Month: November 2013

Interfax: Unlawful arrests become common when prosecutors lose oversight functions – Prosecutor

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime
Russian Jail File Photo Showing Outer Wall, Windows, Barbed Wire

MOSCOW. Nov 19 (Interfax) – The dominant role of Investigators in criminal prosecution leads to numerous unfounded arrests, said Russian Prosecutor General Yury Chaika. “The law enforcement mechanism is apparently misbalanced, given that prosecutors have lost some of their oversight functions. Paradoxically, the prosecutor’s powers to ensure one of the most constitutional guarantees – the right to freedom and personal […]

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Interfax: Hearing of Memorial, Golos Complaints Against Prosecutors Postponed Until February

Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's
Kremlin and St. Basil's

MOSCOW. Nov 18 (Interfax) – The Moscow Zamoskvoretsky Court has postponed until February 4, 2014 the hearing of the complaint filed by the human rights center Memorial about the prosecutors’ demand to register as a foreign agent. Thus, the court has postponed the hearing of the human rights activists’ until the Strasbourg court or the Russian Constitutional Court give their […]

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Interfax: Most migrants come to Russia in visa-free travel regime, many don’t speak Russian

Migrants
Migrant Workers file photo

MOSCOW. Nov 20 (Interfax) – A third of migrant workers do not speak Russian, Federal Migration Service head Konstantin Romodanovsky said. “We are witnessing a surge in the arrivals of migrants from CIS member countries. As of now, 11.1 million foreigners are staying in Russia, and almost three-quarters of them enjoy the visa-free travel regime,” he told a roundtable in […]

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Sochi Olympics will be Instagram-friendly

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Sports, Olympics, World Cup
File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Alexey Mosko, RBTH – November 20, 2013) Contrary to previous media reports, journalists at the Sochi Games will be allowed to use mobile phones to photograph sportspeople and spectators during the Olympics. Journalists at the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi will be able to take photographs and shoot videos for their own personal […]

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Exhibition Shows Russian Leaders, From Romanovs to Putin

History, Soviet Union
Romanov Family Photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – D. Garrison Golubock – November 20, 2013) Moscow has a reputation for lines, yet even seasoned city dwellers were surprised to see the massive lines that formed in the first week of November in front of Manezh, snaking all the way to the State Historical Museum and then back around the other side of Manezh […]

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Russian governmental start-up strategy is likely to fail

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade
Cash, Calculator, Pen

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Viktor Kuzmin, RBTH – November 19, 2013) The Russian government has established a foundation to support startups. Experts, however, are skeptical that such an idea will be successful Startup support is becoming a part of the Russian government’s small- and medium-business support policy. Notwithstanding planned 2014 budget expenditure cuts (many items will be […]

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RIA Novosti: Russia Publishes Draft Law Restricting Foreign Land Ownership – Paper

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Siberian Natural Scenery, with River, Trees, Hills

MOSCOW, November 20 (RIA Novosti) ­ Russia has published a draft law that will bar foreigners from owning or renting land in the country without official permission, a Russian newspaper reported Wednesday. The publication of the document follows reported consultation between government ministries, security services and migration agencies. Experts have warned the move could affect the country’s investment climate. According […]

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Interfax: Association with EU may limit Ukrainian cooperation capacities – Moscow

Europe, EU, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
EU Map

MOSCOW. Nov 20 (Interfax) – Association with the European Union will significantly limit Ukrainian capacities for cooperation with Customs Union member states, in the opinion of the Russian Foreign Ministry. “Liberalization of trade with EU member countries will tie up Kyiv with commitments to the European Union and EU directives for a long time but it will not be able […]

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Browder Expects Broader Magnitsky List Sanctions for Russian Officials in U.S., Europe

Assassinations, Beatings, Threats, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Human Rights, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Memorial Flowers and Photo of Sergei Magnitsky

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – November 20, 2013) The United States may publish the extended version of the “Magnitsky list” as early as next month, while Europe is expected to pass a  similar measure, Hermitage Capital investment fund president and bill supporter William Browder said. The Magnitsky Act, enacted by the U.S. Congress in December 2012 and named after late […]

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The Next Shale Revolution­ Probably Russia

Oil, Gas, Energy
File Photo of Blue Flame from Natural Gas

(Oilprice.com – Charles Kennedy – November 19, 2013) More than 400 shale oil and gas wells will be drilled outside of the US in 2014, most of them in China and Russia, while Europe largely sits on the sidelines of the so-called revolution, according to energy consulting firm Wood Mackenzie Ltd. The geological conditions­not to mention the public support­for a […]

