Tag: Putin

Putin says Russia, USA have ‘practically no’ ideological antagonisms

United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of Vladimir Putin Leaning Towards Barack Hussein Obama With Flags Behind Them

(Interfax – June 11, 2013) Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he cannot see any fundamental ideological antagonisms between Russia and the USA, and could explain many existing divergences by differences in mentality, privately-owned Russian news agency Interfax reported on 11 June. According to the report, Putin made the statements while answering questions fielded by journalists of the state-owned […]

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Interfax: Putin hopes new initiatives on Syria will help settle the crisis

Syria
File Photo of Bashar al-Assad and Sergei Lavrov

(Interfax – MOSCOW, June 12, 2013) Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he hopes that the recent peace initiatives, including the Russian-U.S. idea to convene an international conference, will provide the chance for settling the crisis in Syria. “I really hope that the initiatives that were proposed, among others, by the Egyptian president, with whom we recently met in Sochi […]

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All-Russia People’s Front Seen as Vehicle to Polish Kremlin’s Image

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Vladimir Putin file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – June 11, 2013) President Vladimir Putin is expected to take the reins of the All-Russia People’s Front on Tuesday at the organization’s founding congress in a move some experts say is aimed at distancing himself from United Russia. As the ruling United Russia party found its reputation plagued by public criticism and […]

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TRANSCRIPT: [Putin] Meeting on economic issues

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and Moscow Environs Aerial View

(Kremlin.ru – June 10, 2013) The Kremlin, Moscow Vladimir Putin held a meeting on measures to improve business and investment activeness in Russia. Taking part in the meeting were Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Sergei Ivanov, First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets, Presidential Aide Elvira Nabiullina, Presidential Aide […]

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Over 60% of Russians see Putin as good strategist, responsible leader – poll

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Vladimir Putin Sitting at Desk

(Interfax – MOSCOW, June 10, 2013) Most Russians are informed about the tasks President Vladimir Putin has set for the government, think they are feasible and note Putin’s “good strategic foresight,” according to a recent opinion poll. “Seventy-three percent of those polled are more or less informed about the tasks Putin set to the government in May 2012, and 46% […]

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Turkish Turmoil Adds Unpredictability to Putin’s Creeping Coup

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Turkey
Turkey map

(Eurasia Daily Monitor: Volume 10, Issue 109 – Pavel K. Baev – Jamestown Foundation – jamestown.org – June 10, 2013) The explosion of public protests in Istanbul makes a strong but ambivalent impression on the development of the vacillating political crisis in Russia; the state-controlled Russian television channels prefer to give them minimal and unsympathetic coverage, focusing instead on the flooding […]

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Putin to Let Foreign Banks Check Out Officials

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Cash, Calculator, Pen

(Moscow TImes – themoscowtimes.com – June 10, 2013) President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree allowing foreign banks and international organizations to check foreign property belonging to election candidates running for positions in state bodies, a news report said Monday. The new law will affect all federal and regional elected officials including the president, State Duma deputies, governors and heads […]

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Russian Public TV denies canceling programme over Putin divorce jokes

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Vladimir Putin and Lydumila Putin file photo

(Interfax – Moscow, June 8, 2013) Russian Public TV is not planning to cancel its Social Network programme, the next episode will air on 10 June. The channel’s press service told Interfax on Saturday (8 June) that the 7 June edition of the programme was not aired for technical reasons. “No-one is closing the programme, it will continue to run. […]

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Peskov: There is no other woman in Putin’s life

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Vladimir Putin and Lydumila Putin file photo

(Interfax – MOSCOW, June 7, 2013) President Vladimir Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov has dismissed rumors that Putin will re-marry soon after divorce. “There is no other woman in the president’s life,” he said on Ekho Moskvy radio, noting that one should look at Putin’s busy schedule. “It is easy to understand that his life is in no way connected […]

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About 70% of Russians have no problems with Putin divorce – poll

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Vladimir Putin and Lydumila Putin file photo

(Interfax – MOSCOW, June 7, 2013) More than two-thirds of Russians don’t believe that the status of a country’s president deprives him or her of the right to divorce, an opinion poll suggests. Asked, “Does the president have the right to divorce, in your opinion?”, 71% of those questioned by the Superjob.ru portal on Friday answered in the affirmative. Every […]

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News of Putins’ Divorce Met With Shrugs

