Tom Balmforth covers Russia and other former Soviet republics from his base in Moscow.
The State Duma proposal has been endorsed by Federal Penitentiary Service officials, while the Russian opposition protests that the initiative has echoes of Josef Stalin's gulag economy.
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church joined social-networking site Vkontakte to connect with the public, but the launch of his own personal page was marred by trolls who swamped it with derogatory comments.
Russia's government has approved the creation of a new TV station aimed to instill patriotism in Russian children, the daily Izvestia reports.
Anvar wanted to have a traditional Muslim wedding, rather than the vodka-soaked nuptials ubiquitous in Soviet Tajikistan. He had worked for years in Russia to build his own house. And now the day had come.
Fans around the world are mourning King's death, but for music lovers in Moscow and the countries of the former Soviet Union, King's loss strikes particularly close to home.
Before he was killed in February, opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was working on an investigative report to expose what he described as President Vladimir Putin's "war" in Ukraine.
A forum held in Ukraine's war-torn east features some familiar guest speakers -- Europeans from the pro-Russian political fringe who give their support to separatists in Ukraine -- and also some new faces.
Documents seized by police. Soldiers too scared to speak. Print houses refusing to cooperate. Ilya Yashin speaks about the challenges of producing a report on the Ukraine war started by his late friend, Boris Nemtsov.
The organizer of a surrealist May Day rally says it's merely reflecting the absurd reality of life in Russia.
It could be described as one of the toughest diplomatic jobs in the world -- NATO's envoy to Moscow. Poland's Robert Pszczel has been in that post since 2010. “Maybe I have a masochistic streak," he says. "I actually still enjoy it.”
Russian soccer has a big problem with racism. And it's not clear whether it will be able to solve it before hosting the 2018 World Cup.
The bridge where Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was shot dead has become a sacred symbol for his supporters.
Russians sympathetic to slain opposition politician Boris Nemtsov have honored the Kremlin foe, 40 days after he was shot dead.
What to do about foreigners who criticize Russia? Ban them from entry, says one nationalist lawmaker.
MediaGvardia, a new Kremlin youth group, patrols the Internet in search of content that violates Russian law. Critics say it revives the Stalin-era habit of citizen informants.
The Perm-36 gulag memorial's downplaying of the abuses of Josef Stalin's terror are just one example of the changes in the Urals region since Vladimir Putin returned to the Kremlin. Perm, once a liberal bastion, is now in the throes of a deep chill.
The uptick in expatriates leaving Russia is the latest sign of a deepening isolation from the West.
A new pro-Kremlin youth group has become an Internet hit for confronting Russia's famously boorish motorists.
Russian officials are again seeking to block web anonymizers that allow Internet users to surf stealthily. But users and Internet analysts are not concerned.
Tongues have been wagging this week now that Vladimir Putin has not been seen in public for several days. It's not the first time that rumors have surfaced regarding the Russian leaders physical and mental health.
Load more
