Politics, Government, Protests, Elections
TULA. Jan 21 (Interfax) – The Future Research Fund should not chase rainbows and have scientific and technological illusions in the selection of projects it will support, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. He added that the Fund “should be looking over the horizon.” “It is important to avoid straight repetition of even promising solutions in the selection of projects. As […]
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(Kremlin.ru – January 16, 2014) Vladimir Putin met with designers of a new concept for teaching Russian history. Taking part in the meeting were State Duma Speaker and Chairman of the Russian Historical Society Sergei Naryshkin, Presidential Aide Andrei Fursenko, Education Minister Dmitry Livanov, Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky and representatives of the academic, education and expert communities. —– Speech at […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 21, 2014) Investigators have summoned opposition leader Boris Nemtsov for questioning over complaints that his report about supposed tax-dodging by 16 pro-Kremlin lawmakers in Yaroslavl had violated their privacy, Nemtsov said. A United Russia deputy from the Yaroslavl regional legislature, Mikhail Krupin, had demanded that investigators charge Nemtsov with “disclosure of confidential information” over […]
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(opendemocracy.net – Aleksei Mazur – January 18, 2014) Aleksei Mazur is a political columnist for the site Tayga.info. He writes on civic and political life in the Siberian regions and also on the problems of urbanism in Novosibirsk. He has also appeared in the national press and has several publications on politics. During the late 1980s and early 1990s he […]
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(opendemocracy.net – Dmitry Travin – January 22, 2014) Dmitry Travin is Research Director at the European University in St. Petersburg’s Centre of Modernization Studies. Global attention is focused on Russia’s hosting of the Winter Olympics, a PR coup for President Putin. But all is not well on the economic front and the scenario the Russian government will probably choose going […]
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(Interfax – Moscow, January 16, 2014) The need to design a single Russian history textbook has arisen because there are many teaching aids containing “ideological junk”, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. “The most important thing was that, under the system of certification of, let us say, teaching materials that went to schools, there occurred things that were absolutely unacceptable not […]
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MOSCOW. Jan 21 (Interfax) – The “anti-terrorist” package of bills will not restrict citizens’ rights and is aimed at preventing the financing of organized crime, Irina Yarovaya, chairman of the State Duma committee on security and corruption prevention, said. “Our logic is to propose additional measures for ensuring collective security measures. We want to disarm terrorists and deprive them of […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 21, 2014) The Justice Ministry has denied registration to opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s People’s Alliance political party, citing the existence of another organization with the same name. People’s Alliance members said they were planning to meet with Justice Ministry officials on Tuesday to discuss the government’s repeated rejections of their movement’s registration requests, Itar-Tass […]
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MOSCOW, January 20 (RIA Novosti) Russian President Vladimir Putin’s electoral rating rose in December, returning to 2000s levels, a new opinion poll by the independent Levada Center showed. Asked whom they would vote for if a presidential election took place next Sunday, 68 percent of respondents said they would vote for Putin, up 10 percent from figures in December […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Vladimir Kozlov, special to RBTH – January 19, 2014) From portraits to fridge magnets to video games, Putin’s image has become a commercial venture. Portraits of Russian President Vladimir Putin are staples in the offices of state officials of various ranks across the country. But his images can be also found on various […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 17, 2014) More than half of Russians do not support slogans directed against President Vladimir Putin, a Levada Center poll shows. Twenty-four percent said they always disapprove of slogans like “Putin must go!” and “Russia without Putin!,” and 32 percent said they were more likely not to support them, according to the poll, published […]
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(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Natalia Antonova, Acting Editor-in-Chief – January 17, 2014) The Russian State Duma currently appears to be keen on returning the “against all” option on all election ballots, except for presidential elections and this is a good thing. Critics say that reintroducing the option will only benefit the ruling United Russia party, by chipping away […]
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(Kremlin.ru – January 19, 2014) Ahead of the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, the Russian President gave an interview to reporters from BBC, ABC News, CCTV, Rossiya-1, Channel One, and Around the Rings. The interview was recorded in Sochi on January 17. PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN: It seems to me that you know everything about the coming Olympics and I […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Nikolay Surkov, RBTH – January 20, 2014) Russia will welcome all participants and guests of the Sochi Olympics irrespective of their sexuality, President Vladimir Putin has said to domestic and foreign media President Vladimir Putin is promising that Sochi’s Olympic Games will be a success and the world will see what a great […]