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RIA Novosti: Russian Lawyers Protest Putin’s Court Reform

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of YUKOS trial judge and courtroom staff

MOSCOW, November 20 (RIA Novosti) ­ Russian lawyers criticized the Kremlin on Tuesday in a rare display of public discontent, speaking against a court reform that would abolish what they called the most progressive branch of Russia’s judiciary. Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed in July to merge the Supreme Arbitration Court, which oversees business disputes, into the Supreme Court, which […]

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Interfax: MP Pushkov blames “unbridled capitalism” for frequent plane crashes in Russia

Aviation, Drones, Disasters, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Alexei Pushkov file photo

MOSCOW. Nov 19 (Interfax) – State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Alexei Pushkov has blamed frequent aircraft accidents in Russia on the antisocial type of capitalism that appeared in the country under the influence of a liberal economy. “Airplanes tend to crash in our country quite often because the liberal economy generated a special kind of capitalism in Russia that […]

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Interfax: Number of patriots in Russia falls by almost 10% in six years – poll

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and St. Basil's

MOSCOW. Nov 19 (Interfax) – Most Russians say they are patriotic but their number is declining year after year, sociologists said. The percentage stood at 78% in 2007; it has fallen to 69% this year, Levada Center told Interfax, presenting the outcomes of regular surveys done in 130 towns and cities in 45 regions. Some 19% of the respondents did […]

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Interfax: Mood of Russians does not improve over past year – poll

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade
File Photo of Crowd of Russians with One Waving Russian Flag

MOSCOW. Nov 19 (Interfax) – Most Russians describe the current economic status of the country and their families as mediocre and the number of negative opinions is rising, Levada Center told Interfax. Fifty-four percent of the 1,603 respondents polled in October said that the country’s economic status was mediocre, 32% said it was bad, and 11% claimed that the Russian […]

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Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#209 :: Wednesday, 20 November 2013

JRL Tables of Contents, Russian News
Map of Russia

[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#209 :: 20 November 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 […]

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Descendant of Tsarist Duma Speaker to Head AmCham in Russia

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, History, Soviet Union, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – November 19, 2013) U.S.-born banker Alexis Rodzianko has been elected president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, or AmCham, the chamber said Tuesday. The previous president, Andrew Somers, announced earlier this year he would be departing to launch a new strategic consulting firm. “We have the greatest confidence in Alex, who comes to […]

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The Korean factor in Moscow’s foreign policy

North Korea, South Korea
North Korea Map and Flag

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Andrei Ilyashenko, special to RBTH – November 17, 2013) The author is a political analyst for the Voice of Russia Radio. Russia’s relations with South and North Korean are critical to the country’s stability and interests. Vladimir Putin had two reasons to visit Seoul on November 12 and 13: security and security. And […]

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Interfax: More people in Moldova prefer Customs Union to EU membership – poll

CIS, Customs Union, Eurasian Union, Europe, EU, Moldova
Map of Western CIS/FSU and European Environs

CHISINAU. Nov 18 (Interfax) – A public opinion poll conducted by the Romanian sociological research company CCSB has shown that 48% of Moldovan citizens support the country’s accession to the Belarusian-Kazakh-Russian Customs Union and 42% would choose the European Union. CCSB expert Alexandru Larionescu said at a press conference on Friday that the respondents were asked whether they support or […]

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Import of Goodwill: Ex-expat fighting for Moscow’s buildings

Life in Russia, Culture, Arts, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's
Aerial View of Moscow From Beyond Stadium, file photo

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Nathan Gray – November 19, 2013) This year, as part of the Moskovskiye Novosti’s New Intelligentsia Awards, The Moscow News is giving out a special prize honoring expats who perform community service/work for public benefit in Russia. Our prize is called Import of Goodwill, and Clementine Cecil is one of the 2013 nominees. A former […]

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Russia Can Escape Crisis Only by Ending Hyper-Centralization, Zubarevich Says

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Regions, Cities, Municipalities
File Photo of Car on Road in Siberian Town

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, November 19, 2013) Russia’s regions are overwhelmingly in a deep crisis, the result of a confluence of factors that can be overcome only by ending “hyper-centralization,” restoring budgetary federalism, and somehow reversing the “degradation” and rapacity of the Moscow elite and its faith in gigantist projects, according to Natalya Zubarevich. In a […]

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Kremlin struggling to get a hold on graft

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade
Cropped File Photo of Two Men in Business Suits Shaking Hands and Passing Cash

