Russian Democrats Must Be Suspicious of Oligarch ‘Opposition,’ Melnikov Says

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

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, January 8, 2014) Two groups in the Russian opposition which are often lumped together ­ the committed democrats and oligarchs who use democratic phraseology and even tactics to pursue wealth and the division of power — in fact are distinct, have very different goals, and often find themselves in conflict, according to […]

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Unrolling the Russian carpet

File Photo of Moscow In Snowy Winter Showing St. Basil's At Night in Snowfall, with People on the Ground in the Distance

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Georgy Manaev, RBTH – January 8, 2014) Do Russian walk on their walls? If not, why do they have carpets all over them?. RBTH takes an in-depth look at one of the most intriguing Soviet traditions Do you know what really hits home with Russians when they watch the brilliant “The Big Lebowski” […]

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List of 1,000 Scientific Institutions to Be Managed by New Agency Confirmed

Artist's Conception of Nanotechnology Components

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 8, 2014) Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday confirmed the list of 1,007 institutions that will be run by the Federal Agency of Scientific Organizations, which was created last year by a law on academic reforms. The list, initially published on the government’s website on Dec. 30, still includes all 20 of the institutions, […]

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Fury Over Biographical Stalin Calendar Published by Orthodox Church

File Photo of Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anna Dolgov – January 8, 2014) A publishing house run by the Russian Orthodox Church has released a 2014 calendar devoted to Josef Stalin, unleashing a flurry of indignation among Russian bloggers and a discussion about the Church’s ties to the former Soviet dictator. The calendar, published by the Moscow-based patriarchal printing house of the […]

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What Are Modern Nations Like? Multiethnicity in Russia in a Global Context

World Map Showing Continents, Greens, Browns, Ice

(Russia in Global Affairs – eng.globalaffairs.ru – Valery Tishkov – December 27, 2013 Valery Tishkov is Academician-Secretary in the History and Philology Department at the Russian Academy of Sciences. He is Director of the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, and a Member of the Presidential Council on Inter-Ethnic Relations. Resume: Some political scientists believe there is no common nation in […]

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First Batch of Chemical Weapons Leaves Syria

Syria Map

MOSCOW, January 7 (RIA Novosti) The first consignment of chemical weapons has left the Syrian port of Latakia on a Danish cargo vessel, the international chemical weapons watchdog said on Tuesday. “The removal of the first consignment of priority chemicals from the Syrian Arab Republic took place today,” the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said in a […]

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Ruble Strengthens as Russia Readies for Olympics Amid Oil Gain

Cash, Calculator, Pen

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Vladimir Kuznetsov – January 8, 2014) The ruble strengthened after the resumption of trading in Moscow as oil gained and investors bet next month’s Winter Olympics will support Russia’s currency. The ruble appreciated 0.4 percent to 38.4873 against Bank Rossii’s target basket of dollars and euros by 2:03 p.m. in Moscow. The yield on Russian government […]

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ECHR Issued 120 Rulings Against Russia in 2013

European Court of Human Rights Building file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 8, 2014) The European Court for Human Rights last year made 120 rulings against human rights violations by Russian authorities, the Justice Ministry’s press service said Tuesday. “As of Dec. 20, 2013 the European Court for Human Rights had made 120 rulings, in which Russian authorities were found guilty of violating the principles of […]

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The Top Five Bizarre Stories From 2013

New Year's Eve on Red Square with Fireworks, Kremlin, Saint Basil's, Crowds

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 8, 2014) [Videos here http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/the-top-5-bizarre-stories-from-2013/492451.html#ixzz2poNBUVlR] The news coming out of Russia in 2013 was full of emotions. Anti-gay laws and corruption scandals caused outrage, Olympic torches were carried with pride and falling meteors provoked awe that was captured on a small army of dash cams. There were also stories that made our readers (and […]

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In the Shadow of Sochi: The North Caucasus in 2013

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

(Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 11 Issue: 2 – Paul Goble – Jamestown Foundation – jamestown.org – January 7, 2014) Russian officials have repeatedly complained over the last 12 months that analysts in both Russia and the West will link, appropriately or not, everything that takes place in Russia before February 2014 with the Sochi Olympiad. There may be some justification […]

