Category: Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections

JRL NEWSWATCH: “What the Mueller Report Tells Us About How Russia Works; Please, put away those onion-dome-on-the-White-House graphics and abandon those excitable claims of Trump as a Russian agent.” – Moscow Times/ Mark Galeotti

JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of White House with South Lawn and Fountain

“… Putin’s Russia is … an ‘adhocracy’ … in which the true elite is defined by service to the needs of the Kremlin rather than any specific institutional or social identity. They may be spies, or diplomats, journalists, politicians, or millionaires; essentially they are all ‘political entrepreneurs’ who both seek to serve the Kremlin or are required to do so, […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “The Rocky Road to Replacing Vladimir Putin” – Chatham House (UK)/ Andrew Wood

JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Kremlin Tower, St. Basil's, Red Square at Night

The transition to Putin’s constitutionally scheduled replacement as president of Russia may be rougher than currently expected. “… an ordered and stable succession … when … Putin leaves the presidency in May 2024 … is … questionable. Those close to the Kremlin are aging, like Putin. None … has a glimmer of independent authority within the ruling cabal, not even […]

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Record Numbers of Russians Have Positive View of Stalin, Levada Center Finds

History, Soviet Union, Human Rights, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Soviet Gulag at Belbaltlag, adapted from image at nps.gov

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, April 16, 2019) On the centenary of the establishment of the GULAG that he did so much to expand (kasparov.ru/material.php?id=5CB56680ECD4C), the Levada Center polling agency released the results of a survey showing 70 percent of Russians have a positive attitude toward the Soviet dictator, the highest share ever (rbc.ru/politics/16/04/2019/5cb0bb979a794780a4592d0c). Not surprisingly, this […]

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Russian Duma Approves Sovereign-Internet Bill

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Image of Artist's Conception of Globe with Curved Connecting Lines of Light Passing Through Space, adapted from image at fincen.gov

(Article text ©2019 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – April 16, 2019 – article text also appeared at rferl.org/a/russian-duma-approves-sovereign-internet-bill/29883847.html) The lower chamber of Russia’s parliament has passed a controversial bill that critics say is part of efforts by President Vladimir Putin to expand government control over the Internet. In a 307 to 68 vote on April 16, […]

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Interview: U.S. Ambassador Reaffirms Support For Ukraine’s Integrity, Calls On Russia To Talk

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of John Huntsman, Men in Military Uniforms and Others, adapted from image at army.mil

(Article text ©2019 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – April 13, 2019 – article text also appeared at rferl.org/a/russia-u-s-ambassador-huntsman-reaffirms-support-ukraine-s-integrity-talks/29878614.html) The U.S. ambassador to Russia said Washington was committed to defending Ukraine’s territorial integrity, saying the issue of Moscow’s annexation of Crimea and the conflict in eastern Ukraine was “a core part of our estrangement with Russia.” In […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Poroshenko, Merkel admit disagreements on Nord Stream 2” – Interfax

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Gas Flame file photo

KYIV. April 12 (Interfax) – Ukraine and Germany still have some disagreements concerning Russia’s plans to build the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshoenko said. “So far, Germany is committed to defending Ukraine and ensuring security. We so far see mechanisms to protect this security in different ways: Germany is guaranteeing a certain amount of [gas] pumped […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Sanctions against Russian state banks likely to be more of a deterrent measure- Kudrin” – Interfax

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Alexei Kudrin file photo

WASHINGTON. April 14 (Interfax) – If the currently discussed U.S. legislation on new anti-Russian sanctions is enacted, its implementation is going to be either delayed or unlikely to affect those banks whose problems could actually change the general economic situation in Russia, Accounts Chamber head Alexei Kudrin said. “I suppose that the framework provisions are going to be adopted, but […]

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A Horrific Vision of Russia’s Future: 25 Big Cities Surrounded by Dumps and Connected by Pipelines

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Russia Regions Map

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, April 10, 2019) A major reason Russians in the regions are furious at Moscow for viewing their territories as nothing more than suitable sites for trash dumps is that many of them fear that the country’s leadership is quite happy with a vision of Russia’s future in which there will be 25 […]

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Experts Discuss Threats Shaping Russia’s Alliances

Education, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Moscow State University file photo

