Vladimir Putin News Archives

“We do not comment on what other people say or do”

Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin warned on Wednesday that the arrest of his deputy Sergei Storchak on embezzlement charges was starting to harm the ministry's activities. via The St. Petersburg Times

“The theory that the FSB was behind it should be investigated.”

By Guy Faulconbridge

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian secret service whistleblower released on Friday after a prison term for revealing secrets said he had evidence pointing to Moscow's involvement in the murder of Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko.

Former Federal Security Service (FSB) officer Mikhail Trepashkin told Reuters an FSB official told him in 2002 a group was being set up to "take out" Litvinenko.

An FSB spokesman declined to comment on Trepashkin's allegation. Russian officials have said claims of Moscow's involvement in Litvinenko's death are nonsense and that the case is being used by Moscow's enemies to discredit it. Read more

“So preserving and enhancing stability in the Balkans is not just a moral imperative. It is fundamental to our national security.”

Louise Radnofsky and agencies Thursday November 29, 2007 Guardian Unlimited David Cameron urged action to prevent "a new crisis in the Balkans by Christmas" in a key Washington speech where he also tried to ... via Guardian Unlimited

A top U.S. official on Wednesday accused Russia of working to weaken the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and in particular its election-monitoring mission. via PR-inside.com

“I can't imagine what card could be played here that wasn't played in Annapolis.”

A Mideast summit in Moscow could bolster Russia's prestige and please Arab nations such as Syria, but progress would depend heavily on the actions of Israel and the Palestinians, analysts said Thursday. via Press of Atlantic City

“The measures amount to a constitutional coup”

CARACAS : It was a fascist general in 1930s Spain who coined the phrase "Viva la muerte!" - "Long live death!" Essentially meaningless, the words captured the blind cult of soil, blood and savagery that coursed ... via International Herald Tribune

“Money is of no matter for a piece of art this important”

Regulars Interact Guy Faulconbridge Moscow, Russia 29 November 2007 01:45 A Russian businessman with a passion for Tsarist treasures said on Thursday he was behind the record purchase of a FabergA© egg in ... via Mail & Guardian

“Police use force in all democracies”

BRUSSELS : Nino Burjanadze, the acting president of Georgia, cautioned the West on Wednesday that if it turned its back on Georgia, it would risk undermining the country's already fragile democracy and play ... via International Herald Tribune

President Vladimir Putin has appointed Anatoly Isaikin as head of state-controlled arms exporter Rosoboronexport, the Kremlin press service said on Monday. via RIA Novosti

“The Moscow agreement [SORT] deals only with deployed nuclear warheads, but if they are simply stored, you can, basically, have as many of them as you want”

A treaty to replace a major nuclear arms reduction agreement between Russia and the U.S. must set lower ceilings for nuclear arsenals and limit the development of new nuclear weapons, Russia`s foreign minister ... via UNIAN

Russia's military chief said Wednesday that Washington's offer of cooperation on missile defense was just a smoke screen for the U.S. to proceed with its plan to deploy elements of a missile shield in Poland ... via PR-inside.com

“But I would rather vote United Russia.”

By Dmitry Solovyov

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The party that for a decade has entertained Russians with its brand of anti-Western nationalism is expected to struggle in this Sunday's parliamentary election.

And the reason: President Vladimir Putin has, election analysts say, stole its clothes.

The latest opinion poll this week gave the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) led by firebrand Vladimir Zhirinovsky 7 percent support: right on the threshold needed to qualify for seats in parliament. Read more

“In Russia right now we have, what, four world chess champions? And of course the fate of any one of them is important to other chess players, both in Russia and abroad.”

