May 2013 – Page 5 – Johnson's Russia List

Saakashvili compares his political opponents to Caligula

May 13, 2013 JRL Russia List Georgia

(Interfax – TBILISI, May 12, 2013) Commenting on the nomination of the presidential candidate from the ruling coalition Georgian Dream, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili recalled an old joke about Roman Emperor Caligula who made his horse a senator. Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili earlier said the presidential candidate from Georgian Dream will be Giorgy Margvelashvili, deputy prime minister and education […]

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JRL E-Mail Newsletter Table of Contents :: Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#87 :: 13 May 2013

May 13, 2013 JRL Russia List JRL Tables of Contents, Russian News

[check back for updates, including additional links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#87 :: 13 May 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: www.russialist.org JRL on Facebook: www.facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support […]

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JRL E-Mail Newsletter Table of Contents :: Johnson’s Russia List 2013-#86 – 10 May 2013

May 13, 2013 JRL Russia List JRL Tables of Contents, Russian News

Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#86 :: 10 May 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: www.russialist.org JRL on Facebook: www.facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: http://russialist.org/funding.php POLITICS 1. Reuters: Russia’s Putin looks isolated in new Kremlin term. 2. […]

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Ban on Foreign Holdings Gives Kremlin Muscovy-Like Control, Commentator Says

May 13, 2013 JRL Russia List Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, History, Soviet Union, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

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

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, May 10 New Russia legislation to prevent officials from having cash or stock accounts abroad, promoted by the regime as a step toward “the nationalization of the elite,” brings Russia into line with countries like Bangladesh rather than the West and gives the Kremlin powers much like those of medieval Muscovy, […]

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Leave a comment Capital Flight, Czars, Finance, Government, History, Investment, Offshore, Politics

Russian Experts See Signs Of Improvement In Relations With USA

May 13, 2013 JRL Russia List United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

File Photo of John Kerry and Sergei Lavrov at Separte Podiums, Kerry with a Visible Earpiece; Adapted from Photo at state.gov

(RIA Novosti – Moscow, May 8, 2013) The first visit of US Secretary of State John Kerry to Russia has not been a breakthrough, nor has it led to a new “reset” in relations between Moscow and Washington, according to experts interviewed by RIA Novosti. According to them, in the run-up to a meeting between the presidents of Russia and […]

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Hollywood Wrestles With Getting Russia Right

May 13, 2013 JRL Russia List Life in Russia, Culture, Arts, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

(RIA Novosti – Carl Schreck – WASHINGTON, May 9, 2013) It’s a mere three seconds of stock footage in the critically acclaimed Cold War television series “The Americans,” a nighttime panorama showing Moscow’s renowned Christ the Savior Cathedral as a US counterintelligence official explains that a top KGB officer is about to be assassinated. There’s just one problem: The […]

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Berezovsky buried in England

May 12, 2013 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, History, Soviet Union, In Memoriam, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

(Interfax – LONDON/MOSCOW, May 8, 2013) Russian business tycoon Boris Berezovsky was buried Brookwood cemetery, Surrey, in Great Britain, a source close to the businessman told Interfax on Wednesday. “The burial service was conducted in the family circle, while the burial ceremony itself was attended by 50 to 70 people – the family and friends of the late oligarch,” the […]

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Leave a comment Berezovsky, Business, History, In Memoriam, Oligarchs, Politics, UK

Russian rights activists, U.S. secretary of state did not discuss Magnitsky bill, Bolotnaya case

May 12, 2013 JRL Russia List Human Rights, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

(Interfax – MOSCOW, May 8, 2013) Russian human rights activists did not discuss the work of NGOs in their meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Moscow Helsinki Group Chairman Lyudmila Alekseyeva told reporters on Wednesday. “We discussed the persecution of NGOs. Kerry was impressed by our story. We did not discuss financing,” Alekseyeva said. “We did not discuss […]

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Leave a comment Bolotnaya, Human Rights, Kerry, Magnitsky, Politics, Prosecutions, Protests, U.S.-Russian Relations

Ponomaryov likes idea of Russian-U.S. fund to help human rights movement

May 12, 2013 JRL Russia List Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

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

(Interfax – MOSCOW, May 8, 2013) Lev Ponomaryov, executive director of the movement For Human Rights, said human rights activists who have recently met with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry proposed the creation of a Russian-U.S. fund to help the human rights movement. “I made a proposal to create a Russian-U.S. fund to support the human rights movement on […]

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Leave a comment Human Rights, NGO's, Nonprofits, U.S.-Russian Relations

