‘Reconstruction’ Brings ’90s Back to Russian Art

Map of Russia and Russian Flag adapted from images at state.gov

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Christopher Brennan – January 28, 2014) The 1990s are often thought of in the West as a decade with relatively few problems. One-hit wonder bands sang sincerely while hip, neoliberal politicians managed booming economies. The 90s in Russia, however, was a more turbulent time and art from the period shows it. The second half of […]

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Interfax: Security level of daily life in Sochi totally in line with global standards – official

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

(Interfax – January 28, 2014) The security of daily life in Sochi ahead of the Winter Olympics is ensured in line with the global standards, Russian Minister of Civil Defense, Emergencies and Natural Disasters Vladimir Puchkov said. “The Olympics is a global event that determines our country’s prestige. Ensuring the security of the Olympics is the most important task for […]

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VIP turnout at Sochi: Trouble, but not a tragedy

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Gevorg Mirzayan, special to RBTH – January 28, 2014) Russian opponents failed to organize a boycott of the Sochi Olympics. Refusal of a number of world leaders to visit the opening ceremony will not lead to its collapse. Gevorg Mirzayan is a correspondent for Expert magazine and a research fellow at the U.S. […]

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Russia Beyond the Headlines: Russia goes for Olympic gold

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Dominic Basulto, special to RBTH – January 28, 2014) Sochi is ready for its Olympic debut. When the world tunes in to watch the 2014 Winter Games, it will see futuristic, state-of-the-art stadiums nestled next to the Black Sea, breathtaking views from world-class ski resorts in the snow-capped Caucasus mountains, and a sprawling […]

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Excerpts from transcript of [Putin] meeting with National Research Nuclear University (MEPhI) students

Russian Nuclear Submarine file photo

(Kremlin.ru – January 22, 2014) PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN: Good afternoon, everyone, The main reason for this meeting is to congratulate you on the upcoming holiday. As one would write in official documents, I want to congratulate you and in your person all of Russia’s students. I wish you the very best in your studies and your future careers. […]

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Russians not ready to sacrifice their rights for sake of state interests – poll

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Interfax – January 28, 2014) Most Russians place the rights of a person above the interests of the state, however they continue to count on the state taking care of its citizens, the Levada Center said about the poll held in December 2013 in 130 cities, towns and villages in 45 Russian regions and involving 1,603 respondents. When asked which […]

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Ukraine Unrest Spreading to Russia? Unlikely

European Portion of Commonwealth of Independent States

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber – January 28, 2014) With violent clashes between protesters and law enforcement in Ukraine showing few signs of diminishing, pro-Kremlin commentators and lawmakers in Russia have issued dramatic warnings about the possibility of unrest spreading across the border. Prominent journalist and television personality Vladimir Solovyov said the clashes in Kiev could inspire terrorists […]

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RIA Novosti: Ruble Is Not Weak: Dollar and Euro Are Strong – Central Bank

File Photo of Cash, Coins, Line Graph

MOSCOW, January 28 (RIA Novosti) – The Russian ruble and other emerging market currencies are weakening because of the growing strength of the dollar and the euro, the head of Russia’s central bank said late Monday. Elvira Nabiullina said in a television interview on Channel One that there were no intrinsic problems with the ruble, which has slid to historic […]

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Interfax: Russia, NATO ready to search for solutions to European missile defense problem

Mssile Defense Control Room

(Interfax – January 28, 2014) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen are ready to search for solutions to the European missile defense problem. They have also discussed possible assistance to the UN/OPCW mission dealing with Syrian chemical weapons, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. “Problems and the prospective development of Russia-NATO relations have been discussed. […]

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Johnson’s Russia List :: 2014-#17 :: Monday 27 January 2014

St. Basil's file photo

Johnson’s Russia List :: 2014-#17 :: 27 January 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. RIA Novosti: Putin Pays Respects to Brother, Victims of Leningrad […]