Karpov denied visit to old rival Kasparov Tue Nov 27, 2007 3:46pm EST MOSCOW - Chess grandmaster Anatoly Karpov was turned away on Tuesday when he tried to visit and offer moral support to his old rival Garry ... via Susan Polgar Chess Blog

“Nominating Vladimir Putin as a candidate for president in the 2008 election is perfectly possible”

Reports that Vladimir Putin has prepared a statement to be broadcast to the nation on November 29 has fueled speculation that the message might contain the answer to the "2008 question" -- and whether that ... via Huliq.com

“We are seeing a reworking of the Duma's personnel: The less power the Kremlin gives it, the less the demand for people with initiative”

Once a lively venue for arguments, fistfights and hurled objects, the State Duma - a place Duma Speaker and United Russia head Boris Gryzlov once fittingly described as "not a place for discussion" - has become ... via The St. Petersburg Times

“Russia believes that India has an unimpeachable reputation in the nuclear non-proliferation sphere, and therefore we are going to push for an end to corresponding sanctions against India”

ST. PETERSBURG, November 26 - Moscow is seeking new contracts to continue nuclear construction work in India, a Russian first deputy prime minister said on Monday. via RIA Novosti

“He only joined the opposition after Putin fired him. Before that he showed no sign of having democratic values. There is something opportunistic about his political stance. It stems from a grievance against Putin and not from his values.”

Mikhail Kasyanov says he is the target of a vast, pro-Kremlin conspiracy to undermine his goal of shaking up an authoritarian political system. via The St. Petersburg Times

MOSCOW : Inspectors from the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency arrived at a Russian facility Monday to check the uranium fuel it has produced for Iran's first nuclear power plant, officials said. via International Herald Tribune

“I have no complaints about what is going on there”

A judge ruled Monday that former world chess champion Garry Kasparov has to serve out the five-day jail sentence he received after leading a protest of President Vladimir Putin that ended in clashes with ... via Philly.com

News Monday, November 26, 2007. Page 3. President Vladimir Putin will deliver a nationally televised address this week, ahead of the Dec. via The Moscow Times

While President Bush has been distracted with his unpopular war against Iraq, friends and foes are busy grabbing power to perpetuate themselves in office. via Seattle Post-Intelligencer

“We respect and admire the Turkish stance on Iraq”

ITALY'S D'ALEMA : TURKEY HAS RIGHT TO DEFEND ITSELF Turkish Daily News, Turkey Nov 23 2007 Italy's foreign minister Massimo D'Alema said Turkey has the right to defend itself against terrorist attacks stemming ... via Groong Armenian News Network

Vladimir Kryuchkov, the former KGB chief who spearheaded a failed coup against Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, has died, officials said Sunday. He was 83.

Kryuchkov died Friday in Moscow of an unspecified illness, according to the Federal Security Service, the main KGB successor agency.

Kryuchkov owed his swift career rise to Soviet leader Yuri Andropov. He worked alongside Andropov when he served as the Soviet ambassador to Hungary, and oversaw a brutal suppression of anti-Communist uprising in Budapest in 1956. Read more

“There is still a hope that the presidential election can be 'normal'”

The president's party, United Russia, is set to win a landslide victory with about 60% of the vote. via Gulf Times

“Anglo-Saxon imperialists'. He noted: 'If you look at Russian-British relations, the cold war never started and never ended.”

The man accused of the polonium killing may become a Russian MP next Sunday, reports Luke Harding in Kursk Standing in a crumbling shop piled full of TVs and videos, Andrei Lugovoi - prime suspect in the ... via Buzzle.com

“On Dec. 2 during the State Duma elections we will have to defend our achievements”

A major political uproar has broken out over an extraordinary political statement passed by the St. via The St. Petersburg Times

“Main executioner Mr Putin wants to maintain power to cover his crime.”

The father of murdered ex-KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko has described Russian President Vladimir Putin was his sons chief executioner. via AndhraNews

Russia is all set to build a new space launch facility, and has its eye on a completion date in 2015. via The Register

“Israel thinks Fatah in the West Bank is there to serve it, but we will take over the West Bank the way we took over Gaza”

Hamas will obtain armored vehicles, assault rifles and ammunition Prime Minister Ehud Olmert agreed to give Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah organization today, Hamas leaders told WND. via World Net Daily

“He is a worthy enough man not to stay in detention during the investigation”

Lawyers and colleagues of Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Storchak mounted a fierce defense of the imprisoned official Wednesday, calling for his immediate release as he faces charges of attempted embezzlement. via The St. Petersburg Times

