev

So, Occupy Abai, Moscow’s latest social/political novelty, is no more. In the wee hours of May 16, six hours before the deadline set by Basmanny court, the last remaining members of the camp were removed by the police, forced to leave their paltry possessions behind.

Avatar, Russian Style: Pines & Beatings But No Catgirls

RIA Novosti, Alexey Eremenko

James Cameron invested more than $350 million in a tale of unscrupulous capitalists developing a primeval ecosystem to the chagrin of locals, and grossed $2.7 billion out of it, thrilling half the globe with 2009's Avatar.

Police Move in on Occupy Campers at New Site

RIA Novosti, David Burghardt

In just under two hours after being evicted by riot police in the early morning hours of Wednesday from an Occupy-type tent protest in Moscow, anti-Putin protesters moved their camp to another central park to continue their stand against President Vladimir Putin’s return to the Kremlin.