Putin’s Patriotism: Duma May Make Criticism of WWII Illegal

File Photo of Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Yekaterina Kravtsova – May 17, 2013) Editor’s note: This is part of an occasional series on state initiatives to promote patriotism. The State Duma has ordered an evaluation of a comment made by opposition politician Leonid Gozman in which he compared a Soviet intelligence agency to Adolf Hitler’s SS on the grounds that the comment […]

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‘Blasphemy Bill’ Signals Return to 18th-Century Morals, Activists Say

File Photo of Russian Orthodox Cathedral with Man in Religious Garb in Foreground

(Moscow Times – thesmoscowtimes.com – Alexander Winning – May 17, 2013) Rights activists on Thursday ridiculed the notion that Russia is a secular state, saying draft legislation seeking tougher penalties for offending believers’ feelings shows the country is returning to 18th-century morals. “Officials and religious leaders are leading us back to Peter the Great’s times,” Viktor Bondarenko, founder of rights […]

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Witness in Navalny Trial Backs Prosecutors’ Allegations

File Photo of Alexei Navalny Being Grabbed by Police at Protest

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Natalya Krainova – May 16, 2013) A witness in the trial on large-scale embezzlement charges against opposition blogger Alexei Navalny testified Thursday that the defendant had offered a disadvantageous contract to a state company that he is accused of defrauding. Larisa Bastrygina, deputy director of KirovLes, told the Leninsky District Court in Kirov that Navalny, […]

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Golos vote-monitoring association may be suspended if not registered as foreign agent – official

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Interfax – MOSCOW, May 15, 2013) The operations of the Golos association specializing in monitoring elections in Russia may be suspended for half a year if a court recognizes it as a foreign agent but it still refuses to be registered as such, a Justice Ministry official has said. Speaking at a roundtable discussion at the State Duma on Wednesday, […]

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Russian high-profile innovations centre insists it does not fund opposition

Skolkovo File Photo

(Interfax – May 15, 2013) The head of the Skolkovo Foundation, tycoon Viktor Vekselberg, has denied reports that the innovations centre has been financing the opposition in Russia, privately-owned Interfax news agency reported on 15 May. Asked by journalists whether the Skolkovo Foundation may have been involved in financing the opposition movement in Russia, he said: “No, it is categorically […]

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Russia could join OECD in two years if politics do not get in way, official says

OECD Logo

(Interfax – MOSCOW, May 15, 2013) Russia could complete negotiations to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in two years if this issue is not politicized, Vladimir Tkachenko, Russia’s representative in talks to join the organization, said in an interview with Interfax. “If we’re talking about a timeframe, then technically all work could in principle be finished […]

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Russia: No NGOs Have Registered As ‘Foreign Agents’

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(RIA Novosti – May 15, 2013) None of the NGOs financed from abroad and involved in political activities have fulfilled their obligations under the law that requires them to register as “foreign agents”, RIA Novosti new agency quoted the deputy director of the Justice Ministry’s department for NGO issues, Tatyana Vagina, as saying in the State Duma on 15 May. […]

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Most Russian Regions to Opt for Governor Polls – Putin

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

(RIA Novosti – BOCHAROV RUCHEI (Sochi), May 16, 2013) Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the majority of Russian regions is likely to choose their leaders by direct popular vote. The return of direct gubernatorial elections, scrapped in 2005, was signed into law last year in the aftermath of a wave of anti-Kremlin protests. Earlier this year, Putin […]

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Putin Gets Helicopter Landing Pad at Kremlin

Vladimir Putin file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Natalya Krainova – May 16, 2013) President Vladimir Putin will soon start arriving at the Kremlin by helicopter in an attempt to appease drivers who blame his motorcade for creating traffic jams. Builders have completed construction of a landing pad for Mi-8 helicopters on the Kremlin grounds, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists Thursday. Asked […]

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Independent pollster reports falls in Putin, government, ruling party ratings

File Photo of Vladimir Putin Sitting at Desk

(Interfax – May 15, 2013) A poll conducted by Russia’s leading independent polling organization, the Levada Centre, has revealed a drop in the approval ratings of President Vladimir Putin, the federal government and the ruling One Russia (United Russia) party, privately-owned Russian news agency Interfax reported on 15 May. The results of the poll, conducted between 19 and 23 April […]

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Recycling Old Soviet Chestnuts

Kremlin and Moscow Environs Aerial View

(opendemocracy.net – Daniel Treisman – May 10, 2013) Daniel Treisman is a Professor of Political Science at UCLA. His work focuses on the politics and political economy of Russia, and on comparative political economy. However much the regime might try to plot a new political trajectory, its only success is in intensifying a feeling of drift and improvisation. Unforced errors […]

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Why Stalin Would Be Proud of Putin