“Those who confront us don't want our plan to succeed”

Vladimir Putin called his critics foreign-funded "jackals" and accused the West of meddling in Russian politics in a scathing speech Wednesday meant to drum up support for the main pro-Kremlin party. via The St. Petersburg Times

“Only positive energy flows from a mosque”

With separatist rebels embracing radical Islam, the republic's Moscow-backed president is busy promoting a Sufi revival, finds Tom Parfitt in Khadzi Aul High on a hillside in eastern Chechnya, a new mosque ... via Buzzle.com

Saudi Crown Prince Sultan began an official visit to Russia Wednesday to discuss regional issues with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Middle East issues, including Iran's nuclear program. via Tehran Times

“United Russia is, in effect, the ruling party”

Vladimir Putin would like to take his election campaign out into the countryside but there is a problem: his party cannot afford the petrol. via Reuters

MOSCOW : Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi was due in Moscow on Thursday for a visit expected to bring progress on plans for a pipeline to carry Russian natural gas to Europe and the return of a church in ... via International Herald Tribune

The widow of murdered Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko will mark the first anniversary of his death by stepping up her legal fight for justice. via Horncastle Today

The United States on Wednesday submitted a formal proposal to Russia for cooperation on missile defense in eastern Europe, seeking to defuse an issue that has increased tensions between the two countries.

Addressing another contentious issue, the U.S. also submitted a proposal that it hoped would discourage Moscow from withdrawing from a key European arms control treaty.

Both issues have contributed to U.S.-Russian relations worsening to the lowest point since the Cold War. The proposals had been discussed in negotiations between the two nations, but Russia insisted on having them in writing before continuing talks. Read more

“The Cold War never started or ended, it always has been.”

Andrei Lugovoi speaks during an interview with the Associated Press in his office in Moscow, Wednesday, Nov. via Seattle Post-Intelligencer

“We made them think of a new economic policy and take social programs seriously”

The State Duma on Friday met for its final session, passing 19 bills and dissolving itself ahead of the Dec. via The St. Petersburg Times

A special envoy from Russia's president urged Arab nations on Tuesday to participate in U.S.-sponsored Middle East peace conference this month, increasing pressure on Syria to attend the gathering. via PR-inside.com

“We thought it will be premature to sign an agreement, which cannot be operationalised”

On Board Air India One, Nov 20: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today admitted that there is some delay on the operationalisation of the US-India civil nuclear deal, but expressed hope about it being successfully ... via Daily India

“As a follow-up to their telephone conversation on October 22, Putin and Bush continued discussing issues on the strategic agenda”

The United States has told dozens of nations and organizations to expect invitations to a U.S.-sponsored conference launching new Mideast peace talks, the State Department said Tuesday. via The Oregonian

“I believe there is reason to say 'Thank you'”

News Tuesday, November 20, 2007. Issue 3789. Page 3. 5,000 to Attend Gathering for Putin At least 5,000 supporters of President Vladimir Putin will attend a demonstration in his honor at Luzhniki Stadium on ... via The Moscow Times

“It's not a massive amount of money”

Business / Market Matters Monday, November 19, 2007. Issue 3788. Page 8. As Muscovites wrap up warm this week with the onset of winter, investors are still looking for exposure to this year's big story, the ... via The Moscow Times

“The sum we're talking about here is $43.4 million”

Investigators revealed new details Monday in the arrest of a deputy finance minister who allegedly tried to embezzle $43 million in budget funds -- a case that has shocked many of Russia's top bankers. via The Oregonian

“The stability of the country directly depends on the upcoming election”

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church on Monday called for tighter controls over the content of TV and radio broadcasts, saying they were promoting 'vicious behavior.'

The comments by Patriarch Alexy II, made at a Kremlin meeting with President Vladimir Putin, come as concerns increase over the growing influence of the church on government policy.

Russia needs to establish of a public council to oversee the 'morality' of the mass media, Alexy II said.