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MOSCOW, January 19 (RIA Novosti) Russian President Vladimir Putin said it was too early to speak on whether he would run for his fourth term in 2018, but clinging to power by all means would be unwise. “It’s only 2014 and we will have elections in 2018. What we need to do now is work, and then we will […]
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MOSCOW. Jan 17 (Interfax) – Vladimir Lukin should stay in the post of federal ombudsman, Mikhail Fedotov, the head of the presidential human rights council, told Interfax on Friday. “The right thing to do will be to keep Vladimir Petrovich Lukin in this post. He is ideal for this job,” Fedotov said. Russian State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin earlier told […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Oleg Sukhov – January 17, 2014) President Vladimir Putin on Thursday defended planned standardized history textbooks, lashing out at some current teaching materials that he said criticize the Soviet Union’s role in World War II. The state textbooks, proposed by Putin last year, are expected to replace many alternative editions that exist now and will […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Alexey Mikheev, special to RBTH – January 16, 2014) Anti-Kremlin protest movements add new trends to Russia’s colloquialisms. In December 2011, a series of antigovernment protests were held in Moscow, giving rise to a protest movement that has since significantly replenished the Russian political vocabulary. The opposition movement chose the white ribbon as […]
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(Institute of Modern Russia – imrussia.org – Donald N. Jensen – January 15, 2014) The year 2013 was not an easy one for the United States, and Russian President Vladimir Putin used the situation to strengthen his position both on the world stage and in the post-Soviet space. Donald N. Jensen, Resident Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations at […]
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(opendemocracy.net – Grigory Tumanov – January 13, 2014) Grigory Tumanov is a Moscow based journalist and blogger. He is a staff correspondent for Kommersant daily, one of Russia’s most respected publications. In both Soviet and more recent times, Russia’s trade unions have tended to be an arm of the regime, but Grigory Tumanov argues that a growing independent movement is […]
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(Bloomberg – bloomberg.com – Oliver Staley, Henry Meyer and Stepan Kravchenko – January 14, 2014) Yulia Nelyubina is an internationally recognized chemist at the Russian Academy of Sciences. An overhaul of the academy pushed through by President Vladimir Putin may leave her homeless and further damage the country’s already bruised science establishment. The changes mean the academy will lose control […]
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MOSCOW, January 13 (RIA Novosti) Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny rejected an allegation from investigators Monday that he had breached a court order not to leave Moscow. The Investigative Committee threatened Monday to seek tighter restrictions on Navalny, who is facing embezzlement charges, if he again violated an alleged undertaking not to leave Moscow. It claimed that he had […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Natalya Krainova – January 14, 2014) The State Duma in the coming months will focus on legislation that will provide “stability” for businesses at a time of “extremely challenging” economic circumstances in Russia, Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin said Tuesday. “Today, almost in every strategic direction of the country’s development there are additional risks. They stem […]
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(Interfax – January 14, 2014) Duma deputies are ready to vote for the re-introduction of daylight savings time even if the decision is not backed by the government, the Russian State Duma said. “Since the government is not in a hurry, it means there will be the law aiming to bring all constituent regions of the Federation as close as […]
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(Interfax – January 14, 2014) Two performers of the feminist punk group Pussy Riot, Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, who were released from prison at the end of 2013 under an amnesty, are going to the city of Nizhny Novgorod, where they plan to meet inmates of Correctional Institution for Women No.2. “Tomorrow [on January 14], Masha and I are […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 13, 2014) Though he may lack the Twitter following of his tech-obsessed Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, President Vladimir Putin was social media star over the weekend, as a “selfie” photo of the president and a young boy made the rounds on the Internet. [https://twitter.com/koffboy/status/422411344927653888] The picture of an unidentified boy and Putin was published […]
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MOSCOW, January 12 (RIA Novosti) Russian President Vladimir Putin has been named the third most admired person in the world, behind Microsoft founder Bill Gates and US President Barack Obama, according to a new poll for The Times. The newspaper reported that Putin’s popularity among Russians helped him secure the third place on the list. The poll conducted in […]
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(Moscow News/RIA Novosti – Oleg Sukhov – January 13, 2014) Russian lawmakers are considering a measure to restore the “against all” option on ballots in elections. The initiative seeks to reinstate the opportunity for voters to oppose all the candidates running in municipal, regional and parliamentary elections. The measure is backed by Valentina Matviyenko, the speaker of the upper house […]
