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Moscow Plays Host to a Diverse Array of Nationalist, LGBT Rallies

Muscovites wishing to voice their discontent with a range of government policies held a trio of protests on Saturday, though organizers seemed more...

Navalny's Popularity Takes a Dive, Poll Says

Once the darling of Russia's opposition movement, Alexei Navalny has seen his reputation fall in recent months as he has made more headlines for the...

Yandex Offices Searched During Investigation into Navalny Backers

Investigators have searched the office of Yandex and the properties of opposition members suspected of pocketing funds designated for opposition leader...

Russia Bites Back at Prince Charles' Rumored Hitler Comparison

Following reports that Prince Charles had likened President Vladimir Putin to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, Russia has demanded an explanation.

Moscow Grants Rare Approval to Freedom-of-Assembly Protest

In an unexpected move, Moscow authorities have reportedly approved a request by controversial political party The Other Russia to hold a freedom-of-assembly...

Russians Prefer Direct Mayoral Elections, Poll Says

As the State Duma mulls alternative methods of selecting Russia's mayors, a new poll reveals that a substantial majority prefer the option of direct...

Poroshenko Could Win Ukraine Election in First Round, Poll Says

If Ukraine's presidential election had gone ahead two weeks earlier than planned, candy company owner Petro Poroshenko would have won in the first round...

Gay Rights Event to Be Held Despite Authorities Advising Against It

Khabarovsk gay rights activist Alexander Yermoshkin said a sanctioned action for the International Day Against Homophobia on Saturday will go on despite...

Death of Spartak Fan Inspires Fear of Repercussion

Following the beating to death of a young Russian football fan on the outskirts of Moscow, a troubling slew of social-media activity has given rise...

Methadone Looms as Obstacle in Russia's Fight Against HIV/AIDS

As Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova trumpeted Russia's progress in the fight against HIV, critics insist that the government policy prohibiting methadone...

Licenses of 77 Russian Universities Stripped Since January

Since January, 77 universities have become casualties to ramped-up scrutiny of Russia's higher-education sector, according to the Federal Inspection...

Approved Gay Event in Russia's Far East Set to Test Tolerance

Gay rights activist Alexander Yermoshkin said Thursday that local authorities had approved his request to hold a public event against LGBT discrimination...

Russia's Eurovision Hopes Dimmed by Ukraine, Gay Propaganda Law

Resounding jeers unleashed Tuesday night against the photogenic young twins chosen to represent Russia in Eurovision 2014 may have been motivated more...

Prosecutor Drops Probe into Ex-Defense Minister's Pardon

Russia's chief military prosecutor has accepted the legitimacy of a pardon granted to former Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, a news report said...

Senator Suggests Naming Russian Internet After Cartoon Creature

A Russian senator has proposed the creation of a Russia-only Internet that would be shut off from the U.S. and EU and said that the service could...

Putin Says Russia Could Survive Suspension of Ukrainian Defense Imports

President Vladimir Putin said Monday that Russia can cope with the potential loss of defense imports from Ukraine, adding that it would take up to 2...

Putin Says CIA Created the Internet, Cites Foreign Influence at Yandex

President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that the Internet was a CIA project and that Russia's most popular search engine Yandex had been subject to Western...

Ethics Committee Advises Zhirinovsky to Apologize Publicly for 'Rape' Tirade

The State Duma ethics committee has recommended that hothead politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky make a public apology to the journalists he insulted last...

Tightening of Kremlin Control Seen in Governor Dismissals

President Vladimir Putin's dismissal of republic of Sakha head Yegor Borisov on Tuesday marked the 13th governor to be dismissed since the start...

Snowden Defends Question to Putin in Op-Ed

U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden defended his question to President Vladimir Putin in The Guardian on Friday, a day after he asked the Russian...

Duma Bill Ending Mayoral Elections Passes First Reading

The State Duma has approved in a first reading a bill that would put an end to direct mayoral elections in some of Russia's largest cities in what...

Federation Council Approves Bill Requiring Russian Language for Residency

Russia's Federation Council on Wednesday gave its blessing to legal changes that would require foreign citizens to prove their ability to speak Russian...

Criminal Case for Separatism Opened Against Ukrainian Presidential Candidate Severely Beaten in Kiev

A pro-Russian candidate for the Ukrainian presidency was beaten on Tuesday morning by a crowd in Kiev and remains in critical condition, the politician's...

Lavrov Rebukes Ukraine for Obstructing Russian Journalists

Ukraine's refusal to let several Russian reporters into the country has earned the condemnation of journalists and Russia's Foreign Minister, Sergei...

Pro-Russian Protesters Seize City Council in Coastal Ukrainian City

Pro-Russian separatists have taken control of the city council in Mariupol amid rising tensions in eastern Ukraine, news reports said Sunday.

