Russian police have broken up rallies over the weekend that demanded respect for the right to free assembly.
Ukraine's Yulia Tymoshenko relished a solo performance on television on Monday, heaping insults on arch foe Viktor Yanukovich after he shunned a prime-time debate with her ahead of a presidential run-off on February 7.
The Web site of Russia's highest-profile independent newspaper has been paralyzed for a week by a sustained attack from hackers, its deputy editor said Monday.
Russia's Foreign Ministry rejected on Monday Japan's protest over an incident in which Russian border guards opened fire on two Japanese fishing vessels off the disputed South Kuril islands.
The Russian economy shrank 7.9% in 2009 compared with 2008, the Federal Statistics Service has announced.