Regions, Cities, Municipalities – Johnson's Russia List

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

April 5, 2019 JRL Russia List 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 […]

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

March 27, 2019 JRL Russia List 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 […]

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

March 19, 2019 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

“…. 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 […]

Bitter Medicine: Doctors Give Bad Marks To Russian Program To Boost Rural Health Care

March 6, 2019 JRL Russia List Health, Alcohol, Smoking, AIDS, Epidemics, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

Medical Symbol with Pole, Serpents, Wings

(Article text ©2019 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – Yulia Paramonova, Roman Chertovskikh, Robert Coalson – March 5, 2019 – article text also appeared at rferl.org/a/russia-rural-doctor-programmillion-rubles-embezzlement/29805275.html) In 2017, Vladimir Sotnikov graduated from Tomsk Medical University and joined the government’s Rural Doctor program, an initiative aimed at encouraging young medical professionals to work in remote rural locations. Sotnikov […]

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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)

March 6, 2019 JRL Russia List 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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RUSSIALINK: “It is necessary to fairly distribute money resources between cities, villages – Medvedev” – Interfax

February 18, 2019 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

File Photo of Car on Road in Siberian Town

MOSCOW. Feb 17 (Interfax) – The difference between the incomes of people living in cities and villages should decrease and the budget funds will be distributed more fairly, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said. “Of course, agglomerations, cities are where our country is developing. They are very important, a considerable number of people live there. But we should not forget […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Stroppy in Strunino; The lessons from protests in small-town Russia; The government is getting less and less popular” – The Economist

February 15, 2019 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

Map of Russia and Russian Flag adapted from images at state.gov

“… in this sleepy town some 120km north-east of Moscow … when local activists organised a march … against planned cuts to medical services, more than 100 people took to the streets. …. an example of shifts in public opinion … reshaping the country’s political landscape. … The rapture [over Ukraine] began to fade … when the government announced plans […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russian population put in its first full-year decline in a decade” – bne Intellinews

January 27, 2019 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Population Disaster, Demographics, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

File Photo of Crowd in Russia Including Person Waving Russian Flag with Eagle

Bne Intellinews reports on Russian demographics and population decline, citing statistics from state agency Rosstat that Russian population fell from 146,880,432 at the beginning of 2018 to 146,793,744 at the start of 2019, a decrease of 86,688. Says bne intellinews: “The fall in the natural population has been partly offset by inbound migration, which covered half of the fall in […]

NEWSLINK: “‘Winter. What do we do in the village?…’ Pushkin ‘Зима. Что делать нам в деревне?’ Пушкин [PHOTOS: Manzherok Village, Altai Republic Siberia, New Year Holiday 2019]” – Medium/ Sarah Lindemann-Komarova

January 21, 2019 JRL Russia List Far East, Siberia, APEC, Newslinks, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

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

“Manzherok Village, Altai Republic Siberia, New Year Holiday 2019 Манжерок Новогодный праздник 2019 … Photos: “

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Leave a comment Cities, Municipalities, Newslinks, Regions, Cities, Municipalities, Russia, Russian News, Siberia, Winter

As Bad as Russian Roads are for Travel, Russia’s Waterways are Worse, Yemelchenkov Says

January 14, 2019 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Environment, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, January 12, 2019) For most of Russia’s histories, rivers and later canals were the primary transportation network over that country’s vast roadless and largely railway-less areas. Its roads have remained notorious for their poor quality, and its railroads are suffering ever more accidents. But the state of its rivers and canals has […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “‘The art of rejection’ A new report reveals the hidden mechanisms authorities use to restrict protests in Russia” – Meduza

January 11, 2019 JRL Russia List Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Human Rights, JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

“Article 31 of the Russian Constitution states that citizens of the Russian Federation ‘shall have the right to assemble peacefully.’ However, when protests are not approved by local authorities, those who join them can face arrest, professional consequences, and even criminal charges. The anti-corruption protests that swept Russia on March 26 and June 12, 2017, as well as the Voters’ […]

Growing Russian Nostalgia for Soviet Past Far More Dangerous than It Appears, Kirillova Says

