Wildfire in Volgograd (former Stalingrad), situated on the western bank of the Volga River. The total land area ablaze in Russia has increased drastically over the past day as the government tries to fight the ongoing wildfires, according to the Russian emergencies ministry. The emergencies ministry officials have said that some 3,000 hectares of land has been covered by wildfires since Wednesday,... 

The U.S. State Department has quietly put Russian officials connected to the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky on a visa blacklist as Moscow threatens to curtail cooperation on Iran, North Korea, Libya and the transit of supplies for Afghanistan if the Senate passes a measure imposing even tougher sanctions for human rights abuses. The Russian government has grown ever more infuriated by a series of... 

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, right, and the South African President Jacob Zuma. The differences between Nato and Russia over the West’s bombing campaign in Libya were laid bare yesterday after Moscow accused the alliance of interpreting a UN resolution on military intervention to suit its own ends. Tense talks between Nato and Russian officials on the sidelines of a Nato-Russia Council... 

The number of impoverished people in Russia has increased by 2.3 million and made up 22.9 million in one year, the Russian Federal Statistics Agency said. Many experts believe that official statistics does not reflect the real state of affairs and is very often undervalued. Therefore, it means that the number of the poor in the country grows much faster. According to official statistics, an impoverished... 

A major diplomatic scandal broke out between Russia and Romania. The reason for the scandal is the statements of Romanian President Traian Basescu, who virtually justified his country’s participation in the war against the Soviet Union on the side of Hitler. Basescu voiced the scandalous statements back on June 22. They were dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic... 

Inter RAO halted electricity supplies to Belarus as huge debt remains unpaid. Russia’s electricity export monopoly Inter RAO halted its supplies to Belarus at midnight as a huge debt remains unpaid. An agreement between Inter RAO UES and Belenergo stipulates the delivery of 3 billion kilowatt/hours of electricity to Belarus this year, with about 775 million kilowatt/hours having already been... 

American USS Monterey cruiser. Russia is outraged at the maneuvers of American USS Monterey cruiser carrying the AEGIS air defense system near the Georgian coast on the Black Sea, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. The U.S. warship arrived for joint exercises with Georgia as part of the Phased Adaptive Approach program designed to shape the European segment of the U.S.-led project to build a global... 

French-built Mistral class amphibious assault ship. France has transferred to Russia all the technology it asked for under a $1.7-billion deal for two French-built Mistral class amphibious assault ships for the Russian Navy, a Russian arms exporter said on Monday. Under the deal signed on Friday, the first warship will be delivered in 2014 and the second in 2015. “The French side has transferred... 

A Tu-134 passenger plane of RusAir airline crashed in Russia’s Karelia Republic on Monday night. It was originally said that the plane performed a hard landing, although it became clear later that the situation was much more serious. The plane bound for Petrozavodsk from Moscow’s Domodedovo airport was landing in complicated weather conditions – in heavy fog and rain – at 23:40.... 

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (left) with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has asked Russia to support a draft United Nations Security Council resolution on Syria. Clinton made the call during a phone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday, AFP reported. “With regard to Syria, their discussion focused on action... 

Back in 1981, when Reagan was preparing to spend the Soviet Union into the ground, the U.S. developed an Airborne Laser Laboratory that could bring down missiles and planes with high-density rays. Never willing to be outdone, the Soviets launched the Beriev A-60, a jumbo-jet with a laser cannon installed in the nose. Only two Beriev’s were ever completed and U.S. intelligence officials never... 

Russia’s dream of developing its own hybrid cars is one step closer. The construction of the first Russian plant to produce a new generation of vehicles has started just outside St. Petersburg. ­Yo-Mobile cars were first introduced in January, and were an instant hit. The company got over 100,000 advance orders. Currently the Yo-Auto company is offering three car models – a crossover, a 5-door... 

Despite the fact that the Sun is our “native” star, to date no one has been able to examine it at a close range. Now helio-physicists of several countries are working to create devices that would allow them to approach the sun as close as possible and study the processes taking place there. It is possible that the first solar probe will be launched in Russia. The idea of ​​sending... 

Russia has banned the import of all fresh vegetables from the European Union because of the E. coli outbreak centred on Germany. The country’s chief medical officer said EU-produced vegetables would be seized across Russia. More than 1,500 people have been infected by enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), which can cause the deadly haemolytic-uraemic syndrome (HUS). Seventeen people have died... 

Russian police detain American gay rights activist Dan Choi on Saturday in central Moscow. More than 30 people were arrested Saturday in central Moscow during the sixth attempt by gay rights groups to hold a parade in the city. According to the group, Gay Russia, far right groups clashed with activists who were gathered in front of the Kremlin wall and city hall. A total of 18 gay activists and 14...