Russia | GlobalPost

Russian oligarchs foot much of the bill for 2014 Olympics in Sochi as price of doing business

The Canadian PressMay 20, 2013 03:45

SOCHI, Russia - The mountains of Sochi are now home to Potanin's slope, Gazprom's gondola lift and Sberbank's ski jump. The nicknames used by locals and an army of construction workers leave no doubt about who is paying for the 2014 Winter Games: Russia's business powerhouses.

Lenin's mausoleum reopens after 8-month renovation

Agencia EFEMay 15, 2013 16:30

Moscow, May 15 (EFE).- The mausoleum of Vladimir Lenin, on Moscow's Red Square, reopened to the public on Wednesday after being closed for eight months for renovation during which time the embalmed body of the former Soviet Union's founder remained within. The mausoleum was closed last September due to a "very serious deformation" of the marble and granite building caused by the settling of the structure due to soil erosion.

Kerry avoids criticism of Russia on rights record

Thomson ReutersMay 13, 2013 10:49

By Thomas Grove and Arshad Mohammed MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Russian human rights activists on Wednesday but disappointed many by avoiding any harsh criticism of the Kremlin's record on civil liberties and democracy. A day after talks in Moscow at which he and Russian officials agreed to try to bring Syria's warring parties together to discuss ending a civil war, Kerry discussed with human rights campaigners what they say is a clampdown on dissent by President Vladimir Putin.

Russia's only independent pollster resists 'foreign agent' tag

Thomson ReutersMay 10, 2013 20:45

By Elizabeth Piper MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's only independent pollster could be forced to register as a foreign agent under a law which President Vladimir Putin's critics say is designed to tighten controls on groups that do not toe the official line. If Russian media reports are confirmed, the Levada Center would be the latest independent group affected by a law which critics say condemns groups that work with foreign partners for the benefit of the Russian people as traitors and spies.

Architect of Putin's political system quits

Agence France-PresseMay 8, 2013 15:01

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday dismissed his influential deputy prime minister Vladislav Surkov credited with designing the country's notorious political system. The Kremlin said in a statement that Surkov had left his post voluntarily, but analysts and observers said the former Kremlin grey cardinal may have been forced out amid a growing rift between Putin's Kremlin and the government. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's spokeswoman Natalia Timakova told AFP that Surkov tendered his resignation on April 26.

Russian media magnate Lebedev goes on trial

Thomson ReutersMay 7, 2013 11:27

By Timothy Heritage and Maria Tsvetkova MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian media magnate Alexander Lebedev said as he went on trial on Tuesday that he expected to be jailed over a televised punch-up which he says is a pretext to punish him for criticizing the Kremlin. Lebedev, wearing a dark suit and white sneakers with black laces, spent only a few minutes in court before the trial was adjourned until May 20 after Sergei Polonsky, the man he is accused of punching, failed to show up.

Russian media magnate Lebedev sees trial as Putin's revenge

Thomson ReutersMay 7, 2013 11:05

By Timothy Heritage MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian media magnate Alexander Lebedev goes on trial on Tuesday in a case he portrays as President Vladimir Putin's revenge for criticizing the Kremlin and a warning to other rich businessmen. The financial backer of Britain's Independent and London Evening Standard newspapers faces up to five years in jail if he is convicted on charges of hooliganism and political hatred over a televised punch-up in 2011.

Russian opposition sets Moscow protest for Sunday

Agence France-PresseApril 29, 2013 12:00

Moscow city authorities have given the go-ahead for political opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin to stage a weekend rally and march in the centre of the capital, one of the organisers said Monday. The rally will be held under a statue of Vladimir Lenin on Kaluzhskaya Square at 5:00 pm (1300 GMT) on Sunday, followed by a march toward Bolotnaya Square opposite the Moscow River from the Kremlin, scene of a massive protest against Putin in December 2011, organiser Mikhail Anshakov told the Interfax news agency.

Russian protest leader says trial is Putin's revenge

Thomson ReutersApril 24, 2013 11:03

By Gabriela Baczynska KIROV, Russia (Reuters) - Russian protest leader Alexei Navalny accused President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday of seeking "political revenge" against him after a court refused to throw out what he says are trumped-up charges. On day two of his trial on theft charges that are punishable by up to 10 years in jail, the anti-corruption campaigner and protest organiser said Judge Sergei Blinov was biased. Navalny urged Blinov to recuse himself and send the charges back to state prosecutors for review.

Trial of Russian protest leader Navalny reopens

Agence France-PresseApril 24, 2013 05:46

A Russian court on Wednesday reopened the trial on embezzlement charges of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who may face up to a decade in jail if convicted in a case he says was orchestrated by President Vladimir Putin. The prosecution accuses the 36-year-old, who has emerged as the most charismatic figure in the anti-Putin protest movement, of causing a loss of $500,000 (385,000 euros) to a regional government while acting as an advisor in a timber deal.