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clock is ticking

Russia Says Still Waiting on Western Response to Security Demands

Talks with the U.S., NATO and OSCE on Moscow's security demands failed to reach a breakthrough last week.
'haven't gone anywhere'

Nazarbayev Denies Split Among Kazakh Elite, Says Tokayev Has ‘Full Power’ in First Post-Protest Comments

Nursultan Nazarbayev, 81, has not been seen in public since the worst unrest since Kazakhstan’s independence broke out earlier this month.
curb your enthusiasm

No Laughing at Weddings, Russian Region Says

Drinking alcohol and even rearranging furniture are also forbidden at civil marriage registry offices under a new decree.
russia's response

LIVE | Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Jan. 18

Omicron fears. Covid passes. Vaccination push.
more news

A Letter to Our Readers

MT Team

Coronavirus Crisis

Coronavirus: With Your Help We Can Continue to Bring You the News You Need

Latest Podcast

Jan. 14, 2022
How Don't I Care? Let Me Count The Ways
It turns out you can say you don't care in dozens of ways in Russian - some even in polite company.

MT Feature

News Analysis

Russia’s Involvement in Kazakhstan’s Crisis Could Have Wide Implications

Experts believe Moscow risks being sucked into neighboring unrest and having to manage strategic instability on two fronts.

Editor's Pick

PERSONALITY CULT

For a Troubled Russian Region, Stalin is a Local Hero

North Ossetia has more Stalin monuments than any other Russian region, with many believing the Soviet dictator had local roots

Coronavirus Cases in Russia

10,865,512 Total Confirmed Cases
639,899 Total Active Cases
31,252 Today's Cases
9,902,935 Total Recovered
2,300 Total Critical
688 Today's Deaths
322,678 Total Deaths
74,405 Cases per Million
2,210 Deaths per Million
Data Sources
API: Open Disease Data API

highlights

four-legged firefighter

Stray Russian Cat Joins Local Fire Department

Semyon the cat takes his job — wearing a uniform and lounging around the fire station — very seriously.
no fecal matter

Russian Sculptor Arrested for Giant Turd Installation

The artist faces between three months and five years in prison on charges of desecrating a burial ground.
facing the music

Facing Arrest, Ex-Leader Returns to 'Defend Ukraine' from Russia

Petro Poroshenko, who served as president from 2014 to 2019, was placed under investigation for high treason and left Ukraine in December.
opinion Neil Hauer

Will Turkey and Armenia Reach a Compromise?

The impossibility of discerning true intentions, and the genuine willingness to reach compromise, leaves outsiders guessing.
financial blacklist

Russia Adds Key Navalny Aides to ‘Terrorist and Extremist’ List

Leonid Volkov and Ivan Zhdanov have ran Navalny’s operations from exile since the Kremlin critic’s January 2021 imprisonment.
Combatting the contagion

Russia Fights Coronavirus
Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Jan. 18
Australia Recognizes Russia’s Sputnik V Vaccine for Incoming Travelers
Russia Delays Legislation on Coronavirus Health Passes
Russia’s Excess Death Toll Hits 930K

opinion

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

opinion Mark Galeotti

Russia and West Continue to Talk, But Not Necessarily in the Same Language

opinion Alexander Gabuev

Turmoil in Kazakhstan Heralds the End of the Nazarbayev Era

opinion Dmitry Trenin

Russia Takes a Gamble in Kazakhstan

more opinion

Meanwhile in Russia

curb your enthusiasm

No Laughing at Weddings, Russian Region Says

four-legged firefighter

Stray Russian Cat Joins Local Fire Department

no fecal matter

Russian Sculptor Arrested for Giant Turd Installation

bundle up

Major Snowstorm Slams Russia's Far East

More meanwhile in russia

Business

Heavy Losses

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.
DEAD END

Russian Ruble, Stocks, Slide as Security Talks Fall Flat

Russian officials have said they see no point in returning to the negotiating table any time soon.
'breakdown in relations'

Sanctions on Putin Would be Step Too Far, Kremlin Warns U.S.

Moscow has hit back at Washington's proposed sanctions package if Russia invades Ukraine.
PRICE PROBLEMS

Russia’s 2021 Inflation More Than Double Official Target

Prices rose by 8.4% — a six-year high — as the Central Bank looks set to continue hiking interest rates.
read more

arts and life

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...
Moscow treasure

Architectural Treasures of Moscow: St. Basil's Cathedral

A photographic tour inside the cathedral, revealing its beauty and secrets.
weekend kitchen

Ring in the Old New Year With a Jewel-Studded Dish

Our favorite chef is worried about our health, so she suggests starting the new year with beets, pomegranate and wild rice.
i want changes

Iconic Soviet Rock Star Viktor Tsoi's Heroic Path Traced at Manege

Iconic Soviet-era rock musician and songwriter Viktor Tsoi gets a biopic exhibition in Moscow’s Manege.
unwelcome edit

Vandal Damages Soviet Avant-Garde Painting With Eye Drawings

Police reportedly refused to investigate the act of vandalism on Anna Leporskaya’s painting “Three Figures.”
More Arts and Life

Climate

2021 in review

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. 
RECORD HIGH

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.
shot down

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."
EXTREME SPREAD

Temperature Difference Across Russia Reaches 85.6 C, Almost Breaking World Record

The temperature in the southern republic of Chechnya reached 24.5 C, while 6,000 kilometers away in the republic of Sakha it dropped to -61.1 C.
read more

In-Depth

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.
opinion Dmitry Trenin

Russia-India: From Rethink to Adjust to Upgrade

Russia needs to decide what it wants from the Indian connection.
more in-depth