Russia has filed its first complaint before the World Trade Organization (WTO), accusing the European Union of violating global free trade measures, an official statement reads. The procedure has been sent to the EU representative at the WTO on Monday, the economy ministry said on Tuesday, marking its first complaint since Russia joined the global trade body in August 2012. The complaint has to do... 

Russian President Vladimir Putin (C), Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko (R) and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev walk before a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council at the Kremlin in Moscow, December 24, 2013. Russian President Vladimir Putin says the new post-Soviet alliance with Belarus and Kazakhstan is set to launch in 2015, with hopes that Ukraine will join the union. The... 

The inventor of the iconic AK-47 assault rifle, Mikhail Kalashnikov, has died at the age of 94. His ingenuity earned him widespread admiration, but his legacy became more controversial when his weapons were used in some of the world’s bloodiest conflicts. “Mikhail Kalashnikov’s entire life is a shining example of dedication to serving your country,” said a statement from Defense... 

Sochi Olympics, a PR stunt, a response to calls within society, or even a mistake: RT spoke with analysts to find out possible reasons behind Putin’s decision to pardon Khodorkovsky – and its likely consequences. In a surprise move, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he would sign a pardon for jailed former Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky. The oil tycoon was arrested in 2003... 

Previously, Russian village life used to be associated with rosy village women, fresh air and clean snow. Nowadays, village life in the minds of many Russians brings up such associations as rickety black huts, deserted villages, bad roads, or their absence. What crippled the Russian village? Russia was traditionally considered an agrarian country. Before the Great October Socialist Revolution, revenues... 

A Russian military commander says Moscow is drafting a plan to deploy rail-mounted nuclear missiles in response to the United States’ Prompt Global Strike program. Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology will draft the plan in the first half of next year, Lt. Gen. Sergei Karakaev, commander of Russia’s Strategic Missile Force, said on Wednesday. “A Defense Ministry report has been submitted... 

An Iskander-E short-range ballistic missile launcher. The US will deploy its missile defense system in Europe despite progress in Iran nuclear talks, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said. The news came as Russia confirmed the deployment of Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad region, bordering the EU. The US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has officially informed his Russian counterpart during a video teleconference... 

Washington has warned Moscow not to destabilize the region after Russia announced the deployment of missiles on its western borders with some Baltic countries. “We’ve urged Moscow to take no steps to destabilize the region,” US State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said on Monday. “We’ve made that point with them.” On Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry... 

Iskander high-precision missile system in place during military exercises. The Russian Defense Ministry has confirmed media reports on the deployment of short-range Iskander missiles in the country’s west, near its borders with the Baltic states and NATO members, saying that it does not violate international agreements. German newspaper Bild wrote this weekend that Russia stationed several Iskander... 

Russia will not allow any nation to dominate it in military terms, the Russian president said. Some nations are developing new kinds of weapons, which may tip the global strategic balance, but Russia knows how to counter them. “Let no one have illusions that he can achieve military superiority over Russia. We will never allow it,” Vladimir Putin said in a speech to the Federal Assembly, the joint... 

Russia is going to write off 90 percent of Cuba’s $32 billion Soviet-era debt as part of a deal to end a 20-year dispute, according to diplomatic sources cited by Reuters. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev agreed to write off the island’s debt during a visit to Havana in February 2013, stressing details would be finalized by the end of the year. In October, the two sides announced a refinancing... 

The war of words between the United States and Russia over plans for a NATO missile defense system in Europe continued today, with Russian President Vladimir Putin vowing to never allow power to gain military superiority over Moscow. “No one should entertain any illusions regarding their chances of asserting military superiority over Russia, we will never allow that to happen….thanks to our military... 

Protesters clash with riot police in Kiev on December 10, 2013. Russian legislators have expressed concern over the interference of Western countries in the internal affairs of Ukraine. Reacting to the growing anti-government protests in Ukraine, members of Russia’s State Duma announced in a Tuesday statement that Kiev’s geopolitical choice is an internal and sovereign right of its people. The... 

Deputy PM says Moscow “preparing a response” to U.S. plans for missile shield in Europe. Addressing the threat posed by plans by the United States to install a missile defense system in Europe, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin today asserted that Russia would respond with nuclear weapons if it was targeted by conventional American missiles. Rogozin’s comments arrive just a day... 

Russia has presented a new humanlike robot, which may be delivered to the International Space Station to perform 90 percent of risky operations in open space instead of cosmonauts. The SAR- 401 prototype was revealed to journalists at the Yury Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Moscow Region’s Star City on Wednesday. The robot was developed in 2013 and is currently being tested terrestrially,...