How the News is Reported in Russia
August 2010
by Andrei Nesterov 

The two largest state-run television stations in Russia are First Channel and Russia Channel. Most Russians get their news from one of these two stations. REN-TV is a private federal channel and is considered to be one of the last independent television networks in Russia. SRAS's Andrei Nesterov compiled the following synopsis of how major events were covered by news reports on these two stations. This news review is part of SRAS's monthly "obzor" publications. For more reviews, see the newsletter for this corresponding month. If you would like to request that a story be covered here, inform our editor.

We are now providing weblinks to the related stories from the Russian broadcasters when available online! If no link is available, the material was covered in broadcasts, but not posted (or at least not found by us) online.

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August, Week 4

Vladimir Putin Inspects Roads and New Pipeline in Far East

The last week of August, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin took a 2,000-kilometer trip in a yellow Lada-Kalina across Russia’s Far East region. On the third day of the trip, August 29, Putin arrived at the Skovorodino oil pumping station, where he participated in a ceremony dedicated to the completion of the oil pipeline to China. According to Russia Channel, the last seam of the pipeline should be welded by the end of September and the oil pumping to China will start at the beginning of 2011.

According to Russia Channel, the new pipeline will strengthen the strategic cooperation between the two countries, creating a new outlet for Russian oil which is predominantly sold to Europe. Russia Channel also quoted Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin as saying that Russian companies opened 500 gas stations throughout China within the framework of the new cooperation project.

After the rally, Vladimir Putin stopped along the way to speak to the road construction workers, telling them that many new roads would be built in the region. Putin denounced the recent price increase for food products, stating that, despite the drought in summer, Russia has sufficient crop reserves and the General Prosecutor’s Office should look into the problem of the food price increase.

Wrapping up his trip, Russian Channel reported that Putin held a government meeting in Chita on August 31, expressing his satisfaction with the successful completion of the Amur federal highway from Khabarovsk to Chita. The road’s construction plans were developed in 1966 but implemented only in 2010; the government allocated 70 billion rubles of funding for this purpose in 2007-2010.

Also, in a First Channel TV interview, Putin expressed his views on the cooperation between Russia and China, stating that Russia should not try to overcome China in consumer goods manufacturing as this is unrealistic, and that Russia’s prospects lie rather in producing high technology products where Russia has more of an opportunity to succeed.

August, Week 3

Day of Russian Flag Celebrated

On August 22, events dedicated to the Day of the State Flag were held all over Russia, First Channel reported. The three-colored flag was first raised on the top of the Russian Parliament building on August 22, 1991, replacing the Soviet red flag after the failed coup d'état in Moscow, and three years later, this day was declared a holiday, the channel stated.

On this year’s holiday, First Channel reported that winners of the Teacher of the Year competition in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky raised the state flag at the main city square and afterwards, hundreds of people enjoyed a concert there. In Novosibirsk, aircrafts painted in the colors of the Russian flag performed advanced aerobatics figures.

Russia Channel stated that two years ago, after amendments were made to Russian law on the state flag, the tricolour started being an attribute of everyday life in Russia, from weddings to football matches, as opposed to being only used by state institutions as it was before.

Russia Channel reported that hundreds of young people clothed in the colors of the Russian flag marched in downtown St. Petersburg, making a 150 meter-long “animated flag.” Russia Channel quoted the participants as saying that the white color of the flag means nobleness, the blue – honesty, and the red – magnanimity. At the same time, the channel gave another version, saying that the colors symbolized freedom, the Mother of God, and greatness of authority. In reality, there is no official meaning assigned to the colors in Russian law.

According to Russia Channel, the Russian flag was commemorated outside of Russia as well, in the Ukrainian cities of Sebastopol and Simferopol. The channel mentioned that “this is no longer prohibited,” implying that in the past, the coolness of the relations between Russia and Ukraine when Victor Yushenko was the Ukrainian president prevented the holiday from being acknowledged.

August, Week 2

Government Introduces Ban on Grain Exports

First Channel reported that because of this summer’s unprecedented heat wave and drought, crop yields will be one-third lower than usual. The channel quoted President Dmitry Medvedev as saying that the grain export ban introduced by the government is aimed at preventing price increases on bread and other grain products. The president also instructed the government to provide legal protection to grain exporters, who may face issues due to trade contract violations.

Russia Channel stated that the grain export ban would change the market share distribution for global suppliers. It is expected that the US will take over Russia’s market share, as the US has traditionally had large wheat reserves and this year's harvest is expected to be substantial as well. EU grain suppliers will also increase their market share at Russia’s expense. Russia Channel’s economic analyst stated that while the countries situated not far from the US would prefer to rely on US companies as future suppliers of grain, Russia may recover its grain sales market in countries neighboring it, provided that it has a good harvest in 2011.

Russia Channel forecast that the ban, which is intended to last six months, may be extended until next summer. 

New Buddhist Temple Opened in Chita

First Channel reported that a Buddhist temple which had been restored with funds from worshipers has been opened in Chita. The ancient temple, which used to have the world's largest collection of Buddhist religious items – 1,500 exhibits, was destroyed by fire at the beginning of the 20th century. Collecting the necessary funds - 46 million rubles (about $1.5 million) - from parishioners for its rebuilding took seven years.

According to First Channel, the construction work at the temple site will continue in order to make the temple not only a religious center, but also a cultural center for the Buryat people. Damba Ayushiev, one of the Buddhist leaders of Russia, said in a TV interview that this temple would facilitate the consolidation of the entire region’s Buddhist community around one central location.

August, Week 1

Update on Fires in Moscow Region

On August 8, First Channel reported that the ecological situation was critical as the amount of carbon monoxide in the atmosphere over European Russia was growing by 700,000 tons per day. The number of fires slightly decreased in Ryazan, Rostov, and Nizhny Novgorod, while a record number of fires was registered in the Khanty-Mansiysk District and Mari El Republic - 75 and 74, respectively. In total, there were 554 forest and peat bog fires over an area of 190,000 hectares (approximately 469,000 acres) registered in Russia.

Because of the fires, many flights were delayed at Moscow’s Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports and passengers had to wait for hours in crowded airport terminals and even on the lawns outside the airports, First Channel stated. 

According to First Channel, a significant amount of smoke was registered in the air in St. Petersburg as well. In some areas of the city, there was a constant burning smell and the visibility was less than 1 kilometer. However, Pulkovo airport was operating without flight delays.

Russia Channel reported that Italy, France, and Germany sent firefighting aircraft and, in addition, specialists from Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Belarus, Azerbaijan, and Armenia are also assisting.

The fires continued to burn because of the record high temperatures. According to First Channel, on Sunday August 8, a new record temperature was registered in Moscow – 38 degrees Celsius in the shade (which is 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit). The hottest temperature was in Voronezh - 41 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit).

Meanwhile, Sergey Shoigu, the Minister of Emergency Situations, said in an interview to First Channel that the situation was improving as fires were extinguished in the Tatarstan, Tula, Belgorod, and Ulyanovsk Regions.

The Emergency Situations Ministry’s major success was protecting the federal nuclear center near the town of Snezhinsk in Nizhny Novgorod Region. A fire that had been approaching the nuclear center was put out by 3,000 military men from the Moscow Region, Russia Channel reported.

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