Month: December 2015

Siberian Surprise: The Numbers Behind Russia’s Oil Resilience

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Far East, Siberia, APEC, Oil, Gas, Energy
Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Dina Khrennikova – December 20, 2015) [Charts here bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-12-20/siberian-surprise-the-numbers-behind-russia-s-oil-resilience] OPEC has been putting a squeeze on rival oil producers by refusing to cut production to curb a global oversupply. Russia has no intention of succumbing to the pressure. “I will tell you when Russian companies are for sure going to decrease production — when oil costs […]

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What awaits Russia’s economy in 2016 – collapse or recovery?

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade
Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

Analysts have reacted to the latest collapse of oil prices with varying forecasts. Some believe oil prices are on their way down to the critical level of $35, which would keep the Russian economy in recession. Others, however, including Western analysts, are of the opinion that 2016 may see the first shoots of recovery. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru […]

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Russian business falls in love with “Western” Christmas

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Religion

Russian Christmas – celebrated in January – is still a noncommercial family occasion. December is now the main month for holiday shopping. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – ALEXEI LOSSAN, RBTH – December 21, 2015) According to the city’s press services, festivals and fairs, such as the Journey to Christmas, are engines of development for tourism, business activities and […]

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RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#247 :: Monday 21 December 2015

JRL Tables of Contents, Russian News, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#247 Monday 21 December 2015 A project sponsored through the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs The contents do not necessarily represent the views of IERES or the George Washington University. JRL homepage: russialist.org – JRL […]

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Sino-Russian energy relations reversed: a new little brother

China, Oil, Gas, Energy
Asia Map

Don’t be fooled. Russia’s growing ties to China may not be what they seem. (opendemocracy.net – Morena Skalamera – December 22, 2015) Morena Skalamera is a post-doctoral fellow at the Belfer Center, Harvard University, where she researches the geopolitics of energy and European-Russian energy co-operation. In the year since Russia and China signed a landmark $400bn natural gas pact in […]

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Expert skeptical on prospects of getting information from Su-24 black box

Military, Syria, Turkey
File Photo of Russian SU-24 Military Jet Harassing U.S. Navy Vessel in Black Sea, Adapted from U.S. Military Video

(Interfax – December 22, 2015) The chances of obtaining information from the black box of the Russian bomber Sukhoi Su-24, which was downed by the Turkish Air Force, are extremely low because of the severe damage to the recording device, says Oleg Smirnov, a prominent Soviet pilot and chairman of the civil aviation commission of the Public Council at Russia’s […]

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From tabloids to state-run dailies: A tour of the Russian press

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – George Butchard – December 14, 2015) In early December a group of young journalists from over a dozen countries attended the New Generation program in Moscow, where they had the opportunity to tour some of Russia’s key media publications and ask questions about the way the state media apparatus works. First on the […]

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Russia avoids revolution again

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

Naysayers are keen to predict Russia’s demise, but despite a difficult year politically and economically, the country has failed to fall apart. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Bryan MacDonald – December 22, 2015) Bryan MacDonald is a Moscow-based commentator. For at least the past decade, every year some expert inside or outside of Russia has predicted that the […]

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Russia’s nascent middle class feels the squeeze in economic crisis

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade
Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

Russia’s middle class, which was growing in the early 2000s, has born the brunt of the economic downturn along with small-business owners. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – ALEXANDER BRATERSKY, SPECIAL TO RBTH – December 22, 2015) They created their wealth in the 1990s, enjoyed the fruits of the oil-rich 2000s and hoped to give their children a better […]

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UN Syrian peace plan deal: What was agreed upon in New York?

Syria, United Nations
UN Building file photo

On Dec. 18 in New York, members of the International Syria Support Group agreed on the principles of reaching a political settlement to the crisis in Syria. Later, after five hours of discussions, the group’s decisions on Syria were unanimously adopted by the UN Security Council. But what questions are still hindering progress? (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – […]

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Putin on Trump

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Donald Trump

Subject: Putin on Trump Date: Fri, 18 Dec 2015 From: Steven Shabad <steve.shabad@verizon.net> David, For the information of your non-Russian-speaking subscribers: Western news outlets, including The New York Times and CNN, unfortunately mistranslated a word in Vladimir Putin’s comments about Donald Trump. They erroneously quoted Putin as describing Trump as “bright,” implying in English “smart” or “intelligent.” In fact, the […]

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NEWSWATCH Reuters: “Putin: Russia Did Have People in Ukraine Doing ‘Certain Military Tasks'”

