Defense Ministry Gets ‘D’ for Corruption

Russian Nuclear Submarine file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 29, 2013) The Defense Ministry’s opacity makes it difficult to determine whether anti-corruption reforms are being carried out, Transparency International said in a report released on Tuesday in which it gave Russia a “D-” grade on an A to F corruption index. The rating put Russia on par with Turkey, Belarus, and China, and […]

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Pressure Growing on Serdyukov With New Allegations

Anatoliy Serdyukov file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 29, 2013) The net appears to be closing on former Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov after military investigators opened an investigation into extravagant improvements at a dacha belonging to his brother-in-law, a news report said Monday. Serdyukov resigned in disgrace last month amid allegations that several of his close associates had enriched themselves via the […]

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Police corruption: all you need is trust

Hands Opening Envelope Containing Cash

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Natalia Antonova – January 28, 2013) On Saturday, an inebriated policeman was involved in a deadly car accident on Leninsky Prospekt in Moscow. The policeman, whose official salary is 50,000 rubles a month, was behind the wheel of a Range Rover (the cost of which is about 3.5 million rubles). One person was killed after […]

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‘Kafkaesque’ Trial of Dead Hermitage Lawyer Starts in Moscow

Memorial Flowers and Photo of Sergei Magnitsky

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Henry Meyer & Ilya Arkhipov – January 28, 2013) A Moscow court opened the posthumous trial of Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer for Hermitage Capital Management Ltd. who died in prison, in a case condemned by Amnesty International as “Kafkaesque.” The state is appointing lawyers for Magnitsky and Hermitage head William Browder for the next hearing, set […]

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Russian civil, administrative laws are quite modern – Medvedev

Dmitry Medvedev file photo

MOSCOW. Jan 25 (Interfax) – Major amendments have been made to the Russian legal system but accusatory bias and mistrust in judges inherited from “the dark years of history” are still to be overcome, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview with the Swiss newspaper Neue Zurcher Zeitung. “Concerning the adjustment of laws, the legal system and the […]

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Authorities against legalization of handguns

Makarov Handgun file photo

(Interfax – January 26, 2013) The Russian government did not support the Liberal-Democratic Party’s (LDPR) idea to legalize the use of some types of short-barreled firearms for self-defense purposes. “Free circulation of rifled handguns would have a negative effect on public security in the country, would significantly complicate the law and order, and would cause growth in the number of […]

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‘We Live in Russia, Not Sodom and Gomorrah’

Russian Duma Building

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Yekaterina Kravtsova – January 28, 2013) With a United Russia deputy declaring that Russia is not Sodom and Gomorrah, the State Duma gave tentative approval to a bill that would ban “gay propaganda” to minors. But the measure, which mirrors similar legislation in place in St. Petersburg and several other areas, met with unusually strong […]

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Let Those Orthodox Jewish Books Go

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Michael Bohm – January 25, 2013) Michael Bohm is opinion page editor of The Moscow Times. The decades-old legal battle over the “Schneerson library” reached a new peak after a U.S. district court in Washington ruled last week that Russia must pay an unprecedented fine of $50,000 every day until it returns the 12,000 religious […]

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As New Ban Looms, Gays in Russia Face Uphill Battle

Map of Russia

MOSCOW, January 24 (Dan Peleschuk, RIA Novosti) ­ Pavel Samburov exudes confidence when he recalls the night in October, on International Coming Out Day, when a group of masked hoodlums stormed and ransacked a Moscow gay club. “They worked as a team,” Samburov says nonchalantly, taking a drag from a cigarette, then snuffing it out. “It was an organized attack.” […]

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Authorities Trying to ‘Break’ Putin Foe Razvozzhayev – Lawyer

Leonid Razvozzhayev file photo with hand to ear, as if holding cellphone

MOSCOW, January 24 (Marc Bennetts, RIA Novosti) ­ Prison officials in East Siberia are attempting to force a protest movement figure, charged with seeking to violently overthrow President Vladimir Putin, to implicate himself and others in the alleged plot, his lawyer told RIA Novosti on Thursday. Leonid Razvozzhayev, a leftist activist, was transferred from Moscow to a pre-trial detention center […]

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Sobyanin promises to get rid of corrupt officials

