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 Thousands of people thronged central Moscow on Sunday in a march protesting a ban on U.S. adoptions of Russian orphans, in one of the largest opposition protests of the last 13 months.
The march represented the most prominent expression of public anger thus far against the heavily criticized measure, which took effect Jan. |
All photos from issue.
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 MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signaled a return to the classic days of his presidency by presiding over a 4 1/2-hour news conference, which at times resembled a call-in show as reporters from the country’s far-flung regions scrambled to pass personal messages to the head of state.
The president appeared comfortable and bullish, if at times haughty, when answering often unscripted questions from more than 60 journalists — and ignoring attempts by his spokesman Dmitry Peskov to end the performance after four hours had passed.
The marathon event for some 1,200 accredited reporters marked a return of an annual tradition during Putin’s first two terms as president, though unlike then, it was held in the World Trade Center, in western Moscow, instead of the Kremlin. |
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!
OSIPOVA ASYA / SPT
Father Frost takes a ride in an open-top car on the embankment of the Neva River on Saturday, despite the severe frosts. Forcasters are predicting that temperatures will rise in the run-up to New Year’s Eve. The next issue of The St. Petersburg Times will be published on Jan. 16. |
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A bizarre claim made by the Investigative Committee concerning the death of a man involved in a road-traffic accident has led to multiple arrests and at least five jail terms.
An estimated 200 gathered on Pionerskaya Ploshchad on Sunday to await news concerning the death of Grigory Kochnev, who the Investigative Committee said stabbed himself five times in the chest after a traffic incident on Dec.
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MOSCOW — A prosecutor on Monday requested that the only remaining defendant in whistle-blowing lawyer Sergei Magnitsky’s death be acquitted of criminal negligence.
The United States recently passed a law to impose international sanctions on Russians it believes were involved in the 2009 death, but Russia has not made any conviction in the case. |
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MOSCOW — India on Monday agreed to buy $2.9 billion worth of Russian weapons, as President Vladimir Putin visited the longtime ally.
Under the larger deal, India will purchase kits to assemble 42 Sukhoi-30 fighter jets for $1. |
 MOSCOW — A policeman says in Russian: “I work a lot, sometimes even too much. … Winter or summer, rain or shine, I go from a bank to a store, from a store to a restaurant, from a restaurant to a market, looking for where to take money.”
What’s wrong with this passage? Is there a grammatical error or a moral dilemma? The author of “Poekhali!” (Let’s Go!), a Russian-language textbook series that has sold more than 100,000 copies around the world, maintains that passages like the one above help foreigners learn a famously complicated language. |
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MOSCOW — A documentary-style film called “Berezovsky” aired on state-owned channel Rossia-1 on Sunday night has prompted Prosecutor General Yury Chaika to order a probe into a range of serious allegations made against former Kremlin insider Boris Berezovsky, from ordering the murder of a liberal opposition leader to abducting a Ukrainian presidential candidate, news reports said Monday. |
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MOSCOW — The Lenin Mausoleum on Red Square will undergo major repair works because sagging ground underneath it has made the famous building tilt, officials said Monday.
The mausoleum suffered “serious strain” because of sinking ground and snow and rain damaging its exterior, Stanislav Kyuver, an official with the Federal Guard Service, which is in charge of security surrounding the Kremlin, told reporters. |
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 MOSCOW — A third criminal investigation was opened against opposition leader and anti-corruption lawyer Alexei Navalny on Monday, with the Investigative Committee claiming he stole money from a political party in 2007.
The committee said in a statement that Allekt, a company headed by Navalny in 2007, had received 100 million rubles ($3.3 million) from the Union of Right Forces party for the provision of advertising services and then transferred the funds to shell companies.
“No document confirming the fulfillment of the conditions of the contraction has been presented to investigators,” the statement said.
The investigators’ decision to open the case was met with criticism from both Navalny and former representatives of the party who said they had no complaints about Navalny and the charges were no more than a demonstration of political pressure.
