Romancing the Revolution; Russians may not celebrate the start of the Revolution officially, but that has not stopped them from finding ways to revel in revolution.

Romanov Family Photo

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Chris Fleming, special to RBTH – November 7, 2013) Dr. Chris Fleming is a senior lecturer in Humanities and Communication Arts at the University of Western Sydney. For much of the twentieth century, Russians celebrated the October 1917 Revolution ­ the event which brought Lenin and his party to power. Russia no longer […]

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Interfax: Russian Communists celebrate 1917 revolution, call for dismissal of government

Romanov Family Photo

(Interfax – November 7, 2013) The Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) marked the anniversary of the 1917 October Revolution on 7 November with rallies in Moscow and other towns of Russia, privately-owned Interfax news agency reported the same day. The CPRF has collected over two million signatures asking for the dismissal of the government, the leader of the […]

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RIA Novosti: Scientists See Increased Asteroid Threat

Stylized Satellite View of Globe Highlighting Russian Impact Location for Meteor

WASHINGTON, November 8 (RIA Novosti) ­ Asteroid strikes like the one that occurred over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk in February are much more likely to happen than previously thought, scientists said in a report published in the scientific journal Nature. A team of researchers studied two decades’ worth of data gathered by US government-run infrasound sensors positioned around the […]

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Interfax: Two thirds of Russians take positive view of police, many ready to help – poll

Russian Riot Police file photo

MOSCOW. Nov 8 (Interfax) – The attitude of Russians to police has improved lately, the Public Opinion Foundation said. “There has been an improvement of every essential parameter of personal security and police performance during nationwide monitoring; the situation looks better in 2013 than it was throughout the entire period of monitoring since 2009,” the Foundation said in a press […]

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Miss Universe 2013 Competition Kicks Off in Moscow

Aerial View of Moscow From Beyond Stadium, file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Lena Smirnova – November 7, 2013) Miss Universe pageant’s arrival in Moscow, the first time the contest has been hosted here in its 62-year history, brought out all the glitter and sequins that the 87 contestants could pack in their suitcases. Matching the contest’s galactic theme, the local organizers said that they plan to “impress […]

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Russian brands find it tough to compete in global value survey

Empty Boardroom

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Tatyana Lisina, special to RBTH   – November 8, 2013) The most expensive Russian brands are conceding significantly in value to brands from developed countries. Experts believe this is because of a lack of investment into brand marketing. Brand consultants Interbrand recently presented ratings for the top 40 most expensive brands of 2013. Gazprom […]

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RIA Novosti: Russia Dismisses US Doubts Over Syrian Chemical Arms Data

Syria Map

MOSCOW, November 8 (RIA Novosti) ­ Russia considers unfounded US skepticism over the sincerity of Syria’s declaration of its chemical weapon stockpiles, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Friday. US envoy to the United Nations Samantha Power said earlier this week that Washington was closely reviewing Syria’s declaration of its chemical weapons stockpiles, in light of a history of “years […]

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Putin Moves to Re-Establish Nationalities Ministry He Abolished in 2001

Migrant Workers file photo

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble, Staunton, November 6, 2013) Apparently operating on the principle that if there is a problem, there should be a government structure responsible for it, President Vladimir Putin is moving to recreate in fact if not in name a ministry to oversee the Russian Federation’s increasingly intense nationality problems. But for the same reasons that […]

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Gays who decide to move abroad will have hard time – State Duma

EU Map

(Interfax – November 6, 2013) The State Duma has criticized the statement made by the Dutch foreign minister on the readiness of the Netherlands to provide asylum to Russian homosexuals. “Such statements are bad propaganda against the Russian Federation. I don’t see anything else in that,” Yelena Afanasyeva, deputy chairman of the State Duma committee on labor, social policy and […]

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Business Leaders Ask Putin to Review Tax Case Authority

Russian Duma Building

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Delphine d’Amora – November 7, 2013) Prominent members of the business community have sent an appeal to President Vladimir Putin asking for a reevaluation of amendments to the Criminal Code, which Putin himself submitted to the State Duma on Oct. 11, Vedomosti reported Thursday. The amendments would authorize investigators to open tax cases at their […]

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My Two Days Working Undercover at Moscow’s Sadovod Market

