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U.S. Officials Say Russia Preparing Full-Scale Invasion of Ukraine

Russia has assembled 110,000 troops along the border with its pro-Western neighbor.

DIPLOMATIC AMBITIONS

Ukraine Says Diplomatic Solution More Likely Than Russian Attack

The statement came after the U.S. said its intelligence showed Moscow was preparing a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Anti-west alliance

Russia Wins Chinese Backing in Showdown Over Ukraine

Moscow and Beijing hit out at what they said was Washington's destabilizing role in global security.

russia's response

LIVE | Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Feb. 6

Omicron surge. Vaccination push. New restrictions.

more news

12,810,118 Total Confirmed Cases

1,905,433 Total Active Cases

0 Today's Cases

10,569,271 Total Recovered

2,300 Total Critical

0 Today's Deaths

335,414 Total Deaths

87,720 Cases per Million

2,297 Deaths per Million

API: Open Disease Data API

Russia Rejects 'Nonsense' U.S. Claim of False Flag Plot to Attack Ukraine

The Pentagon and the State Department accused Russia of planning to stage a “fake attack” by Ukrainian forces as a pretext to invade.

close cooperation

Xi Meets Putin as Tensions Rise With West

Putin and Xi are expected to release a joint statement reflecting their "common views" on security and other issues.

artistic license

Russian Theater Execs Protest Ministry’s ‘Traditional Values’ Push

The Culture Ministry seeks to enshrine a policy to protect and promote what it calls “traditional Russian values” in arts and culture.

Letter to Putin

‘Russians Are Not Your Enemy’: A Lonely Petition Against Kremlin’s War Wind-Up

While most Russians blame the West for the standoff over Ukraine, some intellectuals are trying to tell the world that not everybody backs Putin.

5 Russian Athletes to Watch in the Winter Olympics

The Russian Olympic Committee looks strong in skating, skiing and hockey.

Combatting the contagion

Russia Fights Coronavirus

Coronavirus in Russia: The Latest News | Feb. 6

Russia Sees Record Population Decline As Excess Deaths Hit 1M

Russia Halts Orders for Second Covid Vaccine – Vedomosti

Russia Reports Record Covid-19 Cases as Omicron Gains Momentum

opinion Michele A. Berdy

The Looming But Not Inevitable (Translation) Disaster

opinion Tatyana Stanovaya

How War Would Change Russia

opinion Alexander Baunov

The West Has Responded to Russia’s Ultimatum. Is It Enough?

opinion Peter Rutland

Russia Has Upper Hand on Energy Sanctions

opinion Andrei Kolesnikov

What Would a War With Ukraine Mean for Ordinary Russians?

opinion Igor Ivanov

Is War Inevitable?

more opinion

Moscow Zoo Pandas Predict Beijing Olympic Winners

Let them eat...Mishustin

Russian Artist Highlights Inflation Struggles With Food Portrait of Prime Minister

prehistoric party

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

Moscow Zoo Welcomes Baby Yak

More meanwhile in russia

Apple Bows to Kremlin Demands For Local Office

Russia has demanded foreign tech companies open local representative offices or face hefty fines.

Russian Online Retail Leaders Double Sales in 2021

Wildberries, Ozon and AliExpress Russia all expanded rapidly last year.

Russian Ruble Is World’s Most Undervalued Currency on Big Mac Index

The Russian ruble should be worth 70% more, according to The Economist's Big Mac Index.

ENERGY POLITICS

Russia Boosts Gas Supplies Through Ukraine as Tensions Mount

But the EU still faces a major supply squeeze and is scrambling to secure new energy sources.

read more

weekend kitchen

Estonian Frikadellisupp Climbs the Charts

A warming, fresh, light but filling soup from people who know cold weather and how to survive it deliciously.

artistic license

Russian Theater Execs Protest Ministry’s ‘Traditional Values’ Push

The Culture Ministry seeks to enshrine a policy to protect and promote what it calls “traditional Russian values” in arts and culture.

What's On in Moscow Feb. 4-6

This weekend enjoy great underground and aboveground art, see a film great, and decide if literature still has value.

all the world's a stage

Not Your Babushka's Village Theater

While some people are fleeing villages, Moscow artists have opened a theater in a small village in the Vladimir region.

photographic journeys

Old Friends: St. Petersburg's Oldest Residents Come Home to Their Past

After Covid lockdowns, a charity helps older people revisit their past - and remind everyone how quickly time goes by.

More Arts and Life

hi-tech agriculture

In the World’s Biggest Country, Vertical Farming Gains Ground

Despite Russia’s status as an agricultural superpower, hi-tech, intensive, indoor farming is gaining a foothold.

Major Disaster Averted in Icy Kara Sea After Two Oil Barges Ran Aground

Russia’s Marine Rescue Service have described an unprecedented salvage operation as "extremely difficult" after two oil barges ran aground in the Kara...

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.

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.