 RFE/RL Russia Report 3/17/2010 5:23:09 PM A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about domestic and foreign-policy developments in Russia. For more stories on Russia, please visit and bookmark our Russia page . |
 Ruling Party Blues Did the Kremlin get the results it wanted in last weekend's regional elections? Or did internal divisions undermine United Russia's prospects? More  Chechen Ex-President Gets Prison Job Former Chechen President Alu Alkhanov has been temporarily placed in charge of Russia's beleaguered penitentiary system, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports. More  The Biggest Western Pop Stars Behind The Iron Curtain The Swedish pop quartet ABBA, hugely popular during the 1970s and 1980s, has just been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At the height of its fame, ABBA found what may have been its most enthusiastic audience behind the Iron Curtain. More  Opposition To Take Anti-Putin Protest To The Streets Supporters of an online petition calling for the removal of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin plan to stage an unsanctioned rally this evening in Moscow under the slogan "Putin Must Go." More Russians are slightly up in arms about this French commercial. More  Another Look At Kaliningrad Gazeta.ru today published a nice little analysis of the problems of small and medium-size business owners in Kaliningrad. The goal of the piece is to lay out the real reasons for the large demonstration that took place in the exclave in December and which many took as a sign that the endless patience of the Russian people was nearing its end. More  Sochi Olympic Project Hits Labor, Environmental Snags The UN is expected to issue a report charging that Moscow has ignored environmental concerns as it prepares to host the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. At the same time, the project has been rocked by complaints that workers are not being paid regularly and are being forced to live in unsanitary conditions. More  Hopes Raised Anew About Future Of Nabucco Gas Pipeline Project The EU-backed Nabucco natural gas pipeline has experienced a roller-coaster ride in recent years. At times it appeared the project was close to being scrapped, but shareholders have steadfastly maintained Nabucco is a viable way to deliver non-Russian natural gas to Europe. Several events at the start of this month have again raised hopes about the project. More A glamorous blue-blood will marry her Russian oligarch fiance later this year, capping a fairy-tale romance. More  Victory In Defeat If the regional elections in Russia had been normal elections, the results would be easy to interpret. The ruling United Russia party lost about 20 percentage points of support more or less across the board, despite the kinds of gross election violations that have become the norm. Many analysts, including the astute Aleksandr Kynev, interpreted the outcome as “catastrophic” for the ruling party and a sign of a “fundamental” shift in the public mood. More  Regional Elections Give Russia's Ruling Party Food For Thought Heavily managed regional and local elections in 76 of Russia's 83 federation subjects have given the vast majority of mandates to the ruling United Russia party. However, support for the party in percentage terms declined compared to similar polls last October, with the party polling over 50 percent in just four of the eight regions electing regional legislatures. More  Kadyrov Seeks To Expel Illegal Migrants And Russian Police In recent days Ramzan Kadyrov has proposed two new moves to reduce to a minimum the number of non-Chechens in Chechnya. More  Russia's Motor City Fights For Survival As Moscow launched its own "cash-for-clunkers" program this week, it was aimed squarely at bolstering Russia's automotive leader, AvtoVAZ. The Lada manufacturer employs over 100,000 people and has hovered near bankruptcy since Russian car sales plunged last year. More  March 11, 1985 -- A Promise Of Communist Spring This day in 1985 marked the ascent to power in the Soviet Union of Mikhail Gorbachev, a man who would set in motion a chain of events ending in the collapse of Communism. More  The Anti-Putin Manifesto Increasingly, battle lines are being drawn in Russia. Yesterday, an online petition appeared calling for Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's removal from power and it has been signed by virtually all active members of the Russian political opposition and a growing rank of ordinary citizens. More  Gorbachev's Legacy Examined A quarter of a century ago, Mikhail Gorbachev began ushering in an era of change that still reverberates today. More  'Forbes': Number Of New Billionaires Reflects Global Recovery "Forbes" magazine's list of the world's billionaires mirrors the global financial recovery. It includes 62 Russians -- nearly twice as many as last year -- most of whom are returning after being knocked off during the economic crisis. More Tide Of Protest Engulfs More Russian Cities Penza has become the latest Russian city to join the tide of protests that has swept the country in recent months. Some 2,000 people gathered in the central Russian city to protest low pay, surging prices, and an ineffectual local government. More  Some Money Stinks As Brian Whitmore noted yesterday, some people in Russia’s arts community are taking some brave public stands against the authorities. Rocker Aleksei Shevchuk ended his concert tirade with a strong appeal for action: “Everything depends on you. The type of song you sing determines what kind of country we will have. Everything is in your hands, guys.” More  EU Enlargement Chief Tackles Balkans, Moldova, Eastern Neighbors, And 'Elephant In The Room' Stefan Fule, the new EU commissioner for enlargement and the European Neighborhood Policy, says the European Union is looking to keep its relations with neighbors on a pragmatic footing. Fule also recommends pragmatism to the EU's neighbors in their relations with Russia, but says the countries must remain free in choosing their own future. In an interview with RFE/RL's Brussels correspondent, Ahto Lobjakas, the commissioner also said the EU would not accept the emergence of any new states in the Balkans. More |
