By Elaine Donnelly
Extending sexual misconduct to combat units
Russian President Vladimir Putin has spent years building his reputation as a macho, athletic leader able to tackle any crisis, but continued rumors about his health have threatened to shatter his carefully constructed image.
Three punk rock-style activists who briefly took over a cathedral in a raucous prayer for deliverance from Vladimir Putin were sentenced to two years in prison for hooliganism on Friday, a decision that drew protests around the world as it highlighted the Russian president's intensifying crackdown on dissent.
A Moscow judge sentenced three members of the provocative punk band Pussy Riot to two years in prison on hooliganism charges on Friday following a trial seen around the world as an emblem of Russia's intolerance of dissent.
Three punk rock-style activists who briefly took over a cathedral in a raucous prayer for deliverance from Vladimir Putin were sentenced to two years in prison for hooliganism on Friday, a decision that drew protests around the world as it highlighted the Russian president's intensifying crackdown on dissent.
Russia's top security officials on Tuesday briefed parliament about an investigation of last month's suicide bombing at a Moscow airport, one day after Chechen warlord Doku Umarov took responsibility for the blast and threatened more attacks.
