Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

RFE/RL Russia Report 02.10.2012 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 .

 

PACE Blasts Russia Politics Russia came under harsh criticism in a number of areas as the Council of Europe discussed the political situation in the country at a session on October 2. More   The 'Other Russia's' Choice On October 21-22, the Other Russia will have its coming-out party. More   Chechen Leader Kadyrov Is One Proud Father The Chechen leader, Ramzan Kadyrov is one proud father and he is not afraid to tell the world about it. More   Mom Says Magnitsky 'Tortured To Death' The mother of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky says the administration of a Moscow detention center created "torture conditions" that killed her son while he was in custody. More   Russia Bans Anti-Islam Film A Moscow court has ruled that the anti-Islam film that sparked violent demonstrations around the world can no longer be shown in Russia. More   Zuckerberg, Medvedev Discuss Facebook Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and visiting Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg met in Moscow on October 1 to discuss ways to boost the social networking site's position in the Russian market. More   Unique Pre-Soviet Film Collection Heads Home To Russia The donation by a U.S. businessman of 350 silent films shot in Russia before the 1917 Bolshevik revolution to a St. Petersburg-based film studio is being hailed as historic, and the collection could contain some long-lost cinematic gems. More   New Tatarstan Minister Faces Language Row The president of Russia's Tatarstan republic has appointed a new minister of education against a heated public debate over the teaching of the Tatar language in secondary schools. More   'Shari'a' Charges Dropped In Russia Charges have reportedly been dropped against Russian lawyer Dagir Khasavov, who was quoted as saying in an interview that Muslims in Russia should have Islamic Shari'a courts. More   Russian Court Delays Pussy Riot Appeal With protesters outside the courtroom, a judge calls for the postponement after one of three defendants dumps her lawyer. More   Tensions Rising Between Moscow's Muslims And Police Animosity between Muslim worshippers and locals are boiling over in neighborhoods surrounding Moscow's mosques. Moscow has one of the largest Muslim populations in Europe, but only five mosques and police have been moving in and randomly arresting those trying to attend prayers sparking bitter confrontations. More   Russian Duma Bars Opposition Deputy Russia's parliament has voted to bar an opposition lawmaker from speaking before the parliament for a month after he referred to deputies in the ruling party as "thieves and swindlers." More   Podcast -- Beyond Protests: The Opposition's Growing Pains Can the Russian opposition move beyond street protests? Tune in to the Power Vertical podcast to find out. More   Free Elections Are Coming To Russia! No, Really! Russia will have free and fair elections in October. There will be real choice, viable candidates, and vigorous debates. The vote will be open and transparent. And no, I'm not delusional. More   Hunger-Striking Parents In Daghestan Issue Desperate Appeal To Militant Son A couple in Daghestan has launched a hunger strike in a desperate bid to persuade their only son to renounce the insurgency, lay down his arms, and return home. About a dozen local boys in the Khasavyurt area have come home from the hills in recent months. The Alibekovs hope their son will be next. More   Putin Gives Chavez 'Stalin's Dog' On a visit to Venezuela, Igor Sechin, the head of the state-owned Russian oil company Rosneft, presented President Hugo Chavez with a gift from Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin -- a black Russian terrier puppy. More   Nashi Offers Pussy Riot Bounty The Russian youth group Nashi is offering a bounty to anyone who provides information on the location of members of the feminist performance group Pussy Riot who are still at large. More   Interview: At 80, Russian Writer Vladimir Voinovich Still Builds Optimism On A Foundation Of Pessimism September 26 marks the 80th birthday of the legendary Soviet novelist Vladimir Voinovich. He is best known for the satirical novel "The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin" and the dystopian "Moscow-2042." More   Chechnya, Ingushetia Prepare For Border Talks The heads of the two commissions tasked with delimiting the border between Chechnya and Ingushetia, Chechen parliament speaker Dukvakha Abdurakhmanov and Republic of Ingushetia Prime Minister Musa Chiliyev met in Magas last week for preliminary talks on how to set about doing so. More   Miracle Escape For Russian Trucker A video is making the rounds of a driver's death-defying escape when his truck gets slammed into nearly head-on by a semi-trailer truck on a Russian highway. More   What's In Store For Russia's Little Lion-Tiger Hybrid? Zookeepers and biologists at Novosibirsk Zoo in Siberia believe they have produced a taxonomic first. They have shared images of a "liliger," called Kiara, whose birth earlier this month raises a number of questions. More   Russia Criticizes Pussy Riot Nod Russia has criticized the European Parliament for nominating three jailed members of the feminist performance-art group Pussy Riot for a human rights prize. More   Tatar Police Officers Sentenced In Torture Case A court in Kazan, the capital of the Russian republic of Tatarstan, has sentenced two former police officers in a high-profile case of alleged torture by police. More