'Many television and radio programs shows the permissibility of vicious behavior and it makes one contemplate the moral criteria of what mass media are allowed to do,' he said. Read more

Following the recent arrest of 13 visiting students in a Chabad-sponsored yeshiva in the southern Russian city of Rostov, charges flew among various Lubavitch factions.The chief rabbi of Kfar Chabad in Israel ... via The Mikveh

“It will be a leaner but meaner, well trained and equipped, and professional force”

Moscow: Yury Baluyevsky, the chief of Russia's general staff, said in an interview with the Russia Today TV channel on Tuesday that the Russian Armed Forces were under no obligation to protect the world from ... via Defence Talk

This is an interesting non-fiction book that I found on the public library shelves. via Parry Sound North Star

A Russian women's movement has urged President Vladimir Putin's wife Lyudmila to run for the presidency next year when her husband steps down but some politicians said they believed the move was a stunt, a ... via Tehran Times

Mukhammedsolykh Abutov ASYLUM SEEKER FROM UZBEKISTAN BEING HELD IN A RUSSIAN PRISON REMINDS PUTIN OF UNIVERSAL VALUES Mukhammadsolykh Abutov is a citizen of Uzbekistan who is presently being held by the Russian ... via Muslim Uzbekistan

Kosovo Albanians are lining up to vote en masse for backers of independence from Serbia, escalating the great-power confrontation over influence in southeast Europe. via Bloomberg

“And there is no need to change the constitution”

Russian President Vladimir Putin could run for re-election in next year's presidential vote if he resigns early to get around a ban on serving three consecutive terms, a lobbyist close to the Kremlin has said. via Turkish Daily News

“We will not exercise our right to withdraw from the CFE treaty”

Russia's foreign minister confirmed on Thursday that the country will impose a moratorium on application of the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty on December 12. via RIA Novosti

“It has been a long time since such a senior official was arrested. Maybe it is an attack on Kudrin”

Russian police detained Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Storchak on Friday as part of a criminal investigation, the Finance Ministry said. via Eircom.net News

“You have passed two resolutions based on erroneous information and reports, but now when you realize your mistakes you should be courageous enough to acknowledge it and apologize to the Iranian people”

Russia and the UN nuclear agency will start work on November 26 to prepare for nuclear fuel deliveries to Iran's Bushehr NPP, the Islamic Republic's vice president and nuclear chief said. via Budapest Business Journal

“United Russia's lead is so great that these elections are reminiscent of Soviet elections, where there was no alternative and as far as the electorate was concerned, the polls are pre-ordained”

President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party will win an overwhelming majority of seats in parliamentary elections next month, according to a poll by the independent Levada Centre published on Friday. via Reuters

“I have not heard of it ever being applied in political advertising but there is clearly a potential.”

Delegates of the All Russian Council of Initiative Groups to support President Vladimir Putin held a session in Tver on Thursday. via The St. Petersburg Times

“Trading in the REBCO futures will move to St. Petersburg as soon as we register the new commodity exchange”

A tender commission from Russia's economics ministry has selected the St. Petersburg exchange as the trading floor for crude derivatives, a deputy minister said on Wednesday. via Budapest Business Journal

“The church wants these buildings because it seeks a return to its traditional place as the upholder of the state, with a monopoly on the meaning of patriotism and spirituality.”

Ryazan's dazzling kremlin, the ancient town fortress considered a gem of Russian architecture, seems like an unlikely venue for a bitter social conflict.

But for the past three years a subterranean battle has raged here over the 26-hectare complex seized by the Bolsheviks last century. The increasingly powerful Russian Orthodox Church is pressuring political leaders in Moscow to return the property to church stewardship, and public passions are running high.

"Society is split over this issue," says Sergei Isakov, a deputy of the regional legislature. "We need more time to listen to the people about this." Read more

“I have never seen anything like it”

Renovated houses as seen from an abandoned observation post of Russia's federal forces in Grozny, the war-damaged capital of Chechnya. via The Boston Globe

Georgia's parliament speaker said the national state of emergency that followed a police crackdown on opposition will be lifted Friday, a pledge made under a strong pressure from the United States.

'The state of emergency will be lifted on Nov. 16, and we will switch to a normal life,' Nino Burdzhanadze, a close ally of Georgia's President Mikhail Saakashvili, said in a televised statement. She added that she was entitled to make the statement on behalf of the government.

