The number of deaths caused by tainted alcohol poisoning has fallen by 25 percent since Russian authorities imposed a ban on the sale of alcohol-containing non-food products, the government consumer rights watchdog has reported. Read Full Article at RT.com

Almost 90 percent of Russians say they don’t want to take part in protests, and three quarters of respondents claim they don’t expect others to demonstrate either, according to the latest research by an independent agency. Read Full Article at RT.com

The Russian telecommunications watchdog has issued an order to internet providers restricting access to web resources used by Telegram messenger, which lost a court battle with the authorities over encryption. Read Full Article at RT.com

Russian lawmakers have drafted a bill suspending cooperation with US companies in the nuclear, missile and aircraft-building spheres, as well as introducing restrictions on imports of alcohol and tobacco produced in the US. Read Full Article at RT.com

A Moscow court has called the Federal Security Service (FSB) as a third party in the case into whether popular internet messenger Telegram should be blocked, after the firm refusal to hand over encryption keys to the authorities. Read Full Article at RT.com

Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin has testified as a witness at a closed trial into an appeal filed by former Russian Economy Minister Aleksey Ulyukayev, who was sentenced to eight years in prison for receiving a $2 million bribe. Read Full Article at RT.com

The Russian lower house has passed in the first reading a bill that counters internet fake news by ordering fines of up to 50 million rubles (US$800,000) for refusal to delete illegal, false or slandering information. Read Full Article at RT.com

A Cossack society in St. Petersburg, Russia has voted to recall the honorary membership given to US President Donald Trump and plans to burn him in effigy in protest over “insults to the nation.” Read Full Article at RT.com

The Upper House Commission for the Protection of State Sovereignty has registered more than 1,000 incidents of the western mass media meddling in the recent Russian presidential polls. Read Full Article at RT.com

The proportion of Russians who describe their attitude to Stalin as indifferent has grown to almost one-third, but about 40 percent of citizens still approve of the Soviet dictator, a recent public opinion poll has shown. Read Full Article at RT.com

Russian special services prevented six terrorist attacks in the first three months of 2018, FSB Director Aleksandr Bortnikov said at Tuesday’s session of Russia’s National Counter-Terrorism Committee. Read Full Article at RT.com

The head of the Duma defense committee and former commander of Russian airborne troops has said Moscow would take all measures, including military ones, in response to a possible US strike on government forces in Syria. Read Full Article at RT.com

Russian MPs have prepared a bill that could allow state agencies to block messengers and social networks that refuse to delete fake news. The legislation would also make users personally responsible for spreading such material. Read Full Article at RT.com

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has said that he likes Telegram messenger as a means of direct communication with people, and added that he hoped some compromise would avoid it being blocked in Russia. Read Full Article at RT.com

The commander of Russia’s anti-aircraft troops has called for urgent action to introduce laws regulating the sale and use of drones, saying that their widespread use could lead to serious dangers. Read Full Article at RT.com

Almost 74 percent of Russian citizens want the government to maintain and develop the nuclear energy industry, which they consider a safe and clean sector. Read Full Article at RT.com

Russian investigators have started a criminal investigation into the alleged cruel treatment of an abandoned baby in a Novosibirsk hospital, after a chilling video was leaked on the internet, causing outrage among viewers. Read Full Article at RT.com

The Russian government has changed the assessment criteria for civil servants – now their careers will depend on feedback from ordinary citizens, as well as their reactions to reviews posted on the internet. Read Full Article at RT.com

Russia’s internet watchdog has requested that the Telegram internet messenger service be blocked, after it failed to hand over encryption keys to special services before the given deadline. Read Full Article at RT.com

A Russian pro-Christian MP says ahead of the 2018 World Cup the police should launch special units manned by “true patriots” and deploy them in cities to fight “asocial persons” including prostitutes and pimps. Read Full Article at RT.com

A young girl who rose to fame after making a slit-throat gesture at the regional governor amid environmental protests in Moscow Region was offered a trip to the Netherlands to study the latest recycling technology. Read Full Article at RT.com

International terrorist groups are skilled at using modern technology, recruit hackers into their ranks and actively finance their activities with cryptocurrencies, the head of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has said. Read Full Article at RT.com

The Russian lower house Committee for Family, Women and Children has approved calls to hold a vote on introducing life sentences as possible punishment for sex crimes against children. Read Full Article at RT.com

Russian anti-corruption blogger turned politician, Aleksey Navalny, has announced his intention to register the “Working Title” party, explaining that the name is meant to prevent interference from the country’s top Freemason. Read Full Article at RT.com

Thousands took to the streets of the Moscow region town of Volokolamsk on Sunday as locals continued protesting against a leaking waste depot nearby, blaming authorities for not doing enough to solve the crisis. Read Full Article at RT.com

Vladimir Zhirinovsky has proposed having the US ambassador expelled from the famous Spaso House residence in Moscow, and suggested that his party should occupy the building after it becomes vacant. Read Full Article at RT.com

The Russian State Duma has refused to pass a draft address describing the activities of former leaders Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin, which led to the fall of the Soviet Union, as “destructive and anti-national.” Read Full Article at RT.com

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has ordered data exchange services such as internet messengers to give up the encryption keys for their clients’ correspondence within 10 days of receiving an official request. Read Full Article at RT.com

Ramzan Kadyrov can punish all of Russia’s enemies without using “outlaw methods.” A government minister made the assertion while commenting on the Ukrainian man who spread fake news about the Russian shopping mall fire. Read Full Article at RT.com

A Russian parliamentary committee has advised scrapping a bill which would introduce obligatory verification of internet users and ban under-14s from social networks. It cited the bill’s high costs and complexity. Read Full Article at RT.com

A ruling party lawmaker intends to draft a bill regulating the media in times of major tragedies, like the recent mall fire in Siberia, tightening responsibility for fake news, as well as for provocations and insults. Read Full Article at RT.com

Russian soldiers are set to lose access to Coca Cola and Snickers bars at canteens and vending machines installed at bases, says a representative from a state contractor. Read Full Article at RT.com

The Russian government has rejected a bill regulating the work of private military companies, prepared by leftist party Fair Russia, saying that the document in its existing form is unconstitutional. Read Full Article at RT.com

The head of Russia’s Central Election Commission has revealed plans to introduce a blockchain-based system that would be protected from hacking and rigging, and which would be more convenient for voters. Read Full Article at RT.com

A Russian lawmaker has proposed the abolition of grand theft auto as a separate criminal offence, saying that it maintains a legal loophole that allows offenders to avoid severe penalties. Read Full Article at RT.com