Now playing Next Russia Alexei Navalny, scourge of Russia's corrupt elite In his recent annual address Russian President Vladimir Putin insisted anyone was free to enter politics in Russia. Well, tell that to Alexei 30/12/2014
Now playing Next Russia Kremlin protest planned after blogger given suspended sentence A critic of the Kremlin has been found guilty of fraud and given a suspended jail term by a court in Moscow 30/12/2014
Now playing Next Russia Putin critic Alexei Navalny given suspended prison sentence Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has been given a suspended sentence of three and a half years. His brother Oleg has been jailed for three and a half 30/12/2014
Now playing Next Russia Gazprom to buy other half of South Stream pipeline Russian energy giant Gazprom has agreed to buy the 50 percent of the South Stream gas pipeline it doesn’t already own. That’s despite Russian 30/12/2014
Now playing Next Russia Putin orders freeze on vodka prices The Russian president has ordered a freeze on vodka prices amid an escalating economic crisis. During a meeting Putin told government officials that 25/12/2014
Now playing Next Russia Presidents of Central Asian states meet for security talks in Moscow The presidents of five Central Asian states have met at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow for talks on security. Armenia, Belarus, Tajikistan 23/12/2014
Now playing Next Russia Divided opinion in Russia after Putin's end-of-year address In Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, pro-Russian separatists watched President Putin’s end-of-year speech on a TV set in a canteen. One soldier said 19/12/2014
Now playing Next Russia Putin tries to reassure over rouble worries, but also slams the West He attempted to reassure the Russian people about the state of their economy under his leadership. But a defiant President Vladimir Putin also took 18/12/2014
Now playing Next Business Putin upbeat on Russian economy but doesn't say how or when it will recover Russia’s economic problems drew a slew of questions at President Vladimir Putin’s end-of-year news conference. Blaming external factors for the 18/12/2014
Now playing Next Russia Putin answers press questions on Ukraine, NATO and the Russian economy It is an event which has no rival worldwide: Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annual press conference. It is the 10th time he has held the question 18/12/2014
Now playing Next Russia France's Hollande meets Russia's Putin in surprise stopover at Moscow airport French President Francois Hollande has met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in an unscheduled visit in Moscow. Hollande was travelling 06/12/2014
Now playing Next Russia Putin defies West over Ukraine and 'sacred Crimea' Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused what he called “enemies of yesterday” of trying to bring a new Iron Curtain down around Russia. As it 04/12/2014
Now playing Next Russia Putin attacks West and claims Russia can withstand any challenge in State of Nation speech Putin's State of the Nation speech roundly attacks the West and affirms Russia will meet every challenge, yet his economic proposals to revive the sagging economy fail to convince critics. 04/12/2014
Now playing Next Russia Putin's annual parliamentary address promises Russia will overcome all challenges Vladimir Putin has slammed the West, sanctions and politics of containment that "will fail" in his annual parliamentary address, insisting that Russia is strong. 04/12/2014