RFE/RL Russia Report
4/3/2012 7:06:59 PM
A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about domestic and foreign-policy developments in Russia.
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Kudrin's Game: The Man In The Middle
Kudrin is the man in the middle in Russian politics. He is something of a barometer and his actions merit watching as things move forward. More 
Circassian Political Dynasties Cross Swords In Karachayevo-Cherkessia
Just 13 months after his appointment as head of the Karachayevo-Cherkessia Republic (KChR), Rashid Temrezov is facing his first major domestic political challenge in the form of a standoff between the heads of two of the republic’s most powerful Circassian families. More 
Three In Four Russians Say, 'Navalny Who?'
According to a new poll, the vast majority of Russians think Aleksei Navalny, the pioneering anticorruption blogger and anti-Putin campaigner, is a nobody. Literally. More 
The Yaroslavl Precedent: Is An Opposition Victory A Sign Of Things To Come?
Was opposition candidate Yevgeny Urlashov's impressive win in Yaroslavl's mayoral election an exception? Or was it the latest indication that there is a groundswell of anti-Kremlin sentiment in the regions? More 
The Unraveling: The Tandem's Slow Death
Former Kremlin spin doctor Gleb Pavlovsky has been talking a lot lately about what really happened between Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev. More 
Chechen Separatist Leader Unfazed By Reported Murder Plot
British security services have reportedly uncovered a plot to assassinate exiled Chechen separatist leader Akhmed Zakayev in London. Britain's "Sunday Telegraph" reports that MI5 fears Chechnya's strongman leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, wants Zakayev killed. More 
Russian Officials Say Kids Should Watch Soviet Cartoons
Russian officials are calling on parents to show their children Soviet-era cartoons instead of Western television shows. More 
Romney To Russia: 'No. 1 Foe!' Russia To Romney: 'Pea-Brained!'
A new U.S. poll has found that 51 percent of Americans have a favorable view of Russia and just 2 percent consider Moscow to be Washington's arch enemy. That flies in the face of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's recent assertion that Russia is America's "No. 1 geopolitical foe." More 
Podcast: Friend Or Foe? America Through Russian Eyes
Friends? Foes? Partners? Rivals? Two decades after the end of the Cold War, how do Russians and Americans view each other and what does it mean for the future of relations between Moscow and Washington? More 
The Battle Of Yaroslavl: Opposition Candidate Aims For Mayor's Office
The struggle between the Kremlin and the opposition has gone local. The next front: The picturesque city of Yaroslavl, where maverick city council deputy Yevgeny Urlashov is favored to win the mayor's office in elections on April 1 with the support of a broad coalition of opposition groups. But as election day approaches, United Russia and the local elite is cranking up the administrative resources to maintain control. More 
Ingushetia Mulls Pre-Nuptial HIV Tests
If the president of Ingushetia has his way, couples in the small North Caucasus republic may soon have to take an HIV test before being able to tie the knot. More 
Photographer Documents 'Putin's Plates'
OpenSpace.ru asked an Italian photographer to write about the images he took of Vladimir Putin ahead of the election earlier this month. More 
Kabardino-Balkaria Insurgency Commander Killed
The Kabardino-Balkaria-Karachai (KBK) wing of the North Caucasus insurgency has confirmed that the fighter killed two days ago in a special operation in Nalchik was Alim Zankishiyev (nom de guerre Ubaydullakh). He is the third KBK sector commander to be killed in the past two years, and the third regional insurgency commander to be killed so far this year. More 
Russian Foreign Policy Expert Discusses Achievements, Future Of BRICS
The leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa continue talks in New Delhi at the annual BRICS summit. RFE/RL Russian Service correspondent Svetlana Pavlova spoke with Fyodor Lukyanov, the editor of "Russia In Global Affairs" and a leading Russian foreign-policy expert, about how the bloc fared under Dmitry Medvedev's presidency and what might lie ahead as Vladimir Putin returns to the Kremlin in May. More 
Game Show Shocker Raises Questions About Holocaust Education
The inability of two provincial Russian girls to answer the question, "What was the Holocaust?" on a television game show has once again raised questions about the state of Holocaust education in Russia. Given scant attention in Soviet times, Holocaust education has made only slow and uneven strides in the last 20 years. More 
The Khodorkovsky Endgame
Are the Russian authorities really considering a pardon for Mikhail Khodorkovsky? The markets sure seem to think so. More 
News Flash: Medvedev's Cat Not Missing
Russian cat lovers may have been dismayed to learn that Dorofei, President Dmitry Medvedev's cat, had run away from home. The story, which turned out to be an early April Fool's prank, delighted the Twitter community and even earned a comment from the tweeting president himself. More 
Soviet Space Program Had A Ball Spreading Propaganda On The Moon
Coming two years after the Soviet triumph of "Sputnik 1" and in a flurry of Soviet successes in the space race at the height of the Cold War, the "Luna 2" certainly left its mark on the Moon. But it also left these bizarre medallions scattered around the lunar surface, too. More 
The Untouchable: Tatar Interior Minister In Spotlight As Police Abuse Scandal Grows
A crusading cop who crushed the mob? Or the man who made torture standard police practice? More 
Russian Redhead Puts 'The Hunger Games' To Shame
Even Katniss Everdeen, the bow-wielding heroine of the hugely successful Hollywood blockbuster "The Hunger Games," cannot hold a candle to real-life Russian archer Iza Privezenceva. More 
Repeat Presidential Election In South Ossetia Inconclusive
As anticipated, none of the four candidates in the March 25 repeat election for de facto president of Georgia's unrecognized region of South Ossetia polled the 50 percent plus one vote required for a clear first-round win. A runoff has accordingly been scheduled for April 8 between opposition-backed candidate Leonid Tibilov, who polled 42.48 percent of the vote, and human rights ombudsman David Sanakoyev, who finished second with 24.58 percent. More |
