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NASA's astronaut social media handbook just dropped — and they've got some staunch guidelines for space tweeting.
As part of a public records request, NASA released to Vox an almost entirely unredacted copy of its current social media handbook for astronauts, and it offers a fascinating look into the agency's policies for the online astronauts it sends to space.
Overall, it's a reasonable document. One particularly interesting detail? It advises astronauts to please lay off of posting when their lives are in jeopardy. Good advice for us all!
In a 2018 memo from the Johnson Space Center included in the records provided to Vox, NASA notes that along with not posting for personal or financial gain or exposing state secrets, "social media efforts should always be considered secondary to the safety of the crew and vehicle."
In another section of the guidelines, a slide reminds astronauts that "social media is voluntary and should be considered secondary to safety of mission and crew cohesion."
Beyond bodily safety, political discretion is also repeatedly advised in the guidelines — an important detail, given the past and current tensions between the ISS' main players, the United States and Russia.
While some have criticized NASA for doing a bit too much social networking — the agency operates a whopping 700 social media accounts, including on Reddit, Twitch, and LinkedIn — it clearly takes a backseat to onboard safety.
Given how much can go wrong on both a mortal and interpersonal level while floating above the Earth, that's definitely a good thing.
More on the ISS: Amazing Video Shows What the ISS Would Look Like If It Flew at the Height of a Jetplane
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NASA Tells Astronauts That Tweeting Isn't As Important as Staying Alive
Someone thinks it's a great idea to fly 500 drones over New York City to create a huge ad in the sky on Thursday evening. Because New Yorkers certainly don't have any historical reason to mistrust unknown aircraft over their skyline, right?
As Gothamist reports, the drone swarm is part of a "surreal takeover of New York City’s skyline" on behalf of — we shit you not — the mobile game Candy Crush.
Fernanda Romano, Candy Crush's chief marketing officer, told Gothamist that the stunt will "turn the sky into the largest screen on the planet" using the small, light-up drones.
Though this is not the first time the Manhattan skyline has been used as ad space — that distinction goes to the National Basketball Association and State Farm, which did a similar stunt this summer during the NBA draft — local lawmakers are ticked off about it nonetheless.
"I think it’s outrageous to be spoiling our city’s skyline for private profit," Brad Hoylman, a state senator that represents Manhattan's West Side in the NY Legislature, told the local news site. "It’s offensive to New Yorkers, to our local laws, to public safety, and to wildlife."
Indeed, as the NYC Audubon Society noted in a tweet, the Candy Crush crapshoot "could disrupt the flight patterns of thousands of birds flying through NYC, leading to collisions with buildings" as they migrate.
Beyond the harm this will do to birds and the annoyance it will undoubtedly cause the famously-grumpy people of New York, this stunt is also going down with very little warning, considering that Gothamist is one of the only news outlets even reporting on it ahead of time.
While most viewers will hopefully be able to figure out what's going on pretty quickly, the concept of seeing unknown aircraft above the skyline is a little too reminiscent of 9/11 for comfort — and if Candy Crush took that into consideration, they haven't let on.
So here's hoping this event shocks and awes Thursday night city-goers in a good way, and not in the way that makes them panic.
More drone warfare: Russia Accused of Pelting Ukraine Capital With "Kamikaze" Drones
The post Huge Drone Swarm to Form Giant Advertisement Over NYC Skyline appeared first on Futurism.
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Huge Drone Swarm to Form Giant Advertisement Over NYC Skyline
Russia (Russian: , tr. Rossiya, pronounced[rsij]) or the Russian Federation,[c] is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, covering over 17,098,246 square kilometres (6,601,670sqmi), and encompassing one-eighth of Earth's inhabitable landmass. Russia extends across eleven time zones sharing land boundaries with fourteen countries,[15] more than any other country but China.[d] It is the ninth-most populous country in the world and the most populous country in Europe, with a population of 146 million. The country's capital and largest city is Moscow, the largest city entirely within Europe. Saint Petersburg is Russia's cultural centre and second-largest city. Other major urban areas include Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan.
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The East Slavs emerged as a recognisable group in Europe between the 3rd and 8th centuries CE. The medieval state of Kievan Rus' arose in the 9th century, and in 988 adopted Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantine Empire. Rus' ultimately disintegrated, with the Grand Duchy of Moscow growing to become the Tsardom of Russia. By the early 18th century, Russia had vastly expanded through conquest, annexation, and exploration to become the Russian Empire, the third-largest empire in history. The monarchy was abolished following the Russian Revolution in 1917, and the Russian SFSR became the world's first constitutionally socialist state. Following a civil war, the Russian SFSR established the Soviet Union with three other republics, as its largest and the principal constituent. The country underwent a period of rapid industrialisation at the expense of millions of lives. The Soviet Union played a decisive role in the Allied victory in World War II, and was a superpower and rival to the United States during the Cold War. The Soviet era saw some of the most significant technological achievements of the 20th century, including the world's first human-made satellite and the launching of the first human into space.
Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the newly independent Russian SFSR renamed itself the Russian Federation. In the aftermath of the constitutional crisis of 1993, a new constitution was adopted, and Russia has since been governed as a federal semi-presidential republic. Since his election in 2000, Vladimir Putin has dominated Russia's political system and Russia has experienced democratic backsliding, shifting into an authoritarian state. Russia ranks high in international measurements of standard of living, household income and education; having universal healthcare and a free university education. However, Russia also ranks low in measurements of human rights, freedom of the press, economic freedom, and has high levels of perceived corruption.
The Russian economy is the world's ninth-largest by nominal GDP and the sixth-largest by PPP. It has the world's largest stockpile of nuclear weapons, with the fifth-highest military expenditure. Russia's extensive mineral and energy resources are the world's largest, and it is among the leading producers of oil and natural gas globally. It is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, a member of the G20, the SCO, BRICS, the APEC, the OSCE and the WTO, as well as the leading member of the CIS, the CSTO, and the EAEU. Russia is home to 30 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The name Russia is derived from Rus', a medieval state populated primarily by the East Slavs.[16] However, the proper name[which?] became more prominent in later history, and the country typically was called by its inhabitants "Rus land".[17] This state is denoted as Kievan Rus' after its capital city by modern historiography. The name Rus' itself comes from the early medieval Rus' people, a group of Norse merchants and warriors who relocated from across the Baltic Sea and founded a state centred on Novgorod that later became Kievan Rus'.[18]
A Medieval Latin version of the name Rus' was Ruthenia, which was used as one of several designations for East Slavic and Eastern Orthodox regions, and commonly as a designation for the lands of Rus'.[19] The current name of the country, (Rossiya), comes from the Byzantine Greek designation of the Rus', Rossa spelled (Rosa pronounced[rosia]) in Modern Greek.[20] The standard way to refer to the citizens of Russia is "Russians" in English.[21] There are two words in Russian which are commonly translated into English as "Russians" one is "" (russkiye), which most often refers to ethnic Russians and the other is "" (rossiyane), which refers to citizens of Russia, regardless of ethnicity.[22]
The first human settlement on Russia dates back to the Oldowan period in the early Lower Paleolithic. About 2 million years ago, representatives of Homo erectus migrated to the Taman Peninsula in southern Russia.[23] Flint tools, some 1.5 million years old, have been discovered in the North Caucasus.[24] Radiocarbon dated specimens from Denisova Cave in the Altai Mountains estimate the oldest Denisovan specimen lived 195122,700 years ago.[25] Fossils of "Denny", an archaic human hybrid that was half Neanderthal and half Denisovan, and lived some 90,000 years ago, was also found within the latter cave.[26] Russia was home to some of the last surviving Neanderthals, from about 45,000 years ago, found in Mezmaiskaya cave.[27]
The first trace of an early modern human in Russia dates back to 45,000 years, in western Siberia.[28] The discovery of high concentration cultural remains of anatomically modern humans, from at least 40,000 years ago, was found at Kostyonki and Borshchyovo,[29] and at Sungir, dating back to 34,600 years agoboth, respectively in western Russia.[30] Humans reached Arctic Russia at least 40,000 years ago, in Mamontovaya Kurya.[31]
The Kurgan hypothesis places the Volga-Dnieper region of southern Russia and Ukraine as the urheimat of the Proto-Indo-Europeans.[33] Early Indo-European migrations from the PonticCaspian steppe spread Yamnaya ancestry and Indo-European languages across large parts of Eurasia.[34][35] Nomadic pastoralism developed in the PonticCaspian steppe beginning in the Chalcolithic.[36] Remnants of these steppe civilizations were discovered in places such as Ipatovo,[36] Sintashta,[37] Arkaim,[38] and Pazyryk,[39] which bear the earliest known traces of horses in warfare.[37] The genetic makeup of speakers of the Uralic language family in northern Europe was shaped by migration from Siberia that began at least 3,500 years ago.[40] In classical antiquity, the Pontic-Caspian Steppe was known as Scythia.[41] In late 8th century BCE, Ancient Greek traders brought classical civilization to the trade emporiums in Tanais and Phanagoria.[42]
In the 3rd to 4th centuries CE, the Gothic kingdom of Oium existed in Southern Russia, which was later overrun by Huns.[43] Between the 3rd and 6th centuries CE, the Bosporan Kingdom, which was a Hellenistic polity that succeeded the Greek colonies,[44] was also overwhelmed by nomadic invasions led by warlike tribes such as the Huns and Eurasian Avars.[45] The Khazars, who were of Turkic origin, ruled the lower Volga basin steppes between the Caspian and Black Seas until the 10th century.[46] After them came the Pechenegs who created a large confederacy, which was subsequently taken over by the Cumans and the Kipchaks.[47]
The ancestors of Russians are among the Slavic tribes that separated from the Proto-Indo-Europeans, who appeared in the northeastern part of Europe ca. 1500years ago.[48] The East Slavs gradually settled western Russia in two waves: one moving from Kiev towards present-day Suzdal and Murom and another from Polotsk towards Novgorod and Rostov. From the 7th century onwards, the East Slavs constituted the bulk of the population in western Russia,[49] and slowly but peacefully assimilated the native Finnic peoples.[43]
The establishment of the first East Slavic states in the 9th century coincided with the arrival of Varangians, the Vikings who ventured along the waterways extending from the eastern Baltic to the Black and Caspian Seas.[50] According to the Primary Chronicle, a Varangian from the Rus' people, named Rurik, was elected ruler of Novgorod in 862. In 882, his successor Oleg ventured south and conquered Kiev, which had been previously paying tribute to the Khazars.[43] Rurik's son Igor and Igor's son Sviatoslav subsequently subdued all local East Slavic tribes to Kievan rule, destroyed the Khazar Khaganate,[51] and launched several military expeditions to Byzantium and Persia.[52][53]
In the 10th to 11th centuries, Kievan Rus' became one of the largest and most prosperous states in Europe. The reigns of Vladimir the Great (9801015) and his son Yaroslav the Wise (10191054) constitute the Golden Age of Kiev, which saw the acceptance of Orthodox Christianity from Byzantium, and the creation of the first East Slavic written legal code, the Russkaya Pravda.[43] The age of feudalism and decentralization had come, marked by constant in-fighting between members of the Rurik dynasty that ruled Kievan Rus' collectively. Kiev's dominance waned, to the benefit of Vladimir-Suzdal in the north-east, the Novgorod Republic in the north, and Galicia-Volhynia in the south-west.[43] By the 12th century, Kiev lost its pre-eminence and Kievan Rus' had fragmented into different principalities.[54] Prince Andrey Bogolyubsky sacked Kiev in 1169 and made Vladimir his base,[54] leading to political power being shifted to the north-east.[43]
