Interfax: Medvedev orders analyzing relocation of HQs of some state-own companies, government bodies to Far East – deputy PM

Dmitry Medvedev file photo

MOSCOW. Feb 5 (Interfax) – Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has ordered analyzing the possibility of relocating the main offices of a number of major companies partly or wholly owned by the state and a number of federal government bodies to the Far East, Russian Deputy Prime Minister and presidential envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District Yury Trutnev told […]

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TRANSCRIPT: [Putin] Visit to Persian Leopard Breeding and Rehabilitation Centre

Sochi 2014

(cc – February 4, 2014) Vladimir Putin visited the Persian Leopard Breeding and Rehabilitation Centre at the Sochi National Park. Vladimir Putin toured the Centre together with IOC Executive Director for the Olympic Games Gilbert Felli and IOC Coordination Commission Chairman Jean-Claude Killy. The Centre was set up in 2009 within the framework of the programme to restore the Persian […]

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Putin Doesn’t Want to Be a Stalin But He May End a Milosevic, Russian Analysts Say

File Photo of Vladimir Putin Sitting at Desk

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, February 5, 2014) Russian President Vladimir Putin does not aspire to become a new Stalin as long as he is able to maintain power and profitability without the use of the totalitarian violence of the Soviet dictator, according to one Russian analyst, but he may become a Milosevich by his incautious actions […]

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TRANSCRIPT: [Putin at] Opening of International Olympic Committee session in Sochi

Sochi 2014

(Kremlin.ru – February 4, 2014) Vladimir Putin spoke at the opening of the 126th session of the International Olympic Committee, held in Sochi ahead of the Winter Olympic Games. PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN: Ladies and gentlemen, friends, President Bach, I am truly happy to welcome you to Sochi, which is hosting the XXII Winter Olympic Games. We are only […]

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Putin Rolls Out His English for IOC Opening in Sochi

Sochi 2014

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Christopher Brennan – February 5, 2014) President Vladimir Putin concluded the 126th session of the International Olympic Committee in Sochi on Tuesday evening just as he delivered Russia’s appeal to committee voters in Guatemala in 2007 before they chose a city for the Winter Games: in English. “Dear friends, ladies and gentlemen! I declare the […]

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Interfax: Russian bill tightening liability for extremism signed into law

Kremlin and Saint Basil's

MOSCOW. Feb 4 (Interfax) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a bill that toughens liability for extremism-related crimes. The document amends Russia’s Criminal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure, according to the authorities’ legal information website. “In an effort to neutralize the threats to national security posed by the destructive activities of religious organizations on Russian territory, […]

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Putin Arrives in Sochi Ahead of Winter Olympics Curtain-Raiser

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

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Christopher Brennan – February 4, 2014) President Vladimir Putin arrived in the Winter Olympic city of Sochi on Tuesday to play host to visitors three days before the opening ceremony. After arriving in Sochi, Putin visited Sochi National Park and an animal breeding and rehabilitation center that was built using budget funds set aside for […]

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TRANSCRIPT: [Putin at] Meeting of the Presidential Council for Culture and Art Presidium

Kremlin and Saint Basil's

(Kremlin.ru – February 3, 2014) Vladimir Putin chaired an expanded meeting of the Presidential Council for Culture and Art Presidium on developing theatre. Before the start of the meeting, the President visited the Pskov Academic Drama Theatre, which recently underwent restoration and construction work. Speech at a meeting of the Council for Culture and Art Presidium PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR […]

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Putin chooses Olympic Games venue himself – television

(Interfax – February 3, 2014) Russian President Vladimir Putin said he had personally chosen the venue of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. “I am especially pleased to see what is going on here because I chose this venue personally. I came here by UAZ [car] in 2001 or 2002, we drove around, came to the bank of that river and […]

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Growing Inequality among Russia’s Regions Undermines Power Vertical, Moscow Geographer Says

