Month: December 2012

TRANSCRIPT: “A Conversation With Dmitry Medvedev.” Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev interviewed by five TV channels

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Dmitry Medvedev file photo

(http://premier.gov.ru – Dec. 7 2012) Sergei Brilyov (Rossia 1 Channel): Good afternoon everyone. Good afternoon, Mr Medvedev. Dmitry Medvedev: Good afternoon. Sergei Brilyov: This is “A Conversation With Dmitry Medvedev.” I am confident that my colleagues and I are ready to ask some rather serious political and economic questions. But, first, I would like to ask you about your impressions […]

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NEWSLINK: President to deliver state-of-the-nation address to the Federal Assembly on December 12

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

[President to deliver state-of-the-nation address to the Federal Assembly on December 12 – ITAR-TASS – RUSSIAN PRESS REVIEW – Dec. 6, 2012 – http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c142/590982.html] Itar-Tass covers plans for Russian President Vladimir Putin to deliver his state-of-the-nation address to the Federal Assembly on December 12: Experts are awaiting surprises which might become “the key priority” during the new presidential term. The […]

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NEWSLINK: Medvedev discusses corruption, tighter legislation, Opposition with TV journalists

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Dmitry Medvedev file photo

[Medvedev discusses corruption, tighter legislation, Opposition with TV journalists – Itar-Tass – Lyudmila Alexandrova – Dec. 7 – http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c39/592431.html] Itar-Tass covers a recent interview by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev with Russian television networks: One of the first most acute questions was about the high-profile scandals and the potential involvement in them of some very high-ranking officials, including the former […]

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NEWSLINK: Russia and Turkey: Cool pragmatism: They may disagree about Syria but Russia and Turkey keep close business relations

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Middle East, North Africa, NATO

[Russia and Turkey: Cool pragmatism: They may disagree about Syria but Russia and Turkey keep close business relations – The Economist – Dec. 8, 2012 – click here for full article] The Economist reports on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent trip to Turkey, and its context. Russia has been siding with Syria’s Assad regime at the United Nations over sanctions,while […]

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Putin’s Fear of Appearing Spineless

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

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Michael Bohm – Michael Bohm is opinion page editor of The Moscow Times – Dec. 7, 2012) Speculation about President Vladimir Putin’s health problems was revived this week when he met with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara. Judging from a Reuters photograph, it seemed that Putin was wincing as he lowered himself […]

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NEWSLINK: Russian PM defends tough laws, stands behind Putin

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Dmitry Medvedev file photo

[Russian PM defends tough laws, stands behind Putin – Reuters – Timothy Heritage – Dec. 7 – http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/07/us-russia-medvedev-idUSBRE8B60OU20121207] Reuters reports on Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s vocal support for President Vladimir Putin and new laws on treason, protests, defamation and NGO’s: In a live interview with five Russian television stations, Medvedev appeared determined to show he is in step with […]

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Serdyukov Has Been Disgraced, but His Reforms Will Continue

Military
File Photo of Close-Up of Line of Russian Soldiers in Dress Uniforms for Parade

(Jamestown Foundation – jamestown.org – Eurasia Daily Monitor: Volume 9, Issue 223 – Pavel Felgenhauer – Dec. 6, 2012) A month ago on November 6, President Vladimir Putin sacked Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, replacing him with Sergei Shoigu, a former long-time emergency situations minister (MChS), who was only last May appointed governor of the Moscow region. Russia’s top general – the first […]

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Russian Science in Dire Straits – Report

Science, Technology, Engineering
Artist's Conception of Nanotechnology Components

MOSCOW, December 7 (RIA Novosti) – Russian science is in crisis, mainly due to underfunding and the lack of a coherent national development strategy, according to a report from the Russian Science Promotion Association (RSPA), a non-governmental organization that advocates on behalf of science. The report, prepared under the supervision of Yevgeny Velikhov, RSPA head and member of the Russian […]

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2010 Census Shows Fewer Russians, More Non-Russians, and Many Who No Longer Declare an Ethnic Identity At All

Race, Ethnic, Extremism, Xenophobia
File Photo of Russian Crowd, with Russian Flag Being Waved

(Jamestown Foundation – jamestown.org – Eurasia Daily Monitor: Volume 9, Issue 223 – Paul Goble – Dec. 6, 2012)    According to recent census results, the rate of the overall decline in the population of the Russian Federation nearly doubled during the past decade compared to the rate over the course of the 1990s, but that trend obscures rather than […]

