MOSCOW, December 30 (RIA Novosti) Russian leader Vladimir Putin has been named International Person of the Year by Britain’s The Times newspaper for succeeding in his ambition of bringing Moscow back to the international top table. The paper said Putin, 61, a judo black belt, has hip-flipped US President Barack Obama on the Syrian crisis, wrestled the EU to […]
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(Interfax – December 28, 2013) As many as 26 percent of Russians interviewed by the Levada Center sociological service have once again described Russian President Vladimir Putin as the person of the year in a December 2013 poll. Putin has been found the person of the year in all polls conducted by the Levada Center since 1999. Defense Minister Sergei […]
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(opendemocracy.net – Richard Sakwa – December 27, 2013) Richard Sakwa is professor of Russian and European politics at the University of Kent, England. Among his books are Putin: Russia’s Choice (Routledge, 2nd edition, 2007) and Russian Politics and Society (Routledge, 4th edition, 2008) Russia today is a hybrid state, combining democratic institutions with authoritarian practices, which coexist in a continual […]
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MOSCOW, December 29 (RIA Novosti) Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law would make spreading separatist views a criminal offence punishable by up to five years in jail. Under the law submitted to the Russian State Duma by the Communist Party, people will face a fine of up to 300,000 rubles ($9,200) for calling for action aimed against Russia’s […]
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(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, December 30, 2013) Vladimir Putin rose to power “under the slogan of the struggle with terrorism,” and he has routinely invoked that challenge to justify the growth of his security agencies and the harshest measures against society; but as the terrorist incident in Volgograd yesterday shows, the Kremlin leader is failing in […]
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(Kremlin.ru – December 26, 2013) Ahead of the New Year, Vladimir Putin met with Government Cabinet members. The President gave an assessment of the work performed by the Cabinet and set the priorities for 2014. PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN: Mr Medvedev, colleagues, We are meeting ahead of the New Year, which is a time to recap. But we will […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber – December 27, 2013) President Vladimir Putin took a novel approach to 2013. His novel of choice this year was Leo Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina.” Tolstoy’s tale of moral dilemmas and human transgressions begins with the famous line, “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way” an […]
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(RIA Novosti – December 26, 2013) Russian President Vladimir Putin’s popularity has fallen in 2013 but he is still the most popular politician in Russia, Russian RIA Novosti reported, quoting the results of a public opinion poll.[1] According to a poll carried out by the All-Russia Public Opinion Research Centre (VTsIOM) in December, 44 per cent of the respondents named […]
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(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Anna Arutunyan – December 21, 2013) I don’t know quite how to say this without diminishing the importance of the incomprehensible inner trial that a Russian man undergoes in a Russian prison for amassing his own power and using it to defy the Russian state. First of all, I am sincerely happy that former oil […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anatoly Medetsky – December 23, 2013) The opposition’s lackluster performance in recent regional elections has likely contributed to President Vladimir Putin’s stunning decision to pardon a former thorn in his side: Mikhail Khodorkovsky. In the most spectacular showdown, Alexei Navalny, a critic of Putin, mustered 27 percent of the vote in the race for the […]
» Read more(Kremlin.ru – December 19, 2013) [DJ: Putin video http://eng.kremlin.ru/video/1680 with English interpretation] QUESTION: Jill Dougherty, CNN. Mr Putin, I worked in Russia in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and when I came back, I noticed that a lot of attention is being given to religion and moral values. I don’t remember it being like that. I would like to […]
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MOSCOW. Dec 19 (Interfax) – Russian President Vladimir Putin is opposed to the attempts to agitate or split society over attitude to monuments to certain historical figures. “We should respect every period in our history, and it is better not to agitate or blow our minds with certain premature actions that may split our society,” Putin said. He said he […]
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MOSCOW. Dec 19 (Interfax) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has disagreed with the opinion that Russia is controlled in “manual regime” by the chief of state. “You are mistaken that the chief of state is dealing with the bulk of governance issues. Questions, which catch the public eye one way or another, come up and there is an impression that […]