Kievan Rus' finally fell to the Mongol invasion of 12371240, which resulted in the sacking of Kiev and other cities, as well as the death of a major part of the population.[43] The invaders, later known as Tatars, formed the state of the Golden Horde, which pillaged the Russian principalities and ruled the southern and central expanses of Russia for over two centuries.[55] Only the Novgorod Republic escaped Mongol occupation after it agreed to pay tribute.[43]
Galicia-Volhynia was eventually absorbed by Lithuania and Poland,[43] while the Novgorod Republic and Vladimir-Suzdal, two regions on the periphery of Kiev, established the basis for the modern Russian nation.[43] Led by Prince Alexander Nevsky, Novgorodians repelled the invading Swedes in the Battle of the Neva in 1240,[56] as well as the Germanic crusaders in the Battle of the Ice in 1242.[57]
The destruction of Kievan Rus' saw the eventual rise of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, initially a part of Vladimir-Suzdal.[58]:1120 While still under the domain of the Mongol-Tatars and with their connivance, Moscow began to assert its influence in the region in the early 14th century,[59] gradually becoming the leading force in the "gathering of the Russian lands".[60] When the seat of the Metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church moved to Moscow in 1325, its influence increased.[61] Moscow's last rival, the Novgorod Republic, prospered as the chief fur trade centre and the easternmost port of the Hanseatic League.[62]
Led by Prince Dmitry Donskoy of Moscow, the united army of Russian principalities inflicted a milestone defeat on the Mongol-Tatars in the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380.[43] Moscow gradually absorbed its parent duchy and surrounding principalities, including formerly strong rivals such as Tver and Novgorod.[60]
IvanIII ("the Great") finally threw off the control of the Golden Horde and consolidated the whole of northern Rus' under Moscow's dominion, and was the first Russian ruler to take the title "Grand Duke of all Rus'". After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, Moscow claimed succession to the legacy of the Eastern Roman Empire. IvanIII married Sophia Palaiologina, the niece of the last Byzantine emperor ConstantineXI, and made the Byzantine double-headed eagle his own, and eventually Russia's, coat-of-arms.[60] Vasili III completed the task of uniting all of Russia by annexing the last few independent Russian states in the early 16th century.[63]
In development of the Third Rome ideas, the grand duke IvanIV ("the Terrible") was officially crowned the first tsar of Russia in 1547. The tsar promulgated a new code of laws (Sudebnik of 1550), established the first Russian feudal representative body (the Zemsky Sobor), revamped the military, curbed the influence of the clergy, and reorganised local government.[60] During his long reign, Ivan nearly doubled the already large Russian territory by annexing the three Tatar khanates: Kazan and Astrakhan along the Volga,[64] and the Khanate of Sibir in southwestern Siberia. Ultimately, by the end of the 16th century, Russia expanded east of the Ural Mountains.[65] However, the Tsardom was weakened by the long and unsuccessful Livonian War against the coalition of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (later the united PolishLithuanian Commonwealth), the Kingdom of Sweden, and DenmarkNorway for access to the Baltic coast and sea trade.[66] In 1572, an invading army of Crimean Tatars were thoroughly defeated in the crucial Battle of Molodi.[67]
The death of Ivan's sons marked the end of the ancient Rurik dynasty in 1598, and in combination with the disastrous famine of 16011603, led to a civil war, the rule of pretenders, and foreign intervention during the Time of Troubles in the early 17th century.[68] The PolishLithuanian Commonwealth, taking advantage, occupied parts of Russia, extending into the capital Moscow.[69] In 1612, the Poles were forced to retreat by the Russian volunteer corps, led by merchant Kuzma Minin and prince Dmitry Pozharsky.[70] The Romanov dynasty acceded to the throne in 1613 by the decision of the Zemsky Sobor, and the country started its gradual recovery from the crisis.[71]
Russia continued its territorial growth through the 17th century, which was the age of the Cossacks.[72] In 1654, the Ukrainian leader, Bohdan Khmelnytsky, offered to place Ukraine under the protection of the Russian tsar, Alexis; whose acceptance of this offer led to another Russo-Polish War. Ultimately, Ukraine was split along the Dnieper, leaving the eastern part, (Left-bank Ukraine and Kiev) under Russian rule.[73] In the east, the rapid Russian exploration and colonisation of vast Siberia continued, hunting for valuable furs and ivory. Russian explorers pushed eastward primarily along the Siberian River Routes, and by the mid-17th century, there were Russian settlements in eastern Siberia, on the Chukchi Peninsula, along the Amur River, and on the coast of the Pacific Ocean.[72] In 1648, Semyon Dezhnyov became the first European to navigate through the Bering Strait.[74]
Under Peter the Great, Russia was proclaimed an empire in 1721, and established itself as one of the European great powers. Ruling from 1682 to 1725, Peter defeated Sweden in the Great Northern War (17001721), securing Russia's access to the sea and sea trade. In 1703, on the Baltic Sea, Peter founded Saint Petersburg as Russia's new capital. Throughout his rule, sweeping reforms were made, which brought significant Western European cultural influences to Russia.[75] The reign of PeterI's daughter Elizabeth in 17411762 saw Russia's participation in the Seven Years' War (17561763). During the conflict, Russian troops overran East Prussia, reaching Berlin.[76] However, upon Elizabeth's death, all these conquests were returned to the Kingdom of Prussia by pro-Prussian PeterIII of Russia.[77]
CatherineII ("the Great"), who ruled in 17621796, presided over the Russian Age of Enlightenment. She extended Russian political control over the PolishLithuanian Commonwealth and annexed most of its territories into Russia, making it the most populous country in Europe.[78] In the south, after the successful Russo-Turkish Wars against the Ottoman Empire, Catherine advanced Russia's boundary to the Black Sea, by dissolving the Crimean Khanate, and annexing Crimea.[79] As a result of victories over Qajar Iran through the Russo-Persian Wars, by the first half of the 19th century, Russia also conquered the Caucasus.[80] Catherine's successor, her son Paul, was unstable and focused predominantly on domestic issues.[81] Following his short reign, Catherine's strategy was continued with AlexanderI's (18011825) wresting of Finland from the weakened Sweden in 1809,[82] and of Bessarabia from the Ottomans in 1812.[83] In North America, the Russians became the first Europeans to reach and colonise Alaska.[84] In 18031806, the first Russian circumnavigation was made.[85] In 1820, a Russian expedition discovered the continent of Antarctica.[86]
During the Napoleonic Wars, Russia joined alliances with various European powers, and fought against France. The French invasion of Russia at the height of Napoleon's power in 1812 reached Moscow, but eventually failed miserably as the obstinate resistance in combination with the bitterly cold Russian winter led to a disastrous defeat of invaders, in which the pan-European Grande Arme faced utter destruction. Led by Mikhail Kutuzov and Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly, the Imperial Russian Army ousted Napoleon and drove throughout Europe in the War of the Sixth Coalition, ultimately entering Paris.[87] AlexanderI controlled Russia's delegation at the Congress of Vienna, which defined the map of post-Napoleonic Europe.[88]
The officers who pursued Napoleon into Western Europe brought ideas of liberalism back to Russia, and attempted to curtail the tsar's powers during the abortive Decembrist revolt of 1825.[89] At the end of the conservative reign of Nicholas I (18251855), a zenith period of Russia's power and influence in Europe, was disrupted by defeat in the Crimean War.[90] Nicholas's successor AlexanderII (18551881) enacted significant changes throughout the country, including the emancipation reform of 1861.[91] These reforms spurred industrialisation, and modernised the Imperial Russian Army, which liberated much of the Balkans from Ottoman rule in the aftermath of the 18771878 Russo-Turkish War.[92] During most of the 19th and early 20th century, Russia and Britain colluded over Afghanistan and its neighboring territories in Central and South Asia; the rivalry between the two major European empires came to be known as the Great Game.[93]
The late 19th century saw the rise of various socialist movements in Russia. AlexanderII was assassinated in 1881 by revolutionary terrorists.[94] The reign of his son AlexanderIII (18811894) was less liberal but more peaceful.[95] Under last Russian emperor, NicholasII (18941917), the Revolution of 1905 was triggered by the failure of the humiliating Russo-Japanese War.[96] The uprising was put down, but the government was forced to concede major reforms (Russian Constitution of 1906), including granting freedoms of speech and assembly, the legalisation of political parties, and the creation of an elected legislative body, the State Duma.[97]
In 1914, Russia entered World WarI in response to Austria-Hungary's declaration of war on Russia's ally Serbia,[98] and fought across multiple fronts while isolated from its Triple Entente allies.[99] In 1916, the Brusilov Offensive of the Imperial Russian Army almost completely destroyed the Austro-Hungarian Army.[100] However, the already-existing public distrust of the regime was deepened by the rising costs of war, high casualties, and rumors of corruption and treason. All this formed the climate for the Russian Revolution of 1917, carried out in two major acts.[101] In early 1917, Nicholas II was forced to abdicate; he and his family were imprisoned and later executed in Yekaterinburg during the Russian Civil War.[102] The monarchy was replaced by a shaky coalition of political parties that declared itself the Provisional Government.[103] The Provisional Government proclaimed the Russian Republic in September. On 19 January [O.S. 6 January], 1918, the Russian Constituent Assembly declared Russia a democratic federal republic (thus ratifying the Provisional Government's decision). The next day the Constituent Assembly was dissolved by the All-Russian Central Executive Committee.[101]
An alternative socialist establishment co-existed, the Petrograd Soviet, wielding power through the democratically elected councils of workers and peasants, called Soviets. The rule of the new authorities only aggravated the crisis in the country instead of resolving it, and eventually, the October Revolution, led by Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin, overthrew the Provisional Government and gave full governing power to the Soviets, leading to the creation of the world's first socialist state.[101] The Russian Civil War broke out between the anti-communist White movement and the new Soviet regime with its Red Army.[104] In the aftermath of signing the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk that concluded hostilities with the Central Powers of World WarI; Bolshevist Russia surrendered most of its western territories, which hosted 34% of its population, 54% of its industries, 32% of its agricultural land, and roughly 90% of its coal mines.[105]
The Allied powers launched an unsuccessful military intervention in support of anti-communist forces.[106] In the meantime, both the Bolsheviks and White movement carried out campaigns of deportations and executions against each other, known respectively as the Red Terror and White Terror.[107] By the end of the violent civil war, Russia's economy and infrastructure were heavily damaged, and as many as 10 million perished during the war, mostly civilians.[108] Millions became White migrs,[109] and the Russian famine of 19211922 claimed up to fivemillion victims.[110]
On 30 December 1922, Lenin and his aides formed the Soviet Union, by joining the Russian SFSR into a single state with the Byelorussian, Transcaucasian, and Ukrainian republics.[111] Eventually internal border changes and annexations during World War II created a union of 15 republics; the largest in size and population being the Russian SFSR, which dominated the union for its entire history politically, culturally, and economically.[112] Following Lenin's death in 1924, a troika was designated to take charge. Eventually Joseph Stalin, the General Secretary of the Communist Party, managed to suppress all opposition factions and consolidate power in his hands to become the country's dictator by the 1930s.[113] Leon Trotsky, the main proponent of world revolution, was exiled from the Soviet Union in 1929,[114] and Stalin's idea of Socialism in One Country became the official line.[115] The continued internal struggle in the Bolshevik party culminated in the Great Purge.[116]
