http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/russia-news/ en-us Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:11:02 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386645/posts Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, never shy with a photo opportunity, took his man-of-the-people act to the hip-hop dancefloor, where he used a rap music competition to deliver an anti-drugs message. "Graffiti is becoming a true art, fine and delicate," Mr Putin, clad in a beige turtleneck and grey sports jacket, told a young crowd at the "Respect" rap contest. "And breakdance is something peculiar," he said. "This really is propaganda for a healthy lifestyle because it is hard to imagine breakdancing having anything to do with drinking and dope," Mr Putin said. The powerful Russian president-turned-Prime Minister praised the... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386645/posts#comment Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:11:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386508/posts Body Parts Sold To Kebab Stand, Police Say Three Russians also suspected of killing man, eating parts themselves MOSCOW - Russian police have arrested three homeless people suspected of eating a 25-year-old man they had butchered and selling other bits of the corpse to a local kebab house. Suspicions were raised when dismembered parts of a human body were found near a bus stop in the outskirts of the Russian city of Perm, 720 miles east of Moscow. Three homeless men with previous criminal records have been arrested on suspicion of setting upon a foe with knives and a hammer... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386508/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:40:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386182/posts (An Excerpt From Page 2 Of The Article)...“I should mention another interesting aspect. Modern-day Western arms are produced with special chips which make it impossible to use the weapons against the manufacturing country and its allies. It may mean that Saudi Arabia does not exclude a possible military confrontation with the West. Finally, Saudi Arabia does not perceive Moscow as an enemy. Quite on the contrary – it’s a potential partner,” the expert said... Pravda http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386182/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 07:11:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386135/posts Russia's army will get new missiles and nuclear submarines from 2010, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday, stressing the need to replace the ageing military arsenal. "Next year, the army will get 30 ballistic missiles...five Iskander (missile) systems, some 300 new armoured vehicles, 30 helicopters, 28 fighter planes, three nuclear submarines, a ship, as well as 11 spacecraft," Medvedev said in his annual address to the nation. "These measures will allow our armed forces and our allies to deal with any threat," he told officials in a speech at the Kremlin. Much of Russia's military equipment dates back to Soviet... Space War http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2386135/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:34:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385974/posts MOSCOW, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Russian soldiers in World War II Soviet uniform and other historical military costumes, accompanied by two famed T-34 tanks, marched through Moscow's Red Square on Saturday to mark the 68th anniversary of a legendary military parade in 1941. About 4,000 young Muscovites also participated in the parade, watched by some 6,000 spectators, including at least 45 participants of the 1941 parade. The Nov. 7, 1941 parade, which commemorated the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, was held after Russia joined World War II and aimed to raise morale as Nazi German forces approached Moscow. The troops headed straight... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385974/posts#comment Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:06:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385364/posts From Kalingrad in Europe to Kamchatka in the Far East, the country covers 11 time zones. "We need to look at the possibility of cutting the number of time zones," Mr Medvedev said in his annual address to the nation, delivered at the Kremlin before an audience of Russia's political elite. "Of course we need to consider the consequences of such a decision," he added. In a wide-ranging speech focused almost entirely on domestic issues, Mr Medvedev also wondered aloud whether Russia really needed to continue changing the clocks twice a year for daylight saving. "Here we need to compare... The Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2385364/posts#comment Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:42:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382734/posts Twenty years later: Why the Berlin Wall fell S A Aiyar Sunday October 25, 2009 We are approaching the 20th anniversary of the fall of Communism. This comprehensively refuted the Communist claim to represent the people. Yet, the claim continues, sometimes dazzling a new generation of youngsters with no inkling of why the Berlin Wall fell on November 9, 1989. In democratic Capitalism, said Karl Marx, the rich became richer and the poor poorer. Marxism inspired young idealists for over a century. Lenin’s revolution in Russia in 1917 was hailed as a new dawn. Stalin’s invasions brought Communism to Eastern... times of india http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382734/posts#comment Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:33:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2384500/posts MOSCOW -- The creator of the popular AK-47 assault rifle that bears his name, Mikhail Kalashnikov, has marked his 90th birthday, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. Kalashnikov's AK-47 rifle became the Soviet Army's standard issue rifle in 1949, two years after the model was created. Since that time Kalashnikov has lived in Izhevsk, the capital of the Russian Republic of Udmurtia. The AK-47 design became popular internationally and was exported widely to all allies of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Kalashnikov was twice given the Hero of Socialist Labor medal during the Soviet era. In 1998, then-President Boris Yeltsin... Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2384500/posts#comment Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:50:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2384498/posts India's plight: A carrier running out of jets; fighters without their carrier Rajat Pandit, TNN 12 November 2009, 02:33am IST NEW DELHI: Sheer lack of long-term strategic planning, coupled with a dose of bad luck, has landed India in a peculiar situation. If it did not expose a gaping hole in the country's military capabilities, the predicament would have actually been quite ludicrous. On one hand, it has an ageing but newly-refurbished aircraft carrier, INS Viraat, which is fast running out of fighters which can operate from its deck. On the other, it's soon going to induct another type of... The Times of India http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2384498/posts#comment Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:49:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2383982/posts MOSCOW (Reuters) – Vitaly Ginzburg, a Russian physicist who survived Stalin's purges by working on the Soviet atomic bomb project and later won the Nobel Prize for physics, died in Moscow late on Sunday after a long illness. He was 93. Ginzburg won the 2003 Nobel physics prize for developing the theory behind superconductors, materials which allow electricity to pass without resistance at very low temperatures. He shared the prize with British-American Anthony Leggett and Russian-born U.S. scientist Alexei Abrikosov. But Ginzburg's career as a Soviet scientist almost ended when he took as his second wife a woman arrested in... Reuters on Yahoo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2383982/posts#comment Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:40:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2383588/posts Nov 10, 2009 — When the Berlin wall fell 20 years ago, Dorothee Hubner first dared to think, “Are we allowed to leave and finally be free?” Her story and that of her parents Gerhard and Gertraude, scientists trapped in East Germany, was told by Andrew Curry, a freelance writer, in Science.[1] Dorothee was 23 years old in 1989. Her parents, also biochemists, “had spent decades struggling to do research in East Germany without compromising their personal ideals with allegiance to the ruling Communist Party.” By not pledging allegiance to the ruling Communist Party, the Hubners faced a life of... CEH http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2383588/posts#comment Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:15:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2383437/posts Bloomberg can't be posted on FR, so I can only post a link. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aP_6NUKjFaSM# Bloomberg http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2383437/posts#comment Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:28:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2383459/posts Mikhail Gorbachev—the man who pulled the Soviet Union's troops out of Afghanistan after a decade of stalemate—says the US should do the same. newer http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2383459/posts#comment Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:13:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382630/posts A Russian Tu-142M3 reconnaissance aircraft recently crashed twenty kilometers off the Pacific coast, during a training mission. The Tu-142 is an unarmed maritime patrol aircraft that, in the last few years, have resumed long range patrols. Such activity had been halted in the early 1990s. The Tu-142, which was introduced in the 1970s, is the patrol version of the Tu-95 heavy bomber. This aircraft entered service 51 years ago, and is expected to remain in service, along with the Tu-142 variant, for another three decades. But these elderly aircraft are increasingly expensive to maintain, and prone to developing unexpected problems.... The Strategy Page http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382630/posts#comment Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:35:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382585/posts The Berlin Wall fell 20 years ago today. When it happened, I thought it would be the clear turning point: the left would admit it was wrong, if not clueless, about central planning. But it was I who was wrong. Congress legislates like the Wall never fell. There was one bad thing about the fall of the USSR: We lost a very visible bad example of big centralized government. With Washington now turning to central planning to “fix” healthcare, clean the environment, and “create” jobs, it’s helpful to have role models of failure. They remind citizens of the politicians’ arrogance.... fbn http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382585/posts#comment Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:49:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382290/posts Helen Rappaport, an acclaimed historian and author, said that books, papers and journals charting Lenin’s last years show that he contracted the sexually transmitted disease and that it ultimately claimed his life. She said Lenin showed many symptoms of syphilis and that many among the Soviet hierarchy believed he had it. But they were banned from speaking in public and threatened with death because of the embarrassment it would cause. Instead, official documents show that his death was attributed to declining health following three stokes and an assassination attempt in 1918. Central to Miss Rappaport’s case was a report written... The Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382290/posts#comment Mon, 9 Nov 2009 