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continued dialogue

Russia, U.S. Agree to Talk Security Demands Next Week

Russia's foreign minister spoke with his U.S. counterpart as tensions flare over Ukraine.

Russia Reports Record Covid-19 Cases as Omicron Gains Momentum

New infections rose 27% rise in a single day and have doubled over the last week.

security demands

Get Out of Romania and Bulgaria, Russia Tells NATO Amid Ukraine Tensions

The two former Warsaw Pact allies joined NATO in 2004.

russia's response

LIVE | Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Jan. 21

Omicron fears. Covid passes. Vaccination push.

more news

10,987,774 Total Confirmed Cases

687,970 Total Active Cases

49,513 Today's Cases

9,975,052 Total Recovered

2,300 Total Critical

692 Today's Deaths

324,752 Total Deaths

75,242 Cases per Million

2,224 Deaths per Million

API: Open Disease Data API

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

A Brotherhood of Bears Flourishes Despite Russia’s Anti-LGBT Agenda

The BEARsBURG society brings together men who reject effeminate stereotypes of queerness for trips to the banya, café meet-ups, walking tours and film...

Russian Lawmakers to Decide on Recognizing Ukraine Separatist ‘Republics’

A pro-Kremlin lawmaker said recognizing the two breakaway regions' independence would make war “a direct necessity.”

ramping tensions

Russia-Ukraine Standoff – Daily Briefing | Jan. 21

The latest developments you need to know.

SLOWLY DISAPPEARING

As Caucasian Glaciers Melt, Locals Face the Future With Stoicism

Caucasian glaciers have lost a quarter of their surface area to climate change since the millennium.

In Photos: St. Petersburg Grapples With Ice-Covered Streets

Hundreds have been hospitalized after slipping and falling, while some savvy residents have traded their boots for skates.

Combatting the contagion

Russia Fights Coronavirus

Russia Reports Record Covid-19 Cases as Omicron Gains Momentum

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Jan. 21

Australia Recognizes Russia’s Sputnik V Vaccine for Incoming Travelers

Russia Delays Legislation on Coronavirus Health Passes

opinion Michele A. Berdy

A Russian Fig is Not a Fig

opinion Dmitry Trenin

What a Week of Talks Between Russia and the West Revealed

opinion Kirill Martynov

How Alexei Navalny’s Jailing Changed Russia

opinion Neil Hauer

Will Turkey and Armenia Reach a Compromise?

opinion Michele A. Berdy

How Don't I Care? Let Me Count The Ways

opinion Nigel Gould-Davies

Western Diplomacy on Russia Must Serve Deterrence

more opinion

prehistoric party

Bronze Age Tubes Found in Russia May Be Earliest Beer-Drinking Straws – Researchers

Moscow Zoo Welcomes Baby Yak

curb your enthusiasm

No Laughing at Weddings, Russian Region Says

four-legged firefighter

Stray Cat Joins Russian Fire Department

More meanwhile in russia

Ukraine Standoff Threatens to Derail Russia’s Domestic Battle Against Inflation

Even without invasion, the crisis is accentuating rising price pressures at home.

currency control

Russian Central Bank Seeks to Ban Crypto Mining, Investment

Russia has the world’s third-largest share in the global crypto mining market behind the United States and Kazakhstan.

‘SEVERE CONSEQUENCES’

Biden Threatens Dollar Ban on Russian Banks

The U.S. said it could block Russian financial institutions from trading in dollars if Moscow invades Ukraine.

Investors Continue to Ditch Russian Assets Amid War Fears

Russia’s largest companies have lost more than $100 billion in value over the last week.

read more

What's On in Moscow Jan. 21-23

Heavenly music, retro metro, somber remembrance and more this weekend and coming week in the Russian capital

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

A Brotherhood of Bears Flourishes Despite Russia’s Anti-LGBT Agenda

The BEARsBURG society brings together men who reject effeminate stereotypes of queerness for trips to the banya, café meet-ups, walking tours and film...

dark yet danceable

Molchat Doma: The Best Band You've Never Heard Of

This three-man band has been topping streaming charts and inspiring - oddly, in their view - a TikTok following.

what's cooler than being cool?

Russians Brave the Ice in Annual Epiphany Swim

Thousands of Russians, religious or not, are taking a dip in sub-zero waters — wearing only their bathing suits.

winter wonderland

Snow and Ice Festival Lights Up Moscow Riverside

Enormous creatures and people sculpted from snow and ice have appeared along the Moscow River in Gorky Park as part of the "Snow and Ice" festival.
Carved...

More Arts and Life

SLOWLY DISAPPEARING

As Caucasian Glaciers Melt, Locals Face the Future With Stoicism

Caucasian glaciers have lost a quarter of their surface area to climate change since the millennium.

Russia’s Climate Epiphany May Be Greenwashing

Russia’s about-face toward climate change in 2021 may be little more than window dressing to protect its industrial giants, experts fear.

New Arctic Temperature Record Sounds Climate Alarm – UN

The World Meteorological Organization said a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius in the town of Verkhoyansk was the highest-ever in the region.

Russia Defends Veto of UN Climate Change Resolution

Diplomats said Russia's opposition was hard to understand given that the resolution itself "was not radical."

read more

opinion Dmitry Trenin

What a Week of Talks Between Russia and the West Revealed

If Russia cannot achieve its strategic goals by diplomatic means, it will resort to other methods.

opinion Alexander Gabuev

Turmoil in Kazakhstan Heralds the End of the Nazarbayev Era

The protests in Kazakhstan have shown that the current model of governance has angered millions of people who missed out when the resources pie was shared...

2022 Look Ahead

Foreign Policy Experts Map Russia's Plans for 2022

The Moscow Times asked 10 commentators for their predictions for the coming year.

opinion Mark Kramer

The Derailment of Memorial’s Goals – for Now

Putin’s efforts to curtail scrutiny of the Stalin era may succeed in the short term, but Memorial's work can't be erased from the historical record.