Russian government approves harsh anti-tobacco ban for 2015

Russia has finally caught up with the rest of the world, and smokers now have a couple of years to give up the habit, before harsh anti-smoking legislation comes into effect during 2015.

Should this legislation pass, smoking will be prohibited in any public place, including restaurants and cafes.

Many efforts have been made in the past to impose smoking bans, without success. However, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has been persistent in pushing for this legislation. Addressing ministers after the discussion, he said, “This is a big problem and we are too careless about it.” .... read more and watch video.

11-year-old boy finds 30,000-year-old mammoth in northern Russia

A child has made a unique find on Cape Sopochnaya Kagra in northern Russia. Not just a skeleton, but a complete and well-preserved mammoth.

According to scientists, such finds are very rare and the carcass found by Evgeny Salinder is the second-best preserved mammoth ever discovered in the history of paleontology.

Salinder found the mammoth on Cape Sopochnaya Kagra on the Taimyr Peninsula, Krasnoyarsk Region, some 3,000 kilometres north-east of Moscow, and immediately told his parents, who then got in touch with authorities... read more and watch video.

Russian city cancels 'Jesus Christ Superstar' over complaints

The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, has been touring the world since it first premiered 42 years ago. Now, due to a controversial new religious offense law, it has been banned in Rostov-on-Don, Russia.

Jesus Christ Superstar is a non-religious retelling of the Gospels from the perspective of Judas, in rock-opera form. The famous Andrew Lloyd Webber musical has been performed in almost every Christian country, and was made into a top-grossing movie.

However, the appearance of the show in Rostov-on-Don has been cancelled due to complaints from Orthodox Christians, who say the production is in breach of the new religious offense law... read more and watch extract from the rock opera.

Russian researchers plan public GMO study on rats

Following the conclusion of the recent study in France on the effects of GMO food on rats, Russia suspended imports of GMO products. Now they are planning their own, more public, study into the effects of feeding GMOs to rats.

Digital Journal recently reported on the trial by scientists from France's Caen University, where they tested the effects of GMO food on rats over a lifetime period of two years. Results showed mammary tumors and organ damage to the rats after they were fed a diet of genetically modified (GM) NK603 maize produced by American chemical giant Monsanto.

After the report was published in Food and Chemical Toxicology, Russia immediately suspended imports of GMO products pending further investigation into GMOs.... read more.

After GMO rat study: Russia suspends imports, France investigates

Following the recent rat study on NK603 GMO corn, Russia has suspended imports of Monsanto corn, while France continues investigations into the possible dangers of GMOs to human health.

On Tuesday this week, Russia suspended the import and use of Monsanto's genetically engineered corn, following the scientific study released on September 19 on rats fed with this corn, which caused serious health problems, including tumors and organ failure... read more.

Video: Freak accident as car catches loose wires and flips

In one of those freak accidents that can just happen in a second, a car catches trolleybus electric leads in its bumper and completely flips.

In the Russian town of Vladimir, a parked car at an intersection caught the accident on its dashboard camera... read more and watch video.

Video: RT's exclusive interview with President Vladimir Putin

RT was granted the very first public interview with President Vladimir Putin since his presidential inauguration. The interview gives an extremely interesting insight into Russia's views on various important world issues.

In his first post-inauguration interview, speaking in depth with RT's Kevin Owen (playing the devil's advocate to a certain extent) ahead of the APEC summit in Vladivostok, Putin discusses various current issues... read more and watch video.

Video: Vladimir Putin guides migrating cranes in hang-glider

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, its President Vladimir Putin of Russia in his hang-glider, guiding migratory cranes on their way to Asia. Now there's something you don't get to say every day!

The Siberian cranes were raised in captivity and apparently do not know how to fly south. Environmentalists decided that they had to devise a way to lead the cranes, showing them the way to migrate... read more and watch video.

Another devastating flood hits southern Russia (video)

More floods hitting the south of Russia have killed four people, three are missing and around 1,500 have been affected. Three of the dead are said to be tourists.

Digital Journal reported in July on the floods which hit the Krasnodar region of Russia, killing 170 people and devastating the area.

Later in July, an article was published with a video, showing residents attempting to clear up the area and clean out their homes.

Now the popular Krasnodar resort area is being devastated yet again by torrential rain and flooding... read more.

