The Russian Press
August 2010
by Erin Decker

The following news coverage is drawn from four major Russian sources: Kommersant is generally regarded as an independent news publication, whereas RBK is a more conservative publication focusing on business and politics. The Moscow Times is an English-language newspaper that provides a foreign perspective; both Nezavisimaya Gazeta and Novaya Gazeta are generally regarded as "opposition" newspapers that focus primarily on politics and social issues.

This news review is part of SRAS's monthly "obzor" publications. We provide weblinks to the related stories from the Russian sources when available online. To receive the free monthly newsletter and obzori by email, simply sign up.

Bill on MVD Reforms Undergoes Tough Scrutiny by Federation Council

On August 26, Kommersant reported that the bill on reforms to Russia’s police force was in need of heavy “reworking” according to the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament which is currently reviewing the bill. Although Council reps said that while the bill, introduced personally by President Dmitry Medvedev, was important, they noted several “deficiencies” that need to be corrected before passage. Gennady Gudkov, Deputy Chairman of the parliament’s Security Committee, noted that the bill does not address the role of regional police forces at all. He added that, judging by the bill’s contents, “the results won’t be evident within the MVD.” Most parliamentary reps the article quoted expressed similar pessimistic opinions of the bill.

RBK ran an article with opinions from political experts who said that “the bill’s transitional provisions indicate that it is not addressing the issues of creating a principally new government apparatus or about deeply reforming the existing police force.” The article also pointed out that the bill would “unprecedentedly widen the scope of the MVD’s authority” and proposes to allow “any demands or actions made by police officers to be considered legal until found otherwise by a court of law.” One of the few positive points the experts touched upon was the fact that the bill would increase social benefits for police officers.

The Moscow Times also pointed out the fact that the bill would deem any action by a police officer legal until proven otherwise. Economist Mikhail Delyagin said that “the bill actually increases the powers and reduces the accountability of the police force.” The bill, which the article said is currently undergoing “unprecedented public debate,” was posted online where Internet users can comment on it; over 17,800 comments have been posted so far.

Nezavisimaya Gazeta has not carried any coverage on the bill since August 19, when it ran an article quoting President Medvedev as saying that “there will be no delays on putting the law into force,” which is being planned for January 1, 2011.

Triumfalnaya Ploshchad Soon to be Closed for Construction Project

On August 17, the Moscow Times reported that Triumfalnaya Ploshchad will soon be closed off to the public in order to begin construction of a large underground parking facility. Triumfalnaya Ploshchad has also been the long-favored location for meetings and protests by political opposition groups who hold rallies there on the 31st of every month to exercise their right to assemble. But according to the article, the opposition’s request to hold a rally there on August 31 was turned down because “Young Russia, a pro-Kremlin youth group, had already asked permission to stage a blood drive there.” Eduard Limonov, head of the Other Russia opposition movement, said he and others would still come to the square despite the construction work.

That same day, RBK reported that as of August 22, no more events will be allowed to take place on the square. Oppositionists who put in a request to hold a rally there were told that the impending construction was the reason their requests were rejected, and not a conflict with Young Russia holding another event. 

Another RBK article from August 16 quoted the head of Russia’s Automobile Owners Association as saying that the project to build a 1,000-space underground parking facility underneath the square was “not the best idea,” since building an above-ground parking lot would be both easier and less expensive.

Kommersant quoted a “Kremlin source” as saying that the government has “long wanted to resolve the issue [of the protests] once and for all” and that closing down the square would serve this purpose. However, Alexei Vvedensky, head of Moscow’s special construction project division’s press center, explained that this new project “is in no way related to politics or with attempts to block any events from taking place on the square.” A head researcher from Russia’s Public Transportation and Roads System’s research and development arm added that “geographically speaking, it would be hard to imagine a worse location for such a parking facility in Moscow…the underground area [beneath and around the square] is already taken up by the subway system.”

Nezavisimaya Gazeta carried the least amount of coverage of the story out of the four, only running two short articles and mentioning that the square would be closed off beginning August 25.