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MOSCOW, December 20 (RIA Novosti) Mayors of Russian cities should be elected, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday, following recent media speculation that direct mayoral elections could be abolished. “Mayors certainly should be only elected… The municipal level is the closest level of power to people,” Putin told journalists at his annual televised press conference. “Municipal heads should be people […]
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MOSCOW. Dec 20 (Interfax) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has ruled out the possibility of Russia moving troops into Ukraine’s autonomous Crimea region. “This doesn’t mean at all that we are going to brandish the sword and move our troops somewhere. That’s complete rubbish. Nothing of the kind is the case or can be,” Putin told a news conference in […]
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(RIA Novosti – Moscow, December 18, 2013) Political experts polled by RIA Novosti see some benefits for Russia in the agreements it has signed with Ukraine but think the benefits are insufficient and expect response measures from Kyiv. A session of the Russian-Ukrainian intergovernmental commission took place in Moscow on Tuesday [17 December], chaired by the presidents of Russia and […]
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MOSCOW, December 19 (RIA Novosti) Several top Russian companies have announced plans to reduce their use of offshore holding structures after President Vladimir Putin repeated calls for “deoffshorization” last week, according to a Russian newspaper report Thursday. Aluminum producer Rusal, telecoms giant MTS, truck maker Kamaz, state-owned hydroelectric conglomerate RusHydro and iron ore miner Metalloinvest have all made commitments […]
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(Kremlin.ru – December 19, 2013) Vladimir Putin held a news conference at the World Trade Centre on Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment. Over 1,300 Russian and foreign journalists have been accredited to cover the new conference. PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, colleagues, It feels as if we never parted. We met here last year and have barely blinked […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – December 19, 2013) President Vladimir Putin conducted his ninth major news conference today at Moscow’s World Trade Center, an annual event during which he is bombarded with questions on Russia’s policies and the government’s plans for the future. Moscow Times reporter Ivan Nechepurenko attended the news conference at the World Trade Center, while news reporter […]
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(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, December 18, 2013) A century ago, the Russian religious thinker Sergey Bulgakov wrote a seminal essay entitled “Karl Marx as a Religious Type” in which he outlined the ways in which that self-proclaimed atheist was in fact someone profoundly affected in his thinking by the religious tradition of which he was a […]
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(Kremlin.ru – December 17, 2013) Vladimir Putin met with President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych in the Kremlin. The meeting between the two heads of state was held prior to the session of the Russian-Ukrainian Interstate Commission. PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN: Mr Yanukovych, It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to Moscow. This is a regular meeting scheduled to […]
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(Kremlin.ru – December 17, 2013) PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN: Mr Yanukovych, colleagues, I have just had a very detailed discussion of practically all areas of our cooperation with President Yanukovych. Russia and Ukraine are strategic partners not on paper but in actual practice. We share a centuries-old friendship and the bond of having spent a long time living together […]
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(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, December 17, 2013) “Time is working for President Putin and his regime” because the aging of the Russian population means that he can rely on the ever greater share of the population of pensioners, some Moscow experts say, but concomitantly time is working against Russia because it is rapidly driving down the […]
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(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, December 17, 2013) Vladimir Putin’s efforts to exploit “the energy” of Russian nationalism and Orthodoxy to shore up his regime strike many as clever and effective, but Rashit Akhmetov points out that they recall those of Nicholas II and may have the same result, undermining both the current Kremlin ruler’s position and […]
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(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, December 16, 2013) Whenever something bad happens in Russia, the last refuge of pro-regime commentators is to suggest that the ruler isn’t in charge and that underlings are to blame: the man in the Kremlin can thus continue to be given credit for anything good that happens but not be held responsible […]
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(Kremlin.ru – December 12, 2013) Finally, we need to speed up the adoption of laws that would enable Russian universities to actively develop distance learning, which would also be aimed above all at our compatriots abroad and at the CIS countries. As we improve professional education, we must remember that the labour market is becoming more flexible and people need […]