“The Investigative Committee has a right to request documents that prove that the conditions of the contract with Allekt were met,” Leonid Gozman, who in 2007 was deputy head of the party’s federal political council, said by phone. |
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MERRY CHRISTMAS
NADEZHDA BELYAYEVA / FOR SPT
Children admire the New Year tree, complete with decorations, at their grandmother’s in the run-up to the festive celebrations. |
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MOSCOW — The European Union insists that Russia agree to its terms for a visa facilitation agreement before any progress can be made toward a visa-free travel regime.
This is the message from Friday’s EU-Russia summit.
The talks between President Vladimir Putin and EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and EU Council chief Hermann van Rompuy in Brussels were dominated by visa and energy issues — none of which saw any significant breakthrough.
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After the State Duma passed a bill banning adoptions by Americans, journalist Valery Panyushkin wrote on Facebook, “I know of only two organizations in the world that scare their enemies by harming their own children: Hamas and the United Russia party. |
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Many years ago on a U.S. flight to Moscow, a young, very mid-American couple asked me to help them with their Russian customs forms. I couldn’t help noticing that they had brand-new passports. |
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 St. Petersburg has a plenty of very diverse themed bars, but the new Svoboda (Freedom) Bar stands out. It is a cross between a pub and a protest rally.
Launched earlier this month, it uses banners, opposition flags and other paraphernalia in its interiors, while drinks are served by activists who double as bartenders. |
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Feminist punk group Pussy Riot has been mentioned in many international reviews of 2012, with The Guardian describing it as “the only band that mattered in 2012” and Le Figaro ranking group member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova as the “Woman of the Year. |
 This festive season, the traditional program of performances of “The Nutcracker” and one-off concerts will be enhanced by a visit to the city by the Chinese Circus.
This will be the first local appearance by the world-famous Hebei Acrobatic Troupe, which was founded in 1970. |
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MOSCOW — Better known in the West for promising to “bury” the capitalist world, Soviet leader Nikita Khruschev is also remembered by Russians for banning works that didn’t conform to the Communist Party’s notion that art should be straightforward, realistic and appeal to workers and peasants. |
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While there is no shortage of Italian restaurants in the city — Italian and Caucasian cuisine are easily the two most popular in St. Petersburg — not all of them appear to be flourishing. Nevertheless, Trattoria Grato appears to be doing well as the place has expanded from a single-hall trattoria into a restaurant with three halls plus a café and an on-site deli. |
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 LONDON — Oxford Street is illuminated by colorful Christmas decorations as cheerful crowds shop furiously. But a few miles away, in the prestigious Mayfair neighborhood, the number of consumers is not as significant as the high level of individual spending going on. |
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MOSCOW — Amid the public furor over the State Duma’s proposed ban on U.S. adoptions, many seem to have overlooked the fact that the so-called “anti-Magnitsky act,” which passed the lower house of parliament on Friday, would also place harsh new restrictions on non-governmental organizations. |
 Selecting a dress code is similar to making a cocktail: The wrong proportion destroys the result, believes French Countess Marie de Tilly, an internationally recognized expert on etiquette and head of her own studio French Touch, whose clients include, among others, Chanel, Lancome and Sotheby’s.
Developing the cocktail metaphor, Countess de Tilly, cranks out the perfect Christmas style: One dose of modesty, two doses of a sense of humor, two doses of self-control and three doses of cordiality. |
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 MOSCOW — As experts predict a new wave of global economic crisis, businesses are cutting expenses on New Year’s parties, Vedomosti reported.
Many companies have slashed spending on corporate events since the 2008 financial crisis, said Yegnenia Kurbatova, a managing partner at event management agency Angels. |
 MOSCOW — Come New Year’s Eve, Vadim Dymov’s dacha in Suzdal will be bustling with more guests than on most weekends. The house in the Golden Ring town is an escape for the eclectic entrepreneur, who founded one of Russia’s most successful meat brands, a bookstore and a line of folk pottery.
But unlike the usual concept of a weekend getaway, Dymov goes there to be surrounded by people, not to escape from them. |
Temp: -1°C clear 
Issues Archive