President Vladimir Putin insisted on Friday that the Kremlin was committed to the goal of democratic development, but said Russia needs more time to overcome the legacy of almost 70 years of Soviet rule.
It was still dark outside when Jessica Long ambled into the Olympic aquatic center on a recent morning wearing a pastel one-piece swimsuit and gray knee pads to shield the stumps of her legs from the poolside concrete.
US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul’s official residence in Moscow is Spaso House, a Neoclassical Revival mansion that served as the setting for a ball hosted by the devil in Mikhail Bulgakov’s novel, “Master and Margarita.” An apt home, some might say, for a man who has been demonized by state-run media and pro-Kremlin officials since his arrival in the Russian capital a little over a year ago.
As China’s new leader, Xi Jinping, kicks off a three-day visit to Russia on Friday, his first official trip as president, there will be plenty of sensitive topics to juggle – from competition on the global arms market to haggling over the price of gas and carving up regional influence.
The pungent scent of cannabis percolates through the car fumes in places along this busy commercial strip that locals call “The Green Mile” and “Reefer Row” – a reference to the dozen or so medical marijuana dispensaries dealing legal dope in the neighborhood.
