The Soviet District Court for the City of Tula found Vyacheslav Dudka, the former governor of Tula Region, guilty of of taking bribes, and sentenced him to 9.5 years in a maximum security penal colony, RIA Novosti reported on Monday, July 22. Earlier on Monday, the court found Mr. Dudka guilty of accepting a bribe […]
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“The Apocalypse Cannot Happen on a Local Level, but the Patriarch Knows Better”
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) associated legalization of same-sex marriage to the coming apocalypse. According to the Western media, such statements aim to divert people’s attention from the problems Russia faces. Those who spoke to “Kommersant FM” are puzzled by the Patriarch’s position. A campaign against gays launched in Russia is kind […]
Who Released Navalny and Why?
Aleksandr Morozov is a political analyst, editor-in-chief of Russkiy Zhurnal, and director of the Center for Media Research of the Institute for History of Cultures who blogs at Live Journal. – Ed. How can the strange story of the jailing and release of Navalny be explained? And what was the logic of the events, if […]
A Candidate’s Mistake
On the night of 21-22 July a serious discussion burst into flames on Twitter. Like any “world in flames,” it all began with a little step. I re-tweeted the following tweet by Dima Zykov: “Political prisoner Navalny must be supported; candidate Navalny – never.” The reaction to my re-tweet was instant. Immediately, people decided that […]
No More Vehicles for Personal Use by Public Officials
Mikhail Abyzov, the Minister for Open Government, proposed to stop the practice of procurement of cars for government officials. Earlier, representatives of the “All-Russia People’s Front” (ONF) introduced a bill limiting the value of official vehicles to 3 million roubles. The Minister said that “it is necessary to abandon the practice of acquisition of vehicles […]
One Head is Good: Dual Power in Yaroslavl After Mayor’s Arrest
After the arrest of opposition mayor Yevgeny Urlashov, diarchy reigned in Yaroslavl. Two of Urlashov’s deputies both consider themselves acting city boss now. Aleksandr Nechayev cites an official decree issued when the mayor was still free. Oleg Vinogradov believes that he should run the city, since Urlashov appointed him acting mayor after he was put in […]
Economic Authorities Are Not Afraid of Recession, But There’s Another Danger – Stagnation
Since the beginning of the year the growth of industrial production and the Russian economy as a whole has almost stopped. However Alexei Ulyukaev, the new chief of the Ministry of Economic Development, is confident that it will not result in a recession. Officials and a number of independent experts expect a recovery in growth […]
Before the Sentence…
It’s an awkward feeling when you have to write something very significant before your sentencing tomorrow. The problem of course isn’t to make the words and letters meaningful – that I can do easily. The problem is that the perception will vary strongly depending on the sentence itself. It’s a strange situation, for sure: If […]
Navalny Urges Putin to Investigate Yakunin’s Property
Opposition politician Alexei Navalny appealed to President Vladimir Putin to verify the legality of the circumstances under which Vladimir Yakunin, president of Russian Railways, allegedly became the owner of a number of real estate properties, including a land parcel in the village of Akulinino in the Moscow Region. Navalny’s appeal to Putin was published on […]
Navalny Verdict: Liveblog
4:08 p.m. (EST): Some remaining protesters have started a “lie in” for Nalvany: However, one live feed we’ve been watching is showing police arresting people during a lie in. We’re not sure it’s the same location, but it is in the same general area of Moscow. 3:54 p.m. (EST): There are still some protesters in […]