Map of Western CIS/FSU and European Environs

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Eradzh Nidoev – November 7, 2013) [Photos here http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/my-2-days-working-undercover-at-moscows-sadovod-market/489045.html] It’s 6 a.m. and still dark outside. I am standing inside the sprawling Sadovod market on the 14th kilometer of the Moscow Ring Road in southeast Moscow. A sweeper is working one of the deserted rows of shops, trying to put things in order after yesterday’s […]

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RIA Novosti: Russia Accepts Khodorkovsky’s Damages Claim

European Court of Human Rights Building file photo

MOSCOW, November 7 (RIA Novosti) ­ The Russian government said Thursday it had not appealed a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that could prompt a rollback of the Yukos case. The Strasbourg-based court ruled in July that the rights of former Yukos oil company head Mikhail Khodorkovsky were violated during his trial and continuing imprisonment in Russia […]

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Putin Tells Zhirinovsky to ‘Tone it Down’

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – November 7, 2013) President Vladimir Putin has urged Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky to show more restraint in his speeches, most likely in reference to the lawmaker’s recent remarks about the North Caucasus that provoked outrage in the region. Zhirinovsky said during a television show last month that the North Caucasus should be surrounded […]

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Russia Beyond the Headlines: Putin tops Forbes power ranking thanks to a lack of strong rivals

File Photo of Vladimir Putin at Valdai Club 2013 Meeting, Adapted from Screenshot of Valdai Club Video at youtube.com

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Yevgeny Shestakov, International Affairs Editor at Rossiyskaya Gazeta, special to RBTH – November 7, 2013) There are a number of reasons why the U.S. edition of Forbes magazine nominated Russian President Vladimir Putin as the most powerful person in 2013. It is difficult to gauge the accuracy of those experts who say Putin’s […]

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Interfax: Russians recognize need for political opposition but don’t believe in it coming to power – poll

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

(Interfax – November 7, 2013) In the last eight years the opinion of Russians about the place and role of the opposition in the world today has changed, studies of VTsIOM public opinion center indicate. The share of Russians believing that the objective of opposition forces is to work out their own course and come to power has grown from […]

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Interfax: Russian Olympic Committee says gay hysteria over Sochi Games ‘whipped up’

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

(Interfax – Sochi, November 8, 2013) The Russian Olympic Committee thinks the scandal around the sportsmen of non-traditional sexual orientation is artificially whipped up, while the athletes themselves will be taken up with a competition, not political issues. “I think that is just the whipping up of the atmosphere around the Olympics on purpose; when the Games start, the athletes […]

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Putincare: Russia’s Alternative to Obamacare

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Voice of America – James Brooke – October 31, 2013) James Brooke is VOA Moscow bureau chief, covering Russia and the former USSR With Obamacare dividing the U.S., I thought it my patriotic duty to do an undercover investigation of “Putincare.” My weekend did not have the drama of Solzhenitsyn’s 1967 novel “The Cancer Ward,” but it had its moments. […]

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Road rage: Reality in Russia; 10 facts about Russian roads that will make you weep

Moscow Traffic file photo

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Anna Arutunyan – November 7, 2013) Common wisdom has it that all of Russia’s ills originate in two simple things: fools and roads. Indeed, one of the biggest factors holding back the country that occupies one-sixth of the world’s landmass may be its transportation arteries – or lack thereof. 1) Some better off on horses […]

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Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#201 :: Friday, 8 November 2013

Map of Russia

[check back for updates, including more links; links also posted to facebook and twitter] Johnson’s Russia List :: 2013-#201 :: 8 November 2013 E-Mail: davidjohnson@starpower.net A project of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs: www.ieres.org JRL homepage: russialist.org JRL on Facebook: facebook.com/russialist JRL on Twitter: twitter.com/JohnsonRussiaLi Support […]

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Indo-Russian Summit Highlights Emerging Trends in Asian International Relations

India map

(Eurasia Daily Monitor: Volume 10, Issue 199 – Stephen Blank – Jamestown Foundation – jamestown.org – November 6, 2013) Indian Premier Manmohan Singh’s October 21–22 visit to Moscow not only reaffirmed traditional Indo-Russian amity, it also revealed significant trends in Asian developments that affect both parties as well as other key players like the United States, China and Pakistan. In […]

