| Area Total | 17,098,242 sq km |
| Climate | ranges from steppes in the south through humid continental in much of European Russia; subarctic in Siberia to tundra climate in the polar north; winters vary from cool along Black Sea coast to frigid in Siberia; summers vary from warm in the steppes to cool along Arctic coast |
| Natural Resources | wide natural resource base including major deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, and many strategic minerals, bauxite, reserves of rare earth elements, timber |
| Imports | China 21.2%, Germany 10.7%, US 5.6%, Belarus 5%, Italy 4.5%, France 4.2% (2017) – machinery, vehicles, pharmaceutical products, plastic, semi-finished metal products, meat, fruits and nuts, optical and medical instruments, iron, steel |
| Government | semi-presidential federation |
| Capital | Moscow |
| Population | 142.1 million (July 2018 est.) |
| Ethnicity | Russian 77.7%, Tatar 3.7%, Ukrainian 1.4%, Bashkir 1.1%, Chuvash 1%, Chechen 1%, other 10.2%, unspecified 3.9% (2010 est.) |
| Language | Russian (official) 85.7%, Tatar 3.2%, Chechen 1%, other 10.1% (2010 est.) |
| Exports | China 10.9%, Netherlands 10%, Germany 7.1%, Belarus 5.1%, Turkey 4.9% (2017) – petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, metals, wood and wood products, chemicals, and a wide variety of civilian and military manufactures |
News about Russia
- Dozens of Ukrainian drones downed over Russia in two hours – MODby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on March 22, 2026
Russian air defenses shot down 60 incoming Ukrainian drones over six regions on Sunday evening alone, the Defense Ministry has reported Read Full Article at RT.com
- Nearly 300 Ukrainian drones shot down overnight – MODby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on March 21, 2026
The Russian military has intercepted nearly 300 Ukrainian one-way drones overnight, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has announced Read Full Article at RT.com
- Ukraine could force 2 million draft dodgers ‘out of the shadows’ – MPby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on March 20, 2026
Kiev has the technical means to track down an estimated two million draft dodgers, a Ukrainian MP believes Read Full Article at RT.com
- The Kremlin appears to be blocking Telegram. Meduza asked its Russia-based readers how well the crackdown is working.by Meduza.io on March 20, 2026
Late last week, many Telegram users in Russia began reporting serious disruptions, according to outage trackers Downdetector and Sboy.rf. Reports that Russian authorities planned to permanently block the popular messaging app in early April had been circulating for some time. But according to industry experts, the process may have begun two weeks ahead […]
- Ukraine adds Russian Paralympians to ‘kill list’by RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on March 20, 2026
Ukraine adds five Russian Paralympians to the state-backed Mirotvorets website Read Full Article at RT.com
- A longtime pro-Putin blogger published a tirade against the Russian president. Now he’s in a psychiatric hospital.by Meduza.io on March 20, 2026
Ilya Remeslo, a longtime pro-Kremlin blogger known for filing complaints against critics of the Russian authorities, made waves in the country this week when he published a Telegram post titled “Five reasons why I stopped supporting Vladimir Putin.” Days later, he was reported to have been hospitalized at a St. Petersburg psychiatric facility. […]
- Muslims mark end of Ramadan in Moscow (VIDEO)by RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on March 20, 2026
Russian Muslims are celebrating Eid al-Fitr in Moscow and across the country Read Full Article at RT.com
- Moscow rebuffs Berlin’s demand for role in Ukraine talksby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on March 20, 2026
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has dismissed Germany’s attempt to influence Ukraine negotiations Read Full Article at RT.com
- Russia’s IT Olympiad draws developers from 34 countriesby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on March 19, 2026
Russia hosted the first international PROD Olympiad in industrial software development, drawing high school IT students from 34 countries Read Full Article at RT.com
- Zelensky issues new deadline demand to EUby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on March 19, 2026
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has pushed the EU to give him a clear date for accession to the bloc Read Full Article at RT.com
- Telegram news channels are one of Russia’s few major alternatives to state media. The head of one of the largest says their days may be numbered.by Meduza.io on March 19, 2026
Last weekend, by all appearances, the Russian authorities began blocking the messaging app Telegram across the country. The restrictions promise to deal a heavy blow to what remains of Russia’s media landscape, including Ostorozhno, Novosti, one of the platform’s largest news channels. Launched in 2021 as part of socialite Ksenia Sobchak’s […]
- Ukraine’s counteroffensive brings gains in the south but weakens other sectors of the front. Meduza analyzes the latest battlefield developments.by Meduza.io on March 19, 2026
Like our earlier reports on the combat situation in Ukraine, this article reviews recent battlefield developments based on open-source information. Meduza has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine from the outset, and our military analyses reflect our commitment to objective reporting on a war we firmly oppose.
