Stories about Russian from September, 2012
Russia: Forecasts for the Protest Movement's Elections
On October 20, the new "Central Elections Committee" will hold elections to select 45 individuals to form the first "Coordinating Council of the Russian Opposition." When this process is complete, the protest movement will have a representative body for the first time, providing a powerful institution that at last formalizes opposition leaders' legitimacy in Russian politics.
Russia: Protest Movement Struggles with Keeping Itself Democratic
Maksim Martsinkevich, who goes by the nickname Tesak (Machete), gained notoriety on the RuNet between 2005 and 2007. A white-supremacist who later spent several years in prison for inciting ethnic and religious hatred, Tesak has returned to public life and is now trying to gain access to the protest movement's internal elections.
Russia: Religiosity & the Murdered U.S. Ambassador
Responding to the attack on U.S. embassies across the Muslim world (specifically the murder of Ambassador Christopher Stevens in Libya), Russian bloggers have addressed the perceived growth of religiosity in their own country, and used the incident as an opportunity to discuss the wider consequences of political unrest.
Tajikistan: ‘Blogosphere is a Democracy’
The blogosphere is a democracy. Blogs give anyone and everyone a voice on the World Wide Web. This is a real voice which can be heard all over the world…
Tajikistan: Singer Praising Putin Draws Anger
Since the beginning of the year, Tajik singer Tolibjon Kurbonkhonov has recorded three songs that extol the virtues of Russian president Vladimir Putin. The songs have become hits on YouTube and made the singer famous in Russia. Back in Tajikistan, however, the songs anger Kurbonkhonov's compatriots who accuse him of "sycophancy" and "disgracing the country".
Peace Corps Volunteers are Leaving Turkmenistan
It has been announced that the Peace Corps - a U.S. government-run volunteer program - will close its programs in Turkmenistan and leave the country by the end of 2012. Many Turkmen internet users believe that the departure of the volunteers will further deepen the country's isolation and limit education opportunities for its young people.
Russia: New Competition in Social Media Analysis & Big Data Analytics
Former presidential staff member Konstantin Kostin [ru] and pro-Kremlin blogger Stanislav Apetian (online moniker: PoliTrash) have released new details about an upcoming initiative from their think tank [ru], the Civil Society Development...
Russia: Online Poetry's Vehement, Apolitical Politics
It's no surprise that a result of Russians' widespread interest in poetry is that there are plenty of online communities dedicated to its production and consumption. Stihi.ru, with a user base of almost half a million people, is the largest by far.
Russia: Top Opposition Blogger Investigated for Ethnic Extremism
According to documents published online, police in Volgograd are investigating one of blogger Aleksei Navalny's newest crowdsourcing projects, the "Good Machine of Truth," for possible ethnic extremism in its propaganda efforts against United Russia and Vladimir Putin.
Tajikistan: Xenophobia on Facebook
[O]ur society – to be more exact, that part of our society which has internet access and actively uses social networks – is increasingly witnessing the expansion and strengthening of...
Tajikistan: Bribes and Neckties in Universities
Now students pay bribes to be admitted to universities, study only to get their [diplomas], but happily wear neckties to classes… Temur Mengliev summarizes [ru] the changes that have taken...
Russia: Dreaming About Better Roads
Prime Minister Medvedev ordered the government to auction a construction contract to build another section of a still-incomplete toll road between Moscow and Saint Petersburg. By signing the decree, Medvedev awakened a debate about the highway's negative environmental impact that only recently seemed to be subsiding.
Russia: U.S. Republican Convention in Context
Most delegates of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, United States, last week probably did not imagine that Russian netizens were commenting on the proceedings in real time. Indeed, Russian bloggers have developed strong opinions about the U.S. presidential contest.
Russia: Patriarch's Press Secretary Wants LiveJournal to Ban Photoshops of Priests
In an interview [ru] with the Orthodox website Pravmir.Ru, Patriarch Kirill's press secretary, Aleksandr Volkov, complained that LiveJournal users are too often permitted to engage in “school bathroom” humor that derides...
Russia: Online Platform for Auditing Court Decisions
With the appearance of "RosPravosudie," Russians have gained a comprehensive database of information about lawyers, attorneys, judges, and judicial decisions. Its founder, Gleb Suvorov, recently spoke to Greenhouses of Social Technologies about what can be achieved in just 100 days of online existence and about ways to improve Russia's judicial system.
Russia: 40th Anniversary of Canada-USSR Hockey Series
RuNet blogger Vladimir Kharitonov honored the 40th anniversary of the “Summit Series” – eight hockey games played on two continents between the USSR and Team Canada in September 1972. Although...
Russia: Governors’ LiveJournals Ranked
Writing in his own LiveJournal, Sergei Nikitskii (the director of Governors.Ru) ranked [ru] the LJ accounts of Russia's 13 blogging governors. Kirovskaia oblast Governor Nikita Belykh [ru], a former oppositionist politician, scored highest...
Russia: Activist Jailed on Trumped Up Drug Charges
Earlier this week, the list of what many are calling Russia's 'political prisoners' grew yet again. On August 28, activist Taisiya Osipova was sentenced to eight years in prison for drug possession: four years more than the prosecution had requested.