As Friday’s opening ceremony draws near, the Institute of Modern Russia, of which The Interpreter is a special project, has launched a comprehensive and interactive website detailing the myriad cases of corruption and controversies surrounding the Olympic Games in Sochi. The website, available in both English and Russian, presents “exclusive information on 26 Olympic-related objects, including […]
Putin and Russia seem to have a seemingly endless ability to spend money to support the country’s political aspirations. Whether it’s the mindboggling $50 billion for Putin’s pet project on the Sochi Olympics (up from Putin’s initial estimate of $12 billion, with which he personally used to lobby the IOC in Guatemala), the $2 billion […]
The first case of charges being brought against a child for spreading gay propaganda among children has been registered in Russia. Her location, photo and name were not disclosed so as to protect the child. The ruling of the Juvenile Affairs Commission (KDN) in one of the small towns in the Bryansk oblast, from January […]
A pro-Kremlin Russian media outlet, Kommersant, has held a question and answer session with the EU’s ambassador to Russia, Vygaudas Ušackas, in which they discuss relations between Moscow and Brussels. This is the first part of the interview. The second part can be found here. – Ed. Several days before the latest Russian-European Union (EU) […]
“There is not one piece of evidence that confirms the guilt of the accused,” said Alexei Polikhovich’s lawyer, Alexei Miroshnichenko. “The whole trial is politically motivated.” His colleague Olga Grigorenko, also defending Alexei Polikhovich, elaborated on the property damages, totalling 28,228,000 rubles, which, according to the indictment, the defendants have to repay. Advocate Grigorenko said […]
The prosecutor’s office of St. Petersburg has launched a probe of TV Rain over a poll dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the lifting of the Leningrad Blockade, the prosecutor’s website reported. The probe was initiated in response to complaints from survivors of the Blockade, outraged at TV Rain’s question: “Should Leningrad have surrendered, in […]
Our podcast has returned! This week, The Interpreter’s managing editor James Miller speaks to Boston College Professor Dr. Matt Sienkiewicz about the new report on the staggering levels of corruption behind Russia’s 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, a report that was translated by the team at The Interpreter. To see the investigative report by the […]
Let’s start with the weather. Recently an exotic-looking gentleman has become a permanent fixture on the “Russia‑24” public TV channel: a catchy checkered blazer, an acid-pink shirt, and a saucy scarf. His outfit, his nervous manners, and picaresque tone, recalls Bulgakov’s Korovyev, rather than a leading specialist of the “Phobos” weather center. Up until now […]
As the international press continues to publish disclosures on the National Security Agency, attention has begun to shift slightly to the figure who stole 1.7 million national security documents. Edward Snowden’s whereabouts in Russia, how he attained asylum there, or what the real public interest is of leaking information about Swedish and Norwegian espionage against […]
Russian government regulators are threatening to shut down TV Rain because of fallout from an “blasphemous” poll, run by the channel this past Sunday. TV Rain is Russia’s only independent TV station, and many are skeptical that a TV station may be shut down entirely because of a single segment of one show. –Ed. Pripachkin […]
