Tag: protests

Russian State Duma Asks West To Not Interfere in Ukraine

January 24, 2014

On Wednesday the State Duma issued a statement on the events in Ukraine. As the Russian Foreign Minister did the day before, the deputies called on external forces to refrain from interfering in what is happening and to not aggravate the situation. “The State Duma calls on foreign politicians, who in violation of international law […]

Ukraine Was Hijacked and America and Europe Are Next

January 23, 2014

My European and American friends, I know that you follow the news from Ukraine, and you have a picture of what’s happening. However, I’d like to explain how it concerns you. Ukraine was hijacked. You may remember Flight 93, the only aircraft that didn’t reach its target during the September 11 attacks: the hijackers headed to […]

Don’t Count Yanukovych Out… Yet

January 22, 2014

The draconian laws the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada passed by a show of hands on January 16 were intended to quash the Euromaidan movement. Instead, the action ignited a furious backlash among pro-European Ukrainians: tens of thousands of protesters braved the cold on Kiev’s Independence Square on Sunday, in intentional violation of the new legislation. Fighting […]

Interpreter Podcast: Ukraine, Russian State Media, and Putinology

December 11, 2013

Every Wednesday, The Interpreter’s managing editor James Miller will be speaking with Dr. Matt Sienkiewicz, a professor at Boston College, about the major headlines of the week. If you have questions you’d like Matt to address in future episodes, feel free to tweet to him: @mediastudied. If you have feedback on the content feel free to tweet to James: @MillerMENA. […]

“For Our Freedom and Yours”

December 5, 2013

When the artist Pavel Pavlensky stripped naked on Red Square last month, then sat down on the cold cobblestones and nailed his scrotum to the ground, many people were not so much shocked as hoping to scrub the cringing image from their eyes. He didn’t quite gain the hipster world-wide popularity and saturation media coverage […]

Putin and the Pope: The Meeting Was Brief…

December 3, 2013

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to the Vatican to meet with Pope Francis. The Russian media saw the event as a public relations victory, and played up the fact that the Pope would meet Putin for an entire hour. The meeting was shorter than expected, and mainly because Putin was caught up in […]

Russia Orders New Armored Anti-Riot Vehicles

November 1, 2013

The Russian Interior Ministry has issued an order for new anti-riot trucks, heavily armored vehicles capable of driving through and dispersing crowds. Tests of these vehicles could begin next month. Riots are increasingly common in Russia. New riots are even possible on Monday. This new order suggests that the Kremlin may be sending a message. […]

The Narrative of the Moscow Race Riots

October 15, 2013

On Sunday 13 October, in the Moscow district of West Biryulyovo, massive street riots broke out – the largest nationalist action in the capital since the clashes on Manezh Square in 2010. Hundreds of people rampaged through the Biryuza shopping center and a local vegetable warehouse, throwing up barricades and fighting with riot police. The […]

“Their Brains Are Like a Wrecking Ball”

October 14, 2013

Just as angry anti-migrant mobs raged in the provincial town of Pugachev and in St. Petersburg last summer, on Sunday night rioters rampaged in the drab industrial district of Biryulyovo in Moscow surrounding one of the largest vegetable warehouses in Europe. Two separate incidents led to arrests of some 450 people, 23 were wounded including […]

Ethnic Tensions Explode Into Riots in Moscow

October 13, 2013

There have been nearly 450 people detained in Moscow after protests erupted over what is believed to be an ethnicly-charged murder. Russian was stabbed to death by a man said to be from the Caucasus, and “people’s assemblies” are marching on the area. Over the summer there were similar incidents in Pugachev, and ethnic tensions […]