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
- WATCH Russian missiles strike Ukrainian airbaseby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on April 18, 2024
A reported Iskander-M strike on Aviatorskoe airbase near Dnepr destroyed several Ukrainian fighter jets and a S-300 missile battery Read Full Article at RT.com
- Dmitry Trenin: The US is crawling away from Ukraineby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on April 18, 2024
Talk about victory for Kiev has disappeared as Washington becomes a ‘back seat driver’ Read Full Article at RT.com
- Russians ‘undesirable’ at death camp commemoration events in Germany – Moscowby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on April 18, 2024
Berlin’s “provocative attack” is an attempt to distort the history of World War II, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman has said Read Full Article at RT.com
- Despite a nationwide labor shortage, Russian regions are further restricting the types of jobs migrants can holdby Meduza.io on April 18, 2024
Russia is currently facing a historic labor shortage that could tip the balance on its precarious wartime economy. Nevertheless, authorities in many regions have been imposing more and more restrictions on the types of jobs migrant workers can pursue. While some areas already had prohibitions in place, others began introducing bans following the arrest of […]
- West fears Ukrainian front line could collapse soon – Bloombergby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on April 18, 2024
Ukraine is reportedly struggling to defend against Russia due to unfulfilled demands for foreign weaponry and its thinning ranks Read Full Article at RT.com
- Ex-Soviet state beats US to TikTok ban – mediaby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on April 18, 2024
Kyrgyzstan has reportedly blocked video-sharing app TikTok over slack content regulations and concerns over children’s wellbeing Read Full Article at RT.com
- Ukrainian children ‘kidnapped’ by Moscow found in Germanyby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on April 18, 2024
The “discovery” in Germany of Ukrainian kids ‘kidnapped” by Russia exposes Kiev’s lies, Russian ombudsman Maria Lvova-Belova says Read Full Article at RT.com
- Ukraine strikes hospital in Donbass, injuring eight – authoritiesby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on April 18, 2024
Eight people including a child have been injured in a Ukrainian strike on a hospital in Donbass, local authorities have said Read Full Article at RT.com
- Western tycoon claims Zelensky associates trying to extort millions of eurosby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on April 18, 2024
Anglo-German investor Arnulf Damerau claims senior Ukrainian officials are trying to extort money from his online gambling empire Read Full Article at RT.com
- Russia charges four Ukrainian colonels with mass murderby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on April 18, 2024
Four Ukrainian commanders charged with mass murder have been indicted in absentia, a Moscow court has said Read Full Article at RT.com
- Foreign agents: the movie. Russian state TV airs fear-stoking ‘investigative film’ about exiled opposition figures and journalistsby Meduza.io on April 18, 2024
On April 13, the Russian state TV network Rossiya-24 aired an “investigative film” about Russians who have been declared “foreign agents” by the Justice Ministry and are now living in exile. Using footage obtained by reporters posing as “independent journalists,” the film highlights a variety of activists, opposition politicians, and […]
- Kremlin refuses to join debate over research center named for Hitler-sympathizing philosopher whom Putin has called one of his favoritesby Meduza.io on April 18, 2024
Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that the Kremlin wants to stay out of the debate over a new Russian research center named after Ivan Ilyin, a 20-century tsarist philosopher who expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.
