RFE/RL RUSSIA REPORT
05.02.2013
A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about domestic and foreign-policy developments in Russia.CHECK OUT OUR LATEST WEEKLY QUIZ ON NEW U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY For more stories on Russia, please visit and bookmark our Russia page . |
 Putinism In Winter The recent disarray and intrigue in the Russian elite is reminiscent of the later 1990s, the twilight years of Boris Yeltsin's rule. More  Moscow Official's Comments Prompt Defense Of White Ribbons Since mass protests against President Vladimir Putin's rule broke out in late 2011, the white ribbon has been the symbol of the opposition's call for change. With the symbol under attack by some Moscow officials, the opposition has declared February 5 White Ribbon Day. More  After 20 Years, Tatarstan Finally Gets An Anthem With Words Russia's republic of Tatarstan has had its own anthem for 20 years, but only now is it getting some words. More  Georgian PM To 'Restore Russian Relations' Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili has accused President Mikheil Saakashvili of seeking to destabilize the country. More  Looming Tobacco Crackdown Has Russian Smokers Fuming Russia is set to pass stringent legislation that would help curb rampant smoking, but the measures aren't popular. The tobacco lobby thinks the bill goes too far, the antitobacco lobby thinks it doesn't go far enough, and smokers are just annoyed. More  NATO: No Retreat On Missile Shield Russia has strongly opposed the plan, saying the system could be built up to eventually threaten the deterrent power of Russia’s nuclear arsenal. More  Kazakhs Urge NATO Dialogue With SCO Kazakhstan's foreign minister, Erlan Idrissov, has called on NATO to establish dialogue with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). More  Georgia: Russian Occupation Threatens Stability Georgian Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze says Russia's occupation of her country's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia is a threat to regional and European stability. More  70th Anniversary Of The Battle Of Stalingrad  The Battle of Stalingrad was one of the most brutal and bloody battles of World War II. Germany's disastrously ill-fated attack is widely considered to have been a major turning point in the conflict, as its army suffered massive military losses and a huge psychological blow from which it never recovered. More  U.S.-Russian Differences Brought Into Sharp Relief In Munich Differences between the United States and Russia have gone on sharp display at the annual Munich Security Conference. More  Biden: No Abkhazia, S.Ossetia Recognition U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden says the United States will not recognize the breakaway Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. More  Podcast: Russia's Fake State Russia's formal government institutions have long been a facade masking the rule of Vladimir Putin's inner circle. Recently, the facade has become increasingly worn and tattered. More  UN: End Russia 'Gay Propaganda' Ban A group UN human rights experts wants Russia's State Duma to drop a draft bill that establishes administrative penalties for "propaganda of homosexuality among minors." More  Russia's 'Sleeping Judge' Resigns A judge in the city of Blagoveshchensk in eastern Russia has resigned after a video showing him sleeping during a trial went viral on the Internet. More  Clinton: Iran, Russia Continue Syria Weapons Supply Hillary Clinton, who steps down as U.S. secretary of state on February 1, said Iran and Russia continued to provide military and financial assistance to the Syrian government. More  HRW Warns Of Challenges To Democracy In its annual report, the U.S.-based rights watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) evaluates the human-rights situation in more than 90 countries and warns of the challenges to democracy many of them face. More  U.S. Regrets End To Russia Cooperation The United States says it "regrets" a decision by Russia to terminate a bilateral agreement on cooperation in law enforcement and drug control. More  U.S. NGO 'Not Persecuted' In Russia The U.S. nongovernmental organization International Republic Institute (IRI) is denying a Russian media report saying it has relocated its staff from Russia for fear of persecution. More  An Anglican priest from Colombia was detained at Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport on January 30 on suspicion of smuggling drugs. He was later taken to a hospital where 13 condoms stuffed with cocaine were extracted from his bowels. More  Ashton Slams Russia 'Gay Propaganda' Law European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has expressed concern over Russian lawmakers' initial approval of legislation that would impose penalties for spreading alleged "homosexual propaganda" to minors. More  After Auschwitz Visit, Russian Sisters Know What 'Holocaust' Means A pair of Russian sisters gained notoriety in late 2011 when they appeared on a television game show and were unable to answer the question, "What is the Holocaust?" Now documentary filmmaker Mumin Shakirov has taken the sisters to visit the Auschwitz death camp in Poland and is preparing a film about their experiences. More  Gakayev Deaths Leave One Campfire Less In Chechen Mountains Chechen Republic head Ramzan Kadyrov exultantly described the demise of two veteran insurgency commanders as the most significant blow since the death in July 2006 of renegade field commander Shamil Basayev. But like the killing of other senior commanders, it does not necessarily herald the demise of the insurgency as a potent fighting force. More Russia has scrapped an agreement with the United States on cooperation in law enforcement and drug control. More  Putin's Little Helper Yevgeny Shkolov just may be the most important Russian official you've never heard of. More  Russian Governor's Office Searched Police have searched the offices of Russia's Kirov Province governor, Nikita Belykh. Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin told journalists that the searches were carried out on January 29 to probe the illegal privatization of a local liquor factory. More |
