2011: A Year in Pictures
Protesters against violations at the State Duma vote rallied on Moscow's Bolotnaya Ploshchad on Dec. 10. Protest activity rose to a record high after a decade of public apathy.
Igor Tabakov / MT
Police gave up their Soviet-era title "militia" in a reform.
Igor Tabakov / MT
The Duma elections on Dec. 4 were widely questioned.
Igor Tabakov / MT
Ex-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev joined the critics of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
Vladimir Filonov / MT
President Dmitry Medvedev, who reformed the time zones, is to swap jobs with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
Igor Tabakov / MT
Relations between Moscow and Minsk remained frosty as Belarus cracked down on opposition.
Vladimir Filonov / MT
Billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov became a politician and will run for president.
Igor Tabakov / MT
The six-year, scandal-ridden renovation of Moscow's Bolshoi Theater ended this fall.
Igor Tabakov / MT
About 1 million people braved day-long lines in Moscow to see a relic of the Virgin Mary brought from Greece.
Vladimir Filonov / MT
After an 18-year wait, Russia joined the WTO. The move may entail a new anti-piracy campaign.
Igor Tabakov / MT
Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin joined anti-governmental protests after losing his job.
Igor Tabakov / MT