· July, 2012

Below are posts about citizen media in Russian. Don't miss Global Voices по-русски, where Global Voices posts are translated into Russian! Read about our Lingua project to learn more about how Global Voices content is being translated into other languages.

Stories about Russian from July, 2012

Ukraine: Forest Fires in Yalta, Crimea

On Facebook, Andrey Klimenko of BlackSeaNews.net posted night photos (here and here; ru) of the fire raging in the mountainous forest reserve near Yalta, Crimea. On July 31 [ru], there is smog, ashes in the air and strong northeast wind in Yalta: “Early in the morning it seemed it would...

Russia: Nepofigism, Free Crowdsourced Legal Consultation

The Russian online group "Nepofigism" offers a free legal consulting service. The project's creators designate no particular direction for the consulting. Their aim is to offer real help to people with any type of problem. The site is a space for professionals and ordinary Internet users with various legal and everyday problems.

‘Small’ Georgia Takes on ‘Big’ Russia with New Media

Georgia uses blogging and new media to project soft power in Russia. Even though most Georgians blog in Georgian, there is a sizable contingent of Russian speaking Georgians on Russia's most popular blogging platform LiveJournal. Georgia's government also follows a strategy of co-opting the Russian public through the smart use of new media.

Russia: Senator Wants Criminal Case Against Satirical Blogger

Novgorod Senator Dmitri Krivitskii has accused [ru] local blogger Vadim Beriashvili of violating the Russian criminal code's infamous Article 282 [en], alleging that he incited hatred against “a social group” when he wrote [ru] facetiously in April 2012 about Senator Krivitskii's suspiciously low income declaration. After local investigators questioned Beriashvili, he responded by filing...

Russia: Paving Political Potholes

Say the word "roads" to most Russians, and you are likely to end up with a half-hour discussion. Throughout history, Russia has been infamous for its bad road quality. However, now the city of Yekaterinburg seems to have come up with a solution to the problem, by making bureaucrats get down to work.

Russia: The Killing of Krutov

The June 29 murder of Svetloyarsk Raion administration head Nikolay Krutov was a blip on that day’s news. It was not unprecedented, but unraveling why the crime was committed (and what it means) is anything but straightforward.

Kazakhstan: Unusual Campaign Uses Sheep to Advertise Road Safety

The authorities in Almaty have launched a campaign aimed at educating pedestrians about the importance of following rules when crossing the street. The campaign includes posters and billboards with a stinging message: "People follow rules when crossing the road. Sheep [cross the road] wherever they wish". Netizens respond to the initiative.

Russia: Hacker Hell, Scourge of the RuNet

When noted Russian anti-corruption activist Alexey Navalny's email and Twitter accounts were hacked, it came as no surprise that the hacker "Hell" took responsibility. A legendary figure in the RuNet, the hacker can either be characterized as a Kremlin shill or a professional troll.

Tajikistan: Learn the National Anthem to be a Doctor

Tajikistan's Deputy Health Minister has recently announced [ru] that “without knowing the national anthem, doctors will not be able to correctly diagnose their patients”. Netizens have responded to the announcement with irony. Blogger Harsavor writes [ru], for example: “[M]y donkey cannot diagnose people. Maybe it is because he does not know...

Russia: The Denver Cinema Shooting As A Case for Gun Rights in Russia

Anti-Kremlin blogger Vladislav Naganov responded to this week's shooting in a Denver, Colorado, movie theater by arguing [ru] that American gun violence proves the need for expanded gun rights in Russia, explaining that “gun-free zones,” such as “schools, college campuses, and large stores,” are left defenseless against armed madmen because citizens...

Russia: Lawmakers Consider Taxing Certain Bloggers

RuNet Echo  22 July 2012

There are indications that Russian lawmakers might soon consider levying a tax [ru] on bloggers who profit from advertisements on their sites. Blogger Oleg Kozyrev [ru] argues that such a crackdown could backfire on the Kremlin, as pro-government RuNet “trolls” could then be compelled to report illicit income received from the state...

Tajikistan: Senior National Security Official Killed

Abdullo Nazarov, a one-star general in the State Commitee for National Security – successor to the Soviet-era KGB – was murdered yesterday in southeastern Tajikistan. Jasur Ashurov tweets [ru] angrily: “How? Tell me, HOW is this possible? If generals are killed so easy, can we really talk about [law] and order...

Tajikistan: Young People Learn to Blog

Matrix [ru], a Central Asian youth TV project focusing on Internet and new technologies, has produced a video [ru] about bloggers in Tajikistan. While few Tajiks presently run blogs, some local organizations teach young people how to start blogging.

Russia: Yaroslavl Court Bans LiveJournal

Earlier this week, a Yaroslavl court responded to a request from local police and ordered Internet provider Netis Telekom to shut off access to a handful of websites, including Russia's most popular blogging platform, LiveJournal. As a result, roughly 6,000 subscribers have lost all LJ access.

Afghanistan as Seen by a Photographer

Kazakh photographer Oskar Shalmanov shares photos from his recent trip to Afghanistan. The photos come with insightful comments [in Russian] about the war-torn country and its past. The images can be seen here, here, and here.

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