(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Ben Aris in Moscow – November 19, 2013) Russian President Vladimir Putin is frustrated with the slow progress in his anti-corruption drive and struggling to take charge of the situation. Having ignored the problem for over a decade, the president has been forced to finally deal with the problem of graft, as Russia can […]

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RIA Novosti: Russian Patriotism Has Declined Under Putin – Poll

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Vladimir Putin file photo

MOSCOW, November 19 (RIA Novosti) ­ The proportion of Russians who consider themselves patriots has dropped by eight percent since President Vladimir Putin first took office 13 years ago, according to a new survey released by the independent Levada Center pollster Tuesday. Sixty-nine percent of respondents professed to be patriots in the poll held at the end of October, down […]

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RIA Novosti: Foreign minister explains Russia’s opposition to humanitarian corridors in Syria

Syria
File Photo of Bashar al-Assad and Sergei Lavrov

(RIA Novosti – Moscow, November 18, 2013) Moscow fears that the Syrian opposition would receive weapons through humanitarian corridors, should they be created, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. The Syrian opposition earlier spoke of the need to open humanitarian corridors through the territories under Syrian government control as a condition for taking part in the Geneva-2 international conference […]

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Interfax: Recognizing Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear energy should be condition for resolving nuclear problem – Lavrov

Iran, Nuclear Proliferation, Oil, Gas, Energy, WMD Proliferation
Map of Iran with Stylized Radar Sweep and Radiation Symbol Background Image

MOSCOW. Nov 19 (Interfax) – If the Sextet adheres to the stance of recognizing Iran’s right to enrich uranium for peaceful, energy purposes during the talks with Tehran, the parties might have a chance to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. “For many years Russia put forward the following approach: we all recognize Iran’s right […]

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Putin Adviser Sees Political Will to End Greenpeace Dispute

Arctic, Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Environment, Human Rights, International Law, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Polar Map Showing Permafrost Areas, Adapted From NOAA.gov Graphic

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Henry Meyer – November 19, 2013) Russia is showing “political will” to end a two-month-long dispute over the prosecution of Greenpeace activists after they began to be set free on bail, President Vladimir Putin’s human rights adviser said. “It’s a good sign,” Mikhail Fedotov said in a phone interview today from Moscow. “I hope the same […]

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Interfax: Kudrin concerned about expansion of “fake” NGOs created by authorities

Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Alexei Kudrin file photo

MOSCOW. Nov 18 (Interfax) – The authorities prefer to work with the non-governmental organizations (NGO) they themselves create, Head of the Committee for Civil Initiatives Alexei Kudrin said. “I understand the topic of the so-called ‘fake’ NGOs, when the authorities create quasi NGOs passing those for NGOs and real public opinion. Today we are virtually faced with the practice when […]

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Number of Orphans Six Times Larger Than Russians Ready to Adopt

Children, Adoptions, Orphans
File Photo of Russian Orphans with Mr. and Mrs. Dmitry Medvedev

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – November 19, 2013) For every six orphans awaiting adoption in Russia, there is only one family in the country hoping to take in a child, government statistics show. More than 100,000 orphans are listed in a registry maintained by the Education and Science Ministry, the head of its child protection department, Yevgeny Silyanov said, Interfax […]

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Interfax: Russians want package of state measures to increase population – poll

Population Disaster, Demographics
File Photo of Russian Expectant Couple with Mother in Hospital Bed

MOSCOW. Nov 18 (Interfax) – The majority of Russians (76%) are concerned about the decrease of the country’s population, shows a poll conducted by the research group TsIRKON. The poll surveyed 1,600 Russians, including 110 journalists. The poll, which has been obtained by Interfax-Religion, shows that 56% of the respondents believe the reduction of Russia’s population is very dangerous, but […]

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Who Will Replace Vladimir Putin in 2018?

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Vladimir Putin Sitting at Desk

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Vojtech Bohac – November 19, 2013) Although more than four years remain until the next presidential election, the ground is already taking shape and the first noises have been made about who might enter the 2018 race. But President Vladimir Putin will almost certainly win re-election if he decides that he wants to stay put, […]

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Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#208 :: Tuesday, 19 November 2013

JRL Tables of Contents, Russian News
Map of Russia

[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#208:: 19 November 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: […]

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Putin Takes Inputs on Tax Investigation Bill

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Man Placing Stack of Large Bills into Inside Pocket of Suitcoat

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Alexander Panin and Delphine d’Amora – November 18, 2013) While the Kremlin considers possible modifications to a bill that will restore investigators’ power to open tax fraud cases, lobbyists said small businesses and individual entrepreneurs, whose numbers are decreasing, are the ones most threatened by the legislation in its current form. The tempest centers on […]

