http://www.themoscowtimes.com/ The Moscow Times is a daily English-language newspaper featuring objective, reliable news on business, politics and culture in Russia and the former Soviet Union (CIS). en Sun, 19 May 2013 20:40:26 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/upload/iblock/db7/5129-p-08-09-Panorama_ChisinauGates.jpg 330 230 Chisinau: From Exile to Evolution http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480134.html http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480134.html By Anton Leshchinskiy <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480134.html "The damned city of Kishinev" is how Alexander Pushkin described this small town in the territory formerly known as Bessarabia. The poet's outburst is understandable, because he was forced to spend three years in exile in a place, which was, in his opinion, comparable with Sodom. Sun, 19 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480115.html The Associated Press <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480115.html The embarrassing arrest of a suspected CIA officer in Moscow is the latest reminder that, even after the Cold War, the U.S. and Russia are engaged in an espionage battle with secret tactics, spying devices and training that sometimes isn't enough to avoid being caught. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480101.html By Yekaterina Kravtsova <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480101.html The State Duma has ordered an evaluation of a comment made by opposition politician Leonid Gozman in which he compared a Soviet intelligence agency to Adolf Hitler's SS on the grounds that the comment may hurt the image of Russia's military history. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480152.html By Yekaterina Kravtsova <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480152.html With a recent survey showing intolerance toward gays is growing, activists warn that bans on gay rights rallies will damage social stability. Sun, 19 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480148.html By Guennadi Moukine <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480148.html Greater cooperation between tax authorities from 45 countries, including more extensive information sharing to help catch evaders, was the result of an international conference in Moscow that was hosted by the Federal Taxation Service and ended on Friday. Sun, 19 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480119.html The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480119.html Investigators have summoned for questioning the father of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, telling him to bring two unspecified others with him, Navalny said Friday. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480034.html The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480034.html 327 years ago, Russia agreed to buy Kiev and the surrounding area from Poland for 146,000 rubles. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480035.html The Associated Press <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480035.html An FSB operative - his features bathed in shadows - went on state television to claim that the U.S. diplomat who was ordered out of the country was the second American expelled this year over spying allegations. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480036.html Reuters <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480036.html The Federal Security Service estimates that about 200 Russian citizens are fighting alongside Syrian rebels and fears that they could carry out militant attacks once they return. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480037.html The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480037.html Gennady Gudkov, the opposition-minded former State Duma deputy ousted amid an politically tinged ethics probe, may run for Moscow region governor in a fall election. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480038.html RIA Novosti <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480038.html A group of warships from the Pacific Fleet entered the Mediterranean waters for the first time in decades, a fleet spokesman said Thursday Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480039.html BBC Monitoring <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480039.html Today's Russian language newspapers discuss the implications of the expulsion of a U.S. diplomat on spy accusations, a new poll that says 62 percent of Moscow residents support President Putin, and what will happen to the Skolkovo project. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480040.html By Natalya Krainova <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480040.html Eighty kilograms of presumed heroin has been found packed in plastic bottles aboard a train traveling from the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, to Moscow, raising new Russian worries about the train route. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480042.html The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480042.html President Vladimir Putin will meet South African President Jacob Zuma in Sochi on Thursday to discuss a strengthening of trade and investment ties between the two BRICS members. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480043.html The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480043.html Firefighters managed to douse a blaze in a decommissioned building at the fueling complex at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport after it was struck by a lightning, averting a possible catastrophe. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480044.html The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480044.html Putin was addressing concerns voiced by Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov that revenues from Chubais' sale plan might be embezzled. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480045.html The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480045.html As unseasonably sweltering weather swept Moscow on Thursday, forecasters said thunderst0rms might prevent the temperature from hitting a record high for a third day in a row. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480046.html The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480046.html The Cabinet will consider giving the Federal Youth Affairs Agency more powers, including responsibility for developing cultural and moral values among Russia's young people. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480048.html The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480048.html Investigators said Thursday that they have opened a criminal case into Rosbank chief executive Vladimir Golubkov and bank senior vice president Tamara Polyanitsina on bribery charges. