Russia

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Journo Who Broke Russian Pirate Story Flees Country

Mikhail Voitenko says he knows more than he can tell about Arctic Sea 's cargo

(Newser) - The Russian journalist who was first to report on the disappearance of the Arctic Sea cargo ship has fled the country after receiving threats, the Guardian reports. Mikhail Voitenko, who speculated that the ship may have been carrying a secret cargo of weapons or "something much more expensive and...

Russian High Court Reopens Case of Murdered Journalist

Suspicion of Anna Politkovskaya's killers leads to Chechnya

(Newser) - Russia's supreme court ordered a new investigation into the murder of Anna Politkovskaya, the crusading journalist whose killers have not yet been found, reports the Guardian. The move received a cautious welcome from Politkovskaya's lawyer, who welcomed a new manhunt but said, "Whether the general prosecutor will use this...

'Reborn' Jesus Leads Vegans in Russia

Known as Vissarion, former traffic cop preaches against war

(Newser) - A former traffic cop in Russia has declared himself a reincarnation of Jesus and amassed a following of 5,000 devotees, including artists and intellectuals, the Daily Mail reports. Sergei Torop, "reborn" as "Vissarion" after losing his job in 1991, preached against the evils of war and harming...

US May Scrap Polish, Czech Missile Sites; Russia Pleased

Alternative sites in Turkey and the Balkans under consideration

(Newser) - The White House may drop sites in Poland and the Czech Republic where the Bush administration planned to build a billion-dollar missile defense shield, the New York Times reports. The alternative plans under consideration would please Russia and Germany but strain ties with Eastern Europe, where the Obama administration's review...

South Korea Launches Space Rocket
South Korea Launches
Space Rocket
Aug 25, 2009 6:44 AM CDT

South Korea Launches Space Rocket

First attempt from own soil; satellite aboard fails to reach orbit

(Newser) - South Korea's first rocket blasted off into space today following an aborted attempt last week and just months after its rival North Korea drew international ire for its own launch. A problem quickly surfaced, however, when the satellite the rocket was carrying apparently failed to enter its intended orbit. ...

Russia Arrests 8 in Ship Hijacking

(Newser) - Russia's navy arrested eight men accused of hijacking the Arctic Sea freighter near Sweden and forcing the crew to sail to West Africa, the defense minister said today. The suspected hijackers were detained by the naval vessel that found the Russian-crewed freighter yesterday off Cape Verde, thousands of miles from...

Russians Find Mystery Ship, Crew Alive Onboard

(Newser) - The Russian ship that mysteriously disappeared nearly three weeks ago has been found off the West African coast, with all 15 crew members aboard, Russia’s defense minister announced today. The crew is now aboard the Russian frigate that found them. The defense minister said the crew was not under...

Novel About Corruption May Be Kremlin Official's Work

Close to Zero portrays bribes, fraud as commonplace in contemporary Russia

(Newser) - A novel about a publisher navigating Russia’s complex web of political favors and payoffs may have been written by a top Kremlin official, the Moscow Times reports. Sources at Russky Pioner magazine, which published excerpts of Close to Zero before its release last month, say Vladislav Surkov, a powerful...

Was Missing Ship Taken by Pirates—or Spies?

(Newser) - As Russian warships search for missing merchant ship the "Arctic Sea," speculation is swirling, with many theorizing that the vessel was carrying more than its reported $1.3 million load of timber. “There was probably some sort of secret cargo,” the editor of Russia’s Sovfracht...

Ship Vanishes From English Channel

Secret cargo of drugs or arms may be behind maritime mystery

(Newser) - The Russian navy has deployed warships and submarines in search of a cargo ship that mysteriously disappeared from European waters, the Telegraph reports. The Russian crew of the Arctic Sea, which was transporting a load of timber worth nearly $2 million, reported being attacked by pirates in Swedish waters on...

Angry Russian Hurls Cup at Mona Lisa

Really, really miffed that she was denied citizenship

(Newser) - A Russian woman distressed that France had refused to grant her nationality took out her frustration on a defenseless national treasure, Reuters reports. “The woman threw an empty cup at the Mona Lisa, but there was no damage as the cup smashed when it hit the screen protecting the...

August Is a Snooze— Unless These Crises Hit

Iran, Afghanistan won't spend summer snoozing

(Newser) - August is a snooze—except when it isn't, writes Anne Applebaum for the Washington Post, who points out that World War I and Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait began in the eighth month. For the benefit of "the interns who are manning the shop while everyone is out of...

Blogger Blames Kremlin for Twitter Meltdown

(Newser) - The Georgian blogger who was taken offline in the cyberattack that shut down Twitter on Thursday believes Moscow is the culprit, he tells the Guardian. The economics professor, who goes by the online name Cyxymu, says he believes Russian authorities targeted him with the denial-of-service attack because of his persistent...

Twitter's Meltdown: Blame the Russians?

(Newser) - So why did Tweets fall silent for much of today? One leading theory traces the problem to the unlikeliest of places—the conflict between Russia and Georgia, CNET reports. It goes like this: A pro-Georgia blogger with accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and the other sites affected by today's slowdown attracted...

Russian Subs Patrol US Coast
 Russian Subs Patrol US Coast 
Aug 4, 2009 6:28 PM CDT

Russian Subs Patrol US Coast

(Newser) - First, Vladimir Putin shows off his biceps on vacation and now this: Two nuclear-powered Russian subs have been poking around the East Coast of the US, the New York Times reports. It's not clear what they're up to, but the move is a rare one that smacks of the Cold...

Putin Trip Is Tough-Guy Photo Op

Official pics show Russian PM swimming, riding bareback in Siberia

(Newser) - Vladimir Putin spent his vacation in southern Siberia swimming, climbing trees, and riding a horse bareback—all while shirtless. Though state news agencies portrayed the Russian prime minister’s trip as a vacation, the series of tough-guy photographs that emerged make it hard not to think he had a motive...

Russians Urged to Drown Swine Flu With Whiskey

(Newser) - Russian soccer fans visiting Wales next month for their country's World Cup qualifier have been told to avoid swine flu by guzzling whiskey, Reuters reports. The Russian government has cautioned fans to avoid travel to the UK because of the flu outbreak, but those who proudly defy the warning should...

Russia to Drill for Oil Off Cuba

(Newser) - A government-controlled Russian oil firm will be allowed to search for and extract oil from Cuba's portion of the Gulf of Mexico under a deal signed yesterday, the BBC reports. The Russian firm will work alongside Cuba's state-run oil monopoly a matter of miles off the coast of America. Cuba...

Hitler Sent Troops to Russia's Frozen Hell
 Hitler Sent Troops 
 to Russia's Frozen Hell 
book excerpt
Jul 26, 2009 1:10 PM CDT

Hitler Sent Troops to Russia's Frozen Hell

Unprepared troops suffered 'horrific' consequences

(Newser) - When Adolf Hitler sent his troops to invade Russia, he gave little thought to their warmth—leaving them in “desperate need” of millions of hats, gloves, and coats, writes historian Andrew Roberts in a Daily Telegraph book excerpt. “One can't put any trust in the meteorological forecasts,”...

Moon Landing Pulled Plug on Russian Space Pride

(Newser) - Russia is still smarting over America’s moon landing 40 years ago—so much so that a recent state TV report gave credence to dubious NASA-faked-it conspiracy theories, the AP reports. Before the moon landing, Moscow dominated the space race, laying claim to the first craft in space, the first...

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