Topic: Alexei Makarkin

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In Russia, a blogger takes on powerful Putin

Alexei Navalny's charge that Prime Minister Putin is abusing his power is gaining traction, showing the growing clout of Russia's blogosphere.
Russia's only war criminal Yury Budanov assassinated in Moscow

Yury Budanov served six years in prison for war crimes in Chechnya before his parole in 2009. His assassination could be a revenge attack or an attempt to stir ethnic strife.
Medvedev slams Putin's 'inexcusable' Libya 'crusade' comments

The sharp exchange of words on Monday reveals what some Russia experts say is a growing rift between Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev.
To ease investment jitters, Medvedev allies float Khordorkovsky release

Signals from the Kremlin suggest that Russian President Medvedev may be weighing clemency for long-jailed former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, another sign of a deepening split with Prime Minister Putin.
Belarus risks alienating both Russia, EU in wake of political crackdown

Police in Belarus arrested more than 600 activists protesting Sunday's election that handed President Alexander Lukashenko a fourth term. He told opponents Monday, 'You are messing with the wrong guy.'
Chechen parliament attack a threat to Kremlin strongman

A major militant attack on the Chechen parliament is raising doubts about Kremlin-backed Ramzan Kadyrov's boasts that he's pacified Chechnya.
In shift, Kremlin reopens cases of Russian reporters' unsolved murders

The announcement came during the Kremlin's meeting today with the Committee to Protect Journalists. Rights groups have been pressing to address major unsolved murders, such as the slaying of Anna Politkovskaya.
Why Russia wants 'Enemy No. 1' Akhmed Zakayev back

Russia considers Chechen separatist Akhmed Zakayev, picked up in Warsaw today under an international arrest warrant, as 'Enemy No. 1.'
Why Russia is cutting off gas supplies to Belarus

Russia is again using gas as a foreign policy tool to alter behavior of its neighbors. It wants Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko to join a new customs union championed by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
Russia bombing: Jihadis or sign of other trouble in north Caucasus?

A Russia bomb that killed six people in the Russian city of Stavropol has led to speculation about jihadis or Islamic militants. But analysts worry about a widening circle of instability – and players – in the north Caucasus.
Pragmatism spurs Russia and Georgia toward smoother relations

Signs of a thaw between Russia and Georgia include the reopening of one border post on the major Caucasus highway and a possible move to resume direct air links. Relations between Russia and Georgia behave been in a freeze since last year's war over breakaway Georgian territories.
Russian nightclub fire: Corruption behind Lame Horse tragedy?

After a Russian nightclub fire killed 113 people in Perm, a national day of mourning and allegations that corruption fed the tragedy.
Medvedev pitches economic – but not political – changes for Russia

In a state-of-the-nation speech Thursday, Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev reviewed his own pet economic innovations but didn't criticize the tightly controlled political edifice