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Europe, EU, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Sanctions, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

Reuters covers Russian President Vladimir Putin’s admission at a press conference that Russian personnel are present in conflict-torn eastern Ukraine, even while disputing whether that meant regular Russian troops were present. … Putin said … Russia did have personnel in eastern Ukraine who were carrying out certain military tasks but denied Moscow had deployed regular troops …. ‘We never said […]

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Russia’s future under the microscope at Yeltsin Forum

History, Soviet Union, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin

Experts analyze the reforms and the mechanisms of the Yeltsin’s times to help creating a system of transformation for the future. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – NADEZHDA USTÍNOVA, SPECIAL TO RBTH – December 17, 2015) Nearly a quarter of a century after the collapse of the Soviet Union and founding of today’s Russia, experts have met to discuss […]

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NEWSWATCH Wall Street Journal: “Vladimir Putin Warns Government May Cut Budget Over Oil Price Fall. Russian president says peak of crisis is over, sees return to growth next year.”

Budget, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, JRL NewsBlog, Oil, Gas, Energy
Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

The Wall Street Journal reports on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s December address, and prospects of Russian budget cuts prompted by oil-related economy downturns. … Putin said on Thursday that the government may have to cut the federal budget because of a plunge in oil prices, but tried to reassure Russians that the worst of the economic crisis was over. At […]

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Back to the Uncertain Future for Mikhail Khodorkovsky

Assassinations, Beatings, Threats, YUKOS, Khodorkovsky
Mikhail Khodorkovsky file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Dmitry Elovsky, Mikhail Fishman – December 17, 2015) The mob-style execution of Vladimir Petukhov, mayor of the Siberian oil capital Nefteyugansk, one summer morning in 1998 was not an unusual occurrence for the “wild 90s” era of Russian business. But it has returned to the spotlight as part of the reanimated prosecution of former Yukos […]

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RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#246 :: Friday 18 December 2015

JRL Tables of Contents, Russian News, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#246 Friday 18 December 2015 A project sponsored through the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs The contents do not necessarily represent the views of IERES or the George Washington University. JRL homepage: russialist.org – JRL […]

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TRANSCRIPT: Vladimir Putin’s Annual News Conference [December 2015] (complete transcript)

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Kremlin Tower, St. Basil's, Red Square at Night

(Kremlin.ru – December 17, 2015) The President’s news conference was broadcast live by Rossiya-1, Rossiya-24 and Channel One, as well as Mayak, Vesti FM and Radio Rossii radio stations. Television channel Public Television of Russia (OTR) and its site (http://www.otr-online.ru/online/) provided live sign language interpretation of the news conference. President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Friends and colleagues, We regularly meet […]

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IMF Says Ukraine Bond Owned by Russia Is Official Sovereign Debt

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
International Monetary Fund Logo Over Ukraine Flag

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Andrew Mayeda – December 17, 2015) The International Monetary Fund’s executive board ruled that a bond sold by Ukraine to Russia should be considered official sovereign debt, putting pressure on Ukrainian officials to start restructuring talks with their Russian counterparts. Russia bought a $3 billion bond from the government of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in […]

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After Minsk, Another Munich has Now Taken Place in Moscow, Illarionov Says

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of John Kerry Shaking Hands with Vladimir Putin as Ambassador Looks On

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, December 17, 2015) Russian commentators across the political spectrum, from the most liberal to the most nationalistic, agree that Vladimir Putin achieved a significant victory for his policies in Syria and Ukraine in the course and as a result of US Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to Moscow. One Moscow analyst […]

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Is Russia’s Cheap Oil Nightmare Coming True?

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Oil, Gas, Energy
Offshore Oil Rig file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Peter Hobson – December 17, 2015) [Chart here themoscowtimes.com/business/article/is-russias-cheap-oil-nightmare-coming-true/553010.html] Picture the scene. It is 2016, oil costs on average $35 per barrel, and Russia’s recession rolls into its second year. The economy shrinks by 2-3 percent. Unemployment creeps up, and wages continue to fall, depressing consumer spending. The ruble devalues, driving up inflation. To keep […]

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What’s behind John Kerry’s festive goodwill to the Kremlin?