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Russians Tired of Rallies But Not Politics – Analysis

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Moscow Winter Protest

MOSCOW, December 7 (Alexey Eremenko, RIA Novosti) ­ One year ago, large-scale street protests in Moscow seemed to overturn the indifference toward politics that had dominated the Russian public consciousness for much of the 2000s. Today, sociologists say, people’s willingness to hit the streets has waned considerably, with many voters skeptical both of the Kremlin and the opposition. But the […]

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Experts sum up results of protest year at Interfax press conference

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Moscow Protest file photo

MOSCOW. Dec 6 (Interfax) – Politicians and experts, who attended the presentation of a research study of the Civil Society Development Fund at Interfax on Thursday, made interesting or even paradoxical comments on the protest movement in Russia that marked its first jubilee. The “white ribbon” movement saved Russia from a social outburst, political expert Leonid Polyakov told the press […]

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Former protesters ready to support Putin under certain conditions – VTsIOM

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and Moscow Environs Aerial View

MOSCOW. Dec 6 (Interfax) – The majority of people who attended protests staged by the Russian opposition said they would be ready to support President Vladimir Putin at elections if he agreed to implement some reforms, the director of the All Russian Center for Public Opinion Studies (VTsIOM), Valery Fyodorov, said. The center’s sociologists drew these conclusions after interviewing those […]

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Ombudsman tells Putin prison system needs reforming

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

SOCHI, Russia. Dec 7 (Interfax) – Russia’s human rights ombudsman argued at a meeting with President Vladimir Putin on Thursday that the country’s prison system needs reforming, citing increasingly frequent protests by prison inmates, and asked for measures to prevent accidental explosions at military training sites. “This year there has been no big difference between the quantity and quality of […]

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Russian NATO Rep Denies ‘Re-Sovietization’

Central Asia, Europe, EU, History, Soviet Union, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Map of Russia and European Region of Former Soviet Union or Commonwealth of Independent States

MOSCOW, December 7 (RIA Novosti) ­ Russian NATO envoy Alexander Grushko refuted on Friday claims by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that Russia is aiming to “re-Sovietize” Eastern Europe and Central Asia. “Sovietization is a cliché which, in my opinion, is absolutely incongruous with the actual processes that are taking place throughout the former USSR,” Grushko said during a […]

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Russian senators call Magnitsky Act unfriendly

Human Rights, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Memorial Flowers and Photo of Sergei Magnitsky

(Interfax – Dec. 7, 2012) The passage of the Magnitsky Act by the U.S. Senate came as no surprise, Alexander Torshin, first deputy speaker of the Federation Council, the upper chamber of Russia’s parliament, told Interfax. “The passage of this act by the Senate was to be expected. Moreover, it is beyond any doubt that this bill will be signed […]

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Moscow has blacklist of unwelcome U.S. citizens – Pushkov

Human Rights, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Truck at Russian Border Crossing

MOSCOW. Dec 7 (Interfax) – The Russian Foreign Ministry has drafted a blacklist of U.S. citizens Moscow suspects of violations of human rights, State Duma International Affairs Committee Chairman Alexei Pushkov said in an interview with the Russian News Service radio on Friday. “In fact, the Foreign Ministry has a classified list, same as the U.S. Department of State. It […]

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Magnitsky Act Sparks Russian Fury

Assassinations, Beatings, Threats, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Human Rights, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of U.S. Capitol Dome

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Roland Oliphant – Dec. 7, 2012) Russia will impose a visa ban on U.S. citizens accused of human rights abuses in response to the “absurd” trade and human rights bill passed by the U.S. Senate on Thursday, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. “We will also close entry to Americans who are guilty of human rights […]

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U.S. Agrees With Russia to Back Mediation on Syria Civil War

Middle East, North Africa
Syria Map

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Indira A.R. Lakshmanan – Dec. 7, 2012) The U.S. and Russia have agreed to support mediation among all sides in Syria’s civil war in a renewed bid to end the violence, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said today. Talks on Syria in Dublin yesterday among Clinton, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and United Nations Special […]

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NEWSLINK: Vladimir Putin tries to restore monopoly of power

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Vladimir Putin at Desk

[Vladimir Putin tries to restore monopoly of power – Matthew Rojansky – Valdai Discussion Club – Dec. 4, 2012 – Valdaiclub.com interview with Matthew Rojansky, Deputy Director, Russia and Eurasia Program, Carnegie Endowment – http://www.carnegieendowment.org/2012/12/04/vladimir-putin-tries-to-restore-monopoly-of-power/eqjp] Matthew Rojansky of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is interviewed on politics and corruption under Vladimir Putin. Rojansky notes the uptick in anti-corruption action, […]

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NEWSLINK: Purge and prejudice: What will the fate of military reform tell us about the anti-corruption campaign?

