Stories about Russian from July, 2009
Russia: Riot Police Break Up Opposition Rally
Some 100 protesters gathered for an unsanctioned opposition rally in central Moscow on Friday. At 6 PM, hundreds of riot police broke up the rally, detaining 47 people, some of whom were said to be journalists and passerby.
Russia: Activists Appeal To Iranian Opposition
On July 26, LJ user dobrokhotov wrote (RUS) about a rally in front of the Iranian embassy in Moscow, organized by the Russian democratic youth movement “We” in support of...
Belarus, Russia: Bloggers React to Graphic Chechen War Video
On July 3, Belarusian blogger Tatsiana Elavaya posted a provocative video showing the assassination of captive Russian soldiers by Chechen guerrillas during the 1999 war in Chechnya. The video had been available elsewhere before, but when Tatsiana posted it on her blog, the reaction of the Cyrillic blogosphere was unprecedented.
Czech Republic, Russia: “Putin Goes To Pikalyovo”
CzechFolks.com and Scraps of Moscow write about a Russian YouTube rendition of a 1970s Czech song, which mocks PM Vladimir Putin.
Armenia-Azerbaijan: Musical collaboration
Despite the unresolved conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno Karabakh which has left many citizens of both countries intolerant and bitterly opposed to the other, a Baku-based newspaper has...
Russia: Mourning Natalya Estemirova
A Step At A Time translates LJ user kutuzov‘s comment “on the political background to Natalya Estemirova’s murder” and links to Prague Watchdog's photo report on “the vigil-cum-rally that was...
Russia: Making (Some) Sense of LiveJournal
A number of studies of the Russian blogosphere have been produced in the past by various entities. Russian bloggers, too, are trying to make sense of the space they operate in. Recently, LJ user fritzmorgen has drawn a list of issues that, in his opinion, tend to cause controversy among LJ bloggers. He has also assessed his own views, and, in the process, sketched explanations of some of the Russian realities.
Belarus: Flooded Streets of Minsk
Heavy rain caused flooding in the streets of Minsk on Friday: LJ user toxaby (RUS) posted 45 photos and LJ user black-hg (RUS) posted two.
Russia: One Day in the Life of Doctor Liza
LJ user drugoi documents (text in Russian+photos, some of them graphic) one day in the life of Elizaveta Glinka (LJ user doctor_liza), who heads a volunteer effort to help Moscow's...
Kazakhstan: Astana, as it is
The bloggers share with us their impressions from the new capital of the country. Drudg writes in his post, filled with figural turns of speech and euphemisms [ru]: “The streets...
Russia: Medvedev and Sick Babies in Gelendzhik
LJ user baxus writes a letter (RUS) to president Medvedev, in which he describes how his infant son and many other kids got sick in Gelendzhik, a Russian Black Sea...
Russia: Channel “2×2″ censors Putin episode of South Park
The recent decision by Russian television channel “2×2″ to cut a scene in an episode of the US cartoon series ”South Park” has sparked anger in the Russian blogosphere. Ruth Collins reviews some of the bloggers' reactions.
Russia: Comparing Hitler and Stalin
LJ user fesstagere turns attention to [RUS] an Ekho Moskvy survey, showing that the radio stations readers see greater similarities than differences between Hitler and Stalin – a comparative issue...
Bulgaria: Ukrainian gas crisis caused government fall
LJ user koltashov turns attention to [RUS] a report claiming that Bulgaria's government fell earlier this year due to the gas crisis between Russia and Ukraine.
Russia: Medvedev Murder Mystery
Anna Politkovskaya... The mere name evokes images of Moscow's worst public relations nightmare in years - an ongoing ordeal for Russia's international reputation in the realm of rule of law. Still, the murderers have not been brought to justice, and Politkovskaya turned into a martyr for world voices critical of Russia - for them epitomising everything that is wrong and wretched with the country. So, should President Medvedev's quick reaction to this week's murder of Human Rights' acitivists Natalya Estemirova merely be regarded as lessons learnt from the Politkovskaya assassination? The answer might be more complicated, as voices from the Russian blogosphere have their say.
Russia: Grozny photographies
LJ user pumchik posts pictures with comments [RUS] from the new Grozny, rebuilt after the second Checnyan war.
Russia: Americanophobia or Americanophilia?
In the midst of the Russophobia-Russophilia debate, LJ user drugoi raises the issue [RUS] of whether Russians are Americanophobes or Americanophiles.
Kyrgyzstan Sets Up the Anti-terrorist Centre
15, July, the President of Kyrgyzstan Kurmanbek Bakiev gave interview to the American New York Times. During the interview, he told [ru] that Kyrgyzstan was going to set up the...
Russia: Birth of Pirate Party
LJ user savinkoff posts [RUS] the manifest of the recently founded Russian Pirate Party, following the pattern of protagonists for Internet freedom in the rest of Europe.
Belarus: Arrests of opposition activists
LJ user ingannatore reports [RUS] on yesterday's arrests of some 50 opposition activists in Minsk and other cities in Belarus and goes on to comment the conduct of the authorities.
Iran: Armenian bloggers on plane crash
When a regular flight en route from Tehran to Yerevan crashed after takeoff yesterday, killing all 168 on board, many in Armenia and its Diaspora were distressed, and not least since there were 40 ethnic Armenians among the dead.