Under Stalin's leadership, the government launched a command economy, industrialisation of the largely rural country, and collectivisation of its agriculture. During this period of rapid economic and social change, millions of people were sent to penal labor camps, including many political convicts for their suspected or real opposition to Stalin's rule;[117] and millions were deported and exiled to remote areas of the Soviet Union.[118] The transitional disorganisation of the country's agriculture, combined with the harsh state policies and a drought, led to the Soviet famine of 19321933; which killed up to 8.7 million.[119] The Soviet Union, ultimately, made the costly transformation from a largely agrarian economy to a major industrial powerhouse within a short span of time.[120]
The Soviet Union entered World War II on 17 September 1939 with its invasion of Poland,[121] in accordance with a secret protocol within the MolotovRibbentrop Pact with Nazi Germany.[122] The Soviet Union later invaded Finland,[123] and occupied and annexed the Baltic states,[124] as well as parts of Romania.[125]:9195 On 22 June 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union,[126] opening the Eastern Front, the largest theater of World WarII.[127]:7
Eventually, some 5 million Red Army troops were captured by the Nazis;[128]:272 the latter deliberately starved to death or otherwise killed 3.3million Soviet POWs, and a vast number of civilians, as the "Hunger Plan" sought to fulfill Generalplan Ost.[129]:175186 Although the Wehrmacht had considerable early success, their attack was halted in the Battle of Moscow.[130] Subsequently, the Germans were dealt major defeats first at the Battle of Stalingrad in the winter of 19421943,[131] and then in the Battle of Kursk in the summer of 1943.[132] Another German failure was the Siege of Leningrad, in which the city was fully blockaded on land between 1941 and 1944 by German and Finnish forces, and suffered starvation and more than a million deaths, but never surrendered.[133] Soviet forces steamrolled through Eastern and Central Europe in 19441945 and captured Berlin in May 1945.[134] In August 1945, the Red Army invaded Manchuria and ousted the Japanese from Northeast Asia, contributing to the Allied victory over Japan.[135]
The 19411945 period of World WarII is known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War.[136] The Soviet Union, along with the United States, the United Kingdom and China were considered the Big Four of Allied powers in World War II, and later became the Four Policemen, which was the foundation of the United Nations Security Council.[137]:27 During the war, Soviet civilian and military death were about 2627 million,[138] accounting for about half of all World WarII casualties.[139]:295 The Soviet economy and infrastructure suffered massive devastation, which caused the Soviet famine of 19461947.[140] However, at the expense of a large sacrifice, the Soviet Union emerged as a global superpower.[141]
After World War II, parts of Eastern and Central Europe, including East Germany and eastern parts of Austria were occupied by Red Army according to the Potsdam Conference.[142] Dependent communist governments were installed in the Eastern Bloc satellite states.[143] After becoming the world's second nuclear power,[144] the Soviet Union established the Warsaw Pact alliance,[145] and entered into a struggle for global dominance, known as the Cold War, with the rivaling United States and NATO.[146] After Stalin's death in 1953 and a short period of collective rule, the new leader Nikita Khrushchev denounced Stalin and launched the policy of de-Stalinization, releasing many political prisoners from the Gulag labor camps.[147] The general easement of repressive policies became known later as the Khrushchev Thaw.[148] At the same time, Cold War tensions reached its peak when the two rivals clashed over the deployment of the United States Jupiter missiles in Turkey and Soviet missiles in Cuba.[149]
In 1957, the Soviet Union launched the world's first artificial satellite, Sputnik1, thus starting the Space Age.[150] Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit the Earth, aboard the Vostok1 manned spacecraft on 12 April 1961.[151] Following the ousting of Khrushchev in 1964, another period of collective rule ensued, until Leonid Brezhnev became the leader. The era of the 1970s and the early 1980s was later designated as the Era of Stagnation. The 1965 Kosygin reform aimed for partial decentralisation of the Soviet economy.[152] In 1979, after a communist-led revolution in Afghanistan, Soviet forces invaded the country, ultimately starting the SovietAfghan War.[153] In May 1988, the Soviets started to withdraw from Afghanistan, due to international opposition, persistent anti-Soviet guerrilla warfare, and a lack of support by Soviet citizens.[154]
From 1985 onwards, the last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who sought to enact liberal reforms in the Soviet system, introduced the policies of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) in an attempt to end the period of economic stagnation and to democratise the government.[155] This, however, led to the rise of strong nationalist and separatist movements across the country.[156] Prior to 1991, the Soviet economy was the world's second-largest, but during its final years, it went into a crisis.[157]
By 1991, economic and political turmoil began to boil over as the Baltic states chose to secede from the Soviet Union.[158] On 17 March, a referendum was held, in which the vast majority of participating citizens voted in favour of changing the Soviet Union into a renewed federation.[159] In June 1991, Boris Yeltsin became the first directly elected president in Russian history when he was elected president of the Russian SFSR.[160] In August 1991, a coup d'tat attempt by members of Gorbachev's government, directed against Gorbachev and aimed at preserving the Soviet Union, instead led to the end of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.[161] On 25 December 1991, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, along with contemporary Russia, fourteen other post-Soviet states emerged.[162]
The economic and political collapse of the Soviet Union led Russia into a deep and prolonged depression. During and after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, wide-ranging reforms including privatisation and market and trade liberalisation were undertaken, including radical changes along the lines of "shock therapy".[163] The privatisation largely shifted control of enterprises from state agencies to individuals with inside connections in the government, which led to the rise of the infamous Russian oligarchs.[164] Many of the newly rich moved billions in cash and assets outside of the country in an enormous capital flight.[165] The depression of the economy led to the collapse of social servicesthe birth rate plummeted while the death rate skyrocketed,[166][167] and millions plunged into poverty;[168] while extreme corruption,[169] as well as criminal gangs and organised crime rose significantly.[170]
In late 1993, tensions between Yeltsin and the Russian parliament culminated in a constitutional crisis which ended violently through military force. During the crisis, Yeltsin was backed by Western governments, and over 100 people were killed.[171] In December, a referendum was held and approved, which introduced a new constitution, giving the president enormous powers.[172] The 1990s were plagued by armed conflicts in the North Caucasus, both local ethnic skirmishes and separatist Islamist insurrections.[173] From the time Chechen separatists declared independence in the early 1990s, an intermittent guerrilla war was fought between the rebel groups and Russian forces.[174] Terrorist attacks against civilians were carried out by Chechen separatists, claiming the lives of thousands of Russian civilians.[e][175]
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia assumed responsibility for settling the latter's external debts.[176] In 1992, most consumer price controls were eliminated, causing extreme inflation and significantly devaluing the ruble.[177] High budget deficits coupled with increasing capital flight and inability to pay back debts, caused the 1998 Russian financial crisis, which resulted in a further GDP decline.[178]
In 1999, president Yeltsin unexpectedly resigned, handing the post to the recently appointed prime minister and his chosen successor, Vladimir Putin.[179] Putin then won the 2000 presidential election,[180] and defeated the Chechen insurgency in the Second Chechen War.[181] Putin won a second presidential term in 2004.[182] High oil prices and a rise in foreign investment saw the Russian economy and living standards improve significantly.[183] Putin's rule increased stability, while transforming Russia into an authoritarian state.[184] In 2008, Putin took the post of prime minister, while Dmitry Medvedev was elected president for one term, to hold onto power despite legal term limits;[185] this period has been described as a "tandemocracy."[186]
Following a diplomatic crisis with neighboring Georgia, the Russo-Georgian War took place during 112 August 2008, resulting in Russia imposing two unrecognised states in the occupied territories of Georgia. It was the first European war of the 21st century.[187] In 2014, following a revolution in Ukraine, Russia invaded and annexed the neighboring country's Crimean peninsula,[188] and contributed to the outbreak of war in eastern Ukraine with direct intervention by Russian troops.[189] Russia steeply escalated the war by launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.[190] The invasion marked the largest conventional war in Europe since World WarII,[191] and was met with widespread international condemnation,[192] as well as expanded sanctions against Russia.[193] As a result, Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe in March,[194] and was suspended from the United Nations Human Rights Council in April.[195] In September 2022, Putin proclaimed the annexation of 15% of Ukraine's landmass in its Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions, the largest seizure attempted in Europe since World WarII.[196]
Russia's vast landmass stretches over the easternmost part of Europe and the northernmost part of Asia.[197] It spans the northernmost edge of Eurasia; and has the world's fourth-longest coastline, of over 37,653km (23,396mi).[f][199] Russia lies between latitudes 41 and 82 N, and longitudes 19 E and 169 W, extending some 9,000km (5,600mi) east to west, and 2,500 to 4,000km (1,600 to 2,500mi) north to south.[200] Russia, by landmass, is larger than three continents,[g] and has the same surface area as Pluto.[201]
Russia has nine major mountain ranges, and they are found along the southernmost regions, which share a significant portion of the Caucasus Mountains (containing Mount Elbrus, which at 5,642m (18,510ft) is the highest peak in Russia and Europe);[6] the Altai and Sayan Mountains in Siberia; and in the East Siberian Mountains and the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East (containing Klyuchevskaya Sopka, which at 4,750m (15,584ft) is the highest active volcano in Eurasia).[202][203] The Ural Mountains, running north to south through the country's west, are rich in mineral resources, and form the traditional boundary between Europe and Asia.[204] The lowest point in Russia and Europe, is situated at the head of the Caspian Sea, where the Caspian Depression reaches some 29 metres (95.1ft) below sea level.[205]
Russia, as one of the world's only three countries bordering three oceans,[197] has links with a great number of seas.[h][206] Its major islands and archipelagos include Novaya Zemlya, Franz Josef Land, Severnaya Zemlya, the New Siberian Islands, Wrangel Island, the Kuril Islands, and Sakhalin.[207][208] The Diomede Islands, administered by Russia and the United States, are just 3.8km (2.4mi) apart;[209] and Kunashir Island of the Kuril Islands is merely 20km (12.4mi) from Hokkaido, Japan.[2]
Russia, home of over 100,000 rivers,[197] has one of the world's largest surface water resources, with its lakes containing approximately one-quarter of the world's liquid fresh water.[203] Lake Baikal, the largest and most prominent among Russia's fresh water bodies, is the world's deepest, purest, oldest and most capacious fresh water lake, containing over one-fifth of the world's fresh surface water.[210] Ladoga and Onega in northwestern Russia are two of the largest lakes in Europe.[197] Russia is second only to Brazil by total renewable water resources.[211] The Volga in western Russia, widely regarded as Russia's national river, is the longest river in Europe; and forms the Volga Delta, the largest river delta in the continent.[212] The Siberian rivers of Ob, Yenisey, Lena, and Amur are among the world's longest rivers.[213]
The size of Russia and the remoteness of many of its areas from the sea result in the dominance of the humid continental climate throughout most of the country, except for the tundra and the extreme southwest. Mountain ranges in the south and east obstruct the flow of warm air masses from the Indian and Pacific oceans, while the European Plain spanning its west and north opens it to influence from the Atlantic and Arctic oceans.[214] Most of northwest Russia and Siberia have a subarctic climate, with extremely severe winters in the inner regions of northeast Siberia (mostly Sakha, where the Northern Pole of Cold is located with the record low temperature of 71.2C or 96.2F),[207] and more moderate winters elsewhere. Russia's vast coastline along the Arctic Ocean and the Russian Arctic islands have a polar climate.[214]
