Russians aren’t enthusiastic about new parties – Public Opinion Foundation

File Photo of Vladimir Putin Speaking At All-Russia Popular Front Gathering

(Interfax – August 5, 2013) Russians are not enthusiastic about new parties and the only interest they take is that in the very fact of their appearance, Public Opinion Foundation General Director Alexander Oslon concluded from their sociological studies. “People do not expect any concrete results from the appearance of large number of political parties. I would say they are […]

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RIA Novosti: Putin Younger Than His Age, Swims to Deal With Stress – Kremlin Doctor

File Photo of Vladimir Putin and Pilot in Hang Glider Airborne Next to Flying Cranes

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, August 4, 2013) ­ Russian President Vladimir Putin’s love of sport means that, from a medical point of view, he is “much younger than his age,” the Kremlin’s chief doctor, Sergei Mironov, said in an interview to be published Monday. “He is a very sporty person. Not everyone at such a mature age starts to play […]

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Interfax: Putin says Russia needs no chaos, no new priests Gapons

File Photo of Vladimir Putin Sitting at Desk

(Interfax – SELIGER, Tver region, August 2, 2013) The attempts to plunge Russia into chaos will lead to the situation as in some Middle Eastern countries and Russia does not need new priests Gapons (Georgy Gapon was a Russian priest and a popular working class leader before the Russian Revolution of 1905), Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the Seliger […]

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TRANSCRIPT [Putin]: Seliger 2013 Youth Forum

Vladimir Putin file photo

(Kremlin.ru – August 2, 2013) Vladimir Putin visited the Seliger 2013 National Youth Education Forum, taking place in Tver Region on July 14-August 5. The President met with the Seliger-2013 forum participants and examined the best youth projects and public initiatives. This was Vladimir Putin’s fourth visit to Seliger. He previously visited the forum in 2009, 2011, and 2012. Seliger […]

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Russian human rights organization opens website to report September 8 election violations

Arm and Torso of Person in Brown Sweater Placing Paper Ballot into Ballot Box

(Interfax – August 3, 2013) The Russian movement for the protection of the rights of voters, Golos, has opened a website with a map [http://www.kartanarusheniy.org/] which will record all violations at local elections on 8 September, Interfax news agency reported on 2 August, quoting the movement’s press service. The press service said that people would be able to add information […]

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Moscow Helsinki Group head says law on NGOs must be cancelled

Lyudmila Alekseyeva file photo

(Interfax – MOSCOW, August 2, 2013) Head of the Moscow Helsinki Group Lyudmila Alexeyeva said she disagreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said he was opposed to toughening or liberalizing the law on non-governmental organizations (NGO) – foreign agents. “I think that this law must be cancelled over its absurdity,” Alexeyeva told Interfax on Friday. “We, NGOs, do not […]

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RIA Novosti: Activists Who Reported ‘Putin’s Palace’ Jailed for Extortion

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, August 5, 2013) ­ Four environmental activists in southern Russia have been given lengthy jail terms for extorting money from a real estate developer, though they denied the accusations, Russian media reported. Four employees of the Gelendzhik Human Rights Center in the Krasnodar Region were given jail terms of between eight and 13 years in a […]

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Snowden: Protagonist in a tragicomedy

Edward Snowden file photo

(Russia Beyond the Headlines/ Rossiyskaya Gazeta – rbth.ru – Fyodor Lukyanov, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Chairman of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy – August 5, 2013) Edward Snowden’s story started out as a spy thriller, went on to become a farce, and is about to turn into a drama laced with elements of human tragedy. The genre […]

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TRANSCRIPT: Dmitry Medvedev’s interview to Russia Today TV channel

Map of Georgia

(Government.ru – Gorki, August 4, 2013) Dmitry Medvedev is interviewed by Russia Today correspondent Oksana Boyko on the events in August 2008 and consequences of the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict. The interview was recorded on July 24, 2013. Oksana Boyko: Mr Medvedev, thank you for your time… Now that it’s been five years, the international community has all but forgotten this […]

