 RFE/RL Russia Report 7/13/2010 7:56:56 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 . |
 Belarus's President Prepares The Next Act Plot closure is a sign of the highest mastery in dramaturgy. And in this regard, Ilya Milshtein argues, Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka is a first-class talent. More  Russian Streets Paved With $100 Bills! Or... "Russian Esquire" has calculated that it would be cheaper to build the new Sochi-Adler highway -- which is being built ahead of the 2014 Olympics -- out of $100 bills or oysters or foi gras than it would to build it under the current budget. More  Daghestan Rights Activists Not Convinced Arrested Women Planned Suicide Bombings Russia's National Counterterrorism Committee (NAK) reported on July 12 the arrest in Makhachkala of six women it identified as potential suicide bombers, and two men believed to be their handlers. The Russian daily "Kommersant," however, today quoted a Daghestan human rights activist as questioning whether the women indeed intended to commit acts of terrorism. More  Wiesel 'Pleads' With Russian Government For Khodorkovsky's Freedom Nobel Peace laureate Elie Wiesel has launched a global campaign to free imprisoned Russian oil magnate Mikhail Khodorkovsky, whom he calls a "political prisoner." RFE/RL Russian Service correspondent Elena Vlasenko spoke to Wiesel about the case and the state of human rights in Russia. More  Let The Spy Games Begin! Why was Russia so eager to resolve the spy scandal so quickly and amicably? Much of the commentary has focused on the fact that a critical mass of the Kremlin elite sees a lot of value in improved relations with the United States and did not want to damage the reset. But is there more to it than that? More  Top U.S. Human Rights Diplomat: 'Democracy Takes Time' Following Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's trip last week to Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus, RFE/RL’s Washington correspondent Heather Maher asked Michael Posner, the top U.S. diplomat for human rights and democracy, for an assessment of what Clinton accomplished and of the rights situation throughout the region as a whole. More According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, you first have to calculate the inflation rate. More  Why The Russia Spy Story Really Matters Dismissing the latest spy scandal as indication the Russians are ineffectually still fighting the Cold War is to miss the big picture. In fact, Moscow is skillfully advancing its interests in the West, not through intelligence but business, often supported by crafty industrial espionage, influence-buying, and under-the-table deal-making. More  Interview: Sutyagin's Father Says News Of Exchange Was 'Like A Cold Shower' Former arms-control researcher Igor Sutyagin is one of the four Russian prisoners being exchanged for 10 suspected members of a Russian spy ring. Earlier this week, Sutyagin was transferred from a remote penal colony near the Arctic Circle to Moscow's Lefortovo prison before being exchanged for the Russian agents. RFE/RL asked Sutyagin's father, Vyacheslav, about his son. More  Is Lukashenka In The Kremlin's Crosshairs? The Kremlin, it appears, has put Alyaksandr Lukashenka on notice. On July 4, the Gazprom-owned television station NTV broadcast an unflattering documentary about the authoritarian Belarusian leader and erstwhile Moscow ally. More  Russian Entrepreneurs On Edge Over Spiraling Police 'Repression' Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed new legislation in April prohibiting the pretrial detention of suspects accused of economic crimes. But the move provides little relief to the country's entrepreneurs, who say racketeering and bribery by law enforcement are out of control. More  Chechnya's Kadyrov Urges Militants To Surrender Chechen Republic head Ramzan Kadyrov has announced that effective immediately, any militants who wish to lay down their arms and return to civilian life may inform law enforcement agencies via their families of their desire to do so. More |
