(Interfax – MOSCOW, August 14, 2013) Sergei Sobyanin would have won the Moscow mayoral election in the first round with 67.4% of the vote if the election were held next Sunday, the Russian Public Opinion Study Center (VTsIOM) said. The acting Moscow mayor is the best known candidate – 98% respondents in the VTsIOM telephone poll said they knew him. […]
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(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, August 14, 2013) Many in the Russian Federation and the West were shocked when European countries recently published figures showing that thousands of Russians are now seeking asylum or at least permanent residence abroad, but Russian realtors say that behind these numbers is an even more disturbing one. Ever more wealthy Russians […]
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(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, August 14, 2013) More parties have been banned from regional elections in Russia this year than in 2012, despite the Kremlin’s attempted liberalization of political legislation, a new study said Wednesday. In total, 9.2 percent of the candidate lists submitted by parties for the September 8 elections have been banned, compared with 2.4 percent last […]
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(opendemocracy.net – Daniil Kotsyubinsky – August 13, 2013) Daniil Kotsyubinsky is a Russian historian and journalist based in St. Petersburg For the past month, Moscow has been following the fortunes of opposition leader Aleksey Navalny trial, imprisonment, implausible release and continuing Mayoral ambitions. But can all really be as it seems? Daniil Kotsyubinsky presents an alternative view. Moscow’s hot […]
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(Interfax – MOSCOW, August 13, 2013) Russians are not unanimous about the need to protect copyright owners, sociologists told Interfax. Some 48% of 1,600 respondents polled in 130 towns and cities in 45 regions in late July said it was possible to buy “pirated” discs and software. Thirty-nine percent argued it was improper and 13% could not answer the question. […]
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(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, August 13, 2013) As the first Chinese merchant ship begins an unescorted voyage from Dalian to Rotterdam on the Northern Sea Route, Russian military officials are pondering how many icebreakers Russia in fact needs to ensure that Moscow is able to continue its dominance of that increasingly important passage between Europe and […]
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(RIA Novosti – WASHINGTON, August 13, 2013) Online U.S. retail behemoth Amazon is embarking on a “massive” expansion in the Russian books market and has already begun signing contracts with Russia’s largest publishing houses, a publishing industry website has reported. The Seattle-based firm has already signed an agreement with Rosman, one of Russia’s biggest publishers of children’s titles, for […]
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(Interfax – MOSCOW, Aug 13, 2013) Russia expects the EU countries to be able to overcome symptoms of crises in their economies and is willing to provide its assistance in this during its presidency of the G20, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. “We genuinely hope our European partners emerge from the period of stagnation as soon as possible. We […]
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(Interfax – August 14, 2013) Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov has called for withdrawal of U.S. tactical nuclear armaments from the territories of non-nuclear countries and dismantlement of the related infrastructure. “As an expert on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) I have a question why nuclear armaments are deployed on the territories of non-nuclear countries. What is the nuclear […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Des Brown – August 12, 2013) Come September, more than 2000 schoolchildren across Russia will be packing their luggage and decamping to the houses of the most traditional of British institutions – the boarding school – entering a world of prep and pastoral care, a world of Mr. Chips, the Eton Boating Song and Harry […]
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(Institute of Modern Russia – imrussia.org – Tatiana Stanovaya – August 13, 2013) The issues of internal migration and relations between Russians and “newcomers” from the Russian southern regions have become major problems in the country. Political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya talks about whether the government has a strategy with regard to such issues. In July, an acute crisis broke out […]
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(RIA Novosti – Natalia Antonova, Acting Editor-in-Chief of The Moscow News. She also works as a playwright, her work featured at the Lyubimovka Festival in Moscow and Gogolfest in Kiev, Ukraine – August 13, 2013) The war on migrants in Moscow is being stepped up ahead of the September 8 mayoral election with a tent camp set up […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Patrick Sewell, special to RBTH – August 14, 2013) Despite the now notorious “gay propaganda” bill, frustrated westerners would be wrong to view Russian society as innately homophobic. As much as I love Russia, I’ll be honest – I’ve seen some angry Russians in my time. There are a lot of half-baked stereotypes […]
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(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Dmitry Volchek – August 14, 2013) Russian investigators are pressing ahead with a controversial defamation probe following a complaint by Yelena Mizulina, a lawmaker best known for her crusade to promote what she considers “traditional values.” Mizulina, who heads the parliament’s committee on family, women and children, has authored a number of controversial initiatives over the […]
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(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, August 14, 2013) The vast majority of Russians see not paying their debts as an ethically unacceptable act, whereas they are much more willing to suspend moral judgment on tax evasion, a new poll showed Wednesday. Only 3 percent of the respondents said that leaving a debt unpaid was acceptable, compared with 95 percent who […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Georgy Manaev, special to RBTH – August 14, 2013) Hitchhiking in the world’s largest country can be a thrilling experience. Gathering bits of advice from Russia’s most experienced travelers, RBTH delves into the history and local habits of this adventurous mode of travel. In recent years, most of the urban population of the […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Marina Obrazkova, RBTH – August 14, 2013) All is fair in love and war – and in the Moscow mayoral race. As Navalny deals with accusations of receiving campaign funding from abroad, Sobyanin’s properties are the target of the opposition. The first major scandals of the Moscow mayoral campaign have erupted. The Prosecutor […]
