With his annexation of Crimea, will Vladimir Putin now turn Russian eyes on other targets? Nina Khrushcheva reports

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been put under house arrest, forbidding him from using the internet or receiving any visitors.

IN HIS 1979 novel The Island of Crimea, Vasily Aksyonov imagined the region’s flourishing independence from the Soviet Union.

Ukraine was plunged into new uncertainty after a deadly political standoff — as a top opposition figure assumed presidential powers.

Cossack militia attacked Russian punk group Pussy Riot with horsewhips as they tried to perform under a sign advertising the Sochi Olympics.

Ever since the Winter Olympics were awarded to Russia, fears were raised about potential terrorist attacks, which have plagued the country since the collapse of the Soviet Union, writes Dmitri Trenin.

Corruption claims have dogged preparations for the Sochi Winter Olympics, writes Nataliya Vasilyeva

Airlines flying to Russia have been warned that terrorists may try to smuggle explosives on board hidden in toothpaste tubes.

Crack-smoking mayor walks right into trouble

An interactive website launched by Russian anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny paints a vivid picture of suspected cost overruns and conflicts of interest at the Sochi Winter Olympics.

Lindsey Vonn will miss the Sochi Olympics because of a right knee injury, leaving the Winter Games without one of its biggest stars.

The National Hockey League kicked off 2014 with the biggest ice hockey bash ever on Wednesday, firing the opening salvo in a “shock-and-awe” campaign designed to turn casual fans into avid ones.

IOC President Thomas Bach expressed full confidence yesterday that Russian authorities will deliver a “safe and secure” Winter Olympics in Sochi despite the two deadly suicide bombings in southern Russia that heightened concerns about the terrorist threat to the Games.

A female suicide bomber killed at least 14 people and wounded scores more at a railway station in southern Russia.

Barack Obama has sent Russia a clear message about its treatment of gays and lesbians with his choices to represent the United States at the Sochi Winter Olympics.

Russian president Vladimir Putin has promised that gay athletes and guests at the Winter Olympics in Sochi will feel at ease, seeking to calm fears fuelled by a recent law banning gay “propaganda”.