(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org – Nini Arshakuni and Daniel Shapiro – April 8, 2019 – russiamatters.org/blog/experts-discuss-threats-shaping-russias-alliances) The authors are graduate student associates at Harvard’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies and Russia Matters. What kind of alliances and partnerships is Russia building and what motivates great-power behavior? At a recent conference organized by the Moscow State Institute of International […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Putin reaffirms Russia’s plans to ratify Paris Agreement on climate change” – Interfax

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Smokestacking Spewing Cloud of Discharge

ST. PETERSBURG. April 9 (Interfax) – Russia is committed to ratifying the Paris Agreement on climate change after comprehensively analyzing it, but Russia’s role in maintaining environmental security in the Arctic should not be overestimated, President Vladimir Putin said. Speaking at the International Arctic Forum in St. Petersburg on Tuesday, Putin corrected the mediator, who said that Russia is the […]

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Russian Director Serebrennikov Freed From House Arrest

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and Saint Basil's File Photo

(Article text ©2019 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – April 8, 2019 – article text also appeared at rferl.org/a/russian-director-serebrennikov-freed-from-house-arrest/29867678.html) A Moscow court has ordered the release of theater director Kirill Serebrennikov and two associates from house arrest. The three are on trial in an embezzlement case they claim is politically motivated. In an April 8 ruling, the […]

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Russia Makes Progress When It Looks Outward and Suffers When It Turns in on Itself, Inozemtsev Says

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Population Disaster, Demographics
Mercator Projection Satellite Image of Earth

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, April 5, 2019) Yezhednevny zhurnal offers another chapter from Vladislav Inozemtsev’s new book, An Uncontemporary Country, a chapter that demonstrates that whenever Russia has turned outward and involved itself with the rest of the world, it has made progress but that when it has turned in on itself, it has not only […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “BOOK REVIEW: RUSSIA’S FUTURES [Re: Russia’s Futures by Richard

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Kremlin Aerial View, adapted from .gov source

“… Russia’s Futures provides readers with a broad survey of the Russian political and economic systems, Russia’s place in the world, the main ideological currents in Russian society, and the like. It’s clearly aimed at a general rather than a specialist audience. As such, it’s more a summary of what Sakwa has concluded from his 30 years of professional studies […]

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RUSSIALINK: “No need for constitutional adjustments, fundamental changes – Medvedev” – Interfax

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Dmitri Medvedev file photo

MOSCOW. April 6 (Interfax) – The Russian Constitution does not require fundamental changes and any addition to the political system must not and may not affect human rights and the provisions on the form of government in the country, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said. “I want to stress that no adjustments, no fundamental changes to the current constitution, which I […]

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Russians’ Happiness More Dependent on Nationalism than on Money, Sociologists Say

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Health, Alcohol, Smoking, AIDS, Epidemics, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Map of Russia and Russian Flag adapted from images at state.gov

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, April 3, 2019) Russians have fallen ten places in the international happiness, from 49th in 2017 to 59th last year, and sociologists have been studying why that has occurred and what makes Russians happy. Their conclusion, Elena Rotkevich says, is that money doesn’t make Russians happy but that nationalism does. Like other […]

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Rising Mortality Rates Challenge Russia’s Efforts To Kick-Start Population Growth

Health, Alcohol, Smoking, AIDS, Epidemics, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Population Disaster, Demographics, Regions, Cities, Municipalities
Medical Symbol with Pole, Serpents, Wings, adapted from image at lanl.gov

(Article text ©2019 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – Matthew Luxmoore – April 4, 2019 – article text also appeared at rferl.org/a/rising-mortality-rates-challenge-population-growth-decline-putin-demographics/29861882.html) Every third region in Russia saw a spike in mortality rates in 2018, according to health officials, contributing to the country’s first population decline in a decade and highlighting the challenges of fending off a […]

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Tired of Strong Hand, Ever More Russians Want a Parliamentary Republic, ‘Nezavisimaya Gazeta’ Says

Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Arm and Torso of Person in Brown Sweater Placing Paper Ballot into Ballot Box

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, April 2, 2019) Twenty years ago, Russians overwhelmingly wanted a strong hand to restore order; but now, having seen what that order looks like and what it doesn’t deliver, ever more of them both among the systemic liberals and the population as a whole would like to see Russia transformed into a […]

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7 Pillars of Putin’s World: New Book Shows U.S. Policymakers Russia as It Is

Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of Vladimir Putin at Podium with United Russia Logo, Gesturing

(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org – Nikolas K. Gvosdev – April 4, 2019 – russiamatters.org/analysis/7-pillars-putins-world-new-book-shows-us-policymakers-russia-it) Nikolas K. Gvosdev is a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and at the Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs.   “Putin’s World: Russia Against the West and with the Rest” By Angela Stent Twelve, February 2019 American officials who profess to have […]

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RUSSIALINK TRANSCRIPT: “[Putin at] Opening of Memory Watch 2019 national event; Vladimir Putin took part in the opening ceremony of the Memory Watch 2019 national event at the Victory Museum on Moscow’s Poklonnaya Gora.” – KremlinRu

History, Soviet Union, Military, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
American Solider Meets Russian Soliders in Berlin in 1945, adapted from image at army.mil

(Kremlin.ru – April 4, 2019 – en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/60222) Vladimir Putin spoke at the Memory Watch 2019 plenary meeting and learned about the Russian Search Movement’s projects, including the Frontline Portrait: A Soldier’s Destiny, which presents 27 portraits of Red Army soldiers that were painted at the frontline. This nationwide event, due to last until April 6, will involve over 250 representatives […]

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Russian Opposition Now Not Heir to the Soviet Dissent It Believes Itself to Be, Podrabinek Says

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Kremlin Tower, St. Basil's, Red Square at Night

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, April 1, 2019) Last Friday and Saturday, a group of civic activists met in Moscow to honor the memory of the late Arseny Roginsky, a dissident and political prisoner who served as chairman of the board of Memorial. Many of those attending believe that they are the heirs to the Soviet dissidents; […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Serebrennikov’s house arrest prolonged by another 3 months” – Interfax

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Nonprofits, Activists, NGO's, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photos of Law Books and Gavel, adapted from image at fjc.gov

MOSCOW. April 2 (Interfax) – The Meshchansky Court of Moscow has extended the house arrest of the Gogol Center’s artistic director Kirill Serebrennikov, who has been charged as part of the Studio Seven case, until July 3, an Interfax correspondent reported. “The court finds that the state prosecutor’s request shall be granted and rules that defendant Serebrennikov’s house arrest shall […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Bulldogs under the rug; Russia’s new purges rattle the elite; No one is immune in the Kremlin’s in-fighting” – The Economist

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Kremlin Tower, St. Basil's, Red Square at Night

“… [Mikhail Abyzov’s] arrest has … demonstrat[ed] to the Russian political class that everyone is vulnerable, unless … personally protected by … Putin. All must live in fear. … corruption is omnipresent, the rule of law is selective and property rights are dependent on the will of the Kremlin …. [with] a pattern of growing in-fighting and repression among elite […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia Takes on Its Demographic Decline” – Stratfor

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Population Disaster, Demographics, Race, Ethnic, Extremism, Xenophobia
File Photo of Crowd in Russia Including Person Waving Russian Flag with Eagle

“Highlights Russia’s demographic decline will be a key concern for Moscow in the coming years as a result of emigration and low birth rates. Contradictory data sets and the Kremlin’s plans to attract migrants make it difficult to predict the exact extent and speed of Russia’s demographic decline, but it will nevertheless impact the Russian economy and Moscow’s ability to […]

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RUSSIALINK: “More Than 1,300 Russian Officials Fired for Corruption in 2018 – Prosecutors” – Moscow Times

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Hand Pulling Cash from Envelope

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – March 27, 2019) More than 1,300 Russian state officials suspected of violating corruption rules were fired for loss of trust last year, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. Russia ranks among the world’s most corrupt countries. Observers have criticized anti-graft campaigns under President Vladimir Putin’s rule as ineffective. The Prosecutor General’s Office said its intervention has led […]

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As Opposition Wins Mount, Russians Increasingly Believe Their Votes Matter, Analysts Say

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities
Arm and Torso of Person in Brown Sweater Placing Paper Ballot into Ballot Box

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, March 26, 2019) With every victory of opposition figures at the municipal or regional level, the most recent being that of a 28-year-old homemaker in Ust-Ilimsk, Russian experts say, ever more Russians especially outside of major cities like Moscow are realizing that their votes matter and that voting can be both an […]

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RUSSIALINK: “94% of Russians Are Concerned About the Environment, Poll Says” – Moscow Times