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A memorial day few Russians want to remember

File Photo of Prison in Russia with Wall, Barbed Wire, Guard Tower

(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Julia Reed in Moscow – November 7, 2013) “Who was killed in your family?” A man in a beret in his early 60s asked me as he joined the long queue of people. We were both attending the annual recital of the names of the victims of political repressions in Russia by the Solovetsky […]

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TRANSCRIPT: [Putin] Meeting with heads of constitutional law faculties

Russian Constitutional Court file photo

(Kremlin.ru – November 7, 2013) Faculty members and researchers from more than 20 universities and institutes attended the meeting, held ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Russian Constitution. PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN: Good afternoon, friends. We are holding this meeting in the run-up to the 20th anniversary of the adoption of Russia’s Constitution. I will not lecture you […]

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Ex-MP Glushchenko will be charged with Galina Starovoitova’s murder – lawyer

Russian Duma Building

ST. PETERSBURG. Nov 7 (Interfax) – Investigators are preparing to charge former Russian parliamentarian Mikhail Glushchenko with masterminding the assassination of State Duma member Galina Starovoitova in 1998, Glushchenko’s lawyer Alexander Afanasyev told Interfax on Thursday. “Both defense lawyers representing Mikhail Ivanovich [Glushchenko] were officially notified that at 2:00 p.m. tomorrow he will be charged under Part 3 of Article […]

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Russian MP says Europe’s outrage over U.S. phone tapping will not last long

Alexei Pushkov file photo

MOSCOW. Nov 7 (Interfax) – State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Alexei Pushkov believes that the scandal sparked by revelations that U.S. special services monitored European leaders’ phone conversations will soon fizzle out because the European leadership is dependent on Washington. “The administration of [U.S. President Barack] Obama does not seem to be particularly troubled by Europe’s anger over this […]

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Investigative Committee Seeks to Formalize Criminality of Tax Avoidance

Cash, Calculator, Pen

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – November 6, 2013) The Investigative Committee has developed a bill criminalizing tax optimization transactions, Vedomosti reported Wednesday. The proposed bill is set to amend the Tax Code by introducing definitions for “imaginary” and “fictitious” financial transactions. These terms refer to transactions which business either did not complete, or have completed, but fudged the description and […]

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The writing on the wall?

Kremlin and Moscow Environs Aerial View

(opendemocracy.net – Daniil Kotsyubinsky – November 5, 2013) Daniil Kotsyubinsky is a Russian historian and journalist based in St. Petersburg On Friday, a Russian news agency had its publishing licence revoked, supposedly for publishing two ‘profane’ Youtube clips. For Daniil Kotsyubinsky, however, the episode was but the latest example of a ‘summary execution’ ­ intended as a warning to any […]

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Russian Nation Said to Have Lost Its Ability to Assimilate Others

Migrant Workers file photo

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, November 6, 2013) For most of modern times, ethnic Russians have assimilated members of other nations living among them because they represented a more advanced community, but now, a Moscow blogger says, they have “lost the ability to assimilate other peoples,” something that makes the influx of non-Russian migrants even more disturbing […]

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Interfax: Russian March assesses degree of public discontent – policy expert

Kremlin and St. Basil's

MOSCOW. Nov 5 (Interfax) – The relative serenity of the Russian March was based on the wish of its organizers to avoid “rocking the boat” and instead to assess public sentiment about migration and inter-ethnic relations, policy expert Nikolai Mironov said. “It seems the March organizers did not want to disturb the peace. I think it was a test; they […]

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RIA Novosti: All-Time Record Set for Warmest Fall Night in Moscow

Aerial View of Moscow From Beyond Stadium, file photo

MOSCOW, November 6 (RIA Novosti) ­ Russian weather experts have said that Tuesday night was the hottest ever recorded in Moscow during the fall season. Mayak radio station cited the Moscow Weather Bureau as saying that overnight temperatures in the city stood at around 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit). Temperatures in Moscow typically hover around freezing point by November, […]

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RIA Novosti: Russians’ Quality of Life Improved Over Last Decade – OECD

OECD Logo

MOSCOW, November 5 (RIA Novosti) ­ Russia has “made progress” in improving the quality of life of its citizens over the last decade, though the country’s scores in some areas are lower than the international average, a new study by an international economic organization says. The average Russian household net-adjusted disposable income is about $15,300 a year, according to the […]

