(Interfax – Moscow, 4 December) Left Front coordinator Sergey Udaltsov is satisfied with the results of the year that has passed since the start of active protests and believes in dialogue with the authorities on issues of political and social reform in the country. (Passage omitted: disputed 4 December 2011 parliamentary election led to mass public protests) “It will be […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Yekaterina Kravtsova – Dec. 5, 2012) “Who is in favor of fair courts? Seems like no one wants fair courts. How about early elections? Don’t you want early elections?” former chess champion Garry Kasparov asked the opposition Coordination Council regarding the main slogan to be used for a Dec. 15 protest march. “For now, we […]
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MOSCOW. Dec 4 (Interfax) – The anti-corruption fight in Russia has started to bear tangible fruit, the Russian Public Opinion Study Center (VTsIOM) told Interfax on Tuesday. It polled 1,600 people in 138 towns and cities in 46 regions in late November. Thirty-six percent of Russians said the anti-corruption measures were efficient in 2007, and the indicator has grown to […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Dec. 5, 2012) The index on state sector corruption, published by anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International (TI) on Wednesday, showed Russia climbed 10 spots to 133th place in 2012. Based on expert opinion, countries are scored from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). Russia scored 28. No country scores a perfect 100. While no […]
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(RIA Novosti- Moscow, 4 December) By the middle of the 21st century, Russia may lose its sovereignty unless it today clearly identifies its national interests in the Arctic region, Russian Federation Deputy Prime Minister Dmitriy Rogozin said on Tuesday (4 December). “It is extremely important that we place the markers, it is extremely important that we mark the perimeter of […]
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NEW YORK. Dec 5 (Interfax) – Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said while visiting the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday that he expected the frictions about the so-called Magnitsky Act should not affect contacts between businessmen. “As you know, Russia is preparing measures in response to the Magnitsky list. This is a political aspect of relations between […]
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(Thomas Graham – Thomas Graham, a senior fellow at the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, Yale University, was the senior director for Russia on the U.S. National Security Council staff 2004-2007.- A Russian version of this ran in Ekspert, Nov. 16, 2012 ttp://expert.ru/expert/2012/46/gde-iskat-buduschee/?n=87778) Does U.S.-Russian cooperation have a future? After the initial warming trend of the first years of the […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Jonathan Earle – Dec. 5, 2012) One year ago Wednesday, tens of thousands of protesters filled Chistiye Prudy, a leafy park in downtown Moscow, in a spontaneous protest against State Duma elections that they said were rigged. The participants led by students and urban, middle-class professionals described the event in terms of jubilation […]
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(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Alina Lobzina – Dec. 5, 2012) Muscovites are to brace for the coldest winter in 20 years, a weather forecast service warned on Wednesday. “It will be like in the good old times snowy and frosty, with no deviations,” a representative of the Fobos weather center told RIA Novosti. Winter seasons when Muscovites wade […]
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[Despite Moscow’s Promises, Russia’s Far East Remains ‘More Dead than Alive,’ Experts Say – Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Nov. 30 – http://windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2012/11/window-on-eurasia-despite-moscows.html] Paul Goble writes, for Windows on Eurasia, about the state of Russian ambitions for development of the Russian Far East: Yesterday’s meeting of the Russian State Council devoted to the Russian Far East and the […]
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[Constitutional changes possible but not yet necessary – Putin – Russia Today – Nov. 30, 2012 – http://rt.com/politics/president-state-mps-government-962/] Russia Today covers Russian President Vladimir Putin’s positions on how members of the Federation Council are chosen. Click here for the full article: http://rt.com/politics/president-state-mps-government-962/
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[What the Papers Say, Dec. 4 2012 – Moscow Times/BBC Monitoring – http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/what-the-papers-say-dec-4-2012/472463.html] The Moscow Times and BBC Monitoring examine highlights from Russian print newspapers: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/what-the-papers-say-dec-4-2012/472463.html
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[What the Papers Say, Dec. 3, 2012 – Moscow Times/BBC Monitoring – http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/what-the-papers-say-dec-3-2012/472346.html] The Moscow Times and BBC Monitoring examine highlights from Russian print newspapers: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/what-the-papers-say-dec-3-2012/472346.html
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[Europe for Russia: A key secondary partner? Culturally and historically, Russia belongs to Europe, but Europe is unaccustomed to its new position on the global periphery. The situation requires an urgent strategy from Russia for dealing with the rising East – Fyodor Lukyanov – Fyodor Lukyanov is the editor-in-chief of Russia in Global Affairs – Russia Beyond the Headlines – […]