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Ukraine has Revolutionary Masses But No Leaders But in Russia the Situation is Just the Reverse, Pastukhov Says

Maidan Square file photo

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, January 27, 2014) The events of the last few weeks confirm that in Ukraine, there is a revolutionary population but almost no revolutionary leaders while in Russia, “an excess of revolutionary leaders is compensated by almost the complete lack of a revolutionary population,” according to Vladimir Pastukhov. The St. Antony’s scholar says […]

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Interfax: Assad overthrows Washington’s fixed idea – Russian lawmaker

Alexei Pushkov file photo

MOSCOW. Jan 26 (Interfax) – Attempts to explain all of Syria’s current problems by President Bashar al Assad’s tenure hold no water and only reflect Washington’s obsession with the idea of Syrian president’s overthrow, chairman of the State Duma’s International Affairs Committee Alexei Pushkov said in remarks about U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s speech at the Davos international economic […]

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RIA Novosti: Two-Fifths of Russians Uncertain Over Need for Ukraine Loan

Ukraine Map and Flag

(RIA Novosti – January 27, 2014) Around two-fifths of Russians have no idea why their government has committed to lending crisis-hit Ukraine $15 billion in taxpayer money, a survey has revealed. The loan announced in a surprise move late last year was designed to steer debt-strapped Ukraine through a potentially devastating looming balance of payments of crisis. As part of […]

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The Artistic Community Responds to Events in Kiev

Maidan Square file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – John Freedman – January 27, 2014) When the going gets tough, as we have seen repeatedly in recent years, the tough take to Facebook. At least that’s what they do in this part of the world. So it has been with the events in Kiev – call them protests or call them a revolution in […]

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Yanukovych’s regime could be about to fall

Viktor Yanukovych file photo

(Business New Europe KYIV BLOG – bne.eu – Ben Aris in Moscow – January 26, 2014) Is the regime of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych about to fall? Events in Ukraine are moving very fast now and in the last 24 hours the opposition forces have seized control of about half the regional administrations in the country. In Kyiv on January […]

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Medvedev Proposes Officials Return to State Company Boards

Empty Boardroom

GORKY, January 27 (RIA Novosti) – Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Monday that government officials should be appointed to the boards of state-owned companies, in an apparent reversal of a signature reform he carried out during his presidency. “Civil servants should be [on the boards of directors of state-owned companies] in a sensible quantity and in sensible positions,” Medvedev […]

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A Russian-American snowboarding love story

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Ilya Trisvyatsky, special to RBTH – January 25, 2014) Vic Wild is an American-born snowboarder who now holds Russian citizenship and will compete for Russia in the Sochi Olympics. Born in Washington State, he decided to change his citizenship after falling in love with a Russian sportswoman. There will be several naturalized athletes […]

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A Market Economy Won’t Prevent Russia’s Disintegration and May Even Accelerate It, Chernyakhovsky Says

File Photo of Cash, Coins, Line Graph

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, January 27, 2014) A market economy won’t save Russia from falling apart; indeed, it may even accelerate that process, according to a Moscow commentator, not only by concentrating development in some regions at the expense of others but also by leading to expanded ties between the periphery of the country and foreign […]

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Khodorkovsky Speaks About Time in Jail, Reasons for Release

Mikhail Khodorkovsky file photo

MOSCOW, January 27 (Kevin O’Flynn for The Moscow News – themoscownews.com) – Former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky has spoken about his life in jail in detail for the first time in a wide-ranging interview published Monday in daily newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets. President Vladimir Putin freed Khodorkovsky last month after a decade in prison on tax evasion and fraud charges in […]

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Interfax: German president recalls war, Leningrad siege with shame, sorrow

St. Petersburg Landmark

MOSCOW. Jan 27 (Interfax) – German President Joachim Gauck has expressed his sorrow in recalling the atrocities of the war Germany was waging against the Soviet Union and extended sympathy to the survivors of the siege of Leningrad in a letter sent to the Russian president on the occasion of the 70th anniversary since the breaking of the siege of […]

