31.08.2009
Russian Society
Culture, Demographics, Politics
July-Aug, 2009The following resource is meant to quickly introduce the reader to everyday life in Russia: how Russians live, study, relax, and worship. This news review is part of SRAS's monthly "obzor" publications. For more reviews, see the newsletter for this corresponding month. To receive the free monthly newsletter and obzori by email, simply sign up. Civil Society Letter-openers: Russian rights revocation
Russian security services will have the right to open and inspect postal items without the decision of a court, according to a new order from the Ministry of Communications. Russian president approves changes to registration procedure for NGOs
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has approved amendments to a law on non-governmental organizations simplifying registration and other procedures for them. Russia's Obama: No, he can't, at least not now
An African-born farmer is making an improbable run for office in Russia, inspired by President Barack Obama and undaunted by racial attitudes that have changed little in decades. Russian Human Rights Veterans Urge Medvedev To Stop Persecution Of NGOs
Human rights campaigners have urged the Russian leadership to change the atmosphere in which nongovernmental organizations are working in the country. Crime and Corruption Mystery ship suspects 'charged with piracy'
Most of the crew of the Maltese-flagged ship The Arctic Sea were arraigned for piracy and kidnapping. Africans 'under siege' in Moscow
Nearly 60% of black and African people living in Russia's capital Moscow have been physically assaulted in racially motivated attacks. According to reports, Africans working or studying in the city live in constant fear of attack. Violence and corruption shake a Moscow suburb
After the journalist, Mikhail Beketov, printed a series of articles about the development plans, he was beaten to a bloody pulp last November. The assailants crushed his skull, probably with baseball bats or metal rods. He survived, after part of a leg and several fingers were amputated. Official's Arrest In Russia Linked To GMU Research
A Russian police official conducting research under the auspices of Virginia's George Mason University has been arrested after he reported obtaining evidence incriminating influential figures in Moscow and the far eastern city of Vladivostok. Corruption spikes as crackdown looms
Corrupt Russian officials may be making one last attempt to grab a share of the government's bailout money pouring into the economy before President Dmitry Medvedev's crackdown can have an effect. This analysis from Transparency International came as the Interior Ministry's Economic Security Department announced that the average bribe had tripled to 27,000 roubles. Politkovskaya murder retrial begins in Moscow
A Moscow court could halt the retrial of three men for the murder of Kremlin critic Anna Politkovskaya after prosecutors agreed on Wednesday the case should be merged with an investigation into who ordered the hit. Patriotic Hackers
While there was no re-run of the shooting during last week's anniversary of the Russian-Georgian war, there was a modest repetition of the online version of the conflict. Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, apparently aimed at silencing a single Georgian blogger, briefly crippled Facebook, Twitter and LiveJournal. Civilians cyber attacked Georgia in 2008
During the five-day Russian-Georgian war in 2008, attacks on Georgian government websites were carried out by civilians – with little or no direct involvement on the part of the Russian government or military. Average Bribe Amount In Russia Tripled
An average amount of a bribe in Russia has almost tripled as compared to last year and exceeded R27,000 (about 900 dollars at the current exchange rate). 'Raiding' Underlines Russian Legal Dysfunction
When three of Russia's finest lawyers agreed to represent the investment fund Hermitage Capital, they thought they were taking on a routine tax case. Khodorkovsky must confess for pardon
President Dmitry Medvedev rejected pardoning jailed tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky unless the former chief of the Yukos oil giant admitted he was guilty of fraud and tax evasion. Strasbourg court to hear Khodorkovsky's appeal in fall
The Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights will consider a complaint from jailed Yukos founder Mikhail Khodorkovsky in the fall this year. Russia lets FBI in on hunt for Paul Klebnikov's killer
Five years after the high-profile murder in Moscow of Paul Klebnikov, an American magazine editor, Russian authorities have agreed to cooperate with US investigators and grant the FBI access to the investigation. Lawyer wins legal battle for Russian justice
For the past five years, Ms Yermoshkina has been leading a successful drive against what she calls corruption and discrimination involving an important and lucrative link in Russia's massive bureaucracy: the public notary.
