Europe

Russian lawmakers vote to follow US out of overflight treaty

MOSCOW — The Russian parliament's lower house voted Wednesday to withdraw from an international treaty allowing surveillance flights over military facilities following the U.S. departure from the pact.

Europe

Russia’s northernmost base projects its power across Arctic

NAGURSKOYE, Russia — During the Cold War, Russia's Nagurskoye airbase was little more than a runway, a weather station and a communications outpost in the Franz Josef Land archipelago.

Europe

Russia won’t block Twitter, but partial slowdown to continue

MOSCOW — Russian authorities on Monday backed away from threats to block Twitter, saying that the social media platform deleted most of the banned content identified by Moscow and expressed “readiness and interest in building a constructive dialogue.”

Europe

Putin bemoans Ukraine’s crackdown on pro-Russia opposition

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday harshly criticized Ukrainian authorities for what he described as their crackdown on the Moscow-friendly opposition amid simmering tensions between the two neighbors.

Europe

Putin says school shooting in Kazan ‘has shaken all of us’

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said that the deadly school shooting in Kazan “has shaken” the country and ordered the government to revise school security protocols and tighten control over civilian gun ownership.

Europe

Blinken stresses US resolve in call with Russian diplomat

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Antony Blinken told his Russian counterpart on Wednesday that the Biden administration will not waver in responding to aggression from Moscow in the United States or elsewhere...

Europe

Funerals held for 9 victims of Russian school attack

MOSCOW — Relatives wept and hugged as the nine people killed in a school shooting in the Russian city of Kazan were buried Wednesday, which was declared a day of mourning in the predominantly Muslim republic of Tatarstan...

Europe

Kremlin-imposed cuts at US Embassy leave thousands adrift

MOSCOW — Under Kremlin orders, the U.S. Embassy has stopped employing Russians, forcing the embassy to cut its consular staff by 75% and limit many of its services.

Europe

School shooting in Russia kills 9 people; suspect arrested

MOSCOW — A gunman launched an attack on a school in the Russian city of Kazan that left at least nine people dead Tuesday — including seven youngsters — and sent students hiding under their desks or running out of the building...

Europe

Putin tells Red Square parade that Nazi ideas persist

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin marked the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe with a speech warning that Nazi beliefs remain strong.

Belgrade

With US summit planned, Russia prefers EU-Kosovo mediation

BELGRADE, Serbia — Russia's foreign minister said Thursday that Moscow will need to approve any solution reached in peace talks between Kosovo and Serbia that have gained momentum after U.S....

United Nations

The Latest: Virus infections continue steady rise in S Korea

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has reported 59 COVID-19 cases as infections steadily rise in the capital area where half the country’s 51 million people live.

International News

Russian monk denying coronavirus takes control of monastery

MOSCOW — A rebellious Russian monk who has denied the coronavirus' existence and urged believers to ignore the Kremlin's lockdown orders has taken control of a monastery in the Ural...

International News

Kremlin installs special antiseptic tunnels to protect Putin

MOSCOW — The Russian government built special tunnels to protect President Vladimir Putin from the coronavirus at home and at work, Putin's spokesman said Wednesday.

General News

American convicted of spying in Russia, gets 16 years

MOSCOW — A Russian court convicted an American corporate security executive Monday of espionage and sentenced him to 16 years in prison after a closed trial that the U.S. denounced as a...

Russia

Russia expels 2 Czech diplomats in quid pro quo move

MOSCOW — Russia's Foreign Ministry on Monday ordered two Czech diplomats to leave the country in a quid pro quo response to Prague's expulsion of Russian diplomats amid tensions rooted in...

General News

Russia’s low virus death toll still raises questions in West

MOSCOW — When Leonid Shlykov's father, Sergei, died in a Moscow hospital last month after 11 days on a ventilator, the death certificate listed the coronavirus as an underlying condition but...

Russia

Putin attends first public event after months of lockdown

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday showed up at a ceremony marking the national holiday — the first big public event he has attended since announcing a nationwide lockdown...

International News

Russia welcomes prospect of US troop pullback from Germany

MOSCOW — Russia's Foreign Ministry on Thursday welcomed President Donald Trump’s reported plan to withdraw more than a quarter of U.S. troops from Germany, saying it would help bolster...