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Putin Pays Respects to Brother, Victims of Leningrad Siege

St. Petersburg Landmark

MOSCOW, January 27 (RIA Novosti) – Russian President Vladimir Putin honored the victims of the Siege of Leningrad, including his brother, at a ceremony in St. Petersburg on Monday. Putin walked with several dozen siege survivors in a procession through the Piskaryovskoye cemetery as part of a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the lifting of the Siege of Leningrad, […]

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Johnson’s Russia List :: 2014-#16 :: 24 January 2014

St. Basil's file photo

Johnson’s Russia List :: 2014-#16 :: 24 January 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. Russia Beyond the Headlines/Komsomolskaya Pravda.: Putin’s press secretary gets personal. […]

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Economist editor claims Putin told Yanukovych to “dip hands in blood”

Viktor Yanukovych file photo

(Business New Europe – bne.eu – January 24, 2014) Celebrate Economist editor Edward Lucas made one of his more outrageous claims in a paper written for the Central European Policy Institute, alleging that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not only ultimately responsible for the two shooting deaths in Kyiv this week, but somehow ordered’ Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to kill […]

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TRANSCRIPT: [Putin] Meeting on healthcare development

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

(Kremlin.ru – January 21, 2014) Vladimir Putin held a meeting to discuss healthcare development and the implementation of the Presidential Executive Orders signed in May 2012. Special attention was given to the need to reduce inefficient spending in healthcare and improve the efficiency of medical institutions, as well as issues pertaining to wages in the healthcare sector. PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA […]

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Russia Beyond the Headlines: Russian teenager wrongly labelled as author of Kaptoxa malware

File Image of Stylized Eye Surrounded by Binary Code

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – By Dan Pototsky, RBTH  – January 24, 2014) Experts at the company Group-IB have officially disproved reports identifying Sergey Tarasov, purportedly 17 and a resident of St. Petersburg, as the author of the malicious software known as Kaptoxa, which was used in one of the largest successful attacks on U.S. Internet stores. “Over […]

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Government power crumbles in regions and Kyiv

Map of Ukraine and Ukrainian Flag

(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Graham Stack in Kyiv – January 24, 2014) Ukraine’s embattled president Viktor Yanukovych found himself facing a second front January 23 with anti-government protesters storming regional administrations across West and Central Ukrainian regions. Ironically the development came on a day when a ceasefire was held between protesters and police in Kyiv. While clashes in […]

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Why Russia Is No. 1 in Anti-Americanism

File Photo of Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama Seated Before Russian and U.S. Flags

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Michael Bohm, Opinion Page Editor – January 24, 2014) Kremlin propagandists have good reason to be happy with the results of a recently released annual Win/Gallup International poll in which more than 67,000 residents in 65 countries were asked, “Who is the greatest threat to world peace?” Given Russia’s results, it is clear that the […]

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Proposed reforms will not stop pervasive NSA snooping

File Image of Stylized Eye Surrounded by Binary Code

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Gevorg Mirzayan, special to RBTH – January 23, 2014) Russian experts say Obama’s initiatives to reform the U.S. surveillance do not go far enough. President Barack Obama has announced reforms at the National Security Agency. He unveiled several changes, which he believes will redress the balance between civil liberties and the need to […]

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EU, Russia need frank discussion of European, Eurasian integration – Ushakov

EU Map

MOSCOW. Jan 24 (Interfax) – There has been no progress in the forming of the four common spaces of cooperation between Russia and the European and the two sides should discuss how to match the European and Eurasian integration processes, officials in Moscow said. “We believe there is a great need for a frank, substantial conversation, including on the joint […]

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Delivery companies drop service to Russia over new customs laws

Truck at Russian Border Crossing

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Nathan Gray – January 24, 2014) International shipping companies are canceling consumer package services in Russia, as a new range of customs requirements are likely to raise fees and extend processing times for goods ordered from online stores based abroad. The changes, ostensibly intended to simplify assessment of customs fees for consumer goods shipped from […]

