“The Apocalypse Cannot Happen on a Local Level, but the Patriarch Knows Better”

July 22, 2013

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 […]

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

July 19, 2013

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…

July 18, 2013

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 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 […]