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[Russia may change its image in bid to find more allies – Russia Today – Dec. 3, 2012 – http://rt.com/politics/russia-change-bid-find-128/] Russia Today writes on Russian foreign policy ambitions following an assembly of Russia’s Council for Foreign and Defence Policy. In part, Russia Today cited attendees as highlighting military spending, including conventional forces: Conference members also observed that in modern times […]
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[Corruption scandals dominate Russian headlines; Allegations have involved Russia’s defense and agriculture ministries and even the space program. Some wonder whether the regime is cracking down or fracturing. – Los Angeles Times – Sergei L. Loiko – Dec. 3, 2012 – http://articles.latimes.com/2012/dec/02/world/la-fg-russia-corruption-20121203] The Los Angeles Times covers recently exposed corruption scandals in Russia: … the news in Russia lately has […]
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(RFE/RL – Nail Khisamiev, Robert Coalson – Dec. 1, 2012) A potentially explosive political kettle has been simmering in Russia for months, and it may well boil over in the weeks to come. Shortly after his return to the Kremlin in May, President Vladimir Putin ordered the drafting of a new State Nationalities Policy. The document, which was to be […]
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(Interfax – Dec. 1, 2012) During its G20 chairmanship, Russia intends to offer a substantive agenda to its partners aimed at resolving problems facing all countries of the world. “We see the main objective of Russia’s chairmanship in concentrating the G20’s efforts on developing measures stimulating economic growth and the creation of jobs,” Putin said in a welcoming address for […]
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MOSCOW, December 3 (RIA Novosti) – The world’s developed nations should not abandon their budget consolidation and debt reduction plans, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on Monday. “The majority of developed countries with a high level of debt recognize the need to have debt reduction programs,” he said at a news conference at RIA Novosti devoted to Russia’s G20 […]
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MOSCOW, December 3 (RIA Novosti) Russian state-controlled energy giants Gazprom and Rosneft, and state-run savings bank Sberbank top the list of where Russians most want to work, according to a poll published by the VTsIOM pollster on Monday. “Gazprom remains the most attractive employer for Russians. If respondents could choose a job in any large company operating on the […]
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[Putin visits Turkey amid differences over Syria – AP – Vladimir Isachenkov – Dec. 3, 2012 – click here for full article] AP covers Russian President Vladimir Putin’s trip to Turkey, focusing on growing trade while also in the midst of concerns over the conflict in Turkey’s neighbor Syria, as well as questions about Putin’s health: The blossoming trade relationship […]
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[U.S. Senate forbids Pentagon to cooperate with Rosoboronexport – ITAR-TASS – RUSSIAN PRESS REVIEW – Dec. 3, 2012 – http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c142/587557.html] Itar-Tass reports on U.S. Senate approval of sanctions against Russia for supplying weapons to Syria, in the form of a prohibition on the U.S. Department of Defence buying weapons from Russian arms exporter Rosoboronexport. Meanwhile, Russia argues that it is […]
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[The Illusion of a Rich Russia – Moscow Times/Vedomosti – Dec. 3, 2012 – http://www.themoscowtimes.com/opinion/article/the-illusion-of-a-rich-russia/472315.html] The Moscow Times provides an English-language version of a Vedomosti editorial about perceptions and realities of wealth and poverty in Russia, holding that “Amid all of the seemingly good news, however, Russia’s poverty problem is far from conquered.” First Vedomosti recounts some of the Western […]
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[NATO aims to repair Russia ties despite Patriot row – Reuters – Adrian Croft – Dec. 2, 2012 – http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/02/us-nato-ministers-idUSBRE8B107820121202] Reuters reports on NATO foreign ministers seeking to improve NATO’s relations with Russia, even as Russia raises concerns over NATO-member Turkey receiving Patriot air defense missiles as a safeguard against attacks from Syria. NATO-Russian cooperation includes addressing the future of […]
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[Russia Day to be held at New York Stock Exchange – Itar-Tass – Dec. 3, 2012 – Russia Day to be held at New York Stock Exchange – http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c154/587860.html] Itar-Tass covers plans to hold a “Russia Day” conference at the New York Stock Exchange: Russia Day is to be held at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Monday. The […]
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[Ellen Barry – New York Times – Dec. 2, 2012 – http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/world/in-panicky-russia-its-official-end-of-world-is-not-near-664630/] Ellen Barry of the New York Times covers Russia’s response to reports about the would-be Mayan Apocalypse: There are scattered reports of unusual behavior from across Russia’s nine time zones. * * * For those not schooled in New Age prophecy, there are rumors the world will end […]
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(Snow traps drivers for days in giant Russia traffic jam – Reuters – Dec. 2, 2012 – http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/03/uk-russia-traffic-idUSLNE8B201620121203) Reuters reports on a two-days-and-counting, 120-mile-long traffic jam on a major Russian highway resulting from heavy snow and involving thousands of vehicles: Thousands of trucks and cars have been stuck on a major highway, some for more than two days, in a […]
