Two militants have been eliminated in a counter-terrorist operation in Russia's southern republic of Dagestan. The head of the group was killed during the gunfight.

The Russian human rights defense organization Memorial and its three leaders have received the European Parliament’s 2009 Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought, named after the late physicist-turned-dissident.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is in Brussels for the first formal Russia-NATO Council meeting since the war in South Ossetia in August last year.

In addition to a great historical and cultural heritage, the Nizhny Novgorod region is a key center for Russian industry, renowned for engineering and scientific innovation.

The South Stream pipeline project, Russia’s stance on the situation in Afghanistan and Medvedev’s plans for the 2012 presidential election have been in the limelight of the Medvedev-Berlusconi media briefing in Rome.

The Nevsky Express derailed with nearly 700 on board as it ran through remote countryside between the capital Moscow and the second city, St Petersburg.

A criminal investigation is underway following a shooting in southern Moscow yesterday. One priest, Father Daniil, was killed and another, Father Vladimir, critically wounded.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is giving his annual state-of-the-nation address, his second in office.

Profits at Russian energy giant Gazprom have halved because of the higher cost of buying gas.

Ukraine’s energy holding, Naftogaz, has said there are some problems with payments for Russian natural gas supplied in October.