The coastal part of Krasnodar Krai on the Black Sea, most notably Sochi, and some coastal and interior strips of the North Caucasus possess a humid subtropical climate with mild and wet winters.[214] In many regions of East Siberia and the Russian Far East, winter is dry compared to summer; while other parts of the country experience more even precipitation across seasons. Winter precipitation in most parts of the country usually falls as snow. The westernmost parts of Kaliningrad Oblast and some parts in the south of Krasnodar Krai and the North Caucasus have an oceanic climate.[214] The region along the Lower Volga and Caspian Sea coast, as well as some southernmost slivers of Siberia, possess a semi-arid climate.[215]
Throughout much of the territory, there are only two distinct seasons, winter and summer; as spring and autumn are usually brief periods of change between extremely low and extremely high temperatures.[214] The coldest month is January (February on the coastline); the warmest is usually July. Great ranges of temperature are typical. In winter, temperatures get colder both from south to north and from west to east. Summers can be quite hot, even in Siberia.[216] Climate change in Russia is causing more frequent wildfires,[217] and thawing the country's large expanse of permafrost.[218]
Russia, owing to its gigantic size, has diverse ecosystems, including polar deserts, tundra, forest tundra, taiga, mixed and broadleaf forest, forest steppe, steppe, semi-desert, and subtropics.[219] About half of Russia's territory is forested,[6] and it has the world's largest forest reserves,[220] which sequester some of the world's highest amounts of carbon dioxide.[221]
Russian biodiversity includes 12,500 species of vascular plants, 2,200 species of bryophytes, about 3,000 species of lichens, 7,0009,000 species of algae, and 20,00025,000 species of fungi. Russian fauna is composed of 320 species of mammals, over 732 species of birds, 75 species of reptiles, about 30 species of amphibians, 343 species of freshwater fish (high endemism), approximately 1,500 species of saltwater fishes, 9 species of cyclostomata, and approximately 100150,000 invertebrates (high endemism).[219][222] Approximately 1,100 rare and endangered plant and animal species are included in the Russian Red Data Book.[219]
Russia's entirely natural ecosystems are conserved in nearly 15,000 specially protected natural territories of various statuses, occupying more than 10% of the country's total area.[219] They include 45 biosphere reserves,[223] 64 national parks, and 101 nature reserves.[224] Russia still has many ecosystems which are still untouched by man; mainly in the northern taiga areas, and the subarctic tundra of Siberia.[citation needed] Russia had a Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 9.02 in 2019, ranking 10th out of 172 countries; and the first ranked major nation globally.[225]
Russia, by constitution, is an asymmetric federal republic,[226] with a semi-presidential system, wherein the president is the head of state,[227] and the prime minister is the head of government.[6] It is structured as a multi-party representative democracy, with the federal government composed of three branches:[228]
The president is elected by popular vote for a six-year term and may be elected no more than twice.[232][i] Ministries of the government are composed of the premier and his deputies, ministers, and selected other individuals; all are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister (whereas the appointment of the latter requires the consent of the State Duma). United Russia is the dominant political party in Russia, and has been described as "big tent" and the "party of power".[234][235] Under the administrations of Vladimir Putin, Russia has experienced democratic backsliding,[236] and has become an authoritarian state[7] under a dictatorship,[237][238][239] with Putin's policies being referred to as Putinism.[240]
According to the constitution, the Russian Federation is composed of 89 federal subjects.[j] In 1993, when the new constitution was adopted, there were 89 federal subjects listed, but some were later merged. The federal subjects have equal representationtwo delegates eachin the Federation Council, the upper house of the Federal Assembly.[241] They do, however, differ in the degree of autonomy they enjoy.[242] The federal districts of Russia were established by Putin in 2000 to facilitate central government control of the federal subjects.[243] Originally seven, currently there are eight federal districts, each headed by an envoy appointed by the president.[244]
1autonomous oblast
Russia had the world's fifth-largest diplomatic network in 2019. It maintains diplomatic relations with 190 United Nations member states, four partially-recognised states, and three United Nations observer states; along with 144 embassies.[251] Russia is one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. It has historically been a great power,[252] and a former superpower as the leading constituent of the former Soviet Union.[141] Russia is a member of the G20, the OSCE, and the APEC. Russia also takes a leading role in organisations such as the CIS,[253] the EAEU,[254] the CSTO,[255] the SCO,[256] and BRICS.[257]
Russia maintains close relations with neighbouring Belarus, which is a part of the Union State, a supranational confederation of the two states.[258] Serbia has been a historically close ally of Russia, as both countries share a strong mutual cultural, ethnic, and religious affinity.[259] India is the largest customer of Russian military equipment, and the two countries share a strong strategic and diplomatic relationship since the Soviet era.[260] Russia wields enormous influence across the geopolitically important South Caucasus and Central Asia; and the two regions have been described as Russia's "backyard".[261][262]
In the 21st century, relations between Russia and China have significantly strengthened bilaterally and economically; due to shared political interests.[263] Turkey and Russia share a complex strategic, energy, and defense relationship.[264] Russia maintains cordial relations with Iran, as it is a strategic and economic ally.[265] Russia has also increasingly pushed to expand its influence across the Arctic,[266] Asia-Pacific,[267] Africa,[268] the Middle East,[269] and Latin America.[270] In contrast, Russia's relations with neighboring Ukraine and the Western worldespecially the United States, the European Union, and NATOhave collapsed; following the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2014 and the consequent escalation in 2022.[271][272]
The Russian Armed Forces are divided into the Ground Forces, the Navy, and the Aerospace Forcesand there are also two independent arms of service: the Strategic Missile Troops and the Airborne Troops.[6] As of 2021[update], the military have around a million active-duty personnel, which is the world's fifth-largest, and about 220 million reserve personnel.[274][275] It is mandatory for all male citizens aged 1827 to be drafted for a year of service in the Armed Forces.[6]
Russia is among the five recognised nuclear-weapons states, with the world's largest stockpile of nuclear weapons; over half of the world's nuclear weapons are owned by Russia.[276] Russia possesses the second-largest fleet of ballistic missile submarines,[277] and is one of the only three countries operating strategic bombers.[278] Russia maintains the world's fourth-highest military expenditure, spending $61.7 billion in 2020.[279] In 2021 it was the world's second-largest arms exporter, and had a large and entirely indigenous defence industry, producing most of its own military equipment.[280]
Human rights in Russia have been increasingly criticised by leading democracy and human rights groups. In particular, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch say that Russia is not democratic and allows few political rights and civil liberties to its citizens.[282][283]
Since 2004, Freedom House has ranked Russia as "not free" in its Freedom in the World survey.[284] Since 2011, the Economist Intelligence Unit has ranked Russia as an "authoritarian regime" in its Democracy Index, ranking it 124th out of 167 countries for 2021.[285] In regards to media freedom, Russia was ranked 155th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders' Press Freedom Index for 2022.[286] The Russian government has been widely criticised by political dissidents and human rights activists for unfair elections,[287] crackdowns on opposition political parties and protests,[288][289] persecution of non-governmental organisations and enforced suppression and killings of independent journalists,[290][291][292] and censorship of mass media and internet.[293]
Russia's autocratic[294] political system has been variously described as a kleptocracy,[295] an oligarchy,[296] and a plutocracy.[297] It was the lowest rated European country in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index for 2021, ranking 136th out of 180 countries.[298] Russia has a long history of corruption, which is seen as a significant problem.[299] It impacts various sectors, including the economy,[300] business,[301] public administration,[302] law enforcement,[303] healthcare,[304][305] education,[306] and the military.[307]
Russia has a mixed economy,[309] with enormous natural resources, particularly oil and natural gas.[310] It has the world's ninth-largest economy by nominal GDP and the sixth-largest by PPP. The large service sector accounts for 62% of total GDP, followed by the industrial sector (32%), while the agricultural sector is the smallest, making up only 5% of total GDP.[6] Russia has a low official unemployment rate of 4.1%.[311] Its foreign exchange reserves are the world's fifth-largest, worth $540 billion.[312] It has a labour force of roughly 70 million, which is the world's sixth-largest.[313]
Russia is the world's thirteenth-largest exporter and the 21st-largest importer.[314][315] It relies heavily on revenues from oil and gas-related taxes and export tariffs, which accounted for 45% of Russia's federal budget revenues in January 2022,[316] and up to 60% of its exports in 2019.[317] In 2019, the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry estimated the value of natural resources to be 60% of the country's GDP.[318] Russia has one of the lowest levels of external debt among major economies,[319] although its inequality of household income and wealth is one of the highest among developed countries.[320] High regional disparity is also an issue.[321][322]
After over a decade of post-Soviet rapid economic growth, backed by high oil-prices and a surge in foreign exchange reserves and investment,[183] Russia's economy was damaged following the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War and the annexation of Crimea in 2014, due to the first wave of Western sanctions being imposed.[323] In the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the country has faced revamped sanctions and corporate boycotts,[324] becoming the most sanctioned country in the world,[325] in a move described as an "all-out economic and financial war" to isolate the Russian economy from the Western financial system.[193] Due to the impact, the Russian government has stopped publishing a raft of economic data since April 2022.[326] Economists suggest the sanctions will have a long-term effect over the Russian economy.[327]
Railway transport in Russia is mostly under the control of the state-run Russian Railways. The total length of common-used railway tracks is the world's third-longest, and exceeds 87,000km (54,100mi).[329] As of 2016[update], Russia has the world's fifth-largest road network, with 1.5 millionkm of roads,[330] while its road density is among the world's lowest.[331] Russia's inland waterways are the world's longest, and total 102,000km (63,380mi).[332] Among Russia's 1,218 airports,[333] the busiest is Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow. Russia's largest port is the Port of Novorossiysk in Krasnodar Krai along the Black Sea.[334]
Russia has been widely described as an energy superpower.[335] It has the world's largest proven gas reserves,[336] the second-largest coal reserves,[337] the eighth-largest oil reserves,[338] and the largest oil shale reserves in Europe.[339] Russia is also the world's leading natural gas exporter,[340] the second-largest natural gas producer,[341] and the second-largest oil producer and exporter.[342][343] Russia's oil and gas production has led to deep economic relationships with the European Union, China, and former Soviet and Eastern Bloc states.[344][345] For example, over the last decade, Russia's share of supplies to total European Union (including the United Kingdom) gas demand increased from 25% in 2009 to 32% in the weeks before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.[345]
Russia is committed to the Paris Agreement, after joining the pact formally in 2019.[346] Greenhouse gas emissions by Russia are the world's fourth-largest.[347] Russia is the world's fourth-largest electricity producer,[348] and the ninth-largest renewable energy producer in 2019.[349] It was also the world's first country to develop civilian nuclear power, and to construct the world's first nuclear power plant.[350] Russia was also the world's fourth-largest nuclear energy producer in 2019,[351] and was the fifth-largest hydroelectric producer in 2021.[352]
