One of the many scandals related to the construction of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, the environmental impact of the project has been flagged by many experts. But it’s not just the environment that is in danger. Heavy rains and high risks of landslides have already washed away construction sites, and there are fears […]
The following is a translation a report written by opposition leader Boris Nemtsov and Solidarity activist Leonid Martynyuk, detailing allegations of rampant corruption in the preparations for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics The original excerpted report was published on July 7, 2013. A significant update, with many new findings and some eyeopening headlines, has been published […]
Recent history of the Russian media shows how the media system was preconditioned by the country’s political development. In the 1990s the Russian media system underwent major transformations following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The media were introduced into new realities: the market economy, the end of ideological control of the Communist Party, political […]
The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics cost approximately $1.8 billion to put on, and generated over $2.5 billion in gross domestic product. The installation and removal of the signs and symbols at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olmypics will cost up to $1.4 million. The Sochi Olmypics may be the most corrupt sporting events ever held, as […]
Current election law in Russia bans anyone convicted of a serious crime from ever holding public office. This is one reason that the court case against opposition candidate Alexei Navalny is significant — though his sentence has been suspended, he is still a convicted felon, and so would be unable to run for office under […]
The Russian website “Sochi 24” is focusing a lot on weather reports these days, especially since the Winter Olympics, which start in a few short months, are taking place in an area that has been having weather similar to the sub-tropics. Though this forecast is for Moscow, Sochi is actually 1,600 kilometers south of the […]
Guarantees of privacy and secrecy of correspondence are becoming more elusive. The Federal Security Service (FSB) intends to require providers to install new equipment for comprehensive monitoring of Internet traffic and email correspondence. From the draft joint order by the FSB and the Ministry of Communications, published on the ministry’s website, it is clear that […]
In the United States, the White House launched an initiative where people could organize a petition drive, and if they got enough signatures then the White House would officially respond by either giving a public statement or by proposing legislation. Putin appears to have copied that effort. Before the Moscow election, Alexei Navalny started a […]
With the September 8 election fast approaching, the Moscow mayoral race is heating up. Thus far, the campaign has been the most contentious in a major Russian election in recent memory, with mayor Sergei Sobyanin’s surprise resignation and bid for reelection, and activist Alexei Navalny’s dramatic entry onto the electoral scene, despite a conviction for […]
Alexei Navalny, candidate for Moscow’s mayor, writes about the daughter of the current mayor and the extravagant lifestyle of the Sobyanins. – Ed. Oh, Sergei Semyonovich [Sobyanin], so it’s that eternal lying of the “civil servants” – it’s like a quagmire. Acting Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has stated that the apartment in the center of Moscow was […]