Old dam fails in Karelia, Russia — 25,000 without power (video)

Heavy rains in the Russian Republic of Karelia have left 25,000 people without electricity and have affected transport links in the region. Some communities in the region have been flooded.

The torrential rains have resulted in the failure of a small-scale local hydroelectric station, which was also flooded. Constructed in 1953, the hydroelectric station remains inoperable... read more and watch video.

Video: Russian girl films herself 'skywalking' among rooftops

Not for the faint of heart, or those with a fear of heights, this brave girl filmed herself walking on a narrow concrete beam, high up among the rooftops of Moscow.

The original video of this young girl, walking on a narrow concrete beam high above the ground, has gone viral. Around 250,000 Internet users have watched her 'tight-rope' walk in the latest of the so-called 'skywalkers' video series from Russia... read more and watch video (if you dare!).

Documentary: People of the BAM railway in Russia

This 24-minute documentary explores the Baikal-Amur Mainline, a railway line which stretches more than four thousand kilometers through Russia, and introduces the people who live in the area.

This is one of the world's longest railway lines, and construction work on it lasted for almost a hundred years. Even the most harsh weather conditions did not stop progress on the line.... read more and watch documentary.

Documentary: Krymsk, Russia — The flood

In memory of the 171 people killed in the recent floods in Krymsk, Russia, a documentary has been produced. 


The 23 minute video tells the stories of some of the victims and survivors of the disaster... read more and watch video.

300 radioactive Japanese cars seized by Russian customs

Russian officials started monitoring imports from Japan soon after the Fukushima Daiichi disaster in March 2011. They state that they have stopped 300 radioactive cars from entering the country.

Following the disaster at Fukushima, when a tsunami caused severe damage to the nuclear power plant, the Russian government implemented a monitoring scheme to check all Japanese imports, including food and consumer goods, for radioactive contamination. This scheme is in place at entry points like the city of Vladivostok.. read more.

Video: Amazing record 88-way female formation skydiving

In a truly amazing display, the 88 member "Pearls of Russia" female skydiving team just set a world record for women's parachuting.

The "Pearls of Russia" team just successfully pulled off a red, white and blue flower formation jump in the skies over Kolomna, near Moscow in Russia... read more and watch video.

Soyuz-FG booster vehicle blasts off to deliver 5 satellites

A Soyuz-FG booster vehicle, with a transfer orbit stage Fregat, was launched from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan yesterday.

A spokesman for the Russian space agency Roscosmos said, “The launch of the Soyuz-FG rocket is scheduled for 10:41 am Moscow time (06:41 GMT).” ... read more.

Documentary: Professional prisoners learning skills

In this eye-opening 25-minute documentary, we visit a prison in Russia that educates its prisoners, pays them well for their work and gives them skills for a chance of a better life on release.

RT has produced this interesting documentary about a penal colony in Russia.

While most people get their education or learn a trade at college or university, in this penal colony you can get an education totally free.

Some prisoners have learned to cook, grow vegetables and flowers. Others care for livestock, sell milk, raise pigs. There is a shop at the colony selling their produce, both to prisoners and also to people in the village nearby.... read more and watch video.

Video: Russian man escapes death at gas station pile-up

It wasn't his time to go, as this man narrowly escapes death during a massive traffic accident involving five vehicles, at a gas station in Orenburg.

In the video, the man barely manages to escape death, and has probably been thanking his lucky stars ever since.

A bus carrying 30 passengers was heading down a busy street, when a Kamaz truck, driving in the opposite direction, suddenly made a left turn without giving way to traffic... read more and watch video.

Video: Cleanup underway in Krymsk, Russia

After the torrential rains caused massive flooding in the Krasnodar region of Russia, people are now trying to get their lives back together.

Digital Journal reported on the torrential rains, which caused flooding, landslides and mudslides in the southern resort region of Krasnodar.

170 people lost their lives, many being elderly people who were not able to leave their homes before the deluge struck. Thousands of homes were destroyed... read more and watch video.

Video: Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft takes off for ISS

With a truly international team on board, the Soyuz spacecraft has taken off this morning, from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazahkstan.

The Soyuz  TMA-05M spacecraft carrying the next crew for the International Space Station has successfully blasted off from the Baikonur cosmodrome.

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, Russian cosmonaut Yury Malenchenko and Japan's Akihito Hoshide will travel for two days before reaching their three colleagues already in place at the International Space Station... read more and watch launch.