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Russia had no intention to occupy Tbilisi, topple Saakashvili in Aug 2008 – Medvedev

Tblisi, Georgia, File Photo with Building with Tower on Hillside and City Buildings in Valley in Distance

(Interfax – MOSCOW, Aug 4, 2013) The Russian government had no intention to occupy Tbilisi and topple the Mikheil Saakashvili regime in its peace enforcement operation against Georgia in August 2008, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said. “As the Supreme Commander in Chief I never gave an order to enter Tbilisi, change their political regime and execute Saakashvili,” Medvedev, the […]

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Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#140 :: 2 August 2013

Map of Russia

Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#140 :: 2 August 2013 E-Mail: davidjohnson@starpower.net A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs: www.ieres.org JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php POLITICS 1. Interfax: Putin discontented with fight against corruption in Russia. 2. […]

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Putin Shows Global Mojo to Russians as U.S. Fumes Over Snowden

Edward Snowden file photo

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Ilya Arkhipov & Olga Tanas – August 2, 2013) Russian President Vladimir Putin is showing his gamesmanship on a global stage by giving his voters what they want with the asylum granted to ex-U.S. contractor Edward Snowden, while leaving the White House flustered. The decision is backed by almost twice as many Russians as those against […]

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Carelessness as a Russian National Trait

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Michael Bohm, Opinion Page Editor – August 2, 2013) Russians have had trouble shaking off one stereotype for centuries: razgildyaistvo, or negligence and carelessness. Razgildyaistvo, some say, is as Russian as long, cold winters ­ a ­Russian institution of its own making. How accurate is this stereotype? Prominent historian and journalist Leonid Mlechin perhaps put […]

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Russia honors fallen WWI soldiers for the first time

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Russia Beyong the Headlines – rbth.ru – August 1, 2013) For the first time, Russia will honor the Russian soldiers who died during World War I. State Duma Chairman Sergey Naryshkin ­ who also serves as both chairman of the organizing committee to mark the centennial of the beginning of World War I and president of the Russian Historical Society […]

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Top 10 must-see places in Russia you won’t find in a tourist guide

Map of European Portion of Former Soviet Union

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Darya Novak, Ilaria Parogni, RBTH – August 2, 2013) In Russia, the real adventure begins where the touristy trail ends. Off-the-beaten-track sites, unexpected destinations not specified in any guide book and hidden treasures known only to the locals – we at RBTH find new ones every day. Here you can find a list […]

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Putin has no plans to end his political career for now

File Photo of Vladimir Putin Speaking At All-Russia Popular Front Gathering

(Interfax – SELIGER, Tver region, August 2, 2013) Russian President Vladimir Putin said he did not intend to end his political career for now but, in any case, when the moment came, he would continue doing public work. “I hope it is not finished yet,” Putin said at the youth camp Seliger when asked what he would do after ending […]

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Putin discontented with fight against corruption in Russia

File Photo of Vladimir Putin Sitting at Desk

(Interfax – SELIGER, Tver region, Aug 2, 2013) The main problems in Russia are corruption, low incomes of citizens and insufficient infrastructure development, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. “The first issue and first problem is the fight against corruption, which is eating our society and state system. The second issue – and all this is interrelated – is low incomes […]

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Putin Questions Jail Term for Opposition Leader Navalny

File Photo of Alexei Navalny Being Grabbed by Police at Protest

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, August 2, 2013) Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that a recent real jail term for his vehement opponent Alexei Navalny was “strange,” given that another defendant in the case got away with a suspended sentence. Whistleblowing blogger Navalny was given five years in jail last month on embezzlement charges that he dismissed as fabricated by […]

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Almost 60% of Russians assert tension in North Caucasus – poll

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Interfax – MOSCOW, August 1, 2013) The majority of Russians continue to claim that tensions exist in the North Caucasus but their number is declining, Levada Center sociologists told Interfax. Nineteen percent of 1,601 respondents polled in 130 towns and cities in 45 regions in July argued that all was quiet in the North Caucasus and two percent even said […]

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Sergei Filin hopes to attend opening of new season at Bolshoi Theater

