Russia

Photo Story: The ISS expedition attends final exams at cosmonaut training centre outside Moscow

A member of the International Space Station (ISS) expedition Ivan Vagner attends his final exams at the Russian cosmonaut training center in Star City outside Moscow, Russia, 12 March 2019.…

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Putin approves changes allowing him to stay in power until 2036

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday opened the door to constitutional changes that would allow him to remain in power until 2036, but said he favored term limits once the…

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Russian jets intercepted heading to UK airspace

Six RAF fighter jets were scrambled on Saturday after Russian aircraft were spotted heading towards British airspace. The Typhoons, supported by an air-to-air refuelling aircraft, took to the skies as…

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Relative calm in Syria’s Idlib as ceasefire takes hold

A ceasefire agreed by Russia and Turkey has gone into effect in Syria's northwestern region of Idlib, activists and a monitoring group confirmed Friday. The temporary stop in fighting was…

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Erdogan flies to Moscow for Syria ceasefire talks with Putin

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan flew to Moscow on Thursday for talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin over a potential ceasefire in Syria’s Idlib, where their militaries are facing off in a…

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Putin submits plans to ban same-sex marriages in Russia

Vladimir Putin has submitted a draft amendment to Russia’s constitution that would enshrine marriage as between a man and a woman in a conservative update to the country’s founding document.…

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Actions by Russia and Turkey in Syria could amount to war crimes

The United Nations said the actions of Russia and Turkey in Syria could amount to war crimes by both Moscow and Ankara. Russia backs the Syrian government’s forces, while Turkey…

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Maslenitsa festival in Russia

Geese fight at the traditional goose fights at the Maslenitsa (Shrovetide) festival at the Museum of Wooden Architecture in the town of Suzdal (200km from Moscow), Russia, 29 February 2020.…

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Russia and Turkey Agree to Reduce Tensions in Syria’s Idlib

Russia and Turkey have agreed to reduce tensions on the ground in Syria’s Idlib province while continuing military action there, the Russian foreign ministry said on Saturday following several days…

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Russia Sends Warships to Syria

Russia on Friday said it was sending two warships armed with cruise missiles to waters off the Syrian coast and blamed Ankara for the killing of 33 Turkish soldiers in…

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Boeing lands in Moscow after cracked window emergency

A Boeing-777 passenger plane en route to Bangkok with more than 200 people on board has been forced to fly back to Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport because of a cracked cockpit…

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Photo Story: Amusement park Dream Island inaugurated in Russia

An employee polishes a Smurf figure in the Dream Island amusement park ahead of its upcoming inauguration in Moscow, Russia, 27 February 2020. The amusement park is scheduled to open…

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Photo Story: Anniversary of killing of Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov commemorated

A man lays flowers at the site where Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov died during an event marking the fifth anniversary of his assassination, in Moscow, Russia, 27 February 2020.…

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Erdogan to meet Putin, Merkel and Macron to discuss Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Saturday that he would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on March 5 to discuss the…

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Sharp escalation in clashes in Syria

Turkish forces and Syrian rebels fought government troops in northwest Syria on Thursday and Russian warplanes struck back in a sharp escalation of an intense battle over the last rebel…

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Russia relaxes visa rules for EU citizens

Russia is to relax its draconian visa rules from 2021. The 16-day e-visas will go into effect Jan. 1, 2021, for citizens of the European Union and different countries in…

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Russia bans Chinese nationals from entering country

Russia has decided to ban Chinese nationals from entering its territory amid the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. The ban will be implemented from February 20. Developing story

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Ukraine president convenes country’s security council after Russian forces shelling in Donbass region

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will convene a Ukrainian security council meeting on Tuesday after one soldier was killed and four wounded in what Kiev said was heavy shelling by Russian…

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Syria: Turkish Foreign Minister tells Russian counterpart on need of permanent ceasefire in Idlib

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Sunday he told his Russian counterpart that attacks in Syria's northwestern Idlib region must stop immediately and that a lasting ceasefire had to…

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Photo Story: Book dominoes world record attempt in Russia

People install a domino books titled 'Just do it! Do it easy!' by German-Russian businessman Oskar Hartmann prior to attempt to set the book dominoes world record in Moscow, Russia.…

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Audio interview with mysterious Maltese professor related to the Trump-Russia scandal

Professor Joseph Mifsud, the mysterious professor at the heart of the Trump-Russia scandal, can be heard talking about his involvement for the first time in a new podcast from The…

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Russia to ban foreign information technology companies for national infrastructure

A Russian government agency has proposed banning the use of foreign information technology for critical national infrastructure, a draft government order shows, as Moscow moves to step up its control…

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Barrage of mysterious bomb hoaxes plagues Moscow

People in the Russian capital Moscow are mystified by a flood of bomb hoaxes forcing the evacuation of courts, schools and malls while authorities appear unable to find the culprits…

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Photo Story: -6 C in St. Petersburg

People walk near the Peter and Paul fortress on a sunny day in central St. Petersburg, Russia. The air temperature dropped to minus six degrees Celsius in Russia's second largest…

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Russia may deport any foreigners found with coronavirus

Foreign citizens could be deported from Russia if they test positive for the coronavirus, the prime minister said, according to country’s media outlets. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said a national plan…

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US Secretary of State calls for real progress in relations with Belarus

The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sought to "normalise" ties with Belarus at a time when relations between Minsk and its traditional ally Russia are under strain. The United…

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Russia’s and Chinese Foreign Ministers discuss coronavirus outbreak

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi discussed cooperation in fighting the coronavirus outbreak in a phone call on Saturday, the Russian foreign ministry said. According…

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Can Coronavirus ‘diplomacy’ isolate or strengthen ties with China?

