RFE/RL RUSSIA REPORT
22.01.2013
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 . |
 Freedom House Laments Eurasian Declines, 'Return Of Iron Fist' In Russia The non-Baltic former Soviet Union now rivals the Middle East as one of the most politically and socially repressive regions in the world, according to the latest edition of "Freedom in the World," the annual report compiled by U.S.-based rights watchdog Freedom House. More  Kazan Prepares For Universiade -- With Proposal To Fine Beggars As Kazan prepares to host the 27th Summer Universiade, an international sporting event for university students, the city’s massive renovation is entailing more than just the construction of sporting facilities. More  It's 'Upravlyaushchy,' Not 'Menedzher' -- You're Fired! Outspoken Russian lawmaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky is calling for legislation that would impose fines or dismissals on journalists, teachers, and writers who use foreign words in place of Russian.More  Russian Political Party Logos: Any Takers For 'Skunk' Or 'Hamster'? A deputy for United Russia has proposed that parties adopt animal logos -- everything from roosters to skunks. But there's meant to be a serious point to all this. More  Mob Wars: A Vor For A Vor With the assassination of a mob boss in Sukhumi, it appears that the retaliation for the killing of legendary gangster Aslan Usoyan is under way. More  Rare Photos Of Russian Revolution Discovered In A California Basement Russian-born photography aficionado Anton Orlov couldn't believe his luck when he was allowed to rummage through a number of old storage chests in the basement of a house in northern California in 2005. More  Russian Rocker Yury Shevchuk: Society Is Awakening, People Are Beginning To Think Despite claiming that he’s not a politician, Yury Shevchuk, frontman for the legendary Russian rock band DDT, is quite vocal when speaking on political topics. More  Orthodox Epiphany Gets Chilly Reception  Orthodox worshipers in Russia, Belarus, and elsewhere celebrated Epiphany -- marking the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist and the beginning of his ministry -- with ritual plunges in subfreezing temperatures around midnight on January 18-19. Honoring an old Russian tradition, in many places bathers dip themselves in cross-shaped holes cut in ice over lakes and rivers. (11 PHOTOS) More  Podcast: Thieves' World The brazen daylight assassination in Moscow this week of Aslan Usoyan, a leading mafia kingpin known as "Ded Khasan" (Grandpa Khasan), has turned a bright spotlight on Russia's criminal underworld amid fears that the hit could spark a broader mob war. More  Russian Opposition Activist Kills Himself In The Netherlands According to Russian media reports, a Russian opposition activist has taken his life in the Netherlands after being denied asylum in that country. More  Mafia Boss's Slaying In Moscow Sparks Fears Of Mob War The broad-daylight assassination of mobster Aslan Usoyan in Moscow on January 16 has the potential to destabilize the post-Soviet underworld, at a time when internal conflicts and lucrative new business opportunities have already raised tensions among criminal gangs. From Aghan heroin to the 2014 Sochi Olympics, there are billions of dollars at stake. More  Jailed Daghestani Doctor's Wife Appeals To Putin, Denounces 'Meat Grinder' The wife of a well-respected doctor from Daghestan has asked President Vladimir Putin to help free her husband. The anesthesiologist was detained last year on accusations of participating in the murder of a local police chief. His brother-in-law, a prominent surgeon, was beheaded after being arrested on the same charges. Family and friends insist on the doctors' innocence and say the case highlights rampant abuse by law-enforcement agencies in Russia's volatile North Caucasus. More  The Peculiarities Of The National Hunt (For Foreign Agents) Justice Minister Aleksandr Konovalov doesn't appear to be down with Russia's controversial law on "foreign agents." More  Russian Observers Say U.S. Elections Like 'Hamburgers' -- But Not In A Good Way A Russian think tank will release its final report on the November 6 U.S. presidential election on January 17. According to a sneak preview, the report will harshly criticize the vote as falling short of democratic standards in almost every way. More  In Arkansas, A Community Remembers Russia's Orphans On January 12, about 50 residents of the town of Bella Vista, a city of less than 30,000 people in the southern U.S. state of Arkansas, came together not in protest but in solidarity with Russia's orphans. More  Academic 'Ghostwriting' Still Going Strong In Russia With New Year festivities behind them, Russian students are now hard at work on their end-of-term thesis papers. But cheating is still rife in Russian universities, with many students paying others to write their academic papers. More  New Foreign-Policy Leaders In U.S. Congress May Challenge White House When Congress begins its new session this month, two new lawmakers will lead its key foreign-relations committees who might challenge some Obama administration foreign policies, especially toward Iran and the Caucasus. More  Jailed Russian Activist's Lawyer Says Client Deprived Of Sleep The president of the Lawyers Collegiate in the Siberian city of Angarsk says a jailed opposition activist is being deprived of sleep. More |