Map of Russia

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble) Staunton, February 2 – Growing inequality in the economic performance of Russia’s regions requires that the regions be given more authority to make decisions, a grant that many in Moscow are reluctant to make because that will undermine Vladimir Putin’s “power vertical” and threaten the country with disintegration, according to a Moscow geographer. In […]

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Comment on the Economist editorial entitled “The triumph of Vladimir Putin” (JRL 2014-#21)

Kremlin and Saint Basil's

Subject: Comment on the Economist editorial entitled “The triumph of Vladimir Putin” (JRL 2014-#21) Date: Sat, 1 Feb 2014 From: Ben Aris <editor@bne.eu> [Editor, Business New Europe] I have to comment on the Economist editorial entitled “The triumph of Vladimir Putin” (JRL 2014-#22) as it is a classic example of Russian bashing that is full of mistakes, half-truths, omissions and […]

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Struggle over Arctic Not as Imminent as Many Imagine, Moscow Scholar Says

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

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, January 28, 2014) Claims by Russia, Denmark and Norway to portions of the Arctic Ocean and its mineral-rich seabed have sparked concerns about possible economic and even military conflicts there in the near term, but according to a Moscow scholar, such concerns are overblown at least in the short term. In “Nezavisimaya […]

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Putin’s Russia Will Prosper Until It Doesn’t

File Photo of Cash, Coins, Line Graph

(Bloomberg editorial – bloomberg.com – January 30, 2014) The recurrent turmoil in emerging markets raises a difficult question about Russia: Is it a fundamentally sound economy that can weather the storm, or a corrupt autocracy headed for disaster? Unsatisfying as it may be, the answer is both. As the U.S. Federal Reserve starts to pull back on its extraordinary stimulus […]

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A non-review of Anna Arutunyan’s ‘The Putin Mystique’

File Photo of Vladimir Putin Sitting at Desk

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Natalia Antonova – January 30, 2014) Anna Arutunyan’s “The Putin Mystique” came out in Britain this week, and this article is not an attempt to review the book. Although we frequently highlight the accomplishments of our friends and colleagues as part of the buys of the week rubric, an actual review of Anna’s book would […]

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Echoing Soviet Era, Putin Uses Oil Giant Rosneft to Tighten Economic Grip

File Photo Rosneft and Russian Flags Next to Rosneft Banner

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Irina Reznik, Stephen Bierman and Henry Meyer – January 30, 2014) The record stretched across the history of the party and its socialist predecessor — from the first meeting in March 1898 to the last one in July 1990, a year and a half before the Soviet Union collapsed, Bloomberg Markets will report in its March […]

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Russian financial watchdog says regions lack funds to implement Putin’s orders

Map of Russia

(RIA Novosti -January 29, 2014) The Russian regions do not have sufficient funds to implement the May [2012] orders of Russian President [Vladimir Putin], the Audit Chamber has said. The watchdog has come to this conclusion as a result of the monitoring of the regional situation. The most acute situation has emerged in connection with order No 600 about measures […]

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Russian State Duma: ‘Possessed printer’ or executor of the people’s will?

Russian State Duma Building file photo

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Natalia Antonova – January 29, 2014) Whether you’re sick of people’s garlic breath on public transportation, or else scandalized by frank discussion of sex on TV, you may rest assured that someone in the State Duma is probably working on introducing a law addressing your very concerns. In 2013 alone, 1,513 new legislative initiatives and […]

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Interfax: Poll shows 65% of Russians approve Putin’s performance – poll

File Photo of Vladimir Putin Sitting at Desk

MOSCOW. Jan 30 (Interfax) – As many as 65% of Russians praised Vladimir Putin’s performance as president in January, which is as many as was in December 2013, the Levada Center sociological service told Interfax on Thursday in summing up outcomes of a nationwide poll of 1,603 Russians it conducted in 130 communities in 45 regions of Russia on January […]

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Billionaire Quits Business to Better Fight Kremlin

