Medvedev talks tough in battle of the bottle

YOU can take a lot from Russia; it has lost plenty already: cash, empire, territory, clout. Russia is tough; it survives undaunted.

Russians Mock Nato Rebuke

Moscow is holding its ground despite sharp criticism, writes Paul McGeough.

Whatever The Spin, It Is Still A War With Absolutely No Winners

Robert Gates, the US Defence Secretary, puts a positive spin on the refusal of the United States to get involved in a military confrontation with Russia. It is, according to him, because the US has spent decades trying to avoid military confrontation with the very unreasonable Russians.

Opals Are Bounding For Glory

THE Opals Australian womens basketball team play the last game of the preliminary round this weekend against the strong Russians.

Australians Take Heat

SYDNEY Games gold medallist Natalie Cook and partner Tamsin Barnett began the beach volleyball competition with a tough three-set victory over Russians Natalia Uryadova and Alexandra Shiryaeva at the Chaoyang Park stadium yesterday.

Russians Farewell Writer Who 'showed Exit Out Of Soviet Hell'

RUSSIANS braved torrential rain yesterday as they queued to pay their last respects to Nobel Prize-winning writer and dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn.

From Putin To Putin: It's Democracy The Russian Way

Most Russians seem to welcome the stability their leader provides, but others count its cost, Helen Womack reports from Moscow.

Russians' Latest Leap Into Space

Space-Time Research ventured into a market ignored by many Australian companies, writes Brad Howarth.

The Russians Are Coming, But Australia Isn't Worried

Russia's inaugural attendance at APEC is a positive step, writes Tim Harcourt.

Parental Guidance Required

THE ITALIAN (M) Stars: Kolya Spiridonov, Maria Kuznetsova, Yuri Itskov Director: Andrei Kravchuk *** 1/2 Screening: Gala Warrawong When it comes to the cinematic portrayal of abject misery, it's hard to beat the Russians.

A Boozy Rip-off - Russians Find Few Changes

GENEROUS hosts. Extravagant parties. Fabulous fireworks. But scary, sky-high prices. And a big, big drink problem. This, in terms that suggest little has changed, was how Leontiy Andrianovich Gagemeister summarised his visit to Sydney exactly 200 years ago.

The Russians Depart

* CREW members of the liner New Australia gave derisive cheers as the Soviet embassy staff, ordered home because of the Petrov affair, embarked on a ship at Fremantle. The Fremantle Quay area was closed for the Russians' departure.

As Yeltsin Lies, Russia Sighs For Freedom

BEFORE Boris Yeltsin's death on Monday many Russians had tended to forget his 1991 rolein bringing down communist rule, overcome as they were with resentment for the economic hardship into which he plunged them.

Russians Recall How Yeltsin Gave Them Freedom

BEFORE Boris Yeltsin's death on Monday many Russians had forgotten his 1991 role in bringing down communist rule, overcome as they were with resentment for the economic hardship into which he plunged them.

Boris Yeltsin, Thank You

IT WILL take some time for Russians and the outside world to evaluate Boris Yeltsin in a balanced way. The heroic beginnings to his eight years in power, standing on top of a tank to defy a coup launched by hardline generals intent on shoring up the dying Soviet Union, were followed by a descent into tragi-comedy. The once mighty Red Army was sent packing from Chechnya by separatist irregulars. State assets were plundered by well-connected kleptocrats and mafia groups. The rouble collapsed. The ...

Walk-up Start In Hope To Grab A Medal

Memories of the long walk, the Russians and the unbelievable food

Russians Race Away To Early Lead

RUSSIA, seeking their first victory against the US in Davis Cup, comfortably won both their singles matches on Friday to take a 2-0 lead in their semi-final in Moscow.

Furious Muscovites Say 'nyet' To Lonely Planet

MELBOURNE-based travel publisher Lonely Planet has incurred the wrath of the Russian authorities with a new guidebook on Moscow that the Russians fear will put tourists off in droves.

Russia - Rulers And Victims: The Russians In The Soviet Union

BOOK REVIEW: Rulers and Victims: The Russians in the Soviet Union Geoffrey Hosking, Harvard University Press, $67.95

Faith Overflows As Orthodox Break Their Fast

THERE are probably a few Orthodox Russians reading these pages with sore heads and full stomachs this morning. Six hours of vodka and feasting can have that effect.