International News

Siberian governor says leaked oil spilled into Arctic lake

MOSCOW — Some of the 20,000 tons of diesel oil that leaked from a power plant has seeped into a fragile Arctic lake, the regional governor said Tuesday.

Health

Moscow lifts lockdown restrictions amid virus concerns

Moscow emerged from a strict lockdown Tuesday with the city government citing a slowdown in the coronavirus outbreak and critics expressing concerns over the potential for a new wave of infections...

Virus Outbreak

The Latest: Pakistan sees more than 100 virus deaths in day

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan recorded more than 100 deaths in a single day from COVID-19 for the first time since keeping statistics in mid-March, when the country first imposed a lock down that...

Wildlife

Russia charges plant director in Arctic diesel fuel spill

MOSCOW — Russian authorities have charged the director of an Arctic power plant that leaked 20,000 tons of diesel fuel into the ecologically fragile region with violating environmental...

General News

The Latest: China has 1st non-imported infection in 2 weeks

BEIJING — China has reported its first non-imported case of the new coronavirus in two weeks, an infected person on the island of Hainan off the southern coast.

Moscow

Moscow book fair brings out Pushkin fans, lockdown-weary

MOSCOW — Muscovites clad in facemasks and gloves ventured into Red Square for an outdoor book market Saturday, a small sign of gradual efforts to open the Russian capital back up amid the...

International News

Russian Orthodox priest tends to Moscow’s COVID-19 patients

MOSCOW — The Rev. Vasily Gelevan bends over a COVID-19 patient at her apartment to administer Holy Communion and say words of comfort while clad in a hazmat suit.

International News

Putin chastises Russian tycoon over massive Arctic oil spill

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday chastised the billionaire owner of a nickel giant for negligence over a massive fuel oil spill that has inflicted huge damage on a fragile...

Shootings

The Latest: UN body calls for action on debt amid pandemic

The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more...

Moscow

Putin signs Russia’s nuclear deterrent policy

MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday endorsed Russia's nuclear deterrent policy which allows him to use atomic weapons in response to a conventional strike targeting the nation's...

Smartphones

Virus-tracking app angers thousands in Moscow with fines

MOSCOW — When nurse Maria Alexeyeva caught coronavirus at work, she isolated herself at home and followed the rules set down by Moscow authorities: She checked in with doctors regularly,...

Religion

The Latest: South Korea reports 38 new cases of COVID-19

The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more...

International News

Russian general chafes at “provocative” NATO drills

MOSCOW — The Russian military on Monday accused the U.S. and its NATO allies of conducting “provocative” military drills near the nation's borders, a statement that reflected simmering...

Health

After criticism, Russia expands stats on virus-linked deaths

MOSCOW — The Russian government on Friday presented more detailed mortality figures for last month that include more deaths linked with the coronavirus, in a bid to dispel suspicions from...

Iran

US: Russian jets in Libya present broader worries for region

WASHINGTON — U.S. Africa Command flatly rejected Russian claims that Moscow did not deploy fighter jets to Libya, saying Friday that the 14 aircraft flown in reflect Russia's longer term goal...

Australia

The Latest: UN urges $2.4 billion in aid for war-torn Yemen

The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can...

General News

Rising US job losses stir fears of lasting economic damage

WASHINGTON — The coronavirus crisis threw at least 2.1 million Americans out of work last week despite the gradual reopening of businesses around the country, stoking fears Thursday that the...

General News

Democratic lawmakers seek records on Russian ventilators

WASHINGTON — House Democrats are calling on the Trump administration to provide records related to the purchase of ventilators from Russia, asserting that the machines were not only unsafe...

Health

Moscow updates coronavirus statistics to show more deaths

MOSCOW — Health officials in Moscow updated their figures on coronavirus deaths Thursday, seeking to dispel doubts about Russia's comparatively low COVID-19 death toll.

Religion

The Latest: India surpasses 150,000 virus cases

The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can...

Military facilities

Russia says US leaving overflight treaty will hurt security

MOSCOW — Russia said Tuesday that the U.S. decision to withdraw from an international treaty allowing observation flights over military facilities would erode global security by making it...

International News

After weeks of COVID-19 cases, Russian doctor craves quiet

MOSCOW — As he strides down the sidewalk outside Moscow's Filatov Hospital in blue jeans and garish crimson shoes, Dr. Osman Osmanov shows no signs of the rigors he's just been...

Beijing

The Latest: China reports 4 new confirmed virus cases

The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can...