 RFE/RL Russia Report 5/5/2010 7:44:01 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 . |
 South Ossetian Leader In Russia The leader of the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia was in Moscow to discuss Russian assistance on reconstruction and infrastructure projects. More  Stalin Ads Allowed In St. Petersburg, Anti-Stalin Ads Not A public bus in St. Petersburg drove its route today adorned with an advertisement that includes a portrait of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. More Ria-Novosti has posted a fun infographic on Russia's "Military Hardware To Take Part In V-E Day Parade" on May 9. More  Moscow Duma OKs Contentious Plan The Moscow City Duma has approved in a third and final reading a controversial 15-year development plan for the Russian capital. More  Critics Say Moscow's New Construction Plan A 'Death Sentence' Sofia, an 89-year-old pensioner, lives in Moscow's historic Chistye Prudy neighborhood in the center of the capital. It's one of the best-preserved quarters in the city. More  NPT Review 'A Little Unwieldy' For Goals UN headquarters is set to stage the opening of the 2010 nuclear Nonoroliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference, with an eye toward building upon the foundations of the 189-signatory treaty. Even before the opening ceremonies begin today, however, an expected speech by Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has the issue of Iran's contentious nuclear program stealing the spotlight. On the eve of this year's review, Henry Sokolski, executive director of the Washington-based Nonproliferation Policy Education Center, speaks about this and other key issues. RFE/RL correspondent Nikola Krastev reports. More  ‘Predators Of The Press’ List Released The media-freedom group Reporters Without Borders has released an updated list of enemies of the press to mark World Press Freedom Day. More  May Day Protests In Greece, Russia Thousands of people across the world marked international Labor Day, as Russia's opposition staged a rare street rally in Moscow and Greece saw massive demonstrations against the government's austerity plan to deal with the country's dramatic debt crisis. More  (Downloadable) Russian War Games On April 29, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called on the country's computer game industry to boost its activity. More  Fifty Years Later, Gary Powers and U-2 Spy Plane Incident Remembered It has been five decades since American pilot Francis Gary Powers' U-2 spy plane was shot down during a reconnaissance mission over Soviet airspace on May 1, 1960. Powers was convicted of espionage against the Soviet Union and sentenced to 10 years in jail. He was released after less than two years, but the incident is seen as setting back negotiations between the U.S. and Soviet leadership at the height of the Cold War. On the 50th anniversary of the U-2 incident, Vladimir Abarinov of RFE/RL's Russian Service speaks to Powers' son. More  The EU's Imperial Understretch While there is no question its gospel of reform is well-meant, the European Union seems utterly oblivious to the fundamental paradox at the heart of its neighborhood policy -- that what it does presupposes a stability that can only be secured by radically different means. More  Amid Protests, Stalin Posters Pulled From V-Day Celebrations In Moscow Lavish celebrations planned in Moscow marking the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II have been overshadowed by a controversy over whether to display posters of Soviet wartime leader Josef Stalin. More  Putin As The Most Interesting Man In The Arctic Not only does this report have good footage of Russian Prime Minister VladimirPutin with a polar bear, but it is amazingly frank about the ways Russia has polluted the Arctic. More  For Yanukovych, A Fleet-Footed Dash To Repair Russia Divide Viktor Yanukovych may have been in office only two months, but the Ukrainian president is already moving at breathtaking speed to realign his country with Russia. More  N. Ossetian President Reconfirmed For Second Term While there is no serious challenge to incumbent North Caucasus President Taymuraz Mamsurov's authority, in light of prevailing political and economic trends across the North Caucasus his second term in office may prove more difficult than the first. More  Russian Firm Denies 'Club-K' Missiles Could Be Used By Terrorists A Russian defense manufacturer is marketing a highly mobile missile system that could be hidden in a standard cargo container, but has downplayed concerns that such an easily concealed weapon could become a tool of terrorists. More  Press Freedom Suffered More Setbacks In 2009, New Report Shows 2009 saw declines in press freedom across the globe, continuing an eight-year slide. That's according to a report by Freedom House, a Washington-based NGO. Last year, the report says, repressive governments continued to stamp out dissent, crimes against journalists went unpunished, and state attempts to control Internet use intensified. More  Interview: Crimean Tatar Leader Attacks Ukraine's Black Sea Fleet Deal On April 27, the Russian and Ukrainian parliaments ratified an agreement to extend Russia's lease of the Crimean port of Sevastopol for its Black Sea Fleet until 2042. Mustafa Dzhemilev, chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatars, spoke with RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir Service about the new Russian-Ukrainian deal. More  Interview: 'The Only Politically Acceptable Explanation Is To Blame Polish Pilots' RFE/RL Georgian Service correspondent Nino Gelashvili talked to political expert Przemyslaw Zurawski vel Grajewski of the Natolin European Center in Warsaw and the University of Lodz about the emerging political situation in Poland. More  Russia Launches Full-Court Press For Energy Projects In Europe Last year's global economic crisis may have slowed Russia's progress in pushing new energy projects in the lucrative European market. But those days appear to be coming to an end. More |
