The raid looked like something out of a Hollywood action movie. On July 7, Russian special forces dropped down on ropes from a helicopter to storm a luxury yacht on the Pirogovsky reservoir outside Moscow, arresting three dozen mobsters, including the group's alleged ringleader, Tariel Oniani. But within days, nearly all of them, including Oniani, had to be set free because prosecutors couldn't charge them with anything. Russia's laws have long been weak and unspecific when it comes to combating organized crime, part of the ...

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stressed Tuesday that Washington and Moscow are working together to ensure Iran's nuclear program is strictly for peaceful purposes, but Russia has stopped short of committing to Iranian sanctions. Speaking to reporters after a closed-door meeting, Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov indicated there has been no agreement between the countries on any sort of sanctions plan, even though Russia is not opposed to sanctions in principle. The United States is using a ...

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has invited U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to his private residence in suburban Barvikha for a discussion Tuesday on a broad range of issues in what one senior State Department official called a "relaxed setting." Issues on the agenda for the two-hour meeting include the next steps on Iran, the Mideast conflict, cooperation on Afghanistan, possible joint work on a missile defense system, Russia's "neighborhood" and climate change. Clinton also will meet with ...

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton embarks Friday on a six-day trip to Europe and Russia that comes at a crucial time in the Obama administration's decision-making on a strategy for Afghanistan. She will depart one day after the inaugural flight of the "lethal transit" agreement, signed in July by President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, which allows transport of military personnel and equipment across Russia to support the U.S.-NATO mission in Afghanistan. On the trip, the secretary ...

Imagine if the Empire State Building were to be placed smack in the middle of Venice or Jerusalem. Jutting out from the ancient streets, a skyscraper of that size would seem absurdly out of sync with the iconic beauty of the cities. Developers would likely never get such a proposal approved. But in Russia the rules are different. Last month, officials in St. Petersburg approved the construction of a 400-meter-tall skyscraper in the historic center of the city. The city's beautiful Baroque and neoclassical ...

A rare meeting of U.N. Security Council heads of state, led for the first time by a U.S. president, adopted a resolution Thursday focused on stopping the spread of nuclear weapons. President Obama challenged the gathering, which included leaders of nuclear powers including Russia, China, Great Britain and France, to overcome cynicism against the goal of ridding the planet of nuclear arms. "We harbor no illusions about the difficulty of bringing about a world without nuclear weapons," Obama said, adding ...

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev met Wednesday with U.S. President Barack Obama, then signaled he could support sanctions against Iran over its efforts to develop a nuclear weapon. "Russia's position is clear: Sanctions rarely lead to productive results, but in some cases sanctions are inevitable," Medvedev said in a joint appearance with Obama after their talks. The statement bolsters U.S.-led efforts for increased international pressure on Iran to adhere to nonproliferation agreements in pursuing the development of nuclear energy. ...

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi on Wednesday denounced the structure of the U.N. Security Council, criticizing the permanent seats and veto power granted to a limited number of nations. Speaking at the U.N. General Assembly's annual debate session, Gadhafi called for world unity in confronting global crises such as climate change and food shortages. But he elaborated on what he believes is the unfairness of the structure of the Security Council, which has five permanent members -- the United States, ...

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says those who question whether he has power in his country are going by "stereotypes" and "stigmas." "In our country, where there's so much red tape, nobody would even lift a finger without me signing a paper first, even if they have different opinions about who's in charge," Medvedev told CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" in an exclusive interview airing Sunday. "That's an absolutely clear thing for anyone who wants to sort out this issue." The president ...

Russia, the United States and NATO should consider linking their missile defense systems in Europe, the NATO chief said Friday. "Both NATO and Russia have a wealth of experience in missile defense," Anders Fogh Rasmussen said. "We should now work to combine this experience to our mutual benefit." Rasmussen made the suggestion in his first major speech as NATO's new secretary-general. His speech centered on ways the alliance could strengthen its relationship with Russia. "I believe that of ...