- No more Russian language on air in three months – Kievby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on April 18, 2024
Ukrainian media will soon have to cease all Russian-language broadcasting, Kiev’s language watchdog Taras Kremin has said Read Full Article at RT.com
- Zelensky blames EU for Russian advanceby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on April 18, 2024
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has blamed a shortage of Western assistance for Russian frontline successes Read Full Article at RT.com
- ‘Much more unpopular than anyone anticipated’ . After months of deliberation and thousands of amendments, Ukraine’s new mobilization law frustrates politicians and soldiers alikeby Meduza.io on April 17, 2024
On April 16, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law tightening the country’s mobilization procedures. The reform comes as the situation at the front has been worsening for Ukraine: Russia’s offensive has picked up steam and there are fears that Ukraine’s entire defense could collapse. Despite the urgent need for reinforcements, the bill […]
- Georgia to adopt controversial law despite pressure – PMby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on April 17, 2024
The Georgian parliament has adopted the ‘foreign agents’ bill in the first parliamentary reading, despite protests at home, foreign pressure Read Full Article at RT.com
- Kiev demands Israel-style security guaranteesby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on April 17, 2024
Kiev wants the US to provide military protection for Ukraine similar to its arrangement with Israel, Andrey Yermak has said Read Full Article at RT.com
- At least 17 reportedly killed in Russian attack on Ukraine’s Chernihivby Meduza.io on April 17, 2024
A Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv killed at least 13 people on Wednesday, reports Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko. Another 60 people were injured.
- Second suspect detained over attempt to assassinate Ukrainian defector – FSBby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on April 17, 2024
Parts for a bomb used to blow up the car of a former Ukrainian secret police agent in Moscow were brought in from Poland, the FSB has said Read Full Article at RT.com
- Russia pulling peacekeepers from Azerbaijan – Kremlinby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on April 17, 2024
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has confirmed that Moscow is pulling its peacekeepers from Karabakh region of Azerbaijan Read Full Article at RT.com
- Kiev’s morale problems could lead to defeat this year – Politicoby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on April 17, 2024
Senior Ukrainian military officials say the army is facing a collapse under the Russian advance, according to Politico Read Full Article at RT.com
- Russia’s Health Ministry introduces bill allowing law enforcement access to medical records of ‘socially dangerous’ patientsby Meduza.io on April 16, 2024
At the request of Russia’s Internal Affairs Ministry, the Health Ministry has drafted a bill that would grant law enforcement access to confidential medical records if patients are deemed “prone to committing socially dangerous acts.”
- Zelensky signs draconian mobilization billby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on April 16, 2024
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has approved a new law that further simplifies mobilization procedures and has more penalties for draft dodgers Read Full Article at RT.com
- ‘Business as usual’. How some E.U. companies are sending Russia parts for warships, sanctions be damnedby Meduza.io on April 16, 2024
Several E.U. companies have been finding ways to bypass sanctions and supply parts to Russian military shipyards, a new report from BBC Russian finds. Using subsidiaries and intermediaries in third countries, the companies have been putting their business ties above international bans. Some companies say they don’t know where the parts end up, while […]
- Telegram founder reveals Tucker Carlson interviewby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on April 16, 2024
Around the same time as his famous sit-down with Vladimir Putin, Tucker Carlson recorded a video interview with Telegram founder Pavel Durov Read Full Article at RT.com
- RT journalist briefly detained in Georgiaby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on April 16, 2024
RT journalist Donald Courter, a dual Russian-US citizen, has been detained in the Tbilisi airport transit zone Read Full Article at RT.com
- Teen detained after 400-mile high-speed ‘train surf’by RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on April 16, 2024
Russian police have detained a teenager who train-surfed on a high-speed service from Moscow to St. Petersburg, some 650 kilometers Read Full Article at RT.com
- Moscow reacts to French Olympic truce proposalby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on April 16, 2024
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has expressed skepticism about an Olympic truce proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron Read Full Article at RT.com
- Ukrainian link to Moscow terror attack ‘confirmed’ – Russia’s security chiefby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on April 16, 2024
The secretary of the Russian Security Council, Nikolay Patrushev, has confirmed a Ukrainian link to recent terrorist attack has been found Read Full Article at RT.com
- Suspect arrested following bomb hit on Ukrainian defector – FSBby RT (RT Russia & Former Soviet Union) on April 16, 2024
A suspect has been arrested following the attempted assassination of a former Ukrainian officer in Moscow, the FSB has reported Read Full Article at RT.com