Russian rights veteran says ‘irritating’ NGOs will not avoid ‘foreign agent’ tag

May 12, 2013 JRL Russia List Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's

(Interfax – May 8, 2013) Russian rights veteran and head of the Moscow Helsinki Group Lyudmila Alekseyeva has said that the fate of certain NGOs is sealed as regards being required to register as a “foreign agent”. She also criticized the incumbent authorities for their crackdown on dissenters but said she did not expect the return of an Iron Curtain. […]

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Leave a comment Alexeyeva, Foreign Agent Law, Human Rights, NGO's, Nonprofits, Xenophobia

Up to 95% of Russia’s NGOs are financed from abroad – Lev Ponomaryov

May 12, 2013 JRL Russia List Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, YUKOS, Khodorkovsky

(Interfax – MOSCOW, May 8, 2013) Lev Ponomaryov, leader of the movement For Human Rights, believes most of the NGOs operating in Russia are financed from abroad because the “Khodorkovsky case” has deterred Russian businesses from supporting human rights activists. “Businesses tried to begin financing our NGOs. The first person to do that was Khodorkovsky. Everything began very well, but […]

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Desperation and hope in a Russian village

May 12, 2013 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Alexandra Ilina, Moskovskiye Novosti – May 8, 2013) GALKINSKOYE, Sverdlovsk region – The village of Galkinskoye is no different from any of the other towns and villages around the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, with its old wooden houses, rickety fences and decaying former farm buildings. However, in 2008, Vasily Melnichenko came up with the idea […]

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Leave a comment Economy, Government, Regions, Cities, Municipalities, Villages

Russian opposition tries to hold on despite challenges

May 12, 2013 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Stanislav Kuvaldin, special to RBTH – May 8, 2013) While the government has succeeded in isolating its most vocal opponents, the opposition itself is driving other activists away due to its lack of organization. The Russian opposition held a rally on May 6 to mark the anniversary of last year’s mass protests at […]

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Radicalization of Tsarnaev Brothers Likely Did Not Occur in Chechnya

May 10, 2013 JRL Russia List Chechnya, Dagestan, North Caucasus, Spies, Spy Allegations, Terrorism, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

Boston Bombings Suspects File Photo Adapted from FBI Image

(Eurasia Daily Monitor – Volume 10, Issue 88 – Mairbek Vatchagaev – Jamestown Foundation – jamestown.org – May 9, 2013) The role of the brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the Boston bombings is assessed differently on either side of the Atlantic. In the United States, few doubt they are terrorists and that the youngest son, Dzhokhar, who remains alive, […]

Investigative Committee, Surkov Trade Barbs Over Skolkovo

May 10, 2013 JRL Russia List Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Yekaterina Kravtsova – May 8, 2013) An investigation into the embezzlement of budget funds from state-owned innovation hub Skolkovo has led to a public spat between the agency conducting the investigation and the Cabinet of Ministers, whose head, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, created the institution in 2010. On Tuesday, pro-Kremlin newspaper Izvestia published a damning […]

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Leave a comment Business, Corruption, Government, Innovation, Investigative Committee, Investment, Markin, Skolkovo, Surkov

Distribution of duties of former Russian deputy premier explained

May 10, 2013 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

File Photo of Vladislav Surkov with Mike McFaul

(Interfax – May 8, 2013) The duties of Vladislav Surkov, who on 8 May was reported to have resigned as deputy prime minister and chief of staff of the government, will be carried out by another deputy prime minister and two first deputy heads of the government staff, Interfax news agency reported on 8 May. “Until the appointment of a […]

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Leave a comment Government, Politics, Surkov

Intrigue and Gossip Overwhelm Moscow after Surkov’s Downfall

May 10, 2013 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

(Eurasia Daily Monitor: Volume 10, Issue 88 – Pavel Felgenhauer – Jamestown Foundation – jamestown.org – Eurasia Daily Monitor – May 9, 2013) Moscow is in the midst of the traditional long May holiday season: The city streets are largely deserted and traffic is light. Still those of the political class who stayed in town were shocked and agitated by […]

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Five Facts About Vladislav Surkov

May 10, 2013 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Alexander Bratersky – May 10, 2013) Vladislav Surkov, the one-time gray cardinal of the Kremlin, played a leading role in shaping the current Russian political landscape during President Vladimir Putin’s first two terms in office. While Surkov has taken some credit for his behind-the-scenes wizardry, he remains very much a man in the shadows […]

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Russia’s Gray Cardinal Slips Away Into The Shadows

