News Kissinger back in Operation ‘Reset’ By Ayano Hodouchi, Anna Arutunyan and Tim Wall The grand old man of U.S. foreign policy, Henry Kissinger, is due to lead talks in Moscow on Friday with senior Russian officials as the Obama administration seeks to revive its relations with Russia

News Sochi’s voting circus By Anna Arutunyan Long-dormant regional politics is getting a shot in the arm - in one city, anyway - as issues from crisis protests to Olympic lucre mingle to lure a cast of all-star candidates for the Sochi mayoral election next month.

Comment Elections: an Olympic Sport By Roland Oliphant Two very different cities, Murmansk in the frozen north, and Sochi, the Black Sea spa town known as the country's southern capital, have become the focus of different but not unrelated political storms.

Comment Stalinism never went away Tim Wall They say Stalinism is making a comeback, but it never went away. If not in terms of Stalin's repressions and purges, then certainly in the Stalinist system of bureaucracy.

Comment Fear and anger over preacher deportations By Sergei Balashov Per se, the deportation of two rabbis from Russia is hardly as scary an omen as the Jewish religious community believes it to be.

Business Medvedev warns big business By Ayano Hodouchi In the second of his Sunday appearances on national television to answer questions about the economic crisis, President Dmitry Medvedev admonished big business owners, warning them to fulfill their responsibilities to their employees.

Business Rouble tipped to stabilise in months By Andy Potts After a fall of one-quarter in the value of the rouble in the last six months, some analysts believe they can see a more stable future for Russia on the currency exchanges.

Comment Why my book is ‘inconvenient’ By Orlando Figes On 3rd March Atticus, the Moscow publishing house, cancelled a contract to publish my latest book ("The Whisperers: Private Life in Stalin's Russia") in Russia.

News Stalin book spat stirs controversy By Anna Arutunyan Are books about Stalin being banned in Russia?

Culture Prima donna bowing out By Vladimir Kozlov Is it for real this time, or just another publicity stunt to attract audiences to the pop diva's upcoming concert tour?

Theater Spirited away By Ayano Hodouchi Folklore and fairy tales abound in a small theater on the edge of town, a theatre kept alive by the fervor of its dedicated artists and faithful audience.

Ask the experts A film with him in it By Andy Potts Few things are more culture specific than humour - think of the way internationally-renowned comedies tend towards the banalities of "Mr. Bean" rather than the British banter of "Blackad­der".

Local Farmers and markets By Phoebe Taplin This is the time of year that farmers call "the hungry gap": when harvest stores run low and the new crops are not ready.

Local Porn accusations derail bid for ‘world’s best job’ By Alexei Ukkone Placing well in a competition for a tropical island dream job, a Karelian woman is fighting allegations that she is involved in behavior less than befitting for such a role

Local Fare evaders face new fines By Nathan Toohey Changes aim to stamp out public transport fare evaders and the con-men who use fake fines to prey upon them