RFE/RL Russia Report
22.05.2012
A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about domestic and foreign-policy developments in Russia.
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Musical Chairs In The Kremlin
After two days of cabinet and Kremlin appointments, very little has actually changed. Can Vladimir Putin turn the clock back in today's hypercharged political environment? More 
Russia Burns Its Fingers In E-Reader Joint Venture
Did the Russian state buy a lemon when it piled $200 million into an entrepreneurial e-reader project? More 
Duma OKs Higher Fine For Protesters
Russian lawmakers are expected to vote on a bill that would dramatically boost fines on protesters for participating in unsanctioned demonstrations. More 
Chechen Leader Restructures His Government
Chechen Republic head Ramzan Kadyrov has restructured the government hierarchy, naming an obscure deputy prime minister as premier. More 
The Key Players In Russia's New Government
Russian President Vladimir Putin presented Russia's new cabinet on May 21 after weeks of intense speculation. Putin appears to have kept loyalists in key posts, which may block any reformist agenda. Some longtime stalwarts, like Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, hold onto their posts. More 
May 19 saw hundreds of artists wheeling their works through the streets of Moscow, in an allegorical protest against the authorities following disputed parliamentary and presidential elections. (RFE/RL’s Russian Service) More 
The Birthrate Of A Nation: Karimov Comments Censored Back Home
They were comments apparently too hot even for his own country's state-controlled media to handle. During a visit to Moscow last week, Uzbek President Islam Karimov met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which the topic of population growth and family planning came up. More 
Tajikistan Gives Thumbs-Down To 'Dictator'
The head of Tajikistan's leading film-distribution company says "The Dictator," the new satire from comedian and actor Sacha Baron Cohen, won't be shown in Tajik cinemas. More 
NATO Unveils 'Working' European Missile Shield At Chicago Summit
NATO announces at the close of the first day of a major summit in Chicago that its long-planned European missile shield is up and running, with a basic capability to shoot down incoming missiles. Day two will be devoted mostly to an exit strategy in Afghanistan. More 
NATO Gathers To Discuss Afghanistan, Missile Defense, And Its Own Future
NATO leaders meet in Chicago this weekend for a summit that will focus largely on the alliance's combat-force withdrawal from Afghanistan and its postmilitary role. But contentious plans for a European missile-defense system and the alliance's future vision will also be up for discussion. More 
European Missile Defense: What's On The Table At NATO Summit?
Despite increasingly vociferous objections from Russia, this weekend's NATO summit will announce the next steps in European missile defense, including an "interim capability" that is being hailed as the first step toward fully protecting NATO populations from limited missile attacks. More 
Podcast: Street Politics And Kremlin Intrigues
In this week's Power Vertical podcast we discuss the politics of the street and the machinations in the Kremlin -- and how they intersect. More 
Russian Opposition 'Likes' Facebook
The social-networking site Facebook has been slow to take off in Russia, lagging far behind the more popular local sites like Vkontakte and Odnoklassniki. But in recent months, it has grown more than threefold and become the platform of choice for the country's reenergized opposition. More |
