The situation in republics of the North Caucasus moved to the forefront against the background of the events in South Ossetia. The latest reports show that this situation remains difficult and explosive. Here are some facts that characterize athe ctiveness

MOSCOW, September 18 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Sberbank, VTB and Gazprombank will allocate an extra 60 billion rubles ($2.36 billion) to credit stock market players against the pledge of securities, Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said Thursday. Russia's main financial

MOSCOW, September 18 (RIA Novosti) - Russia and the United States can fashion a constructive dialogue regardless of their differences on some international issues, the Russian president said Thursday. "Despite a number of significant disagreements on certain international problems, we

MOSCOW, September 18 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian government will order a cut in export duty on crude oil exports from $485.8 to $372 later this week, the finance minister said on Thursday. "Later in the week, the government will

MOSCOW, September 18 (RIA Novosti) - A new round of consultations on Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization will start on November 3, the country's top negotiator said Thursday. Russia started WTO accession talks in 1995. The latest round

NIZHNY NOVGOROD, September 18 (RIA Novosti) - An Russian Orthodox church will be built at the site of the plane crash in the Perm Territory in the Urals, a local church spokesman said. A Boeing 737, owned by Aeroflot subsidiary

MOSCOW, September 18 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's main financial regulator announced on Thursday that it would allow the country's two main stock exchanges to resume equity trading on Friday. The Federal Financial Markets Service halted trading on the RTS and

STAR CITY (Moscow Region), September 18 (RIA Novosti) - Members of the International Space Station Expedition 18 have successfully passed their first pre-flight tests, a spokesman for Russia's Cosmonaut Training Center said Thursday. A Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft carrying commander Mike

MOSCOW, September 18 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Navy on Thursday successfully tested a Bulava sea-launched ballistic missile, which hit targets on testing grounds in Kamchatka in Russia's Far East, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry said. The Bulava, designed

MOSCOW, September 18 (RIA Novosti) - Russia and Turkey have signed an agreement to simplify customs procedures, the Federal Customs Service (FTS) said in a statement Thursday. "The ratified procedure will significantly simplify imports of Turkish goods to Russia," the

The United States has always been at the frontline of the West's political struggle with Russia. In lieu of the escalating tensions spurred by Russia's political ambition, the Russia-United States relationship has suffered a whole series of blows. Sharp rhetorical

Russian experts were asked for their take on the consequences of Russia's crashing stock market for the country's economic and political future. Translation by theotherrussia.org

Two seamen were killed and one was injured late Wednesday after a fire broke out on board a large naval vessel from Russia's Pacific Fleet, a Navy spokesman said on Thursday.

The Arkhangelsk-based Zvezdochka shipyard might take over another two yards in Murmansk Oblast. In 2009, both the yard in Polyarny and Safonovo might be incorporated into the company.

The missile cruiser Varyag has effectively engaged a surface target at an ongoing Pacific Fleet exercise in the Sea of Japan, a fleet spokesman said Wednesday.