Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

RFE/RL Russia Report 4/12/2011 8:08:26 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 .

 

Toward Putinism Lite Igor Sechin's departure from Rosneft and Medvedev's hints that he will seek a second term point to where Russia may be headed -- Putinism Lite. More   Putin Visit To Test Ukraine's Resolve On EU Trade Talks Russia's prime minister is making a surprise visit to Kyiv, just days after Ukraine's president proclaimed a two-track policy of negotiating an association agreement with the European Union while simultaneously seeking closer relations with the Moscow-led customs union of Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. More   Gagarin Anniversary Commemorated Celebrations are being held today to mark the 50th anniversary of the first human spaceflight -- a 108-minute orbit of the Earth by Soviet cosmonaut Yury Gagarin. More   As Russia Celebrates Gagarin's Flight, Space Program Comes Under Fire Delayed launches, rocket crashes, and missing satellites are just a few of the mishaps plaguing Russia's space program. Can attention surrounding the 50th anniversary of Yury Gagarin's historic 1961 space flight revive the once-storied program's fortunes? More   50 Years Since World Star-Struck By Space Pioneer Gagarin Fifty years ago, Soviet cosmonaut Yury Gagarin became the first human to travel into space. The flight was a triumph for the Soviet Union in its space race against the United States and propelled the young Gagarin to global fame. More   Gagarin: 'A Great Soviet Hero Who Easily Crossed Into Being A Great Russian Hero' Fifty years ago this week, Soviet cosmonaut Yury Gagarin blasted off into space, becoming an overnight star. Thereafter, the Kremlin scripted most of what was written about him. Writer and filmmaker Jamie Doran, in a new biography co-authored with Piers Bizony and titled "Starman: The Truth Behind The Legend of Yuri Gagarin," explores the man behind the official facade. More   Even After All These Years, Gagarin Has The Right Stuff Everyone loved Yury Gagarin, even the dormitory wise guys who, during that time of Nikita Khrushchev’s thaw before he retreated from it when Francis Gary Powers’ U2 was shot down, made fun of everything they could think of. More   Poland Marks Crash Anniversary Poland has marked one year since a devastating plane crash in Russia killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski and dozens of high-ranking Polish politicians. Memorials were held throughout the country, including an official ceremony at a Warsaw cemetery and an informal gathering outside the presidential palace. But the ceremonies have been overshadowed by an argument with Russia over the replacement of a plaque at the crash site in Smolensk. More   Defendant Implicates Chechen Resistance Commander In Vienna Killing Suleiman Dadayev, one of three Chechens currently on trial in Vienna as accessories to the murder two years ago of Chechen refugee Umar Israilov, has recently changed his testimony. More   Gagarin: A Cosmic Success For Russian Public Diplomacy At the opening of the UN photo exhibition in New York celebrating Yuri Gagarin’s groundbreaking flight in space, people could feel the pride and jubilation of Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Vitaly Churkin. More   Russia's Star On Rise Again In Kyrgyzstan In the year since President Kurmanbek Bakiev's overthrow in April 2010, a series of events has provided Russia with opportunities to reassert its presence and keep the Kyrgyz government deeply in the Kremlin's debt. More   North Caucasus Insurgency Leader Still Alive Self-styled North Caucasus emirate leader Doku Umarov has telephoned RFE/RL to lay to rest persistent rumors that he was one of the militants killed in a Russian air strike on March 28 on a base in the west of Ingushetia. More   Medvedev Comes Into His Own What has gotten into Dmitry Medvedev? In just over two weeks he has slapped down Vladimir Putin for comments critical of the international military campaign in Libya, ordered government officials to give up their posts on corporate boards, and fired dozens of senior police generals. More   On The Verge Of Economic Disaster, Minsk Turns To Moscow Belarus's economy is teetering on the brink and Minsk's relations with the West have soured following a deeply flawed presidential election last December and the ensuing crackdown on the opposition. This gives Minsk no choice but to ask Russia for a bailout. More   Anarchist Art Gang Angers Russian Authorities With Provocative Antistate Antics Among the more than 100 people arrested during opposition protests in St. Petersburg last week, a few were singled out for especially harsh treatment. It marks the second time in under a month that anarchist art collective Voina was targeted by police in what members describe as a coordinated effort to stamp out their provocative brand of street art. More   Interview: Film Director Peter Weir On 'The Way Back' Peter Weir is Australia's most acclaimed film director. His most recent release, "The Way Back," traces the purportedly true journey of prisoners who escaped from the Siberian gulag and made it to India. He spoke with RFE/RL about his research of the gulag, his political reawakening, and how audiences are reacting to the film. More