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

[Purge and prejudice: What will the fate of military reform tell us about the anti-corruption campaign? – Mark Galeotti – Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Dec. 3, 2012 – Mark Galeotti (Twitter: @markgaleotti) is Professor of Global Affairs at New York University’s SCPS Center for Global Affairs. His blog, “In Moscow’s Shadows,” can be read at http://inmoscowsshadows.wordpress.com – full article […]

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NEWSLINK: US Senate to consider Magnitsky Act

Assassinations, Beatings, Threats, Human Rights, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of U.S. Capitol Dome

[US Senate to consider Magnitsky Act – ITAR-TASS – RUSSIAN PRESS REVIEW – Dec. 5, 2012 – http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c142/589715.html] Itar-Tass covers Senate action on a bill replacing the Jackson-Vanik amendment with the Magnitsky Act. Click here for the full article: http://www.itar-tass.com/en/c142/589715.html

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NEWSLINK: Obama urges Russia to work with U.S. to extend arms pact

Nuclear, Missile Defense
File Photo of Russian Nuclear Missile on Mobile Launcher Near Woods

[Obama urges Russia to work with U.S. to extend arms pact – Reuters – Dec. 3, 2012 – http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/04/us-usa-russia-weapons-idUSBRE8B301220121204] Reuters reports on U.S. efforts to persuade Russia to continue Nunn-Lugar WMD dismantling and conversion: President Barack Obama urged Russia on Tuesday to work with the United States to “update” a decades-old agreement on dismantling nuclear and chemicals weapons that is […]

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NEWSLINK: ‘Syria is not Libya’ – Lavrov

Middle East, North Africa
File Photo of Bashar al-Assad and Sergei Lavrov

[‘Syria is not Libya’ – Lavrov – Russia Today – Dec. 5, 2012 – http://rt.com/politics/syria-russia-chemical-weapons-nato-lavrov-314/] Pro-Kremlin Russia Today covers Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s statements of Russian policy on the civil war in Syria.  Lavrov was attending a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council in Brussels. Click here for article: http://rt.com/politics/syria-russia-chemical-weapons-nato-lavrov-314/

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Russia’s Winter Transport: From the Troika to Rubber Tires

Environment, Roads
Map of Russia

(Voice of America – James Brooke – Dec. 3, 2012 – James Brooke is VOA Moscow bureau chief, covering Russia and the former USSR) It snowed in Russia last week. (Yawn. What else is new?) But Russia no longer is Dr. Zhivago country, a rural place where troika sleighs slide smoothly across white, wintry landscapes. Modern Russians have a deep, […]

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Russia Confirms Emissions Goal at Doha Talks

Environment
File Photo of Smokestacking Spewing Cloud of Discharge

DOHA, December 6 (RIA Novosti) ­ Russia reaffirmed on Thursday its decision to withdraw from the second period of commitment to the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, but said it would stick to its goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent in the next decade. “In 2013, our country will begin implementation of its commitments to reduce greenhouse […]

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Russia Riot Prison Dubbed ‘Hell’ by Kremlin Rights Council

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Human Rights, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and St. Basil's file photo

MOSCOW, December 6 (Marc Bennetts, RIA Novosti) ­ A prison in Russia’s Urals region where inmates rioted last month against alleged abuse and extortion was compared to a “concentration camp” on Thursday by a member of the Kremlin’s human rights council. “We saw a splendid park and a beautiful church, marble ­ but behind the facade there was hell,” Maxim […]

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Protest movement losing steam in Russia due to disappointment in its leaders – expert Kostin

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Moscow Protest file photo

(Interfax – Dec. 6, 2012) The protest movement in Russia is losing steam, Civil Society Development Fund head Konstantin Kostin said in a presentation of his report at Interfax on Thursday. “Protests were escalating from December 2011 through February 2012 and then started to subdue,” he said. Kostin put the blame on internal problems of the protest movement. “People are […]

