Russia, Kremlin | featured news

Striding through the Kremlin’s gold-encrusted doors and applauded by the modern nobility, Vladimir Putin returns to the Russian presidency Monday in the throne room of the czars, now a dangerously weakened autocrat.

A Kremlin threat to launch pre-emptive strikes on a planned NATO missile defense system in Europe is unjustified as the system poses no threat to Russia's security, the head of the Atlantic alliance said on Friday.

Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov said on Monday he would run for president against Prime Minister Vladimir Putin next March, weeks after falling out with the Kremlin over his abortive leadership of a small pro-business party.

Russia is inching closer to the globalization trade club. Its membership in the World Trade Organization could be locked if it succeeds in convincing its neighboring country, Georgia, to forgive the Kremlin for the Ossetia War in 2008. So far, Georgia is the only thing standing between Russia and the World Trade Organization.

President Dmitry Medvedev says he has lost trust in Mayor Yuri Luzhkov. But Luzhkov, targeted in a recent negative media campaign, has said he would refuse to resign in his dispute with the Kremlin.