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Russia Fourth in World For Number of Smokers

MOSCOW, January 8 (RIA Novosti) ­ Russia is among the world’s heaviest smoking countries, outranked only by China, India and Indonesia, according to a new report out Wednesday. About 39 million of 143 million Russians smoked as of 2012, the latest year covered by a global group of researchers for a study published in the Journal of the American Medical […]

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Russia Nears Record Highs as North America Shivers

Snowy Scene with Trees and Hills file photo, adapted from NWS image

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 8, 2014) Moscow’s unseasonably warm weather is expected to continue over the next few days, creating the potential for setting temperature records that are a far cry from those being caused by the polar vortex in the United States and Canada. Fobos weather center said that temperatures in Moscow were expected to reach three […]

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Johnson’s Russia List :: 2014-#5 :: 7 January 2014

St. Basil's file photo

Johnson’s Russia List :: 2014-#5 :: 7 January 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. ITAR-TASS: Putin attended a Christmas service in a newly-built church […]

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Ivan Kozlovsky: The man who refused to sing for Stalin

Bolshoi Theater file photo

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Yan Shenkman, RBTH – January 4, 2014) The legendary opera singer admired by Stalin, yet always resented being told what he could sing and what he could not. Ivan Kozlovsky (1900-1993) was a legendary opera tenor and a soloist at the Bolshoi Theater. He sang more than 50 operatic roles, and was particularly […]

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Making ‘Separatist Propaganda’ Illegal is the Real Crime, Belotserkovsky Says

Map of Russia

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, January 7, 2013) From the point of view of both international law and the critical needs of the peoples of the Russian Federation, Vadim Belotserkovsky argues, the new Russian law imposing criminal penalties for the  “‘propaganda of separatism’” is the real crime because it undermines “the inalienable right of peoples to self-determination.” […]

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Moscow Celebrates Russian Orthodox Christmas With Giant Apple Pie

Aerial View of Moscow From Beyond Stadium, file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 7, 2014) This year’s warm temperatures meant believers in Moscow celebrated a red and gold, rather than white, Orthodox Christmas. Moscow confectioners baked a giant apple and cherry pie in celebration of Russian Orthodox Christmas, which is marked on Jan. 7, based on the old Julian calendar. The 100 kilogram, 1.5-meter by 2.5-meter pie […]

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Interfax: Western model of society is becoming increasingly marginal – Russian Orthodox Church

Archpriest Vsevolad Chaplin file photo

Moscow, January 7, Interfax – The Western model of society cannot cope with modern challenges, head of the Synodal Department for Church and Society Relations Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin has said. “To my mind, Western civilization still cannot realize that its model of social order is shared by the minority of people in the world and is typical of only that […]

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Interfax: Patriarch Kirill finds commercialization of Christmas in West dangerous

Patriarch Kirill file photo

Moscow, January 7, Interfax – Ousting the true sense of Christmas from public space, including its substitution with other names, can have dangerous consequences, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia has said. “This is a political action, a purposeful act to oust Christian values, including Christian holidays from the lives of people. This is spiritual disarmament of the masses. […]

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Interfax: Medvedev greets Patriarch Kirill on Christmas, thanks for spiritual patronage

Patriarch Kirill file photo

Moscow, January 7, Interfax – Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has greeted Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia on Christmas, the government website reported on Tuesday. “This holiday presents the light of faith, the warmth of love and the happiness of hope. It consolidates the moral foundations of our society helping people to learn Christian values of kindness, mercy and […]

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Interfax: Putin: Christmas serves to unite millions on the basis of common spiritual values and traditions

Russian Orthodox Believers Holding Candles at Cathedral at Christmas

Moscow, January 7, Interfax – President Vladimir Putin has greeted Orthodox Christians, all Russian citizens celebrating Christmas, the Kremlin press service reported on Tuesday. “This lightsome holiday nourishes the kindest of feelings and intensions and serves to unite millions of people on the basis of common spiritual values and historical traditions of which mutual respect and accord, mercy and care […]

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VIDEO & Article: Police Detain Dozens at Protest Calling for Release of Bolotnaya Prisoners

