Christmas spirit is not limited to the church. Hundreds turned out for a hot air balloon demonstration near Moscow.

After almost two decades in the NHL and a couple of seasons in Russia, Jaromir Jagr is fast approaching his final appearance for the Czech Republic just over a month from now at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

President Barack Obama has criticized US security agencies after they failed to prevent an attempted bombing of an airliner on Christmas Day.

The Moscow residential real estate market has been lucrative, with an accommodation deficit driving sales and rental prices over the last decade. But it too felt the impact of the 2009 economic downturn.

Russia

As the Tour de Ski continued on Monday in Prague, Russia

The forthcoming presidential election will not change the political situation in Ukraine dramatically, says Mikhail Dmitriyev, director of the Center for Ukrainian and Belarusian studies.

Payment terminals are a convenient way to top up your phone or pay your bills, without going online or to a bank, and a tidy business for their Russian manufacturer.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has banned Kuwait from participating in the Olympics, citing an alleged political interference by the country

Moscow and Minsk are continuing talks about Russia