- Kremlin warns of global fallout from Ukrainian attacks on pipelinesby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on March 19, 2026
Ukrainian drone raids on Russian gas infrastructure could spell disaster for energy markets amid the Iran war, Dmitry Peskov has said Read Full Article at RT.com
- Russian authorities are culling livestock over a mysterious disease. Farmers are protesting, saying their animals don’t look sick.by Meduza.io on March 18, 2026
For nearly two weeks, farmers in rural parts of Russia’s Novosibirsk region have been protesting the mass confiscation and destruction of their livestock by local authorities, who have cited an “especially dangerous disease” — though have refused to name it. Villagers are furious not only at officials’ silence, but at the low compensation […]
- Putin congratulates Russians on anniversary of Crimea reunification (VIDEO)by RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on March 18, 2026
Crimea’s reunification with Russia is one of the “defining milestones” in the nation’s history, President Vladimir Putin has said Read Full Article at RT.com
- Russia condemns strike on Iranian nuclear power plantby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on March 18, 2026
Russia has condemned a strike on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, with Rosatom warning of the risk of a major nuclear disaster Read Full Article at RT.com
- ‘Wake up already’: Internet disruptions and Telegram outages fuel growing anger among Russian usersby Meduza.io on March 18, 2026
The Russian authorities appear to be blocking or throttling Telegram. According to the head of the Internet Protection Society, by the evening of March 16, the messenger’s availability had dropped to 75 percent, which means that one in four messages fails to reach its recipient. Kommersant reports that over the past week, the share of failed […]
- Kremlin agrees with Trump on standard of European leadersby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on March 18, 2026
The Kremlin has agreed with US President Donald Trump that contemporary European leaders do not live up to the level of their predecessors Read Full Article at RT.com
- Civilian killed in Ukrainian strike on Russian city – governor (PHOTOS)by RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on March 18, 2026
A Ukrainian drone strike hit residential buildings in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar, leaving one person dead Read Full Article at RT.com
- Telegram is full of channels posting videos of Ukrainian POWs being killed and their bodies desecrated. Many are run by teenagers.by Meduza.io on March 17, 2026
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, Telegram has seen the rise of Russian-language channels specializing in graphic footage from the front, including combat killings, executions of prisoners, and the desecration of corpses. The independent outlet iStories examined more than 50 of these channels and identified the individuals […]
- Belgian PM blasted for calling to normalize ties with Russiaby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on March 17, 2026
The Belgian prime minister faced sharp criticism from EU officials after suggesting the bloc should normalize relations with Russia Read Full Article at RT.com
- US general overseeing Ukraine lost secret maps, drank to concussion – probeby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on March 17, 2026
US general responsible for military support to Ukraine left classified maps on a train and suffered a concussion after excessive drinking Read Full Article at RT.com
- Russia under attack by 56 nations in spy war – security chiefby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on March 17, 2026
Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu has accused Western nations of waging a sabotage war against Moscow Read Full Article at RT.com
- Russia was expected to block Telegram in April. It appears to have done it two weeks early.by Meduza.io on March 17, 2026
For weeks, Russians have been bracing for a nationwide block of Telegram, the country’s most widely used messaging app, expected in early April. Reports of such plans first surfaced in late February, when RBC cited sources close to the Kremlin following a series of disruptions earlier that month. Now, however, it appears the authorities have […]
- Russia adds Meduza editor-in-chief Ivan Kolpakov to its wanted listby Meduza.io on March 17, 2026
Meduza editor-in-chief Ivan Kolpakov has been added to the Russian Interior Ministry’s wanted list, Mediazona reports.
- Hungary accuses Ukraine of blocking delegation from visiting vital oil pipeline by RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on March 17, 2026
Ukraine is refusing to meet and is blocking a Hungarian delegation from visiting the Druzhba oil pipeline, Peter Szijjarto has said Read Full Article at RT.com
- EU ‘completely discredited itself’ in Ukraine peace process – Lavrovby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on March 16, 2026
The EU has failed as a credible mediator in the Ukraine peace talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said Read Full Article at RT.com
- Senior FSB official’s son linked to company supplying Russia’s Internet censorship systems, investigation findsby Meduza.io on March 16, 2026
An investigation by journalist Andrey Zakharov has found that the son of a senior Federal Security Service official holds a position — and likely a financial stake — in the holding company that supplies the hardware used to restrict Russian internet traffic and surveil users.
- Moscow issues warning over Trump’s Golden Dome planby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on March 16, 2026
Donald Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense system could erode nuclear security and militarize space, Sergey Lavrov has warned Read Full Article at RT.com
- A Russian soccer player murdered a woman after phone scammers tricked him into robbing her — and tricked her daughter into letting him in.by Meduza.io on March 16, 2026
A Moscow woman was killed last week by a man allegedly manipulated by phone scammers into believing he was carrying out a police operation