May 10, 2013 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Tom Balmforth – May 9, 2013) MOSCOW — Vladislav Surkov was known as the Kremlin’s gray cardinal — feared in the corridors of power and despised by the opposition. But the Russian deputy prime minister’s surprise resignation on May 8 has them worried. Surkov’s departure, observers say, signals the rising power of hard-line factions, the “siloviki,” […]

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Surkov says may write political comedy

May 10, 2013 JRL Russia List Life in Russia, Culture, Arts, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

(Interfax – MOSCOW, May 8, 2014) Vladislav Surkov says he plans to write a political comedy based on real events. “I have some plans. I have a plot for a political comedy based on real events,” Surkov said in an interview with the magazine Russky Pioner, for which he writes columns, responding to a question as to whether he will […]

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Leave a comment Books, Government, Politics, Surkov

Bestselling writers bear witness to the devastation, and glory, of WW II

May 10, 2013 JRL Russia List History, Soviet Union

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Alena Tveritina, RBTH – May 10, 2013) Many Soviet writers experienced the brutal front as Red Army soldiers and as war correspondents; others collected the accounts of everyday citizens. World War II is among the most tragic chapters in the hard book of the 20th century. Many Soviet writers fought with the Red […]

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On Victory Day, Putin Says Russian Soldiers Freed Europe

May 10, 2013 JRL Russia List History, Soviet Union, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – May 10, 2013) President Vladimir Putin has praised Russian soldiers as “the liberators of Europe” at a Victory Day parade with more than 11,000 soldiers and 100 military vehicles on Red Square. “We will always remember that it was the Red Army that didn’t allow the fascists to occupy the world,” Putin said a speech […]

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JRL E-Mail Newsletter Table of Contents :: Johnson’s Russia List 2013-#85 – 8 May 2013

May 9, 2013 JRL Russia List JRL Tables of Contents, Russian News

Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#85 :: 8 May 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: www.russialist.org JRL on Facebook: www.facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: http://russialist.org/funding.php POLITICS 1. ITAR-TASS: Most Russians positive about first year of Putin’s third […]

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Titov Wants to Free 100,000 Jailed Entrepreneurs

May 8, 2013 JRL Russia List Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – May 8, 2013) An initiative by business ombudsman Boris Titov to free more than 100,000 entrepreneurs serving prison sentences for white-collar crimes will be submitted to the State Duma next week, Kommersant reported Wednesday. Titov warned that many people were likely to oppose the idea, but he acknowledged that without such a measure it would […]

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Leave a comment Business, Entrepreneurs, Law, Prosecutions, Titov

Ever Fewer Russians Interested in Starting Their Own Businesses

May 8, 2013 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, May 7, 2013) Only seven percent of Russian citizens currently engage in entrepreneurial activity and few of the remainder even consider that a possibility, according to the Global Entrepreneurial Survey, which ranks Russia 67th out of 69 countries in terms of the number of people who form and operate new companies. Olga […]

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Half of Russians live customary life, 25% restrain themselves – poll

May 8, 2013 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade

File Photo of Two Elders Walking Outdoors

(Interfax – MOSCOW, May 7, 2013) Most Russians claim they are accustomed to contemporary living conditions yet 54% admit “life is hard but tolerable,” sociologists said. “The number of such citizens has declined over past months (from 85% in December),” the Russian Public Opinion Study Center (VTsIOM) told Interfax on Tuesday presenting a recent poll. Meanwhile, the number of respondents […]

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Businesses Expect Russian Economy to Grow

May 8, 2013 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – May 8, 2013) A growing number of Russian businessmen expect the country’s economy to grow in the next 12 months, according to a quarterly survey by Grant Thornton International released Wednesday The latest survey data, when compared to last year’s results, shows an increase in the number of Russian business leaders who are annoyed with […]

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Rights Activists Tell Kerry About State Pressure

May 8, 2013 JRL Russia List Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – May 8, 2013) The leaders of some of Russia’s largest nongovernmental organizations raised their concerns about a Kremlin crackdown during a meeting Wednesday with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. Kerry, who was wrapping up a two-day visit, met with the NGO representatives at Spaso House, the Moscow residence of U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul, before […]

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Leave a comment Foreign Agent Law, Human Rights, NGO Raids, NGO's, Nonprofits, U.S.-Russian Relations

TRANSCRIPT: Background Briefing on the Secretary’s Trip to Russia

May 8, 2013 JRL Russia List United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

