Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

RFE/RL Russia Report 28.08.2012 A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about domestic and foreign-policy developments in Russia. For more stories on Afghanistan, please visit and bookmark our Afghanistan page .

 

Violence Rocks Restive Russian Republic Two violent incidents have shaken the Russian Caucasus republic of Daghestan. One of its leading Islamic clerics was killed by a suicide bomber on August 28. In a separate incident on the same day, a border guard shot several soldiers dead before being killed himself. More   Daghestan Suicide Bomber Kills Venerated Sufi Sheikh The killing on August 28 by a woman suicide bomber at his home of Sheikh Said-Afandi Chirkeisky will almost certainly take the spiraling violence and anarchy in Daghestan to a new level. More   Pussy Riot: 'We're Stronger Than the State' Lawyers for the Russian protest group Pussy Riot have appealed the hooliganism verdict and two-year sentence of band members Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, and Yekaterina Samutsevich for their February performance in Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral. But what about the remaining Pussy Riot members? Have their tactics changed? RFE/RL speaks to three anonymous members of the protest group in Moscow. More   Putin's Bling A new report by Russian opposition leaders accuses President Vladimir Putin of enjoying a lifestyle that "can be compared to that of a Persian Gulf monarch or a flamboyant oligarch." More   Report Says Luxury Perks Pile Up For Putin A new report by Russian opposition leaders accuses President Vladimir Putin of enjoying a lifestyle that "can be compared to that of a Persian Gulf monarch or a flamboyant oligarch." More   Judge Veklich's Rebellion A Moscow judge's decision to acquit Garry Kasparov last week illustrates that splits at the top of Russia's ruling elite are trickling down. More   Does This Russian City Have The Worst Wheelchair Access Ever? A disabled-rights campaigner in Tatarstan is suing the authorities in the Russian republic over what he sees as subpar access rights for disabled people. And by the looks of some of the photos he's provided, he has a point. More   Woman Says Ingush Suicide Bomber Was Not Her Son The website Chechenews has posted a statement in which the mother of the man identified as having killed seven police officers at a funeral in the Ingushetian village of Sagopshi one week ago says the suicide bomber was not her son. More   Umarov Names New Commander Of Insurgency In Daghestan Six months after the death of Ibragimkhalil Daudov (Amir Salikh), self-styled Caucasus Emirate head Doku Umarov has issued a formal decree naming Daudov’s first deputy, Rustam Asildarov (Amir Abu Mukhammad), to succeed him as head of the Daghestan wing of the North Caucasus insurgency. More   Why Did ‘Izvestia’ Seek To Compromise South Ossetian Leader? On August 14, the Russian daily “Izvestia” quoted Leonid Tibilov, de facto president of Georgia’s breakaway republic of South Ossetia, as saying that several formerly Georgian-populated villages to the north of Tskhinvali will be demolished to allow for the construction of an industrial and agricultural zone. More   Former New York Mayor 'Delighted' By Pussy Riot Verdict The Russian justice system got a show of support this week from an unlikely source -- former New York Mayor Ed Koch, who said the hooliganism verdict handed down last week to Pussy Riot's Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, and Yekaterina Samutsevich was "just and to be applauded." More   Ingush Insurgents Admit Suicide Bomber Targeted The Wrong Victims The commanders of the Ingushetia wing of the North Caucasus insurgency have admitted that the fighter who blew himself up at a funeral in the village of Sagopshi on August 19 for a police officer killed the previous day failed to realize that the police who came to pay their respects to their slain colleague were not the members of the Malgobek municipal police whom he was tasked to kill. More   Podcast: Russia's 'Culture Wars' In this week's edition of the Power Vertical podcast, Brian Whitmore and Kirill Kobrin discuss Russia's cultural wars and the emerging schism in society. More   Moscow Dismisses Pussy Riot Criticism Russia's Foreign Ministry has denounced international criticism of the trial of three members of the feminist punk performance-art group Pussy Riot as "politically motivated," saying there were "elements of a clash of civilizations" in Western condemnation. More   Kadyrov Plays The 'Vainakh' Card Predictably, Chechen Republic head Ramzan Kadyrov has used the August 19 suicide bomb attack in Ingushetia’s Malgobek Raion as ammunition in his ongoing private feud with his Ingushetian counterpart, Yunus-Bek Yevkurov. More   Accused Killer Of Chechen War Veteran Beaten In Custody A suspect in the high-profile murder of Russian Colonel Yury Budanov has reportedly been beaten while in custody. More