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Political Analyst Sees No Signs Of Crisis In Russia

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and Moscow Environs Aerial View

(RIA Novosti – Moscow, 3 December) Political analyst Aleksey Mukhin believes that the authors of the Carnegie Centre’s report “The awakening of Russia” are somewhat late with their conclusions, some of which could have been partially accepted in December 2011 – March 2012. According to Mukhin, there is no reason to talk about a crisis in the country, including a […]

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After Year of Protests, Activists Founding Political Parties

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Moscow Winter Protest

(Moscow Times – themoscow.times.com – Alexander Bratersky – Dec. 6, 2012) Activists who took part in large-scale protests against the Kremlin over the last year are putting their hopes in new political parties that could be used as a platform for opposition leaders like Alexei Navalny. With public enthusiasm for protests seeming to have waned after a year of mass […]

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Russia’s top law officer defends prosecutions aiming to rout ‘destructive forces’

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and St. Basil's file photo

MOSCOW. Dec 4 (Interfax) – Russian Prosecutor General Yury Chaika has argued that current criminal action against people featured in the documentary film “Anatomy of Protest 2” is a necessary measure against “destructive forces.” “The danger is that people may have their protest sentiments manipulated by interested persons and their associations in attempts by destructive forces to use the protest […]

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Reserve Fund should be used for highways – minister

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Roads
Moscow Traffic file photo

MOSCOW. Dec 5 (Interfax) – Russian Economic Development Minister Andrei Belousov has said money from the Reserve Fund should be used to build new highways. “We need to resolve the problem of funding highway construction. I do not think we can really resolve it without using oil and gas money – our resources from the Reserve Fund to build roads. […]

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NATO Commitment to Georgia Still ‘Solid’

Georgia, NATO
NATO Meeting file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Nikolaus von Twickel – Dec. 6, 2012) BRUSSELS ­ Two months after an opposition party swept elections in Georgia, NATO on Tuesday reconfirmed its 2008 decision to treat the nation as a future member but expressed concern about its democratic development. “Georgia’s commitment to NATO is solid. And NATO’s commitment to Georgia remains just as […]

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Gazprom sends first LNG tanker via Northern Sea Route

Arctic, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Oil, Gas, Energy
Map of Barents Sea and Polar Environs

MOSCOW. Dec 5 (Interfax) – The Ob River liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker, chartered by the Gazprom Group (RTS: GAZP), successfully completed the world’s first LNG shipment via the Northern Sea Route on Wednesday, the Russian gas giant reported. The tanker, which departed from Norway’s Hammerfest Port on November 7, has arrived at the regasification terminal at Tobata Port in […]

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Kudrin Committee advises authorities not to irritate middle class, accelerate elite rotation

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Alexei Kudrin file photo

MOSCOW. Dec 4 (Interfax) – The Civil Initiatives Committee of former Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin has urged the authorities not to tighten the screws on civil society regulation. “It is necessary not to tighten the screws on the regulation of civil society, free discussion and protest actions. Such measures do nothing but radicalize protests and ruin the authorities’ hope […]

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Putin’s Health and the Future of Russian Power

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

(RIA Novosti – Fyodor Lukyanov – Dec. 6, 2012 – 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) We have seen growing speculation about President Vladimir Putin’s health over recent weeks. A break in his foreign trips and reports of a sports-related injury […]

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Corruption Index Keeps Russia in ‘Zone of Shame’

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime
File Photo of Two Persons Shaking Hands and Exchanging Cash

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Alec Luhn – Dec. 6, 2012) Even as the government wages a high-profile anti-corruption campaign, Russia remains in the bottom third of Transparency International’s corruption index, released Wednesday. The nation ranked on par with Kazakhstan, Iran and Honduras. This is “the zone of national shame,” said Yelena Panfilova, director of Transparency International Russia. It indicates […]

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Russians happier, better off than last year – opinion poll

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Life in Russia, Culture, Arts
File Photo of Russian Crowd, with Russian Flag Being Waved

(Interfax – Moscow, 5 December) Surveys by VTsIOM (All-Russia Public Opinion Research Centre) sociologists have shown that the feeling of social well-being among Russians has increased over the last year. For example, the percentage of Russians who are satisfied with the life they lead has increased from 26 per cent in November 2011 to 40 per cent in November 2012, […]

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NEWSLINK: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: The revenge of the Soviet military

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Close-Up of Line of Russian Soldiers in Dress Uniforms for Parade

Far, far more serious than the shake-up’s implications for Russia’s military doctrine and modernization — and they are serious, because it is unlikely that Shoigu will succeed by retaining Soviet-era management practices — are its implications for the stability of the Putin regime and its reliance on clans, protection, corruption, and intimidation. The Serdyukov scandal is a hint that Putin is not in control, and that his political system has become vulnerable to fratricide.

