Stories about Russian from July, 2012
Ukraine: “Opposition Talk” Vs. Reality
Taras of Ukrainiana posts a video of the roundtable discussion by the Ukrainian “united opposition” (which took place on July 17 and lasted 3 hours and 37 minutes) – as...
Russia: “Spasibo!” the Russian Charity Thrift Shop
For Europeans, charity thrift shops are well-loved retailers. While this model is still relatively unknown in Russia, the appearance of the “Spasibo!” (Thank You!) community has sparked the development of a new movement in this direction.
Russia: Yaroslavl Court Blocks Access to LiveJournal
Subscribers to Netis Telecom in Yaroslavl (an estimated 6,000 people) can no longer access LiveJournal, Russia's most popular blogging platform, after a local court today agreed to a request from...
Kyrgyzstan: Patriarchal Society as Seen by Artists
The Kyrgyzstani art group ‘705′ describes itself as a 'nomadic theater'. It is best known for hand-drawn animation films that criticize the conventions and norms of a patriarchal society, particularly its treatment of women. The group's head talks to Global Voices Online.
Ukraine: Politicians and Parties on Facebook
Watcher.com.ua reports [uk] that the ruling Party of Regions now has a Facebook page [ru]. For more on Ukrainian politicians’ and parties’ Facebook presence, see this Watcher.com.ua's ranking (uk; updated...
Russia: A Law to Regulate Volunteer Efforts
Last week, Russia's Public Chamber announced that it is preparing the foundation for a draft law designed to regulate volunteer activities. Critics of the idea claim that the law (like recent bills raising fines for illegal demonstrations and 'blacklisting' parts of the RuNet) is another government attempt to oppress the political potential of civil society (specifically the strengths of Internet-enabled activists).
Russia: Computer Security Tips for Russian Opposition
Following the recent hacking [en] of activist Alexey Navalny's email, LJ user vishka shares some basic tips [ru] on “computer security for the Russian opposition”: “Having set it all up...
Tajikistan: Blogger Urges Young People to Be Politically Active
Ahead of the 2013 presidential elections in Tajikistan, Post Scriptum suggests [ru] that the country's young people should be more active in articulating their political preferences. “We should not silently nod in...
Tajikistan: Big Brother to Watch Internet Activity in the Country
Authorities in Tajikistan plan to "track down and identify" individuals who publish materials and leave comments deemed insulting to the country's leadership. Netizens respond with a flurry of angry comments.
Kyrgyzstan: Blogger Suggests “Ethnicity Should Die”
Ilya Karimdjanov, a prominent Kyrgyzstani blogger, argues [ru] that ethnicity as a criterion for dividing people up into groups “should simply die”. “I really don't understand why people tend to...
Russia: Caught Stealing Supplies from Flood Victims
The social documentary film makers behind “Srok” [ru] (“The Term”) have published footage [ru] on YouTube of two men who apparently tried to steal supplies from a collection point in Moscow at Vorob'evy...
Russia: Sveta from Ivanovo to NTV
NTV has announced [ru] that RuNet sensation and Nashi member Svetlana Kuritsyna will host a weekly TV show where she interviews Russia's “greatest newsmakers.” Kuritsyna is known online as “Sveta from...
Haiti: The New York Times reviews Haitian Television
What do people watch on TV around the world? Alessandra Stanley, the chief television critic of The New York Times is traveling to many different countries and through videos, she is...
Russia: Online Platforms Coordinating Aid for Flood Victims
Floods in Kuban have completely destroyed 640 homes, with more than 5,000 partially submerged. According to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Crisis Centre, 150 have been killed as of July 8.
Turkmenistan: Silent Anniversary of Deadly Blasts in Abadan
One year after the explosions at an arms depot in Abadan, officials in Turkmenistan hardly mention the deadly incident. Instead of commemorating the victims of the blasts, they prefer to suppress information, hoping that the Turkmen will forget about what had happened. Netizens are silent as well after the authorities detained several bloggers and put one of them in jail for covering the explosions.
Russia: Pussy Riot Members Remain in Jail
Amnesty International started a sms action campaign calling for the release of three jailed members of the punk band Pussy Riot. The women — Nadezhda, Maria and Ekaterina — were...
Russia: A Great Firewall to Censor the RuNet?
The Russian language section of Wikipedia suspended service today in protest against a draft law now under review by the Russian parliament that many believe threatens the RuNet with censorship. Kevin Rothrock reports on the political context and details of the legislation.
Uzbekistan: ‘National’ Social Network Not Quite a Facebook Clone
Youface, the "national" social networking service launched in Uzbekistan, has been criticized by some netizens as a "bad copy" of Facebook. Yet, the service which reportedly aims to "boost patriotism" is different from both Facebook and Russian-language social networks popular with Uzbek users. Some netizens and experts fear that the real aim of the "national" platform is to control Internet users in the country.
Kyrgyzstan: Caught Between Nationalists, Court Fines Journalist
In a controversial case, a court in Kyrgyzstan has fined Vladimir Farafonov, an ethnic Russian journalist, for publishing articles that allegedly incite national hatred. Netizens are divided in their assessment of the court ruling. While some believe that the journalist deserved a harsher punishment, others argue that the verdict sets a dangerous precedent.
Russia: Netizens Respond Online and Offline to Devastating Krymsk Floods
On July 6-7, more than 170 people died in the devastating floods in the south of Russia. Bloggers have been arguing about possible causes of the tragedy in the hardest-hit town of Krymsk; many are already there as volunteers and journalists, and much of the current online discussion focuses on the relief effort, too.
Russia: Parkhomenko Chronicles Krymsk Statements
In a widely shared Facebook post [ru], journalist Sergei Parkhomenko lists a series of contradictory official statements by the Russian authorities about the flooding in Krymsk, arguing that the state is...
