Thousands join anti-Kremlin protest in Moscow
MOSCOW — Thousands of anti-Kremlin protesters donned white ribbons and held hands along Moscow’s 10-mile ring highway on Sunday, demonstrating the resilience of the protest movement and continued dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin a week before he is to run in a crucial presidential election.
Putin defends his decision to seek a return to the presidency
MOSCOW — Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin confronted criticism over his decision to seek a return to the presidency next year, warning in a television interview shown Monday of a return to the volatility of previous decades should Russia swerve from its current course.
Medvedev fires Russian finance minister for insubordination
MOSCOW — President Dmitry Medvedev fired Russia’s longtime finance minister for insubordination Monday after the two had an icy confrontation on television that revealed the fault lines in a government where disagreements are usually kept strictly under wraps.
Shorts (right)
German prosecutors have abandoned investigations into one of the main figures suspected of involvement in the killing of a former KGB officer in London three years ago without bringing charges, according to accounts on Thursday by the prosecutors and the man in question.
Georgian Press Sees Many Restrictions on Its Freedoms
The cameras at Georgia’s main opposition broadcaster, Imedi, kept rolling Nov. 7, when masked riot police officers, armed with machine guns, burst into the studio. They smashed equipment, ordered employees and television guests to lie on the floor and confiscated their cell phones. A news anchor remained on-screen throughout, describing the mayhem. Then all went black.
Separatist Fighting Worsens in Georgia Border Region
Fighting in the border region between the former Soviet republic of Georgia and a breakaway Georgian enclave has reached its highest level in years, with Georgia saying that up to 10 civilians and soldiers had been killed in violence that erupted overnight on Wednesday and lasted throughout the day on Thursday.
Putin Questioned as Russian Economy Falters
Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin spent much of his annual question-and-answer televised exchange on Thursday seeking to reassure Russians that the effects of the global economic crisis on the country would be minimal. He also denied increased speculation that he might seek an early return to the presidency.
Covert Georgian Recordings Cast Russia As an Aggressor
A new front has opened between Georgia and Russia, now over which side was the aggressor whose military activities early last month ignited the lopsided five-day war. At issue is new intelligence, inconclusive on its own, that nonetheless paints a more complicated picture of the critical last hours before war broke out.