(US Department of State – May 6, 2013) Special Briefing Office of the Spokesperson Senior State Department Officials Via Teleconference Washington, DC MODERATOR: Good morning, everyone. This is [Moderator]. Thank you all for hopping on this morning. We wanted the purpose of this call is to preview the Secretary’s trip to Russia. We’ll be leaving later this afternoon, as […]

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Tsarnaevs’ Story Reveals Web of Ethnic Ties and Tensions in CIS

May 8, 2013 JRL Russia List Armenia, Chechnya, Dagestan, North Caucasus, Terrorism, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – May 8, 2013) When the parents of “Misha,” the enigmatic Ukrainian-Armenian convert to Islam who allegedly helped radicalize Boston bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, moved to the United States in the 1990s, they likely could not have imagined that their son would eventually be accused of coaching a Muslim terrorist. Yury Allakhverdov, a […]

Rights Champions: Kremlin Wants to Close Russian NGOs

May 8, 2013 JRL Russia List Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's

(RIA Novosti – Alexey Eremenko – MOSCOW, May 8, 2013) The Kremlin is trying to force the majority of independent nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Russia to shut down their operations, the leaders of two prominent Russian human rights groups said on Wednesday. “Independent [nongovernmental] organizations will simply cease to exist,” Lev Ponomaryov, the head of the For Human Rights […]

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Leave a comment Foreign Agent Law, Human Rights, NGO Raids, NGO's, Nonprofits, Politics, Putin, Xenophobia

Three More Russian NGOs Branded ‘Foreign Agents’ – Report

May 8, 2013 JRL Russia List Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, May 8, 2013) The Prosecutor General’s Office has branded three more Russian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as “foreign agents” saying they were financed from abroad, Izvestia daily reported on Wednesday. The latest in a series of NGOs to be listed as foreign agents are the Moscow School of Political Studies, the Urals human rights group and the […]

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Leave a comment Foreign Agent Law, Government, Human Rights, NGO Raids, Politics, Xenophobia

Russians readying to celebrate Victory Day – poll

May 8, 2013 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

(Interfax – MOSCOW, May 7, 2013) Victory Day is one of the most significant holidays in Russia that enjoys mass support, Levada Center sociologists told Interfax quoting surveys of many years. The overwhelming majority of Russians, 70-75%, celebrated the Victory Day one way or another in the past three years, which was more than the number of Russians celebrating the […]

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Leave a comment Holidays, Victory Day, World War II

Putin Blasts Cabinet for Poor Performance

May 8, 2013 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anatoly Medetsky – May 8, 2013) President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday berated the Cabinet for poor execution of his landmark decrees where he sought to make good on his campaign promises. He started out a Kremlin meeting by acknowledging several achievements, but then poured cold water on the ministers for most of his speech. The […]

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Most Russians do not support slogan ‘Russia without Putin’ – poll

May 8, 2013 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

(Interfax – MOSCOW, May 7, 2013) – Almost half of Russian citizens trust Russian President Vladimir Putin more than any other politician and are ready to vote for him again, polls showed. If Russia had presidential elections next Sunday, 48% of Russians would vote for Putin, while other possible candidates currently get less that 10%, the poll, held by the […]

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Leave a comment Government, Levada Center, Polit, Polls, Putin

Strongman Putin Is No Match for Corruption

May 8, 2013 JRL Russia List Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

Cropped File Photo of Two Men in Business Suits Shaking Hands and Passing Cash

(Bloomberg editorial – bloomberg.com – May 7, 2013) President Vladimir Putin’s crackdown on corruption is vital to Russia’s future. It’s also certain to fail unless he recognizes the shortcomings of his methods. In 2008, under then-President Dmitry Medvedev, Russia began a genuine and somewhat successful effort to bring its corruption laws into the first world. At the same time, the […]

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Leave a comment Corruption, Government, Politics, Putin

Review: 12 Months of Putin’s Presidency

May 8, 2013 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

File Photo of Vladimir Putin Sitting at Desk

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, MAY 6, 2013) The first year of Vladimir Putin’s third presidential term was full of events: unexpected resignations, a flood in Krymsk with an unprecedented number of victims, the first Russian APEC summit and the outstanding achievements of the Russian Olympic team. The head of state also continued a number of traditions, having resumed the practice […]

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Leave a comment Government, Politics, Putin

Nickel and dimes

May 4, 2013 JRL Russia List Environment, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