Suspects in human rights activist's murder identified
A Russian human rights activist has been found dead in a sand pit weeks after he went missing, according to police and a colleague suspects the prisoners' rights advocate was murdered. Culture Post-Soviet Musicians Look To Hit U.S. Mainstream
The U.S. music scene is rich with talent from the former Soviet space -- but you have to look hard to find it. That's because many musicians born in Russia, Ukraine, or elsewhere often play down their ethnic heritage in search of wider appeal on the U.S. pop market. Sergei V. Mikhalkov, Lyricist of Soviet and Russian Anthems, Dies at 96
Russian poet and writer who rose at the height of the Stalinist era to the apex of the Soviet literary hierarchy, eventually writing the lyrics to the Soviet and Russian national anthems, died in Moscow at the age of 96. Has Kremlin mastermind given game away in novel
"Close to Zero" is the tale of a Russian publisher operating in a murky political system featuring paid-off media, corrupt officials, dubious politicians and law enforcement agencies on the take. Russian punk rockers rage against the Putin machine
Brashly shouting out his lyrics in crowded, smoky clubs, Alexei Nikonov zeroes in on provocative themes that most musicians here ignore — authoritarianism and injustice in today's Russia. Internet Has Reduced but Not Killed Off Samizdat in Russia
Despite the expectations of many, the Internet has not killed off samizdat publications in the Russian Federation, although the blogosphere has reduced the amount of "self-published" materials by as much as 50 percent over the last few years. The fairy tale that gripped Russia
I had just flown into Moscow from London. Over supper my friend Sasha told me about an "eco-settlement" near his dacha. "There are about 200 of them – all inspired by this sort of modern fairy tale." Russians want baseball to grow
It's the bottom of the ninth, but there are men on base and sluggers on deck as baseball enthusiasts in Russia go into bat for America's pastime.
"The situation is slowly, but surely, changing for the better despite the obstacles," says Yury Kopylov, head of Russia's baseball and softball federation. Russian writer and Soviet dissident Aksyonov dies
Vasily Aksyonov, a prolific Russian writer and one of the last dissidents to be exiled from the Soviet Union, died Monday. He was 76. Aksyonov died at a Moscow hospital where he was being treated after suffering a stroke last year. Chess legends to play again 25 years after famous battle
Chess legends Garry Kasparov and Anatoli Karpov are to relive their epic 1984 world championship duel 25 years on by contesting a new match this September in the Spanish city of Valencia. Conductor exits left as Bolshoi Theatre's woes mount
The music director of Moscow's renowned Bolshoi Theater resigned suddenly on Monday, throwing the future of the institution's grand $1 billion rebuild into chaos. The West Rediscovers Russian Folk Art
Russian folk art has never been much collected in Western Europe. But now, there are signs it is drawing greater interest, including in the Western antique market. LiveStrong for Make Benefit of Kazakhstan
As Lance Armstrong enters the second week of the Tour de France, questions abound. Why did he come back from retirement? And even in such a commercialized sport, why is an iconic American athlete -- a Texan, no less! -- racing for ... Kazakhstan? First Soviet Union museum opens in Russia
Russia's first ever museum dedicated to life in the Soviet Union opened in the West Siberian city of Novosibirsk. Demographics Bringing Them Out Of the Dark
Moscow's Government Says It Has Invested Heavily in Facilities for the Disabled, but Prejudice is Harder to Shift. Birth rate rises in Russia in first half 2009
The population of Russia is 142m, Health and Social Development Minister Tatyana Golikova said at a meeting of the presidium of the council for priority national projects and demographic policies today. The failure of Russia's free-market pension reform
Since 2002, one of the main social policies associated with Russia's former president and current prime minister, Vladimir Putin, has been pension reform. His policy has been directed towards the creation of a new social security system for the elderly based on capitalist market principles. It now stands on the edge of total failure. 'Ghost bus' takes migrants on trip to Russia
Every year, the ghost bus - and its many cousins throughout Uzbekistan - transports hundreds of migrants to Russia, crossing two state borders and 3,500 km of steppe, desert and farmland. The men it carries do not exist on the books either, but Russia needs their labor, and they need the money. Average Life Expectancy In Moscow Up By Nine Years Over 12 Years
