Free Republic

Vladimir Putin: 'We Have Won. Glory to Russia' Putin claims resounding election win as opposition activists allege widespread fraud 4 March 2012 Vladimir Putin, with Dmitry Medvedev, sheds a tear as he addresses supporters. Putin has claimed a resounding election victory. Photograph: Mikhail Voskresensky /Reuters Vladimir Putin has claimed a resounding victory in Russia's presidential election, provoking a furious response from opposition activists who alleged that the vote was marred by widespread fraud. At a rally in front of the Kremlin an emotional Putin, with tears running down his face and flanked by the outgoing president, Dmitry Medvedev, said: "I...

Russia’s national parliament, the Federal Assembly, has voted to restrict abortion for the first time in decades, in the face of a demographic decline that has reduced the population by 2.9% since 1992. The new law, which is expected to be signed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, prohibits abortions beyond the 12th week of pregnancy, and imposes a mandatory waiting period of between two and seven days. Exceptions are permitted for economic hardship, which allows abortions up to the point 22 weeks of gestation. Join a Facebook page to end abortion here. Legislators discarded proposals by the Orthodox Church to...

Memo to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev: next time you plunge into a crowd, don't forget to park your car first. Medvedev took his "Forward, Russia!" motto a bit too far in an incident captured on video, stepping from the driver's seat of an SUV and then frantically trying to hold the vehicle back as it kept moving towards a group of people waiting to greet him.

Russian officials say the country plans to reimburse Iran, after Moscow canceled the sale of an air defense missile system to Tehran... In the scope of a US$800 million contract brokered in 2005, Russia was obliged to send Iran at least five S-300 missile systems. But last month, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev banned the sale of the missile systems following United Nations sanctions against such arms sales. The UN imposed the sanctions in June for Iran's refusal to stop enriching uranium. Medvedev also outlawed the sale of tanks, aircraft and sea vessels to Iran... The news comes on the heels...

US President Barack Obama knew about the FBI operation to smash an alleged Russian spy ring before meeting President Dmitry Medvedev last week, but did not raise it at the talks, an aide said. But the White House said the revelations, which were condemned by Russia, would not interfere with the effort by both sides to 'reset' their relations, which has been pursued ever since Obama took office last year. The alleged operation was busted just a few days after a warm summit between Obama and Medvedev at the White House at which both sides made an elaborate effort to...

One of the Cold War's most famous defectors said Tuesday that Russia may have as many as 50 deep-cover couples spying inside the United States. Oleg Gordievsky, a former deputy head of the KGB in London who defected in 1985, said President Dmitry Medvedev would know the number of illegal operatives in each target country. The 71-year-old ex-double agent said that, based on his experience in Russian intelligence, he estimates that Moscow likely has 40 to 50 couples operating undercover in the United States. "For the KGB, there's usually 40 to 50 couples, all illegal," said Gordievsky, who defected to...

Dmitry Medvedev dining in San Francisco tonight Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is on a friendly visit to the Bay Area before flying across the country to meet with President Barack Obama, and he comes in peace. Which must be why he brought along the flagship of the Russian Navy's Pacific Fleet, the nuclear-capable missile cruiser Varyag. Makes total sense. Medvedev will be dining with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and former Secretary of State George Schultz Tuesday night. On Wednesday, he'll be visiting technology companies including Twitter, Apple, Google and Cisco Systems, in part to promote an "innovation center" modeled on Silicon...

Dmitry Medvedev says he would not rule out running again for president in 2012 elections, keeping up the uncertainty about the future political intentions of Russia's ruling duo. Mr Medvedev's refusal to dismiss the idea of a second term came amid frenzied speculation about the intentions of strongman prime minister Vladimir Putin, who many believe is plotting a return to the Kremlim. "Some time ago I did not intend to stand for president," Mr Medvedev said today, referring to his emergence from relative obscurity to sweep the 2008 polls. "But fate worked out that way and therefore I'm not going...

Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev promised Wednesday a new era in relations between the United States and Russia and made a milestone bid to agree far-reaching nuclear arms cuts. After holding their first face-to-face meeting in London ahead of the G20 summit, the leaders issued a joint statement saying the "era when our countries viewed each other as enemies is long over." Obama and Medvedev also stepped up the pressure on Iran over its nuclear programme as they cited many areas of common interest between Russia and the United States. ..." http://www.france24.com/en/20090401-obama-medvedev-pledge-new-era-relations Also here:http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090401/wl_afp/usrussiadiplomacynuclear_20090401152002

MOSCOW (AP) — The financial crisis has irreparably damaged the image of the U.S. as the leader of the free world and the global economy, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Thursday. Putin's remarks during a Communist Party meeting were the latest Russian attack singling out the U.S. as the chief culprit in the global financial turmoil. "Trust in the United States as the leader of the free world and the free economy, and confidence in Wall Street as the center of that trust, has been damaged, I believe, forever," Putin said. "There will be no return to the previous...

Corrupt Russian officials are creaming off about $120bn (£61bn) a year - the equivalent of a third of the national budget, a senior prosecutor has said. The country's new President, Dmitry Medvedev, has pledged to tackle the problem - although correspondents say few expect things will change quickly. Russia's investigations committee has opened more than 1,000 corruption cases involving officials in 10 months. The committee's chairman said the extent of corruption was much wider. Alexander Bastrykin said the results of the investigations "do not yet equal the scope of bribery and corruption in bureaucracy", state news agency Itar-Tass reports. "Practice...

Dmitry Medvedev may be Russia's president but Vladimir Putin has kept his place in the Kremlin. When Putin came to his old office in the Kremlin on Monday to propose the names of ministers for his government, the former president made for his customary seat on the left of the desk. But he paused before sitting down and told President Medvedev: "Now this is your place," Russia's Kommersant daily reported. "Oh, what's the difference?" Medvedev answered and immediately sat on the right of the desk, where Putin's guests traditionally perched for the eight years of his presidency.

Russian Oscars censored24/03/2008 13:13  - (SA)    Moscow - A series of jokes about President Vladimir Putin and president-elect Dmitry Medvedev were censored from the screening of Russia's equivalent of the Oscars film awards ceremony, newspapers reported on Monday. The jokes - mild by Western standards of satire - at Friday's "Nika" awards, were cut by private television station CTC in its broadcasting Saturday of the event, according to Moskovsky Komsomolets. "All the juicy stuff from the broadcast was edited out," the daily said. One of the comments axed, the newspaper said, was an allusion to uncertainty over whether Medvedev or his...

Beating up on divorced ("deadbeat") dads makes great politics in the United States, and apparently Russian presidential candidate Dmitry Medvedev (pictured) has figured it out. United Press International says: "Medvedev has also gone hunting for votes with the forensic skill of a U.S. campaign strategist. He has targeted the women's vote by promising to increase child benefits so that the mother of a second child will get a state handout of more than $12,000, and alimony payments will be increased sharply. "While American strategists talk of 'soccer moms,' Medvedev is appealing to the 'divorced moms.' One Russian child in three...

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has backed First Deputy PM Dmitry Medvedev to replace him as President next year, Russian media report. "I fully support this candidacy," Mr Putin was quoted as saying. Mr Medvedev was nominated by Mr Putin's United Russia Party and three other pro-Kremlin parties on Monday. Mr Medvedev was previously Mr Putin's Chief Of Staff and is chairman of the gas giant Gazprom. He hails from Mr Putin's native St Petersburg. The 42-year-old former lawyer managed Mr Putin's election campaign in 2000. As first deputy prime minister he has overseen national programmes in the areas of health,...