Russia's agriculture sector contributes about 5% of the country's total GDP, although the sector employs about one-eighth of the total labour force.[353] It has the world's third-largest cultivated area, at 1,265,267 square kilometres (488,522sqmi). However, due to the harshness of its environment, about 13.1% of its land is agricultural,[6] and only 7.4% of its land is arable.[354] The country's agricultural land is considered part of the "breadbasket" of Europe.[355] More than one-third of the sown area is devoted to fodder crops, and the remaining farmland is devoted to industrial crops, vegetables, and fruits.[353] The main product of Russian farming has always been grain, which occupies considerably more than half of the cropland.[353] Russia is the world's largest exporter of wheat,[356][357] the largest producer of barley and buckwheat, among the largest exporters of maize and sunflower oil, and the leading producer of fertilizer.[358]
Various analysts of climate change adaptation foresee large opportunities for Russian agriculture during the rest of the 21st century as arability increases in Siberia, which would lead to both internal and external migration to the region.[359] Owing to its large coastline along three oceans and twelve marginal seas, Russia maintains the world's sixth-largest fishing industry; capturing nearly 5 million tons of fish in 2018.[360] It is home to the world's finest caviar, the beluga; and produces about one-third of all canned fish, and some one-fourth of the world's total fresh and frozen fish.[353]
Russia spent about 1% of its GDP on research and development in 2019, with the world's tenth-highest budget.[361] It also ranked tenth worldwide in the number of scientific publications in 2020, with roughly 1.3 million papers.[362] Since 1904, Nobel Prize were awarded to 26 Soviets and Russians in physics, chemistry, medicine, economy, literature and peace.[363] Russia ranked 45th in the Global Innovation Index in 2021.[364]
Mikhail Lomonosov proposed the conservation of mass in chemical reactions, discovered the atmosphere of Venus, and founded modern geology.[365] Since the times of Nikolay Lobachevsky, who pioneered the non-Euclidean geometry, and Pafnuty Chebyshev, a prominent tutor; Russian mathematicians became among the world's most influential.[366] Dmitry Mendeleev invented the Periodic table, the main framework of modern chemistry.[367] Sofya Kovalevskaya was a pioneer among women in mathematics in the 19th century.[368] Nine Soviet and Russian mathematicians have been awarded with the Fields Medal. Grigori Perelman was offered the first ever Clay Millennium Prize Problems Award for his final proof of the Poincar conjecture in 2002, as well as the Fields Medal in 2006.[369]
Alexander Popov was among the inventors of radio,[370] while Nikolai Basov and Alexander Prokhorov were co-inventors of laser and maser.[371] Zhores Alferov contributed significantly to the creation of modern heterostructure physics and electronics.[372] Oleg Losev made crucial contributions in the field of semiconductor junctions, and discovered light-emitting diodes.[373] Vladimir Vernadsky is considered one of the founders of geochemistry, biogeochemistry, and radiogeology.[374] lie Metchnikoff is known for his groundbreaking research in immunology.[375] Ivan Pavlov is known chiefly for his work in classical conditioning.[376] Lev Landau made fundamental contributions to many areas of theoretical physics.[377]
Nikolai Vavilov was best known for having identified the centres of origin of cultivated plants.[378] Trofim Lysenko was known mainly for Lysenkoism.[379] Many famous Russian scientists and inventors were migrs. Igor Sikorsky was an aviation pioneer.[380] Vladimir Zworykin was the inventor of the iconoscope and kinescope television systems.[381] Theodosius Dobzhansky was the central figure in the field of evolutionary biology for his work in shaping the modern synthesis.[382] George Gamow was one of the foremost advocates of the Big Bang theory.[383] Many foreign scientists lived and worked in Russia for a long period, such as Leonard Euler and Alfred Nobel.[384][385]
Roscosmos is Russia's national space agency. The country's achievements in the field of space technology and space exploration can be traced back to Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, the father of theoretical astronautics, whose works had inspired leading Soviet rocket engineers, such as Sergey Korolyov, Valentin Glushko, and many others who contributed to the success of the Soviet space program in the early stages of the Space Race and beyond.[387]:67,333
In 1957, the first Earth-orbiting artificial satellite, Sputnik1, was launched. In 1961, the first human trip into space was successfully made by Yuri Gagarin. Many other Soviet and Russian space exploration records ensued. In 1963, Valentina Tereshkova became the first and youngest woman in space, having flown a solo mission on Vostok 6.[388] In 1965, Alexei Leonov became the first human to conduct a spacewalk, exiting the space capsule during Voskhod 2.[389]
In 1957, Laika, a Soviet space dog, became the first animal to orbit the Earth, aboard Sputnik 2.[390] In 1966, Luna9 became the first spacecraft to achieve a survivable landing on a celestial body, the Moon.[391] In 1968, Zond 5 brought the first Earthlings (two tortoises and other life forms) to circumnavigate the Moon.[392] In 1970, Venera7 became the first spacecraft to land on another planet, Venus.[393] In 1971, Mars3 became the first spacecraft to land on Mars.[394]:3460 During the same period, Lunokhod 1 became the first space exploration rover,[395] while Salyut1 became the world's first space station.[396] Russia had 172 active satellites in space in April 2022, the world's third-highest.[397]
According to the World Tourism Organization, Russia was the sixteenth-most visited country in the world, and the tenth-most visited country in Europe, in 2018, with over 24.6 million visits.[398] According to Federal Agency for Tourism, the number of inbound trips of foreign citizens to Russia amounted to 24.4 million in 2019.[399] Russia's international tourism receipts in 2018 amounted to $11.6 billion.[398] In 2019, travel and tourism accounted for about 4.8% of country's total GDP.[400]
Major tourist routes in Russia include a journey around the Golden Ring of Russia, a theme route of ancient Russian cities, cruises on large rivers such as the Volga, hikes on mountain ranges such as the Caucasus Mountains,[401] and journeys on the famous Trans-Siberian Railway.[402] Russia's most visited and popular landmarks include Red Square, the Peterhof Palace, the Kazan Kremlin, the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius and Lake Baikal.[403]
Moscow, the nation's cosmopolitan capital and historic core, is a bustling megacity. It retains its classical and Soviet-era architecture; while boasting high art, world class ballet, and modern skyscrapers.[404] Saint Petersburg, the Imperial capital, is famous for its classical architecture, cathedrals, museums and theatres, white nights, criss-crossing rivers and numerous canals.[405] Russia is famed worldwide for its rich museums, such as the State Russian, the State Hermitage, and the Tretyakov Gallery; and for theatres such as the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky. The Moscow Kremlin and the Saint Basil's Cathedral are among the cultural landmarks of Russia.[406]
Ethnic groups in Russia with a population of over 1 million according to the 2010 census.
Percentage of ethnic Russians by region according to the 2010 census.
Russia is one of the world's most sparsely populated and urbanised countries,[6] with the vast majority of its population concentrated within its western part.[407] It had a population of 142.8 million according to the 2010 census,[408] which rose to roughly 145.5 million as of 2022.[11] Russia is the most populous country in Europe, and the world's ninth most populous country, with a population density of 9 inhabitants per square kilometre (23 per square mile).[409]
Since the 1990s, Russia's death rate has exceeded its birth rate, which some analysts have called a demographic crisis.[410] In 2019, the total fertility rate across Russia was estimated to be 1.5 children born per woman,[411] which is below the replacement rate of 2.1, and is one of the world's lowest fertility rates.[412] Subsequently, the nation has one of the world's oldest populations, with a median age of 40.3 years.[6] In 2009, it recorded annual population growth for the first time in fifteen years; and since the 2010s, Russia has seen increased population growth due to declining death rates, increased birth rates and increased immigration.[413] However, since 2020, due to excessive deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia's population has undergone its largest peacetime decline in history.[414] Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the demographic crisis in the country has deepened,[415] as the country has faced a renewed brain drain and human capital flight caused by Western mass-sanctions and boycotts.[416]
Russia is a multinational state with many subnational entities associated with different minorities.[417] There are over 193 ethnic groups nationwide. In the 2010 census, roughly 81% of the population were ethnic Russians, and the remaining 19% of the population were ethnic minorities;[418] while over four-fifths of Russia's population was of European descentof which the vast majority were Slavs,[419] with a substantial minority of Finnic and Germanic peoples.[420][421] According to the United Nations, Russia's immigrant population is the world's third-largest, numbering over 11.6 million;[422] most of which are from post-Soviet states, mainly Ukrainians.[423]
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The Kremlin is threatening retaliatory action after authorities arrested Artyom Uss, the son of a top Russian official, at the United States request, for allegedly participating in a sanctions evasion and money laundering scheme.
Uss, who was detained in Milan, was charged in relation to a scheme to unlawfully obtain U.S. military technology and sanctioned Venezuelan oil in order to support Russias war effort in Ukraine, according to charges unsealed by the U.S. Department of Justice this week.
We are categorically against this and we condemn the practice of these kinds of arrests of Russian citizens, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Uss father, the governor of Russias Krasnoyarsk Krai region, Alexander Uss, has suggested the arrest is politically motivated, according to TASS.
Another Russian government spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said Moscow would not leave the United States search for Russians unanswered and accused the U.S. of taking hostages for political purposes, TASS reported.
These Top Putin Cronies Vowed to Fight in Ukraine Themselves. So Where Are They?
Uss wasnt the only one charged in the money laundering and smuggling scheme. Uss co-owned a trading company called Nord-Deutsche Industrieanlagenbau GmbH (NDA GmbH) which he and co-conspirators allegedly used as a front to ship U.S. defense technology to Russia.
Uss and co-conspirators are accused of using NDA GmbH to ship advanced semiconductors and microprocessors for fighter aircraft, missile systems, smart munitions, radar, and satellites to Russiasome have been found in weapons used in the war in Ukraine.
Some of the same electronic components obtained through the criminal scheme have been found in Russian weapons platforms seized on the battlefield in Ukraine, the Department of Justice said in an announcement, adding that the accused developed a sophisticated network of schemes that undermined security, economic stability and rule of law around the world.
Story continues
The group of co-conspirators also allegedly shipped hundreds of millions of barrels of oil from Venezuela to Russian and Chinese entities, including at least one sanctioned oligarch.
The 12-count indictment charged five Russian nationals in total, including Yury Orekhov, Svetlana Kuzurgasheva, Timofey Telegin, and Sergey Tulyakov. Juan Fernando Serrano Ponce and Juan Carlos Soto were also charged with setting up illegal oil deals for Venezuelan state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela S.A.
One of the co-conspirators openly acknowledged that NDA GmbH was working for a sanctioned oligarch, according to court documents.
He [the oligarch] is under sanctions as well, Orekhov said. Thats why we [are] acting from this company [NDA GmbH]. As fronting.
Russia has long helped Venezuela evade sanctions around the globe. But the latest charges expose the multiple layers of sanctions the United States has imposed on both Russia and Venezuela.
The United States has been sanctioning Venezuela for more than 15 years, and in recent years has imposed restrictions on Venezuelas state oil company and other entities in order to try to pressure Venezuelan dictator Nicols Maduro to leave power.
Sanctions on Russian banks in recent months, which the United States and other nations have levied in an attempt to try to isolate Moscow on the world stage while it assaults Ukraine, have likely hurt Venezuelas ability to access its assets, according to the Congressional Research Service. But higher oil prices from Russias invasion of Ukraine appear to be driving a semblance of economic recovery for Venezuela, according to the CRS.
Task Force KleptoCapture, the Department of Justice group established earlier this year with the aim of punishing Russia for the war in Ukraine and enforcing sanctions on Russian oligarchs, announced the charges alongside other DOJ entities.