Saakashvili introduced the 15-day nationwide state of emergency on Nov. 7 after police violently dispersed opposition protests in the capital. The United States and other Western nations have strongly urged Saakashvili to quickly remove the measure, which banned independent newscasts. Read more

“Why not? Given adequate conditions and an adequate Belarusian opposition”

A senior general warned Wednesday that Russia could deploy short-range missiles to Belarus as part of efforts to counter the planned deployment of U.S. missile defense sites in Europe, Russian news reports ... via The Macon Telegraph

“The British tractor brand showed the best price-quality relationship”

MOSCOW, November 13 Russian-Indian partnership develops a crack/ Voter interest in elections down - survey/ Yukos case remains open despite court ruling/ TNK-BP holding receives access to Kurdistan's oil ... via RIA Novosti

“We have a real chance to save the ecosystem of the Sea of Azov”

Fierce winds Tuesday hampered crews struggling to clean up in the wake of a killer storm that sank at least 11 ships and split an oil tanker in two, spilling tons of petroleum in the waters near this southern ... via Alabama Live

“Why does Iran need a nuclear enrichment programme? Nobody wants another nuclear weapon state”

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who visited Tehran last month, has shared his assessment of the Iranian nuclear crisis with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with both leaders stressing that diplomacy alone can ... via India Gazette

By Smita Prakash On Board Air India One, Nov.11 : The Russians have apologised to India over the delay in delivering the aircraft carrier, Admiral Gorshkov. via New Delhi News.Net

“Corruption is rampant in Russia and the problem is exacerbating.”

As President Vladimir Putin urged the country's law enforcement agencies to boost their efforts in fighting graft ahead of National Police Day on Sunday, investigators admit they are at a loss over the task and ... via The St. Petersburg Times

“In the Kerch Strait, river vessels and sea vessels change cargoes, as sea vessels cannot enter the Don and Volga rivers because of small water draft. But vessels constructed for rivers cannot stand strong sea storms”

PORT KAVKAZ, Russia More than 30,000 birds and countless fish have been killed in an "ecological catastrophe" wrought by thousands of tons of oil from a tanker that broke apart in a heavy storm near the Black ... via CBS 5

For over a week straight, television news reports have been showing demonstrations against Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, and they claim that his regime is on the verge of collapse. via The St. Petersburg Times

“He was very friendly, compassionate and very smart”

He had all-American cover: born in Iowa, college in Manhattan, Army buddies with whom he played baseball. via Austin American Statesman

“RUSSIA'S past was admirable, its present is more than magnificent and as for its future--it is beyond anything that the boldest mind can imagine.”

MOSCOW From The Economist print edition The Kremlin uses its version of the past to forge a new ideology for the present "RUSSIA'S past was admirable, its present is more than magnificent and as for its ... via The Economist

“One battalion of the CRPF is already there. It is a dicey situation, which, I hope, is being handled well”

By Manish Chand, On Board Air India One, Nov 11 : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was monitoring the situation in West Bengal's Nandigram that has witnessed a spate of killings and also spoke with Chief Minister ... via Newkerala.com

“Georgia's main achievement in the past ten years since it declared independence.”

Georgia: A velvet revolution or a coup d'etat? How velvet was the revolution, still remains to be seen, since Georgia is not a Czechoslovakia, and has a long record of social upheaval, national unrest and armed ... via Turkish Daily News

“In Texas, when you invite somebody to your home it's an expression of warmth and respect, and that's how I feel about Chancellor Merkel”

President Bush and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are holed up in a tiny Texas town, but their talks this weekend are spanning the globe, from Iran to Afghanistan to Russia. via Southern Illinoisan

The government is considering new restrictions on Russian human rights and other nongovernmental groups to limit their ability to participate in Western democracy organizations such as the OSCE, an activist ... via Kyiv Post

“With 2008 approaching, anyone now who has money wants to put it in a safe place”

Russian businessmen have flourished under President Vladimir Putin, with the number of millionaires rising sharply every year. via Iran Daily