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Interfax: Almost half of Russians certain of tomorrow – poll

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Life in Russia, Culture, Arts
File Photo of Crowd of Russians with One Waving Russian Flag

MOSCOW. Nov 15 (Interfax) – Russians most often consider their life as favorable but still prefer to make short-term plans, sociologists said. In the past several months Russian citizens started assessing their lives more positively than before – the share of respondents thinking it is favorable grew from 37% in Q1 to 42% in Q3, the All-Russian Public Opinion Research […]

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RIA Novosti: Russia: Shifting the Focus from Europe to Asia

Europe, EU, Far East, Siberia, APEC
Eurasia Map

(RIA Novosti – Fyodor Lukyanov – November 18, 2013) Fyodor Lukyanov is Editor-in-Chief of the Russia in Global Affairs journal ­ the most authoritative source of expertise on Russian foreign policy and global developments. Some crucial changes can pass almost unnoticed, as happened earlier this month, when it was decided to put off the EU-Russia summit from December to the […]

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Interfax: Russia Criticizes Statements on Eastern Threats to NATO

Baltics, NATO, Poland
NATO Meeting file photo

MOSCOW. Nov 15 (Interfax) – The Russian Foreign Ministry has expressed surprise about the statements made by some Polish and Baltic countries leaders saying that the NATO training Steadfast Jazz 2013 indicates the allies’ readiness to defend the Eastern European countries from threats from the East. “Is it really appropriate to speak seriously about any threats of attack against NATO […]

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Interfax: Syrian opposition’s demand that Assad go is unrealistic – Lavrov

Syria
File Photo of Bashar al-Assad and Sergei Lavrov

VLADIVOSTOK. Nov 18 (Interfax) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has described the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces’ demand that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must go as a precondition for its participation in the Geneva II conference as unrealistic and going against the Geneva communique. “The opposition, primarily that represented by the National Coalition, said it would […]

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HIV rate going up in Russia – watchdog

Health, Epidemics, Substance Abuse
HIV Infection Microscopic Photo of Cells

MOSCOW. Nov 15 (Interfax) – The HIV rate is on the rise in Russia, according to a sanitary watchdog, which describes it as an “epidemic.” Between January and September this year more than 54,000 new HIV cases were registered, which was 7.1% up on the same period of 2012, the acting head of the Federal Surveillance Service for Consumer Rights […]

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The art of Russian politics; Russia’s top politicians­ – including Putin­ – are avid artists, whose paintings and photographs have fetched millions at an annual St. Petersburg charity auction.

Life in Russia, Culture, Arts, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and St. Basil's file photo

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru –  Dmitriy Romendik, RBTH – November 16, 2013) As the chair of Russia’s Upper Parliament and a former governor of St. Petersburg, Valentina Matvienko, is more than just the country’s most well-known female politician. To some, she is considered the best female artist among all of Russia’s politicians. Matvienko’s oil paintings have become regulars […]

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Interfax: Matviyenko calls for respect of Russian Constitution

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Valentina Matviyenko file photo

MOSCOW. Nov 14 (Interfax) – Russian Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko believes the resources of the Russian Constitution have not been exhausted yet and the issue of changing it should be approached very carefully. “We should treat the Constitution very carefully. We should always remember that this document determines the long-term national development and is far from having exhausted its resources […]

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Putin to give press conference on December 19

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Vladimir Putin at Valdai Club 2013 Meeting, Adapted from Screenshot of Valdai Club Video at youtube.com

MOSCOW. Dec 18 (Interfax) – Russian President Vladimir Putin will give a press conference at noon on December 19, 2013, the Kremlin press service reported on Monday. The venue of the press conference and the admission procedures will be reported later. The accreditation and briefings department of the press service and information department has begun accreditation procedures for the press […]

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Interfax: Russians still fear terror attacks in big cities – poll

Terrorism
Kremlin and St. Basil's file photo

MOSCOW. Nov 15 (Interfax) – Two-thirds of Russians (66%) say new terror attacks of the kind that happened in Volgograd in October are possible and 71% fear that their kin or themselves may fall victim to such crimes, Levada Center told Interfax. Fifteen percent gave a negative answer to the question whether a new terror attack was possible, and 19% […]

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Interfax: U.S. Ambassador McFaul sure that Russia, U.S. have more common interests than differences

United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Ambassador Mike McFaul file photo

