Russia, Iran, and Qatar to form gas cartel;

Venezuela eyes Russian tanks as arms exports on rise

Politkovskaya trial begins;

Capital flight fails to dent defense budget

Moscow feels the pinch from financial crisis;

Duma rep signals (slight) preference for Obama

Military plans to trim officer corps by two-thirds;

Russian FM to Iran: No missiles for countries in "

unstable regions"

Medvedev celebrates end of U.S. financial dominance;

Top democratic party bows to Kremlin control

Moscow fights financial fire with $50 billion bailout;

Gorbachev to head new reformist party

Russia backtracks on Arctic claims;

Kremlin infighting leads to bloodshed

Medvedev turns to Arctic to "

secure Russian interests"

Moscow formalizes treaties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia

Russian defense spending to surge 27% in 2009;

Russia withdraws from (most of) Georgia

Russian navy to flex muscles in South America...;

...and renovate port in Mediterranean