Former Ukrainian President Calls Loss of Crimea a 'Tragedy'

Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych gave an interview to the Associated Press and Russian television channel NTV on Wednesday in which he...

Website Creates List of Top 20 'Anti-Russian' News Sources

Media outlets Ekho Moskvy, Dozhd and Novaya Gazeta are the most "anti-Russian" news sources, according to a computer algorithm developed by a pro-Kremlin...

West Meets Russia in the Form of Monster Trucks (video)

The most common auto-related image in Moscow is of traffic; waves of cars flowing, and not flowing, through endless tiers of congestion and honking...

Duma Deputy Wants Check of Google Maps Crimea Policy

A State Duma deputy wants authorities to check the activities of Google for labeling Crimea as part of Ukraine and not Russia, a report said Wednesday...

Movie Star Seagal Backs Russia's Actions in Crimea

American action movie star Steven Seagal has given state-run newspaper Rossiskaya Gazeta a whopping 2,000 word interview with in which he expressed support...

Ukraine Appoints New Acting Defense Minister

Ukraine's parliament on Tuesday installed Colonel General Myhaylo Koval as the country's new acting defense minister after approving the resignation...

Leaked Call Shows Tymoshenko Urging Violence Against Russians, Report Says

A leaked audio recording of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and a former deputy secretary on the country's National Security Council...

Dozhd Begins Week-Long Fundraising Campaign

Independent television station Dozhd has begun a week long fundraising drive aimed at keeping the channel running after it was dropped by Russia's...

Prosecutors Call for Closure of Navalny Anti-Corruption Vkontakte Group

The Prosecutor General's Office has asked Russia's Federal Mass Media Inspection Service to block the Vkontakte social network page of the Anti-Corruption...

Dozhd TV Forced to Look for New Premises

The landlord for independent television station Dozhd has added to the channel's woes by refusing to extend the lease for its office in central...

Navalny Proposes Sanctions List to the West

Opposition leader Alexei Navalny, currently under house arrest in connection with a criminal case against him, has written an op-ed for the New York...

Pro-Russia Forces Take Over Ukrainian Naval Base

Pro-Russian activists have entered a Ukrainian naval base in Crimea, a day after two people were killed and two others injured as the result of earlier...

Transdnestr Asks to Be Included in Annexation Legislation

The self-proclaimed Transdnestr republic has asked Russian legislators to consider making amendments to a draft bill that could lead to the annexation...

Kiev Government and Putin Both Voice Support for Crimean Tatar Rights

Ukrainian Justice Minister Pavel Petrenko said that the country's parliament will soon adopt laws granting the legal instruments of self-determination...

New TV Show Turns Ethnic Tension Into Comedy

Russia's largest television stations broadcast all over the country, bringing the same faces to Muscovites, Siberians and Caucasus natives alike. However...

Crimea Asks Putin to Let it Become Part of Russia

The Crimean parliament asked President Vladimir Putin to integrate the region into the Russian Federation on Thursday, ahead of a referendum in which...

Shoigu, Lavrov Deny that Crimean Forces are Russian

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday denied that Russian forces are currently deployed in Ukraine's Crimea region and said that video footage...

Diplomats' Kiev Snipers Phone Conversation Leaked

A telephone conversation that purportedly took place between the European Union's representative for foreign affairs Catherine Ashton and Estonian...

Putin Sees No Political Future for Yanukovych

President Vladimir Putin spoke publicly about the political turmoil in Ukraine on Tuesday for the first time since ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych...

State TV Runs Report on Foreign Mercenaries in Kiev

A Russian returning from demonstrations in Ukraine told Russian state television that the Kiev protesters' ranks are filled with Western-backed mercenaries...

International Community Urges Caution in Ukraine

Canada has recalled its ambassador to Russia after President Vladimir Putin received approval from the Federation Council to send Russian troops into Ukraine...

Crimea to Consider Referendum on Expanding Autonomy

The presidium of the parliament in Crimea, a semi-autonomous region of Ukraine, has proposed holding a referendum in May on whether to expand...

Yanukovych Request for Protection in Russia Granted, Official Says

Russian authorities have granted a request from ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych for protection on Russian territory, an unidentified government...

Ruble Decline Stimulates Advance Vacation Bookings

Russian tourists are looking to stretch the value of their depreciating rubles by taking advantage of advance booking discounts on vacation packages...

McFaul Leaves Post as U.S. Ambassador to Russia

U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul will leave his post in Moscow on Wednesday and head back to California.

Protesters Against Lace Panties Ban Detained While Wearing Underwear On Their Heads

Upcoming regulations restricting the diversity of Russians' underwear choices have met with resounding disapproval, including from protesters who were...

Russia Bans Adoptions to Countries Where Gay Marriage Is Legal

The Russian government has banned the adoption of Russian children by unmarried citizens in countries where same-sex marriage is recognized.

