RIA Novosti

20 Years on, CSTO Focuses on Threats to Central Asia

Wed, 16 May 2012 08:04:00 GMT

With its membership now stable, the Collective Security Treaty Organization has shifted its focus to resolving conflicts and dealing with terrorist threats in the post-Soviet space, predominantly in Central Asia.

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

Tue, 15 May 2012 13:06:00 GMT

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.

Russian Press - Behind the Headlines, May 15

Tue, 15 May 2012 13:03:23 GMT

Russians’ Property Not Secure \ Russia Cracks Down on Capital Export to Offshore Zones \ Duma Deputy Wants to Prosecute Social Network Users for Stirring Unrest

Russia Can Buy Weapons in the West, but not Industry

Tue, 15 May 2012 09:51:56 GMT

Once again, the Russian military are about to lay out huge chunks of money to buy military equipment in the West, thus causing bouts of righteous indignation among supporters of the domestic defence industry.

How Many Libyan Civilians Were Killed in NATO’s Air Campaign?

Tue, 15 May 2012 08:30:00 GMT

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has finally decided to contribute its weighty word in the dramatic disputes over how many civilians were killed in NATO’s air campaign in Libya.

Deeper Than Oil: Under The Gaze of a Kazakh Poet

Mon, 14 May 2012 12:52:05 GMT

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).

Russian Press - Behind the Headlines, May 14

Mon, 14 May 2012 10:52:00 GMT

Russia Will Attend NATO Summit in Chicago \ Writers Lead Thousands Across Moscow Without Police Action \ Prime Minister Bracing up to Announce New Cabinet

Interview: Afghanistan 'Collective Issue' for International Community – Karzai

Mon, 14 May 2012 03:34:00 GMT

Lack of security in Afghanistan is a problem for the entire international community rather than of the country alone, and therefore has to be addressed collectively, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in an interview with Russian media.

Plane Crash Doesn’t Spell Disaster for Superjet Project

Fri, 11 May 2012 16:21:00 GMT

The crash site of the Sukhoi Superjet-100 (SSJ-100) that disappeared in Indonesia on May 9 has been found. It had crashed into a mountain. However, the tragic end of the demo flight does not spell the end of this Russian civil aviation project.

Russian Press - Behind the Headlines, May 11

Fri, 11 May 2012 15:48:31 GMT

Protest Leaders Face Two Years Behind Bars \ Ukraine Could Reset Relations With Russia \ Presidential Press Secretary Vows to Disperse Opposition Campers

Russia’s Anti-Putin Protesters Bring Occupy to Moscow

Fri, 11 May 2012 14:52:00 GMT

When Occupy activists began setting up camps across world capitals last fall, there seemed little prospect of the movement spreading to Russia, where a no-nonsense police force and a weak and divided opposition – not to mention the weather – appeared to present insurmountable obstacles to any form of prolonged, public protest.

Trendwatching: The Unbearable Lightness of Being a Russian Pilot

Fri, 11 May 2012 14:28:18 GMT

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?

Transmissions from a Lone Star: March of the Pygmies

Fri, 11 May 2012 08:02:00 GMT

Right now it seems as if the leadership of the entire planet is coming up for election. At least that’s the impression I get from the news: there are changes of leadership everywhere, or at least in those places where the population is allowed to have a say in such matters. But when I look at the results, I can’t help thinking that the people coming into power are completely incapable of meeting the challenges of our times.

Uncertain World: Putin and Washington: Is Conflict Inevitable?

Thu, 10 May 2012 14:27:00 GMT

Vladimir Putin, who was inaugurated as president of Russia on May 7, has instructed the Foreign Ministry to ensure compliance with the New START Treaty, focusing on the issue of ballistic missile defense. The views expressed in this article are the author’s and may not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.

Russian Press - Behind the Headlines, May 10

Thu, 10 May 2012 11:58:41 GMT

Russia Expands Budget on Growing Oil Prices \ Opposition Marchers Clash with Police \ Migrant Workers’ Baby Sold Before Birth

Due West: What’s in a Third Term?

Wed, 09 May 2012 05:40:00 GMT

Does Vladimir Putin's return to the Kremlin mean more of the same Putin we know? Yes and no.

Sam's Exchange: Are We Being ‘Mushroomed’ with Oil Prices?

Tue, 08 May 2012 15:50:00 GMT

You know what it is to treat someone like a mushroom? Keep them in the dark and feed them bullshit. This is the best way to grow a mushroom and is an Australian colloquialism used when we want to keep the truth from someone, and in fact feed them disinformation.

Deeper Than Oil: Rocking Red Square

Mon, 07 May 2012 17:14:13 GMT

Some 20,000 people gathered just off Red Square, screams of passion and rage, a heavy police presence, an air of abandon…No, that’s not a description of an out-of-control anti-Putin protest, but a free concert by the English techno/breakbeat group The Prodigy in Moscow in 1997.

Russian Press - Behind the Headlines, May 5

Sat, 05 May 2012 12:08:00 GMT

Police Complain About Heavy-Handed Discipline \ Why We Are Protesting \ Was Tymoshenko’s Beating Ordered by Ukrainian Prosecutor General?

European Missile Defense System as a New Iron Curtain

Fri, 04 May 2012 18:45:52 GMT

An international conference on missile defense in Europe opened in Moscow on May 3. Washington and Moscow – the event’s major players – are still unable to find common ground: Russia insists that the missile defense system in Europe poses a threat, and the West deliberately shrugs off these concerns.

Trendswatcher: Of Parking and PR Disasters

Fri, 04 May 2012 15:34:04 GMT

Should one pick sides in a conflict between a pro-Kremlin youth group and the alleged relatives of a big-time Chechen government official? Or should one just reach for the popcorn?

Putin Purging Elites Through Medvedev – Pundits

Fri, 04 May 2012 14:31:00 GMT

The recent sacking rampage by outgoing President Dmitry Medvedev was orchestrated by his successor Vladimir Putin, who is weeding out second-tier elites ahead of his third presidency, analysts said.

Dmitry Medvedev: End of a Presidency

Fri, 04 May 2012 12:59:00 GMT

From the moment of his inauguration in a glistening ceremony at the State Kremlin Palace in May 2008, the odds were always going to be stacked against Dmitry Medvedev and his attempt to leave his mark on a presidency that his critics saw as little more than a political convenience.

Russian Press - Behind the Headlines, May 4

Fri, 04 May 2012 12:39:11 GMT

European Court Calls Russian Government to Account over Beslan \ Multiple Launch Rocket System Tests to Conclude Soon \ Sex Bomb Goes off in Kiev

Transmissions from a Lone Star: Watching Kim Jong-un

Fri, 04 May 2012 10:08:00 GMT

What would it be like to be told at age 27 that for the next four decades you were going to have to kill, starve and oppress millions of people if you wanted to stay alive? A strange question you may think, and yet not an unreasonable one. It is after all, precisely what happened to Kim Jong-un, the son of Kim Jong-il and now leader of the world’s most oppressive state.