Russia Beyond the Headlines sums up the most significant events of 2011: From the terrorist attack on Domodedovo to Russia's WTO accession.
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Sukhoi.org
Russia’s annual air show, MAKS-2011, had first jet of the fifth generation SUKHOI Т-50 PAK FA introduced before public in August when the audience could witness the demonstrative flights of this jet.
RIA Novosti
The newborn boy Pyotr from Kaliningrad became the Earth's seventh billion resident in Russia.
AP
The plan for Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev to swap positions has been announced at the United Russia congress in September.
Itar Tass
A flight crash had almost all members of Russia’s best Lokomotov hockey team killed as a result of the plane crash
Itar Tass
Russia had the sacred belt of God’s Mother brought into the Russian Orthodox Church.
Reuters / VostotckPhoto
After a six-year-long, $700 million restoration, the Bolshoi Theater reopened.
IMPB/Oleg Voloshin
The Mars-500 experiment, in which six astronauts spent 520 days in isolation imitating a journey to the red planet, came to an end.
Itar Tass
A Russian team won the Beach Football Championship and beat the Brazilian ream in the final game with the 12:8 score.
Kommersant
The 2011 elections for the Russian State Duma took place Dec. 4.
Itar Tass
Two Russian soccer clubs, Zenit (St.Petersburg) and CSKA (Moscow), joined the Champions League for the first time.
AFP / EastNews
On Dec. 16, the ministerial conference of the World Trade Organization meeting in Geneva approved the protocol for Russia’s accession to the WTO after 18 years of negotiations.
RIA Novosti
The high-profile fire at the Zolotoy Rog (Golden Horn) bridge in Vladivostok put $563-million object at stake but, finally, the problem was fixed. The incident happened on the eve of the 2011 APEC Summit.
AP
Following the Dec. 4 elections, protests against alleged election fraud took place in central Moscow. The demonstrations brought together thousands people who came to express their disappointment in the electoral process.
ImageForum
Russia’s KAMAZ-master team won the Dakar-2011 rally, which ended Jan. 15 in South America.
Reuters / VostotckPhoto
The Jan. 24 bombing of Moscow's Domodedovo airport killed 35 people and wounded more than 150.
AP
Mikhail Khodorkovsky, former head of the Yukos oil company, was sentenced to an additional six years in a penal colony after he was found guilty of theft and money laundering.
Ilya Varlamov
According to research conducted by Forbes in March 2011, most of world’s billionaires live in Moscow. A third of Europe's 300 billionaires, and 15 of the world's 100 richest people reside in Russia.
Lori Fotobank
As a result of domestic reforms, Russia’s "militia" was renamed "policia."
Itar Tass
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a bill limiting when and where beer can be sold. The law will come into force in 2012.
Itar Tass
The Moscow Planetarium reopened after a 17-year-long reconstruction.
Lori Fotobank
A snow leopard, a skating bunny and a polar bear were selected as the symbols of Sochi’s 2014 Olympic Games.
Reuters / VostotckPhoto
Mikhail Prokhorov, Russia's third-richest man, decided to start a new career in politics.
PhotoXpress
Russia refused to use filament lamps and replaced it with energy-efficient ones.
RIA Novosti
The Russian GLONASS Satellite Navigation System reached its full constellation of 24 operating satellites making it a globally available navigation and guidance system.
Itar Tass
Moscow's iconic Gorky Park was modernized and reconstructed. It was the first park to undergo renovation as part of a plan by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin to make the city more green.
AP
Alexander Sokurov’s "Faust" won the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival.
Cater News/Legion Media
The authorities came up with a plan aiming at expanding Moscow’ territory twice in the south-west direction from its current boarders.
RIA Novosti
The July 10 cruise of the Bulgaria riverboat had 129 passengers out 208 killed as a result of its crash in the Volga River.
Reuters / VostotckPhoto
Russia’s President Dmirty Medvedev cancelled the winter time introduced in 1981
Itar Tass
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobianyn decided to replace the asphalt pavements with concrete bricks throughout the city which brought about a lot of indignation among Muscovites for boulevards and pavements were blocked because of the repairing works.