The world's news headlines are currently dominated by the alarming speed with which the infections of the coronavirus are spreading from the Chinese borders to, one can say, every corner…

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Russia decides to suspend working visas to Chinese citizens, air services due to coronavirus outbreak

The Russian government is going to suspend issuance of work visas to Chinese citizens, Russian Deputy Prime Minister and head of the emergency response headquarters for the prevention of the novel…

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Worker dies in Russian sport stadium roof collapse

General view of partially collapsed 'Peterburgsky' Sports and Concert Complex in St.Petersburg, Russia. The roof of the building collapsed during dismantling, killing a worker. The man was one of four…

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Russia closes its borders with China amid ongoing coronavirus crisis

Russia's Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on Thursday announced that Russia will close its borders with China amid the worsening situation on coronavirus disease that has spread to all Chinese regions…

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Chinese health official says virus cases in Beijing, risk of infection rising, Russia and China working to develop coronavirus vaccine

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Beijing and the risk of infection there are on the rise, a health official in the capital city said on Wednesday, as the…

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Poland and Russia bicker over WW2

Poland’s president has accused Russia’s Vladimir Putin of spreading a “historical lie” about his country in the run-up to events marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Andrzej…

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Putin names new Russian Cabinet

Russian President Vladimir Putin formed his new Cabinet Tuesday, replacing many of its members but keeping his foreign, defense and finance ministers in place. The Cabinet shake-up comes as Putin…

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Ci Consulta Geopolitics insight – Libya’s crisis

The past week has seen a short-lived ceasefire between the warring Tripoli and Tobruk factions. It was never likely to last long, with General Haftar’s forces having captured Sirte just…

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Photo Story: Changing of the guard in Moscow

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin (L) and Russian ex- Prime Minister and deputy head of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev (R) attend a meeting with members of Russian government…

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Russia’s Prime Minister nominee Mikhail Mishustin approved by State Duma

A screen shows results of vote on a Russian Prime Minister nominee Mikhail Mishustin during a plenary session at the State Duma in Moscow, Russia, 16 January 2020. Russian President…

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Vladimir Putin names Mikhail Mishustin as new PM

Russian President Vladimir Putin formally put forward Mikhail Mishustin, the little-known head of Russia's Federal Tax Service, to be Russia's new prime minister, the Kremlin said. Putin submitted his candidacy…

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Russian government resigns following President Putin’s State-of-the-Nation Address

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has announced that the government is resigning. The statement came shortly after President Vladimir Putin delivered his annual state-of-the-nation address. Accepting the resignation, Putin asked…

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Haftar asks for time on agreement on Libya’s ceasefire

Talks in Russia aimed at agreeing on an unconditional and open-ended ceasefire in Libya failed to achieve a breakthrough on Monday and have been adjourned for the night. While Libya's…

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Meeting for peace in Libya starts in Moscow

The Russian capital Moscow is hosting a series of negotiations on Monday to find a solution the Libya crisis. The top diplomats and defense chiefs of Russia and Turkey…

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Photo Story: Snow in Moscow

A food delivery man walks past a snowman in a snow-covered park in Moscow, Russia. This year, snow fell unusually late in Moscow. Photo: EPA-EFE/YURI KOCHETKOV

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UN led Libyan peace talks to be held in Berlin

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Libyan peace talks will be held in Berlin, as Turkey and Russia appealed to Libya’s warring factions to enter a ceasefire. During a joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in…

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Merkel meets Putin to align positions amidst geopolitical tension

German Chancellor Angela Merkel met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Saturday for talks set to focus on flashpoints in the Middle East. Her visit — the first…

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Haftar rejects ceasefire calls

Khalifa Haftar rejected the call for a ceasefire by Russia and Turkey. He added that the offensive on Tripoli and other cities will continue. Libya observer quoted reports carried by…

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Erdogan and Putin call for Libyan ceasefire starting on January 12

The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Russian President Vladimir Putin have urged for a ceasefire in Libya starting on January 12, calling for the resumption of the political…

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Putin meets Assad in Syria

Putin met Assad in a rare visit in Syria. Mr Putin met with Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in a Russian military base in the capital, where the two leaders discussed…

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Merkel and Putin to discuss US – Iran crisis on January 11th

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will travel to Russia on Jan. 11 for talks with President Vladimir Putin on the crisis triggered by the killing of top Iranian military commander Qassem…

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Photo Story: Russia prepares for the Russian Orthodox Christmas

People attend festival 'Journey to Christmas' in Moscow, Russia. Russians celebrated New Year's Eve on 31 December but will be celebrating Christmas on the 07 January, according to the Russian…

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US ambassador to Iraq and other staff evacuated from Baghdad’s embassy for safety reasons

The U.S. ambassador to Iraq and other staff were evacuated from their embassy in Baghdad for their safety on Tuesday, Iraqi officials said, as thousands of protesters and militia fighters…

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Vladimir Putin’s 20 years on the Geopolitical Centre Stage

Boris Yeltsin had a reputation for the sensational and the unpredictable, from ordering tanks to shell a rebellious Russian parliament to drunkenly hunting for pizza in Washington in his underwear. But he…

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Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination, Brexit, Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the migrant crisis amongst the 10 events which shaped Europe in the past decade

Daphne Caruana Galizia's assassination, Brexit, the Paris Climate Change agreement, Russia's annexation of Crimea and the migrant crisis are amongst the ten main events which shaped Europe in the past…

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