Sergei Sobyanin file photo

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Evgeniya Chaykovskaya – January 23, 2013) Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin promised to rid the city authorities of any potential corrupt officials. “I would like to stress a position of principle for the Moscow government that finding corruption and detaining bribe takers is a big help to city authorities,” Sobyanin said at an open meeting of […]

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Davos Calls for Efficient State

File Photo of Past World Economic Forum

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Irina Filatova – January 24, 2013) Improving the work of the government and fighting corruption should be key priorities on Russia’s reform agenda for the next few years, participants in the World Economic Forum said Wednesday. Almost 78 percent of them chose ensuring “good governance” as the No. 1 step for the country’s progress during […]

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Suicide Sheds Light on Asylum Challenges

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Nikolaus von Twickel – Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 23, 2013) The suicide of activist Alexander Dolmatov in a Dutch extradition center has highlighted the challenges for Russian opposition members to get political asylum in Europe, but his tragic case does not mean that obtaining asylum has become impossible, experts said Tuesday. Dolmatov was found dead last Thursday in […]

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Defense Ministry top-dog arrested on embezzlement charges

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Yulia Ponomareva, Combined report – January 21, 2013) The biggest anti-corruption campaign in the Defense Ministry in years has yielded its first arrest, at the agency’s very top. The head of the ministry’s Facilities Department has been placed behind bars for two months. New arrests have been made as part of the high-profile […]

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Russian gun control on the firing line; Recent incidents of gun violence have heated up debates about weapons control in Russia

Makarov Handgun file photo

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Kristen Blyth – January 21, 2013) In the early hours of November 7, 2012, 30-year-old lawyer Dmitry Vinogradov posted a message on his VKontakte profile. “I hate human society, and I am disgusted to be a part of it,” he wrote. “I see only one way to justify it: to destroy as many particles of […]

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Domestic violence in Russia: till death do them part; Following a high-profile murder, experts once again say that new legislation is needed

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Natalia Antonova – January 21, 2013) “The breaking point came when he stuffed my head into a toilet bowl and tried to make me drink the water,” Daria, a petite brunette in her mid-30s, told The Moscow News. “He claimed that something I had said to him made him feel humiliated ­ and he had […]

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Pussy Riot member suspected of deal with prosecution and ‘betrayal’

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

MOSCOW. Jan 18 (Interfax) – A lawyer has expressed suspicion that there are string indications that the release of one of the three convicted members of the Pussy Riot punk rock band was part of a “bargain” between her and the prosecution and represented “betrayal of common interests.” Correspondence between the two other convicts, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, which […]

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Opposition Figures’ Legal Woes Mount

Leonid Razvozzhayev file photo with hand to ear, as if holding cellphone

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Jonathan Earle – January 21, 2013) Two opposition figures saw their legal troubles mount on Friday, as investigators pressed ahead with an embezzlement charge against protest leader Alexei Navalny and opened a criminal case into allegations that leftist activist Leonid Razvozzhayev falsely maligned them. Investigators presented the final version of a charge against Navalny that […]

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Politics and rivalries hinder Investigative Committee

Kremlin and St. Basil's

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Anna Arutunyan – January 21, 2013) Alexander Bastrykin’s Investigative Committee – which just celebrated its second birthday – is flexing its muscles in a much-touched anti-corruption crusade. But a look at its achievements in recent months suggests that while the body’s crime-fighting intentions may be sincere, Bastrykin’s caped crusaders are still far from Eliot Ness’ […]

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U.S. Gov’t Opposes Court’s Jewish Archive Ruling

Royce Lamberth file photo

WASHINGTON, January 17 (RIA Novosti) ­ The United States government disagrees with a federal court’s decision to impose a $50,000-a-day fine on Russia for failing to comply with an earlier order to hand over religious texts to a New York-based Orthodox Jewish group, a US State Department spokeswoman said Thursday. On Wednesday a federal judge in Washington ordered Russia to […]

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Putin’s representative perplexed by U.S. court ruling on Schneerson collection

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia file photo

Moscow, January 17, Interfax – Russian presidential representative for international cultural cooperation Mikhail Shvydkoy is perplexed by a U.S. court order on the so-called Schneerson collection, as he thought Russia and the United States had earlier settled the problem. “Russia earlier honored all agreements on this issue. The problem was discussed within the Gore-Chernomyrdin commission’s framework, and we reached quite […]