Consumer Rights Group Files Suits Against Anti-Dozhd Cable Operators

The Society for Consumer Rights Protection has filed suits against four cable operators for dropping independent television channel Dozhd from their...

American Ballerina Joins Kremlin Ballet

An American ballerina who experienced trouble at the Bolshoi Theater last year is hoping to find success at a different venue one month into the new...

Putin Arrives in Sochi Ahead of Winter Olympics Curtain-Raiser

President Vladimir Putin arrived in the Winter Olympic city of Sochi on Tuesday to play host to visitors three days before the opening ceremony.

Putin Rolls Out His English for IOC Opening in Sochi

President Vladimir Putin concluded the 126th session of the International Olympic Committee in Sochi on Tuesday evening just as he delivered Russia's...

After Shooting, Deputy Proposes Restrictions on Violent Video Games

In the wake of Russia's first school shooting on Monday, a bill has been submitted to the State Duma proposing restrictions on the sale of violent...

Activist Takes Sitcom Star to Court For Saying Gays Should Be Put in Ovens

A gay activist said that he is taking Russian sitcom actor Ivan Okhlobystin to court for saying that gay people should be burned alive in ovens.

Customs Authorities Backtrack on Parcel Duty Plans

The Federal Customs Service and international express shipping companies reached an agreement on Tuesday that will allow Russian residents to receive...

Kadyrov Leads Olympic Torch Relay in Chechnya

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov was among those that carried the Olympic torch through Grozny on Tuesday as it made its way through the southern Russian...

'Reconstruction' Brings '90s Back to Russian Art

The 1990s are often thought of in the West as a decade with relatively few problems. One-hit wonder bands sang sincerely while hip, neoliberal politicians...

Bill Broadening Gay Propaganda Law to All Sexual Orientations Submitted to Duma

A bill submitted to the State Duma proposes amending Russia's anti-gay propaganda law so that it would ban propagating sexual relations of any kind...

A Traveling Exhibition Brings Van Gogh to Life

Some artists take on personas and meanings that are larger than life after their deaths. Vincent Van Gogh is one of those artists, and Muscovites have...

Abramovich's Girlfriend Apologizes for Posing on 'Black Woman' Chair

The founder of the Garage contemporary art center, Dasha Zhukova, has stirred up controversy after being photographed sitting on a chair designed to look...

Ukrainian Protests Against Anti-Demonstration Law Turn Violent

Protesters against the adoption of Ukraine's new anti-dissent law turned violent Sunday, as protesters and police began to clash near the city's central...

Petition for Moscow Paid Parking Referendum Not Submitted

Plans for what could have been Moscow's first referendum were canceled Saturday as the Just Russia party backed away from asking for a vote on the...

City Hall Refutes Navalny's Foreign Assets Allegations Against Deputy Mayor

City Hall on Thursday denied allegations made by opposition leader and blogger Alexei Navalny that one of Moscow's deputy mayors has violated the law...

Homophobic Star of Russian Sitcom Leaves Phone Retailer Post

Sitcom star Ivan Okhlobystin announced Tuesday that he is leaving his position as creative director of cell phone retailer Yevroset after causing uproar...

Top 10 Most Popular Stories of 2013

Here, chronologically, are the top stories that you, The Moscow Times' readers, clicked on throughout the year.

Kyrgyz Grand Mufti Resigns After Sex Tape Leak

A scandal has erupted in Kyrgyzstan, as the country's highest ranking Muslim official resignеd Tuesday after a sex tape that appears to show him committing...

Early Works by Escher at MMOMA

Maunts Cornelis Escher, the Dutch designer commonly known as M.C. Escher, achieved fame in the mid-20th century for drawings, woodcuts and lithographs...

More Yukos Criminal Cases Opened, Report Says

Eighteen managers from Yukos, the oil company formerly owned by jailed businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky, have been placed on an international wanted...

Trapped Cats Worry Moscow Residents

Visitors to Moscow may be surprised by residents' outspoken fondness for their cats, but they shouldn't be. The animals occupy a special place in the...

The Damien Hirst Show Takes Over MAMM

One of the most prominent contemporary artists living today, audiences and critics are divided on whether to call Damien Hirst brilliant or arrogant...

Inquiry Into Bolotnaya Riot Suspect Udaltsov Completed

The Investigative Committee has finished its inquiry into two prominent opposition activists suspected of organizing clashes with police at the Bolotnaya...

Photographic Odyssey Between Seas on Display

When most people think of traveling across the vast expanses of Russia, which has a greater surface area than the planet Pluto, they think of equally...

Ukraine Opposition Protests Europe U-Turn

Those who favored greater Ukrainian integration with Europe are voicing their displeasure with the country's decision to abandon a planned association...

