The head of the Russian Upper House Committee for International Affairs has urged authorities to react to the US sanctions bill with asymmetrical hurtful measures, but says the reaction must not be implemented before the US motion comes into force.
The number of Russians who describe themselves as atheists has fallen from 26 to 13 percent in just three years, according to recent research. The share of those who back the Church’s involvement in state politics has increased slightly.
Russian senators have passed an address to the president asking him to introduce restrictive measures against Poland in response to a recently approved bill ordering the destruction of monuments to Soviet soldiers in the country.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov shrugged off Ukrainian military accusations of moving assault divisions to Russia’s western borders, noting that Russia has the right to deploy any of its troops to any part of its territory.
A senior Russian senator has warned US President Donald Trump that new sanctions against Russia will damage Washington’s relations with Moscow and the EU, and that they are unlikely to quell the anti-Trump factions within the US.
MPs from three opposition caucuses in the Russian lower house have launched a joint appeal seeking to change new laws that restrict meetings between parliamentarians and voters to designated places or require sanction from the municipal authorities.
The Russian lower house has given a final nod to bills obliging companies that own internet messengers to verify the identity of every user and banning various services that allow users to visit prohibited internet sites.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has paid a visit to the head of the Moscow Helsinki Group, Lyudmila Alekseyeva, to congratulate the activist on her 90th birthday and thank her for her service to the nation.
Over 60 percent of Russians think it is reasonable to install monuments and memorial plaques glorifying the achievements of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. The share of those who oppose the idea is half that number.
Russian Education ministry plans to change the school program in such way that lessons of Russian history included the most important events of the last few years – the reunification with Crimea, the subsequent sanctions and counter-sanctions.