Interfax: Medvedev: September 8 elections were not easy, real competition is in place

Dmitry Medvedev file photo

(Interfax – September 9, 2013) Moscow mayoral election procedureRussian Prime Minister, leader of the United Russia party Dmitry Medvedev thinks that the single election day, September 8, showed a real political competition in Russia. “The elections were not easy. They showed the increased activity of non-parliamentary parties, including the recently registered ones. In general, there were 110,000 candidates from 54 […]

» Read more

Russia’s North Caucasus, Islamists seen as main terrorist threats – poll

Map of Chechnya and Environs

(Interfax – September 7, 2013) A majority of Russians (55 per cent) are confident, to greater or lesser extent, that the authorities are able to protect the public from new terrorist attacks, Russian Interfax news agency reported on 3 September, quoting the All-Russia Public Opinion Research Centre (VTsIOM). (1) This answer has become more popular over the past three years […]

» Read more

NEW BOOK: Law, Rights and Ideology in Russia: Landmarks in the Destiny of a Great Power

Map of Russia

Subject: New book: Law, Rights and Ideology in Russia: Landmarks in the Destiny of a Great Power Date: Tue, 3 Sep 2013 From: “Bill Bowring” <b.bowring@bbk.ac.uk> My new Routledge book: “Law, Rights and Ideology in Russia: Landmarks in the Destiny of a Great Power” http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415683463/ Law, Rights and Ideology in Russia: Landmarks in the destiny of a great power brings […]

» Read more

Current Moscow TV programming

File Photo of Russian Television Studio

Date: Wed, 4 Sep 2013 Subject: Current Moscow TV programming From: “Mark H. Teeter” in Moscow <markhteeter@gmail.com> FYI: After a nice run with the TV column “TeleMost” for the Moscow News over 2010-11 (archived at http://www.themoscownews.com/col_archive/index_7.html), I began posting daily previews/reviews of selected current Moscow TV programming last year on Facebook, where the response from my modest-sized Friends list has been […]

» Read more

Kremlin_ru_eng Live Twitter Feed

Kremlin and Moscow Environs Aerial View

Date: Thu, 05 Sep 2013 From” “Timothy Post” <email@timothypost.com> Subject: Kremlin_ru_eng Live Twitter Feed I just created a live Twitter feed of all the news items published by the Kremlin Wire Service. If any of the JRL readers would like to subscribe to this feed (lots of folks have Twitter feeds come to their cell phones) they can check it […]

» Read more

TRANSCRIPT (Putin): G20 summit

File Photo of Russia-Hosted G20 Banners Outdoors Before Yellow and White Facade of Historic-Looking Building

(Kremlin.ru – St Petersburg, September 6, 2013) Vladimir Putin took part in the second working session of heads of delegations of G20 countries, invited countries, and international organisations. The summit participants discussed investment and job creation, among other issues. The discussion then continued in working breakfast format with the participation of invited heads of state and international organisations. * * […]

» Read more

TRANSCRIPT (Putin): The G20 summit is underway in St Petersburg

File Photo of Russia-Hosted G20 Banners Outdoors Before Yellow and White Facade of Historic-Looking Building

(Kremlin.ru – St Petersburg, September 5, 2013) Among other things, the latest global economic trends and  financial regulation issues were discussed during the first working meeting themed Growth and Financial Stability. The G20 summit’s work officially began with Vladimir Putin’s welcome speech as he addressed the invited heads of state and government. * * * Speech at working session of […]

» Read more

TRANSCRIPT: Vladimir Putin’s news conference following the G20 Summit

File Photo of Russia-Hosted G20 Banners Outdoors Before Yellow and White Facade of Historic-Looking Building

(Kremlin.ru – St Petersburg, September 6, 2013) Vladimir Putin summed up the results of the G20 Summit and answered journalists’ questions. PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN: Ladies and gentlemen, friends! To start with, I’d like to say that in the five years of its existence the G20 has really become an effective mechanism for elaborating and coordinating common approaches to […]

» Read more

Russia Beyond the Headlines: Obama finds himself trapped on Syrian issue

Syria Map

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Nikolay Surkov, RBTH – September 5, 2013) Russian pundits believe that the U.S. is hesitating to strike Damascus alone, but it is not willing to give up, either. Moscow does not believe the U.S. intelligence information that claims government forces in Syria used chemical weapons, and it does not intend to reconsider its […]

