Stories about Russian from October, 2012
Russia: Elections to Opposition Coordinating Council Fail to Attract Regional Voters
Leonid Volkov, the brains behind technical aspects of the coming independent opposition elections [ru], has posted an interesting bit of statistics [ru] on his blog. Out of the approximately 90,000 people currently...
Russia: Getting It Wrong on the Pussy Riot Prisoner's Dilemma
Reactions to the release of Yekaterina Samutsevich have generally been myopic and misleading. The popular "insight" is that the authorities are maneuvering to "divide and conquer" the punk rocker trio. That is undoubtedly part of what's happened, but it isn't the whole story.
Russia: Democratic Public “Outraged” by Release of Pussy Riot Member
It now appears that Samutsevich’s gamble has paid off, as she was freed after today’s hearings, her two-year prison sentence reduced to two-years probation. The other two imprisoned Pussy Riot members, Maria Alekhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, were not so lucky.
Russia: Winners & Losers in Round 1 of the Opposition's Debates
The first stage of the Russian opposition's Coordinating Council debates has ended. So who has advanced to the next round of debates? Who among the candidates is best winning the hearts and minds of the opposition's voters?
Ukraine: Communist MP's Facebook Account Suspended, Then Restored
Maksym Savanevsky of Watcher.com.ua wrote [uk] that the Facebook account [ru] of Yevgeniy Tsarkov, a Ukrainian Communist MP, was blocked on Oct. 5, following Tsarkov's scandalous remarks during a political...
Russia: Politics of the Nobel Peace Prize Nominations
On September 27th the three imprisoned members of Pussy Riot wrote a letter [ru] which registered their desire to nominate their lawyers for the Nobel Peace Prize. This predictably caused outrage [ru] from pro-government...
Russia: Crowdmapping Corruption with Bribr Mobile App
Bribr is a newly-launched iPhone/iPad app that allows anonymous users in Russia to submit the locations and the amounts of the bribes they pay. Later, it will be possible to report on the bribes taken as well.
Tajikistan: Mixed Reactions Over Russian Base Deal
Russian President returns from a visit to Tajikistan with a deal that extends Moscow's lease on its military base in the Central Asian country for another three decades. Within Tajikistan, reactions to the arrangement differ from praising the authorities for a "win-win situation" to criticizing them for a "national humiliation".
Kazakhstan Joins the Ban on Anti-Islam Film
Kazakhstan has joined a number of other countries in banning the controversial anti-Islamic film "The Innocence of Muslims." The ban has sparked debates in the country about the effectiveness of this measure and its potential implications.
Russia: The Opposition Coordinating Council's Great Debates, Day 1.0
"What should the next Duma adopt as its first new law?" "Does Russia have any friends?" Just some of the questions thrown at the candidates for the upcoming elections of the first Coordinating Council of the Russian Opposition. Read the debate transcripts here.
Russia: A Schism Between Pussy Riot Member and Defense Team?
One of the imprisoned members of Pussy Riot has decided to change her lawyers and defense strategy. Her lawyers have reacted by claiming she is being pressured.
Kyrgyzstan: ‘I Am Gay and Muslim’ Banned
How is this possible that a movie title angered so many people? Kyrgyz blogger reacts [ru] to a recent court ban on the screening of “I Am Gay and Muslim,” a...
Russia: Apple Logo Branded As Unchristian by Orthodox Activists
Interfax new agency reported [ru] today that a fringe group of Russian Orthodox activists (including some priests) has “on a number of occasions” staged public protests against the maker of the...
Russia: Echo of Moscow Pokes Fun at Environmentalist Dissident
Earlier today, oppositionist blogger Oleg Kozyrev took issue [ru] with an apparent gag that graced the website of Echo of Moscow. In an article titled “Leader of the Khimki Ecologists and...
Tajikistan: Costly Conscription
Blogger Teocrat writes [ru] that the conscription of young men into the military in Tajikistan puts a heavy financial burden on the conscripts’ families and the state. He also suggests...
Italian Singer Encourages Kazakhs to Speak Mother Tongue
Son Pascal, an Italian singer and songwriter, has become a celebrity in Kazakhstan by passionately encouraging Kazakhs to speak their mother tongue. In a brief interview with Global Voices Online, Pascal talks about his love for all things Kazakh.
Russia: Philanthropy Through Advertising
The project “A Minute of Your Day for Good” (1minute.ru) was launched in November 2011. Users of the platform can accrue "charity minutes," which advertisers later honor in cash. Aleksey Melnicheck, co-founder of 1minute.ru, spoke to Evgeny Voropai of Greenhouses of Social Technologies about the problems of virtual charity in Russia and Western trends in fundraising.
