Stories from RuNet Echo from September, 2016
30 September 2016
Russian Politician Wants Journalists Prosecuted for Sharing Footage of His Ricky Martin Dance
A city councilman in Orlov has filed a police report against local journalists for sharing video footage of him dancing to Ricky Martin’s “Livin la Vida Loca.”
29 September 2016
Khodorkovsky Announces ‘Open Media’ Project To Support Investigative Journalism Startups
Mikhail Khodorkovsky's "Open Media" project will provide as much as 30 million rubles in support to investigative journalism startups.
28 September 2016
Russian TV Airs ‘Separatist Coca-Cola’ Prank Video As Real News Footage
A practical joke published on YouTube has made it to network television in Russia, where it was aired as real footage of ethnic tension in Ukraine.
27 September 2016
‘No Embarrassment’ Photo Exhibition in Moscow Ends Early Under Pressure From Conservative Activists
Conservative activists pressured the Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography in Moscow to close Jock Sturges' photo exhibition, arguing that his work violated Russia's laws against child pornography.
23 September 2016
How an ‘American Spy’ May Have Exposed Russian Election Fraud
Depending on how you interpret the numbers, it’s possible that a journalist from Reuters managed to reveal what real elections in Russia last Sunday would have looked like.
22 September 2016
The Russian Political Prisoner's Cookbook
You lose a lot when you're locked up in prison, but one thing you gain is time to hone your talents. Russian political prisoners are certainly familiar with this experience.
21 September 2016
Life in Russia After Porn
A week after Russian censors banned two of the most popular pornography websites around, ordinary Web users are firing back with an online flashmob that mixes satire and protest.
19 September 2016
He Supported Bombing Syria a Little Too Eagerly, Now RuNet Pioneer Faces Prison
Anton Nossik faces two years in a penal colony for saying that Syria should be "Wiped from the Face of the Earth."
16 September 2016
That Time Russia Banned Online Porn (Again)
The two pornographic metropolises of the Internet, PornHub and YouPorn, were banned in Russia this week. ISPs are required to comply with the ban within 24 hours.
15 September 2016
After Months of Protest, Russian Coal Miners Finally Get Paychecks
It took a months-long protest and a hunger strike, but miners in Russia’s Rostov region are finally getting paid.
14 September 2016
Ukrainian Ministry of Information Policy Thanks Facebook Bots for Their Hard Work
The Facebook bot war between Ukraine and Russia rages on. Will the Russian government find a way to crack down on spammers?
Vladimir Putin and the Fake Brides of Red Square
Last holiday weekend, Moscow wasn't the only thing being celebrated: part of the spectacle appears to have been arranged to remind Russians that their president is a virile, red-blooded man.
12 September 2016
How Fake Stories Reported in Russia's News Media Regularly Fool Everyone
In August, something all too typical happened in Russia's news media: a perfect example of where fake news stories originate, how they’re spread, who is responsible, and who believes them.
9 September 2016
She Says Uterine Cells Can ‘Remember.’ Meet Russia's New Children's Rights Commissioner.
Russia's new children’s rights commissioner believes in "Telegony," a pseudo-scientific theory holding that children can inherit traits from a mother's previous sexual partners.
8 September 2016
Russia's Pokemon-Go-Playing Atheist Outlaw Has Some Powerful Enemies
Out of respect for the blogger, the church says it won't “force Christian forgiveness” or “Christian love,” explaining that he hasn't asked for the former and rejects the latter.
6 September 2016
A Man in Crimea Self-Immolated to Save His Wife’s Cafe From Officials, Who Razed It Anyway
Late last week, 75-year-old Yalta pensioner Alexander Strekalin poured acetone down his back, lit himself on fire, and collapsed near Primorsky Beach. Days later, he died from his wounds.
5 September 2016
Russia's Pokemon Gulag
Ruslan Sokolovksy’s alleged crime was filming himself playing Pokemon Go inside a Russian Orthodox cathedral. If convicted of the charges, he could go to prison for up to five years.
About our RuNet Echo coverage
Alexey Kovalev is the RuNet Echo editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.
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