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

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anatoly Medetsky – January 29, 2014) The only billionaire in the country at the head of a political party, Gleb Fetisov, has sold out of all his assets, showing his resolve to jostle for a greater role in current affairs. Worth an estimated $1.9 billion, Fetisov let the word out about the move at a […]

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What public opinion polls tell us about Russians

Map of Russia

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Anastasiya Maltseva, special to RBTH – January 29, 2014) Recent polls show that Russians value family first and look cautiously at the West. But well over half of the population will follow the Sochi Olympics. For Russians, family is what matters most. Most Russians hope for the better as they look into the […]

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Minister Plans Accelerated Privatization

File Photo Rosneft and Russian Flags Next to Rosneft Banner

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 29, 2014) Improvements in the stock market mean that the privatization of several large state corporations can be accelerated, and the sale of 19 percent of the country’s largest oil firm Rosneft can be fast-tracked to this year, Economic Development Minister Aleksei Ulyukayev said. Stakes in Rosneft, Aeroflot, shipyard Sovcomflot, Novorossiysk Commercial Sea Port, […]

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TRANSCRIPT: [Putin at] Russia-EU Summit

EU Map

(Kremlin.ru – January 28, 2014) Vladimir Putin took part in the Russia-EU summit meeting. The Russian President had a private meeting with European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. The meeting was at the EU’s initiative. The meeting continued in a working lunch format with participation by the delegations’ members. Following the summit, the […]

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Interfax: Russian Federation Council concerned about events in Ukraine – statement

Federation Council file photo

(Interfax – January 29, 2014) The Russian Federation Council believes that the ongoing events in Ukraine are aimed at discrediting and overthrowing the legitimate authorities, says a statement on the situation in Ukraine the Federation Council members unanimously passed on Wednesday. “The Federation Council is concerned about the situation in Ukraine and believes that the mass unrest provoked by the […]

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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RIA Novosti: Putin Picks Kremlin Critic as Russia’s Ombudsman

Kremlin and Saint Basil's

MOSCOW, January 23 (RIA Novosti) ­ President Vladimir Putin has nominated an outspoken Kremlin critic as Russia’s next ombudsman. Putin told rights activists Tuesday that he would formally nominate Ella Pamfilova, former head of the Kremlin human rights council, to the post after a meeting with her. No date was set. Pamfilova, 60, has not commented on the prospective appointment […]

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RIA Novosti: Putin Never Intentionally Poses Topless – Spokesman

File Photo of Vladimir Putin Sitting at Desk

MOSCOW, January 23 (RIA Novosti) ­ Photos of Russian President Vladimir Putin striding manfully through the countryside with his shirt off have over the years drawn much admiration and ridicule, as well as suspicion they were posed public relations stunts aimed at showing the leader in macho mode. But a Kremlin spokesman tried to scotch such speculation in an interview […]

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TRANSCRIPT: Dmitry Medvedev’s interview with CNN

File Photo of Dmitry Medvedev with United Russia Logos Behind Him

(Government.ru – January 22, 2014) Dmitry Medvedev sat for an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. Christiane Amanpour: Let me start by asking you about the Sochi Olympics. This is a moment of great pride for Russia, great anticipation for the world’s athletes. And yet you have a major security threat and major security alert that your government and security forces […]

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TRANSCRIPT: [Putin] Speech at a meeting with students at National Research Nuclear University (MEPhI)

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

(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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Interfax: Putin: Future Research Fund should look over horizon, avoid rainbow chasing

Artist's Conception of Nanotechnology Components

TULA. Jan 21 (Interfax) – The Future Research Fund should not chase rainbows and have scientific and technological illusions in the selection of projects it will support, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. He added that the Fund “should be looking over the horizon.” “It is important to avoid straight repetition of even promising solutions in the selection of projects. As […]

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TRANSCRIPT: [Putin] Meeting with designers of a new concept for a school textbook on Russian history

File Photo of Vladimir Putin Speaking with Flag Behind Him and Microphones in Front