The average life expectancy in Moscow lengthened by nine years in the past 12 years, while the average life expectancy in the whole of Russia increased over the same period by one year and a half, a source in the Moscow public health department told Itar-Tass. Traffic Accident Rate On Decline In Russia But Situation Still Tense
The situation on Russian roads remains tense but the traffic accident rate is steadily on decline. "The tense situation on Russian roads creates many threats, including the one to the national demographic potential. More than a half of traffic accidents deaths are able-bodied people." Education & Language Kicked out of school
Moscow's City Duma has put forward an amendment to a new law which would require all teachers to apply for work permits in addition to the work visas which currently allow them to teach here. Russia Goes Back to School
Enrolment is down, while Medvedev urges children to tolerance. Russia's president calls for modernization of education system
President Dmitry Medvedev said in a TV interview that the Russian education system needs to be modernized to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Russian pupils to have choice of religion, ethics
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced a pilot project Tuesday that will require schoolchildren to take classes in religion or secular ethics. Lost and found in translation
Over a half-century has passed since IBM researchers proudly proclaimed that "Russian was translated into English by an electronic 'brain' today for the first time." In the interim, technology has advanced by leaps and bounds - man has walked on the moon and machines have beaten him at chess - and yet Russians studying English in our tech-savvy 21st century find that simple homework sentences can still come out gobbledygook when fed into a translating machine. Russia's Scientific Future Comment by Alexander Arkhangelsky
While the Idea of Developing Science at Universities Is a Sound One, State Officials' Way of Implementing It Is Inherently Flawed. Environment Russia to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2050
Russia pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% by 2050 on 1990 levels. "We are ready to make our contribution." Russia heads for energy efficiency
Russia is launching a programme to halve the country's energy consumption over the next decade, as European shops face a 2014 deadline for selling only the most energy efficient appliances. Putting a Spotlight on Russia's Role in Climate Control
President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia and leaders of various Russian districts gathered in Arkhangelsk, near the shores of the White Sea, to discuss the country's still-recovering economy and where energy — in all its manifestations — fits into the bigger picture. Health Russia's Medvedev praises Gorbachev's anti-alcohol campaign
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday praised the unpopular 1980s anti-alcohol campaign of the last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and suggested his own crusade could also introduce new restrictions. Russia's Medvedev Launches a New War on Drinking
Alcohol runs through Russia's veins and is ingrained in its culture. The last time someone tried to change that — former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev — his popularity plummeted. Russia Bracing for Spread of Dangerous TB Strains
Russia's severe tuberculosis problem is about to get much worse, increasing the risk that the dangerous drug-resistant strains that are common here will spread, causing outbreaks elsewhere, local health officials and other experts warn. Reindeer herders battle alcohol on Russia's edge
Seventy years of Soviet rule failed to subdue Russia's most isolated natives, but "perestroika" proved to be devastating. In the ensuing lawlessness, poachers decimated reindeer herds and unemployment was rife. Swine Flu An Excuse To Close the Borders
Freedom to travel abroad has come under serious threat, with Russia's public health chief Gennady Onishchenko proposing to ban Russian school trips to the U.K over fears of the children catching swine flu. Flu in a Teacup By Roland Oliphant
Gennady Onishchenko, Russia's Nosferatu-like chief medical officer, called for the Russian regions to consider restricting children's travel to the UK in order to prevent the spreading of swine flu. Opening Remarks at Meeting on Reducing Alcohol Consumption in Russia
