As Ramadan starts on Thursday, Muslims in St Petersburg and elsewhere in northern Russia face an obstacle that the prophet surely didn’t envision.
Under a new law, international organisations deemed to be unfriendly can be banned and Russians linked to them can be fined and jailed.
Ignoring a ceasefire, pro-Russian rebels have forced Kiev’s soldiers to flee the strategic Debaltseve rail hub in eastern Ukraine.
Russians are frustrated with the continued fall of their currency. For some, investing in valuables is the solution.
Sex experiments involving lizards are continuing as planned after communications with Russia’s Photon-M satellite were re-established.
The occupation of Crimea has left most of the former Soviet republics in Cold War mode.
It is not the first time Russian President Vladimir Putin has used pictures of himself engaged in manly pursuits to burnish his public image.