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Navalny says prosecution aims to bar him from elections

Alexei Navalny file photo

MOSCOW. Jan 18 (Interfax) – Opposition campaigner Alexei Navalny said his prosecution in the fraud case connected with the Kirovles logging company is part of the law enforcement services’ plan to obstruct his political activities and prevent him from running in elections. “The goal is to obstruct my political activities and to prevent my running in elections, all of which […]

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Investigators Open New Case Against Putin Foe

Leonid Razvozzhayev file photo with hand to ear, as if holding cellphone

MOSCOW/IRKUTSK, January 18 (RIA Novosti) ­ Investigators opened a new criminal case against opposition activist Leonid Razvozzhayev on Friday and denied media reports of his disappearance. Investigators accuse the activist of spreading false information, Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin told RIA Novosti on Friday, stemming from Razvozzhayev’s continuing claims that he was tortured into confessing his role in organizing mass […]

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‘Final’ Charges Brought against Opposition Figure Navalny

Alexei Navalny file photo

MOSCOW, January 18 (RIA Novosti) – Final charges in a grand embezzlement case have been brought against Russian opposition figurehead Alexei Navalny, the Investigative Committee said on Friday. Navalny has refused to testify, committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said, adding the investigation into the case “is nearing completion.” Navalny has been charged with “organizing embezzlement on a grand scale” and faces […]

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Key laws come into force in 2013

Russian Constitutional Court file photo

(Russia Beyond the Headlines/Ogoniok – Evgeny Kozichev, Ogoniok magazine – January 17, 2013 – http://rbth.ru/society/2013/01/17/ key_laws_to_come_into_force_in_2013_21969.html) This year, Russian citizens will enjoy some new rights, but lose some old ones. Ogonyok has compiled a list of the most important legal novelties of 2013. International relations On January 1, 2013, the Dima Yakovlev law (“On measures against persons involved in abuse […]

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Russia Said to Near Decision to Charge Ex-Defense Minister

Anatoliy Serdyukov file photo

(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Henry Meyer and Ilya Arkhipov – January 18, 2013) Russian investigators are said to be near a decision on whether to charge the country’s ex-defense minister amid the biggest anti-graft drive of President Vladimir Putin’s 12 years in power, according to two officials. Anatoly Serdyukov has been implicated by people questioned in an embezzlement inquiry, said […]

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Russian Church Suspends Priest Who Backed Pussy Riot

File Photo of Russian Orthodox Cathedral

MOSCOW, January 16 (RIA Novosti) – A priest who proposed asking members of the Pussy Riot group to “forgive” the Russian Orthodox community has been relieved of his duties, but a church official said he believed the decision was unrelated to the priest’s comments. Father Dmitry Sverdlov was suspended from carrying out church services for at least five years by […]

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Court Dismisses Pussy Riot Member’s Deferral Plea

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

MOSCOW, January 16 (RIA Novosti) ­ A Russian court on Wednesday rejected a plea from a jailed member of the feminist punk group Pussy Riot to have her prison term deferred until her young son reaches adolescence. Maria Alyokhina, 24, mother of five-year-old Filipp, asked for her two-year sentence to be delayed until her son turns 14, as allowed under […]

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Brutal Murder Highlights Russia’s Domestic Violence Problem

Map of Russia

MOSCOW, January 16 (RIA Novosti) ­ A popular Russian proverb about male-female relationships says, roughly, “if he beats you, it means he loves you.” But, in the wake of a Moscow journalist’s gruesome murder by her husband, advocates of a more enlightened approach to domestic violence said on Tuesday that Russia needs a major attitude change, better laws and data […]

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Poll shows Russians know more, largely approve of Investigations Committee

Map of Russia

(Interfax – 14 January) Moscow – According to the poll carried out by the Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VTsIOM), the Russian Investigations Committee (RIC) is the most effective law-enforcement body in the fight against corruption. The poll was conducted in 38 regions in 146 population centres among 1,600 respondents on 22-24 December. Its results were published on the eve […]

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It’s a jungle out there

File Photo of Moscow Apartment Building

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Kristen Blyth – January 14, 2013) When asked how she became qualified to work as a real estate agent, Emma became defensive. “I don’t want to tell you,” she told The Moscow News. “I’m a realtor now, and that’s all you need to know.” Emma was the broker that Elliott Estebo, an expat English teacher, […]