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MOSCOW. Dec 12 (Interfax) – A senior Russian lawmaker has praised what, according to President Vladimir Putin, is the “conservative” nature of Russia’s foreign policy. “Not to correct or deny but to continue history is the slogan of modern conservatism, a rational ideology that is appropriate for addressing tasks posed by circumstances,” Mikhail Margelov, head of the Federation Council’s International […]
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MOSCOW. Dec 12 (Interfax) – The economic focus of the Russian president’s address to the Federal Assembly derives from the challenges faced by contemporary Russia and some of the presidential ideas will determine the national development vector for the next few years to come, State Duma deputy, United Russia General Council Deputy Secretary Olga Batalina said. “The address was largely […]
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MOSCOW. Dec 12 (Interfax) – One of the leaders of Russia’s Communist Party (KPRF) has slammed President Vladimir Putin for allegedly hyping a “liberal economic model” but credited him with “a desire to pull the political and economic train out of the station called Stagnation.” Ivan Melnikov, KPRF first deputy leader and first deputy chairman of the State Duma, was […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – December 13, 2013) More than 1,000 members of the Russian elite gathered in the golden halls of the Grand Kremlin Palace on Thursday to listen to the annual presidential address that sets the state’s policy for the coming year. This was an occasion for deputies of the State Duma, governors of the […]
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(Kremlin.ru – December 12, 2013) Complete Russian text here: kremlin.ru/news/19825 Click here for partial transcript in English: russialist.org/transcript-partial-presidential-address-to-the-federal-assembly/ Complete Russian text here: kremlin.ru/news/19825 Video with English translation from eng.kremlin.ru/video/1675 (70 minutes) [featured image is file photo from past event]
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(Kremlin.ru – December 12, 2013) Complete Russian text here: http://kremlin.ru/news/19825 Video – Introduction/Abstract – Text Video with English translation from http://eng.kremlin.ru/video/1675 (70 minutes) Introduction/Abstract from Kremlin.ru Vladimir Putin delivered the annual Presidential Address to the Federal Assembly. In his Address, President Putin outlined the main areas of work, instruments and techniques to achieve Russia’s future development goals. In the portion […]
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MOSCOW. Dec 12 (Interfax) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for introducing legislative guarantees next year for establishing an independent and financially self-sufficient local self-government system in Russia. “I am addressing the All-Russian Local Self-Government Council, municipalities, governors, the Federation Council members and the Russian government: let’s look at all aspects of these problems once again so as to […]
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(RIA Novosti – Fyodor Lukyanov – December 13, 2013) Fyodor Lukyanov is Editor-in-Chief of the Russia in Global Affairs journal, authoritative source of expertise on Russian foreign policy and global developments. In his annual State of the Union this week, President Vladimir Putin for perhaps the first time clearly articulated the philosophy that guides Russia’s leadership conservatism. This is […]
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(Business New Europe – bne.eu – MOSCOW BLOG – December 13, 2013) Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his state of the nation speech on December 12 where he laid out his plans for the coming year. In a nutshell he called for decentralisation and for the regions to take more responsibility for promoting their local economies. These speeches are important […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber – December 13, 2013) President Vladimir Putin capped off a year of aggressively seeking to fill the government’s coffers by announcing Thursday that the government would begin to tax Russian offshore companies and no longer support foreign-registered enterprises. Praising Russia’s improving business environment, Putin also used his annual Constitution Day speech to highlight […]
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(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, December 12, 2013) Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plans to re-integrate the former Soviet space not only will fail because integration presupposes “a unity of culture, economics and culture rather than seeking to seize the most territory” but will undermine the possibilities for Russia’s own development, according to Vladislav Inozemtsev. In an article […]
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(Kremlin.ru – December 10, 2013) Vladimir Putin met with Russian human rights activists, representatives of several non-governmental and non-profit human rights organisations, as well as the human rights commissioners from Russia’s federal districts. The meeting took place on Human Rights Day, which is celebrated on December 10. PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN: Good afternoon, colleagues, My day today is in […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Yekaterina Kravtsova – December 12, 2013) President Vladimir Putin touched upon the burning topic of illegal migration and Russia’s relations with former Soviet republics during his State of the Nation address on Thursday. Control over illegal migration will be tightened, yet ties with neighboring countries will be strengthened, Putin said. He proposed creating barriers for […]