Stamping out evasion of export controls on military technology is among the Task Forces highest priorities, Andrew Adams, the director of Task Force KleptoCapture, said in a statement. Webs of shell companies, cryptocurrency and an international network of fraudsters failed to shield Orekhov and his cronies from apprehension by U.S. law enforcement.
Its not clear what Russia will be doing in response to Uss arrest.
When asked Thursday if Uss arrest is related at all to the negotiations to release Brittney Griner from Russia, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to speculate.
The President is willing to take extraordinary lengths to bring Americans home, Jean-Pierre said in a briefing with reporters.
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Russia Rages After Son of Putin Official Is Nabbed on U.S. Charges
As the world's largest country in total area, Russia showcases a wide diversity of landforms. In general terms, it is divided into some very specific geographical zones.
The broad European Plain, or Volga River Plain extends from the Ural Mountains to its western borders with Europe.
The central and southern areas of Russia include large fertile areas, marsh, steppes (plains without trees) and massive coniferous forests.
Siberia is a combination of frozen tundra, with rolling hills rising to plateaus, punctuated by scattered mountain ranges.
Mountains Mountain ranges are found across Russia, with many of the major ones stretching along its southwestern, southeastern and eastern borders
In the far southwest the Caucasus Mountains slice across the land. The country's highest point, Mt. Elbrus at 18,481 ft. (5,633 m), is located there. It has been marked on the map above by a yellow upright triangle.
Making up the natural border between European Russia and Asia, the Ural Mountains extend from the Arctic Ocean to Kazakhstan's northern border.
The Kolyma Mountains in far northeastern Russia extend about 1,126 km (700 mi) north and south to the east of the Kolyma River and roughly parallel to the coast of Siberia. Some rise to over 6000 feet (1830 meters).
Rivers Russia has more than 100,000 rivers with a length of 7 miles, or greater. Some of the world's longest rivers flow through the vast lowland plains that dominate the Russian landscape.
Significant rivers include the Volga, Dnieper and Dvina (west), the Lena, Ob, and Yenisey (central) and the Amur in the far east.
At 1,642 m (5,387 ft), Lake Baikal (marked on the map) is the deepest and among the clearest of all lakes in the world. Baikal is home to more than 1,700 species of plants and animals, two thirds of which can be found nowhere else in the world.
Steppe Long characterized as the typical Russian landscape, the steppe region displays a broad range of treeless, grassy plains punctuated by mountain ranges, and provides the best conditions for human settlement.
Taiga Accounting for over 60% of Russia, this forested region extends from its western borders then east towards the Pacific Ocean. Russia contains the world's largest reserve of coniferous wood, however, due to extensive logging the supply is steadily on the decrease; as well, to make way for agriculture, much of the forested zone has been cleared.
Tundra Stretching 4,349 miles (7,000 km) from west to east, the Russian Arctic is a vast treeless and marshy plain, and is well-known for its white nights (dusk after midnight, and dawn fairly soon after) through summer and days of near total darkness through winter.
Russia has 46 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast), 21 republics (respubliki, singular - respublika), 4 autonomous okrugs (avtonomnyye okrugi, singular - avtonomnyy okrug), 9 krays (kraya, singular - kray), 2 federal cities (goroda, singular - gorod), and 1 autonomous oblast (avtonomnaya oblast')
The oblasts are:Amur (Blagoveshchensk), Arkhangel'sk, Astrakhan', Belgorod, Bryansk, Chelyabinsk, Irkutsk, Ivanovo, Kaliningrad, Kaluga, Kemerovo, Kirov, Kostroma, Kurgan, Kursk, Leningrad, Lipetsk, Magadan, Moscow, Murmansk, Nizhniy Novgorod, Novgorod, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Orenburg, Orel, Penza, Pskov, Rostov, Ryazan', Sakhalin (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk), Samara, Saratov, Smolensk, Sverdlovsk (Yekaterinburg), Tambov, Tomsk, Tula, Tver', Tyumen', Ul'yanovsk, Vladimir, Volgograd, Vologda, Voronezh, Yaroslavl';
The 21 republics are: Adygeya (Maykop), Altay (Gorno-Altaysk), Bashkortostan (Ufa), Buryatiya (Ulan-Ude), Chechnya (Groznyy), Chuvashiya (Cheboksary), Dagestan (Makhachkala), Ingushetiya (Magas), Kabardino-Balkariya (Nal'chik), Kalmykiya (Elista), Karachayevo-Cherkesiya (Cherkessk), Kareliya (Petrozavodsk), Khakasiya (Abakan), Komi (Syktyvkar), Mariy-El (Yoshkar-Ola), Mordoviya (Saransk), North Ossetia (Vladikavkaz), Sakha [Yakutiya] (Yakutsk), Tatarstan (Kazan'), Tyva (Kyzyl), Udmurtiya (Izhevsk);
Autonomous okrugs: Chukotka (Anadyr'), Khanty-Mansi-Yugra (Khanty-Mansiysk), Nenets (Nar'yan-Mar), Yamalo-Nenets (Salekhard);
Krays: Altay (Barnaul), Kamchatka (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy), Khabarovsk, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Perm', Primorskiy [Maritime] (Vladivostok), Stavropol', Zabaykal'sk [Transbaikal] (Chita);
Federal cities: Moscow [Moskva], Saint Petersburg [Sankt-Peterburg];
Autonomous oblast: Yevreyskaya [Jewish] (Birobidzhan)
Russia, the world's largest country by area, stretches from Northern Asia to Eastern Europe. The Arctic Ocean borders Russia to the north and the Pacific to the east. The country also has a short coastline on the Baltic Sea in the northwest. The exclave of Russia, Kaliningrad also borders the Baltic Sea as well as Lithuania and Poland. The southern borders of Russia are with Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, North Korea, and Mongolia. The western and southwestern borders of Russia are with Finland, Norway, Estonia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Latvia.
Russia Bordering Countries: Georgia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Estonia, Finland, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Azerbaijan, North Korea, China.
Regional Maps: Map of Asia
The above map represents the largest country in the world, Russia. The map can be downloaded, printed, and used for coloring or map-pointing activities.
The above map represents Russia, the world's largest country.
This page was last updated on February 24, 2021
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Provided by The Associated Press People queue up to wait a ration food from World Central Kitchen organisation in the center of Mykolaiv, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022. As Ukraine crosses the mark of eight months anniversary since the start of full-scale war, the residents of southern Mykolaiv, who suffer shelling almost every night, are determined to fight as long as it takes to liberate all the regions. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukraines president said Monday that Kyiv has been able to defend the independence of the country in the eight months of the war waged by Russia.
In his nightly address, Volodymyr Zelenskyy marked the eight-month anniversary of the invasion and noted that the Ukrainian forces are advancing in the partially occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv and Kherson regions and also intend to retake the Zaporizhzhia region and the annexed Crimea.
Ukraine is breaking the so-called second army of the world, Zelenskyy said. Now Russia can only be a beggar. It is begging for something in Iran, trying to squeeze something out of Western states, inventing various tales about Ukraine, intimidating, deceiving.
Zelenskyy warned that the coming winter will be the most difficult in history.
We have no right to relax. We still have to go the way to the Ukrainian victory. It is a difficult road, the president said.
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KEY DEVELOPMENTS:
Ukraine reports success in shooting down 70% of drones launched by Russia
Ukraine hospitals staff fight dark memories of occupation
Ukrainian womans quest to retrieve body of prisoner of war
Macron: Ukraine to decide time, terms of peace with Russia
EXPLAINER: What would retreat from Kherson mean for Russia?
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ZAGREB, Croatia -- U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday that Iran is making a big mistake by supplying Russia with drones that are targeting Ukraines infrastructure.
Weve been trying for a while now to have a nuclear agreement with Iran so that we can make the world a safer place and now theyre going off aiding the Russians and making the world a less safe place, Pelosi said in Zagreb, Croatia.
The United States and key Western allies have accused Russia of using Iranian-made drones to attack civilians and power plants in Ukraine. Iran has denied it is supplying Russia with the explosive-laden missiles but the distinctive triangle-shaped drones have been seen.
First of all, we have to be able to counter the drones, Pelosi said at a joint press conference with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic. It is a dangerous technology and it must be stopped.
Pelosi was in Croatia to attend an international forum aimed at supporting Ukraines independence in the face of the Russian aggression.
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MOSCOW A senior Russian official says that authorities have taken steps to boost weapons production amid the fighting in Ukraine.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russias Security Council chaired by President Vladimir Putin, said he visited the countrys top tank factory in the Ural Mountains city of Nizhny Tagil on Monday to discuss ways of increasing output.
Medvedev noted that foreign observers have predicted that Russia would run out of its weapons stockpiles soon, adding that such forecasts were bound to fail.
He said that production of weapons and equipment from tanks and cannons to precision missiles and drones is increasing many fold.
You just wait, he said.
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MOSCOW Russia's military says it has discussed with its British counterparts the alleged threat of Ukraine using a dirty bomb.
According to a statement Monday by Russias Defense Ministry, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff, discussed the situation related to the possible use of a dirty bomb by Ukraine with Britains Chief of the Defense Staff Admiral Tony Radakin.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu first made the claim over the weekend in phone calls with his counterparts from the United States, Britain, France and Turkey.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Shoigu voiced concern about possible Ukrainian provocations involving a dirty bomb, a device that uses explosives to scatter radioactive waste. It doesnt have the devastating effect of a nuclear explosion, but could expose broad areas to radioactive contamination.
The U.S., Britain and France responded by saying in a joint statement that our countries made clear that we all reject Russias transparently false allegations that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory.
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NICOSIA, Cyprus Hungarys foreign minister says his counterparts in other European Union countries are seized by a rhetoric of war thats pushing the prospect of peace in war-torn Ukraine farther away.
Pter Szijjrt says his country has been calling for an immediate ceasefire and for peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials as soon as possible. Europes security, economy and energy supply will increasingly suffer the longer the war continues, he said Monday.
Szijjrt said after talks with his Cypriot counterpart that the EUs sanctions on Russia as a result of its invasion of Ukraine have failed, driving up inflation and bringing extremely high energy costs in Hungary because of reduced gas supply.
The top Hungarian diplomat urged the EU to embark on a search for new sources of energy and to harness newly found gas deposits off Cyprus, building new pipelines, new routes to make sure that the gas which is being found here can be available for the European market.
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MOSCOW The Russian military says it has readied its forces for the possible use of a dirty bomb by Ukraine in a false flag attack to be blamed on Russia. That claim that has been strongly rejected by the U.S. and its allies.
Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, head of the Russian militarys radiation, chemical and biological protection forces, said Monday that Russian military assets already had been prepared to operate in conditions of radioactive contamination.
Kirillov charged that Ukraine has abundant stock of radioactive waste accumulated at its nuclear power plants and waste storage facilities, as well as the necessary expertise to build a dirty bomb.
Speaking at a briefing, Kirillov claimed that a dirty bomb explosion could spew deadly radiation at distances of up to 1,500 kilometers (900 miles).
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov seconded the militarys allegations, saying Monday that the information has been checked via corresponding channels.
Its not an unfounded suspicion, we have serious reasons to believe that such things could be planned, he said at a news conference Monday.
Ukraine has rejected Moscows claims as an attempt to distract attention from its own plans to detonate a dirty bomb, and its Western allies also dismissed the Russian claims as transparently false.