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MOSCOW. Jan 10 (Interfax) – The Russian government’s decision to appraise gifts received by officials has certain logic but the possibility to prevent a gift business allowing officials to “launder” bribes is the question, Foundation for Effective Politics President Gleb Pavlovsky said. “What is the political meaning of this decision? It will make sense to decide whether we want officials […]
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(Interfax – January 10, 2014) Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has signed a governmental resolution ordering an appraisal of all of the gifts received by the country’s civil servants during official events. The government’s press service said, citing the document, that Russian civil servants will be required to report all of their presents within three days after they were received […]
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(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – January 10, 2014) Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has signed an order requiring state officials to hand over to the state any gifts they receive that are worth more than 3,000 rubles ($90), but gives them an option of buying the presents back. The anti-corruption measure requires government officials to report any gifts within three days […]
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(RFE/RL – rferl.org – Andrei Shary and Claire Bigg – January 9, 2014) A prominent theologian who claims to have outed a powerful “gay lobby” within the Russian Orthodox Church says he now fears being defrocked over his allegations. The allegations by Deacon Andrei Kurayev, a firebrand missionary who taught at the Orthodox Moscow Theological Academy, are potentially damaging and […]
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MOSCOW. Jan 10 (Interfax) – Russian veteran rights defender, Moscow Helsinki Group head Lyudmila Alexeyeva has criticized the idea of actor and Euroset creative director Ivan Okhlobystin to restore the “sodomy” article in the Russian Penal Code. “That looks like obscurantism,” Alexeyeva told Interfax on Friday. “Why are they so keen on this subject? I cannot understand that; doesn’t the […]
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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Marina Obrazkova, RBTH – January 9, 2014) Russia’s regional administrative division is complicated. There are regions, territories, republics, and federal districts. All these are formally equal under the constitution, but in reality there are considerable differences. Experts say this complex state administration system is a legacy of the Russian Empire and the Soviet […]
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(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, January 9, 2014) Support in the city of Moscow for Vladimir Putin’s new conservative message has always seemed “insincere,” according to a Russian commentator. But in ethnic Russian regions, that message has been warmly echoed by the actions of national conservative groups. In an essay on the Svobodnaya pressa portal yesterday, Vladislav […]
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(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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(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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(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Anna Kuchma, RBTH – January 6, 2014) Next year may prove quite challenging for the Russian economy, as the negative trends carry over from 2013. Experts warn that the economic forecast offered by Russia’s Ministry of Economic Development may be too optimistic. The government needs to be prepared for decisive action in order […]
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(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, 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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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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[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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(opendemocracy.net – Ben Judah – January 3, 2014) Ben Judah is the author of Fragile Empire: How Russia Fell In And Out Of Love With Vladimir Putin published by Yale University Press. He is an associate fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Late Putinism immigrant hunters, paedophile safaris and drug addict cowboys; in 2013, Russia has had […]
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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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(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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(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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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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(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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(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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(Window on Eurasia – Paul Goble – Staunton, January 1, 2013) President Vladimir Putin’s “conservatism” is a combination of the ideas of the Russian radical right of the early 20th century and Stalin’s notions of “traditional values” which the dictator used to cover repression and fool the west, according to a Moscow commentator. In short, Pavel Protsenko argues in “Yezhednevny […]
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