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NEWSLINK: New Rules in Old Corruption Game

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Two Persons Shaking Hands and Exchanging Cash

[Yulia Latynina – Moscow Times – Dec. 5, 2012 – Yulia Latynina hosts a political talk show on Ekho Moskvy radio – http://www.themoscowtimes.com/opinion/article/new-rules-in-old-corruption-game/472507.html] Yulia Latynina comments upon the shifting landscape in Russian corruption and how it is handled: Under the old rules, a public scandal involving Serdyukov would have failed to result in his dismissal. It also would have meant […]

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NEWSLINK: Russian Oil Industry at a Crossroads as Infrastructure Ages

Oil, Gas, Energy
Oil Well file photo

[Russian Oil Industry at a Crossroads as Infrastructure Ages – International Herald Tribune – Thane Gustafson –  Dec. 5, 2012 – Thane Gustafson is a professor of government at Georgetown University and a senior director at IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates. His latest book is “Wheel of Fortune: The Battle for Oil and Power in Russia.” – Click here for […]

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Balancing Russia’s contrasts: Banker Arnaud Leclercq argues a more nuanced approach is needed to understand Russia’s past and its future

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

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Nathan Gray – Dec. 3, 2012) “Private banking is a business which has to be boring, to some extent ­ you need safety, security, performance, and that’s it,” Arnaud Leclercq said over coffee in the lobby of the Baltschug Kempinski hotel. “A house has to be built with walls that are thick and traditional, and so […]

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Skepticism greets Putin Net initiative: The president’s suggestion of a state fund for innovative online projects raises doubts over its political implications and its ability to attract private investment

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television
File Image of Stylized Eye Surrounded by Binary Code

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Dan Peleschuk – Dec. 3, 2012) Despite President Vladimir Putin’s newfound appreciation of the Internet as a useful tool to fight Russia’s “brain drain,” experts question how fair his proposed funding scheme will actually be. They argue his new proposal to help finance online start-ups may be little more than a cash cow for government-friendly […]

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NEWSLINK: Is Russia About To Ditch Syria? The Truth Is That It May Not Matter

Middle East, North Africa
File Photo of Bashar al-Assad and Sergei Lavrov

[Is Russia About To Ditch Syria? The Truth Is That It May Not Matter – Forbes.com – Mark Adomanis – Dec. 4, 2012 – click here for full article] Forbes.com covers Russian policy on the Syrian civil war and Russian relations with embattled Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad: Russia has been hinting for months that it might be prepared to try […]

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Medvedev criticizes Russia’s lawyer training system

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime
Russian Constitutional Court file photo

MOSCOW. Dec 3 (Interfax) – Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev called for raising standards in Russia’s legal education system, attacked the allegedly undeserved conferment of academic degrees in the law profession, but hailed the existence of more than 400 free legal assistance centers in Russia. Speaking at a session of the Russian Lawyers Association, Medvedev said that, at various conferences, he […]

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NEWSLINK: After a year of protest, a different Russia beckons

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Moscow Winter Protest

[After a year of protest, a different Russia beckons – Washington Post – Will Englund and Kathy Lally – Dec. 5, 2012 – Click here for full article] The Washington Post covers the one-year anniversary of the large protests that broke out in Russia in December 2010: The political protests that suddenly began a year ago seemingly accomplished little concrete […]

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Russia’s Anti-Putin Opposition: One Year On

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Moscow Protest file photo

MOSCOW, December 5 (Marc Bennetts, RIA Novosti) – When thousands of Muscovites swept into the streets to protest alleged vote-rigging in favor of Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party at the December 4, 2011, parliamentary polls, they revived a passion for politics not seen here for some two decades and set the scene for the greatest challenge to the ex-KGB officer’s […]

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