Journalists cross over to the dark side: PRAs jobs are destroyed in the carnage of the media downturn, countries in need of an image makeover, like Russia and Georgia, are salvaging the spoils, scoring some of the sharpest media minds around to spin their dirty laundry for the Western media.
Russia 
Russia’s new war on drinking
Russian President Dmitri Medvedev is taking on the unenviable task of breaking the country’s vodka-guzzling ways, in an attempt to lower the staggeringly high level of alcoholism and alcohol-related deaths and illness. Can the convince the country to sober up?
Putin builds up military fortress in Abkhazia
Russia will spend nearly A$600 million developing its military presence in the contested region of Abkhazia. Vladimir Putin hopes that Abkhazia will become to Russia what Monaco is to France. A celebrity tax haven?
The Georgian war: one year on
A year after the Georgian war, nearly 30,000 refugees have been unable to return to their homes in the now Russian controlled South Ossetia. It seems unlikely they will ever return.
Why are Russian subs patrolling the US coast?
Two nuclear-powered Russian attack submarines are operating off the US East Coast and the Pentagon don’t know why. Is Russia flexing its muscles again? Or just trying to give Tom Clancy something to write about?
Russia doesn’t really want global warming
Despite previous reports, Russia isn’t really looking forward to global warming. Even if it would make accessing Siberia — and its rich resources — far easier…
Biden may cause Cold War II?
Russia aren’t laughing over US vice president Joe Biden’s recent insults against Russia, which brought potential political problems and Dick Cheney comparisons.
Back to the USSR in Russia?
All post offices in Russia have been ordered to provide “special facilities” for state security officers to inspect and open letters and parcels, prompting fears the country is returning to Soviet-era invasions of privacy.
The killing fields: Russia’s murdered reporters
Russian rights activist Natalya Estemirova was found dead hours after being kidnapped in Chechnya. She joins a growing list of reporters, lawyers and activists killed in Russia. HuffPo looks at the toll.
Medvedev ‘outraged’ at activist’s murder
Russian human rights activist Natalia Estemirova has been murdered while investigating government-backed militias in Chechnya. She worked with activists Anna Politkovskaya, shot dead in 2006, and Stanislav Markelov, also dead.
History not on Obama’s side when it comes to Russia
The bulk of Obama’s visit to Russia was a mix of visionary kitsch, caviar and feckless horse-trading, says Claudia Rosett. He also called for common ground and progress toward a shared future. But that vision is flawed.
Forbes Russia editor murder, five years on
It has been five years since the murder of Forbes Russia founding editor Paul Klebnikov, killed for dreaming of a better, more enlightened Russia. Half-a-decade later, has anything changed?
Dmitry in denim: should Medvedev have worn jeans?
On a double date with the Obamas, Russian president Dmitry Medvedev wore a pair of blue denims and a pinstripe designer blazer. But what did its mean? asks Luke Harding.
Russia reacts to Obama’s visit with a meh
Barack Obama’s election bid was infinitely more interesting to Russians than the coronation of Dmitry Medvedev, writes Michael Idov. But they were indifferent to his visit. Why?
US and Russia strike an arms deal
Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev have reached a preliminary agreement on cutting both country’s nuclear weapons stockpiles, in what the NYT calls “one of the most significant arms control treaties since the end of the cold war”.
What’s standing in the way of US-Russia relations?
Well, Putin for one, says Russian political analyst Yevgeny Kiselyov — but both sides need to reset their expectations of each other.
Another Russian journo dies in mysterious circumstances
Yaroslav Yaroshenko, editor of newspaper Korruptsiya i Prestupnost, has died from head injuries suffered from an attack outside his apartment after the paper reported on alleged corruption by local government and officials.
Siberian Las Vegas?
The Kremlin is shutting down casinos across Russia, leaving thousands unemployed and giving proprietors one option: relocation to the furthest reaches of the republic, such as Siberia.
Putin has supermarkets in a snag
Continuing his recent attempts to blame Russia’s struggling economy on business owners, Putin recently stormed into a Moscow supermarket and ordered staff to cut the price of their sausages.
Anna Politkovskaya murder to be retried
Russia’s Supreme Court has overturned the acquittal of three suspects in the controversial 2006 killing of journalist Anna Politkovskaya, a murder many suspect to have been at the behest of the Kremlin.
The Russian media’s reaction to Iran
Unlike other countries, the mainstream Russian press has taken the official Iranian election results largely at face value; could they be feeling a touch of familiarity?
Putin turns piranha
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is turning on his loyal friends to keep his head above water as the economy tanks and unemployment rises.
Karl Lagerfeld does not like Moscow
Just because Karl named the collection after the city doesn’t mean he has to like it. After just a day in town he’d already racked up a list of complaints, first up: the men in Moscow aren’t hot enough.
Russia looking sicker by the day
As the power of the Oligarchs eeks away, the Russian state is more than happy to fill the breach.