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480049.html The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480049.html The Russians are teaming up with the Italians to build a light-lift helicopter with a takeoff weight of 2.5 tons at a plant in the Moscow region, Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said Thursday. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480051.html The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480051.html The opposition may stage its next rally in Moscow on June 12, Russia Day, said Sergei Davidis, a member of the Solidarity movement's political council. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480053.html By Natalya Krainova <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480053.html President Vladimir Putin will soon start arriving at the Kremlin by helicopter in an attempt to appease drivers who blame his motorcade for creating traffic jams. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480055.html RIA Novosti <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480055.html The U.S. diplomat accused by Moscow this week of being an undercover CIA operative was once a star intern for a prominent Middle East expert at a top Washington think tank, a fellow intern said. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480060.html By Natalya Krainova <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480060.html A witness in the trial on large-scale embezzlement charges against opposition blogger Alexei Navalny testified Thursday that the defendant had offered a disadvantageous contract to a state company that he is accused of defrauding. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480064.html Reuters <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480064.html Europe's portrayal of itself as overly reliant on Russian gas is motivated by politics, while the reality is that Russia supplies only around 6 percent of the EU's fuel, a top Russian envoy said. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480066.html RIA Novosti <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480066.html The alleged CIA operative who was attempting to recruit a Russian security services officer was detained by that officer himself, a Federal Security Service &#40;FSB&#41; representative said Thursday. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480068.html Reuters <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480068.html An international peace conference aimed at ending the Syrian civil war will "likely" take place the second week of June, a diplomatic official in New York said Thursday, while Moscow and Washington have said they are trying to mobilize support for the negotiations from Syria's government and opposition. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480070.html The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480070.html Public opinion polls published this week gave contradicting views about support for President Vladimir Putin among the Russian population. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480075.html The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480075.html Media group Profmedia will spend an unprecedented $100 million to launch a new entertainment television channel named Pyatnitsa, or Friday, on June 1, to replace MTV Russia, Vedomosti reported Thursday. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480077.html Reuters <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480077.html Kaspersky Lab, the Russian antivirus software maker, plans to open an office in the Washington area to spearhead sales to the U.S. government, a bid to offset slowing demand for its programs for consumers. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480080.html The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480080.html The Economic Development Ministry has decided to lower its forecast for investment growth in 2014-2015 largely because of a major reduction in Gazprom's 2014-2015 investment program, Minister Andrei Belousov told a cabinet meeting on Thursday. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480081.html The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480081.html U.S. satellite phone company Iridium has re-entered the Russian market after a 13-year hiatus, Vedomosti reported Thursday. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480082.html The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480082.html A Moscow court on Thursday delivered a rare victory to a suspect in the politically charged "Bolotnaya case," overturning a decision to extend opposition activist Vladimir Akimenkov's arrest on charges that he participated in violence at an anti-government rally in Moscow last spring. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480086.html By Alexander Winning <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480086.html Rights activists on Thursday ridiculed the notion that Russia is a secular state, saying draft legislation seeking tougher penalties for offending believers' feelings shows the country is returning to 18th-century morals. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480090.html <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480090.html Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480091.html <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480091.html Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480092.html <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480092.html Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480093.html <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480093.html Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480098.html By Alexander Panin <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480098.html Nestle Purina PetCare, a subsidiary of Nestle Russia, opened a $45 million line for pet food production in the Kaluga region on Thursday. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480102.html RIA Novosti <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480102.html Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has criticized the Middle East Quartet mediating the peace process in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480103.html RIA Novosti <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480103.html A military registration and enlistment office in the city of Kostroma has granted a local resident's request to replace his military service with a stint as a ballet dancer. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480104.html The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480104.html United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is set to&lt;span id="bxid_34348"&gt; &lt;/span&gt;hold talks with President Vladimir Putin and&lt;span id="bxid_34348"&gt; &lt;/span&gt;Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Sochi on&lt;span id="bxid_34348"&gt; &lt;/span&gt;Friday. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480108.html The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480108.html Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has threatened to delete his Instagram account after engaging in a heated discussion with users of the photo-sharing application. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480110.html The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480110.html FBI investigators have searched the home of a former Chechen separatist in Manchester, New Hampshire, after establishing that a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing met with him weeks before the terrorist attack that killed three and wounded 260 people last month. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480112.html The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480112.html Investigators on Friday opened a criminal case on torture charges after footage of three teenage girls beating 10 young boys at an orphanage in Russia's Far East appeared on the Internet. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480113.html The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480113.html The headquarters of the Defense, Emergency Situations and Interior ministries may soon be equipped with helipads in an effort to relieve traffic congestion, a news report said Friday. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480114.html RIA Novosti <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480114.html President Vladimir Putin is disappointed by Russia's 8-3 hammering by the United States in the quarterfinals of the world hockey championships, despite not watching the game, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480118.html The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480118.html Tolls for motorists could soon be levied on a number of new highways inside the capital, in addition to those currently being built outside the city limits, a news report said Friday. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480120.html RIA Novosti <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480120.html Russia hopes that Syrian authorities and the UN will agree on international inspections to look into the possible use of chemical weapons in the country's civil war, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480121.html The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480121.html When British Petroleum sold its share in TNK-BP to Rosneft, the Russian oil major took on some of the Russian-British joint venture's top managers, but not all of them appear happy with their new employers. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480122.html The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480122.html An arrest warrant for the head of the Synertech has been issued in connection with the investigation into the theft of state funds during the development of the Glonass satellite-navigation network. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480123.html The Moscow Times <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480123.html Prominent blogger Rustem Adagamov said Friday that investigators had searched his mother's home, in the latest example of pressure on the opposition activist. Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480140.html Reuters <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480140.html A rare public clash between two leading figures in Russia's state-dominated oil industry hints at a split in President Vladimir Putin's inner circle and could be intended to rein in one of his closest advisers. Sun, 19 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480141.html Reuters <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480141.html The giant South Stream pipeline to transport natural gas from Russia to the European Union is a reality and is on schedule to be built by the end of 2015, the chief executive of the offshore section of the line said, rebutting widespread doubts that it will ever be built. Sun, 19 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480147.html Reuters <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480147.html Russia's economy expanded faster than first estimated in the January-March quarter, but still at its slowest quarterly pace since late 2009, fueling the debate over the need for stimulus measures to aid growth. Sun, 19 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480149.html The Associated Press <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480149.html The Syrian military on Sunday launched an offensive to retake a strategic rebel-held town near the Lebanese border, a government official said, as activists reported that regime airstrikes and shelling of the town had killed at least 16 people, including opposition fighters. Sun, 19 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480150.html Reuters <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480150.html Azerbaijan is ready to discuss a new deal to pump its oil across Russia on acceptable terms, the head of Azeri state energy company SOCAR said following termination of a transhipment contract. Sun, 19 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480153.html By Natalya Krainova <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480153.html The ruling United Russia party kicked off a massive two-day forum with members from regional branches in Moscow on Friday, where it lauded its social and infrastructure projects, some three months before September regional and municipal elections. Sun, 19 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480154.html Reuters <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480154.html A Russian shipment of Yakhont anti-ship missiles to Syria was condemned by the United States, and Israel is also alarmed by the prospect of Moscow supplying S-300 advanced air defense missile systems to Damascus. Sun, 19 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400 http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480157.html By Jonathan Earle <moscowtimes@themoscowtimes.com> http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/480157.html An online video that appeared to show teenage girls savagely beating younger pupils at a remote Siberian boarding school for orphans has sparked a criminal investigation and calls for public oversight over the government's opaque and widely criticized orphanage system. Sun, 19 May 2013 00:00:00 +0400