January 10, 2019 JRL Russia List History, Soviet Union, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, January 7, 2019) New polls show that the share of Russians who would like to go “back to the USSR” is at its highest levels over the last 15 years, a development many find troubling because it will make the future evolution of Russia toward a normal state far more difficult. But […]

One Russian in Four Lacks an Indoor Toilet, One of Many Signs There are Now ‘Four Distinct Russias’

January 7, 2019 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Human Rights, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, January 7, 2019) According to a new report by Russia’s state statistical agency, Rosstat, 35 million Russians live in houses or apartments without indoor toilets, 47 million do not have hot water, 29 million don’t have any running water inside their residences, and 22 million do not have central heating (ehorussia.com/new/node/17679). In […]

RUSSIALINK: “Russia Disbands the Concept of ‘Dacha'” – Moscow Times

January 3, 2019 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Life in Russia, Culture, Arts, Theater, Music, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Jan. 3, 2019) The New Year has ushered in a slew of new laws in Russia, including one that disappears the very concept of country cottages, known as dachas, where many Russians spend their summers. More than 60 million Russians are estimated to own dachas nationwide. What kind of dacha they own, though, was previously […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Every fifth Russian worker earns less than $250 per month” – bne Intellinews

December 3, 2018 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, JRL NewsBlog, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

“Every fifth Russian worker earns less than RUB15,000 ($250) per month, according to … a study by the RIA Rating agency [cited by] … RIA Novosti …. Over 33% of people living in 22 regions earn less than this amount, according to the survey. [The worst were] Dagestan … (46%) … [and the] Karachay-Cherkess Republic (44%). In six regions, two […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Baron Sobyanin; Moscow’s mayor squashes competition but transforms his city; Sergei Sobyanin has turned his city around” – The Economist

November 23, 2018 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

“… The previous mayor, Yuri Luzhkov… ruled Moscow as a medieval fief since 1992, developing a reputation for corruption and crass taste. Historic buildings … crashing down, glitzy shopping malls … traffic [grinding] to a halt … his [construction magnate] wife became the country’s richest woman. … Sobyanin set out to break with the Luzhkov era …. focus[ing] on urban […]

Russian Educational System Threatened by Privatization, Underfunding

November 16, 2018 JRL Russia List Budget, Education, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

File Photo of U.S. Diplomat Teaching Class to Russian Students

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, November 15, 2018) The explosive growth of private for-profit higher educational institutions and mounting anger in the regions about the costs of public schools at the primary and secondary level are threatening the quality of the Russian educational system, a system on which the future of that country heavily depends. If the […]

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Leave a comment Budget, Children, Cities, Education, Government, Municipalities, Politics, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

JRL NEWSWATCH: “The tenth city: Rostov-on-Don; We move to Russia in our series on Europe’s second-tier cities; Ancient trading traditions have survived Bolshevism and war” – The Economist

November 9, 2018 JRL Russia List Agriculture, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, JRL NewsBlog, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

Map of Commonwealth of Independent States, European Portion

“… [Rostov-on-Don has] roots as a trading hub …. Russia’s gdp growth is slow at around 1.5% … [yet] the Rostov region is … at twice that … powered by booming farming, retooled manufacturing and an active citizenry. … [G]eography, tradition and mild weather make[] Rostov among Russia’s most entrepreneurial cities. … [where] 44% of the workforce is employed in […]

RUSSIALINK: “Putin Establishes Foundation to Preserve Russia’s Native Languages” – Moscow Times

October 26, 2018 JRL Russia List Regions, Cities, Municipalities

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – October 26, 2018) President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree that establishes a foundation to help preserve Russia’s native languages, the Kremlin announced on Friday. The measure comes in the wake of worries in Russia’s republics that their native languages are under threat. In June, the State Duma signed a bill into law that restricts […]

Let Them East Cheese: Russian Plant Thrives Amid Sanctions

October 25, 2018 JRL Russia List Agriculture, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Europe, EU, Regions, Cities, Municipalities, Russia & the West, Sanctions, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

(Article ©2018 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – Dmitry Lyubimov, Tony Wesolowsky – Oct. 22, 2018 – also appeared at rferl.org/a/let-them-east-cheese-russian-plant-thrives-amid-sanctions-/29557433.html) Sergei Chernych proudly points to the gleaming Western-made stainless-steel machinery at his cheese factory in Mari El, a small republic in Russia’s Volga region. Production at the plant in Sernur, some 90 kilometers east of the […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Regional Elections Rundown” – Bear Market Brief (Sept. 28, 2018)