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(Interfax – Dec. 2, 2012) Georgia believes it is necessary to start resuming dialogue with Russia despite radical disagreements regarding Abkhazia’s and South Ossetia’s status. “We believe we should look for common interests without preconditions, especially such that rule out the possibility of dialogue. We are sure that the settlement of problems between Georgia and Russia are in the interests […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Rachel Nielsen – Dec. 3, 2012) Although Russian proposals on Internet regulation ahead of Monday’s opening of the International Telecommunication Union conference in Dubai have worried anti-censorship watchdogs around the globe, some local experts aren’t expecting any significant changes to the U.S.-centric system that administers the technical aspects of the World Wide Web. “There won’t […]
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(Interfax – Dec. 3, 2012) Only 20 percent of working-age Russians with disabilities are employed, the Labor and Social Protection Ministry said on Monday. “Just 816,200 out of 3.39 million working-age persons with disabilities are employed. Some 2.6 million persons with disabilities or 79.7 percent do not have jobs. The rate of employed persons with disabilities is 20.3%, percent,” the […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Alexander Bratersky – Dec. 3, 2012) Magnitsky’s life reveals a man who was in many ways ordinary and felt compelled to fight a state machine he had trusted his whole career. When a childhood friend said he was thinking of not returning to Russia after a concert tour abroad in 2000, Sergei Magnitsky gave him […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Vladimir Frolov – Dec. 3, 2012) It may feel like hitting a political trifecta. You defang the political issue that energizes your opponents. You restore your standing with the military and please your core supporters long clamoring for the corrupt elites’ heads. You anesthetize your governing team with a fear of being on the hit […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Dec. 3, 2012) President Vladimir Putin told leaders of the four State Duma factions that he would make his state-of-the-nation address in mid-December. The address is traditionally held in November, but a Kremlin source told Kommersant in late October that the address might be delayed amid disputes about its content. The faction heads met Putin […]
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MOSCOW, December 3 (RIA Novosti) – A group of Russian politicians have urged national TV networks to show restraint in broadcasting material suggesting the end of the world is nigh, a deputy from Russia’s LDPR party said on Monday. According to an ancient Mayan calendar, December 21, 2012 marks the end of a 5125-year long cycle. Lurid articles have already […]
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(Business New Europe – www.bne.eu – Ben Aris) A major anti-corruption campaign is underway in Russia. Yet despite making graft the defining issue of the Russian story, the western press is vigorously ignoring the campaign. At the start of November, President Vladimir Putin fired the defence minister, Anatoly Serdyukov, after an investigation uncovered RUB3bn ($97m) worth of stealing from a […]
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(Interfax – Nov. 29, 2012) No substantial improvement in Russia’s investment climate has yet come about, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has said. “Unfortunately, we have had no fundamental successes here,” Medvedev said at a Thursday government meeting at which he presented the preliminary results of a half year of cabinet of ministers activity. “The task consists in the reduction […]
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(Augusto Come – www.opendemocracy.net – Augusto Come is a student of the Paris School of International Affairs and Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO). He is interested in issues of democracy and transition in the post-Soviet space – Nov. 29, 2012) Russia’s higher education institutions are popularly assumed to be among the most corrupt in the country. Augusto Come […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Nikolaus von Twickel – Nov. 30, 2012) A city court has declared Pussy Riot’s “punk prayer” video extremist, meaning that media outlets can face closure for publishing the all-female band’s famous performance in Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral. Thursday’s far-reaching decision also means that hosting platforms like YouTube must remove the video for Russian users […]
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(Interfax – Vienna, 29 November) The Kremlin hopes that the draft bill on controlling officials’ expenses will take effect this year. “Among anti-corruption stories, I would note the draft bill on controlling officials’ expenses,” the head of the Kremlin (Presidential) Administration, Sergey Ivanov, said at the International Anti-Corruption Academy’s (IACA) first Assembly of Parties in Vienna on Thursday (29 November). […]
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MOSCOW. Nov 29 (Interfax) – Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Russia’s population may stabilize at the level of some 143 million people in two years. “We can stabilize the country’s population by 2015 at a level of 142-143 million despite the current negative forecasts and increase life expectancy of 74 years by 2018,” Medvedev told the government on Thursday. […]
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MOSCOW. Nov 30 (Interfax) – Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to participate in sports as usual and the rumors about his back problems do not affect his ability to work, the president’s press officer Dmitry Peskov said. “We continue working and intends to continue working in the same mode. He has no intention of giving up sports. Like any sportsman, […]
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