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MOSCOW, December 12 (RIA Novosti) Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that civil society should be more actively engaged in decision-making by government and parliament, but that NGOs should not be motivated by politically biased positions. All bills should be submitted to public review before reaching the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, Putin told a gathering of […]
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MOSCOW. Dec 12 (Interfax) – Russian President Vladimir Putin is certain that new political parties that won local elections recently will offer stiff competition to the political old-timers. “We are interested in seeing well-trained, purposeful, and professional people ready to responsibly perform their duties coming to government bodies through election mechanisms,” Putin said in an annual address to the Federal […]
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MOSCOW. Dec 12 (Interfax) – Russia will be a leader but will not lecture other states on how they should live, President Vladimir Putin said. “We will aspire to be a leader by protecting international law and insisting upon respect for national sovereignty, independence and uniqueness of peoples,” Putin said in his address presented to the Federal Assembly on Thursday. […]
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MOSCOW. Dec 12 (Interfax) – Former Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin agrees with President Vladimir Putin that the reasons for the economic slowdown in Russia are internal, rather than external in nature. “The president absolutely correctly noted that the reasons for our economic stagnation are internal,” Kudrin wrote on Twitter on Thursday. He also agreed with the view Putin stated […]
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(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Daisy Sindelar – December 10, 2013) A popular clip circulating on the Internet shows just how much a journalist can change in Vladimir Putin’s Russia. In 1999, as Putin was coming to power, Dmitry Kiselyov was a promising television broadcaster with strong opinions about the difference between journalism and propaganda. “A journalist cannot be separated from […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber – December 10, 2013) President Vladimir Putin on Monday issued a decree ordering the liquidation of RIA Novosti, the massive state-owned news agency, and mandated the creation of a new global news agency to be headed by an aggressively pro-Kremlin television host. In its own article about the news, RIA Novosti’s English-language service […]
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(Kremlin.ru – December 5, 2013) Vladimir Putin took part in a conference, the Action Forum, organised by the Russian Popular Front. Conference participants discussed key issues concerning the implementation of the main presidential policy lines in healthcare, the economy, housing and utilities, education and culture. PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN: Good afternoon, dear friends. I am glad to be able […]
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[Putin dissolves state news agency, tightens grip on Russia media – Reuters – Timothy Heritage – December 9 – http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/09/us-russia-media-idUSBRE9B80I120131209] Reuters covers Russia President Vladimir Putin’s decision to dissolve RIA Novosti and absorb its operations into new entity called Rossiya Segodnya, with a mission of promoting Russia abroad: President Vladimir Putin tightened his control over Russia’s media on Monday by […]
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[The Stakes in Ukraine: The U.S. should warn Putin not to stoke violence in Kiev. – Wall Street Journal editorial – December 9, 2013 – http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304014504579246330793547224] The Wall Street Journal covers the protests in Ukraine, noting that even with divisions within the country, the majority of Ukrainians want a closer relationship with Europe and a Ukraine with greater democratization: Ukraine […]
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MOSCOW. Dec 9 (Interfax) – Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych met in Sochi on Friday to discuss the agenda of the bilateral interstate commission, which is to hold a session in Moscow on December 17, and they did not discuss Ukraine’s possible accession to the Belarusian-Kazakh-Russian Customs Union, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov told Interfax. “Special […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anatoly Medetsky – December 6, 2013) President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said the government would have to improve the country’s economic performance in order to fulfill his campaign promises. He also complained that his tap water was sometimes brown from rusty pipes. Putin’s decrees from May last year, which seek to raise living standards, have […]
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