October 3, 2018 JRL Russia List Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

“Moscow’s political control over regional governments is slipping, opening the door for local elites to gain greater control …. [including] greater de facto control over natural resources, creating opportunities for external investment but … increasing corruption risks …. [T]rend[s] [are] rooted in a sustained decline in living standards … also prompt[ing] unprecedented protest activity and a more confrontational … ‘systemic’ […]

NEWSLINK: “Voronezh and the re-branding of post-Soviet Russia; The writer returns to the university she studied at in the 1970s to find a city transformed” – Mary Dejevsky

October 1, 2018 JRL Russia List History, Soviet Union, Newslinks, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

“… Voronezh is, in many ways, unrecognisable from its Soviet self. Even its layout has been altered to restore the 19th-century plan. A vast new church rises from what was once a scruffy park. The skyline boasts a dozen gleaming domes and crosses. Old vistas have been reopened. Voronezh is, once again, a river town. … But the history told […]

Pundits Say Russian Vote Results Signal Protest, Not Real Change

September 25, 2018 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

(Article ©2018 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – Matthew Luxmoore – September 25, 2018 – also appeared at rferl.org/a/pundits-say-russian-vote-results-signal-protest-not-real-change/29509181.html) As exit polls from the Khaborovsk region’s gubernatorial runoff pointed to a landslide victory for Sergei Furgal, the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) candidate was asked what swayed the September 23 vote. “People are tired,” he replied to […]

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Leave a comment Elections, Governors, Politics, Regions, Cities, Municipalities, Russia, Russian News

RUSSIALINK: “United Russia pledges interaction with new governors of Khabarovsk Territory, Vladimir region” – Interfax

September 24, 2018 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

MOSCOW. Sept 24 (Interfax) – The ruling party is ready for the constructive interaction with the new governors of the Khabarovsk Territory and the Vladimir region, according to United Russia General Council Secretary Andrei Turchak. “The party is ready for the constructive interaction with the elected heads of the Khabarovsk Territory and the Vladimir region if people and regions benefit […]

RUSSIALINK: “Gubernatorial elections in Russia: Stop, cancel, start again” – PravdaRu

September 20, 2018 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

(Pravda.ru – Anton Kulikov – September 19, 2018 – pravdareport.com/russia/politics/19-09-2018/141628-gubernatorial_elections-0/) The results of gubernatorial elections in Russia’s Primorsky region (Far East) have been canceled. However the situation remains too vague to hope for its coming resolution. The head of the Central Election Commission, Ella Pamfilova, said on Wednesday that the results of the gubernatorial election of the Primorsky region are […]

RUSSIALINK TRANSCRIPT: “[Putin at] Meeting with elected regional governors” – KremlinRu

September 19, 2018 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

(Kremlin.ru – Sept. 18, 2019) Vladimir Putin met at the Kremlin with the newly elected governors of the regions of the Russian Federation. The President congratulated the governors on their victories in the elections -in the first round – during the unified voting day on September 9 and asked the elected regional governors to begin their work as soon as […]

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Leave a comment Elections, Governors, Politics, Regions, Cities, Municipalities, Russia, Russian News, Trranscripts

RUSSIALINK: “Russia’s CEC wishes to investigate violations regardless of ranks of those who organized Primorye electoral fraud” – Interfax

September 19, 2018 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

MOSCOW. Sept 19 (Interfax) – The chair of Russia’s Central Elections Commission (CEC), Ella Pamfilova, has revealed that CEC members are shocked at the extent of electoral law violations committed during the second round of the gubernatorial polls in Primorye, adding that a probe will be held “without respect of those who organized the election rigging”. “This is the case […]

Tension Builds In Russian Far East Region After Disputed Vote Count

September 18, 2018 JRL Russia List Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

(Article ©2018 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – August 14, 2018 – also appeared at rferl.org/a/tension-builds-in-russian-far-east-region-after-disputed-vote-count/29495661.html) Rival contenders for the governorship in a Russian Pacific region girded for court battles, and more protests, after an unusual last-minute vote count in a runoff election gave victory to the ruling party incumbent. Supporters of Russia’s Communist Party have cried foul […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russian Communists Say Election Stolen by Pro-Putin Candidate” – Reuters

