The Moscow Times

President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered the government to approve a plan to sell assets held by state energy holding company Rosneftegaz in 2013-15, paving the way for the sale of stakes in Gazprom and Rosneft.

Continued protests in Russia will likely lead to violence or chaotic change, according to a new study ordered by the former finance minister.

The Soviet maxim "initiative is punishable" is only half true for actress Chulpan Khamatova.

Prime Minister Medvedev on Thursday allocated responsibilities between his deputies, saying he couldn't solve all the issues on his own.

In recent months, we have joined discussions led by former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn, former British Defense Minister Desmond Browne and others to find a way to reduce nuclear weapons in Europe. Although we fully endorse the aim of working toward a world free of nuclear arms, we firmly believe that NATO must remain a nuclear alliance so long as these weapons continue to exist around the world.

Gazprom could again increase its investment program for this year, after recently announcing plans to raise investment spending by 8.5 percent to $27 billion.

We live in the most transformative era the world has ever seen. The familiar economic systems and structures that have evolved over time, and that our models and business strategies so deeply rely on, are changing as a result of powerful macro-economic forces conspiring to reshape our world.

Kremlin heavyweight Igor Sechin was put back in charge of Rosneft on Tuesday, a year after he had the reins of the oil giant yanked from his hands under orders from then-President Dmitry Medvedev.

A longstanding platitude shared by both the Kremlin as well as domestic and foreign analysts is the need for Russia to diversify its economy away from energy dependence and reduce its non-oil budget deficit.

President Vladimir Putin on Monday announced the makeup of the new Cabinet answering to Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, with three-fourths of the members having been replaced.

The Federal Subsoil Resource Use Agency, or Rosnedra, which is responsible for subsoil licenses for mineral and energy resources, canceled a decision to grant a license for Trebs and Titov oilfields to a consortium of Bashneft and LUKoil.

Foreign investors praised the new Cabinet on Monday as a sign of economic stability, but said it reflects that Vladimir Putin is firmly in charge and no significant policy changes are in the offing.

In a new Cabinet whose composition was widely leaked in advance, Alexander Novak's elevation to the crucial energy portfolio Monday came as one of the biggest surprises of the day.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is not having an easy time forming a Cabinet, as many of those he invited did not want to work in the government.