Tensions Still High Between Russia and Georgia Two Years after War

On August 9, Kommersant reported that President Dmitry Medvedev visited Abkhazia for the anniversary of the start of the five-day war between Russia and Georgia which lead Russia to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states. The article reported that Medvedev’s visit provoked a strong reaction from Tbilisi – Georgian Deputy Prime Minister Timur Yakobashvili said, “They [Russia] are continuing to play in a lost game. These territories have been acknowledged as being occupied and visits like this will not change anything, nor will they bring anything positive to the region.” Kommersant also reported that Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili was not in Tbilisi for memorial services, but rather in Columbia for the inauguration of new president Juan Manuel Santos. The article explained that since two of the three nations that recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia’s independence – Venezuela and Nicaragua - are Latin American countries, Saakashvili “could not miss a chance to speak with other Latin American leaders and convince them not to follow the examples of Hugo Chavez and Daniel Ortega.” 

RBK reported that President Medvedev openly stated that he is not willing to open a dialogue with the current Georgian administration: “Under the current leadership, we can’t have normal relations with Georgia, but that doesn’t mean that these relations can’t be restored to their full extent when different people come to power in Georgia.” The article also added that, one year after the conflict, “Europeans and Americans acknowledged Russia’s military support as an answer to Georgia’s aggression.” Medvedev added, “Not in front of the press, but in inner circles, our partners acknowledged that [Georgia’s behavior] was an act of aggression and that our actions were justified. But, owing to a number of reasons, they can’t announce this publicly.” 

RBK was the only publication to mention that Moscow also held a memorial ceremony for those who died defending Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia. The ceremony was held at Christ the Savior Cathedral.

On August 10, Nezavisimaya Gazeta also reported on Medvedev’s visit to Abkhazia, carrying quotes from Georgia’s Interior Ministry, who called the visit a “cynical act.” The Ministry’s official statement also said that the “so-called visit, made in the style of Soviet political leaders” was “yet another attempt to destabilize and escalate tensions in the Caucasus Region.” The article also pointed out that, despite existing tensions between the two countries, Georgia was still providing places to stay for Russian children whose families lost their homes in the recent forest fires.

The Moscow Times also reported on Medvedev’s visit to Abkhazia, where he said that the Russian government would donate $330 million next year to the two republics for construction of roads and other infrastructure. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has encouraged the two republics to “model [their] economic legislation after Russia’s.” The article quoted Boris Shmelyov, director of the Center for Comparative Political Research at the Russian Academy of Sciences, as saying that “the economies of these tiny states must become part of the Russian economy. There’s no way around it. Otherwise, they will just not survive.”

Authorities Struggling to Control Hundreds of Wildfires 

On August 5, Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported that the previous day in Moscow had seen the worst air pollution in its history since the early 1970s and the worst smog since the start of the forest fires that are plaguing hundreds of cities and towns in western Russia. The previous day's air quality was so poor, the article stated, that "in some regions, the concentration of hazardous substances in the air was over ten times the acceptable limit."

In an August 3 article, Kommersant quoted President Dmitry Medvedev as saying that, even though he had declared a state of emergency in seven regions already, he "doesn't think the regions were unequipped to deal with the elements and that [the regions] had all the necessary means to fight the fires." The article also noted that Prime Minister Putin promised that all those who lost their homes in the fires will have new ones built by October, although "regional governors will carry the responsibility for this."

The Moscow Times reported that President Medvedev dismissed five senior military officials for not preventing a wildfire from destroying an aviation base, which "destroyed the base's headquarters and engulfed 17 parking lots with vehicles, 13 warehouses filled with aviation equipment, the base's accounting office, a club and two garages" and added that "media reports have said 200 aircraft were destroyed in the blaze." Medvedev said the base's commander and senior officials were nowhere to be found as the fire was approaching and called their failure to act "criminal negligence."

Meanwhile, an August 3 article in RBK reported that the head of the Defense Ministry's press service was calling the reports of 200 aircraft being destroyed "myths" created by journalists and added that "there is no air force base  in Moscow's Kolomenksky Region." However, the press service did say that a fire broke out near a military storage warehouse on July 29 in that region, but that the storage unit was already being prepared for decommissioning and the fire was put out later that same day.

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