Russia: Nation's Top Blogger Headed to Prison?

The criminal investigation targeting Russia's most prominent oppositionist blogger, Alexey Navalny, is heating up. Viacheslav Opalev, the former director of a logging firm in Kirov, has confessed [ru] to participating in...

Russia: Ridiculing the Winter Olympics Slogan

The just-announced slogan of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics (“Hot. Cool. Yours.”) has spurred a brief episode of merrymaking on the RuNet. At first that may seem surprising, while the English version of the slogan may sound slightly confusing and a bit corny, it isn't particularly rich fodder for jokes or double entendres.

Ukraine: Protesting the Controversial Defamation Bill

A bill that calls for penalties of up to five years in jail for defamation passed a first reading in the Ukrainian Parliament on Sep. 18. Following the online campaign against the adoption of the bill, its author submitted a request to recall it. The bill isn't history yet, however, and the protest continues.

Russia: The Kostin Report & the Trojan Horse of American ICT

Earlier this week, the media got a sneak peek at a new report on the foreign penetration of the RuNet and the potential manipulation of the country's future elections. The Internet's growing popularity is transforming it into a political weapon: a weapon that is increasingly guarded by American, albeit private, media firms.

Russia: Yekaterinburg Police Raid Regional Internet Publication

On September 27th Yekaterinburg-based internet news portal URA.ru was raided by city police, reports [ru] Evgeny Roizman, local anti-drug campaigner. Roizman is dating the editor-in-chief of the portal, Aksana Panova, who has...

Russia: Ominous Predictions of Conflict in Dagestan

Dagestan is among Russia’s most impoverished and ethnically diverse republics. Recent tension between Sunni Sufi and Salafi communities suggest more conflict may not be far to come.

Tajikistan: Power Plant as a Symbol

Wouldn't this facility, featuring the world's tallest dam, become the most important symbol of our republic? Wouldn't it characterize us, as a state, better than a monument in [the country's capital] Dushanbe or the flag on the world's tallest flagpole?

Kyrgyzstan: Virtual Farming, Real Harvest

You can now grow real organic vegetables and raise livestock online. Caravanistan reports about a new project [ru] in Kyrgyzstan which allows users to purchase a plot of land or an animal...

Russia: Writers Put Down Pens to Stand Atop Soap Boxes

Now, nine people who self-identify as writers are running in the elections for the so-called "Coordinating Council of the Russian Opposition," and a tenth strongly considered registering as a candidate before ultimately dropping out. Bearing in mind that writing is not the most popular of professions, this is a hefty proportion of the total.

Ukraine: Localized ‘Yes-butno’ Meme Highlights ‘Most Popular Stereotypes’

The Yes-butno meme "created to break assumptions and stereotypes that everyone makes about various cultures, genders, sexualities, etc", has gone viral on the Ukrainian segment of Facebook, thanks to Lviv-based Rost Tatomyr and his selection of the nine "most popular stereotypes about Ukraine."

Kyrgyzstan: Court Bans Anti-Islam Film

The recent ban on the anti-Islam film 'Innocence of Muslims' in Kyrgyzstan has triggered lively debates among the country's internet users. While some netizens support the ban on the "offensive" video, others argue that restricting access to the film limits their freedom.

Russia: Human Rights Figures Petition Online to Free May 6 Prisoners

As the din of the Pussy Riot trial fades, some human rights activists in Russia are seeking to shift the public's focus to protesters arrested in connection with violence against...

Belarus: Early Voting Boosts Turnout Amid Calls to Boycott Elections

The parliamentary election in Belarus is to take place on Sunday, Sep. 23, but the early voting has already begun, and the turnout may end up being high, despite calls to boycott the vote.

Russia: Activist Journalists or Bolshevik Bloggers?

Anyone following the Russian protest movement cannot help but notice the degree to which many Russian journalists are involved with the opposition. In the age of Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, such interpersonal relationships are clearly visible to outside observers. But what does this overlap say about Russia's journalist culture?

Russia: After the APEC Summit

The 2012 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vladivostok has come and gone. What remains is discussion of what APEC means to Russia’s Far East and the country as a whole. Bloggers' biggest issue, however, was President Putin's promise to send some APEC volunteers on a cruise to Japan, who went, and who did not.

Kazakhstan: Western ‘Meddling’ in Controversial Trial Condemned

Three opposition leaders accused of active participation in the 2011 Zhanaozen violence now stand trial in Kazakhstan. While Western NGO's and journalists condemn the trial as unfair, Kazakhstan's bloggers have little sympathy for the opposition leaders. They support the government's strong-hand approach and criticize what they see as attempts by Western governments and organizations to meddle in Kazakhstan's internal affairs.

Russia: Continued Scandals Plague the Registration of Opposition Candidates

Earlier today, blogger Maksim Kononenko highlighted [ru] the Coordinating Council candidacy of convicted terrorist and neonazi Nikolai Korolev, who was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of 15 people in...

Russia: Omsk Telecom Temporarily Bans YouTube

For roughy seven hours earlier today, Rostelecom's customers in Omsk were unable to access YouTube. The short-lived ban prompted a flurry of panicked online activity, including urgent tweets [ru] from the city's...

Russia: SocialCamp, Crowdsourcing and Open Data

A SocialCamp Russia 'unconference' took place in Moscow from 7th to 9th of September. Over the course of three days social activists spoke about projects aimed at raising awareness, improving mutual understanding, promoting philanthropy, and much more.

Russia: Ksenia Sobchak's Civil Platform Candidacy

Earlier today, the Central Elections Committee officially registered a bevy of candidates for the coming elections of the first Coordinating Council of the Russian Opposition. Among today's new entries to the General Civil category was socialite and opposition activist Ksenia Sobchak.

Russia: Reading Genius into Putin's Blunders

One of the more striking things about Vladimir Putin, aside from his affinity for displays of machismo, is the degree of nuanced multidimensional-chess-like strategic planning attributed to him and his team by both opponents and supporters.