United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of John Kerry Shaking Hands with Vladimir Putin as Ambassador Looks On

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s official visit to Moscow this week for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov caught Russian pundits off guard, with Kerry striking a conciliatory tone and insisting that the U.S. was not seeking to isolate Russia. But can any serious change in Washington’s stance be read into Kerry’s comments? (Russia […]

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TRANSCRIPT: Vladimir Putin’s annual news conference

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Vladimir Putin file photo with VOA logo; screen shot from video still

(Kremlin.ru – December 17, 2015) [Text in Russian and video here http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/50971] The President’s news conference was broadcast live by Rossiya-1, Rossiya-24 and Channel One, as well as Mayak, Vesti FM and Radio Rossii radio stations. Television channel Public Television of Russia (OTR) and its site (http://www.otr-online.ru/online/) provided live sign language interpretation of the news conference. President of Russia Vladimir […]

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What is going on in Russia? The views and values of ordinary Russians

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, History, Soviet Union, Life in Russia, Culture, Arts, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Map of Russia and Russian Flag adapted from images at state.gov

Subject: What is going on in Russia? The views and values of ordinary Russians Date: Thu, 17 Dec 2015 From: Karen Hewitt <karen.hewitt@conted.ox.ac.uk> I am attaching the talk which I have given (with adaptations) to various groups of non-professionals who are interested in Russia. Some professionals in the audience, sometimes, but it was not intended for them. — What is […]

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RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#245 :: Thursday 17 December 2015

JRL Tables of Contents, Russian News, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#245 Thursday 17 December 2015 A project sponsored through the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs The contents do not necessarily represent the views of IERES or the George Washington University. JRL homepage: russialist.org – JRL […]

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NEWSWATCH RFE/RL: “New Study Links Putin’s ‘Gunslinger’s Gait’ To KGB Training” – with video

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Spies, Spy Allegations
Putin Descending a Staircase

RFE/RL and AFP report on theories that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unusual gait, including a tendency to keep his right arm closer to his torso while in motion, might be linked to KGB training that valued the ability to draw a weapon quickly. A team of European neurologists says … Putin walks with a peculiar “gunslinger’s gait” — a reduced […]

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How to improve the Russian economy: Create a safe space for investors

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

Former Deputy Finance Minister and former deputy governor of the Russian Central Bank Sergei Alexashenko speaks about the economic challenges currently facing Russia, including sanctions, crisis management, the need for reform, and the country’s dependence on oil. (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – MIKHAIL BOLOTIN, SPECIAL TO RBTH – December 16, 2015) RBTH: Recently economic experts have been speaking […]

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Ukraine’s Politics Descend Into Slapstick

Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Leonid Bershidsky – December 15, 2015) Less than a week after U.S. Vice President Joe Biden asked Ukraine’s political leaders to play nice, the quiet war between the teams of Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and President Petro Poroshenko has turned publicly and comically violent. The situation is growing increasingly reminiscent of Ukraine’s previous attempt to break […]

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TRANSCRIPT: [Putin at] Plenary session of St Petersburg International Cultural Forum

Life in Russia, Culture, Arts, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, United Nations
UNESCO Logo 70

(Kremlin.ru – December 14, 2015) Vladimir Putin spoke at the plenary session of the IV St Petersburg International Cultural Forum. The IV St Petersburg International Cultural Forum is taking place on December 14-16, 2015. Every year the forum brings together experts in culture, politicians, representatives of state bodies and business people, and this year’s event is dedicated to the 70th […]

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RUSSIA & UKRAINE – Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#244 :: Wednesday 16 December 2015

JRL Tables of Contents, Russian News, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War

Johnson’s Russia List :: JRL 2015-#244 Wednesday 16 December 2015 A project sponsored through the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs The contents do not necessarily represent the views of IERES or the George Washington University. JRL homepage: russialist.org – JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist – JRL on Twitter: @JohnsonRussiaLi Support for JRL is provided in part […]

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NEWSWATCH Carnegie Endowment for International Peace/Eugene Rumer, Paul Stronski: “Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia at Twenty­Five-A Baseline Assessment”

Central Asia, Europe, EU, Far East, Siberia, APEC, History, Soviet Union, JRL NewsBlog, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Map of Commonwealth of Independent States, European Portion

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace undertakes an overview of former Soviet states two-and-a-half decades following the USSR’s collapse. For nearly twenty-five years following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia, Ukraine, and the rest of the former Soviet lands now collectively referred to as Eurasia defied the best and the worst expectations of students of the region’s history. Unfortunately, […]

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NEWSLINK Christian Science Monitor: “Kerry in Moscow as pressure grows for US-Russia compromise on Syria. If the United States and Russia can overcome their two main sticking points – on ‘moderate’ rebels and Assad’s role in future talks – Syrian diplomacy can move forward, analysts say”