Vladimir Putin file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Victor Davidoff – May 13, 2013) One year ago on May 7, President-elect Vladimir Putin’s motorcade traversed the empty streets of Moscow, cleared of every living soul by the police, to his inauguration in the Kremlin. This anniversary passed mostly unnoticed by the public and mainstream media. The reason is not so much that it […]

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Two Russias – Moscow and the Rest – Once Again Eye Each Other Warily

Map of Russia

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, May 13, 2013) The idea that “Moscow is not Russia” has long been a commonplace among both residents of the capital and residents of the portions of Russia beyond the ring road, but the two are increasingly dissimilar, raising the possibility that a conflict between the capital and the rest of the […]

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Naryshkin wants partial amnesty of people convicted for economic crimes

Russian Duma Building

(Interfax – May 13, 2013) State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin has partially backed the proposal made by business ombudsman Boris Titov on amnesty for economic crimes. “Some citizens convicted for so-called economic crimes can and should be amnestied. Some of those who have committed economic crimes should still serve their sentences,” Naryshkin told reporters in the State Duma on Monday. […]

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

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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Game of clones: Why ‘Game of Thrones’ is a lot like Russian politics ­ except not really

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Anna Arutunyan – May 6, 2013) Anna Arutunyan is a correspondent and editor at themoscownews.com When, over the long weekend, I sat down to watch “Game of Thrones,” a fantasy series set in a mythical realm where seven houses ruthlessly vie for supreme power, I was prepared to draw parallels with Russian politics. At first, […]

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Berezovsky buried in England

Boris Berezovsky file photo

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

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

(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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Russian opposition tries to hold on despite challenges

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(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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Distribution of duties of former Russian deputy premier explained

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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Intrigue and Gossip Overwhelm Moscow after Surkov’s Downfall

Vladislav Surkov file photo

(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

File Photo of Vladislav Surkov with Mike McFaul

(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

Vladislav Surkov file photo

(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

File Photo of Vladislav Surkov with Mike McFaul

(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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On Victory Day, Putin Says Russian Soldiers Freed Europe

Battle of Stalingrad file photo

(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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Rights Champions: Kremlin Wants to Close Russian NGOs

Kremlin and St. Basil'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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Three More Russian NGOs Branded ‘Foreign Agents’ – Report

Kremlin and Moscow Environs Aerial View

(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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Putin Blasts Cabinet for Poor Performance

Vladimir Putin file photo

(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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Strongman Putin Is No Match for Corruption

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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Review: 12 Months of Putin’s Presidency

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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Nickel and dimes

Nickel Operation file photo

(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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Putin’s Lost Children

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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May 5 protest action is aimed as provocation

Moscow Protest file photo

(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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TRANSCRIPT: Direct Line with Vladimir Putin

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Kremlin.ru – April 25, 2013) (transcript conclusion) Moscow MARIA SITTEL: Friends, I want to draw your attention to the fact that we have been on the air for over four hours. Shall we take it into the home stretch? VLADIMIR PUTIN: Let’s. MARIA SITTEL: Mr President, we would like to propose a quick question and answer session, which has become […]

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Russian Political System ‘Steady’, Not ‘Broken’ By Protests – Deputy PM

File Photo of Moscow Winter Protest

(RIA Novosti – London, May 1, 2013) The political system in Russia is steady and capable of transformation, it is changing in parallel with changes in society, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vladislav Surkov believes. “The system is not broken, this is someone’s invention. The system of which I have to honour to be a co-author exists, and it survived the […]

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Surkov Says Kremlin Beat the Opposition

File Photo of Vladislav Surkov with Mike McFaul

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – May 2, 2013) Deputy Prime Minister Vladislav Surkov told students in London that the political system that he helped create had beat the opposition and suggested that he had been one Russia’s top businessmen when he worked for jailed tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Surkov also insisted that Russia was open for foreign investment and expressed longing […]

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Russian Deputy PM Denies Stagnation, Defends Putin’s Third Term

File Photo of Vladimir Putin Sitting at Desk

(RIA Novosti – London, May 1, 2013) Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vladislav Surkov does not agree with those who believe that Russia is undergoing a period of stagnation. “I cannot see any stagnation; life in Russian is very boisterous and dynamic, very volatile. We have many problems, we have many troubles. Frankly speaking, I would have been glad: it would […]

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TRANSCRIPT: Direct Line with Vladimir Putin (continued)

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Kremlin.ru  – April 25, 2013) (transcript continued) Moscow MARIA SITTEL: We have a culture-related question from Moscow now. Ms Antonova, director of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, is here. You have the floor. DIRECTOR OF THE PUSHKIN STATE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS IRINA ANTONOVA: Mr President, my question also concerns St Petersburg. The matter is that 65 years […]

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Authorities to sum up results of the NGO inspections