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MOSCOW Russian authorities say Ukrainian troops fired rockets at a major hydroelectric power plant in the southern Kherson region.
Russian news agencies carried a statement from regional emergency services saying Monday that the Ukrainian military fired 19 rockets at the Kakhovka plant and scored three hits.
There was no immediate information about the casualties, and the damage was still being assessed.
Vladimir Rogov, a senior member of the Kherson region administration, said that the Kakhovka plant hadnt sustained serious damage and was still operating.
Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of plotting to blow up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plants dam to flood the mostly flat terrain as Ukrainian forces press their offensive on Kherson, which was captured by the Russian troops in the early days of the conflict.
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KYIV, Ukraine Ukraines top diplomat is urging the U.N. nuclear watchdog to immediately send an inspection team to the country to counter Moscows claim that Kyiv is preparing a provocation involving a dirty bomb.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Monday he made the request in a call with Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Kuleba said Grossi agreed to send a team of inspectors, adding that unlike Russia, Ukraine has always been and remains transparent. We have nothing to hide.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu alleged in phone calls with his counterparts from the United States, Britain, France and Turkey that Ukraine was preparing a provocation involving a dirty bomb a device that uses explosives to scatter radioactive material.
The U.S., Britain and France said in a joint statement that they reject Russias transparently false allegations that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory.
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BERLIN German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says rebuilding Ukraine will be a task for a generation that no country, donor or international institution can manage alone.
Scholz spoke at a German-Ukrainian business forum on Monday, a day before he and the head of the European Unions executive Commission host a gathering of experts to help mobilize international support for Ukraines reconstruction.
The chancellor pointed to the EUs decision in June to make Ukraine a candidate to join the bloc. He said that this decision also sends a signal to private investors: anyone who invests in rebuilding Ukraine today is investing in a future EU member country that will be part of our legal community and our single market.
Scholz said its important not just to repair destroyed energy plants and networks, but to make them more efficient ultimately allowing an expansion of Ukrainian electricity exports to the EU and a step-by-step transition to climate neutrality.
He stressed the need for more transparency and an even more determined fight against corruption as Ukraine strives ultimately to join the EU.
Ukraines Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal told the forum that rebuilding will be a forward-looking process. He added that in the process of transformation, incredible opportunities for European companies will open up in the energy sector, in agriculture, in the military sector, in IT and all other (areas).
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MOSCOW The Kremlin is standing by its allegation that Ukraine may be preparing to detonate a so-called dirty bomb, which disperses radioactive material, though Ukraine, the United States, Britain and France have dismissed Moscows claim.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made the claim in phone calls with his counterparts from the United States, Britain, France and Turkey.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Shoigu voiced concern about possible Ukrainian provocations involving a dirty bomb, a device that uses explosives to scatter radioactive material.
Such a device doesnt have the devastating effect of a nuclear explosion, but could expose broad areas to radioactive contamination.
The Russian Defense Ministry and the Kremlin didnt publicly offer any specific information to back up its claim.
But speaking during Mondays call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted that Shoigus warning reflected a real threat.
Their distrust of the information that has been provided by the Russian side doesnt mean that the threat of using such a dirty bomb doesnt exist, Peskov said. Such a threat exists, and the defense minister has given the information about it to his interlocutors. Its up to them whether to trust it or not.
Western allies said they reject Russias transparently false allegations and warned they would see through any attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation.
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Ships carrying agricultural products could not leave Ukraine due to a suspicious mine-like object near port
An aerial view of the Turkish-flagged ship "Polarnet" carrying grain from Ukraine is seen at the Derince Port, Kocaeli, Turkiye on August 08, 2022.
Omer Faruk Cebeci | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
The organization overseeing the export of grain from Ukraine said that no vessels were approved to leave the besieged country due to a "suspicious mine-like object."
The Joint Coordination Center said that it halted departures from Ukraine until an inspection of the suspicious object was completed. The group said that eight vessels will leave Ukrainian ports Thursday.
Since the inception of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a deal announced in July among Ukraine, Russia, the United Nations and Turkey, more than 390 vessels have left Ukraine carrying a total of 8.8 million metric tons of grain and other crops.
Read more about theBlack Sea Grain Initiative here.
Amanda Macias
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby holds a press briefing at the Pentagon on May 09, 2022 in Arlington, Virginia.
Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images
The U.S. is "not taking sanctions off the table" in response to Iranian arms transfers to Russia, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.
Kirby declined to detail potential diplomatic or economic actions Washington would take.
Moscow has carried out several devastating missile and drone strikes against what Ukraine said were civilian targets and critical infrastructure such as energy facilities.
Iran and Russia's representatives at the United Nations havesharply denied reportsthat Tehran supplied Moscow with a fleet of drones for use in Ukraine. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied that it uses Iranian-made drones to target residential and other high civilian areas.
Amanda Macias
US' Women's National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport and later charged with illegal possession of cannabis, waits for the verdict inside a defendants' cage before a court hearing in Khimki outside Moscow, on August 4, 2022.
Evgenia Novozhenina | AFP | Getty Images
U.S. officials are still talking with their Russian counterparts about the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.
"The conversations with the Russians continue, they haven't stopped," Kirby told reporters at the White House. He added that the Biden administration is working on the immediate release of former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan.
Whelan was arrested in 2018 on charges of acting as a spy for the United States. At the time he was arrested, Whelan was visiting Russia to attend a wedding, according to his brother, David Whelan.
On Tuesday,a Russian court upheld Griner's nine-year prison sentence, a decision that will send the U.S. athlete to a penal colony.
Griner, who plays professional basketball in Russia during the WNBA offseason, was arrested in February after Russian authorities found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport.
Amanda Macias
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier meet, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine October 25, 2022.
Jesco Denzel | BPA | via Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that his country's forces have downed nearly 250 Russian helicopters.
"Russia will not be able to restore these losses. I thank all our fighters for such a gradual and irreversible demilitarization of the enemy," Zelenskyy said in a nightly Telegram address, according to an NBC News translation.
He also said that there is "fierce fighting" in the Donetsk region. He called Ukrainian troops holding positions in the area "simply heroes."
Amanda Macias
A war crimes prosecutor examines the damage in a destroyed building, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, following shelling in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, in this handout picture released on July 31, 2022.
Press Service of the Mykolaiv Regional Prosecutor's Office | Via Reuters
A number of efforts are underway to investigate Russian crimes committed in Ukraine, said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman for the United Nations secretary-general.
"The SecretaryGeneral believes that, in all conflicts, there needs to be accountability," Dujarric told reporters at the United Nations. "And so, there are a number of processes underway, including the Commission of Inquiry set up by the Human Rights Council."
"We also know that the International Criminal Court has had prosecutors on the ground to collect information. We believe that these processes should move forward," he said.
The Kremlin has previously denied that its forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine, including indiscriminate attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure.
Amanda Macias
This photograph taken on April 26, 2022 shows the New Safe Confinement at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant which cover the number 4 reactor unit, on the 36th anniversary of the world's worst nuclear disaster.
Sergei Supinsky | AFP | Getty Images
Russian state media claimed that Ukraine has made a dummy rocket to deploy a "dirty bomb" near the Chornobyl nuclear power plant.
The U.S. and its allies have previously denied Russian allegations that Ukraine is planning to use a "dirty bomb" in order to escalate the conflict.
The report in Russia's RIA Novosti alleges that Ukrainian forces are planning to fill the rocket with radioactive material and blame an explosion on Russian forces.
Amanda Macias
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks about US policy towards China during an event hosted by the Asia Society Policy Institute at George Washington University in Washington, DC, on May 26, 2022.
Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. and its allies will continue to hold Russia accountable despite some concerns from lawmakers over the mounting financial burden.
"You can't simply go in and seize territory from another country, you can't change the borders of another country by force, you can't try to erase its independence and sovereignty from the map," Blinken said during an event hosted by Bloomberg.
"If we allow that to go unchecked, if we allow them to proceed with impunity, it opens Pandora's box around the world for the would-be aggressors," he added.
Blinked added that in his conversations with "members of Congress, Republicans, Democrats, House and Senate, there's a shared conviction" to stick with Ukraine.
Amanda Macias
The Russian Navys Kilo-class submarine Rostov-na-Donu B-237 enters the Bosphorus Strait en route to the Black Sea on Feb. 13, 2022 in Istanbul, Turkey.
Dia Images | Getty Images News | Getty Images
The Ukrainian navy said that Russian forces have approximately 19 vessels on combat duty in the Black Sea and Azov Sea off of Ukraine's coast, as well as the surrounding Mediterranean Sea.
In a Facebook post, the country's navy said that there are about eight Kalibr cruise missile carriers also in the waters, according to an NBC News translation.
Amanda Macias
Russia returned the body of an American citizen who died fighting for Kyiv to Ukrainian forces, the State Department confirmed.
"Out of respect for the privacy of the family, we will not release further details," State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.
Price reiterated that U.S. citizens should still not travel to Ukraine and urged all Americans currently in the war-weary country to "depart immediately."
"U.S. citizens who travel to Ukraine, including to participate in the fighting there, face significant risks and the United States cannot guarantee their safety," Price added.
Ukraine identified the American citizen as Joshua Jones, a former U.S. service member, who went to Ukraine with his friends to join the fight against Russian forces.
Amanda Macias
This photograph taken on September 25, 2022, shows empty graves after exhumation of bodies in the mass grave created during the Russian's occupation in Izyum, Kharkiv region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Yasuyoshi Chiba | AFP | Getty Images
About 1,000 bodies have been exhumed from mass graves in recently liberated territories of Ukraine, according to Ukrainian forces.
Of those, about 450 bodies were exhumed in Izium in what was described as one of the largest mass graves.
"The shocking facts of the atrocities committed by the occupiers are revealed: there are not only military personnel but also civilians adults and children among the dead," said Ukraine's Ministry for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories, according to an NBC News translation.
The ministry said that it was still investigating the mass graves.
Amanda Macias
Mariya, 77, whose daughter and son-in-law died under the rubble of a building destroyed by Russian shelling, cries, amid Russia's invasion on Ukraine in Borodyanka, in Kyiv region, Ukraine April 8, 2022.
Gleb Garanich | Reuters
Ukraine's Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization report that at least 10 million people will need psychosocial support due to the trauma from Russia's conflict in Ukraine.
"This includes women and girls suffering sexual violence and other forms of gender-based violence, children hearing warning sirens daily, families who have been separated, or people just trying to survive every day," said Denise Brown, the U.N. Resident Coordinator in Ukraine, in remarks before the United Nations Security Council.
Brown added that civilians in recently liberated areas of Ukraine are particularly vulnerable as they have "witnessed or experienced terrible violations" committed by Russian forces.
Amanda Macias
Russian President Vladimir Putin seen during the plenary session of the Commonwealth of the Independent States (CIS) Summit, on October 14, 2022 in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Contributor | Getty Images News | Getty Images
U.S. Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth said it is unlikely that Russian President Vladimir Putin will deploy a nuclear weapon in his fight with Ukraine, but called the Kremlin's recent rhetoric concerning.
"There is a lot of concern given how Putin has escalated [the conflict]," Wormuth told CNBC's Morgan Brennan when asked about Western fears that Russia could resort to nuclear warfare in its armed conflict with Ukraine.