September 18, 2018 JRL Russia List Corruption, Law, Police, Courts, Crime, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

“… With 95 percent of votes counted on Sunday night, Kremlin-backed United Russia incumbent Andrei Tarasenko was trailing his Communist rival by around 5 percent. But on Monday, the local election commission said Tarasenko had won by just over 1 percent, an unlikely turnaround that the Communists said was evidence of rigging. The scandal is awkward for Putin, who met […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia: Runoffs in Four Regional Races Reveal the Kremlin’s Vulnerability” [Excerpt] – Stratfor

September 13, 2018 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

“… Putin … in his fourth and perhaps final term as Russia’s president, faced a key political test in regional elections …. though the ruling party, United Russia, won most of the races – which included gubernatorial elections in 22 regions, legislative elections in 16 regions and a mayoral election in Moscow – it faced stiffer competition and more unrest […]

NEWSLINK: “Did Russia’s ruling political party really lose Sunday’s regional elections? No, but there is one place it’s no longer in control” – Meduza

September 13, 2018 JRL Russia List Newslinks, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

“Did United Russia blow the September 9 elections? It depends on how you look at it. Yes, United Russia failed to win 50 percent on party lists in 11 out of 16 races for regional legislative assemblies. But it lost in only three regions, narrowly and always to the Communists: Irkutsk United Russia: 27.8 percent Russia’s Communist Party: 34 percent […]

RUSSIALINK: “Authorized protest against higher retirement age held in Novosibirsk” – Interfax

September 13, 2018 JRL Russia List Pensions, Pensioners, Retirees, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

NOVOSIBIRSK. Sept 13 (Interfax) – A protest against the higher retirement age took place in Novosibirsk on Thursday at the initiative of the Novosibirsk regional federation of trade unions. ‘The organizers expected a 3,000 turnout, yet the Interior Ministry counted 600 people at the rally,” Novosibirsk city administration spokesman Sergei Polyansky told Interfax. The chair of the Novosibirsk regional federation […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Fury Over Pension Changes Hurts Putin Allies in Russian Regional Elections” – Reuters

September 10, 2018 JRL Russia List JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

“Russia’s ruling United Russia Party suffered a rare setback in regional elections despite winning most of the seats, a reversal its leaders and election chiefs blamed on unpopular plans to raise the pension age. … [R]esults in weekend voting for heads of about one third of Russia’s regions were the worst for United Russia … since elections for regional leaders […]

RUSSIALINK: “Putin views organization of Sept. 9 elections as good, but not without some minor flaws” – Interfax

September 10, 2018 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

VLADIVOSTOK. Sept 10 (Interfax) – The regional elections in Russia on September 9 passed appropriately and without serious irregularities, even though there might have been some minor imperfections, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. “On the whole, the election campaign passed decently and orderly, with quite a high voter turnout, perhaps with some minor imperfections,” Putin said at a State Council […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russian Fury Over Pension Age Hike Clouds Moscow Mayoral Election” – Reuters

September 8, 2018 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

“Polls show … [that Sergei Sobyanin] will comfortably be re-elected Moscow’s mayor on Sunday, but public anger over planned increases to the nationwide pension age means many voters may stay away, tarnishing his win. … [in] the first test at the ballot box for the authorities since Putin, whose popularity has tumbled by around 15 percent due to anger over […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Wages in Russia’s regions are well behind the national average” – bne Intellinews/Ben Aris

September 5, 2018 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

“Wages are starting to grow again …. However … the recovery is clearly very mixed. … mega-cities … Moscow and St Petersburg … had incomes … 51% and 117% more than the average national wage of RUB42,640 ($625) per month … according to Rosstat … [but] two-thirds of Russian regions have incomes well below that level. In general the poorest […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “At Asia’s heart, Lake Baikal stirs Russians to protect nature” – Christian Science Monitor/Fred Weir

September 3, 2018 JRL Russia List Environment, Far East, Siberia, APEC, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

