Russia

Over half a million Soviet troops served in Afghanistan between 1979 and 1989. Among the first deployed was Rustam Khodzhayev, seen posing here (front row, first from the left) with his special operations unit in 1981.

World News

We Asked Vets Of The Soviet-Afghan War To Judge The U.S. Exit. Here's What They Said

6:45pm September 30, 2021

by Charles Maynes

Veterans of the Soviet Union's decade-long war in Afghanistan see parallels — and stark contrasts — with the U.S. experience and exit after two decades there.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley speaks during a briefing with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in September at the Pentagon in Washington. The top U.S. military officer met with his Russian counterpart Wednesday Sept. 22, 2021 in H

World News

U.S. Top Military Officer Talks Counterterrorism Support With Russian Counterpart

5:52am September 22, 2021

by The Associated Press

The meeting between Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his Russian counterpart in Finland comes at a crucial time in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

A broken window is pictured at the Perm State University where an unidentified man opened fire, killing at least eight people and injuring 24 others.

World News

8 People Are Killed By Gunman At A University In Russia

7:57am September 20, 2021

by Scott Neuman

Video posted to social media showed students jumping from second-story windows, apparently to escape the attack. Russian officials said the suspect, a student, had been detained.

The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin is going into self-isolation because of coronavirus cases among his inner circle.

World News

Russian President Putin Self-Isolates After Staffers Get COVID-19

12:41pm September 14, 2021

The Russian leader will attend an upcoming regional meeting via teleconference, the Kremlin said. Putin said he got his second COVID-19 vaccine in April.

A sign in the French city of Epernay proclaims it the "Capital of Champagne."

World News

France And Russia Are In A Tussle Over Who Gets To Call Champagne ... 'Champagne'

5:16pm September 03, 2021

by Rebecca Rosman

French law says only sparkling wine produced in the Champagne region can use the name. A new Russian law reserves the name for bubbly produced and sold in Russia.

Dawlatt Naimati, 22, from Kunduz, stands outside an internet café where she is seeking help applying for a U.S. special immigrant visa on Aug. 8, in Kabul, Afghanistan.

4 Reasons A Potential Taliban Takeover In Afghanistan Matters To The World

9:12am August 14, 2021

by Scott Neuman

It's not clear if the Taliban will be able to seize control of the entire country, but the speed of their advance has many inside and outside the country alarmed at the prospect.

Tatyana Beresneva at her greenhouse, lush with tomatoes. In Soviet times, many dacha owners grew fruits and vegetables because of food shortages. Today, they tend to their gardens as a way to unwind outdoors.

World News

The Dacha Is Russia's Summer Cure For Urban Life

5:00pm August 06, 2021

by Lucian Kim

The dacha — a Russian summer home that can be anything from a shack to an oligarch's faux chateau — is both an escape from the city and a state of mind that permeates the country's life and culture.

Empty lanes are pictured ahead of a heat for a swimming event during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Tokyo Aquatics Center.

Sports

Once Again, Banned Russians Raise Questions About Doping At The Olympics

11:36am August 04, 2021

by Tom Goldman

The usually much-discussed topic hasn't been making headlines during the Tokyo Games as often because of the pandemic. But it's still there.

A self-portrait of Darya Apakhonchich, with the writing on her face and a figure of a woman saying: "Not only a body but a person, person, person, person, person." She made the photo in support of Russian artist and LGBTQ activist Yulia Tsvetkova, who fac

World News

Russia's 'Foreign Agent' Law Targets Journalists, Activists, Even Ordinary Citizens

9:57am July 31, 2021

by Lucian Kim

The recently expanded law says that freelance journalists, YouTube bloggers and practically anyone else who receives money from abroad and voices a political opinion can be considered a foreign agent.

World News

Wreckage Found In Russia After Plane Went Missing

6:29am July 06, 2021

by The Associated Press

The Antonov An-26 plane missed a scheduled communication earlier Tuesday and disappeared from radar when flying from the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to the town of Palana, officials said.