» Read more

Interfax: Russian-US differences on Syria not cold war – pundit

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

(Interfax – Moscow, September 5, 2013) Russia does not set itself the objective of establishing influence in the Middle East and there is no reason either to speak of a “cold war” with the USA, chairman of the Council for Foreign and Defense Policy (SVOP) Fedor Lukyanov believes. “The positions (of the Russian Federation and the USA) are indeed diametrically […]

» Read more

More long-term investment needed to solve employment issues – Putin

Migrant Workers file photo

(Interfax – STRELNA, September 6, 2013) A comprehensive approach, including higher investment in the economy, is needed to tackle unemployment, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a working meeting during the G20 summit. “Employment policy cannot and must not be the concern only of the government bodies responsible for social policy. Clearly, real changes in the sphere of labor and […]

» Read more

From no child left behind to every man for himself

File Photo of Test Tubes with Algae Displaying Different Colors, Part of U.S. Energy-Related Research; from nrel.gov

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – Natalia Savitskaya, special to RBTH – rbth.ru – September 2, 2013) During the Soviet era, teachers and scientists were revered and their dedication to their work reflected their status. Now that today’s students aspire to careers in business or entrepreneurship, are educational standards slipping? In the Soviet Union, no child left behind was the rule, […]

» Read more

Anti-gay laws? Don’t take the bait

Russian Duma Building

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Anna Arutunyan, Editor and Correspondent at themoscownews.com – September 6, 2013) With the international gay community up in arms over Russia’s so-called anti-gay laws – which don’t outlaw gays but only the promotion of their lifestyles – there’s a new bit of legislation that goes out of its way to crack down on homosexuality. Andrei […]

» Read more

Navalny’s election result opens up his political vistas – policy expert

Alexei Navalny file photo

(Interfax – MOSCOW, September 8, 2013) Opposition activist Alexei Navalny scored high in the Moscow mayoral elections and he has a political future, Center for Political Technologies First Vice-President Alexei Makarkin said. Acting Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin is leading in the election with 56% of the vote, and Navalny goes second with 29%, according to the Center for Political Technologies’ […]

» Read more

Navalny does better than expected in Moscow mayor election

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

(Business New Europe – bne.eu – September 9, 2013) What to make of opposition blogger Alexei Navalny’s unexpectedly strong result in the Moscow mayor elections on Sunday, September 8? With over 98% of the votes counted Navalny received 27.37% against the incumbent Sergei Sobyanin’s 51.15%, the election committee said on Monday, September 9. Navalny’s tally is a lot more than […]

» Read more

Russian aviation suffers from state interference – report

File Photo of Airplane Approaching Runway About to Land

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – September 4, 2013) Faced with state interference and a too-heavy focus on military production, Russia’s aircraft manufacturing industry stands at a crossroads, when competitiveness can either be regained after its Soviet heyday or lost. This is the conclusion of a report by the analytical firm Strategy Partners Group, released ahead of last week’s MAKS airshow […]

» Read more

Senior Russian MP says U.S. strike on Syria would spread nuclear weapons

Alexei Pushkov file photo

(Interfax – Moscow, September 5, 2013) A US military strike on Syria may prompt a whole range of countries to acquire nuclear weapons for the sake of their own security, Aleksey Pushkov, head of the Russian State Duma International Affairs Committee, has said. “They (the Americans) think that a strike will show the determination of the USA to firmly respond […]

» Read more

Russian opposition activist sees Putin’s remarks as good sign

Alexei Navalny file photo

(Interfax – September 5, 2013) Russian opposition activist and Moscow mayoral candidate Aleksey Navalnyy believes that, by commenting about him yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to lower the candidate’s rating the Moscow mayoral election on 8 September, Russian Interfax news agency reported on 5 September. “Thus the authorities are making desperate attempts to lower my rating by a few […]

