Unlike President Dmitry Medvedev, who is known for his love of new technologies, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has admitted he doesn’t have a mobile phone and never answers the phone at home.

The Olympic Committee of Russia has launched a contest for the future mascot of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

As record-breaking temperatures have been torturing Russians for more than a month, ambulance crews are in a tough battle to save people suffering from heat and smog – though doctors say casualties are hard to avoid.

Russia says it has deployed S-300 anti-aircraft missiles in the breakaway region of Abkhazia in Georgia.

Russia's emergency services are bracing themselves for the worst, as forest and peat fires continue to rage in many parts of the country.

Efforts are underway to recover hundreds of barrels of hazardous chemicals which are floating down a Chinese river towards Russia.

Just a short ride southwest of Moscow lie the fruitful lands of the Kaluga region. Hectares of fields make for great farming. With the help of American breeders, the region hopes to supply the whole country with steak.

People are always fascinated by the possibility of catching a glimpse of the future. And psychics are always ready to turn people's curiosity into cash. But now the Russian parliament has taken the future into its hands.

With abnormally high temperatures hitting countries worldwide, much of Russia is at risk from forest and peat bog fires. In the Central Orenburg region, a state of emergency has been declared due to forest fires.

A bomb and gun attack on a hydroelectric power station in Russia's Kabardino-Balkaria region has killed two guards and injured two others.