"Certainly there is a concern," Wormuth said, adding that despite Putin's threats to use such a weapon against its ex-Soviet neighbor, it is "still an unlikely event."
President Joe Biden told reporters yesterday that Russia would be making "an incredibly serious mistake" if Moscow used a tactical nuclear weapon in its fight with Ukraine.
"I'm not guaranteeing that it's a false flag operation," Biden said, referencing Russian allegations that Ukraine is planning to use a "dirty bomb" in order to escalate the conflict.
"It would be a serious serious mistake," Biden added.
The United States and Russia hold the lion's share of the world's nuclear weapons.
Amanda Macias
A man holds his child as families, who fled Ukraine due to the Russian invasion, wait to enter a refugee camp in the Moldovan capital Chisinau on March 3, 2022.
Nikolay Doychinov | Afp | Getty Images
More than 7.7 million Ukrainianshave become refugees and moved to neighboring countries since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, the U.N. Refugee Agency estimates.
Nearly 4.4 million of those people have applied for temporary resident status in neighboring Western European countries, according to data collected by the agency.
"The escalation of conflict in Ukraine has caused civilian casualties and destruction of civilian infrastructure, forcing people to flee their homes seeking safety, protection and assistance," the U.N. Refugee Agency wrote.
Amanda Macias
U.S. President Joe Biden pictured in London on September 18, 2022. Biden said in an interview broadcast on Sunday that U.S forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, his most explicit statement so far on the issue.
Brendan Smialowski | Afp | Getty Images
President Joseph Biden congratulated Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on her appointment as Italy's first woman leader.
"The leaders underscored the strong relationship between the United States and Italy and expressed their readiness to work together within the transatlantic alliance to address common challenges," a White House readout of the call said.
The two spoke about additional ways to offer aid to Ukraine in its months-long fight against Russia. Biden and Meloni discussed the importance of holding Russia accountable for its aggression.
Amanda Macias
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg holds a closing press conference during the second of two days of defence ministers' meetings at NATO headquarters on October 13, 2022 in Brussels, Belgium.
Omar Havana | Getty Images
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called Russian President Vladimir Putin's nuclear rhetoric "dangerous," adding that "it is reckless and irresponsible."
Stoltenberg, speaking from the U.S. aircraft carrier U.S.S. George H.W. Bush, said that Russia "falsely claims Ukraine is preparing to use a radiological dirty bomb on its own territory."
Stoltenberg said NATO allies reject the false allegation.
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Nearly 15 million more people died during the pandemic than would have in normal times, the World Health Organization said on Thursday, a staggering measure of Covids true toll that laid bare how vastly country after country has undercounted victims.
In Mexico, the excess death toll during the first two years of the pandemic was twice as high as the governments official tally of Covid deaths, the W.H.O. found.
In Egypt, excess deaths were roughly 12 times as great as the official Covid toll.
In Pakistan, the figure was eight times as high.
Those estimates, calculated by a global panel of experts assembled by the W.H.O., represent what many scientists see as the most reliable gauge of the total impact of the pandemic. Faced with large gaps in global death data, the expert team set out to calculate excess mortality: the difference between the number of people who died in 2020 and 2021 and the number who would have been expected to die during that time if the pandemic had not happened.
Their calculations combined national data on reported deaths with new information from localities and household surveys, and with statistical models that aimed to account for deaths that were missed.
Most of the excess deaths were victims of Covid itself, the experts said, but some died because the pandemic made it more difficult to get medical care for ailments such as heart attacks. The previous toll, based solely on death counts reported by countries, was six million.
Much of the loss of life from the pandemic was concentrated in 2021, when more contagious variants tore through even countries that had fended off earlier outbreaks. Overall deaths that year were roughly 18 percent higher an extra 10 million people than they would have been without the pandemic, the W.H.O.-assembled experts estimated.
Developing nations bore the brunt of the devastation, with nearly eight million more people than expected dying in lower-middle-income nations during the pandemic.
Its absolutely staggering what has happened with this pandemic, including our inability to accurately monitor it, said Dr. Prabhat Jha, an epidemiologist at St. Michaels Hospital and the University of Toronto, who was a member of the expert working group that made the calculations. It shouldnt happen in the 21st century.
The figures had been ready since January, but their release was stalled by objections from India, which disputes the methodology for calculating how many of its citizens died.
Nearly a third of the excess deaths globally 4.7 million took place in India, according to the W.H.O. estimates. The Indian governments own figure through the end of 2021 is 481,080 deaths.
But India was far from the only country where deaths were substantially underreported. Where excess deaths far outstripped the number of reported Covid fatalities, experts said the gap could reflect countries struggles to collect mortality data or their efforts to intentionally obscure the toll of the pandemic.
In some countries, flaws in government reports were widely known. Russia, for example, had reported roughly 310,000 Covid deaths by the end of 2021, but the W.H.O. experts indicated that the excess death toll was nearly 1.1 million. That mirrored earlier estimates from a Russian national statistics agency that is fairly independent of the government.
Aleksei Raksha, an independent demographer who quit the Russian state statistics service after complaining of the failure to count Covid deaths properly, said that informal orders had been given to local authorities to ensure that in many cases, Covid was not registered as the primary cause of death.
Excess deaths have established the true picture, Mr. Raksha said. Russia demonstrated a dismal performance in fighting the pandemic.
In other nations, W.H.O. experts used what limited data was available to arrive at estimates jarringly at odds with previous counts, though they cautioned that some of those calculations remained highly uncertain. In Indonesia, for example, the experts leaned heavily on monthly death data from Jakarta, the capital, to estimate that the country had experienced over a million more deaths than normal. That figure would be seven times as high as the reported Covid death toll.
Siti Nadia Tarmizi, a spokeswoman for the governments Covid-19 vaccination program, acknowledged that Indonesia had suffered more deaths than the government had reported. She said the problem stemmed in part from people not reporting relatives deaths to avoid complying with government rules for Covid victims funerals. But she said that the W.H.O. estimates were far too high.
In Pakistan, Dr. Faisal Sultan, a former health minister, defended the governments death reports, saying that studies of the number of graveyard burials in major cities did not reveal large numbers of uncounted victims of the pandemic.
For still other countries that suffered grievously during the pandemic, the W.H.O. estimates illuminated even more startling figures hiding inside already devastating death counts. In Peru, for instance, the expert estimate of 290,000 excess deaths by the end of 2021 was only 1.4 times as high as the reported Covid death toll. But the W.H.O. estimate of 437 excess deaths for every 100,000 Peruvians left the country with among the worlds highest per capita tolls.
When a health care system isnt prepared to receive patients who are seriously ill with pneumonia, when it cant provide the oxygen they need to live, or even provide beds for them to lay in so they can have some peace, you get what youve gotten, said Dr. Elmer Huerta, an oncologist and public health specialist who hosts a popular radio show in Peru.
In the United States, the W.H.O. estimated that roughly 930,000 more people than expected had died by the end of 2021, compared with the 820,000 Covid deaths that had been officially recorded over the same period.
In Mexico, the government has itself kept a tally of excess deaths during the pandemic that appears roughly in line with the W.H.O.s. Those estimates about double the countrys reported Covid death toll reflected what analysts there described as difficulties counting the dead.
We responded badly, we reacted slowly. But I think the most serious of all was to not communicate the urgency, the wanting to minimize, minimize, said Xavier Tello, a public health analyst based in Mexico City. Because Mexico wasnt or isnt testing for Covid, a lot of people died and we dont know if they had Covid.
The W.H.O.s calculations include people who died directly from Covid, from medical conditions complicated by Covid, or because they had ailments other than Covid but could not get needed treatment because of the pandemic. The excess death estimates also take into account expected deaths that did not occur because of Covid restrictions, such as reductions in traffic accidents or isolation that prevented deaths from the flu and other infectious diseases.
Calculating excess deaths is complex, the W.H.O. experts said. About half of countries globally do not regularly report the number of deaths from all causes. Others supply only partial data. In the W.H.O.s African region, the experts said that they had data from only six of 47 countries.
Scientists also noted that excess death rates were not necessarily indicative of a countrys pandemic response: Older and younger populations will fare differently in a pandemic, regardless of the response. And the W.H.O. experts said that they did not account for the effects of heat waves or conflicts.
Where death figures were missing, the statisticians had to rely on modeling. In those cases, they made predictions based on country-specific information like containment measures, historical rates of disease, temperature and demographics to assemble national figures and, from there, regional and global estimates.
W.H.O. officials used the release of their calculations to plead for greater investment in death reporting.
When we underestimate, we may underinvest, said Dr. Samira Asma, the W.H.O.s assistant director general for data, analytics and delivery for impact. And when we undercount, we may miss targeting the interventions where they are needed most.
W.H.O. officials cited Britain as an example of a country that had accurately recorded Covid deaths: Their analysis found that about 149,000 more people than normal had died during the pandemic, nearly identical to the number of Covid deaths Britain reported.
The disagreement over Indias Covid deaths spilled into public this week when the Indian government on Tuesday abruptly released mortality data from 2020, reporting an 11 percent increase in registered deaths in 2020 compared with average annual deaths registered over the two prior years.
Analysts saw the release as an attempt to force the W.H.O. to reconsider its calculations on the eve of publication. Indian health officials said their figures showed that the country had lost fewer people to Covid than outside estimates suggested.
But scientists believe that most of the countrys excess mortality occurred in 2021, during a grievous wave caused by the Delta variant. And even Indias 2020 figures gave additional credence to the W.H.O. estimates, said Dr. Jha, who has also studied excess deaths in India.
The Indian government wanted to deflect the news, he said, but theyre confirming, at least for 2020, the W.H.O. numbers.
Other experts said that Indias refusal to cooperate with the W.H.O. analysis was rooted in the countrys history of ignoring how data can inform policymaking.
Its natural to miss some of the Covid deaths, said Dr. Bhramar Mukherjee, a professor of biostatistics at the University of Michigan School of Public Health who has been working with the W.H.O. to review the data. But, she added, Nobodys been this resistant.
The Ministry of Health in New Delhi did not respond to requests for comment. W.H.O. officials said that Indias 2020 death figures were released too late to be incorporated into their calculations but that they would carefully review the data.
Nations that report Covid deaths more accurately have also been at the center of disputes over the reliability of excess death estimates. In Germany, for example, the W.H.O. experts estimated that 195,000 more people than normal had died during the pandemic, a significantly higher toll than the 112,000 Covid deaths recorded there.
But Giacomo De Nicola, a statistician at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, who has studied excess deaths in Germany, said that the countrys rapidly aging population meant that the W.H.O. analysis might have underestimated the number of people who would have been expected to die in a normal year. That, in turn, could have produced overestimates of excess deaths.
He said that the W.H.O.-assembled experts had accounted for trends in mortality, but not directly for changes in the age structure of the population. While Germany experienced excess deaths, he said, the W.H.O. estimate for the country seems very high.
Overall, the W.H.O. calculations were more conservative than separate analyses released earlier by The Economist and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.
Some experts said that the W.H.O. analysis benefited from relying more heavily than other estimates on actual data, even where it was incomplete, as opposed to statistical modeling.
Oscar Lopez, Karan Deep Singh, Sofa Villamil, Christopher F. Schuetze, Ivan Nechepurenko, Richard C. Paddock, Muktita Suhartono, Mitra Taj, Julie Turkewitz, Merna Thomas and Salman Masood contributed reporting.
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