Topic: Boris Yeltsin
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Japan and Russia want to finally end World War II, agree it is 'abnormal' not to
Today's summit between Shinzo Abe and Vladimir Putin comes at an opportune moment but may founder on the old problem of the Kuril Islands, which Japan still wants back.
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Chechen identity looms over Boston Marathon bombing suspects
If true that the two suspects were raised in Chechnya, its warrior tradition - which stresses male independence and defiance of authority - would likely have shaped their childhood.
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Russian beauty queen puts spotlight on Russia's official corruption
Her public denunciation of Russia's corruption surprised some this week. It also coincided with one of the Kremlin's periodic efforts to convince Russians that something is being done about it.
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Vladimir Putin to get a new, Russian-made ride
Putin has decided to ditch foreign-made armored limos in favor of a Russian model. But experts say the move, while patriotic, won't change things for the utilitarian Russian auto industry.
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Roman Abramovich prevails in Russian oligarch court battle
A London judge ruled in favor of Abramovich over fellow Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky in a court battle that dealt with their personal and business relationship.
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The Monitor's View: Russia protests keep democracy dream alive
The Russia protests on Tuesday tell Putin that the popular hopes for democracy are alive and kicking. His subtle suppression of dissent only hurts Russia's opportunity to modernize its economy.
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Opinion: Russia should be rewarded with NATO membership
Russia should be on the agenda for NATO summit in Chicago this weekend. In spite of recent tensions, the historically fractured relationship between Russia and NATO is the most ripe for transformation. Obstacles like missile defense and Eastern Europe can be resolved.
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Cover Story
Putin inauguration: World view of a Russian feeling dissedAs the second presidential inauguration of Vladimir Putin approaches, a former correspondent who once worked for him looks at the world view of the Russian iron man. His theory: The president is feeling dissed by the West and believes it conspires to "destroy" Russia.
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Opinion: Russia protests are overblown by West. Putin is here to stay.
Mesmerized by Moscow protests, Western observers predict President-elect Vladimir Putin’s demise. But the politically active middle class is small and limited. US policy must be based on a realistic analysis of Putin’s support, not unfounded assessments that he's on his last legs.
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Opinion: A weakened Putin is questioned abroad, under siege at home
Russia's President-elect Vladimir Putin may have won the presidential election, but he lost Moscow. And he faces an engaged, active generation that did not grow up as Soviets. Political legitimacy is more than an official election result; it requires trust.
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Opinion: For nuclear security beyond Seoul, eradicate land-based 'doomsday' missiles
America's 450 launch-ready land-based nuclear-armed ballistic missiles are the opposite of a deterrent to attack. In fact, their very deployment has the potential to launch World War III and precipitate human extinction – as a result of a false alarm. We’re not exaggerating.
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Opinion: Russian elections: US and Europe must rethink the 'reset'
Vladimir Putin, who seems set to return to the presidency after Russian elections Sunday, looks to be tossing aside the reset in relations with the US and Europe. Were the West to continue to embrace the Kremlin, it would alienate Russians, especially reformers.
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Russia worried about a nuclear Iran, but leery of US sanctions
Russia is wary of any international action similar to the UN resolution on Libya, which parlayed a mandate to protect civilians into a drive for regime change.
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Defying Putin: 7 Russians to watch
Vladimir Putin's "managed democracy" offers few opportunities for new leaders to emerge, build their own independent political base, and legitimately vie for power. That closed and controlled system is now teetering after tens of thousands of Russians marched in the streets of Russian cities in December to reject Mr. Putin's penchant for bureaucratic manipulation, media control, and vote-rigging. Fresh leaders are emerging without the Kremlin's approval and finding their voices. The following are seven to watch in coming months.
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After Russia's elections, public anger at Putin: Can he fix corruption?
A protest vote against Putin's United Russia party in parliament is being followed by sustained protests in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Putin is still headed for the presidency, but if he doesn't fix corruption, Russia risks the stagnation of the Brezhnev years.
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Why opposition is urging voters to sabotage ballots in Russia election
Voters should spoil their ballots in Russia's elections Sunday to protest a stage-managed process, says a leader whose party has been banned. One poll finds that 80 percent of Russians say voting has no impact.
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Putin's next marquee moment: Russia's presidency
Vladimir Putin is almost certain to return as Russia's president next March. Is this Russian-style democracy or evidence of the country's reversion to authoritarian traditions?
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How Occupy Wall Street is testing the next US president
While it’s too early to predict how Occupy Wall Street will affect local elections, presidential candidates have begun to recalibrate their campaigns to address the movement's challenges.
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Mikhail Gorbachev: We should have preserved the Soviet Union
On the 20th anniversary of the Soviet Union's collapse, former President Mikhail Gorbachev says the US should have backed his promotion of perestroika, or political and economic reforms. He says that Vladimir Putin is dragging Russia backward.
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The cost of a Putin presidency 2.0 in Russia
When Putin returns to the presidency next year, it will mean stability in Russia. But that comes at a cost – stagnation, as Russia groans under autocracy, corruption, cronyism, and social ills. The US must be realistic about Russia's strengths and weaknesses.
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The forgotten victims of 'Russia's 9/11'
Those injured or who lost loved ones in a wave of Sept. 1999 bombings in Russia feel that they have been abandoned by the Russian public, media, and government.
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Leadership lessons for Obama in Russia's 1991 revolution
Calls for Obama to be a strong leader sound a bit like Russians who prefer Putin's strong-arm rule, 20 years after the collapse of the Soviet empire began. But expressions of democratic values do not lie in one person. They must be more universal.
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The Soviet August Coup still resonates 20 years later
Twenty years ago today, Communist Party hard-liners staged a coup to guard against further democratic reforms. The takeover failed but triggered the Soviet collapse.
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Gorbachev criticizes Putin's Russia as backsliding on democracy
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev chose a painful anniversary – that of the 1991 August Coup, which tried to reverse his democratic reforms – to criticize Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
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Yelena Bonner: Are there any dissidents like her in Russia today?
Friends and colleagues of Soviet dissident Yelena Bonner, who died in Boston over the weekend, say today it's possible to work within the system – meaning true dissidents are rare.
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