Dmitry Medvedev won enough support in the State Duma to become prime minister Tuesday, but President Vladimir Putin bristled over what some deputies said was a shortfall in the two-thirds of the vote that he apparently wanted. Dmitry Medvedev won enough support in the State Duma to become prime minister...

Two men who attempted to sell seats in the State Duma for 20 million euros were each sentenced to five years in prison Monday for attempted fraud. Two men who attempted to sell seats in the State Duma for 20 million euros were each sentenced to five years in prison Monday for attempted fraud. In June...

In a close vote, State Duma deputies on Tuesday gave tentative approval to a bill that would sharply increase fines on protesters who participate in illegal rallies, even as police detained opposition activists for protesting the legislation outside...

Parliamentarians warned against misinterpreting the U.S. president's decision to skip an APEC summit and Putin's not attending a G8 meeting. State Duma deputies cautioned against misinterpreting U.S. President Barack Obama’s decision to skip the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which some saw as a response to President Vladimir Putin backing out of this weekend’s G8 meeting...

... conditions. There were persistent media reports of an imminent road show last month, but it did not materialize. "We have not turned down the idea of a possible sale of a stake in Sberbank this year," Ignatyev said during an address to the Duma, Interfax reported. "That option remains." Ignatyev and Sberbank head German Gref both named a share price of 100 rubles ($3) as a precondition for the sale to go ahead — but, while the bank's stock broke through this threshold in...

In a blow to the anti-government rallies, the State Duma is moving to introduce exorbitant penalties for protesters who defy the authorities. In a blow to the anti-government rallies, the State Duma is moving to introduce exorbitant penalties for protesters who defy the authorities. Courts...

... RIA-Novosti. Kholmanskikh was unknown outside his factory until he appeared on Putin's annual televised call-in show in December and suggested that he bring his fellow workers to Moscow to deal with opposition protests spurred by the disputed State Duma elections. Kholmanskikh’s enthusiasm won a broad smile from Putin, and, shortly afterward, he joined Putin's presidential election team, flying around the country in a business jet, according to Forbes magazine.  The post of presidential envoy...

Sergei Udaltsov and Alexei Navalny emerged from prison Thursday, while a dramatic standoff erupted at a State Duma hearing over a bill that would hike fines for illegal demonstrations. Two of the opposition’s most popular leaders emerged from prison Thursday, vowing to ratchet up street demonstrations while a rare, dramatic standoff erupted at a State...

... party sparked a demand from A Just Russia for an ethics inquiry — a tit-for-tat of how United Russia treated A Just Russia when its members met with McFaul earlier this year. McFaul sat down with the head of United Russia's faction in the State Duma, Andrei Vorobyov, to discuss cooperation between the United States and Russia. Two other members of the party's Duma faction, Andrei Klimov and Vyacheslav Nikonov, also attended the talks. The response was swift from Just Russia deputies, whom United...

... carrier Aeroflot, the airlines want to start compiling blacklists of both passengers and pilots who have violated flight-safety rules. The blacklists would bring airlines more in line with the policies implemented by carriers in other countries, a State Duma deputy said Wednesday. But some industry insiders warned that the lists could be used to settle personal scores. Airlines take a risk in carrying unruly passengers, said Roman Gusarov, an editor of aviation portal Avia.ru. But if "today we make...

Belgorod region Duma deputies hope to combat prostitution by putting forward a bill which would punish the client à, as well as prostitutes themselves, Moskovsky Komsomolets reported Friday. Belgorod region Duma deputies hope to combat prostitution by putting forward...

... “rebuilt from scratch” at a convention that elected him party leader over the weekend. But many old party hands also landed leadership posts at the convention, casting doubt on whether significant changes were in the offing. Former State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov was appointed head of the party's supreme council, while Sergei Neverov, a conservative known for his tough stance against opposition protests, was named head of the party's general council. "We now must engage in rebuilding...

Police have raided a company that provides private security to major Western firms like IKEA and Procter & Gamble in what its founder, State Duma Deputy Gennady Gudkov, called punishment for his support of anti-Kremlin protests. Police have raided a company that provides private security to major Western firms like IKEA and Procter & Gamble in what its founder, State Duma Deputy...

... “Few” people remain at the scene, Interfax reported, citing a correspondent on the scene. Earlier Monday, around 120 demonstrators were arrested at Tverskoi Bulvar. 3:31 p.m., Putin Appoints Medvedev Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers Leave Posts: State Duma speaker Sergei Naryshkin said Monday that President Vladimir Putin has nominated former President Dmitry Medvedev to the post of prime minister, as was widely expected. The Duma is scheduled to vote on Medvedev’s candidacy to the job of government...

... leading researcher on gender issues at the Russian Academy of Sciences. She said both Russian men and women tended to believe the stereotype, and therefore few voted for female candidates and few women ran in elections. Baskakova said the number of female Duma deputies has remained about 13 percent to 14 percent since the early years after 2000. In the Federation Council, only 11 of the 165 members are women, or about 15 percent are women, according to the chamber's website. In former President Dmitry...

... that could be interpreted as a concession toward angry Moscow residents — not empty promises, but concrete actions? Have they re-instituted the direct election of mayors or brought criminal charges against those who falsified the December State Duma election results? In reality, leaders have been moving in the opposite direction. The direct election of mayors has nearly disappeared. Central Elections Commission head Vladimir Churov, who became a lightning rod of protest anger following the...

... stomach. Investigative committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said that the case has been opened under legal codes for "abuse of power using violence," which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Communist Party member and State Duma deputy Sergeri Obukhov told Interfax that the victim was pregnant. The video was initially reported to the police for investigation by State Duma deputies from the Communist Party, the BBC said. 179742

... and xenophobia in Europe. In an attempt to deflect criticism against crackdowns on political protests at home, senior Russian officials on Monday shot back at Western critics, lambasting racism and xenophobia in Europe. Foreign Ministry and State Duma officials joined researchers and members of nongovernmental organizations in urging representatives of the European Union present at a round-table discussion not to use Russia's human rights record as a political tool. "The West doesn't tolerate...

... President Dmitry Medvedev ordered the Cabinet in late April to introduce proposals for amending the law on mass gatherings by July. He did not say whether the rules should be eased or tightened. But a few days before he issued the order, a group of State Duma deputies from United Russia and one deputy from A Just Russia submitted a bill to the lower chamber that would significantly increase fines for violating the law on mass gatherings, according to a text of the bill posted on the Duma's website. The...

... on Kudrinskaya Ploshchad looked grim Thursday, as a city lawmaker said local residents wanted it removed, and reported construction plans and a bizarre meeting of local council members all but thwarted a move to a more permanent location. Moscow City Duma Deputy Kirill Shchitov, who spearheaded an effort to liquidate an earlier encampment at Chistiye Prudy, tweeted an image of what he said was a written complaint from local residents. “We urge you to help us get rid of this incomprehensible...