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Features

Russia awards British WW2 veterans: British veteran members of the Arctic convoys which delivered vital supplies to the northern ports of the Soviet Union during the World War Two, met with their Russian counterparts in London to celebrate Victory Day and receive honours from the Russian state.

From sports field to battle field: Dinamo veterans celebrate V-Day: Victory day celebrations hold special meaning for Russia's former sports stars, with many athletes having been among the first volunteers to join the war. Dinamo sports club in particular supplied plenty of heroes.

Pentagon rushes to build cyber war arsenal: DARPA, the Pentagon’s agency that develops new technology for military use, is tasked with producing world-class cyber war capabilities. It’s America’s largest project since the agency was catching up with the Soviet space programme following the launch of sputnik in 1957.

Who is Mr Putin?: As Russia's second president, Vladimir Putin, steps down after eight years in power, RT takes a look at his legacy.

Government, Gazprom & Deep Purple: Medvedev’s hobbies: In a matter of hours Russia will have a new President who apparently enjoys rock music and lifting weights. He's also good at yoga twists and loves his cat Dorofey. But will Russia’s new President have any spare time?

Meet President Medvedev: Dmitry Medvedev has been Putin’s right-hand man since becoming the Russian Government’s Deputy Chief of Staff in 1999. But now the world’s eyes are on Medvedev – so what is Russia’s new president really like?

Gamers show-up motor racing champ: A group of gamers have shown up a Russian motor racing champion during a virtual race to road-test a computer game. Vitaly Petrov, who’s won the Valencia and Malaysian GP-2 events, came last in most of the virtual races.

$100 helicopters to beat Moscow traffic: Moscow’s notoriously heavy traffic has spurned a new industry in commuter helicopters. From next year, helicopters will run every 30 minutes from Moscow’s Vnukovo-3 airport. Ten berths are being built at the airport, linking it to the city's financial district.

UK uncovers WW2 history fraud: A series of documents, used by a British historian to reveal WW2 'secrets', have been exposed as fakes. The Guardian says that Martin Allen used the documents in 3 books to make sensational claims, including that the Duke of Windsor leaked intelligence to the Nazis to help them conquer France.

Russian amphibian jet smashes records: Russia’s Beriev-200 is the largest fire-fighting plane in the world. It is designed to lift up a record volume of water – nearly 12 tonnes - and put out forest fires all around the world.

Unholy alliance targets Mid East poverty: It seems like a contradiction, but an ultra-Orthodox Zionist party on the right-hand side of the Israeli political spectrum is being supported by Israeli Arabs.

Beware of the dogs! Moscow strays get vicious: Packs of stray dogs in Moscow’s streets and parks are increasingly attacking people, sometimes with fatal consequences. The government says it plans to spend $US 5 million to tackle the problem.

City rodents join the rat race: A competition to find the fastest rat in town has been held in Russia’s northern capital, St Petersburg.

From China with love - a book of speeches by Putin?: A 700-page collection of speeches delivered by Vladimir Putin during his term of office has been published in China, reports the Tvoy Den newspaper.

Freezer babies case shocks Germany: Police in Germany have arrested a 44-year-old woman on suspicion of killing three of her babies and storing their bodies in a freezer.

Russia’s longest bridge opens up new energy resources: The longest railway bridge in Russia is due to be finished by 2009. The link across the Yuribey River on the Yamal Peninsula in the north-west of Siberia is probably the most challenging construction project under way in the country.

The house that Roman built – for just $300 million: The world’s 15th richest man, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, intends to break all price records by building the most expensive private property in the United Kingdom. The palatial house will reportedly cost him around $US 300 million

Living to pay off another man’s debt: Russian banks are losing up to $US 4 billion in bad debt partly due to fraud and identity theft. More and more consumers are using credit cards to make the purchase of big ticket items that much easier. However, along with the convenience comes the risk of falling prey to criminals.

Dope rally turns violent in Athens: A pro-marijuana festival ended in violence in the Greek capital after police moved in to arrest protesters. Officers fired tear gas to clear scores of youths during clashes in Athens.

Happy couples tie knot on Russian wedding day: Today's the beginning of wedding season in Russia. Registry Offices across the country see a record number of couples willing to exchange vows and rings on this day.

Harassed sea lions flee port: Environmentalists in Russia's Far East are becoming increasingly concerned that local wildlife is suffering because of too much human interference. The say that rare Stellar sea lions left the port of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky early this year because they weren’t left in peace. It’s now feared they may never see them return.