Kremlin and St. Basil's

[scroll down for video] (Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 7, 2014) Police detained two dozen protesters who gathered in central Moscow on Monday to demand the release of opposition activists from prison and to denounce the publicity stunts meant to boost Russia’s image ahead of the Sochi Olympic Games. The protesters gathered on Manezhnaya Square on Russian Christmas Eve, […]

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Russia Enters a Year of Post-Olympic Blues; Inherent economic weaknesses likely to mar 2014 for Russia

File Photo of Cash, Coins, Line Graph

(Eurasia Daily Monitor: Volume 11, Issue 1 – Jamestown Foundation – jamestown.org – Pavel K. Baev – January 6, 2014) Seasonal festivities have been unusually subdued in Russia this year – ­families at every income level and of any ethnic composition are finding it difficult to forget their worries and focus on positive prospects for the coming year. One interval […]

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Russia at home and abroad: past successes, future challenges

World Map Showing Continents, Greens, Browns, Ice

(opendemocracy.net – Margot Light – January 5, 2014) Margot Light is Professor Emeritus of International Relations at the Department of International Relations of the London School of Economics and Political Science. 2013 produced several foreign policy successes for President Putin, increasing Russia’s prominence on the international stage. At home, the Volgograd suicide attacks brought the year to a sad and […]

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Stranded Russian Vessel Free from Antarctic Ice

Antarctica Map

MOSCOW, January 7 (RIA Novosti) ­ A Russian ship stranded in the East Antarctic since Christmas managed to break free due to favorable weather conditions, the vessel’s owner said Tuesday. The Akademik Shokalsky has left the ice trap and is currently speeding north at 7 knots, said Yury Volkov, the director of the Far Eastern Regional Hydrometeorological Research Institute. The […]

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The Kremlin’s Euromaidan Calculus

Russian Naval Vessel in Ukrainian Port

(Institute of Modern Russia – imrussia.org – Donald N. Jensen – January 6, 2014) In December, after a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Viktor Yanukovych, Moscow announced that it would give Kiev a $15 billion bailout and slash the gas price by one-third as a reward for Yanukovych’s rejection of an association agreement with the European Union. Donald N. Jensen, […]

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Johnson’s Russia List :: 2014-#4 :: 6 January 2014

St. Basil's file photo

Johnson’s Russia List :: 2014-#4 :: 6 January 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. The Voice of Russia: Christmas greetings from Metropolitan Juvenaly: Russian […]

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Mitt Romney Says Sochi Games Likely to Be Safe

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 6, 2014) Former U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Russia should not have been chosen to host the Olympics considering its role in global politics but the upcoming games in Sochi are likely to be as safe as any other. Romney, who led the Winter Games in Salt Lake City in 2002, told Fox […]

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Rights activists to work for judicial, penitentiary system reform in 2014 – Moscow Helsinki Group chair

Lyudmila Alekseyeva file photo

MOSCOW. Jan 4 (Interfax) – Russian human rights activists will give priority to reforms of the judicial and penitentiary systems in 2014, Moscow Helsinki Group Chair Lyudmila Alexeyeva told Interfax. “The absence of independent courts is our main problem. Another problem on which we need to work in 2014 is the situation in the penitentiary system,” she said. “The improvement […]

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What you need to know about safety in Russia

Aerial View of Moscow From Beyond Stadium, file photo

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Ajay Kamalakaran, RBTH – January 4, 2014) Most Russian cities are generally safe by international standards but being street smart never harmed a visitor. One of the most common and misplaced fears about Russia in the minds of foreign visitors is of violence on the streets. Thankfully, most visitors have stopped associating the […]

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Channel One Leads in Putin’s New Year Address Ratings

Kremlin and St. Basil's file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 6, 2014) Almost 95 percent of Russian television viewers saw the traditional New Year’s address by President Vladimir Putin, according to preliminary data from media research firm TNS Russia. This year’s address differed starkly from previous years in that it was delivered in two versions, the initial one recorded in the Kremlin and broadcast […]

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Billionaire Usmanov Still Russia’s Richest Man

