RFE/RL RUSSIA REPORT
19.06.2012
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 . |
 Could Corruption Scandal Bring Down Kabardino-Balkaria Leader? Three prominent Kabardino-Balkaria Republic (KBR) officials, two of them cousins of KBR head Arsen Kanokov, were formally charged by a Moscow court last week with fraud in connection with the sale, allegedly at a knockdown price, of the philharmonia building in Nalchik. More  Explainer: Why Is Access To Syria's Port At Tartus So Important To Moscow? More than its weapons sales to the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Russia's greatest strategic and geopolitical interest in Syria is the use of a deep-water port at Tartus. More  U.S. Senate Panel Delays Magnitsky Vote A key U.S. Senate panel has postponed its vote on a bill that seeks to sanction Russian officials connected to the prison death of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky.More  The Importance Of Judo For Vladimir Putin Judo has always been more than a sport for Russian President Vladimir Putin. More  'Minsk' Statement On Karabakh The United States, France, and Russia have issued a joint statement calling on Armenia and Azerbaijan to take "decisive steps" to resolve the long-running conflict over the Azerbaijani separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh. More  Ksenia And Vladimir It was long assumed that Ksenia Sobchak enjoyed the protection of Vladimir Putin, despite her opposition activities. No longer. More  Protesters Picket Moscow Investigators At least four people have been detained in Moscow outside the building of Russia's Investigative Committee, after activists started what they call an "Occupy the Investigative Committee" campaign. More  Russian Musicians Sing Against Putin In 'White Album' A collection of songs against the regime of Vladimir Putin has been released online to support the antigovernment protest movement that has rocked Moscow and other big Russian cities. The "White Album" features songs by famous singers as well as amateur musicians weary of Putin's 12-year rule. More  Report Of Thwarted Bid To Assassinate Chechen Leader Fails To Convince A report that Chechen police killed two insurgents dispatched by self-styled Caucasus Emirate leader Doku Umarov to Grozny to assassinate Chechen Republic head Ramzan Kadyrov is less than convincing, for several reasons. More  Podcast: Russia's Wild, Wild Week Agents search the apartments of leading opposition figures, tens of thousands take to the streets in Moscow, and a top law-enforcement official gets involved in a noisy scandal. "The Power Vertical Podcast" looks at Russia's wild week. More  Strasbourg Seeks To Limit Russia Cases, But Rights-Watchers Say That's A Good Thing The Russian media has sought to portray new guidelines to cut down on the number of cases filed from countries like Russia as a failure of the European Court of Human Rights. But lawyers and observers close to the court say the new rules will make it easier for important rights cases to be brought to trial quickly and efficiently. More  No Kremlin Reaction To Bastrykin Case There has been no public response from the Kremlin so far to the admission by Russia's top investigator that he made a death threat to an independent journalist.More  Siloviki Run Wild Investigative Committee chief Aleksandr Bastrykin has finally spoken. And all around him, the plot is thickening. What's behind the "forest scandal"? More  Russia: 9,000 Illegal Georgians Russia's Federal Migration Service said there are more than 9,000 Georgian citizens currently on Russian territory illegally. More  'In Russia, Police Obeys You' While Russia's police force is not known as the most gentle or subtle, in this video posted on the web they appear to at least be responsive to citizens' concerns.More  Russia's Criminal Vertical -- The Sequel The Criminal Vertical - A twisted tale of bent cops, corrupt politicians, gangsters, and the journalist who tried to expose them. More  Russian Newspaper Editor Accuses Top Investigator Of Threatening Deputy's Life The chief editor of the independent "Novaya gazeta" newspaper has accused the head of Russia's federal Investigative Committee of threatening the life of one of his top editors. More  Russian, Polish Supporters Clash In Warsaw  At the Euro 2012 football championships, Russia and Poland played to a 1-1 tie in their Group A game in the Polish capital, Warsaw, in a match tainted by clashes between supporters before play began. Overall, 15 were reported injured while more than 140 people were detained after clashes. More |