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A Fresh Wind of Optimism; A New Mindset for Russia in the Changing World

World Map Showing Continents, Greens, Browns, Ice

(Russia in Global Affairs – eng.globalaffairs.ru – Andrey Bezrukov – October 26, 2013) Andrey Bezrukov is an expert in strategic planning and an associate professor at Moscow University of International Relations (MGIMO). Resume: While the American elites take time to debate and prioritize their national interests, there is no similar dialogue going on within Russian elites. As society at large […]

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RIA Novosti: Yeltsin’s Grandson Developing Hollywood WWII Film

Movie Theater file photo

WASHINGTON, November 5 (RIA Novosti) ­ Boris Yeltsin, the grandson and namesake of Russia’s first president, is producing a movie titled “Night Witches” about female Soviet pilots during World War II and has recruited an award-winning Hollywood screenwriter to pen the screenplay, the US entertainment website Variety.com reported. The project is based on the true story of Soviet female air […]

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Russia Beyond the Headlines: History meets high technology at Romanovs exhibition

Romanov Family Photo

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Galina Zhikhoreva, special to RBTH  – November 5, 2013) “My History. The Romanovs”, an exhibition to mark the 400th anniversary of the Russian imperial dynasty, opened in Moscow Manege this week. It features 3D installations, animated collages, and interactive content. More than 15,000 visitors crowded the halls of the Moscow Manage exhibition hall […]

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Interfax: Almost half of Russians approve of national development course – poll

Kremlin and St. Basil's

MOSCOW. Nov 6 (Interfax) – Almost half of Russians (46%) approve of the course of national development taken by Vladimir Putin after his return to the presidency, Levada Center told Interfax. This course is mostly supported by women (50% vs. 41% of men), young citizens aged from 18 to 24 (55%), people with secondary education (52%) and residents of cities […]

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Ethnic Affairs Ministry Mulled as Anti-Migrant Sentiment Rises

Migrant Workers file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Oleg Sukhov – November 6, 2013) A day after hundreds of detentions at numerous nationalist rallies across the country, media reports circulated Tuesday that the government is considering creating an interethnic relations ministry to keep tensions under control. Immigration has dominated the Russian media landscape since thousands took part in a nationalist riot in the […]

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Only ‘One of 33 Orphans’ Denied U.S. Adoption Finds Russian Home

Russian Orphanage file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – November 6, 2013) Out of the 33 St. Petersburg orphans who were set to be given new homes by U.S. families last year before their moves were blocked by Russian legislation, only one has been legally adopted by Russian parents, a news report said. The 33 children already had potential American families, but were prevented […]

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Interfax: Law on terrorist’s family liability for damage to enter into force on Nov 17

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Interfax – November 6, 2013) The law, which holds kith and kin of terrorists liable for the damage done by terrorist attacks, will enter into force on November 17. The president signed the law in early November. The Federal Law “On Adjustment of Some Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation”, which amends the Russian Criminal Code, the Russian Civil Code […]

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Russia Pension Age Hike Off Table Till 2018 – Fund Head

Two Babushkas file photo

MOSCOW, November 6 (RIA Novosti) ­ Russia will not consider raising the retirement age until at least 2018, but will encourage people to work longer, the head of the State Pension Fund said Wednesday. President Vladimir Putin said during 2011 electoral campaigning that he was against raising the pension age and has frequently restated this position. Russia’s next presidential elections […]

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Yanukovych Defends Ukraine EU Trade Pact as Competitiveness Lags

EU Map

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – James M. Gomez & Kateryna Choursina – November 6, 2013) Ukraine needs a free trade agreement with the European Union to help the eastern European nation kickstart the economy and regain competitiveness on global markets, President Viktor Yanukovych said. “By choosing to get closer to the European Union, we are making a pragmatic choice for optimal […]

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The polyphonic president

Georgia Map

(opendemocracy.net – Peter Pomerantsev – November 1, 2013) Peter Pomerantsev is a British TV producer. For many years, he sold British programmes to the Russian TV industry. He now lives in London. Mikheil Saakashvili, ex-president of Georgia, was once hailed as the very archetype of a model post-Soviet leader ­ smooth-tongued and sharp-suited. But was the fluency in which he […]