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(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Maria Stambler – August 14, 2013) On September 8, Muscovites will head to the polling station to vote for the new mayor and between 53-55% have already decided to cast their vote for acting Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, according to the latest poll by the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion. The poll was […]
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(RIA Novosti – August 13, 2013) The share of Russians who trust the TV is almost three times greater than of those who regard the internet as a trustworthy source of information, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported on 13 August, quoting the latest opinion poll from VTsIOM, the Russian Public Opinion Research Centre. Asked which source they would […]
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(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, August 14, 2013) Missile defense talks between Russian and NATO military officials in the past 10 days have reached another impasse, Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said Wednesday. “We have been discussing the missile defense issue for the past 10 days…however, no solution for this problem is yet in sight,” Antonov told reporters in Moscow […]
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(RIA Novosti – BAKU, August 13, 2013) US-Russian relations are so important that it is impossible to put them on hold, a Kremlin aide said Tuesday, days after US President Barack Obama called for a “pause” in relations with Russia. “What pause can there be if active contacts are ongoing, including between key ministers?” Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov […]
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(Interfax – MOSCOW, Aug 14, 2013) The father of former CIA employee Edward Snowden will arrive in Russia shortly. He will be traveling incognito at first, a source familiar with the situation told Interfax on Wednesday. “The visit of Snowden Sr. and the accompanying persons will be confidential for the apparent reason. The world will learn about their arrival post […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – August 14, 2013) President Vladimir Putin met with his Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev in Baku on Tuesday in what proved to be a fruitful visit, but one which led some to express caution about Russia’s influence in the republic. The visit came just a few weeks before presidential elections are set to […]
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(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, August 14, 2013) The intended pullout of the NATO-led forces from Afghanistan starting in 2014 is “too hasty,” Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister said Wednesday adding that Russia will reinforce its military bases in Central Asia ahead of the withdrawal. The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which has been fighting the radical Islamist Taliban movement in […]
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(Institute of Modern Russia – imrussia.org – Donald N. Jensen – August 13, 2013) Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Ukraine on July 27 to attend a joint commemoration marking the 1,025th anniversary of Russia’s conversion to Christianity. As Donald N. Jensen, Resident Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, points […]
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(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, August 13, 2013) Moscow, having helped Iran to build its atomic power station at Bushehr over the last two decades, is now negotiating with Tehran to construct one or more such stations, despite Israeli and Western concerns that Iran is using such facilities, despite its promises to the contrary, to produce nuclear […]
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[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#148 :: 14 August 2013 E-Mail: davidjohnson@starpower.net A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs: www.ieres.org JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support […]
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Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#147 :: 13 August 2013 E-Mail: davidjohnson@starpower.net A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs: www.ieres.org JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support JRL: russialist.org/funding.php POLITICS 1. RIA Novosti: Russia’s Courts, Judges Struggle to Win Public Trust […]
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(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Natalia Antonova, Acting Editor-in-Chief – August 12, 2013) Pavel Adelgeim, an outspoken Orthodox priest, was stabbed to death last week. His death was a tragic end to an equally tragic life. Father Pavel, as he was known to many, was the son of parents who suffered grievously from repressions in the Soviet Union. In the […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Yekaterina Kravtsova – August 13, 2013) When the pro-Kremlin youth movement Nashi announced its closure last year, it seemed the days were numbered for the Seliger camp, where the gathering of thousands of young Nashi members each summer prompted some to label it the headquarters of a brainwashing cult. But rather than fade away, the […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Kirill Rudenko, RBTH – August 13, 2013) Over the 11 years during which the World Bank has compiled its Doing Business ratings, Russia has never been named among the 100 countries with favorable conditions for small and medium-sized businesses. Federal agencies and the Moscow government are now determined to change this. In mid-July […]
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(Interfax – August 13, 2013) The pause in U.S.-Russian relations suggested by U.S. President Barack Obama will be temporary, Federation Council International Affairs Committee Chairman Igor Morozov said. “The absence of a strategic dialogue between Washington and Moscow will be inconsistent with the national interests of both countries because neither Russia nor the United States can solve pressing problems threatening […]
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(Interfax – MOSCOW, August 12, 2013) U.S. President Barack Obama has sacrificed relations with Russia in order cooperate with the Republicans in the promotion of domestic policy interests, experts told Interfax. “Obama has to make a choice. The term of his presidency is running out. He is supposed to leave a legacy, such as the endorsement and completion of his […]
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(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, August 13, 2013) Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a one-day working visit to Azerbaijan to discuss a wide range of bilateral issues, including trade, energy and transportation, a presidential aide said. The talks are expected to result in the signing of several agreements, including a document on cooperation between emergencies ministries. “The presidents will […]
