In Russia, tea is prepared in tea rooms using a samovar, an urn of hot water.
For the Kremlin's critics, Russia's new national anthem symbolizes the country's schizophrenic state of affairs.
Like So Many "Businessmen" IN POST-communist Russia, Yevgeny Roitman had things going his way-for a while.
Chance also led CNN's coverage of the 2008 Russia-Georgia conflict, reporting from the frontlines.
CNN: CNN Profiles - Matthew Chance - Senior International Correspondent
But already Russia's outlying areas are running themselves with less and less say-so from the centre.
The implication being that they will forfeit co-operation with Russia for a long time ahead.
There are a few countries that do not require visas for travel to Russia.
The Ukraine-Russia gas tiff is a first taste of the transnational energy disputes to come.
Together with Russia, and unlike China and India, Brazil has reduced economic inequality in recent years.
With its undercurrent of anti-state protest, graffiti never has been very welcome in Russia.
BBC: In Russia, contemporary art explodes from Soviet shackles
Power prevailed, as he has every time someone has taken him to court in Russia.
Enough to indicate that lines have been wrongly crossed without provoking worse, enough to irritate, without infuriating, Russia.
Last year, competitors represented countries ranging from Japan and Russia to Portugal, the United States and the Philippines.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for Russia to give a chance to non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
Russia has strong economic and military ties to Syria, and is Moscow's last Middle East ally.
Malaria epidemics were once commonplace in places as far north as Russia and Finland.
Heilongjiang, a remote province bordering Russia, suddenly has become a hotbed of hacking refuseniks.
In his twelve years in power, Putin has made Russia into a repressive Soviet state.
And in fact, there has been a lot of cooperation recently between OPEC and Russia.
China has now completed four successful flights of its Shenzhou capsule, based on Russia's Soyuz model.
"Russia is one of the places we'd like to have a presence, " he says.
Where he has sought to restrain foreign governments Russia, Iran, North Korea he has been unsuccessful.
"Because of Mexico everyone thought they would be bailed out of Russia, too, " says Shultz.
Foreign Minister Lavrov wouldn't say whether Russia would support U.N. sanctions, and Rice didn't push it.
Plotnikov, who was born in Russia, had moved as a teenager with his family to Canada.
Yet Russia has not given up its ambitions to obstruct its neighbor's path to NATO membership.
WSJ: Urmas Reinsalu: Georgian Democracy and Russian Meddling
Russia also reportedly has sold six S-300 air defense systems to Syria under a 2010 contract.
Even Russia may not want to spend too much political capital in such a cause.
Russia was supposed to join the OGP along with the founder U.S. and U.K. this year.
For all the talk of stability, Russia is in some ways less stable than it was.
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