Stories about Russian from September, 2013
Russian News Websites Black Out to Protest Journalist's Arrest
A photographer was among the 30 activists arrested by Russian border guards on board Greenpeace's Arctic Sunrise. His detention has riled up Russian journalists and other media figures.
“You Can Kick Female Flight Attendants” in Kazakhstan
A former government official in Kazakhstan recently kicked a female flight attendant, reportedly because she did not speak Kazakh. The story has caused a stir on social media. Blogger Pivovar offers...
Russia’s Hunger Games
There are two hunger strikes in Russia today, one by a famous Pussy Riot member and another by a mothers' group. What do the different receptions online say about Russia?
Tajik President's Reelection Bid Finds Support Online
With less than six weeks to go before presidential elections, Tajikistan's incumbent leader has found unexpected support from some bloggers.
Kyrgyzstan: “It is Impossible to Propagandize Homosexuality”
Prominent Kyrgyzstani blogger Bektour Iskander reflects [ru] on on the recent law banning gay ‘propaganda’ in Russia and speculations that some Kyrgyz human-rights NGOs are engaged in such propaganda: It...
“Fetishization of Somoni” Continues in Tajikistan
As Tajikistan's president unveils yet another statue of national icon Ismoil Somoni, blogger Tomiris criticizes [ru] monument monoculture in the country: Don't we have other historical figures to erect statues...
Busting Myths about Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan is not part of the Middle East; Kazakhs do not have Chinese blood in their veins; and not everything about Kazakhstan is bad. Blogger busts (part 1, part 2) [ru]...
Rumors Fly that Putin Has Remarried
There have long been rumors that Putin has a romantic relationship with gymnast Alina Kabaeva. That gossip has flared up again, with suspicion that they may finally have wed.
With Outcome Foretold, Tajik Elections Spark Online Ridicule
In the run-up to presidential vote in Tajikistan, netizens ridicule the country's incumbent president, opposition leaders, and electoral process.
Blogger Claims Russian Foreign Minister to be Sacked
The blogger el-murid claims that this signals a change of policy in the direction of accommodating the US in passing a UN resolution authorizing military action in Syria.
Disagreements over 2010 Ethnic Violence still Troubling Kyrgyzstan
Attacks on a film festival screening a documentary about a prominent ethnic Uzbek human rights activist are a sore reminder that ethnic relations in Kyrgyzstan are still highly charged.
“A Woman Can Only Become President When Men Die Out in Tajikistan”
The upcoming presidential elections in Tajikistan promise to be anything but boring. For the first time in the country's history, a woman is running for its highest political office.
How Russians Read McCain's Pravda Op-Ed on Putin
While Americans were incensed at being lectured by a foreign politician whom many regard as either an idiot or a hypocrite, many Russians, it turns out, reacted no differently.
Is a Monument to Chechen Women an Affront to Russia?
Ramzan Kadyrov caused an outcry in the blogosphere when he dedicated a monument to a group of Chechen women who died during the Caucasus Wars in the 19th century.
Exclusive: “We Will Start a War” – Kyrgyz Thugs Threaten Canadian Gold Miners
An explosive new video, exclusively translated into English by Global Voices, appears to show local criminals haggling for a cut of Kyrgyzstan's gold with a foreign company.
To Some Opposition Bloggers Alexey Navalny is “Führer”
Alexey Navalny addressed a crowd of supporters the day after he lost the Moscow mayoral election. Some found his performance disconcerting.
How Russians Read Putin's NYT Op-Ed on Syria
Many RuNet users have hailed the President’s overture as something of a needed display of Russian moral authority on the world stage.
#RussiaVotes Live Blog: Russia's Regional and Local Elections
Project editors Kevin Rothrock and Andrey Tselikov offer live blogging coverage of Russia's 2013 regional and local voting. Follow events as they unfold online.
Presidents, Oligarchs and Potash: Russia's Trade War With Belarus
Belarusian authorities arrested Vladislav Baumgartner, CEO of Uralkaliy, a large Russian potash mining company. Russia retaliated by cancelling some of its subsidies and banning Belarusian pork imports.
Tajikistan's Ubiquitous and ‘Irreplaceable’ Leader
As in most other Central Asian countries, the portraits of the president are everywhere in Tajikistan. Blogger Rustam Gulov (aka Teocrat) believes [ru] that these portraits serve a political purpose: [The portraits]...
Day Before “Election Silence,” Russian Candidates Rock Out
Yekaterinburg mayoral race frontrunner Evgeny Roizman welcomed Russian rock music legend Andrei Makarevich in a concert that encountered yet another act of intimidation by local police.
