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Boris Yeltsin

Vladimir Putin walks between two rows of people clapping their hands and taking photos with their cell phones

20 years of Putin in power: A timeline

Conflict & Justice

Last year marked two decades of Vladimir Putin in power in Russia. Here are the events that have shaped — or been shaped — by the former KGB officer.

Christian Ray Flores became a rock star in post-Soviet Russia in the '90s: "No one knew exactly how to make music like that but I did because I grew up overseas."

The guy who supplied the soundtrack for Boris Yeltsin’s Rock the Vote

Global Politics
The body of Boris Nemtsov moves through long lines of mourners in Moscow.

Lines snake through Moscow as thousands mourn Boris Nemtsov

Global Politics
Russia's President Vladimir Putin makes his annual New Year address to the nation in Moscow December 31, 2014.

Five corrupt moves that helped make Putin the most powerful man in Russia

Global Politics
Vladimir Zhirinovsky, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, drinks a shot of vodka while visiting a market as part of his party Duma election campaign in the southern Russian city of Stavropol.

How vodka became the beloved drink it is today in Russia

Lifestyle & Belief
Ukraine

Ukraine finds it hard to disentangle from its deep Russian ties

Global Politics

Ukraine, a former Soviet Bloc country, is torn between its deep economic and cultural ties with Russia and its desire to modernize by becoming part of the European Union. When its president chose to draw closer to Russia over the EU, some Ukrainians applauded, while others took to the streets.

As Afghan drawdown continues, question raised over country’s future

U.S. forces are supposed to be out of combat roles in Afghanistan by 2015. As that date marches ever closer, some Afghans are wondering what the future holds for the country’s security, and its economy.

Backstory of Russian-Georgian conflict

The history, events and factors that led to the current conflict between Russia and Georgia.

A tale of two Russian anthems

Arts, Culture & Media

Sergei Mikhalkov wrote the lyrics to the Soviet national anthem during World War II, but rewrote it decades later to better reflect the times.

What We Can Learn from the Soviet Withdrawal from Afghanistan

In February 1989, after nine long years, the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan. Today, as the United States transitions out of the country,  Nikolas Gvosdev, professor of  national security studies at the U.S. Naval War College, says that Americans have plenty of lessons to learn from the Soviet withdrawal. The USSR invaded Afghanistan in 1979 with grand […]