Environment, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Russian Landfill; adapted from image at epa.gov

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – March 25, 2019) Most Russians are concerned about environmental pollution, according to a recent survey conducted by Moscow’s Higher School of Economics (HSE). Environmental issues have taken center stage at protest rallies in Russia over the past year, with citizens drawing attention to concerns including landfills, air pollution and a proposed water bottling plant at […]

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Protesters in Russia Today Younger, Poorer and Further Left than a Decade Ago, Sociologists Say

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Moscow Protest File Photo

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, March 24, 2019) Sociologists like Oleg Zhuravlyev of Tyumen University say that there has been a major shift in the composition and attitudes of Russian protesters over the last decade. Compared to 2011-2013, protesters are significantly younger, from poorer groups, and further to the left. Those taking part in the earlier demonstrations […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russians in Heartland Sour on Vladimir Putin Over Money Woes; Stagnant wages, rising costs fuel grumbling among working-class residents who once lauded president” – Wall Street Journal/ Thomas Grove

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Sanctions
File Photo of Vladimir Putin at Podium with United Russia Logo, Gesturing

“… Working-class Russians … have increasingly shouldered the burden of an economy beset by Western sanctions and a government more committed to military spending than overhauling the civilian economy. … after years of paying for Moscow’s military adventures abroad, the economic malaise in Nizhniy Tagil, once considered a bastion of Kremlin loyalty, highlights growing discontent and an erosion of support […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “‘Fake news’ in Russia: State censorship elicits an outcry” – Christian Science Monitor/ Fred Weir

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Image of Laptop Computer, Tables and Mobile Device, adapted from image at energy.gov

“In any society, how big a problem is ‘fake news,’ and what should be done about it, and by whom? In Russia, the protests over new state censorship moves signed by Putin invoke universal principles.” “…. a package of new laws, signed … by … Putin, is stirring an outcry in Russia over allowing anyone in authority to decide what […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Duma’s Slutsky backs establishment of think tank to counter color revolutions” – Interfax

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Russian State Duma Building file photo

MOSCOW. March 22 (Interfax) – The Social Engineering Agency has been set up in Russia as a new analytical center to develop measures to oppose color revolutions, State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee head Leonid Slutsky said. “In my view, this is a grand idea. It’s the first time that steps to prevent the implementation of scenarios inspired from the outside […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Ombudsman Titov Appeals to Russian Authorities Over Detained Businessmen” – Moscow Times

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Outdoor Electronic Sign with Russian Exchange Data

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – March 22, 2019) Business ombudsman Boris Titov has appealed to federal prosecutors over a group of Russian businessmen currently being held in pre-trial detention. Russia’s business community has expressed growing concern over the pre-trial detention of U.S. investor Michael Calvey, who has been held on embezzlement charges since Feb. 14. President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “MinEkonomiki congratulates itself on SME progress” – Bear Market Brief

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

“The Ministry of Economic Development (MinEkonomiki) will have a meeting to discuss progress on the national project on supporting small and medium-sized businesses. …  launched this January … focus[ing] on business education, bringing self-employed businesspeople out of the gray economy, and … allow[ing] small businesses to borrow at subsidized rates. Some of these initiatives (particularly the subsidized credit) are good, […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Tatiana Stanovaya explains why Putin won’t go like Nazarbayev” – Meduza

Central Asia, JRL NewsBlog, Kazakhstan, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and River

“… Tatiana Stanovaya says Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s resignation won’t likely affect … Putin’s transition-of-power calculus in the way that many observers have speculated. She argues that Kazakhstan’s unique political traditions, elite structure, and society, not to mention the country’s fundamentally different geopolitical conditions, mean that Nazarbayev’s exit doesn’t work as a model for Putin, though the Kremlin will pay […]

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RUSSIALINK: “State Duma not going to reinstate daylight saving time” – Interfax

Life in Russia, Culture, Arts, Theater, Music, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Analog Clock Artist's Rendition

MOSCOW. March 20 (Interfax) – A bill by a State Duma member from the United Russian party suggesting reinstating daylight saving time is unlikely to be adopted, said Andrei Isayev, deputy head of the United Russia faction, which is the largest one in the State Duma. “Neither the faction, nor its coordination council considered the bill. As a rule, the […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia Ditches Real Income Data That Has Slumped for Five Years” – Bloomberg

Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Diverse Paper Currency, Coins, Line Graph

“Russia will stop publishing monthly data that’s shown a slump in disposable incomes for five straight years after the indicator was criticized for using methodology that’s decades out of date. The Federal Statistics Service will start releasing quarterly income data starting next month and historical numbers will be recalculated going back to 2013 …. The new methodology will include data […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “U.S. investor jailed by Russia tells Washington to keep distance: prison monitor” – Reuters

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Human Rights, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of U.S. Embassy Moscow, with Russian Foreign Ministry Building in Distance

“The detention … of Michael Calvey, founder of the Baring Vostok private equity group, has strained U.S.-Russia ties and stoked talk of a possible U.S. boycott of an annual economic forum in June attended by … Putin. Calvey was detained along with three other executives from Baring Vostok after investigators accused them of stealing 2.5 billion roubles ($38.09 million), a […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Abandoning United Russia Is the Road to Nowhere for the Kremlin” – Carnegie Moscow/ Andrey Pertsev (Kommersant)

JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities
Russia Regions Map

“…. The disgruntled public ask global questions: Why is the retirement age being raised? Why are prices and utility bills increasing, while salaries are not? Is it worth spending so much on Syria, Venezuela, and the arms race? Independent candidates running for governor or regional legislator can answer them easily by saying, ‘That’s a federal issue for which I’m not […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Prosecutors must ensure proper prison conditions – Putin” – Interfax

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Human Rights, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Vladimir Putin file photo with VOA logo; screen shot from video still

MOSCOW. March 19 (Interfax) – Prosecutors must step up monitoring of conditions in jails and prisons, President Vladimir Putin said. “The penal system must remain under the constant scrutiny of prosecutors,” Putin said at a meeting with senior prosecution officials on Tuesday. “Together with colleagues from the [Federal Penitentiary Service] FSIN, regional human rights commissioners and representatives from human rights […]

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Russian Bills Banning ‘Fake News,’ Insults Head To Putin For Signature

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Satellite Dishes

(Article text ©2019 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – March 13, 2019 – article text also appeared at rferl.org/a/russian-bills-banning-fake-news-insults-head-to-putin-for-signature/29819238.html) Legislation enabling Russian authorities to block websites and hand out punishment for “fake news” and material deemed insulting to the state or the public is headed to President Vladimir Putin’s desk for his signature. The legislation, which Putin’s […]

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RUSSIALINK: “‘Point of No Return’: Russia’s Libertarians Lead Protest Against ‘Sovereign Internet’; A draft law aimed at creating an internet that can be cut off from the rest of the world’s has raised fears that Russia could turn into the next North Korea.” – Moscow Times

Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Human Rights, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Image of Stylized Eye Surrounded by Binary Code

(Moscow Times – Evan Gershkovich – March 10, 2019 – themoscowtimes.com/2019/03/10/point-of-no-return-russias-libertarians-lead-protest-against-sovereign-internet-a64758) It was Saturday afternoon and Mikhail Svetov was buzzing with nervous energy. Just 24 hours later, the member of Russia’s Libertarian Party would be leading a protest against a draft bill aimed at creating a so-called sovereign internet. “I see signals that something unusual is happening. Something similar to […]

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Public Squabbling by Members of Russian Elites Ushering in New Kind of Politics, Davydov Says

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Kremlin Aerial View, adapted from .gov source

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, March 8, 2019) For most of Vladimir Putin’s reign, members of his power elite have presented themselves in public as the united supporters of his regime, Ivan Davydov says; but now “the situation has changed,” with some of these people sharply criticizing others among this category, a development that opens the door […]

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Latest Poll Results Say Trust In Putin Down To Historic Low

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of Vladimir Putin at Podium with United Russia Logo, Gesturing

(Article text ©2019 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – March 8, 2019 – article text also appeared at https://www.rferl.org/a/latest-poll-results-say-trust-in-putin-down-to-historic-low/29810775.html) A poll by Russia’s Public Opinion Research Center, or VTsIOM, released on March 7 found that trust in Russian President Putin has fallen to 32 percent, its lowest level since 2006. The previous poll by the government-run VTsIOM […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Internet v internyet; Russians are shunning state-controlled TV for YouTube; A worried Vladimir Putin is trying to regain control of Russia’s web” – The Economist

