Keeping Russian justice system up-to date

­Aleksandr Konovalov – Justice Minister

Russia’s northern capital, St. Petersburg, was once again the setting for legal professionals to gather and share their experiences. For the second time, the International Legal Forum was held there, featuring specialists from over 50 countries. Nowadays, different legal and judicial systems can’t help but cooperate and sometimes conflict. What’s...

Russia - U.S. relations: A view from Washington

­Ariel Cohen – Senior Fellow, Heritage Foundation

Since Vladimir Putin took office earlier in May, there’ve been speculations about his foreign policy strategy, and particularly about Russia-America relations. In the U.S., power – and, consequently, the foreign policy – may change, too, as the Americans are soon to decide weather to elect a new president or to leave Barak Obama in office....

World Press Sochi

­Rob Hornstra – Winner, World Press Photo 2012

In a world where almost every mobile phone has a built-in camera, it’s hard to imagine people not taking pictures. But among millions of shots made every day around the globe, just a few are worthy of the World Press Photo award – the largest and the most prestigious photo contest. The winner of the 2012 competition, Dutch photographer Rob...

Putin's foreign policy agenda

­Konstantin Kosachev – Head, Federal Agency for CIS

Vladimir Putin’s refusal to attend the G-8 summit in Camp David has been seen as an important and symbolic step. The media started speculating about the new president’s foreign policy course. And as for now, it looks like Mr. Putin has turned to Russia's closest neighbors – the CIS. Will the post-Soviet countries really become the top...

Integration back on track

­Grigory Rapota – State Secretary, Union State of Russia and Belarus
According to the latest news, Russia’s close neighbor and ally Belarus has been chosen for Vladimir Putin's first presidential visit. Analyst say it's a good sign in terms of regional integration, as Russia-Belarus relations have worsened over the last few years, and now it's time to set them right.

Filling a cultural vacuum

­Pavel Lungin – Film director
Francis Ford Coppola – Film Director

The never-ending standoff of action against drama is ever more urgent nowadays. The 3D craze encourages directors to shoot spectacular movies, but skimp on story and character. There are many filmmakers, of course, who treat cinema as art rather than showbiz. But their work, labeled as Art House, is going deeper and...

New hope in fight against heart diseases

­Amiran Revishvili – Cardiac Surgeon

About 17 million people die every year of heart disease. It accounts for almost 30% of all global deaths. Russian cardiologists have dramatically advanced the treatment of heart disease in recent years. But what remains to be done? We'll talk it over with a prominent cardiac surgeon Amiran Revishvili.

Russian chess tradition

­Vladimir Kramnik – 14th Classical World Chess Champion

Some may call chess the most “unsporty” sport on Earth, with no fight, no muscle or glamour. But the stakes are high, and thousands are expected here in Moscow to come and see the Chess Championship. How does it feel to be one of the most strong-headed persons in the world? We’re asking the 14-th world champion and one of the most...

Is there a neo-nazi threat?

­Tatyana Zhdanok – Member of European Parliament
Vladimir Medinsky – Historian

The greatest war in the history of mankind took over 60 million lives. When the Third Reich finally collapsed, it became evident that Nazism should always be considered an awful and horrible thing. But 67 years later we see neo-Nazism flourishing in some countries where SS-veterans are honored like heroes…

Unwrapping Putin's enigma

­Chris Hutchins – Author, ‘Putin’
Alexander Korobko – Author, ‘Putin’

Since the very emerging at the political arena 12 years ago, Vladimir Putin has been the man in the limelight. He's been on the front pages of numerous periodicals and has dozens of books written about him. People are mostly interested in his political career, of course… But what about his personality? A rear book...