2018 in Russia

Incumbents

• President: Vladimir Putin
• Prime Minister: Dmitry Medvedev

  Events

February

• 11 February – Saratov Airlines Flight 703 crashed shortly after take-off, killing all 71 people on board.

  March

• 15–17 March – Sergey Lavrov has announced that Russia will expel diplomats from the United Kingdom because of the expulsion of 23 Russian envoys due to the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and Yulia Skripal. The Russian foreign ministry is to expel 23 British diplomats amid tensions over the nerve agent attack in the United Kingdom.
• March 18 - In the Russian presidential election, Vladimir Putin is elected for a fourth term, winning 73.9% of the vote.
• March 25 - 2018 Kemerovo fire

  May

• May 5 - Thousand Protest rally in 97 cities including Moscow and St Petersburg, against Vladimir Putin for winning a fourth term in the Russian President Election.
• May 7 - Vladimir Putin sworn in for a fourth term as President of Russia in the Hall of the Order of St. Andrew of the Grand Kremlin Palace.
• May 10 - Opening of Crimean Bridge.

  June

• June 14 - The opening ceremonies of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

  July

• July 1 - Several thousand people protested across Russia against a hugely unpopular government decision to hike the pension age that has led to a record slump in President Vladimir Putin's approval ratings. No protests were held in World Cup host cities due to a regulation banning protest in the cities for the duration of the tournament.
• * Russia knocks out Spain from the World Cup after winning a penalty shootout.
• 15 July - Closing ceremony of 2018 FIFA World Cup
• July 28 - More than 10,000 people attended a rally in the capital, Moscow against government plans to increase the retirement age rise.

  August

• 2 August - More than 9,000 people attended a rally against government plans to increase the retirement age rise.

  December

• 26 to 28 December - The 2018 World Rapid Chess Championship was held in Saint Petersburg. Winner and world champion was Daniil Dubov from Russia, ahead of Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Hikaru Nakamura.

  Deaths

• 3 January – Igor Strelbin, footballer.
• 9 January – Robert Minlos, mathematician
• 9 January – Alexander Vedernikov, singer and teacher
• 9 January – Valeri Matyunin, footballer
• 10 January – Mikhail Derzhavin, actor
• 15 January – Viktor Anpilov, politician and trade unionist
• 25 January – Lyudmila Senchina, soprano singer
• 21 February – Valentin Afraimovich, mathematician
• 21 February – Sergei Aleksandrov, footballer
• 26 February – Tatyana Karpova, actress
• 22 March – Khozh-Akhmed Bersanov, Chechen writer and ethnographer
• 26 March – Sergei Mavrodi, financial fraudster and a deputy of the State Duma
• 27 March – Victor Kalashnikov, gun designer
• 28 March – Oleg Anofriyev, actor, singer, songwriter, film director and poet
• 16 April – Maxim Borodin, 32, Russian Journalist
• 19 April – Vladimir Lyakhov, cosmonaut
• 21 April – Nina Doroshina, actress
• 22 April – Ivan P. Neumyvakin, physician
• 21 May – Aleksandr Askoldov, actor and film director
• 3 July – Boris Orlov, gymnastics coach.
• 5 July – Evgeny Golod, mathematician who proved the Golod–Shafarevich theorem on class field towers.
• 8 July – Tazir Kariyev, footballer.
• 10 July – Andrei Suslin, mathematician who contributed to algebraic K-theory and its connections with algebraic geometry.
• 27 July – Vladimir Voinovich, writer.