MOSCOW. Nov 16 (Interfax) – A positive agenda in Russian-U.S. relations outweighs the difficulties existing in them, U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul said. “Today, those interests and challenges which unite us outweigh those issues which divide us,” McFaul told Interfax on Saturday in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Russia. […]

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Interfax: Policy expert pins blame for problems in Russia-U.S. relations on uncertainty

United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama Seated Before Russian and U.S. Flags

MOSCOW. Nov 15 (Interfax) – The absence of definitely positive relations between Russia and the United States does not obstruct their active cooperation in the resolution of international crises, Council on Foreign and Defense Policy (CFDP) Chairman Fyodor Lukyanov said. “The absence of positive relations between the two countries does not stop them from doing active work on the Syrian, […]

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RIA Novosti: Russia and Ukraine Reach ‘Compromise’ Gas Payment Deal – Kiev

Oil, Gas, Energy, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
File Photo of Blue Flame from Natural Gas

MOSCOW, November 18 (RIA Novosti) ­ Russia and Ukraine have reached a compromise deal allowing Kiev to alter its payment schedule for Russian natural gas imports, Ukrainian Energy Minister Eduard Stavytsky said Monday. The new agreement will allow Kiev to pay on time for energy deliveries, honoring its commitments to both Russian state-owned gas giant Gazprom and European consumers, Stavytsky […]

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Interfax: Obama congratulates Georgian president elect, has kind word for Saakashvili

Georgia, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of Barack Obama Sitting at Desk with Mike McFaul Standing Next to Him Facing Him

TBILISI. Nov 17 (Interfax) – U.S. President Barack Obama has sent a message to Georgian president elect Giorgi Margvelashvili on his inauguration due in a few hours. “On behalf of the American people, I congratulate the people of Georgia as they celebrate the inauguration of a new President and mark the first time a presidential transition has taken place as […]

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Prosecutors drop charges against Skolkovo Foundation

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade
Skolkovo File Photo

MOSCOW. Nov 16 (Interfax) – The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office has dropped its charges against the Foundation for the Development of the Center for the Elaboration and Commercialization of New Technologies (Skolkovo Foundation) after the latter corrected the violations uncovered earlier, the Prosecutor General’s Office said on Saturday. “The management of the non-profit organization Foundation for the Development of the […]

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Interfax: Key human rights group: Russia must ditch ‘foreign agents’ law

Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's
Kremlin and St. Basil's

MOSCOW. Nov 15 (Interfax) – A prominent Russian human rights group has called for repealing the law on “foreign agents,” Russia-based nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that receive funding from abroad and pursue political activities. “This law cannot be amended. No amendment, not even one having the best of intentions behind it, would affect its essential concept but would serve to further […]

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Navalny’s Party Holds Founding Congress for Third Time

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Alexei Navalny Being Grabbed by Police at Protest

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Oleg Sukhov – November 18, 2013) Opposition politician Alexei Navalny formally joined the People’s Alliance party and was elected its leader on Sunday when it held its founding congress. The congress, which was attended by 111 delegates from 48 regions, marked the party’s third attempt to be registered. The People’s Alliance held previous founding congresses […]

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Changing the Russian Constitution Fraught with Dangers, Experts Say

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Russian Constitutional Court file photo

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, November 18, 2013) The Moscow media are full of stories that President Vladimir Putin plans to propose changes in the 1993 Russian Constitution in a message to the Federal Assembly on December 12 and will announce the establishment of a special 90-person Presidential council to consider and draft revisions. But some Russian […]

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RIA Novosti: Russia Near Last in Environment Protection Ranking

Environment
File Photo of Polar Bear on Ice and Snow with Water Nearby

MOSCOW, November 18 (RIA Novosti) ­ Russia ranked 53rd out of 58 countries in a new ranking of efforts to prevent climate change. Russia lost two slots from last year in the Climate Change Performance Index, presented Monday at a climate conference in Warsaw by the Bohn-based NGO Germanwatch. The first three slots in this year’s rating were left unoccupied […]

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Interfax: Demographic situation in Russia among reasons behind U.S. adoption ban – Astakhov

Children, Adoptions, Orphans, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of Russian Orphans with Mr. and Mrs. Dmitry Medvedev

MOSCOW. Nov 13 (Interfax) – One of the reasons why Russia has banned U.S. citizens from adopting Russian children is the demographic issue, Russian children’s rights commissioner Pavel Astakhov said. “We have a demographic forecast: the infant population in Russia will be about 22 million by 2025. And the United States will have 105 [million] by 2025. Is there a […]

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