U.S. Ballerina Faces Discrimination at Bolshoi Academy

Precious Adams, 18, is set to become one of the first African-American ballerinas to finish the prestigious Bolshoi Academy.

Moscow Surrounded by Sound for Night of Arts

Plugging in your iPod and turning on music can be world-transforming. Muscovites on the eve of National Unity Day did not need headphones to be surrounded...

Lavrov Warns Ukraine Over EU Deal

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday that Russian trade with Ukraine would not be severed if Ukraine signs an agreement next month with the European...

Miss Universe Contestants See Moscow, Avoid Controversy

Seeing scores of beautiful women in cocktail dresses is not particularly uncommon for Moscow, especially not in a setting like a money-soaked upscale...

Denied Visas, Sochi Project Makes Debut

The government's preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, granted to the southern Russian resort town in 2007, have been visible for years...

Diplomats Hope to Ease Dutch Tensions

The Foreign Ministry said Friday that a house managed by the Russian embassy in The Hague was burglarized by unknown assailants, the latest in a...

Goncharova Stays Between East and West

Looking back at the famous names of 20th century art, individuals like Kandinsky, Picasso and Franz Marc all spring to mind. While Natalia Goncharova...

Russian Authors Face Long Odds for Nobel

Russian literature is a serious business. The books are heavy, the beards are long and the descriptions of women's upper lip hair are detailed. Russian...

New Stalingrad Film Depicts IMAX War

The battle has been previously given film adaptations, most notably in the 1993 movie "Stalingrad," directed by German filmmaker Joseph Vilsmaier. However...

Kommersant Deletes Report About Putin's Reluctance to Say Navalny's Name

Kommersant has removed a report from its website in which President Vladimir Putin's press secretary supposedly said the president would not utter Alexei...

Icelandic Author Translated to Russian for First Time

Winter has not yet descended upon Moscow. The air is crisp and the temperatures are falling but, despite reports of flurries, there is no snow on the...

Soviet Photographers Bring Past to Life

The Soviet Union in the 1970s is a time that most foreigners probably associate with the colors red and gold. The vibrancy of the Communist Party's...

Tretyakov Displays Labor Mini-History

Art is work. Only some of the paint, blood, turpentine, sweat, corrugated metal and tears used by an artist ends up standing on a pedestal or hanging...

Pussy Riot's Tolokonnikova on Hunger Strike Over 'Death Threats'

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, a member of the feminist punk rock group Pussy Riot, has announced she is going on hunger strike after the administration at her...

Kabakov in Dialogue with Lisitsky at MAMM

A giant angel lies collapsed on the floor, its wings pointing in unnatural directions from a crumpled body. It has seemingly fallen through a hole...

Kandinsky Prize Nominees Displayed at Udarnik Theater

The Kandinsky Prize has always been broad in scope, seeking to both crown the very best project from Russia's vibrant contemporary art scene and anoint...

Vadim Gushchin Turns Household Items Into Art

Most people are not impressed by the towering presence of a load of bread. Likewise, most audiences aren't regularly struck by the vivid redness of a...

Vadim Zakharov Brings Ancient Myth to Life in "Dana"

Russian Corruption. Decadence. A princess becoming pregnant. Feminism. Sin. The eurozone crisis. The water cycle. These are some of the thoughts that...

Vivian Maier Displayed at Lumiere Center

Today, hip young people walk around cities primed to snap pictures and send them to their friends. Countless blogs are dedicated to chronicling the random...

'Belgorod Shooter' Given Life Sentence

A Belgorod court ruled in the case of the "Belgorod shooter" Friday, finding Sergei Pomazun guilty of killing six people in a shooting rampage in April...

Touring Museum Seeks Self-Taught Russian Artists

Somewhere in the middle of Russia a man is driving westward in a big red truck. The truck has two large containers with the word "everything" emblazoned...

Flea Market and Flowers To Fill Krasny Oktyabr

Check out one of Moscow's most ambitious flea markets as Lambada Market sets up camp Saturday in the Krasny Oktyabr gallery.

Bringing Art, Politics Together for Curators

Political art is not hard to find these days. Clever protest signs and elaborate street art have called for changes at recent protests, a masked female...

Tearing Up War and Peace Pages

When American artist Lola Baltzell discovered she had breast cancer in 2009, she began treatment and started an art project that is now on show in a...

Warhol Photographer Pairs Up for New Project

American photographer Christopher Makos' previous trip to Russia was 10 years ago when he flew in on Calvin Klein's private jet along with the designer...

A Good Cause: Helping the Racially Abused

Jen Voecks is a 23-year-old American expat originally from Wisconsin working at Interfax. In her spare time, she coordinates the Task Force on Racial...

Tim Burton Turns Up At Moscow Film Fest

The 34th Moscow International Film Festival officially opened late Thursday with the premier of "Soulless," an adaptation of the controversial novel...