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VIDEO CONFERENCE

Putin-Biden Talks Set for Tuesday Amid Ukraine Tension

Biden has said he will make it "very, very difficult" for Russia to launch any invasion of Ukraine.

U.S. Vows to Prevent Any Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Washington and Kiev say Moscow has massed troops near Ukraine's borders and accuse Russia of planning an invasion.

DEADLIEST MONTH

Russia’s Excess Death Toll Passes 810,000

New figures show October 2021 was the worst month since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

russia's response

LIVE | Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Dec. 4

Omicron fears. Covid passes. Vaccination push.

more news

9,769,011 Total Confirmed Cases

1,017,126 Total Active Cases

0 Today's Cases

8,471,813 Total Recovered

2,300 Total Critical

0 Today's Deaths

280,072 Total Deaths

66,900 Cases per Million

1,918 Deaths per Million

API: Open Disease Data API

Gazprom Gains Control of Russia’s Top Social Network

VK's CEO has also resigned as part of sweeping changes that boost Kremlin control over VKontakte.

captive cetaceans

Russia Closes Notorious ‘Whale Jail'

Almost 100 whales were released from the secretive facility after an intense campaign by animal rights and environmentalist groups.

contraband chachkis

Russia Briefly Bans Etsy Over Knockoff Designer Goods – Kommersant

Access to the website was restored after Etsy removed the knockoff page that sold fake products from brands like Gucci.

high-level talks

Ukraine Crisis Builds Toward Biden-Putin Talks

Bilateral ties are "reaching an acute crisis phase," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.

‘We Are the Lucky Few’: Migrants Describe Brutal Journey From Belarus to Europe

The Moscow Times followed a group of six Syrian men from Minsk to The Netherlands. They told a story of violence, swamps and hunger.

Combatting the contagion

Russia Fights Coronavirus

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Dec. 4

Russia’s Excess Death Toll Passes 810,000

Russia to Introduce Vaccine Passports Amid Record Virus Surge

Russia’s Excess Death Toll Passed 720K Before Brutal Fourth Wave

opinion Michele A. Berdy

When Pigs Fly in Russian

opinion Alexander Baunov

Are Russia and Ukraine Once Again on the Brink of War?

opinion Michele A. Berdy

Let's Talk Turkey

opinion Fyodor Lukyanov

NATO Expansion Is a Bugbear for Both Russia and the West

opinion Nigel Gould-Davies

The Dangerous Instability of Europe’s Borderlands

opinion Mark Galeotti

Kremlin Unlikely to Know Any More Than Us if Invasion Is Coming to Ukraine

more opinion

sedimentary sentry

Russian Military Rolls Out ‘Spy Rock’ Robot

special delivery

Moscow Zoo Welcomes Orphaned Manul Kittens

FIGHTING FRAGRANCE

Russia Unveils Exhaust Fume Perfume in Honor of ‘Checkmate’ Stealth Jet

fueling vaccinations

Russian Region Raffles Coal to Boost Covid Vaccinations

More meanwhile in russia

contraband chachkis

Russia Briefly Bans Etsy Over Knockoff Designer Goods – Kommersant

Access to the website was restored after Etsy removed the knockoff page that sold fake products from brands like Gucci.

Gazprom Gains Control of Russia’s Top Social Network

VK's CEO has also resigned as part of sweeping changes that boost Kremlin control over VKontakte.

Russia Launches Homemade TikTok Alternative

State-owned media conglomerate launches new video-sharing platform as Russia ramps up pressure on foreign tech companies.

Russia’s Gazprom Reports Record Profits as Gas Prices Soar

Europe receives a third of its gas supplies from Russia and has seen energy prices surge to record highs in recent months.

read more

weekend kitchen

Samsa: The Silk Road Snack

What's better than a flakey pastry filled with spicy lamb? Maybe one filled with potatoes and onion?

What's On in Moscow Dec. 3-5

Jazz, books, teddy bears and much more in the snowy Russian capital.

MONTH IN REVIEW

From Deadly Mining Disaster to Surging Caviar Prices: Russia's November, in Photos

The headlines and everyday scenes that defined the past month.

it's a digital world

Ballerina Natalia Osipova Puts First-Ever NFT Ballets Up for Sale

Non-fungible tokens are original works of art preserved in digital form.

Singer and Composer Alexander Gradsky, Dead at Age 72

One of the founders of Russian rock music, Gradsky sang and composed every genre from jazz to opera.

More Arts and Life

'profound' shift

Arctic Could See More Rain Than Snow By 2060 as Region Warms – Study

“What happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay there,” the study’s lead author said.

unstable terrain

Russia Losing 1-3 Meters of Arctic Shoreline to Climate Change Annually – Scientists

An amount of shoreline roughly the size of central Moscow now collapses into the sea every year.

St. Petersburg Winter Temps Could Rise 4 Degrees by 2050 – Scientist

Scientists also predict increasingly intense rain and snow that will strain the city's drainage and flood mitigation systems.

post-summit roundup

What Did Russia Achieve at COP26?

Activists have accused Russia of “masterfully creating an illusion of fighting the climate crisis.”

read more

opinion Katja Yafimava

Moldova’s Gas Crisis and Its Lessons for Europe

The ongoing European gas supply crunch this winter has demonstrated the limitations of EU diversification efforts.

opinion Dmitry Trenin

Merkel’s Legacy, as Seen From Russia

Angela Merkel’s long tenure was a period of relative, if not always palatable, predictability in German-Russian relations.

Deripaska-Linked Firms Sent Thousands to Moscow On Election Day. Some Said They Were On Standby for a Pro-Kremlin Rally.

Around 11,000 employees came to the capital for an online conference covering topics from family values to geopolitics.

WELL-CONNECTED MIDDLEMAN

A Royal Mark Up: How an Emirati Sheikh Resells Millions of Russian Vaccines to the Developing World

The Moscow Times investigated a deal between Russia and a minor Dubai royal to supply poor countries with Sputnik V — at high prices.