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RIA Novosti: Georgian President-Elect Snubs Predecessor’s Luxury Palace

Georgia Map

TBILISI, November 4 (RIA Novosti) ­ Georgia’s president-elect said he would not move to the luxury palace currently occupied by his predecessor and would choose a more modest residence after taking office, News Georgia reported on Monday. “During the electoral campaign, I have repeatedly expressed my disagreement with the size and cost of the presidential residence and said that the […]

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Technology Expert Sees Fear of Failure Inhibiting Russian Innovation

Artist's Conception of Nanotechnology Components

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Guennadi Moukine – November 5, 2013) Despite its extraordinary scientific capacity, a stated desire to be competitive and the availability of capital, it may take several generations before Russia’s investment in innovation will bear fruit, a report by MIT on the country’s role in global innovation shows. Russia has many of the necessary elements to […]

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Russia Launches Vote to Chose Ruble Symbol

Cash, Calculator, Pen

MOSCOW, November 5 (RIA Novosti) ­ The Russian Central Bank launched a public competition Tuesday to find a symbol that will represent the ruble alongside other major world currencies. For the next month, visitors to the Central Bank’s website can vote for one of five variations on the letter R in both the Latin and Cyrillic alphabets. “Written symbols for […]

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Critics Call New Russian Counterterror Law A Return To ‘Collective Justice’

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Tom Balmforth – MOSCOW, November 4, 2013) Critics say a new law designed to quell the insurgency in Russia’s restive North Caucasus region revives the Stalin-era principles of collective guilt and collective justice. President Vladimir Putin signed the legislation on November 3, requiring “close relatives and acquaintances” of those who commit acts of “terrorism” to pay […]

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Russian March: Scattered, divided, leaderless

Map of Western CIS/FSU and European Environs

(Moscow News – – Anna Arutunyan, Editor and Correspondent at themoscownews.com – November 5, 2013) According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, nationalism is defined as “loyalty and devotion to a nation; a sense of national consciousness exalting one nation above others.” National Day of Unity on November 4 has become an annual venue where nationalists across the spectrum can gather together […]

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Battle Against Moscow Congestion Rages On

Moscow Traffic file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Alexander Panin – November 5, 2013) Moscow is ranked number one in a congestion index of the world’s major cities and building more roads is unlikely to solve the problem, according to a new report. The average time it takes to get from one point to another during rush hour is increasing, according to research […]

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RIA Novosti: Sergei Shoigu’s First Year as Defense Minister: Preliminary Results

Sergei Shoigu file photo

(RIA Novosti – Aleksey Mukhin – November 5, 2013) A news conference ­ Sergei Shoigu: A year as Defense Minister. Performance results ­ was held at the RIA Novosti multimedia press center. During the event, General Director of the Center for Political Information and Valdai Club expert Alexei Mukhin presented a report on the activities of the Defense Ministry during […]

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Syrian Crisis Undermines Moscow’s Control of the North Caucasus

Syria Map

(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, November 5, 2013) The Syrian crisis, which gave Vladimir Putin a much-celebrated diplomatic victory, now threatens  Russia’s territorial integrity not because Russian citizens are among the combatants in Syria but because Moscow’s mishandling of the Circassian issue in the Middle East is radicalizing the Circassian republics of the North Caucasus. Circassian activists […]

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Interfax: Pussy Riot’s Tolokonnikova still en route to new jail – human rights commissioner

File Photo of Pussy Riot Members in Courtroom Enclosure, With Man Showing Papers to One While Female Guard Looks On

(Interfax – November 5, 2013) Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, one of the convicted performers of the feminist punk group Pussy Riot, who is currently being transported to a new penitentiary, is feeling well and eating properly, Russian human rights commissioner Vladimir Lukin told Interfax on Tuesday. “Acting at the request of several human rights campaigners, I got in touch with the administration […]

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Rally Shows Rise of Nationalist Sentiment

Map of Western CIS/FSU and European Environs

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Ivan Nechepurenko – November 5, 2013) Thousands of Russians poured into the streets of dozens of towns across the country Monday to voice nationalist sentiments on a holiday that was established by the government in 2005 to celebrate the unity of Russia’s diverse population. Nationalism has been on the rise in Russia since the collapse […]

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