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Image of Laptop Computer, Tables and Mobile Device, adapted from image at energy.gov

“… Putin … began his rule … establishing a monopoly over television, the country’s main source of news. … help[ing] … create an illusion of stability – and whip up enthusiasm for his foreign wars. But the Kremlin’s most reliable propaganda tool is losing its power. Russian pundits have long described politics as a battle between the television and the […]

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Beyond Putin: Russia’s Generations Y and Z

Children, Adoptions, Orphans, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Photo of U.S. Diplomat Teaching Class to Russian Students

(PONARS Eurasia – Marlene Laruelle – March 7, 2019 – ponarseurasia.org/memo/beyond-putin-russia-generations-y-and-z) Marlene Laruelle is Research Professor, Associate Director of IERES, Director of the Central Asia Program, and Co-director of PONARS Eurasia, at George Washington University. Of Russia’s 146 million citizens (if we include those in Crimea), 63 million-or 43 percent-are under 34 years of age. Of these, 30 million belong […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “Don’t be evil; Vladimir Putin wants to stifle the internet; Google should not help him” – The Economist Editorial

JRL NewsBlog, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Image of Laptop Computer, Tables and Mobile Device, adapted from image at energy.gov

“Sometimes it seems as if … Putin’s presidency has been made for television. … bare-chested exploits on horseback, microlight flights with cranes and the fighting in Ukraine and Syria were planned with the cameras in mind. Having helped turn a little-known kgb officer into a patriotic icon, television has sustained him in power. But … ever more Russians look to […]

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RUSSIALINK TRANSCRIPT: “[Putin] Greetings to Russian women on International Women’s Day” – KremlinRu

Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Women
Kremlin and River

(Kremlin.ru – March 8, 2019) President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Dear women of Russia, My best greetings on International Women’s Day. This spring day is always full of flowers and gifts, lit up with the joy of our women and your shining smiles. Today all men hurry to express to you their admiration and respect, confess their warmest feelings, say […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Moscow authorities permit rally against Internet restrictions” – Interfax

Cybersecurity, Media, Internet, Social Media, Television, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
File Image of Laptop Computer, Tables and Mobile Device, adapted from image at energy.gov

MOSCOW. March 6 (Interfax) – The authorities in Moscow granted an application from activists for a rally against Internet restrictions to be held in Academician Sakharov Avenue on March 10, the city’s regional security department said on Wednesday. “The rally has been approved. It will be held from 2 p.m. till 4 p.m. in Academician Sakharov Avenue. Assembly at 1 […]

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1996, Not 1991 or 1993, Made Current Authoritarian Reaction in Russia Inevitable, Pastukhov Says

History, Soviet Union, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Kremlin and River

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, March 5, 2019 –  windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2019/03/1996-not-1991-or-1993-made-current.html) Ever more often, the 1990s are becoming “a new line of the ideological front,” with Russians divided on which year, 1991, 1993 or 1996, set in train the forces which have led Russia to where it is today. Most plump for the first two, but Vladimir Pastukhov […]

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Left behind? Russian life in Chechnya; After years of violence, displacement and an authoritarian peace, what is life like for ethnic Russians in the most mono-ethnic and mono-faith area of Russia? (excerpt)

Chechnya, Dagestan, North Caucasus, Kazakhstan, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Race, Ethnic, Extremism, Xenophobia, Regions, Cities, Municipalities
Caucasus Map of Chechnya and Caucasus Environs

(Ekaterina Neroznikova – opendemocracy.net – March 6, 2019) Ekaterina Neroznikova is a reporter and columnist who writes about the North Caucasus. She writes for a number of publications about politics, international relations and human rights in Russia. Ekaterina Neroznikova is a reporter and columnist who writes about the North Caucasus. She writes for a number of publications about politics, international […]

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Displays of Support for Stalin a Form of Protest Against Putin, Nacke Says

History, Soviet Union, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
Joseph Stalin file photo

(Paul Goble – Staunton, March 5, 2019 – windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2019/03/displays-of-support-for-stalin-form-of.html) Vladimir Putin may aspire to be the Stalin of today, but Russians who display their affection for the Soviet dictator as on today’s anniversary of the dictator’s death do so because they understand that in boosting Stalin, they are in fact protesting against Putin and the current Russian regime, Ekho Moskvy […]

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