Stories about Russian from December, 2013
Twin Acts of Terror for Russia's New Year
Little information about the perpetrators is known, but as usual the RuNet is rife with speculation.
9 Things the Russian Government Says Are “Gay Propaganda”
Russian state censors have revised the criteria for identifying information online that supposedly endangers minors. One new report tries to clarify the definition of "gay propaganda."
Vladimir Milov “On Khodorkovsky”
Vladimir Milov is an energy sector expert and former Deputy Energy Minister of the Russian Federation. RuNet Echo translates his reaction to Mikhail Khodorkovsky's release from prison last week.
Accenting the Positive on the Russian Internet
BestPozitiv.ru, also known as “Tol'ko Pozitiv” (Only the Positive), is a Russian website that promises to “fill you with positivity every day” by bringing its viewers “the most interesting” videos,...
#askPussyRiot Wants Your Questions
After almost two years in federal custody, Pussy Riot's two most famous members, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alekhina, will hold their first post-prison press conference [ru]. The event will be hosted by the...
Pussy Riot Free to Tweet at Last!
Maria Alekhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova are already micro-blogging up a storm.
Emptying Russia's Prisons to Fill the Seats at Sochi 2014
Many Russian bloggers believe that the 2014 Olympics in Sochi played a major role in the early release of both Greenpeace activists and Pussy Riot, as well as Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
Search Engine Suggests Kazakhstan is a “Satan's Den”
Popular web search engines often have bizarre autocomplete suggestions. Kazakhstani blogger Fyodor Kovalyov writes [ru]: Сейчас решил узнать о наиболее значимых событиях уходящего года, произошедших в разных городах Казахстана, и пришёл...
Will Pussy Riot Fight Putin's Amnesty and Remain in Prison?
The manner in which Mikhail Khodorkovsky was freed seems to differ from what awaits Pussy Riot's Tolokonnikova and Alekhina, who have signaled some unwillingness to leave prison early.
“Good Tsar” Putin Pardons Khodorkovsky
The news that Khodorkovsky had potentially admitted guilt and would be imminently released sent the RuNet into a fit of speculation.
“Tajikistan is not the Center of the World”: Rewriting of Country's History Spurs Ridicule
As historians in Tajikistan seek to move the origins of the nation as far back in time as possible, netizens are increasingly distrustful of the updated history.
Misuse of National Flag Causes a Stir in Tajikistan
An image of a Tajik flag used to collect trash has angered social media users in the country.
The Economics of Ukraine's #Euromaidan [INFOGRAPHIC]
A Ukrainian news portal specializing in data visualization, Newsplot.org [ru], has published an infographic [ru] outlining the costs and necessities of the Euromaidan protests in Kyiv:
Russia's Government Might Block Websites for Calls to Unsanctioned Rallies
The Russian parliament will soon vote on a law that would empower the Prosecutor General’s office to close any website that hosts content encouraging people to attend unsanctioned rallies.
Russia's Year of Pogroms
2013 has been a particularly virulent year for race violence in Russia. The most recent incident, which took place this past weekend in the city of Arzamas was no different.
The Caucasus Network: In Blogs, Russian is the Common Language
No indigenous languages dominate any of the blogging platforms in the North Caucasus. Even the forums dedicated exclusively to local issues operate in Russian.
The Caucasus Network: On Blogging and Keeping Up Appearances
The Russian North Caucasus divided into clusters and studied for reader interactivity.
In Tajikistan Protest Occurs Online
While many people in Tajikistan are unhappy about the country's dire economic situation and political leadership, public protest is rare in the country. The fear of inevitable punishment by the...
The Caucasus Network: What They Blog About
North Caucasus bloggers appear to exist in a bubble, demonstrating little interest in the outside world. There are roughly six topics the most popular blogs focus on.
Czechoslovakia's Architectural Heritage in Kyrgyzstan
Karina Ditkovskaya writes [ru] about a unique architectural heritage left by volunteer construction workers from Czechoslovakia in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan: In the 1920s a commune of volunteers from Czechoslovakia built...
The Caucasus Network: The Subtleties of Censorship
The mechanics of Internet censorship in the North Caucasus are not dramatically different from elsewhere in Russia. But they are unique in their own way.
