The arrest of a popular regional governor has led to protests demanding his release. Amid the pandemic and an economic downturn, the protests pose an additional challenge for President Vladimir Putin.
"It is very important to him to have this popular endorsement, even if it is a farce, even if it is a travesty of popular will," analyst Masha Lipman says of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Russian president says his country is making progress in its battle against the novel coronavirus, even as the number of Russians infected continues to rise.
Even after two decades in power, Russia's leader enjoys approval ratings around 70%. Supporters say he has returned the country to greatness. But a poll says over half of young adults want to leave.
The Russian president said so Thursday during his annual marathon news conference in Moscow. During the year-end event, Putin also suggested that Russia's presidential term limits "could be removed."
More than 13,000 people have been killed in the Russian insurgency since it began five years ago. The Ukrainian president entered the talks in a tricky position, wanting peace but lacking leverage.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will have his first meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Paris, in an effort to end a five-year conflict in eastern Ukraine that has cost 13,000 lives.
The rule extends a 2017 law pertaining to outlets like Voice of America. That law was drafted after the Justice Department compelled Russia-backed RT America to register as a foreign agent in the U.S.
Buzzfeed's Heidi Blake fails to support a dubious argument, but the book is worth reading for its recap of more than a dozen murder and suspicious death stories during a two-decade period.
Alexei Navalny, a prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin, runs an anti-corruption organization that Russian authorities accuse of being a "foreign agent." This week, he hit back.
His remarks come after a U.S. Defense Department test of a modified Navy Tomahawk cruise missile, and the demise of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty between Washington and Moscow.
"I think it's much more appropriate to have Russia in," President Trump told reporters. In Russia, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said discussions should move from the media "to the expert level."
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was signed in 1987 by President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. The U.S. has long accused Russia of refusing to comply with its terms.
The leaders are scheduled to meet on Thursday, according to Chinese and North Korean news agencies. The visit comes after stalled negotiations with President Trump.
The U.S.-based Free Russia Foundation accuses Russia of "infiltrating the fabric of democracy," using international law and accounting firms, think tanks and institutions.
Spokesman Dmitry Peskov links the attacks to Russia's need for its own Internet. It is a "geopolitical angle to try to defend their own steps," says Internet freedom expert Sanja Kelly.
Dennis Christensen was arrested during prayer. "I hope today is the day Russia defends religious freedom," he said before the verdict. Critics call it a severe crackdown on religious freedom.
National security adviser John Bolton referred to the special counsel investigation in announcing that Russia's president won't visit the United States this year.
The House speaker also said he would not invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to address Congress if he visits in the fall: "That's something we reserve for allies."
President Trump boasts that he's tougher on Russia than any other president. His administration has adopted some tough policies, even though Trump's rhetoric is almost always friendly toward Moscow.
Politicians argued almost with one voice that the White House reject any notion about granting Russian investigators access to Americans facing accusations by Vladimir Putin. It agreed on Thursday.
