Stories from RuNet Echo from October, 2012
Russia: Assessing Predictions About the Coordinating Council Election
As RuNet Echo readers know well, the Coordinating Council's elections took place last week, and that body has already convened virtually through Facebook and once again in person. Weeks in...
Russia: the Scuffles of the Moscow Literati
Most online conflicts in the RuNet remain virtual. Sometimes, however, members of the Moscow creative class feel that fisticuffs are their only recourse, as a recent Twitter spat between blogger...
Russia: Facebook Insults Lead to a Fight at the Bolshoi
Earlier this week, an online spat between the chief editors of Russian GQ and Russian Tatler magazines came to physical blows on the steps of the famous Bolshoi Theater. First,...
Russia: Cryptanalytic Vulnerabilities in the Opposition's Online Elections
The opposition's Elections Commission accidentally leaked personal voter data to one of its most dangerous enemies, Sergei Mavrodi's MMM group. How avoidable was this mistake, and does the fact that...
Russia: With Opposition's Online Elections Over, Scandals Plague Results
The Coordinating Council elections are finally over. Now that the final tally is in, it’s time to look more closely at what happened. Scandals and provocations have led to results...
Russia: DDoS Attacks Cripple Opposition's Online Vote
Eight hours after online voting for the Russian opposition's “Coordinating Council” began, unknown assailants launched a sustained Denial-of-Service attack against the Election Commission's website, disabling the primary voting portal.
Russia: Opposition Distracted by Virtual Elections, Loses Real Elections
In August, Global Voices reported on several activists from Russia’s protest movement running for office in local elections. They hoped it would be easier to win these small-scale contests, which...
Russia: A Ponzi Scheme to Destroy the Opposition's Coordinating Council?
There are storm clouds rolling in for the Coordinating Council's coming elections, and the promise of a democratic triumph for the protest movement could be faltering, thanks mainly to the...
Russia: Regional Governor Holds Twitter Q&A
Two days ago Alexander Tkachev, governor of the the southern Kradnodarskiy Krai (one of Russia's 87 federal regions), announced a “twitter-conference” [ru], soliciting questions from his followers. Today he spent a...
Russia: Candidates Drop Out of Opposition Elections
On October 16 two high profile candidates in the opposition's Coordinating Council elections announced they are withdrawing from the campaign. Economist Irina Yasina and writer Liudmila Ulitskaya published a statement [ru]...
Russia: Lawmaker Wants to Regulate Social Networks
A few days ago several Russian bloggers were incensed by the idea that a Duma committee responsible for legislating the internet was going to propose a new law requiring passport...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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.
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...
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Maxim Edwards is the RuNet Echo editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.
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