» Read more

Televised Mayoral Debates Go Unnoticed

Aerial View of Moscow From Beyond Stadium, file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – September 6, 2013) Televised debates between the Moscow mayoral candidates did not stir much interest among audiences, with only half a percent of residents watching the most popular round of debates on Aug. 16. Sociologists attributed weak interest to acting Mayor Sergei Sobyanin’s refusal to participate, Kommersant reported. A total of eleven debates have been […]

» Read more

Interfax: Golos denies reported emigration of its head Liliya Shibanova

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

(Interfax – MOSCOW, September 5, 2013) One of the leaders of the Golos movement Grigory Melkonyants has refuted rumors that the movement is wrapping up its activities in Russia and that another leader of the NGO Liliya Shibanova emigrated. “This is a special hoax ahead of the elections in order to discredit the activity of Golos,” Melkonyants told Interfax on […]

» Read more

Interfax: Golos doesn’t expect vote-rigging in Moscow, Moscow region

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

(Interfax – MOSCOW, September 5, 2013) There will be no vote-rigging in Moscow, the Moscow region, or any other regions of Russia, the Golos movement said. “The situation in some regions has changed dramatically, primarily in Moscow and the Moscow region. I am almost confident that there will be no direct vote-rigging on the voting day and the ballots will […]

» Read more

Election Season: Voting for Moscow Mayor

Aerial View of Moscow From Beyond Stadium, file photo

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Kristen Blyth – September 6, 2013) On September 8, Muscovites will take to the polling booths to cast their votes for the next mayor of the capital. That wasn’t supposed to happen this year; incumbent Sergei Sobyanin still had two years left in his term when he unexpectedly announced in June that he would step […]

» Read more

Why American students still go to Russia

Moscow State University

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Pavel Koshkin, RBTH – September 5, 2013) Video “What drives Americans to go to Russia?” here: http://rbth.ru/multimedia/video/2013/09/05/what_drives_americans_to_go_to_russia_29539.html Despite another decline in U.S.-Russian relations, interest in Russia among American students is steadily growing. This indicates that exchange programs remain a powerful tool for rooting out the Cold War mentality. Although U.S.-Russian relations are not […]

» Read more

Stalin Won’t Be Called a ‘Bloody Butcher’ in New Standardized History Texts

File Photo of Prison in Russia with Wall, Barbed Wire, Guard Tower

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – September 6, 2013) The October Revolution will be considered a “process” and the term “bloody butcher” won’t be applied to Soviet leader Josef Stalin or his henchmen. Russian historians are on their way to creating a single standard for how history is taught to schoolchildren. Historians from the Russian Academy of Sciences reached several agreements […]

» Read more

Mayoral Hopefuls Make Final Push

Aerial View of Moscow From Beyond Stadium, file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – MOSCOW, September 6, 2013) The six Moscow mayoral candidates entered their final 48 hours of campaigning on Thursday ahead of Sunday’s election, meeting with journalists, voters and competitors in order to press home their campaign messages and attempt to discredit their opponents. Anti-Kremlin protest leader Alexei Navalny and the Communists lashed out at President Vladimir […]

» Read more

RIA Novosti: High-Ranking Russian Officials Misreport Income – Kremlin

File Photo of Man Placing Stack of Large Bills into Inside Pocket of Suitcoat

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, September 6, 2013) ­ A number of high-ranking Russian officials have provided false information in their income declarations, the head of the presidential administration said Friday. “I would like to avoid naming names, but we have some concrete results concerning exposed facts of officials providing false information,” Sergei Ivanov said on the sidelines of the G20 […]

» Read more

40 percent of Russian Internet users are small-town

File Photo of Little Girl at Computer Next to Globe

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Dan Pototsky – September 5, 2013) People in small towns and villages are quickly getting the hang of the Internet. They account for more than 40 percent of all Internet users in Russia ­ a total of 27.5 million ­ according to TNS Russia. The fastest-growing segment of Russian Internet users is residents […]

» Read more

Syria and BRICS Mark Start of G20 Summit

Syria Map

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Irina Filatova – September 6, 2013) A military strike in Syria would have a destructive effect on the global economy, sending oil prices up, China warned in a gesture of support to President Vladimir Putin, the host of the Group of 20 summit that began in St. Petersburg on Thursday. “Military action would have a […]

