At least two people died of hypothermia and 33 more were hospitalized, according to City Hall data.

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

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.

Rasmussen also said Ukraine and Georgia would eventually become members of the alliance and that Georgia's territorial integrity needed to be fully respected.

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.

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

There are no great reformers like Yegor Gaidar left in Russia; instead, the elite is dominated by status quo bureaucrats.

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.

The new measures will require more sophisticated excise stamps on bottles and ban retail sales in certain locations.

Yegor Gaidar understood that rapid price liberalization and the complete abandonment of import tariffs in early 1992 were a necessary evil.