The following was published in the government newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta. It suggests that Russian militants traveling to Syria to fight for the opposition could face a stiff prison term. Of course, the language in the Constitution does not specify which conflict foreign fighters would face penalties for participating in — nor which side of conflicts […]
The Central Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia (SKR) has opened a criminal case against the detained mayor of Astrakhan, a member of United Russia, Mikhail Stolyarov. According to investigators, he demanded 10 million rubles from an Astrakhan entrepreneur, as well as a stake in his company in exchange for a land parcel. […]
There was a break-in at the offices of United Russia in Krasnodar. Interestingly, in a country of dashboard cameras and CCTV systems, the authorities have not mentioned that they have any video of the incident. The article uses the phrase that the thieves were “not deterred” from attacking the ruling party in such a fashion. […]
Did Russian president Vladimir Putin just throw his prime minister Dmitry Medvedev under the bus? That’s how this article, published in the up-and-coming independent media outlet Dozhd (TV Rain), characterizes the latest statements from Putin. The pro-Kremlin outlet Ria Novosti, which first published Putin’s statements, makes no mention of Medvedev being the intended target of the […]
The Bolshoi Ballet Company is one of the most renowned dance troupes in the world, but recently is has been rocked by one scandal after another. In January, Bolshoi director Sergei Filin had acid thrown in his face, severely burning his face and neck, by a man who was hired by a former dancer to […]
The United States cut off arms shipments to Egypt several months after the Egyptian military launched a coup that removed the democratically-elected President Mohamed Morsi. This move was not in reaction to the coup, but rather in reaction to the violent crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood’s supporters and officials launched by the Egyptian military. This […]
Russia laws against “gay propaganda” make it a crime to promote homosexuality, or perhaps even gay rights, but they stop short of outlawing being gay. The explanation given by the government is that promoting homosexuality is an attack on children. Many have also worked to conflate homosexuality with pedophilia, despite the fact that social scientists […]
A campaign has been launched in Dagestan to forcibly extract DNA samples from “unreliable” citizens, particularly Salafists. The campaign seems to be primarily aimed at women, in the wake of the October 21st bus bombing in Volgograd, conducted by the spouse of an established Dagestani militant. There are concerns that the terrorism threat is growing […]
There are several important stories today that may or may not be making the Russian press, but need to be highlighted. We’ll be doing regular rolling updates throughout the day. – Ed. Pussy Riot Singer Nadezhda Tolokonnikova Transferred It has been reported today that Nadezhda Tolokonnikova will now spend the remaining months of her prison […]
On October 21, a bus bombing killed six people in Volgograd, formerly Stalingrad. The perpetrator of the crime was, according to Russian authorities, Naida Asiyalova, wife of 22 year old Dmitry Sokolov, a known Dagestani militant and bomb maker. This incident was the latest chapter in what is essentially an insurgency moving at a near-glacial […]