» Read more

Syria raised, but leaders mostly stick to economy at G20

File Photo of Russia-Hosted G20 Banners Outdoors Before Yellow and White Facade of Historic-Looking Building

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Nathan Gray – September 6, 2013) While Syria lurked in the background of the G20 leaders’ summit, which opened on Thursday, official discussions had their focus firmly on economic issues. The conflict in Syria, however, did occasionally come to the foreground. President Vladimir Putin himself raised the topic at the end of his opening address, […]

» Read more

Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#162 :: 6 September 2013

Map of Russia

[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#161 :: 5 September 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 […]

» Read more

Putin Doesn’t Rule Out Support for Syria Strike

Syria Map

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Irina Filatova – September 5, 2013) As the leaders of the world’s major economies are flocking to St. Petersburg for the G20 summit, scheduled to begin Thursday, President Vladimir Putin has reaffirmed his position on the possible U.S.-led military strike in Syria but took a more flexible stance, saying that Moscow could support the campaign. […]

» Read more

China, Russia Clinch Terms of Multi-Billion Dollar Gas Deal

File Photo of Blue Flame from Natural Gas

(RIA Novosti – ST. PETERSBURG, September 5, 2013) Russian and Chinese state corporations signed a string of economic agreements including another document paving the way for the long-awaited multi-billion dollar gas deal, after President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping met Thursday at the G20 summit in the city of St. Petersburg. Russian gas giant Gazprom and the […]

» Read more

Leading Russian rights activists not to meet Obama in St. Petersburg

File Photo of Barack Obama Sitting at Desk with Mike McFaul Standing Next to Him Facing Him

(Interfax – Moscow, September 4, 2013) The veterans of the Russian human rights movement, Lyudmila Alekseyeva, Lev Ponomarev and Svetlana Gannushkina, have given up on taking part in a meeting with US President Barack Obama in St Petersburg since its date is constantly being changed. “They have changed all this business several times: at first 5 September then 6 September, […]

» Read more

Ruble will not change dramatically in next three-four years – Kudrin

Alexei Kudrin file photo

(Interfax – STRELNA, September 4, 2013) Former Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin, who currently chairs the Committee on Civil Initiatives, does not anticipate any serious changes to the ruble’s real exchange rate in the next three to four years. “I don’t expect any major changes in the fate of the ruble. If you look at the official forecast, many might […]

» Read more

TRANSCRIPT: [Putin] Interview to Channel One and Associated Press news agency

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

(Kremlin.ru – Novo-Ogaryovo, Moscow Region – September 4, 2013) On the eve of the G20 Summit, Vladimir Putin gave an interview to Channel One and the Associated Press news agency. The interview was recorded in Novo-Ogaryovo on September 3. JOHN DANISZEWSKI: Thank you for inviting us into your home and for answering questions for the AP’s worldwide audience. I know […]

» Read more

Navalny Backs Economic Amnesty, Windfall Tax on Privatized Assets

Alexei Navalny file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Vladimir Goryachev and Oleg Sukhov – September 3, 2013) Mayoral candidate Alexei Navalny has voiced support for an economic amnesty and a windfall tax on some privatized assets at a high-profile meeting with businessmen and top executives, Vedomosti reported. The event was the first public meeting with entrepreneurs during Navalny’s campaign, with the previous ones […]

» Read more

Leader of Embattled Elections Watchdog Has Left Russia, Report Says

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

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – September 5, 2013) A leader of the independent election watchdog Golos has left Russia to continue her work abroad due to a lack of financial support from the state, a news report said Thursday. Lilia Shibanova said she saw no point in remaining in Russia after Golos was barred from observing nationwide elections in June […]

» Read more

Russian Intelligentsia Prepared to Overlook Navalny’s Nationalism

Alexei Navalny file photo

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, September 3, 2013) Driven by their hatred of Vladimir Putin as a personality and their lack of a place in today’s Russia, the liberal intelligentsia has been willing to overlook xenophobic, nationalist and even anti-Semitic remarks by Aleksey Navalny, even though such ugly comments would have ended the careers of Western politicians […]

