One of his last ideas embraced by the Kremlin was the creation of a stabilization fund to collect oil windfalls — a fund that the government is now using to ride out the economic crisis.

Gazprom has relied heavily on gas imports from Central Asia, but China threw a monkey wrench into this strategy

Nauru’s recognition prompted a war of words between the governments in Tbilisi and Moscow.

The law will come into force as early as Feb. 1 next year and introduce strict regulations on retailers, including a shortened period of payment for delivered goods, possible limits on retail prices and a cap on stores’ retail margins.

A November law allowing Russia to defend foreign forces and countries applies to states that have signed military cooperation pacts with Russia, which include South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

The Alliance's secretary-general Anders Fogh Rasmussen told Prime Minister Vladimir Putin that Afghanistan should become the centerpiece of NATO cooperation with Russia.

By Dec. 1, the treasury had spent just 73 percent of the 840.6 billion rubles set aside for investment under 51 various federal programs such as upgrading roads and developing aerospace technology.

The moment that scientific questions touch upon a politically charged topic, the game rules become political.

Russia’s fifth-largest oil producer estimates the Badrah field’s reserves at 2 billion barrels, a figure which could increase with further exploration.

Urgent individual and collective actions on climate change are frequently called into question because its effects are gradual and uncertainties persist.