Lake Baikal and Environs Satellite Photo

“… [Lake Baikal] is the only natural feature in Russia … [with] its own law … which bans many types of industry, including mining, and chemical-based farming in a buffer zone around the lake that includes most of Buryatia. … that makes Baikal a double-edged sword for the economically stagnant republic. The region’s beauty and largely untapped resources give it […]

RUSSIALINK: “Upcoming gubernatorial election in Russia to be mostly uncompetitive – FoRGO” – Interfax

August 30, 2018 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

MOSCOW. Aug 30 (Interfax) – A competitive scenario will be an exception from the rule in the upcoming gubernatorial elections, the Foundation for Civil Society Development (FoRGO) said. The reasons for that are the fact that the process participants understand that there is no point in artificially stimulating competition and the low effectiveness of opposition campaigns, FoRGO said. “Competition in […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “How Chechnya’s Ramzan Kadyrov could destabilise Russia; Former warlord who answers only to Putin runs republic as personal fiefdom” – Financial Times/Kathrin Hille

August 28, 2018 JRL Russia List Chechnya, Dagestan, North Caucasus, JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

“… Kadyrov said the murder of … Kungaeva had been ‘an insult to all of us, and … we will not be dishonoured and humiliated.’ Claiming … Temerkhanov had been tried and imprisoned illegally, he accused Russian law enforcement of anti-Chechen bias. ‘If we are Russian citizens, treat us as Russian citizens …. We want equality and justice.’ …. a […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Buddhism flourishes in Siberia, opening window on its pre-Soviet past; Orthodox Christianity may be Russia’s most high-profile religion, but it is only one of the country’s four official ‘founding’ faiths. Another of the four, Buddhism, has been experiencing a rebirth in post-Soviet Russia.” – Christian Science Monitor/Fred Weir

August 13, 2018 JRL Russia List Far East, Siberia, APEC, JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Race, Ethnic, Extremism, Xenophobia, Regions, Cities, Municipalities, Religion

“… For ethnic Buryats, the resurgence of Buddhism is part of a more complex awakening, as local scholars explore the Buryats’ distinctly non-Russian historical and cultural heritage, and endeavor to reconcile it with their identity as modern-day Russians. Similar processes are unfolding in many of [Russia’s] 22 ‘ethnic republics’ …. Today, there are about 1.5 million Buddhists in Russia, concentrated […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “In Moscow’s Newest Park, All of Russia Comes Together” – New York Times/Roslyn Sulcas

August 11, 2018 JRL Russia List Environment, JRL NewsBlog, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

“[The author visits] ….Zaryadye Park, Moscow’s first new green space in 50 years, designed by … American architects Diller Scofidio & Renfro … one of the most ambitious and expensive architectural projects in Russia in decades. … [with] numerous buildings on [a] 35-acre site … tucked under curving, plant and tree-filled slopes. Each … represents an aspect of Russia’s varied […]

RUSSIALINK TRANSCRIPT: “[Putin at] Moscow Urban Forum Megacity of the Future: New Space for Living” – KremlinRu

July 19, 2018 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

Moscow Aerial View Satellite Image File Photo, adapted from image at jpl.nasa.gov

(Kremlin.ru – July 18, 2018 – en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/58026) Vladimir Putin spoke at the 8th Moscow Urban Forum Megacity of the Future: New Space for Living, held in Moscow’s Zaryadye Park from July 17 to 22. The Moscow Urban Forum is a major international congress devoted to the development of global spaces and megacities. The platform brings together representatives of Russian and […]

Governors Back Moscow’s Pension Plan but Seek Exemptions for Their Own People

July 17, 2018 JRL Russia List Budget, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Population Disaster, Demographics, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, July 16, 2018) Caught between the demands of the Kremlin which decides whether they will be in office and the opposing views of their populations that could make their time there easy or difficult, Russia’s governors are simultaneously telling Moscow they support the pension plan but asking it to exempt their own […]

NEWSLINK: “Saint Petersburg, Russia, Wins The World Cup Of Condensed Guides To European Culture” – Forbes/Gil Press

July 1, 2018 JRL Russia List Life in Russia, Culture, Arts, Theater, Music, Newslinks, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