Bolshoi Theater file photo

(Interfax – MOSCOW, August 2, 2013) Bolshoi Theater Artistic Director Sergei Filin, who is being treated in a German clinic, has said he does not rule out that he might return to the theater in September. “If vision in my left eye continues recovering at the same pace and if it stabilizes, it is quite possible that I could return […]

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Government Backs Skolkovo High-Tech Hub With Funding Pledge

Skolkovo File Photo

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, August 2. 2013) The Russian government appeared to renew its support for the Skolkovo innovation hub Thursday as Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev told the Cabinet that the embattled project would be included in a state program and receive 502 billion rubles ($15.2 billion) of funding through 2020. The brainchild of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and […]

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Consumers Feel No Benefit From WTO, Producers Suffer

WTO Logo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Lena Smirnova – August 2, 2013) Russians were promised lower prices when the country joined the World Trade Organization, but one year on prices continue to rise ­ at least for consumers. Increased competition from WTO members is lowering wholesale prices and putting huge pressure on domestic producers, but consumers continue to pay the same […]

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Snowden Asylum Undercuts Obama’s Efforts on Russia Ties

File Photo of Vladimir Putin Leaning Towards Barack Hussein Obama With Flags Behind Them

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Terry Atlas & Nicole Gaouette – Aug. 2, 2013) Russia’s decision to grant temporary asylum to fugitive National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden is a blow to President Barack Obama’s desire to “reset” U.S. relations with its Cold War enemy. The Russian action yesterday puts in doubt a summit planned for next month between Obama and […]

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Ten Tips for a Free Snowden

Aerial View of Moscow From Beyond Stadium, file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Justin Lifflander – Aug. 2, 2013) Now that U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden is a genuine expat, armed with papers giving him refugee status for one year and free to roam Russia’s capital while he figures out his next move, here is a list of 10 do’s and don’ts that he should keep in mind. […]

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Russian expert doubts relations with U.S. will go off track over Snowden

Edward Snowden file photo

(Interfax – Aug. 2, 2013) While the United States could cancel several upcoming meetings in Russia to protest Moscow’s decision to grant asylum to Edward Snowden, one Russian expert does not expect the U.S. to take any further steps that could cause a serious chill in bilateral relations. Said Fyodor Lukyanov, head of the Foreign and Defense Policy Council, “Concerning […]

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Snowden Has Left the Building: A Gift to US-Russian Relations

Edward Snowden file photo

( RIA Novosti – Simon Saradzhyan, researcher at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center – Aug. 1, 2013) So Snowden has left the building. The NSA leaker’s departure from Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, for an undisclosed location in Russia, on Thursday is turning into a real blessing for the US-Russian relationship. It may sound perverse, but both Barack Obama, and, to a […]

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Edward Snowden ‘In Safe Place With Friends’ – Russian Lawyer

Edward Snowden file photo

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, Aug. 2, 2013) Edward Snowden, who is wanted by the United States for leaking classified information on US surveillance programs and who was granted temporary asylum Thursday by Russia, has decided where he is going to live and is in a safe place with friends, a Russian lawyer who helped him with his asylum bid said […]

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Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#139 :: 1 August 2013

Map of Russia

Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#139 :: 1 August 2013 E-Mail: davidjohnson@starpower.net A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs: www.ieres.org JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php POLITICS 1. Interfax: Most of Russians mistrust national judiciary – poll. 2. […]

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Job Opening – Deputy Director, Moscow Carnegie Center

Kremlin and St. Basil's

From: Andrew Weiss <aweiss@ceip.org> Date: Monday, July 29, 2013 Subject: Job Opening – Deputy Director, Moscow Carnegie Center I’d appreciate your help in getting the word out via JRL that the Carnegie Endowment is seeking to fill the position of Deputy Director at the Carnegie Moscow Center. This is an exciting position for a talented, Russian-speaking individual who would serve […]

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Urlashov Faces More Charges

Yevgeny Urlashov file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Yekaterina Kravtsova – August 1, 2013) Investigators said Wednesday that they were preparing a new criminal case against former Yaroslavl Mayor Yevgeny Urlashov, who was arrested on attempted bribery charges in early July in what his supporters say was a frame-up to ruin his party’s chances of winning regional elections. Urlashov became a nationally known […]