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 6, 2014) Alisher Usmanov retained his title as Russia’s richest businessman in 2013 with a net worth of $20.2 billion, according to a Bloomberg ranking of the world’s 200 wealthiest persons. Usmanov, whose fortune grew by $1.3 billion last year, qualified as the world’s 36th richest person in the ranking, which also saw 10 […]

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West has been Against the Slavs for a Millenium, IMEMO Expert Says

Map of European Portion of Former Soviet Union

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, January 6, 2013) Despite all the ups and downs in the relationship between the West and the Slavic world, changes that alternatively spark new hopes or new fears, the underlying reality, according to a senior researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences, is that “the anti-Slavic character of the policy of the […]

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Johnson’s Russia List :: 2014-#3 :: 3 January 2014

St. Basil's file photo

Johnson’s Russia List :: 2014-#3 :: 3 January 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. Patrick Armstrong: RUSSIAN FEDERATION SITREP 2 January 2014 . 2. […]

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Interfax: Iranian president actively seeking solutions to domestic, foreign issues – Russian ambassador to Iran

Iran Map and Flag

MOSCOW. Jan 3 (Interfax) – New Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is actively looking for solutions to his country’s problems on the domestic and international arena, Russian Ambassador to Iran Levan Dzhagarian says. “As I see from the Iranian perspective, Rouhani is making quite a lot of efforts so as to find mutually acceptable solutions to the existing problems, and he […]

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G8 Presidency to Be Marked by Transparency and Efficiency, Putin Says

File Photo of G8 Heads of State Outdoors in 2013

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 3, 3014) Russia’s presidency of the Group of Eight this year will focus on transparency and efficiency in the fight against terrorism and elimination of protectionist barriers in trade, President Vladimir Putin said. In an address published on the Kremlin’s website as Russia assumed the presidency on New Year’s Day, Putin preached cooperation, dialogue […]

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Russian Federation SITREP 20140102

Map of Russia

Date: Thu, 02 Jan 2014 From: Patrick Armstrong <gpa@magma.ca> Subject: [UTExpertsDiscGrp] RUSSIAN FEDERATION SITREP 20140102 [Find numerous active links to sources here http://www.russiaotherpointsofview.com/2014/01/r.html#more] RUSSIAN FEDERATION SITREP 2 January 2014 MAN OF THE WHATEVER. Putin is topping a lot of year-end lists these days and I find it amusing. First because he isn’t doing or saying anything new but also because […]

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Russian Navy to Expand Air Patrols in Arctic

File Photo of Polar Bear on Ice and Snow with Water Nearby

MOSCOW, January 3 (RIA Novosti) ­ Combat aircraft from Russia’s Northern Fleet will extend the ranges of their patrol flights over the Arctic in 2014 using a network of revamped Soviet-era airfields, the fleet’s spokesman said Friday. “In 2014, the naval aviation of the Northern Fleet will significantly expand the geography of Arctic patrol flights, including with the use of […]

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Putin’s Caucasian Games

File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

(Bloomberg editorial – Bloomberg.com – January 3, 2014) Russian President Vladimir Putin clearly intends next month’s Winter Olympics in Sochi as a showcase for the country’s re-emergence as a global power. Given his recent diplomatic coups in Syria and Ukraine, maybe he thinks that he has plenty to show off. Yet this week’s twin suicide bombings in Volgograd, which killed […]

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Media Watchdog Calls For Release of Opposition Journalists

Kremlin and St. Basil's file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 3, 2014) Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders has urged Russia to free opposition journalists locked up in the country’s jails, expressing concern that lesser-known cases would be forgotten after the recent release of high-profile prisoners. “The release of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Pussy Riot and Greenpeace activists must not divert attention from the many other threats […]

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RIA Novosti: Putin-Led Civic Movement Registers First Regional Branch

File Photo of Vladimir Putin Speaking At All-Russia Popular Front Gathering

MOSCOW, January 3 (RIA Novosti) ­ A pro-Kremlin civic movement headed by President Vladimir Putin has registered its first regional office in Russia, the party’s website said Friday. The All-Russia People’s Front (ONF) said it registered the office in the city of Lipetsk, located some 440 kilometers (270 miles) south of Moscow, with Russia’s Justice Ministry. “I hope that in […]

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Johnson’s Russia List :: 2014-#2 :: 2 January 2014

St. Basil's file photo

Johnson’s Russia List :: 2014-#2 :: 2 January 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. Moscow Times: Astrologers Predict Strife for Russia in 2014. 2. […]

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Can European socialism be good to Russia?