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Number of New Companies Set Up in Russia Grew 3.3% in 2013

Empty Boardroom

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 24, 2014) The number of newly established Russian companies grew last year while the number of companies ceasing operations decreased, data has shown. According to statistics on the Federal Tax Service website, 411,900 new commercial enterprises were included on the state registry in 2013 ­ an increase of 3.3 percent on 2012. At the […]

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RIA Novosti: Ruble Hits Historical Low Against Euro

File Photo of Cash, Coins, Line Graph

MOSCOW, January 24 (RIA Novosti) ­ The Russia ruble hit a historical record low Friday, dropping to 47.32 rubles per euro at tomorrow settlement date on the Moscow stock exchange. The previous all-time low dates back to February 3, 2009, when the ruble stood at 47.25 rubles per euro. The dollar traded at 34.52 rubles on Friday, a drop of […]

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Interfax: Some 60 foreign leaders to attend Olympics opening ceremony in Sochi – Kremlin aide

MOSCOW. Jan 24 (Interfax) – Sixty heads of state and government have confirmed their plans to take part in the opening ceremony of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said. “A very large number of leaders have given their consent. We have counted about 60 heads of state and government,” Ushakov told journalists on Friday. […]

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The Moscow News Stops Print Edition

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 24, 2014) The Moscow News, an English-language Moscow weekly that recently became an insert in the Russian-language Moskovskiye Novosti, has been told to shut down its print edition. Editor Natalia Antonova wrote on the news agency’s website that “the print edition of The Moscow News has been shut down by order of the management.” […]

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Lebedev to Walk Free After 10 Years

Platon Lebedev

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Yekaterina Kravtsova – January 24, 2014) The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday to reduce the sentence of former Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s business partner Platon Lebedev and immediately release him, but critics have slammed the ruling as a meaningless gesture. Vadim Klyuvgant, one of Lebedev’s lawyers, said after the hearing that the ruling was welcomed […]

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Business Unimpressed by Khodorkovsky Release

Mikhail Khodorkovsky file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anatoly Medetsky – January 24, 2014) Two international business forums covering Russia this month have appeared oblivious to former Yukos chief Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s recent release from jail ­ evidence that the drawing of a line under his politically tinged case hardly had an effect on the country’s investment climate. The Supreme Court’s ruling on Thursday […]

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The Kremlin’s Disturbing Reading List for Russia’s Political Elite

Vladimir Putin file photo

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, January 24, 2014) The Kremlin sent as New Year’s presents to the leaders of the ruling United Russia parties copies of Nicholas Berdyaev’s “Philosophy of Inequality,” Vladimir  Solovyev’s “Justification of Good,” and Ivan Ilin’s “Our Tasks,” three books which celebrate authoritarianism and the last of which suggests fascism is the only bulwark […]

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TRANSCRIPT (excerpts): [Putin] Meeting with representatives of Russian human rights community

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

(Kremlin.ru – January 23, 2014) In the course of the meeting, Vladimir Putin approved the proposal of human rights activists to nominate Ella Pamphilova candidate for the position of Russia’s Human Rights Commissioner. The meeting participants also discussed the development of the institution of human rights ombudsman and increasing the effectiveness of the system of regional human rights ombudsmen. Excerpts […]

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Interfax: Russian senators say Kiev lacks political will to solve crisis

Federation Council file photo

(Interfax – Moscow, January 22, 2013) Members of the Federation Council have agreed with the position of their colleagues from the lower chamber [of parliament, State Duma], which adopted a statement on the events in Ukraine on Wednesday [22 January]. “The Federation Council cannot stand aloof from the events in Ukraine and we express solidarity with the stance of the […]

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Interfax: Ukraine not a boxing ring – Party of Regions’ faction