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Serdyukov Faces ‘Suspect’ Status in Fraud Case

Anatoliy Serdyukov file photo

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 14, 2013) Former Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, who at an inquiry Friday into allegedly illicit property sales gave investigators “a few sheets of paper with explanations” then refused further questions, faces being considered a suspect, the Investigative Committee said. “If the former defense minister believes he is free of any guilt with regard to […]

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Russia: An Oprichnik Economy

Empty Boardroom

(www.opendemocracy.net – Andrei Zaostrovtsev – January 9, 2013) Andrei Zaostrovtsev is lecturer at the M-Centre at the European University, St. Petersburg and professor of the Higher School of Economics Owning a business in Russia today is a hazardous affair: each year thousands of companies close after their owners are accused of ‘economic crimes’ and face either prison or protection payments […]

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Opposition Activist Charged with Coup Plot Sent to Siberia

Leonid Razvozzhayev file photo with hand to ear, as if holding cellphone

MOSCOW, January 9 (Marc Bennetts, RIA Novosti) ­ A leftist activist charged with plotting to overthrow President Vladimir Putin was sent on Wednesday from the central Russia holding cell where he had spent the New Year holidays to Siberia, prison officials said. Left Front activist Leonid Razvozzhayev’s lawyer told RIA Novosti he had not been informed that his client was […]

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NEWSLINK: Putin’s Artful Jurisprudence

File Photo of Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin

[Putin’s Artful Jurisprudence – The National Interest – William Partlett – January 2, 2012 – http://nationalinterest.org/article/putins-artful-jurisprudence-7882] Writing for The National Interest, William Partlett examines aspects of rule of law issues in post-Soviet Russia within the broader context of Russian political and economic power, including unfolding developments under the Putin regime(s). First recalling some of the events of 1993: AT 8:00 […]

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Russia’s three most important events in 2012

New Year's Eve in Red Square with Crowd and Fireworks

(Pravda.ru – Oleg Artyukov – December 29, 2012) Pravda.Ru asked representatives of parliamentary parties and experts to name three, in their view, main events that took place in Russia’s political life in 2012. It is worth noting that most of our interviewees, regardless of their views and party affiliation, named the same events. Although, of course, there are differences in […]

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NEWSLINK: Russia rings in new year with ban on kiosk beer sales

New Year's Eve in Red Square with Crowd and Fireworks

(Russia rings in new year with ban on kiosk beer sales – AP – Jim Heintz – January 1, 2013 – Click here for full article) AP covers Russia’s abolition of sidewalk beer vending, as well as a Russian move to reclassify beer as alcohol rather than food: A big question in Russia in this year may be: “How do […]

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NEWSLINK: Ten reasons for Russians to be proud of their country

File Photo of Crowd of Russians

(Ten reasons for Russians to be proud of their country – Russia  Beyond the Headlines/ Russky Repoter – December 31, 2012 – click here for full article) Russia  Beyond the Headlines covers Russky Reporter magazine’s list of 2012 events it argues should stir Russian pride.  They focuses on volunteers first: Volunteers The birth of the volunteer movement is usually traced […]

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Magnitsky Play at Teatr.doc Hits Harder Than Ever

Memorial Flowers and Photo of Sergei Magnitsky

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – John Freedman – December 28, 2012) Some things remain relevant longer than you would expect. Take the death of Sergei Magnitsky. This muck-raking attorney was allowed to die in a Moscow prison in November 2009. That story was still making news when Teatr.doc opened a show called “One Hour Eighteen” in the early summer of […]

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History Repeated Itself as Farce in 2012

New Year's Eve in Red Square with Crowd and Fireworks

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Roland Oliphant – December 28, 2012) Two hundred years ago this month, the miserable shreds of Napoleon’s Grande Armee shuffled out of Russian territory, thanking their lucky stars they had made it safely home and vowing never, ever to try that again. Those sentiments were shared by survivors of this year’s re-enactment of the Battle […]

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NEWSLINK: In Ex-Soviet States, Russian Spy Tech Still Watches You

FSB Headquarters Building file photo

[In Ex-Soviet States, Russian Spy Tech Still Watches You – wired.com – Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan – December 21, 2012 – http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/12/russias-hand/all/] Wired.com reports on Russian security services spying on citizens, with the Russian legal system deeming citizen activities such as opposition protests to be extremist and a justification for surveillance: On November 12, the Russian Supreme Court okayed […]

