RFE/RL Russia Report
6/21/2011 5:04:56 PM
A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about domestic and foreign-policy developments in Russia.
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New Finnish Government Could Reshape EU Neighborhood Policy
Finland has finally announced its new six-party coalition government after months of negotiations. The Euroskeptic True Finns party was left out, but two appointments to the new government might nonetheless have an impact on how the European Union is run. More 
Siberians Protest 'Illegal' Utility Fees
Some 2,000 people have attended a demonstration in the southeastern Russian city of Rubtsovsk against the growing number of utility fees they are being charged. More 
Yelena Bonner: 'It Is Time To Say Goodbye'
It often happens that even when you try to prepare yourself for something tragic and inevitable, you find yourself completely unprepared when it actually occurs. That is what happened to me when I heard the news of the passing of Yelena Bonner. More 
Russian Dissident Yelena Bonner Dies
Prominent Soviet-era Russian dissident Yelena Bonner passed away on June 18 at the age of 88. Following a memorial service in the United States, Bonner will be buried alongside her husband and parents in Moscow's Vostryakovskoye Cemetery. More 
Russia Releases Fugitive Wanted In Kyrgyzstan
An associate of ousted Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev's son who was arrested in Moscow last week has reportedly been released while his extradition to Kyrgyzstan is being considered. More
Russian Officials Investigate Kyrgyz-Uzbek Clash In Siberia
The municipal authorities in central Russia have launched an investigation into a fight this week between several migrant workers from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. More 
Russian Energy Giants Invest In Armenia
Armenian officials say Russian energy companies have pledged to invest a total of 26.7 billion drams ($71.2 million) in the natural gas and electricity distribution networks they own in Armenia in 2011. More 
Medvedev Talks Reform In St. Petersburg
Get ready for another round of frenzied -- and flawed -- speculation about discord in Russia's ruling tandem. More 
Putin’s New Photographer A Picturesque Choice
Picture this: Vladimir Putin, the most powerful man in Russia, lets his eye wander in the direction of a volumptuous, plump-lipped former Miss Moscow participant. More 
Podcast: Belarus Sinks Deeper; Top Obama Adviser Talks Russia; Plus, 'You Singin' To Me?' -- Uzbek Taxi Driver Serenades Chicago
On this week's show, the deepening financial crisis in Belarus, an interview with U.S. President Barack Obama's top Russia adviser, and a Chicago cab driver who sings for his fares -- in Uzbek. More 
Moscow Mayor Initiates Anti-Xenophobia Campaign
Moscow appears to shift gears in the battle against racism with the launch of a new anti-xenophobia program. Is the new mayor really ready to take on racism? More 
Russia Probes Bizarre Soldier Deaths
On June 9, three dead soldiers were found in a fuel tanker at the military unit in Kinel, which is in Samara Oblast. It is unclear how the soldiers' bodies ended up in the tanker. The bodies have been sent for forensic examination. More 
Russian Ultranationalists Get Life
A major leader of ultranationalist groups in St. Petersburg and another member have been sentenced to life imprisonment for their roles in a series of murders of foreigners. More 
In U.S.-Russia Dialogue On Human Rights, A Tougher Tone Comes Through
In an interview with RFE/RL, U.S. President Barack Obama's top Russia adviser, Michael McFaul, gives his take on the latest session of the U.S.-Russia dialogue on human rights in Washington earlier this month. More The Primorye regional court in Vladivostok ruled that five local men -- two of them former policemen -- killed seven people in order to illegally gain possession of their homes. More Memorial Human Rights Center leader Oleg Orlov has been found not guilty of insulting Chechen Republic head Ramzan Kadyrov. More 
Medvedev To Karimov -- Leave Office Voluntarily
Title sounds far-fetched, eh? But that is what a broadcast on Russia's "Kommersant FM" radio said on June 14. The radio station interviewed Sergei Zatsepilov, the general director of the "For a Just Foreign Policy" center. More A Russian military expert says the military honors performed at the funeral today of convicted murderer and former Russian Army Colonel Yury Budanov violate the law. More 
Legendary Russian Animation Studio Marks 75th Anniversary In Crisis
Top employees at Soyuzmultfilm, Russia's oldest animation studio, have appealed to the Russian government for help as the company marks it 75th anniversary. More |
