Stories about Russian from December, 2007
Kazakhstan: Debates over Latinization of Kazakh Language
Kazakhstan intends to switch the state language to the Latin script. It was announced that the transition will take 12-15 years. As adam_kesher writes, the plan stirred many disputes and...
Ukraine: Yulia Tymoshenko and Coal Miners
Yulia Tymoshenko returned as Ukraine's prime minister on Dec. 18. Five days later, she was in Donetsk region, visiting the site of Ukraine's worst coal mining accident, the troubled Zasyadko mine. While there, she declared: "We'll be working on it and will make it so that in our country both young people and children would want to become coal miners." Below is a discussion of Tymoshenko's promise that took place at Korrespondent.net, a Ukrainian news site.
Russia: Christmas Tree Decorations
Here is a holiday season story that's got very little of the traditional holiday spirit in it. Posted by LJ user souffrante and accompanied by Valeriy Leushev's photos, it's as much about Russian bloggers' childhood memories as it is about globalization, consumer nationalism, bad management, labor rights and the power of blogging.
Kazakhstan: Blogosphere’s Self-Reflection
Recently, the Kazakhstani blogosphere has suddenly become interested in what the blogs really are and what sort of impact they have. Bloggers produced series of posts on this topic approximately...
Russia: Lyudmila Ulitskaya
Russian Blog writes about Lyudmila Ulitskaya's latest – and, possibly, her last – novel, “Daniel Stein, translator”: “After being such a prolific writer for many years, and after the huge...
Russia: Voting in Grozny
According to dubious Central Election Commission's data, over 99 percent of Chechnya's 580,918 eligible voters showed up for the Dec. 2 parliamentary election - and 99.36 percent of them voted for Vladimir Putin's United Russia party. Journalist Timur Aliev - was both a voter and a candidate in this election. Read his somewhat surreal account of what it took to exercise his right to vote in Chechnya's capital Grozny.
Russia: Advice to Opposition
TOL's Elections in Russia quotes a Russian blogger who thinks the opposition's approach isn't constructive enough.
Russia: 13 Years Since the 1st Chechen War
Dmitri Minaev of De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis commemorates the 13th anniversary of the First Chechen War by linking to his earlier translation of a Chechen journalist's recollections from that...
Russia: “Nashi” in Moscow
The first post-election week in Moscow was marked by increased presence of out-of-town members of the pro-Putin youth movement Nashi ("Ours") - and by the first public appearance of members of Mishki ("Bear Cubs"), a new children's pro-Putin movement. Below are one blogger's impressions of a group of Nashi - as well as her thoughts on Russia's future.
Russia: President Dmitry Medvedev?
Anglophone Russia bloggers are discussing the much-awaited announcement of the person who is likely to become Russia's next president: Dmitry Medvedev.
Russia, France: Charmed by Putin?
Russian bloggers discuss Nicolas Sarkozy's congratulatory phone call to Vladimir Putin, following the Dec. 2 parliamentary election in Russia.
Kazakhstan: Do Kazakh Politics Coincide with OSCE Standards?
The main issue on the local blogosphere’s agenda are politics again – Kazakhstan with its controversial, more and more Soviet-alike political system and continuously poor human rights record, has won...
Russia: Duma Election Notes
According to the early official results, president Vladimir Putin's United Russia party has won a landslide victory in the Dec. 2 general elections. Below is a tiny fraction of the recent election posts by Russian bloggers, translated from Russian.
Kazakhstan: IT City Masterplan
Kamneed posts a set of pictures he has taken at the presentation of an architectural master-plan of the “Alatau IT City”, which is meant to become a special economic zone...