(opendemocracy.net – Marc Bennetts – May 2, 2013) Marc Bennetts is a British writer and journalist. He lives in Moscow and is author of “Football Dynamo”, a book on modern Russia and football published in 2008. The fertile territories around Voronezh have long been referred to as Russia’s ‘breadbasket’. They also hold the last major nickel reserves in Europe, and […]

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Leave a comment Business, Environment, Government, Minerals, Nickel, Politics, Putin, UGMK, Ural Metal and Mining Company

Putin Opens $700 Million New Mariinsky With Domingo Gala

May 4, 2013 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Henry Meyer & Stepan Kravchenko – May 3, 2013) President Vladimir Putin and performers led by Placido Domingo starred at the opening of a $700 million stage for the Mariinsky Theatre that aims to cement its status as one of the world’s top cultural institutions. Last night’s black-tie gala starts three days of celebrations in St. […]

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Putin’s Lost Children

May 4, 2013 JRL Russia List Children, Adoptions, Orphans, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

File Photo of U.S. Diplomat Teaching Class to Russian Students

(Institute of Modern Russia – imrussia.org – Donald N. Jensen – May 2, 2013) It is often argued that Russia’s democratic future is assured by the progressive and pro-Western attitudes of its youth. Donald N. Jensen, Resident Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, contends that the reality is more complex. […]

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Leave a comment Children, Internet, Media, Politics, Putin, Teens, Youth

Why Tamerlan Tsarnaev Is Outside of Chechen Mentality

May 4, 2013 JRL Russia List Chechnya, Dagestan, North Caucasus, Terrorism, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

(Eurasia Daily Monitor: Volume 10, Issue 83 – Mairbek Vatchagaev – Jamestown Foundation – jamestown.org – May 2, 2013) Why did Tamerlan Tsarnaev – one of the alleged April 15 Boston Marathon bombers who died in a shoot-out with police on April 18 – not demand an end to the bloodshed in Dagestan, but was instead interested in what happened […]

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Leave a comment Boston Bombings, Boston Marathon, Chechnya, Dagestan, Islam, Terrorism, U.S.-Russian Relations

May 5 protest action is aimed as provocation

May 4, 2013 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

(Interfax – May 3, 2013) The opposition forces who are organizing a rally in Bolotnaya Square in central Moscow on May 6 have accused the organizing committee of a protest, which is expected to take place in the same venue on May 5, of planning a provocation. “Our organizing committee has a strongly negative attitude to the May 5 protest action. […]

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Leave a comment Opposition, Politics, Protests

The government inspectors

May 4, 2013 JRL Russia List Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

(opendemocracy.net – Anna Sevortian – May 1, 2013) Anna Sevortian is an independent expert who was formerly the Director of Human Rights Watch Russia. Gogol’s government inspector was a figure of fun. Russia’s new government inspectors are anything but funny. At a meeting with FSB leaders on 14 February, Vladimir Putin put an end to any doubts about his intention […]

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Leave a comment Government, Human Rights, NGO, NGO Raids, NGO's, Nonprofits, Putin, Xenophobia

Russia’s April Oil Output Near Post-Soviet Record, Ministry Says

May 3, 2013 JRL Russia List Oil, Gas, Energy

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Jake Rudnitsky – May 2, 2013) Russia, the world’s biggest oil producer, boosted crude and condensate production 1.5 percent in April from a year earlier to 10.47 million barrels a day, close to a post-Soviet era record. Daily output grew 0.2 percent from March, according to preliminary data sent by e-mail today from the Energy Ministry’s […]

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Lavrov: problems between Russia, EU over Third Energy Package ‘artificial’

May 3, 2013 JRL Russia List Europe, EU, Oil, Gas, Energy

(Interfax – BUDAPEST, May 2, 2013) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has described problems between Russia and the European Union stemming from the EU’s Third Energy Package as “artificial” and expressed confidence they will be solved. “We anticipate that the problems with the Third Energy Package that some of our partners are artificially trying to create will be resolved, and […]

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Leave a comment Baltics, Electricity, Energy, EU, Europe, Gas, Nuclear Energy

The Uphill Job of Mending Fences with the Kremlin

May 3, 2013 JRL Russia List Human Rights, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Terrorism, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

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

(Eurasia Daily Monitor: Volume 10, Issue 83 – Pavel Felgenhauer – Jamestown Foundation – jamestown.org – May 2, 2013) Speaking to reporters after last week’s (April 25) lengthy, televised, national question-and-answer (Q & A) session, President Vladimir Putin declared he “was optimistic this tragedy [the April 15 Boston Marathon bombing] will facilitate greater security cooperation, benefiting both America and Russia” […]

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