:… Shamlikashvili … [is] the owner of Indigo Hotel which opened in 2014 as the first of InterContinental Hotels Group’s Indigo brand of boutique hotels in Russia. Like many entrepreneurs in the U.S., Shamlikashvili is an outsider and has arrived at her venture in a circuitous way. She grew up Jewish in Tbilisi, Georgia, and received both an MD from […]

RUSSIALINK: “Bullying the Big Cities: The Kremlin’s New Approach” – Carnegie Moscow/Andrey Pertsev

June 15, 2018 JRL Russia List Newslinks, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

“The regional unification of record-high presidential election results has closed the Kremlin bureaucrats’ eyes to the diversity of different parts of the country, their elites, and the preferences of their electorates. In this model, regional masters of balance and public politics are extraneous. But the expulsion of old regional barons is risky: the banner of public pushback and local patriotism […]

No Fireworks As Putin, Officials Read From Same (Dull) Script During Call-In Show

June 8, 2018 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

File Photo of Putin Sitting at Desk, Looking Down, Writing, During Call-In Show, adapted from screenshot of video at kremlin.ru

(Article ©2018 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – Robert Coalson – June 7, 2018 – also appeared at rferl.org/a/no-fireworks-as-putin-officials-read-from-same-(dull)-script-during-call-in-show/29278720.html) The big innovation in this year’s rendition of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Direct Line question-and-answer program turned out to be a dud. In the run-up to the June 7 show, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that, in contrast to […]

RUSSIALINK: “Russia’s Power Vertical: Governors Scramble to Fulfill Putin’s Televised Promises” – Moscow Times

June 8, 2018 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – June 8, 2018) President Vladimir Putin hosted the 16th annual Direct Line call-in show Thursday, taking questions from citizens across the country by phone and video link. This year, the president’s phone-in, which lasted for 4 hours and 20 minutes, no longer featured a live audience and allowed the president to redirect citizens’ questions to […]

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Leave a comment Cities, Government, Municipalities, Politics, Putin, Regions, Cities, Municipalities, Russia, Russian News

JRL NEWSWATCH: “To prepare for soccer’s World Cup, Russia is killing stray dogs. Animal-rights activists are fighting back” – Los Angeles Times/Sabra Ayres

June 7, 2018 JRL Russia List Dogs, Cats, Pets, Animals, Strays, Shelters, JRL NewsBlog, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities, Sports, Olympics, World Cup

File Photo of Dog at Animal Shelter Jumping Up on Person in Winter Clothing, With Beseeching Look

“… with the FIFA World Cup starting June 14, the issue is again in focus after seven of the 11 host cities issued calls to kill street dogs ahead of the games. Russia has a problem with strays … Rostov-on-Don, like a majority of Russian cities, conducts an annual culling of the packs …. Government contracts pay as much as […]

JRL NEWSWATCH: “World Cup to Have Little Impact on Russia’s Economy: Moody’s” – Reuters

May 31, 2018 JRL Russia List Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, JRL NewsBlog, Regions, Cities, Municipalities, Sports, Olympics, World Cup

File Image of Soccer Ball, Field, Stadium with Lights, adapted from image at fbi.gov

“The 2018 soccer World Cup will have little lasting impact on the Russian economy … Moody’s Investors Service said …. Russia will host [the tournament] … in 11 cities … having spent billions of dollars on preparations. … Moody’s finding is at variance with an assessment … by former deputy prime minister Arkady Dvorkovich …. [S]ectors expected to benefit most […]

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Leave a comment Business, Economy, Football, Investment, JRL NewsBlog, Moody's, Newswatch, Russia, Russian News, Soccer, Sports, Tourism, Travel, World Cup

‘This Is Only The Beginning’: What’s Next For Russia’s Brash (Former) Mayor Of Yekaterinburg?

May 25, 2018 JRL Russia List Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities

(Article ©2018 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – Carl Schreck – May 22, 2018 – also appeared at rferl.org/a/this-is-only-the-beginning-what-s-next-for-russia-s-brash-(former)-mayor-of-yekaterinburg-/29243624.html) In a political system tightly controlled by the Kremlin, Yevgeny Roizman was an outlier: a brash, independent mayor of a major Russian city who openly criticized President Vladimir Putin and offered support for opposition leader Aleksei Navalny. Now, Roizman […]

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