» Read more

Moscow Gives Office to Evicted Human Rights NGO

Aerial View of Moscow From Beyond Stadium, file photo

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, September 5, 2013) ­ The Moscow authorities have donated an office to a Russian human rights NGO, a source in the city administration told RIA Novosti Thursday, after it was evicted from its previous home in July. The For Human Rights movement’s new downtown office will be free of charge to the organization for 49 years, […]

» Read more

Revolt of the professors

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(opendemocracy.net – Aleksandr Chuikov – September 3, 2013) In September Russia’s parliament votes on a highly controversial law to reform the Russian Academy of Sciences. As Aleksandr Chuikov reports, its supporters call it a bitter pill for the 21st century; its opponents, the kiss of death, and an attempt to curb academic freedoms. The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) was […]

» Read more

RIA Novosti: Russian Pundits See Putin’s Statement On Syria As Manoeuvring Before G20

File Photo of Russia-Hosted G20 Banners Outdoors Before Yellow and White Facade of Historic-Looking Building

(RIA Novosti – September 4, 2013) Russian experts believe that President Vladimir Putin’s statement that Moscow is ready to act decisively if the use of chemical weapons in Syria is proved beyond doubt is a diplomatic manoeuvre ahead of the G20 summit in St Petersburg, Russian RIA Novosti reported on 4 September. “This is a diplomatic manoeuvring. Russian diplomats are […]

» Read more

RIA Novosti: U.S. Wary in Courting Russian Support for Syria Strike – Experts

Syria Map

(RIA Novosti – Carl Schreck – WASHINGTON, September 4, 2013) ­ U.S. officials are likely cautious about disclosing to Russia comprehensive intelligence about an apparent chemical weapons attack in Syria and see little chance of convincing Moscow to accept outside military intervention in the civil war there regardless of the facts on the ground, US national security experts said Wednesday. […]

» Read more

Interfax: Moscow discloses expert findings related to use of chemical weapons in Syria

File Photo of Bashar al-Assad and Sergei Lavrov

(Interfax – MOSCOW, September 4, 2013) Moscow hopes that the conclusions of Russian experts concerning the use of chemical weapons in Syria will prompt a more thorough examination of the developments in that country without blaming the government without clear evidence. “We are drawing attention to the massive flow of various reports meant to place the responsibility for the possible […]

» Read more

Russia’s Global Image More Negative than Positive – Poll

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(RIA Novosti – WASHINGTON, September 3, 2013) ­ Russia’s image among citizens of other countries has taken a beating in recent years, with people in 39 countries around the world more likely to have negative opinions of Russia than positive ones, a survey published here Tuesday showed. The slump in other countries’ perception of Russia comes as Moscow takes a […]

» Read more

Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#161 :: 5 September 2013

Map of Russia

[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#161 :: 5 September 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 […]

» Read more

Carnegie Corp. project on future of US-Russia relations

Stylized Russian and U.S. Flags with Number 200, 1807-2007

From: Scott Bittle <SB@carnegie.org> Subject: Carnegie Corp. project on future of US-Russia relations Date: Wed, 28 Aug 2013 Relations between the United States and Russia are once again in the spotlight after the cancellation of a September 2013 summit between Presidents Obama and Putin. The challenges include, most recently, how to deal with Syria, as well as differences on the […]

» Read more

Reminder: Call for Nominations Klebnikov Fellowship Program [by September 15]

Columbia University Campus with Main Building

Subject: Reminder: Call for Nominations Klebnikov Fellowship Program From: The Paul Klebnikov Fellowship at the Harriman Institute <lch2111@columbia.edu> Date: Tue, 20 Aug 2013 15:06:20 +0000 Columbia/Harriman Institute Dear Friends and Colleagues, We write to ask for your help in identifying extraordinary candidates for the Harriman Institute’s Paul Klebnikov Russian Civil Society Fellowship for the 2013/14 academic year (much gratitude to […]

» Read more

Collective appeal to President Obama to make August 22 Russian-American Freedom Day

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

Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2013 From: Dmitri Daniel Glinski <dmitri@rccmb.org> Subject: Collective appeal to President Obama to make August 22  Russian-American Freedom Day We hope the attached letter signed by 4 Russian-American organizations and 2 Russian-American elected officials will be of interest to your readers.  It was sent out this morning and is also on our website, http://amrusrights.wordpress.com, with our […]

» Read more
1 4 5 6