Ukraine Map and Flag

KYIV. Jan 23 (Interfax) – The Ukrainian Party of Regions’ faction sees the opposition actions and initiatives as an attempted coup. “Yet another step by the opposition … is the “establishment” of a so-called people’s Rada and the handover of the national parliament’s legislative functions to it … In the current situation the Party of Regions’ faction is entitled to […]

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RIA Novosti: Russia Must Protect Arctic Border From Missile Threats ­ Expert

Polar Map Showing Permafrost Areas, Adapted From NOAA.gov Graphic

MOSCOW, January 23 (RIA Novosti) ­ Protecting Russia from potential missile attacks launched from the Arctic should be a key goal of increased Russian military presence in the region, a Russian expert on geopolitics said Thursday. According to Konstantin Sivkov, first vice president of the Russian National Geopolitical Academy, massive strikes of high-precision cruise missiles against Russia would be effective […]

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U.S.-Russian Sochi Cooperation ‘Subject to Mistrust’

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Yekaterina Kravtsova – January 23, 2014) As the U.S. expressed concern over the safety of the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Sochi and offered to send its own warships to assist in case of a terrorist threat, observers said that cooperation between U.S. and Russian security agencies on the matter is not much more than […]

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Interfax: Terror threat at Sochi Olympics not greater than at other Olympics – Medvedev

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

(Interfax – January 23, 2014) The security threats facing next month’s Winter Olympic Games in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi are not much more serious that those at the Olympic Games in other countries. “Frankly, I don’t think that the threat is greater at the Sochi Olympics than at other Olympics in other countries. We live in a […]

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Interfax: Russia, U.S. plan to conclude several agreements on trade

File Photo of Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama Seated Before Russian and U.S. Flags

DAVOS. Jan 23 (Interfax) – Russia and the U.S. plan to conclude a number of agreements concerning trade, Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich and Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev told journalists following their meeting with a U.S. trade representative on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. “There can be no talk of a project for a trade […]

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RIA Novosti: Russia Has Too Many Banks – Putin

VTB Bank Facade file photo

MOSCOW, January 22 (RIA Novosti) ­ President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that there are too many banks in Russia, Prime business news agency reported. “We have just under a thousand banks. That is, of course, a large quantity of financial institutions for our economy,” Putin said during a meeting with a group of Moscow students. Dozens of Russian banks have […]

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Stagflation: A double anomaly for Russia

File Photo of Cash, Coins, Line Graph

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Nathan Gray – January 23, 2014) As analysts air their prognoses for the Russian economy with the start of a new year, one word is circulating among officials and financial experts: stagflation. After 2013’s slowdown in growth – a projected 1.3 percent, according to the World Bank in December, downgraded from an earlier projection of […]

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Russia Beyond the Headlines: Crisis in Ukraine: A catalyst for long-overdue change?

Ukraine Map and Flag

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth..ru – Stanislav Tkachenko, special to RBTH – January 23, 2014) Russia and Ukraine’s future prosperity lies in developing European-style democracies. Integrating Ukraine’s economy may create a window for reform Stanislav Tkachenko is an associate professor of International Relations at St. Petersburg State University. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich set off a fresh crisis in his […]

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Interfax: Russian ministry explains suspension of Navalny party registration

Alexei Navalny file photo

(Interfax – Moscow, January 22, 2014) The state registration of People’s Alliance, political party of [anticorruption campaigner and protest leader] Aleksey Navalnyy’s supporters has been suspended over the similarity of names with the [pundit] Andrey Bogdanov’s political organization, procedural violations during [the party’s constituent] congress as well as poor paperwork, the press service for the Russian Justice Ministry has said. […]

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Russian Parliament Passes Anti-Extremism Bill

Russian State Duma Building file photo

MOSCOW, January 22 (RIA Novosti) ­ The Russian State Duma passed a bill imposing tougher penalties for extremism-related crimes Wednesday. The legislation, which the lower chamber of parliament passed in second and third readings, increases the prison sentence for public incitement of extremism from three to four years, and also raises fines for the offence. The penalty for inciting hatred […]

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