Did Berlin Zoo sell animals to slaughterhouses?: The world-famous Berlin Zoo is facing accusations of selling animals to slaughterhouses across the world. The zoo denies all claims, but Berlin's public prosecutor is deciding whether charges should be brought.

UK taxpayers face massive bill for 2012 Olympics: The organisers of the 2012 London Olympics are facing harsh criticism for drastically increasing the budget needed to stage the games.

Spammer falls foul of the law: Half a century ago spam fed most of Europe. These days the word spells trouble for computer users. Unwanted emails clog up networks and inboxes. And office staff waste valuable time identifying and deleting them. Employers have been fighting spam for more than a decade, but a recent court ruling suggests the law could soon be joining the battle.

Shoe-erly not! Ukrainian man addicted to footwear: Footwear of all sizes and colours have taken over Nikolay Belchenko’s flat - and his life. Following a childhood ambition, the Ukrainian cobbler has painstakingly built up a collection of more than 10,000 pairs of shoes.

Dacha days are here again!: Summer is on the way and the migration to country homes, known as dachas, has begun.

Ukraine blots out Soviet past in rush to rename streets: In recent months the government in Ukraine has been changing street names. Roads derived from Russian poets are being renamed after controversial national heroes, causing distress in some sections of the population. Ministers have also ordered the demolition of some monuments. So what’s behind this policy of rebranding?

Radical Islam sweeping into North Caucasus: There's concern in the southern Russian Republic of Dagestan that a more fundamental form of Islam is sweeping through its mosques. Unemployment, poor living standards and perceived corruption are fuelling the desire for change among the young.

Abortions in Palestine: Israeli secret service trade in shame: Abortion is illegal in the Palestinian Autonomy, while pregnancy outside marriage is not accepted by Islamic society. As a result, many women secretly cross the border into Israel to undergo the procedure. However, by trying to resolve their problems they get into far greater trouble.

Ukraine turns lard into fuel: The way to a Ukrainian's heart is lard, a traditional part of the country's national cuisine. But now it has a new use. It's being processed to become diesel for agricultural vehicles.

Monks try to ease tension between Georgia and breakaway Abkhazia: Political tension between Tbilisi and its breakaway republic of Abkhazia may be running high, but monks at the New Athos Monastery are striving to rebuild relations - even visiting Georgian families to pray and perform baptisms.

Why are Britons putting their pensions into Russia?: One in three men and women of working age in Britain has no pension savings, according to the opposition Conservative Party’s latest report, and state pensions pay for essential items only. As a result, some are trying to find their own schemes and are choosing to invest in emerging economies - such as Russia, Brazil and India.

Environment still in danger after oil spill: Months after an oil spill in the Azov Sea last November the full extent of the damage is still unknown. The spill was the result of a storm that killed at least six sailors, sank four ships and split an oil tanker in two.

Biggest man-made disaster in history remembered: It is 22 years since the Chernobyl Nuclear Power plant in Ukraine exploded. A blast in the reactor released tonnes of radioactive material into the atmosphere causing, what was later described, as history's biggest man-made disaster.

UNESCO world heritage site to develop tourism: The Curonian spit is a long thin peninsula north of Russia’s Kaliningrad. This national park separates the Baltic Sea from the Curonian lagoon. Half belongs to Russia, the other half to Lithuania. The six resorts along the Lithuanian stretch are crammed with hotels, bars and restaurants, while the Russian part is underdeveloped.

Easter exclusive: Kremlin's festive pies: Kulich, or sweat Easter bread, has hundreds of recipes but the Kremlin bakers believe nobody does it better than they. It takes two days to turn flour, eggs and dried fruits into a piece of culinary art. RT has visited perhaps the top kitchen in Russia to see how traditional Easter food is prepared for the event.

Family of 15 launch puppet theatre: A couple and their thirteen children have organised their own puppet theatre in the Russian Vologda region. The show's popularity grew from performances in the area's kindergartens and orphanages.

Get a taste of Russia in New York: A small food shop in New York City would have been just like many other privately run stores if it didn’t taste Russian. Farmer’s market cheese, sweets, herrings, or sausage are always in demand – and not only among Russians. And on the eve of the Orthodox Easter it is traditional Easter bread – kulich – that has become a hit.

Beaver breaks into vodka store: An urgent report from the city of Ozersk in Chelyabinsk Region on Friday night, revealed that a big wild animal had broken into a local store.

Tax breaks, cars cause Kaliningrad boom: Russia’s enclave in Europe - Kaliningrad - is undergoing an economic boom, driven by tax breaks which have attracted foreign car manufacturers. Growth rates in Kaliningrad currently outstrip those of Russia itself.