You know just how serious a problem alcoholism has become for our country. Frankly speaking, it has taken on the proportions of a national disaster. According to the Healthcare and Social Development Ministry's statistics, per capita alcohol consumption in Russia – taking the whole population, including babies – now stands at 18 litres of pure alcohol a year. History Putin's Address to the Polish People on the Anniversery of the Nazi Invasion
We are already seventy years away from the tragedy that occurred on one dark day in the history of civilization - 1 September 1939 - the outbreak of the most disastrous and slaughterous war that Europe and the entire humanity have ever lived through. On Molotov-Ribbentrop, Different Wikipedias Tell Different Stories
Millions of people every day turn to it to get "just the facts" on everything from beekeeping to the battle of Austerlitz and beyond. But on controversial topics like the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, getting "just the facts" isn't so easy
Media. Molotov "Never Regretted"
Political scientist Vyacheslav Nikonov, head of the Russian World foundation and grandson of Vyacheslav Molotov, the Soviet foreign minister who signed the pre-war non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany, talks to correspondent Maria Frolova. USSR Had No Alternative To Pact With Germany In 1939
The former Soviet Union had no other choice but sign the non-aggression pact with Germany in August 1939, according to documents declassified by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service. Events mark Khrushchev's 1959 Iowa visit
Iowa briefly became the warmest spot in the Cold War 50 years ago, when a farmer from Coon Rapids and the leader of the Soviet Union talked corn and farm equipment. Nikita Khrushchev Goes to Hollywood
Fifty summers ago President Dwight Eisenhower, hoping to resolve a mounting crisis over the fate of Berlin, invited Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev to a summit meeting at Camp David. Re-Stalinization of a Moscow Subway Station
A central Moscow subway station reopened after a painstaking, yearlong restoration of its initial Stalin-era luster, complete with gilt-trimmed words of praise to the Soviet dictator spelled out around the vestibule's rotunda. Russians mark 5 years since Beslan school tragedy
Tuesday would have been Georgy Daurov's very first day of school. His mother, Svetlana, scoffed at the idea that the passage of time could ease the sorrow of losing her 2-year-old son five years ago in Russia's worst terrorist attack. Blaming Soviets for WWII a 'cynical lie'
Dmitry Medvedev's remarks were the latest salvo in Russia's bitter dispute with its neighbors over the war and its aftermath. The Kremlin has launched a campaign for universal acceptance of its portrayal of the Soviet Union as Europe's liberator. Philadelphia Commemorates First Russian Consul to U.S.
The Mid-Atlantic "Russia Business Council in cooperation with the City of Philadelphia will host an event commemorating the bicentennial of the first Russian Consulars arrival in the United States in Philadelphia. Remembering the Wall
Russians and Germans came together at the opening of a photography exhibition entitled "The Fall of the Berlin Wall" on the Manezh Square in central Moscow. Confusion over Leningrad station reflects rifts
Eighteen years after the city of St. Petersburg shed its Soviet-era name, Leningrad, the state railroad company said that the Leningrad railway station in Moscow would get its czarist-era name back. British academics protest after Russia closes down history website
A group of British academics including the historian Orlando Figes and the poet and translator Robert Chandler have spoken out after authorities in Russia closed down a website dealing with the country's controversial Soviet past. Media As Obama Visits, Russian TV Alters Take on U.S.
When Barack Obama and Dmitri A. Medvedev meet behind closed doors here on Monday, among those on tenterhooks will be the television commentator Mikhail V. Leontyev, who has built a career on his relentless hectoring of the West. Lost in Translation
The information front of the war between Russia and Georgia last year has been nearly as much talked about among international journalists as the war itself. Russia has criticized the Western press for painting a biased picture—one that is very sympathetic to Georgia. No Papering Over the Issue
Every second person I've discussed the future of newspapers with prefers reading text by folding pages ratherr than clicking with their mouse. I also prefer the whisper of paper to the clicking of a keypad. But according to the publishing statistics, those reading from paper will soon be in a minority. Public Opinion Russians See Few Problems in Relation with U.S.
