PHOTOGALLERY
Ukraine’s Winter War
VISUAL REPORTS
Moscow Celebrates The Epiphany
Dozens of sites have been set up around Moscow to allow Orthodox Russians to take the ritual icey dip to mark the Epiphany. Russia’s Ministry of Emergency expects around 150,000 people to take part. (Russian Service)
Russian Cadets Twerk Themselves Into A Scandal
First-year students at Russia's Ulyanovsk Institute of Civil Aviation face possible punishment for filming a provocative dance video that did not amuse federal officials.
Stoltenberg Condemns Killing In Kosovo, Calls for Calm
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg condemned the killing of ethnic-Serb leader Oliver Ivanovic in Kosovo, and said the Western military alliance would continue to be on hand to help keep the country stable.
OTHER NEWS
Draft U.S. Document Confirms Kremlin Plans For ‘Doomsday’ Weapon
For the first time, there are public indications that U.S. intelligence has confirmed Russian intentions to produce a nuclear-capable underwater drone.
Moscow Slams Leak Of Embassy Bank Transfers Around U.S. Election
Russia’s Foreign Ministry is demanding that the United States stop the leak of confidential diplomatic information after a media report this week detailed what it said were "suspicious" Russian embassy bank transfers.
Russian Court Refuses To Hear Navalny Election Complaint
Russia's Constitutional Court has refused to review a complaint from opposition leader and Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny about election laws used by authorities to ban his candidacy in Russia’s March presidential vote.
Truckers' Leader Rolls On After Derailed Russian Election Bid
Andrei Bazhutin, the head of Russia's nationwide truckers protest who hoped to make a run for the presidency, says he ran out of time to register because of a coordinated campaign to keep him off the ballot.
Custody Prolonged For Accused Ekho Moskvy Knife Attacker
A court in Moscow has prolonged the detention of a man accused of stabbing Ekho Moskvy radio journalist Tatyana Felgengauer in October.
Kadyrov Impugns Rights Groups, Calls Jailed Activist A ‘Drug Addict’
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has lashed out at human rights groups and rejected claims that an activist jailed on a drug charge is the victim of a fabricated allegation. (North Caucasus Service)
Kadyrov Hints At Antigay Honor Killing Of Chechen Singer
In his first public remarks on the case, Chechnya’s leader has suggested that a Chechen singer believed to have been swept up in a purge targeting gay men was killed by family members because of his sexual orientation. (Russian Service)
Ax-Wielding Teen Injures Seven At Siberian School
In the third attack within a week by teenagers at Russian schools, a student at a school in southeastern Siberia has attacked a group of younger students with an ax, injuring at least six others before trying to kill himself.
Russian Film Posits Putin Golden Gene
A new film claims that the horrors of the nearly 900-day Nazi siege of Leningrad during World War II left a mutation on the genetic code of the survivors that was passed on to their progeny, and that Russian President Vladimir Putin has the golden gene.
Five Issues With Ukraine's 'Occupied Territories' Bill
Critics of a bill governing state policy on "temporarily occupied" areas of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, passed on January 18, say it has some flaws.
Historian 'Astonished' At Ukraine Ban On Best-Selling Book Stalingrad
British historian and best-selling author Antony Beevor is expecting an apology after Ukrainian authorities moved to ban the import of a Russian translation of his award-winning account of a major tipping point in World War II.
Armenian President Nominates Ex-PM As His Successor
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian has named former Prime Minister Armen Sarkisian (no relation) as the ruling Republican Party's nomination for the next president.
MOST READ/RUSSIA: Putin And The Fabergé Egg
Alexander Ivanov, one of the most famous collectors of jewelry by Karl Fabergé, bought a unique Rothschild egg in 2007 that, seven years later, appeared in Vladimir Putin’s hands as a gift from the Russian president to the Hermitage Museum on its 250th anniversary. The investigative project Municipal Scanner claims that Ivanov made most of his purchases with money from Konstantin Goloshchapov, a longstanding friend of the president who is often referred to as his “masseur.” (over 42k views on Russian Service website)
7.40am -- Good Morning!
[Excerpt from Current Time TV’s daily, first-read for Russian-speaking audiences.]
One day before the premiere of Paddington 2 and Maze Runner: The Death Cure, the Russian Ministry of Culture has postponed both screenings, even though the tickets were already on sale. This was supposedly done to increase revenues for the Russian movies Moving Up and Scythian. Minister Vyacheslav Medinsky has said he is acting in the interests of Russian cinema.