RIA Novosti

5 Obstacles to Peace in Syria

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:27:00 GMT

Ten months after the bloodshed in Syria was formally recognized as a civil war by the Red Cross, Moscow and Washington are finally working together to end it, at least in terms of public diplomacy.

Due West: Russia’s Aggressive Defensiveness Is Damaging Its Image

Fri, 24 May 2013 11:52:44 GMT

Last week, two seemingly unconnected events made me think once again about the way Russia (at least the official one) thinks about itself and the reason this self-perception is not shared by the world at large. First, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed indignation at the perceived theft of pro-Russian votes during the Eurovision pop song contest. Then a poll commissioned by the BBC in 25 countries revealed that Russia’s reputation in the world is continuously falling. It now finds itself in the company of Iran, Pakistan, North Korea and the eternally and unjustly vilified Israel as one of the most disliked and mistrusted states in the world.

Transmissions from a Lone Star: Bad Cars and Porn Stars, or a Few Words About Ladas

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:21:00 GMT

I first learned about the legendary Soviet Lada car in the mid-‘80s, when the cash-strapped USSR started exporting the notorious rust buckets to capitalist Europe in the hope of scraping together some hard currency.

Amidst Amish Past, Russia’s Lokomotiv Sees Hockey Future

Wed, 22 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

In this quiet Pennsylvania town in the heart of Amish country, where life moves at a pace from bygone times, Russia’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl ice hockey team has set its sights squarely on the future, looking to move beyond a past marred by tragedy.

Trendwatcher: Sasha Grey: Why Don’t We Do It in the (Russian) Road?

Mon, 20 May 2013 19:15:00 GMT

At long last, Sasha Grey is exactly where she belongs – on the Russian road.

Uncertain World: Endgame Draws Near in Syria

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:01:00 GMT

After a relative lull, a recent flurry of news suggests that the endgame in Syria is approaching.

View From the Global Tank: The Last Chance to Prevent a Mediterranean Somalia

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:46:09 GMT

The Syrian peace conference that Russia and America’s top diplomats have agreed to organize in the next few weeks might be the last chance for this Arab country’s warring factions to find a political solution to their conflict and prevent the sliding of their country into a failed state.

Transmissions from a Lone Star: A Cascade of Trouble: Life in Obama’s Second Term

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:27:00 GMT

Here in the US it’s been an interesting week, as scandals have been sprouting like mushrooms after rain.

5 Questions on Russian S-300 Missile System Sales to Syria

Tue, 14 May 2013 17:47:00 GMT

If fresh media reports are true, Russia, Syria’s longtime supplier of military equipment, may soon provide Damascus – or already has – with advanced S-300 air defense systems, tipping the balance in the devastating 26-month conflict in the Middle Eastern country. But the “if” is a big one.

Trendwatcher: Going Postal, Pochta Rossii-Style

Mon, 13 May 2013 19:26:44 GMT

Normally, you wouldn’t catch me laughing when a building goes up in flames. Yet when it was reported that packages inside the central office of Pochta Rossii, Russia’s beleaguered national postal service, were on fire today – I couldn’t suppress a rueful giggle.

Falconry in Russia: From the Tsarist Era Through the Modern Day

Sat, 11 May 2013 09:19:00 GMT

Falcon hunting was a popular pastime for Russian nobles in the tsarist era. In modern times, falcons are employed in more serious jobs. RIA Novosti’s Dmitry Vinogradov reports on where the age-old craft of the falconer is in demand today, how a falcon can be tamed, why it normally returns to its owner, and what can make it fly away.

Washington Pays Tribute to Russian Ballet Impresario Sergei Diaghilev

Fri, 10 May 2013 22:21:00 GMT

Russian art impresario Sergei Diaghilev, who founded the ground-breaking Ballets Russes in Paris in the early 20th century and gave then unknown artists their first break, including composer Igor Stravinsky, is being celebrated in Washington with a multimedia exhibition at the National Gallery of Art.

Transmissions from a Lone Star: Printed Guns: Probably Not the Next Big Thing

Wed, 08 May 2013 19:11:00 GMT

I was vaguely aware that there were such things as 3D printers. I had skimmed a few tech blogs about the coming revolution in manufacturing etc., but I didn’t really care.

Review: 12 Months of Putin’s Presidency

Tue, 07 May 2013 18:56:00 GMT

The first year of Vladimir Putin’s third presidential term was full of events: unexpected resignations, a flood in Krymsk with an unprecedented number of victims, the first Russian APEC summit and the outstanding achievements of the Russian Olympic team.

In Egypt, Religious Violence Casts Pall Over Easter

Tue, 07 May 2013 15:51:28 GMT

Orthodox Christians celebrated Easter on May 5, and crowds thronged the streets near the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo’s Abbassiya district.

Trendwatcher: The An-2 plane: lost and found in the Urals

Mon, 06 May 2013 20:02:00 GMT

“The mystery of the An-2 plane missing for nearly a year in Russia appears to be solved.” “Plane found in remote part of the Urals. Bodies found. No aliens or yetis appear to have been involved.”

Transmissions from a Lone Star: Why Dictators Should Be Wary of Certain Animals

Sat, 04 May 2013 05:28:50 GMT

The US comedian WC Fields famously said never to work with animals and children. I suspect President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov of Turkmenistan may have been thinking something similar earlier this week, when a horse sent him sailing through the air in a stadium packed full of his terrified subjects – I mean, loyal citizens.

View From the Global Tank: Boston Bombing Puts Spotlight on Security Services’ Failure to Cooperate

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:26:00 GMT

Was the bombing of the Boston marathon the result of an intelligence failure? There seems to be no clear answer to that question yet. But it does seem to me that had there been a greater degree of trust between the US and Russian secret services, they would have been more willing to share information and act on each other’s warnings, preventing Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev from allegedly bombing the Boston marathon's finish line on April 15.

Trendwatcher: The Belgorod Massacre: ‘I Was Shooting at Hell’

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:52:00 GMT

The mass shooting in Belgorod last week was terrifying – and the immediate aftermath no less so. Pundits and politicians alike compared it to an “American-style scenario,” evoking the horrors of the Aurora and Sandy Hook shootings.

Uncertain World: The Fading Line Between Domestic and External Threats

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 19:18:00 GMT

The case of two ethnic Chechens suspected of planting bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon last Monday has perplexed many analysts.

Uncertain World: The Fading Line Between Domestic and External Threats

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 19:18:00 GMT

The case of two ethnic Chechens suspected of planting bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon last Monday has perplexed many analysts.

Soviet Veterans Return to Afghanistan for Rematch

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:20:00 GMT

A storm was brewing and the crowd was tense in the Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif last week on the night when Soviet army veterans clashed with local residents as the city’s elite looked on.

Boston Bombing May Boost US-Russia Cooperation - Experts

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 20:02:00 GMT

More than a decade after Russia offered staunch support to the United States following the 9/11 terror attacks, bilateral relations could receive another boost as US authorities investigate two brothers with ties to Russia’s turbulent North Caucasus region in connection with last week’s deadly Boston Marathon bombing.

Transmissions from a Lone Star: Of Robots and Presidents

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 16:45:00 GMT

There are 13 “presidential libraries” in the US. These are grandiose shrines that contain the papers and records of every president since Herbert Hoover.

Opera’s Glamorous Superstar Explores Her Russian Roots

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:03:00 GMT

After testing the waters this spring in Vienna, glamorous Russian soprano Anna Netrebko, one of the opera world’s most acclaimed stars, is set to open the new season at New York’s Metropolitan Opera with her boldest foray yet into the Russian repertoire.