People in Russia think bi-lateral relations with the United States are neither too friendly nor too hostile, according to a poll by the All-Russian Public Opinion Research Center. Russians Back Measures to Curb Drinking
Many people in Russia express support for introducing measures that would help tackle alcohol abuse. 63 per cent of respondents would support banning the sale of alcohol to people under the age of 21. Russian public opinion and the Georgia war
The anniversary of an event is a time to remember. In the case of the war that began in the Caucasus this time last year, on 8 August, we risk returning to it not in memory, but in reality. The pundits rate the likelihood of another war at 50%, or even 80%. Most Russians Dissatisfied With TV Programs
Most Russians are dissatisfied with TV programs saying there is too much violence and erotic, according to a poll held by the TSIRKON sociological service. Over 60 Per Cent Of Russians Happy With All Power Concentrated In Putin's Hands
Improved living standards and the revival of the country's economy have been Vladimir Putin's main achievements over the 10 years he has been in power - as prime minister, president and prime minister again - while a high level of corruption in the country has been his failure, people in Russia believe, according to an opinion poll. One In Five Russians Sees No Need For Political Opposition
Over half of the Russian citizens polled by sociologists - 57 per cent - believe there is a need for political opposition in Russia today. Russians' View Of Countries Posing Nuclear Threat Changes
During the last three years, the opinion of Russians about the countries which present a threat for Russia of the use of weapons of mass destruction has changed, sociologists' research shows. Religion Russian pagans from ancient cult greet solstice
Tambourine throbbing in hand, Velislav chants to gods whose cult has almost been obliterated by a millennium of Christianity in Russia. Medvedev Reaches Out to Islam
Russia's president suggests special youth programs and media coverage to increase tolerance. Russia's Top Mufti Set To Receive Cross From Medvedev
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's decision to award Mufti Ravil Gainutdin with the country's highest honor, the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, has caused something of a dilemma in Russia's Muslim community. Medvedev turns to Muslim clerics to counter radicals
President Dmitry Medvedev has urged Russia's top Muslim clerics to join forces to stop radical Islamist groups wooing young people in the turbulent North Caucasus. The Power Vertical: The Price Of Influence
What motivated United Russia and Patriarch Kirill I to reach an agreement giving the Russian Orthodox Church an unprecedented voice in the legislative work of the State Duma. Russia's Educational Perspective on Religion is Very Different from that of the United States or Europe
In Russian city of Tver a Catholic cathedral and an old Muslim mosque are standing literally across the street from each other. Christians and Muslims have lived side by side in Russia since the 16th century. Russian Orthodox leader urges end to Kiev split
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church on Tuesday urged a breakaway group in Ukraine to reunite with the powerful Moscow patriarchate, reaffirming his rejection of allowing an independent church in Kiev. Rebel cleric says Patriarch Kirill plots to merge Ukraine, Russia
The leader of the schismatic Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kiev Patriarchate has accused the Russian patriarch of pursuing a "political project" to deprive Ukraine of its sovereignty. Faith or Politics? The Russian Patriarch Ends Ukraine Visit
Patriarch Kirill, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, was greeted by a mixture of protests and celebrations during his 10-day visit to Kiev, known to Russians as the "mother of all Russian cities." Kirill's Visit Exposes Dangers in Moscow-Kiev Ties
Wittingly or not, a just-completed 10-day visit to Ukraine by Kirill I, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has exposed the dangers lurking in relations between Russia and Ukraine. Priests In Siberia Throw Shoulder Into Convincing Men To Pay Alimonies
Priests in the Krasnoyarsk territory in Siberia have thrown shoulder into an effort to rectify habits of the people whom the authorities list as fraudulent evaders of alimonies. An appeal to the Krasnoyarsk diocese to help clear out the situation with fraudulent evaders came from the service of court marshals. Science Going to Mars, but Staying Close to Home
After months sealed in an isolation chamber, participants in a simulated mission to Mars emerged into a muggy Moscow afternoon on Tuesday, completing what international scientists hope is a small step toward a staffed mission to the red planet. Russian Space Program Head on Future, Problems of Space Exploration, Mars
Excerpts from report by Boris Yevseyevich Chertok, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, at the 6th International Aerospace Congress in Moscow: "Main Problems of Cosmonautics." A New Space Race?
Russia plans to respond to new U.S. air and space defense technology with its own new technology. Russia still blue over moon landing 40 years later
When Neil Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the moon, it was a first for the Soviet Union — the first time the U.S. had beaten the U.S.S.R in the space race. Soviet Cosmonauts Recall Failed Bid To Beat U.S. To Moon
A full four years before an American flag was planted on the moon, Soviet cosmonaut Aleksei Leonov made headlines around the world when he became the first human to float in the vacuum of space. U.S. supercomputing lead rings Sputnik-like alarm for Russia
Russia's launch of Sputnik in 1957 triggered a crisis of confidence in the U.S. that helped drive the creation of a space program. Now, Russia is comparing the U.S.'s achievements in supercomputing with theirs, and they don't like what they see. Find out more! SRAS Travel Services
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