Russia

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A portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin rests on a pile of debris at a flooded house in Krimsk, about 750 miles south of Moscow. Flooding killed more than 170 in southern Russia on July 6 and 7. The president is taking heat for a fumbled early warning. (Associated Press)

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A damaged car suffered by flood seen next to a flooded house in Krimsk, about 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) south of Moscow, Russia, Sunday, July 8, 2012. The death toll from severe flooding in the Black Sea region of southern Russia has risen to at least 150. (AP Photo/Ignat Kozlov)

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Syria's U.N. Ambassador Bashar Ja'afari (far left) and Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin (far right) listen to speakers July 19, 2012, during a Security Council vote at the United Nations. Russia and China vetoed a U.N. resolution to impose non-military sanctions on Syria. (Associated Press)

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Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and Kofi Annan, the U.N. envoy for the Syrian crisis, conferred in Moscow on Tuesday on efforts to end the fighting in Syria. (Associated Press)

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** FILE ** Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks at a news conference in Moscow on Monday, July 16, 2012. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)

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Russia's Arina Rodionova returns a ball to Anne Keothavong of Britain during their first round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (left) welcomes a delegation headed by Abdulbaset Sieda (right), a leader of the Syrian National Council (SNC), in Moscow, on Wednesday. Afterward, Mr. Sieda said he saw "no change" in Moscow's stance. (Associated Press)

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Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses Russian ambassadors July 9, 2012, during a meeting in the Foreign Ministry in Moscow. (Associated Press)

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A bridge is destroyed by flooding July 7, 2012, in the Black Sea resort of Gelendzhik in southern Russia. Torrential rains dropped nearly a foot of water in the Black Sea region overnight, unleashing intense flooding that killed more than one hundred people and forced many to seek refuge in trees and on roofs, officials said. (Associated Press)

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Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev poses Tuesday with children in front of a store he visited on one of the Kuril Islands. Mr. Medvedev pledged to boost aid for four impoverished islands, ownership of which has been disputed by Tokyo since World War II. (Associated Press)

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Maria Sharapova of Russia reacts during a fourth round singles match against Sabine Lisicki of Germany at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, England, Monday, July 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Sang Tan)