Just weeks ago, Muscovites were suffering through an unseasonably warm winter. They were feeling your pain, Washington, and it was brutal. Much of Russia spends more than half the year in wintry conditions. Boots go on in October and come off in April. Gym class at school means cross-country skiing in the nearest park. A well-cared-for baby requires frequent outings in the coldest temperatures. There’s nothing like fresh air. Read full article > >

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In Russia, cold is a matter of degree

Tens of thousands of people march in Moscow in protest at Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, while his supporters hold a rally elsewhere in Russia’s capital.

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Thousands in rival Moscow marches

MOSCOW — Tens of thousands of Russians embraced the numbing cold and marched to a frozen river bank near the Kremlin Saturday, demonstrating their determination to keep up the pressure on Vladimir V. Putin for fair elections and honest government. Read full article > >

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Russians in thousands give Putin the cold shoulder

MOSCOW — A staunchly pro-government newspaper published a warning Wednesday that Russia faces ruin if Vladimir Putin is not returned to the presidency next month, but critics said the lengthy article recalled the old Soviet Union and contained vitriol so extreme that it appeared probable to backfire. Read full article > >

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In Moscow, a throwback to Soviet vitriol

MOSCOW — A staunchly pro-government newspaper published a warning Wednesday that Russia faces ruin if Vladimir Putin is not returned to the presidency next month, but critics said the lengthy article recalled the old Soviet Union and contained vitriol so extreme that it appeared probable to backfire. Read full article > >

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In Moscow, a throwback to Soviet vitriol

As thousands of protesters pushed toward Bolotnaya Square , crews from mainstream Russian television fanned out. Satellite trucks were ranged curbside, their engines running. For six days after the Duma elections last month, TV ignored the street protests that were starting to shake the nation. Now the reporters and cameramen were ready. But still, not a peep. Read full article > >

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Russian TV veers back to familiar ground

Everton winger Diniyar Bilyaletdinov is close to returning to his homeland with a move to Russian club Spartak Moscow.

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Bilyaletdinov ‘to join Spartak’

Everton winger Diniyar Bilyaletdinov is close to returning to his homeland with a move to Russian club Spartak Moscow.

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Bilyaletdinov ‘to join Spartak’

MOSCOW — Russia’s restless electorate bestowed a big bouquet of votes on the country’s Communists last month, putting the party of Lenin at a crucial turning point where it can either rally a new generation behind its red banners or stay reliably on the sidelines, repeating the old slogans and mourning the past. Read full article > >

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Russian Communists at familiar crossroads

MOSCOW — Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin says he intends to return to the presidency because only he can guide Russia between the twin dangers of stagnation on the one hand and instability on the other. Read full article > >

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Putin says he’s Russia’s indispensable man

MOSCOW — Ignoring the political upheaval that has shaken Russia over the past month, Vladimir Putin’s presidential campaign unveiled a hefty new Web site Thursday that promises a fistful of important reforms but sidesteps the complaints that have drawn tens of thousands of protesters to the streets. Read full article > >

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Putin Web launch ignores Russian protests

SMOLENSK, Russia — As opposition leaders wait to see how Russian authorities intend to handle continuing political protests in Moscow, a criminal case here, 250 miles to the west, suggests that tough measures are part of the equation. Read full article > >

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Far from Moscow, a harsh sentence and political overtones

MOSCOW — Two of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s most formidable allies urged him Saturday to listen to protesters and take steps to accommodate them as a way of shoring up eroding confidence in the government. Putin has offered little satisfaction to the many thousands of demonstrators who twice last month filled streets in Moscow and other cities, protesting the conduct of the Dec. 4 parliamentary elections and demanding law-abiding government. Though some officials have been shuffled and electoral reforms promised, Putin has dismissed suggestions that he talk to the opposition. He has relied instead on his tough-guy persona, which has served him well since he came to power more than a decade ago, to see him through. Read full article > >

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Putin allies urge him to talk to opponents

Russian police arrest a dozen protesters trying to attend a New Year’s Eve rally in Moscow calling for more democratic rights.

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Moscow rally halted amid arrests

Tens of thousands of people rally in Moscow and other Russian cities, sending a defiant message to the Kremlin after allegedly rigged elections.

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Moscow rally calls on Putin to go