Map of Russia

(Pravda.ru – Nadezhda Alekseeva) Europe is moaning under the strong influx of immigrants, and the floodgates were opened by European socialists. A poisonous bite of suicidal tolerance has dulled the natural instinct of self-preservation of the European nations. In recent years, Euro-socialism has been trying to take root on the Russian soil, so far without much success. Does it have […]

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‘Yaroslavl ­ graveyard of the Russian spring’

File Photo of Yevgeney Urlashov Standing Near One of His Campaign Posters

(opendemocracy.net – Elena Vlasenko – January 2, 2014) Elena Vlasenko is a Russian correspondent writing for Sovershenno Sekretno and Index on Censorship. When Yevgeny Urlashov became the democratically elected mayor of Yaroslavl, the tourist city on the Volga, he described it as the ‘birthplace of the Russian spring.’ A year later, Urlashov is in jail… Russia’s protest movement was at […]

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A Rubik’s Cube from the Russian Constitutional Court

Russian Constitutional Court file photo

(Institute of Modern Russia – imrussia.org – Ekaterina Mishina – December 30, 2013) In December, the Constitutional Court of Russia issued a ruling in the Markin case that was supposed to settle the question of Russia’s obligation to implement decisions of the European Court of Human Rights on its territory. IMR Advisor Ekaterina Mishina, a prominent legal scholar, notes that […]

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Taking precautions on Moscow’s metro

Aerial View of Moscow From Beyond Stadium, file photo

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Zoya Miloslavskaya, special to RBTH – January 2, 2014) The Moscow metro is relatively safe, but pickpockets, thieves and drunken travellers can darken an unwary passenger’s mood. However, you can avoid incidents like these by following some simple rules. According to statistics from the Directorate of Internal Affairs, 290 robberies took place on […]

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Investigation into Volgograd terror attacks brings some results – NAC

Large Mother Russia Statue Near Volgograd

MOSCOW. Jan 2 (Interfax) – The law enforcement authorities are investigating the terror attacks perpetrated in Volgograd on December 29 and 30, the National Antiterrorism Committee said. The efforts have already yielded some results, it noted. The explosions at the Volgograd railroad station on December 29 and on a trolley bus on December 30 killed 34 people and injured dozens. […]

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All Passengers Rescued From Russian Ship Stranded in Antarctic

Antarctica Map

MOSCOW, January 2 (RIA Novosti) ­ A Chinese helicopter successfully flew to safety all 52 passengers from a stranded Russian cruise ship stuck in Antarctic pack ice Thursday in a long delayed rescue mission, the authority coordinating the rescue said. The ship, the Akademik Shokalskiy, has been stuck in the ice 100 nautical miles east of the French base Dumont […]

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Six Laws to Look Out For in The New Year

Russian State Duma Building file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Anna Dolgov – January 2, 2014) Besides hangovers and eerily quiet streets, the first day of the New Year also brings with it a score of new measures that were signed into law the year before. From a ban on Norwegian fish imports to protection against ATM fraud, here are a few picks from the […]

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Exxon Russia Ambitions Show Oil Trumps Obama-Putin Spats: Energy

Polar Bear on Ice, Looking Back at Camera

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Stephen Bierman – January 2, 2014) As Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin argue over human rights in Russia and the fate of fugitive U.S. intelligence analyst Edward Snowden, the countries’ biggest oil companies are preparing to drill for giant discoveries together in the Arctic Ocean. Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM:US) and OAO Rosneft (ROSN) are set to […]

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More Ethnic Russians are Converting to Islam and a Few are Becoming Terrorists

Russian Mosque File Photo

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, January 2, 2013) Official identification of one of the terrorist bombers in Volgograd as an ethnic Russian from Mari El who converted to Islam and fought on the side of the militants in Daghestan has attracted attention to a trend that most Russians have been reluctant to discuss: the growing number of […]

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