As local bands recently performed at an opposition rally in Moscow, other pop stars were simultaneously invited by the government to play at 'spoiler' festivals that some say aim to distract the public from politics.

No sooner had he walked out of a Moscow jail than activist Ilya Yashin was detained for a third time, accused of urging mass protests. Several opposition politicians are barred from next month's Moscow city elections.

Moscow's wave of protests has no leader, but 31-year-old Lyubov Sobol has emerged as one of its most visible protagonists. Instead of participating in a weekend protest, she was detained by police in the Russian capital.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of central Moscow to protest the upcoming city council ballot. Independent and opposition candidates have been barred from running.

Thousands of demonstrators are expected to turn out in support of opposition candidates for Moscow's city council election. The rally follows the arrest of opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Wednesday.

Roskosmos has launched a German-Russian space telescope to replace Moscow's Hubble-like Spektr-R. The telescope will allow scientists to observe more than 100,000 galaxy clusters, marking "the beginning of a new era."

The Moscow media outlet investigative reporter Ivan Golunov worked for believe he has been framed. Golunov was known for his investigations into graft in Moscow and had allegedly received death threats recently.

Defying intimidation attempts, thousands of people in Arkhangelsk, a city some 1,200 kilometers north of Moscow, have taken to the streets to protest plans to ship Moscow's garbage to their province.

Over 90 prominent opponents of Afghan President Ghani are meeting Taliban representatives in Moscow to discuss peace. The move has further sidelined the president and could pave the way for US exit from Afghanistan.

Moscow has vowed to restart the development of medium-range nuclear missiles as it mirrors Washington's decision to withdraw from the 1987 arms control agreement. The split has the potential to incite a new arms race.

Moscow has accused Tokyo of attempting to "stir up the atmosphere" ahead of key talks. Russia and Japan never signed a peace treaty in the wake of World War II, and disputed islands may prevent them from doing so now.

Russia has opened a criminal case against a US citizen for alleged spying. Relations between Moscow and Washington have soured since Russia's annexation of Crimea and allegations Russia interfered with US elections.