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Vladimir Putin and Lydumila Putin file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Jonathan Earle – June 10, 2013) Ordinary Russians reacted with a mix of compassion, skepticism and indifference to Thursday’s announcement that President Vladimir Putin and his wife Lyudmila would divorce after 29 years of marriage, the first time a Russian leader has dissolved his marriage in over three centuries. “Honestly, it’s a circus, it’s funny, […]

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Interfax: 41% of Russians See Putin as Ideal Leader

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and Moscow Environs Aerial View

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – June 10, 2013) Almost half of Russian people consider President Vladimir Putin an ideal or “close to ideal” president of Russia, a nationwide survey conducted by Levada Center said. Overall, 64 percent of respondents said that they approve of the president’s dealings. Of the 41 percent of people who consider Putin an ideal leader, 6 […]

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Revised Russian ‘Gay Propaganda’ Ban To Be Put To Key Vote On 11 June

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Russian Duma Building

(RIA Novosti – June 6, 2013) A controversial piece of Russian legislation banning the promotion of homosexuality among children has undergone significant changes since it won preliminary approval in January and is to be put to its key second reading in parliament on 11 June, Russian news agencies reported on 6 June, quoting senior MPs involved in pushing for the […]

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Putin wants information about ministries’ work to be made public

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Vladimir Putin Sitting at Desk

(Interfax – MOSCOW, June 7, 2013) The ministries and executive agencies’ work and its results must be made open to the public, said President Vladimir Putin. The government presented a plan to Putin in the Kremlin on Friday for implementing the presidential decrees passed in May 2012, followed by Putin’s remarks. “A concrete and clear picture must be drawn to […]

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Putin Slams Ministers’ 5-Year Plans

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and Moscow Environs Aerial View

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, June 7, 2013) ­ Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that he was not satisfied with the quality and contents of plans compiled by Russian ministers to show what they intend to do within the next five years in order to fulfill the tasks set by the president in May 2012. On May 7, 2012, the […]

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Russians React With Humor To Putin’s Divorce Announcement

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Vladimir Putin and Lydumila Putin file photo

(RFE/RL – rferl.org – June 7, 2013) Within hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin and his wife Lyudmila announced their divorce on state television on June 6, jokes about their separation became a big hit on social media, particularly on the microblogging site Twitter. RFE/RL’s Central Newsroom has compiled a selection of some of the more notable tweets and comments. […]

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Putin’s spokesman Peskov calls for treating president’s life with respect

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Vladimir Putin and Lydumila Putin file photo

(Interfax – MOSCOW, June 7, 2013) Russian President Vladimir Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov has called for treating the president’s private life with respect and not intruding into it. Peskov refrained from answering Interfax how Vladimir and Lyudmila Putin’s daughters had taken the news about their divorce. “Anything that concerns Vladimir Putin’s private life concerns only him, and he has […]

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Lyudmila Putina Once Called Her Husband a Vampire

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Vladimir Putin and Lydumila Putin file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – June 7, 2013) Lyudmila Putina once called President Vladimir Putin a vampire, while he in turn has suggested that anyone who could put up with her for three weeks was heroic and deserved a monument. These and other observations about the private family life of the Putins were detailed in a 2001 book that provided […]

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Bloggers Claim Photos Show Yakunin Mansion

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Alexander Bratersky – June 4, 2013 – photo here: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/bloggers-claim-photos-show-yakunin-mansion/480966.html) Bloggers have published pictures of a luxury mansion, believed to be owned by Vladimir Yakunin, the head of Russian Railways and powerful member of President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle. The three-story marble-clad mansion, occupying 70 hectares of land near the Moscow suburb of Domodedovo, was […]

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Putin Boosts Russian Role in Global War on Drugs

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas
Russian Drug Den File Photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – June 6, 2013) In an effort to enhance its image as a global player in combatting drug flows, Moscow welcomed 120 top anti-drug officials from around the world on Wednesday to discuss possibilities for cooperation in curbing an issue responsible for an estimated 200,000 deaths annually. Addressing participants at the International Drug […]

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Windows on Eurasia: Russia’s Future Belongs Not to the Opposition but to the Stalinized Young, Pavlova Says

Children, Adoptions, Orphans, History, Soviet Union, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, June 5, 2013) The supporters of Stalin and those who want to continue his political approach have in fact “triumphed” in today’s Russia, and these people consist not of the older generation but of the young who have grown up in the course of the re-Stalinization of the country during the last […]

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News conference following the Russia-EU Summit [Putin statements]

Europe, EU, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Vladimir Putin file photo

(Kremlin.ru – Yekaterinburg – June 4, 2013)  PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, The talks held at the 31st Russia-EU Summit were constructive and meaningful. We examined in detail the current issues of cooperation in trade, the economy and humanitarian sphere, as well as the improvement of the legal framework for our relations. Russia and the […]

