Russia

World News

After Referendum In Eastern Ukraine, Different Visions Emerge

7:59pm May 14, 2014

by Corey Flintoff

Residents of eastern Ukraine are trying to figure out what happens next, now that pro-Russian separatists have claimed independence. But there's even disagreement over what's feasible.

Queue Listen Now

Russian personnel are the first to meet space station crew members when they return to earth.

Despite Diplomatic Tensions, U.S.-Russia Space Ties Persist

7:40am March 11, 2014

by Geoff Brumfiel

NASA needs Russian rockets to reach the International Space Station, and Russia needs NASA's money to help finance operations.

Queue Listen Now

Pepsi was the first American consumer product to be manufactured and sold in the former Soviet Union. In 1991, Russians could buy the soda for 20 kopeks, about 10 cents.

What Pepsi Can Teach Us About Soft (Drink) Power In Russia

9:09pm March 10, 2014

by Sonari Glinton

The soft drink giant is one of the few big U.S. firms with major investments in Russia. And the reasons why say a lot about why the U.S. has less leverage in Russia than it might like.

Queue Listen Now

Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee last month.

U.S. Knew Of 'Imminent' Move In Crimea, Top Official Says

11:39am March 07, 2014

by Scott Neuman

Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, tells NPR that U.S. decision-makers were given a week's notice that some Russian action was likely.

Queue Listen Now

The Chinese border town of Suifenhe is a port of entry for almost all of the hardwood coming from the Russian Far East. Russia is the world's largest exporter of timber, but illegal logging is a growing problem.

World News

In Russia's Vast Far East, Timber Thieves Thrive

8:11am October 23, 2013

by Corey Flintoff

The demand for Russia's high-value timber is fueling organized crime, government corruption and illegal logging. The hardwood often ends up as flooring and furniture in the United States, Europe, Japan and China.

Queue Listen Now

Sputnik nurse Marina Bogdanova gives medications to Sergei Gaptenko, who is close to finishing treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis. Sometimes Gaptenko isn't at home when the nurses come to give him his daily medications, so the team has to drive aro

'Sputnik' Orbits A Russian City, Finding And Healing Tuberculosis

8:33am July 11, 2013

by Corey Flintoff

One Siberian city is tackling the problem of drug-resistant tuberculosis with a health program affectionately named for an earlier Russian innovation. In the modern Sputnik program, teams of nurses travel around the sprawling city of Tomsk, finding and treating the TB patients who are the hardest to reach.

Queue Listen Now

A meteor's vapor trail above the city of Chelyabinsk, Russia, on Friday.

World News

'No Link' Between Meteor That Hurt Hundreds And Asteroid That Flew By

3:40pm February 15, 2013

by Mark Memmott

The sights and sounds across Russia's Ural Mountains on Friday as a meteor came roaring in were awesome. There are reports of more than 900 people being injured, most when windows shattered. But European Space Agency experts say there's no connection to the large asteroid that's whizzing past Earth later in the day.

Queue Listen Now