Russia has arguably won its trade war with Ukraine, at least for now. After months of punitive measures because of Kiev’s desire to choose joining the European Union over the neo=Soviet Customs Union, last week the Ukraine suspended its move to join the EU. The move has been highly unpopular in the Ukraine, and protesters have taken […]
Nezavisimaya Gazeta, an independent newspaper, publishes this analysis by the FBK Institute of Strategic Analysis, a pro-business financial analysis company. They argue that Russia’s deepening economic crisis has forced the government to debate moving to a progressive tax, which could hurt Russian business interests. It’s an interesting read, though there may be problems with the […]
Photographer Denis Sinyakov, who covered the Greenpeace action at the Prirazlomnaya on assignment from Lenta.ru, was the second person out of 30 arrested in the Arctic Sunrise case to be freed on bail. On November 21, he was released from Kresty Prison pre-trial detention in St. Petersburg and told The New Times how the foreigners […]
Dmitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin has perhaps always been rivals, but it’s clear that Putin is the alpha politician in their relationship. Last week, this dynamic came into the spotlight once again when Medvedev criticized a piece of legislation proposed by Putin. The President responded by essentially telling Medvedev that if he didn’t like it […]
The Russian government may be moving to ban a coloring book in advance of the Sochi Olympics. We believe that the book in question talks about how same-sex couples are discriminated against in Russia, and are even beaten. It is interesting that the pro-Kremlin Izvestia makes no specific mention of the book in question, however, […]
A foreign journalist was briefly detained by the Federal Security Services (FSB) in Sochi yesterday, her audio recorder was temporarily confiscated, and her passport information was scanned by authorities. This is hardly the first time that press freedom in Sochi has been challenged, raising concerns that journalists will continue to be the target of Russia […]
It’s no secret that Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev often plays ‘second fiddle’ to President Vladimir Putin. Their relationship is a perfect illustration of how Putin maintains control. For the most part, though, if there is a power struggle between the two, it is kept out of the headlines. Last week, however, it roared back […]
Barely a week after a Russian protester, Pyotr Pavlensky, nailed his scrotum to the cobblestones in Red Square to raise awareness to what he says is Russia’s descent into a “police state,” a Belarusian art activist has been arrested for planning what authorities say would have been a terrorist attack. – Ed. Belarusian art activist […]
Anatoly Kucherena, the Chairman of the Civic Chamber Commission on Citizens Security and Cooperation with the Judicial System and Law Enforcement, and the Chairman of the Public Council under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, has recently become widely known also as someone who takes care of our American guest Edward Snowden. Mikhail Barschevsky, a member […]
In another chapter of Ukraine’s economic and ideological struggle between Europe and Russia, the east and the west, Ukraine’s president Viktor Yanukovych “got lost” on his way to have meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin. There remains a debate, however, as to whether Yanukovych was secretly negotiating with Putin, or whether he was being snubbed by […]