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May poll puts Russian president’s job approval rating at 64 percent

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and Moscow Environs Aerial View

(Interfax – May 30, 2013) The job approval ratings of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev remain high in May, with Putin’s rating standing at 64 percent and Medvedev’s rising to 54 percent from 52 percent in April, sociologists of the Levada Center told Interfax following a May 23-27 public opinion survey. Putin enjoys trust among 36 […]

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Clans are marching

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and Moscow Environs Aerial View

(opendemocracy.net – Vladimir Pribylovsky – May 30, 2013) Vladimir Pribylovsky is the president of the Moscow-based Panorama Information and Research Center and co-author of ‘The Age of Assassins: The Rise and Rise of Vladimir Putin’   Russia’s ruling class is made up of a complex system of clans, constantly grouping and regrouping around their leader Vladimir Putin. Vladimir Pribylovsky explains […]

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Russia’s top liberal economist caught up in Putin purge, flees country

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Sergei Guriev file photo

(Business New Europe – bne.eu – May 30, 2013) Russian President Vladimir Putin’s anti-corruption drive that escalated last November with the dismissal of the defence minister is starting to take on the appearance of a classic 1930s-style Stalinist purge. The latest victim is Sergei Guriev, Russia’s top liberal economist and a close associate of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who fled […]

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Russia Aims to Boost Security Alliance in Central Asia

Afghanistan, Central Asia, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Military
Map of Central Asia, Including Commonwealth of Independent States Members

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – May 29, 2013) Ahead of NATO’s planned withdrawal from Afghanistan next year, leaders of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization have pledged to pool their resources to counter any potential deterioration of the security situation in the region. In an effort to demonstrate the importance of the military alliance, President Vladimir Putin […]

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In Russia, Commemorative Plaque To Be Restored Amid Brezhnev Nostalgia

History, Soviet Union, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Richard Nixon sitting with Leonid Brezhnev, with Third Person Standing and Leaning between Them

(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Claire Bigg – May 28, 2013) Authorities have backed a plan to return a commemorative plaque to the Moscow apartment building where Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev spent the last 30 years of his life. A Moscow City Hall committee has approved the initiative, submitted by a group of State Duma deputies. Supporters had hoped to have […]

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Kudrin for PM?

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Alexei Kudrin file photo

(Business New Europe – bne.eu – MOSCOW BLOG – May 27, 2013) There has been a lot of noise about the possibility of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev being sacked and replaced by the former finance minister Alexei Kudrin. We think it will happen ­ just not yet, but possibly as soon as this autumn. Russian President Vladimir Putin is […]

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Putin says Russia needs to look back to move forward

History, Soviet Union, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Religion
Vladimir Putin file photo

(Interfax – May 25, 2013) Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that to move forward Russia needs to look back at its traditions and roots, Interfax news agency reported on 25 May, quoting the Kremlin’s website. In a message on the occasion of the unveiling of a monument to Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Germogen (Hermogenes), Putin says: “Today’s […]

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Medvedev Cites Putin Relationship as Reason He’ll Keep His Job

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – May 27, 2013) Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that his personal relationship with President Vladimir Putin is an indication that he will not be dismissed. Medvedev, speaking in an interview aired on NTV television late Sunday, sought to lay to rest speculation that his time might be short in a Cabinet facing criticism from lawmakers […]

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Putin, Obama to Meet in June, September – Kremlin

United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of Vladimir Putin Leaning Towards Barack Hussein Obama With Flags Behind Them

(RIA Novosti – BOCHAROV RUCHEI, May 24, 2013) Presidents Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama will meet at a G8 summit in June and during the US president’s visit to Russia in September, a Kremlin aide said on Friday. “The first meeting will be in Lough Erne [Northern Ireland] on the sidelines of the G8 Summit and then [during] Obama’s visit […]

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Putin’s Frustration Grows as Russia’s Economy Slumps

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Cash, Coins, Line Graph

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Leonid Bershidsky – May 23, 2013) President Vladimir Putin’s popularity throughout much of Russia is founded on an implicit social compact: People have given up some freedom in return for economic prosperity. Now, Putin’s authoritarian ways could be killing the economic growth that has helped keep him in power. Time and time again, Russia’s leaders have […]