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(Interfax – MOSCOW, August 12, 2013) The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama has not yet given up Cold War methods in its relations with Moscow, thus, it supports the anti-Russian rhetoric voiced by other U.S. authorities and mass media, Russian State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Alexei Pushkov said. “In my point of view, regarding Russia, Obama again walks […]
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(Interfax – MOSCOW, August 12, 2013) The U.S. authorities have provided Russia with a list of children adopted by U.S. families in Russia in the past, Russian children’s rights commissioner Pavel Astakhov said. “The list has 61,625 children. But these are those whom adoptive parents brought from Russia into the country officially, with a migration visa,” Astakhov said in an […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Irina Filatova – August 13, 2013) A seven-story apartment complex on a quiet Moscow street just a five minute walk from the Cabinet building is widely known as the White House, not only thanks to the color of its facade. The house is reportedly home to high-profile government officials inhabiting vast apartments valued at millions […]
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(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Kristen Blyth – August 13, 2013) In the days of the Soviet Union, abortions were shockingly common. “My grandmother once told me that she had 12 abortions,” Dasha, a Muscovite in her late 20s, told The Moscow News. “My former landlady – she’s 67 now – and I once had a conversation about having children. […]
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(Interfax – MOSCOW. Aug 13, 2013) Nearly half of Russians (47%) think their rights cannot be protected in the majority of cases, and 38% claim the opposite. Twenty-four percent said their rights had been breached in the past 24 months and only 7% managed to defend themselves, the Public Opinion Foundation said in comment on a poll of 1,500 respondents […]
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(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, August 13, 2013) Russia’s courts and judges have yet to win the public’s trust or so suggests a poll by the Public Opinion Foundation released Tuesday. Just 27 percent of respondents said they think Russian courts and judges are doing a good job, 35 percent said they were doing a bad job, and 38 […]
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(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, August 10, 2013) Five years ago this week, Russian forces invaded Georgia after Tbilisi took actions that Moscow regarded as provocations, thus setting in train the first and so the only use of force between two internationally recognized states on the territory of the former Soviet Union since the very first years […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Irina Filatova – August 12, 2013) Russia has recorded another quarterly decline in its economic growth rate, fueling concerns about a possible recession and casting doubt on President Vladimir Putin’s hopes to attain annual growth of 5 percent over the next few years. The negative dynamic could intensify pressure on the government and the Central […]
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(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, August 12, 2013) The Kremlin’s centralized control over executive power in Russia facilitates graft, the majority of respondents in a new nationwide poll released Monday said. Forty-one percent of respondents in a new poll by independent Levada Center say that the “power vertical” which brings regional and municipal authorities under the federal government’s close control […]
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From: Wayne Merry <wmerry@earthlink.net> Subject: Obama as Non-Statesmen Date: Sun, 11 Aug 2013 I often criticized Bill Clinton and George W. Bush for their tendency to condescend to other countries in their public statements, and especially toward Russia, but Obama’s press conference really takes the cake. He has learned nothing since his foolish remarks at the start of his presidency […]
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[“Snowden’s father gets visa, to leave for Russia soon” – Reuters – August 11, 2013 – reuters.com/article/2013/08/11/us-usa-security-snowden-idUSBRE97A08Y20130811] Reuters reports that Russia has granted a visa to the father of Edward Snowden, former NSA Booz Allen IT support contract employee-turned-fugitive activist. Lon Snowden is said to be planning to travel to Russia soon. But apparently he has not spoken to the […]
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[“The Snowden Affair: Questions and Answers with Olga Oliker” – RAND Corporation – rand.org – August 7, 2013 – http://www.rand.org/blog/2013/08/the-snowden-affair-questions-and-answers-with-olga.html] RAND Corporation and its analyst Olga Oliker address U.S.-Russian Relations and Russia’s granting of asylum to Edward Snowden, former NSA administrative IT support contract employee: The decision by Russia to grant temporary asylum to National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden […]
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(Interfax – August 12, 2013) One of the servers of U.S. global system of monitoring Internet users is located in Moscow, Vedomosti daily reported on Monday quoting information shared by former CIA employee Edward Snowden with The Guardian. Vedomosti says this follows from a 2008 presentation of the U.S. National Security Agency published on the Guardian’s website on July 31. […]
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(The White House – Office of the Press Secretary – August 9, 2013) Q Thank you, Mr. President. I wanted to ask about some of the foreign policy fallout from the disclosure of the NSA programs that you discussed. Your spokesman said yesterday that there’s no question that the U.S. relationship with Russia has gotten worse since Vladimir Putin took […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – August 12, 2013) Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu met with U.S. officials in Washington to show that “there is no Cold War” despite President Barack Obama’s cancellation of a summit with President Vladimir Putin. At a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck […]
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(opendemocracy.net – Rebecca Cousins – August 12, 2013) Rebecca Cousins is Program Director for BASIC in Washington D.C., before which she was a career diplomat with the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. She was recently awarded an MBE for her role in the UK’s consular in-country response to the 2011 Japan earthquake and subsequent Fukushima nuclear incident. The cancellation of […]
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