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Moscow hopes to get rid of thorns in Russia-U.S. relations despite the Magnitsky Act

Memorial Flowers and Photo of Sergei Magnitsky

(Interfax – December 26, 2012) Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov hopes that the damage done by the Magnitsky Act to Russian-U.S. relations will not be irreparable. “Hopefully, we will turn this page, the damage done to our relations will not be irreparable, and we will be able to make further progress. Although, certainly, this burden will weigh us down,” […]

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Russian-Language Textbooks Stir Controversy

Russian Duma Building

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Patrick Reevell – December 26, 2012) A policeman says in Russian: “I work a lot, sometimes even too much. … Winter or summer, rain or shine, I go from a bank to a store, from a store to a restaurant, from a restaurant to a market, looking for where to take money.” What’s wrong with […]

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Acquittal Nears for Magnitsky Suspect

Memorial Flowers and Photo of Sergei Magnitsky

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Natalya Krainova – December 26, 2012) A prosecutor on Monday requested that the only remaining defendant in whistle-blowing lawyer Sergei Magnitsky’s death be acquitted of criminal negligence. The United States recently passed a law to impose international sanctions on Russians it believes were involved in the 2009 death, but Russia has not made any conviction […]

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Navalny Hit With 3rd Criminal Case

Alexei Navalny file photo

(Moscow TImes – themoscowtimes.com – Yekaterina Kravtsova – December 26, 2012) A third criminal investigation was opened against opposition leader and anti-corruption lawyer Alexei Navalny on Monday, with the Investigative Committee claiming he stole money from a political party in 2007. The committee said in a statement that Allekt, a company headed by Navalny in 2007, had received 100 million […]

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NEWSLINK: Top 10 events in Russian politics in 2012

Map of Russia

Russia Beyond the Headlines sets out its list of top news stories for 2012: 1. The presidential election … 2. Medvedev’s Cabinet … 3. United Russia’s new leader … Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev swapped jobs ­ and not only in public office … 4. Strident new laws … 5. Protest actions …

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Corruption customary for Russia but must be fought resolutely – Putin

File Photo of Man Placing Stack of Large Bills into Inside Pocket of Suitcoat

MOSCOW. Dec 20 (Interfax) – Corruption is customary for Russia but the government still has to combat it, President Vladimir Putin told a Thursday press conference. “Speaking of the anti-corruption fight; this is one of our problems and a customary one,” he said. Putin told reporters a historical anecdote: Peter the Great ordered Prosecutor General Pavel Yaguzhinsky to execute thieves […]

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Russia still far from solving Politkovskaya murder

File Photo of Mourners with Photo of Anna Politkovskaya

From: “Committee to Protect Journalists – ECA” <eurasia@cpj.org> Subject: CPJ: Russia still far from solving Politkovskaya murder Date: Mon, 17 Dec 2012 Committee to Protect Journalists www.cpj.org News Alert Russia still far from solving Politkovskaya murder New York, December 17, 2012–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called for a retrial of a key defendant in the murder of Anna Politkovskaya. […]

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U.S. school shooting buries idea of free selling of weapons in Russia – Pushkov

Makarov Handgun file photo

MOSCOW. Dec 18 (Interfax) – The shooting incident at a primary school in Connecticut, the U.S., which claimed the lives of 20 children and seven adults, will make it impossible to freely sell weapons in Russia, State Duma International Affairs Committee Chairman Alexei Pushkov tweeted on Tuesday. “The consequences of freely selling weapons in the U.S. and the beginning campaign […]

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NEWSLINK: Russian politics: A new ideology for political ends: Vladimir Putin’s state-of-the-nation address

File Photo of Vladimir Putin Speaking with Flag Behind Him and Microphones in Front

[Russian politics: A new ideology for political ends: Vladimir Putin’s state-of-the-nation address – The Economist – Dec. 15, 2012 – http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21568431-vladimir-putins-state-nation-address-new-ideology-political-ends] The Economist reports on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s State-of-the-Nation Address, noting what it saw as a values-oriented focus: For a man known for his pragmatism ­ even cynicism ­ President Vladimir Putin’s state-of-the-nation speech on December 12th was heavily […]

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