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RIA Novosti: Snowden’s Russia Asylum Gets Mixed Response From Rights Advocates

Edward Snowden file photo

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, Aug. 1, 2013) ­ The news that US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden has been granted temporary asylum in Russia received mixed response from human rights advocates Thursday. The head of Amnesty International’s Moscow office said the human rights organization welcomed Russia’s decision to grant temporary asylum to Snowden, who had been holed up in a Moscow […]

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Sentence first, verdict afterwards

European Court of Human Rights Building file photo

(opendemocracy.net – Kirill Koroteev – Aug. 1, 2013) Kirill Koroteev, a Russian lawyer, has worked with Memorial Human Rights Centre (Moscow) and European Human Rights Advocacy Centre on numerous cases lodged against the Russian Federation with the European Court of Human Rights. He was also a charge de mission for the International Federation for Human Rights (Paris) on Belarus and […]

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RIA Novosti: Snowden Standoff Cannot Affect U.S.-Russian Ties – Kremlin

Edward Snowden file photo

(RIA Novosti – NOVO-OGARYOVO, Aug. 1, 2013) ­ The controversy around fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden, who has been granted temporary asylum in Russia, is not of great importance and cannot harm US-Russian relations, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday. “This issue is not important enough to affect political relations,” aide Yury Ushakov told reporters, adding […]

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Most of Russians mistrust national judiciary – poll

Russian Constitutional Court file photo

(Interfax – MOSCOW, July 31, 2013) Most of Russians have no trust in the national judiciary, Levada Center told Interfax on Wednesday referring to the July poll outcomes. Almost two-thirds of the respondents (61%) suspect that an average person cannot expect fair justice, and 27% disagree. The attitude to the Russian judiciary has been changed for the past five years. […]

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131 Years After Death, Dostoyevsky Undergoes Criminal Check in Russia

Fyodor Dostoyevskty file photo

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, August 1, 2013) As if Fyodor Dostoyevsky wasn’t depressing enough, Russian court marshals have added a touch of Kafka to his legacy, investigating the Russian literary giant for contempt of court ­ and only clearing him because he is no longer alive. The amusing story began with an “idiot” ­ both the title of an 1869 […]

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Most Russians Unhappy About Migrant Worker Influx – State Survey

Migrant Workers file photo

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, Aug. 1, 2013) ­ Most Russians have negative views regarding the influx of labor migrants, millions of whom come from former Soviet republics in Central Asia to seek a better living in Russia, according to the results of a state survey published Thursday. About two-thirds (65 percent) of respondents to the poll, conducted last month, said […]

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RIA Novosti: Most Russians Positive About Snowden – Survey

Edward Snowden file photo

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, August 1, 2013) ­ Over half of Russians on the whole approve of what fugitive US former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden did, an opinion survey by the Levada Center pollster has shown. Snowden, who is wanted by the United States for leaking classified data about the US National Security Agency’s surveillance programs, formally requested temporary asylum […]

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Elections in Moscow: Why a Boycott Is Counterproductive

Arm and Torso of Person in Brown Sweater Placing Paper Ballot into Ballot Box

(Institute of Modern Russia – imrussia.org – Vladimir Kara-Murza – August 1, 2013) On September 8, Moscow will hold its mayoral election. Six candidates are vying for the post, but only two can be considered serious contenders: the incumbent, Sergei Sobyanin, and anticorruption campaigner Alexei Navalny. As in previous years, a part of the opposition is calling for a boycott […]

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Over half of Moscow citizens ready to vote at mayoral elections – poll

Aerial View of Moscow From Beyond Stadium, file photo

(Interfax – MOSCOW, July 31, 2013) The majority of Moscow citizens are aware that that early Moscow mayoral elections will be held on September 8 and they are interested in the election campaign, however not all of them intend to vote on the single election day, sociologists said. The share of Moscow citizens aware of the upcoming mayoral elections in […]

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