A mourner bows at the coffin of Swedish professional ice hockey player Stefan Liv in the Arena in Yaroslavl, Russia, northeast of Moscow, on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011, during a funeral service for the victims of Wednesday's plane crash. The sign on the coffin reads "Stefan Daniel Patryk Liv." (AP Photo/Misha Japaridze)
Caroline Wozniacki, of Denmark, returns to Svetlana Kuznetsova, of Russia, in the fourth round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Monday, Sept. 5, 2011, in New York. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Venus Williams, of the United States, returns against Vesna Dolonts, of Russia, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Monday, Aug. 29, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Venus Williams, of the United States, returns against Vesna Dolonts, of Russia, during the first round of the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York, Monday, Aug. 29, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
ASSOCIATED PRESS/RIA NOVOSTI
ExxonMobil CEO Rex W. Tillerson (left) and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin appear together Tuesday in Sochi, Russia, at a signing ceremony for a deal between Russia's Rosneft oil company and ExxonMobil to develop oil fields in the Russian Arctic. Rosneft will gain some U.S. oil-field access.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il waves goodbye to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (not pictured) after a meeting at a military garrison outside Ulan-Ude, Russia, on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011. (AP Photo/RIA Novosti, Dmitry Astakhov, Presidential Press Service)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il (right) is greeted by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday at a military garrison near the city of Ulan-Ude in Buryatia, a predominantly Buddhist province near Lake Baikal, Russia. (Associated Press)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il (left) meets with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (right) at a military garrison outside Ulan-Ude, Russia, on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011. (AP Photo/RIA Novosti, Dmitry Astakhov, Presidential Press Service)
A limousine without license plates reportedly carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is seen in Ulan-Ude, Russia, on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Anna Ogorodnik)
A special armored train (foreground) transporting North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is seen parked at a railway station in Ulan-Ude, Russia, on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is expected to visit the Siberian city Wednesday, apparently to hold summit talks with Mr. Kim, according to a Russian government source. (AP Photo/Anna Ogorodnik)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il (in tan suit) walks up a ramp to the carriage of his armored train at the Bureya railway station in Russia's eastern Siberia region on Sunday, Aug. 21, 2011. (AP Photo/IA Port Amur, www.portamur.ru)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il (center) arrives at the Bureya railway station in Russia's eastern Siberia region on Sunday, Aug. 21, 2011. Mr. Kim is on a weeklong trip to Russia, during which he will meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. (AP Photo/IA Port Amur, www.portamur.ru)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (right) and his Iranian counterpart, Ali Akbar Salehi, walk to their meeting in Moscow on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Misha Japaridze)
In the 1990s, Russian President Boris Yeltsin's image turned from bravery and color into one of weakness and bewilderment. His successor, Vladimir Putin, (below) is credited for reigning in post-Soviet chaos but criticized for turning away from democracy. In the 20 years since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has exploded with wealth and glitzy developments such as the Moscow City Center (above).
In the 1990s, Russian President Boris Yeltsin's image turned from bravery and color into one of weakness and bewilderment. His successor, Vladimir Putin, (below) is credited for reigning in post-Soviet chaos but criticized for turning away from democracy. In the 20 years since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has exploded with wealth and glitzy developments such as the Moscow City Center (above).
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOGRAPHS
In the 1990s, Russian President Boris Yeltsin's image turned from bravery and color into one of weakness and bewilderment. His successor, Vladimir Putin, (below) is credited for reigning in post-Soviet chaos but criticized for turning away from democracy. In the 20 years since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has exploded with wealth and glitzy developments such as the Moscow City Center (above).
Army procurement missteps and an administration decision to lift sanctions on Russia's state arms exporter prevented a Navy contractor from getting Mi-17 helicopters to Afghanistan's air force in time for the summer fighting season, according to current and former defense officials and military contractors. (Defense Technology Inc.)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says relations with the U.S. can improve only after "an agreement regarding the architecture of the European missile defense system." (Associated Press)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton participate in a joint briefing at the State Department in Washington on Wednesday, July 13, 2011. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin, from Russia, looks to shoot the puck in the second period of Game 1 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff series with the New York Rangers Wednesday, April 13, 2011 in Washington.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)