Stories about Russian from June, 2012
Moldova, Transnistria, Gagauzia: “Get to Know Your Neighbor”
On June 30, young social media activists from the cities of Chișinău and Bălți, and from Transnistria and Gagauzia, are meeting for a “get to know your neighbor” event [ro,...
Russia: A Mobile Service to Connect Passengers & Drivers
The mobile navigation service Yeehay! saves time and money finding and ordering taxis, and it benefits the ecologies of smog-polluted Russian cities by bringing together passengers and drivers who otherwise might never connect.
Russia: The War Over World War II
Last Friday, NTV broadcast a controversial film titled, "I Serve the Soviet Union," a film about political prisoners fighting the Nazis only to be murdered by Soviet secret police. The screening lead to a scandal that involved patriotic bloggers, the Minister of Culture, and others. Kevin Rothrock reports.
Belarus: Views From the Ground
Below is a selection of some "views from the ground" - recent posts by Belarusian bloggers about the situation in the country and what it is like for ordinary people to live there.
Tajikistan: The Lost Meaning of National Reconciliation Day
June 27 is celebrated in Tajikistan as National Reconciliation Day commemorating the signing of the peace accords that put an end to the civil war in the country. Journalist Olga Tutubalina writes [ru]...
Azerbaijan: Musical Talent on YouTube
Gultekin Garadaghly continues to post her own renditions of well-known songs on YouTube, including those from this year's Eurovision Song Contest held in her native Azerbaijan. The young singer living...
Caucasus: Photo Reports by a Belarusian Blogger
Ani Wandaryan (@GoldenTent) links to this photo report [ru] from Armenia by Anton Motolko, a photographer, blogger and traveller from Minsk, Belarus (LJ user toxaby, @Motolko). More of his photos...
Kyrgyzstan: Cartoons Expose Ills of Patriarchal Society
The Kyrgyzstani art group ‘705’ [ru] has produced a number of hand-drawn animation films [ru] that criticize the conventions and norms of a patriarchal society. Domestic violence and the oppression...
Turkmenistan: Lonesome Dictator Invites Opposition Parties to Form
Turkmenistan's president has recently pondered the creation of opposition political parties that would add an element of competition to the country's political system which is currently dominated by a single party. The Turkmen netizens remain largely skeptical about the possibility of genuine opposition parties being allowed to form and operate freely in the country.
Russia: Crowdsourcing Project for Finding Missing Children
The emergence of the search and rescue team Liza Alert followed Liza Fomkina's 2010 disappearance in the town of Orekhovo-Zuevo (about 50 miles east of Moscow). Compensating for the government's flawed response, volunteers united in order to ensure nothing like it would ever happen again.
Ukraine: Marko Dević's “Ghost Goal”
On Facebook, in the past two hours, over 4,800 users have ‘shared’ and over 2,900 have ‘liked’ the screenshot of the “ghost goal” by Ukraine's Marko Dević in today's Euro...
Russia: Twitter Hashtag Targeting Putin Trends Worldwide
Last month, a Russian hashtag was briefly among the top worldwide trends on Twitter. This remarkable hashtag, written in Russian Cyrillic and 30 letters long, has been used to criticize President Putin and mock popular national events. Augis Barkov reports.
Russia: Interview with Jesse Heath of The Russia Monitor
As an American lawyer and Anglophone blogger writing about Russia, Jesse Heath's work is distinct for its detailed focus on technical aspects of Russian law, economics, and politics. Kevin Rothrock recently spoke with Heath by telephone, to learn more about his history as a blogger and his contributions to the RuNet.
Russia: Bloggers Honor Tupac Shakur
Highly intelligent and socially aware, Tupac Shakur embodied the plight of contemporary African Americans who struggle to overcome poverty and racism. RuNet bloggers have honored him by his story from beginning to end on the anniversary of his birth. (June 16, 1971 - September 13, 1996)
Tajikistan: Becoming a Popular Blogger in 11 Steps
In an ironic post, Blog Avestiyca explains [ru] how to become a popular blogger or social media user in Tajikistan. The author recommends an 11-step process which includes raising obvious issues, blaming everything...
Uzbekistan: Silk and Spice Festival Lost in Translation
Uzbek blogger posts photos from the International Silk & Spice Festival in Bukhara (which the organizers have erroneously advertised [ru] as ‘Silk & Space Festival’).
Kyrgyzstan: Videos Abound of ‘Patriotic’ Attacks on Migrant Women in Russia
A number of 'patriotic' videos depicting male Kyrgyz labor migrants abusing their female compatriots for associating with men from other ethnic groups while working in Russia has recently been disseminated online. The videos have sparked outrage across domestic and international networks.
Russia: Death Threats for Journalists and Forgiveness for Officials
A bizarre story involving Russia's top investigator threatening the life of an opposition newspaper's deputy editor, and how everyone reconciled a day later. Kevin Rothrock reports.
Kazakhstan: Disbelief Shrouds Confession to Mysterious Deaths on Border
Following a deadly incident on a remote Kazakh border post, young conscript Private Vladislav Chelakh has reportedly confessed to killing 14 fellow border guards and a forest ranger. However, some netizens are not convinced about the official account of the incident and Chelakh's role in it.
Kyrgyzstan: The Peace Bell Tolls for Everyone but Uzbeks?
On the second anniversary of violent clashes between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in southern Kyrgyzstan, a ‘Peace Bell‘ [ru] has been unveiled in the city of Osh as a monument for...
Turkmenistan: Return of Russian Mobile Operator Ends State Monopoly
After an unexplained closure by the government in 2010, the popular Russian mobile phone operator MTS that had about half of Turkmenistan's population among its customers will soon resume its work in the country. Turkmen netizens are happy about the news, suggesting that the operator will provide quality mobile phone services and uncensored web connection, ending state monopoly in the sector.