Middle East, North Africa, Newslinks, Syria, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of John Kerry Shaking Hands with Vladimir Putin as Ambassador Looks On

[featured image is file photo]

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Ukrainian National Security, Defense Council head dismisses Russia’s accusations on Ukraine’s violation of Minsk agreements

Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
Map of Ukraine, Including Crimea, and Neighbors, Including Russia

KYIV. Dec 14 (Interfax) – Ukraine is fully implementing the Minsk agreements on the settlement of the situation in Donbas and Russia’s statements on their violation by the Ukrainian side are provocative, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksandr Turchynov said. “When Russian representatives in the United Nations say that Ukraine breaches the Minsk agreements, this is another […]

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U.S. Comprehensive Strategy Toward Russia

United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of White House with South Lawn and Fountain

(Heritage Foundation – heritage.org – James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Ted R. Bromund, Ph.D., Dean Cheng, Luke Coffey, Lisa Curtis, Helle C. Dale, Michaela Dodge, David Inserra, Bruce Klingner, Daniel Kochis, Ryan Olson, James Phillips, Ana Quintana, Bryan Riley, Brian Slattery and William T. Wilson, Ph.D. – December 9, 2015) Introduction Since the end of the Cold War, the U.S. has […]

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Russian analysts: IMF response to Ukraine debt hurts global finance system

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War
International Monetary Fund Logo Over Ukraine Flag

The International Monetary Fund has allowed lending to countries that are in arrears on their debts to sovereign creditors. This decision will allow the fund to continue the program of assistance to Ukraine, even if the country does not return the $3 billion it owes to Russia. Russian experts claim the new policy undermines the foundations of the global financial […]

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Three major Russian books of 2015; The Big Book Prize has been presented in Moscow

Life in Russia, Culture, Arts
Bookcase file photo, adapted from image at nlm.nih.gov

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – ALEXANDRA GUZEVA, RBTH – December 12, 2015) 1. Guzel Yakhina. Zuleikha Opens her Eyes This sensational debut novel is the main talking point of this year’s award, which saw a newcomer to the literary scene take first prize ahead of such established writers as Victor Pelevin and Alexei Varlamov. Guzel Yakhina was born […]

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TRANSCRIPT: Dmitry Medvedev’s interview with Renmin Ribao

China, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Far East, Siberia, APEC
Asia Map

(Government.ru – December 13, 2015) Ahead of his visit to China, Dmitry Medvedev gave an interview to the Chinese daily. Question: Russia and China are good neighbours, reliable partners and friends. The leaders of the two countries frequently meet each other and are consistent in their efforts to strengthen bilateral relations as a comprehensive strategic partnership, which has already become […]

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We need to find the common ground between climate change and civil society

Environment, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's
Snowy Night on Red Square with Old St. Basil's Lit Up

To combat Russia’s industrial polluters, public indifference and limits on NGO activity, we need to link climate change and civil society. Русский (opendemocracy.net – Gleb Paikachev – December 11, 2015) Gleb Paikachev is an activist with the Nature and Youth organisation, Murmansk. Murmansk, a region just shy of the Arctic Circle, has its share of both global and local ecological […]

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Youtube Unveils Russia’s Most Popular Music Videos of 2015

Life in Russia, Culture, Arts, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television
File Image of Stylized Eye Surrounded by Binary Code

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Katrin Scheib – December 11, 2015) [Links to the videos here themoscowtimes.com/news/article/youtube-unveils-russias-most-popular-music-videos-of-2015/552545.html] The stats are in: Youtube has released a list of the music videos that were most popular in Russia in 2015. Some of them were meant to be funny, others just are, and they are all worth watching. So dig out your headphones, […]

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Turbulence over Syria’s skies

NATO, Syria
Syria Map

The skies over Syria became more crowded last week after the UK voted to join air strikes against ISIS forces. But can countries with very different attitudes to the conflict agree on common aims? (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – FYODOR LUKYANOV, SPECIAL TO RBTH – December 10, 2015) The author is chairman of the Presidium of the Council […]

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Crime and punishment: 25 years in a Russian penal colony

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime
Map of Russia and Russian Flag adapted from images at state.gov

The first inmates pardoned from the death penalty will be released in 2017. They have not seen the world outside of the colony for 25 years. Everything they know is based on what they’ve seen on TV and read in letters. What are they going to do, what do they feel? (Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Fyodor Telkov, […]

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