(Kremlin.ru – January 16, 2014) Vladimir Putin met with designers of a new concept for teaching Russian history. Taking part in the meeting were State Duma Speaker and Chairman of the Russian Historical Society Sergei Naryshkin, Presidential Aide Andrei Fursenko, Education Minister Dmitry Livanov, Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky and representatives of the academic, education and expert communities. —– Speech at […]

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Nemtsov Says Investigators Will Question Him Over Tax Evasion Report

Boris Nemtsov file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 21, 2014) Investigators have summoned opposition leader Boris Nemtsov for questioning over complaints that his report about supposed tax-dodging by 16 pro-Kremlin lawmakers in Yaroslavl had violated their privacy, Nemtsov said. A United Russia deputy from the Yaroslavl regional legislature, Mikhail Krupin, had demanded that investigators charge Nemtsov with “disclosure of confidential information” over […]

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Putin’s political triumph – but economic impasse

File Photo of Vladimir Putin Sitting at Desk

(opendemocracy.net – Dmitry Travin – January 22, 2014) Dmitry Travin is Research Director at the European University in St. Petersburg’s Centre of Modernization Studies. Global attention is focused on Russia’s hosting of the Winter Olympics, a PR coup for President Putin. But all is not well on the economic front and the scenario the Russian government will probably choose going […]

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Interfax: Putin explains need to purge history textbooks of “ideological junk”

Putin Descending a Staircase file photo

(Interfax – Moscow, January 16, 2014) The need to design a single Russian history textbook has arisen because there are many teaching aids containing “ideological junk”, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. “The most important thing was that, under the system of certification of, let us say, teaching materials that went to schools, there occurred things that were absolutely unacceptable not […]

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Interfax: New anti-terrorism bills won’t harm citizens’ rights – Yarovaya

Russian State Duma Building file photo

MOSCOW. Jan 21 (Interfax) – The “anti-terrorist” package of bills will not restrict citizens’ rights and is aimed at preventing the financing of organized crime, Irina Yarovaya, chairman of the State Duma committee on security and corruption prevention, said. “Our logic is to propose additional measures for ensuring collective security measures. We want to disarm terrorists and deprive them of […]

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Navalny Party Denied Registration Over Name

File Photo of Alexei Navalny Being Grabbed by Police at Protest

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 21, 2014) The Justice Ministry has denied registration to opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s People’s Alliance political party, citing the existence of another organization with the same name. People’s Alliance members said they were planning to meet with Justice Ministry officials on Tuesday to discuss the government’s repeated rejections of their movement’s registration requests, Itar-Tass […]

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RIA Novosti: Putin’s Electoral Support Grows – Poll

File Photo of Vladimir Putin Sitting at Desk

MOSCOW, January 20 (RIA Novosti) ­ Russian President Vladimir Putin’s electoral rating rose in December, returning to 2000s levels, a new opinion poll by the independent Levada Center showed. Asked whom they would vote for if a presidential election took place next Sunday, 68 percent of respondents said they would vote for Putin, up 10 percent from figures in December […]

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Put Putin on your fridge door

File Photo of Vladimir Putin Sitting at Desk

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Vladimir Kozlov, special to RBTH – January 19, 2014) From portraits to fridge magnets to video games, Putin’s image has become a commercial venture. Portraits of Russian President Vladimir Putin are staples in the offices of state officials of various ranks across the country. But his images can be also found on various […]

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More Than Half of Russians Against Anti-Putin Slogans, Poll Says

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 17, 2014) More than half of Russians do not support slogans directed against President Vladimir Putin, a Levada Center poll shows. Twenty-four percent said they always disapprove of slogans like “Putin must go!” and “Russia without Putin!,” and 32 percent said they were more likely not to support them, according to the poll, published […]

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‘Against All’ ­- disdain as it’s meant to be

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

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Natalia Antonova, Acting Editor-in-Chief – January 17, 2014) The Russian State Duma currently appears to be keen on returning the “against all” option on all election ballots, except for presidential elections ­ and this is a good thing. Critics say that reintroducing the option will only benefit the ruling United Russia party, by chipping away […]

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