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Target: Surkov

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Vladislav Surkov file photo

(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Brian Whitmore – May 23, 2013) When photos of Vladislav Surkov hanging out and fishing with the powerful Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov appeared online recently, it raised some eyebrows but was viewed mainly as an odd curiosity. Kadyrov said Surkov, whose resignation as deputy prime minister and government chief of staff was made public on May […]

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Putin Says Amnesty Plan for Businessmen Needs Refining

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Vladimir Putin file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Alexander Bratersky – May 24, 2013) President Vladimir Putin, who was expected during a meeting with more than a hundred entrepreneurs on Thursday to give a nod to the State Duma to draft an amnesty act freeing thousands of imprisoned business people, said the concept needed more work, Russian television reported Thursday. Putin said at […]

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Putin presses Medvedev on implementation of policy decrees

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin with Heads Bowed Over Microphone

(Interfax – May 23, 2013) Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed Prime Minister Dmitriy Medvedev to work out and confirm a plan for the federal executive authorities’ work, aimed at fulfilling the presidential policy decrees signed by Putin at the start of his third presidential term in May 2012, privately-owned Interfax news agency reported on 23 May. Five-year plan The […]

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Putin letter to Obama focuses on Russia’s stance, not US proposals – diplomat

United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of Vladimir Putin Leaning Towards Barack Hussein Obama With Flags Behind Them

(Interfax – Moscow, May 23, 2013) Russian President Vladimir Putin’s message to his US counterpart Barack Obama is not a direct response to the American leader’s letter, but instead contains Russia’s formulation of the aims and points of reference relating to bilateral and international issues. “I wouldn’t say that this message is a response to Obama’s message in the primary […]

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Join the party!

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Duma Session file photo

(opendemocracy.net – Grigorii Golosov – May 22, 2013) Grigorii Golosov is Professor of Political Science, Project Director, Center for Democracy and Human Rights Helix, St. Petersburg A concession or a ruse to ensure continued authoritarian rule? In the second of two articles examining changes in Russia’s electoral architecture, Grigorii Golosov considers the recent relaxation of Russia’s party registration rules. Between […]

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Russian PM Medvedev Says Against Cabinet Reshuffle

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Dmitry Medvedev with United Russia Logos Behind Him

(RIA Novosti – MOSCOW, May 22, 2012) Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said he was not ready to part with any of the current ministers, but dismissals are possible in connection with the recently introduced law banning officials from keeping their money in foreign banks. “The government is a team. I have proposed their [ministers’] candidacies to the president and […]

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Putin’s Game And Kudrin’s Choice

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Alexei Kudrin file photo

(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Brian Whitmore – May 20, 2013) If Russian President Vladimir Putin ever actually appoints Aleksei Kudrin as his prime minister, we’ll know that one of two things happened: Either Putin decided to radically change course or Kudrin shamelessly sold out. In the weeks since Kudrin made a surprise appearance at Putin’s annual live call-in program with […]

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The incompetent many or the corrupt few?

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and Moscow Environs Aerial View

(opendemocracy.net – Grigorii Golosov – May 20, 2013) Grigorii Golosov is Professor of Political Science, Project Director, Center for Democracy and Human Rights Helix, St. Petersburg Recent protest rallies and continuing opposition sentiment have provoked the Kremlin into reform.  The first part of the process sees the partial return of regional governor elections, abandoned nine years ago in favour of […]

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

History, Soviet Union, Human Rights, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
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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Putin Said to Face Rift on Central Bank Role in Economy Plan

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade
Russian Central Bank file photo

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Evgenia Pismennaya & Olga Tanas – May 16, 2013) Russia’s government is split over empowering the central bank to support the economy as part of efforts to revive growth, leaving President Vladimir Putin to decide, according to an official familiar with the proposals. While the government suggests lowering bank loan rates, slowing utility-price increases and compelling […]

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Obama proposes exchanging info on missile defense in letter to Putin – newspaper

Nuclear, Missile Defense, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
Missile Defense Control Room file photo

(Interfax – MOSCOW, May 15, 2013) In a letter handed to Russian President Vladimir Putin a month ago, U.S. President Barack Obama proposed concluding a legally-binding agreement on exchanging information related to missile defense to guarantee the absence of a mutual threat, Kommersant reported on Wednesday. Obama proposed “developing a legally-binding agreement on transparency, which would include exchange of information […]

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Most Russian Regions to Opt for Governor Polls – Putin

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities
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

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
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

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
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

Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's
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

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, History, Soviet Union, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
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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Russia’s Gray Cardinal Slips Away Into The Shadows

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
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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Rights Champions: Kremlin Wants to Close Russian NGOs

Human Rights, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's
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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