18:50:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382234/posts Once the butt of jokes the world over, communist-era East European goods from sweets, to rustic washing machines and clunky cars are all the rage again. As the world prepares to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, souvenirs such as portraits of Romanian leader Nicolae Ceausescu are now avidly sought at markets. In Belgrade, cafes are named after Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito or even the Soviet KGB secret police. AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2382234/posts#comment Mon, 9 Nov 2009 17:54:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2381961/posts Last month, a Russian Il-76 transport crashed after taking off from a Siberian airport. The aircraft had just unloaded a cargo. This accident was no surprise, in general, because of growing problems with the aging Il-76 fleet. For example, a month ago, all Il-76s were grounded because the engine fell off one of them while it was preparing to takeoff. All Russian Il-76s remained grounded until recently, when it was determined that the problem was not common to all Il-76s. The recent crash led to another mass grounding, and growing unease among the many foreign nations that use the Il-76..... The Strategy Page http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2381961/posts#comment Mon, 9 Nov 2009 06:27:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2381148/posts 'Diary of a Kremlin insider reveals the hold Soviets had over Labour politicians' Daily Mail http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2381148/posts#comment Sat, 7 Nov 2009 23:35:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380763/posts A Russian military plane crashed into the sea during a training exercise in Russia's Far East region, leaving all 11 crew members missing and presumed dead, officials said on Saturday. The Tupolev Tu-142 plane disappeared from radar as it was coming to the end of a training mission on Friday over the Tatarski Strait that divides Russia's Far East island of Sakhalin from the mainland, the defence ministry said. "Given the conditions under which the catastrophe took place, we can presume that all the crew aboard the Tu-142 were killed," a source in the emergencies ministry told the RIA Novosti... France24 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380763/posts#comment Sat, 7 Nov 2009 12:31:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380697/posts November 4, 2009: Russian defense officials announced that the failed Bulava ballistic missile test last July, was due to a defect in the first stage steering system. This was fixed, and another test will take place before the end of the month. So far, the Bulava has been test fired eleven times. Only one of those tests was an unqualified success, and six were absolute failures. But the Russian government insists that development will continue, and succeed. The inept development of the new Bulava SLBM (Sea Launched Ballistic Missile) for the new Boeri class SSBN (nuclear submarine carrying SLBMs) has... Strategy Page http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380697/posts#comment Sat, 7 Nov 2009 06:56:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380610/posts China air force much improved though still lagging Christopher Bodeen, Associated Press Writer – Thu Nov 5, 12:21 pm ET BEIJING – China's rapidly modernizing air force is planning a display of its new military might for its 60th anniversary, showcasing a wide-ranging technical upgrade that has boosted its capabilities, though it still lags far behind its main rival, the United States. The People's Liberation Army Air Force is marking the occasion this Sunday with an aerial show and skydiving exhibition, using some of the state-of-the-art combat aircraft that have replaced hundreds of antiquated MIG fighters. While only about 20... Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380610/posts#comment Sat, 7 Nov 2009 03:43:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380435/posts Poland has demanded that US troops be based on Polish soil in the wake of Russian war games which simulated a nuclear attack and invasion. Radek Sikorski, Poland's foreign minister, said he was alarmed by recent military exercises conducted by the Russian army in Belarus, a country that borders Poland, and wanted the US military as a counterweight. "We would like to see US troops stationed in Poland to serve as a shield against Russian aggression," he said. "If you can still afford it, we need some strategic reassurance." Despite assurances given by US Vice President Joe Biden last month... The Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380435/posts#comment Fri, 6 Nov 2009 23:33:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380370/posts In the war-ravaged Russian republic of Chechnya, the local government is pouring money into the construction of mosques and other Islamic institutions. Despite Russian law that declares a separation of church and state, Chechen schools must now promote Islam. There are 15 million to 20 million Muslims in Russia, and their share of the overall population of 140 million is growing. As many seek to return to their roots, the government has supported the construction of mosques and Islamic schools as long as they do not challenge the state. But in Chechnya, the Moscow-backed leader Ramzan Kadyrov has gone even... npr.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2380370/posts#comment Fri, 6 Nov 2009 22:23:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2379877/posts Just how deep the tentacles of communism reached into the heart of British government has now been revealed with the emergence of an extraordinary diary by Anatoly Chernyaev, the Soviet Union's contact man with the West at the icy height of the Cold War. Meticulously detailed and written by hand on lined notepaper, the diary has come to light in the U.S. National Security Archive. Daily Mail http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2379877/posts#comment Fri, 6 Nov 2009 13:36:19 GMT