Stories from RuNet Echo from January, 2014
Blogger Unveils Sochi Corruption Website
Alexei Navalny joined the Sochi anti-corruption campaign this week, launching an interactive website outlining what he calls the true costs of the Olympic preparations in Sochi.
Cable Providers Begin Dropping Russia's Only Independent TV Station
The prospect that Russian cable television providers might drop TV Rain became a reality today, when two major cable companies reported their decisions to end access to the station.
So Long to Russia's Only Independent TV Station?
The only opposition television station operating today in Russia is now threatened with losing access to cable broadcasting, after a scandalous poll about the WWII Siege of Leningrad.
Russian Conspiracy Theories about Maidan's First Blood
Given the lack of eyewitnesses, the murder of Serhiy Nigoyan, Maidan’s first shooting fatality, has naturally attracted lots of speculation about who was responsible.
Super Bowls: Olympic Toilet Humor
Are the "toilet-gate" conspiracy theorists correct in their paranoia? Does it even matter if they aren't?
It's Slash and Burn for Russia's Indigenous
Russia’s indigenous people stand up for their land rights in a quarrel with oil companies, raising issues of environmental and economic justice.
Who Bears the Cost of Russia's Olympics?
Accusations of corruption continue to plague Sochi Olympic preparations.
How Much Longer Can Russia's Zuckerberg, Pavel Durov, Survive at Vkontakte?
Today, the notoriously Kremlin-connected newspaper Izvestia published an article claiming that Durov had resigned as head of Vkontakte, taking most of the staff with him to work on another project.
Dr. House Hits Sore Spot with Russians
British actor Hugh Laurie caused quite a stir on the RuNet this weekend, when he reacted vehemently to a Guardian article describing Vladimir Putin's views on homosexuality
Blogger and Commando Argue Russian Terrorism
As the Sochi Olympics approach, some bloggers argue about who is behind terrorist attacks, most of which take place in the part of Russia closest to the games.
The Sad Fate of Multimillionaire Marriages in Russian Officialdom
Russia’s leading anti-corruption blogger, Alexey Navalny, is making waves again with his latest online work, a series of allegations against Maxim Liksutov, the head of Moscow’s department of transportation.
Looking Back at Russia's Divided New Year Celebration
President Putin delivered two New Year's addresses in 2013 -- one for Russia's Far East, and another for the rest of the country.
Facebook Teams Up with Russia's Top Search Engine
Scholars and researchers of the Russian Internet can rejoice this week, for Russia's leading search engine, Yandex.ru, is now the second website in the world, after Bing in the United States, to gain access to Facebook firehose data [ru]. This means that Yandex can now search Facebook's streaming API and provide live...
Russia’s Parliament Prepares New “Anti-Terrorist” Laws for Internet
Another Internet crackdown looms in Russia, where the Duma is reviewing three new pieces of “anti-terror” legislation that could place hefty restrictions on the activities of websites and civil society.
Russia's Foreign Ministry Opines on “Queers”
While the translation is labelled as "unofficial," Russia watchers were somewhat taken aback that a homophobic slur could end up on a government website.
Russia Bans All Liquids on Aircraft
In the aftermath of the twin bombings in Volgograd before the New Year's holiday, Russia’s Transportation Ministry revised its rules on what airline passengers can bring on board.
Monitoring the Russian Internet for Big Bucks
The Russian Federal Protective Service is asking software developers to design a system that automatically monitors the country’s news and social media, producing reports that study netizens’ political attitudes.
7 Theories of Why Putin Freed Khodorkovsky
Illarionov has devoted special attention to Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s unexpected release from prison last December, and his most recent piece on the subject itemizes several different explanations for Putin’s sudden decision.
Prominent Russian Actor Asks Putin to Recriminalize Sodomy
A prominent Russian actor, Ivan Okhlobystin, is making headlines for his latest homophobic act: a public letter addressed to Vladimir Putin, asking the President to recriminalize sodomy in Russia.
A Russian Sex Slave's Suicide in Astrakhan
No one saw Galia Borisenko for until New Year's, when she appeared at her grandmother’s, gaunt and disoriented, and claiming to have survived almost 6 months as a sex slave.
Russians on the Return of Sherlock
Of all of the writers to have captured the Russian imagination, there is perhaps none greater than Arthur Conan Doyle, the Scottish creator of the "Sherlock Holmes" stories.