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Interfax –  April 30, 2013) The inspections of non-governmental organizations (NGO) are not large-scale and the results will be summarized in late May, Russian Deputy Prosecutor General Viktor Grin wrote in a letter to Chairman of the Russian Presidential Human Rights Council Mikhail Fedotov. “The inspection does not pursue limiting NGO activities, it is preventive and aimed at forcing organizations […]

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TRANSCRIPT: [Putin] Answers to journalists’ questions following Direct Line

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Kremlin.ru – April 25, 2013) Moscow After the Direct Line programme, Vladimir Putin met with members of the media to answer their questions. QUESTION: Mr President, 85 questions, 85 answers, 85 people ­ this is quite a lot. And all the questions were important. But there were nearly 2.5 million people who asked questions. Will all these questions be organised […]

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TRANSCRIPT: Direct Line with Vladimir Putin

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Kremlin.ru – April 25, 2013) (transcript continued) Moscow KIRILL KLEYMENOV: Thank you, Novoshakhtinsky. Thank you, Primorye. Let’s give the opportunity to ask a question to… MARIA SITTEL: Just one second. On the topic of adoption, I have a question from Marina from Vladivostok. Mr President, is it possible to look into the legislative aspects of letting the adopted children access […]

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Navalny Again Calls for an End to Russian Federalism

Alexei Navalny file photo

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, April 28, 2013) Russian opposition leader Aleksey Navalny says that Russia does not need federalism and should become a unitary state in which cities rather than the current federal subjects would be the fundamental political link between individual Russian citizens and the Russian state. In an interview published in the May issue […]

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Prosecutor General Chaika: Civil society’s interference in justice system’s work is unacceptable

Yury Chaika file photo

(Interfax – MOSCOW, April 27, 2013) Russian Prosecutor General Yury Chaika sees as unacceptable civil society’s pressure on the justice system. “Everyone should mind their own business. When a civil society institution reviews a court ruling, in my opinion, this is just unacceptable,” Chaika said taking questions from Federation Council members on Saturday. “There is nothing unusual in the fact […]

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Medvedev’s Cabinet Carried Out 73% of Putin’s Tasks

File Photo of Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin with Heads Bowed Over Microphone

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, April 29, 2013) ­ The Russian government has implemented some 73 percent of presidential decrees issued by Vladimir Putin last May, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday. Putin swapped jobs with Medvedev last May, and tasked the government with 218 assignments, including 67 ones scheduled to be carried out within the next seven years. “One […]

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Putin and Russian History

File Photo of Vladimir Putin Sitting at Desk

From: Arch Getty <getty@ucla.edu> Subject: Putin and Russian History Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2013 Putin and Russian History By J. Arch Getty J. Arch Getty is Professor of History at UCLA.  He is the author of several books on Russian history, including Practicing Stalinism: Boyars, Bolsheviks and the Persistence of Tradition, forthcoming from Yale University Press. An occupational hazard of […]

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In Marathon Show, Putin Pledges to Stay the Course

Kremlin and Moscow Environs Aerial View

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Jonathan Earle – April 26, 2013) President Vladimir Putin pledged to stay the course on a range of key issues, from macroeconomic policy to the battle with corruption and the composition of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s Cabinet, during a record-breaking live call-in show broadcast on national television on Thursday. The annual show, which lasted an […]

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[TRANSCRIPT:] Direct Line with Vladimir Putin

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Kremlin.ru – April 25, 2013) Moscow Direct Line with Vladimir Putin was broadcast live on Channel One, Rossiya-1 and Rossiya-24 TV networks and Mayak, Vesti FM and Radio Rossii radio stations. During the programme, the President answered more than 85 questions from Russians on the most pressing social and political issues. The total duration of the programme was 4 hours […]

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Russian human rights ombudsman urges measures to ensure “real transparency” of psychiatric clinics

Vladimir Lukin file photo

(Interfax – MOSCOW, April 26, 2013) Russian human rights commissioner Vladimir Lukin said that the tragedy in the psychiatric clinic in Ramensky village in the Moscow region’s Dmitrov district was a consequence of a number of issues in the sphere. “I share deep grief of all relatives and loved ones of the victims. Of course, possible criminal liability for what […]

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Church-state partnership level is lower in Russia than in U.S., Europe – Patriarch

Patriarch Kirill file photo

(Interfax – Moscow, April 26, 2013) Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia thinks that the level of relations between the church and the state does not match its potential. “The level of church-state partnership in Russia is much lower than in Germany where the state collect taxes for the Church, France where the president appoints bishops in the Alsace-Lorraine […]

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The King’s Speech

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Business New Europe – bne.eu – April 26, 2013) Russian President Vladimir Putin broke his own record with his longest ever annual Q&A meet the people press conference. In just under five hours the president attempted to answer as many of the more than 3m questions submitted by Russians on topics covering the gamut of issues. Widely ridiculed by western […]

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