“Political opposition forces are using new technologies to carry out public events” lamented an exasperated Russian police chief yesterday.
What are these insidious technologies? Twitter? Talking spy rocks (wait, those are British!)? Putin’s beloved nano-particles?
Wait, he was getting to that. The protesters are …
The December protests in Russia against parliamentary election results have marked a momentous change to the current Russian political situation. The protests have revealed the looming necessity for authorities to respond in a timely manner, and to acknowledge the new scenario. Widespread public discontent with existing policies is shaping a new, uncomfortable reality for …
Who was the last citizen of the USSR?
Obsessed with the 20th anniversary of the Soviet collapse, I watched a unique and astounding film. “Out of the Present” is a documentary about Soviet cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, who became known as the last Soviet citizen because he was …
Forget democracy – Russia has dispensed with boring, empty bourgeois rituals like voting and peaceful protests in favour of some freedoms that really matter. Like the right to set fire to a police car, film yourself doing it, confess, and get away with it. That’s exactly …
It was a rough but lucky landing (both “rough and “lucky” are strong understatements here) when a Soviet-built Tupolev (Tu-134) crash landed in dense fog in the city of Osh in southern Kyrgyzstan. According to The Washington Post 82 passengers and 6 crew members were evacuated, 31 of …
United States
For Russia’s Foreign Policy, 2011 started with a breakthrough signing of the START Treaty that fostered new hopes and brighter prospects for U.S. -Russia relations. Alas, the enthusiasm from the successful agreement was soon soured by less effective negotiations on the U.S. deployment of a ballistic missile shield in …
FPA Russia Blog Studios presents……Russia’s top box office hits of 2011
GOODBYE BREZHNEV
As the traumatic events of the 90s send Mother Russia into a coma from which she takes a decade to recover, dutiful son Vova worries that any further shocks to her system might trigger a …
Last Saturday Russia witnessed one of the biggest anti-government rallies of the past two decades. Just a few months ago the possibility of a protest this large seemed very unlikely. Putin’s confidence ratings remained high holding steadfast belief in the efficiency of a strong ruling hand over the country, although the …
Events of this past November revealed more cracks in U.S. -Russia relations that seemed propitious just several months ago. To start with, on November 22, the U.S. announced the decision to cease its obligations under The Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty (CFE), referring to information sharing and …
It’s not surprising that Putin lost his 2/3 majority in parliament today. Many people have turned against him and his party for many reasons: his inability to improve living standards, deal with corruption and reform the military, police, health and education systems.
But perhaps most damning: …
Vladimir Putin deports thousands of Tajiks migrant workers.
The Russian Communist Party puts Stalin on its election posters.
Liberal anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny becomes the keynote speaker at a massive anti-immigration rally.
What do these three events have in common? …
Another Russian March Rally commemorated the recent National Unity Day in Russia. The celebration of accord and reconciliation succeeded former Soviet holiday dedicated to the Great Russian Revolution. The new holiday introduces a tradition of Russian nationalist rally, so called, Russian March, exciting for some, …
U.S. – Russia political interactions often resemble a swinging pendulum that goes from hardly negotiated consensus to deepening disagreement and swooping across to ‘tit for tat‘ tactics. The Recent Russian response to U.S. ‘Magnitsky list’ is a good example of that.
The story began …
Russia. It’s not all doom and gloom (we’re not Greece, you know!).
Sure, in their latest dispatches from Vladivostok and Lake Baikal, the BBC’s Reggie Nadelson and the Atlantic’s Nicholas Schmidle didn’t ask the hard questions. Like, where’s all that money earmarked for preparing for …
After a week of Oligarch wars, Medvedev-Luzhkov sniping, spy-plagiarism and a Victor Bout guilty verdict, it’s good to know we can still lead the world, even if it is in the corruption stakes.
It’s unclear …
