Stories from RuNet Echo from May, 2010
Russia: Provider “Accidentally” Blocks Opposition Web Site
Web site sineevedro.ru dedicated to “Little Blue Buckets Society” (online community against law nihilism on the roads) has been shut down along with other resources at the Moscow-based hosting, ru_vederko reported. The incident might be connected to another recent road accident involving high officials.
Russia: Another Web site Closed For Extremism
Alleng.ru, one of the largest educational portals in Russia, has been turned off by the provider Peterhost due to the hosting of the electronic copy of the book “Basics of the Muslim Creed,” which is acknowledged by the Orenburg city court as “extremist,” blogger r_li reported.
Russia: “Is Khodorkovsky a Dissident?”
Vadim Nikitin shares his thoughts on whether Mikhail Khodorkovsky can be considered a dissident.
Russia rises as nuclear exporter
Eberhard Rhein of EU Blogactiv writes about a recent agreement between Russia and Turkey on construction of a nucelar power plant, and how Russia is becoming a leading exporter of nuclear power technology.
Russia: More Victory Day Commentary
A Good Treaty reviews selected blog and media commentary on Victory Day’s 65th anniversary in Russia: “My own feelings on Russia’s WWII past are far from settled, so let me take a moment to express my gratitude to the aforementioned writers, who made an effort to speak coherently about a...
Soviet History: “The False Charges of Treason Against the Crimean Tatars”
J. Otto Pohl writes about his new article (.pdf) – “The False Charges of Treason Against the Crimean Tatars” – which was published at the International Committee for Crimea website on the 66th anniversary of the 1944 deportations.
Russia: Photos of Grozny
LJ user greedyspeedy posts the first installment of photos of Grozny, Chechnya, taken in April, and writes (RUS) in the comments: “This photo report is about the glossy Grozny; I'll show the other, gloomy, side of Grozny in part two. […] Compared to Gudermes, Argun – the largest cities after...
Russia: RT's Gay Pride Coverage
Julia Ioffe writes at True/Slant about RT's coverage of the upcoming gay pride parade in Moscow.
Russia: La Russophobe Interviews Mark Adomanis
La Russophobe interviews True/Slant Russia blogger Mark Adomanis.
Russia: Berkman Center Experts Visit Moscow
Researchers from the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University visited Moscow and met with local journalist and bloggers at the Moscow State University. Lenta.ru writes about the meeting and the research of Russian blogosphere by Harvard University.
Russia: Pictures of Forest Fire
Photoblogger Igor Podgorny posts convincing pictures of the aftermath of the forest fire that is denied by Russian authorities.
Russia: “Novaya Gazeta” Down
The Web site of Russia's independent newspaper “Novaya Gazeta” seems to be down. As the newspaper's blog states, it's not a DDOS-attack but a hosting provider's issue due to the yesterday's rainstorm. However, the sudden blackout might be connected with the events in Kemerovo region.
Russia: Photos Flood in Moscow
Alexey Yushenkov posts pictures of the flood on one of the central streets in Moscow. He also gives pictures of the same situation in 2006. Other pictures of the flood available here and here.
Russia: The Andrei Kolesnikov Mystery
Poemless discovers that the English-language Wikipedia article on Russian journalist Andrey Kolesnikov is misleading, and that there are actually two Russian journalists named Andrey/Andrei Kolesnikov, and both “cover high profile politicos and contribute to widely-read newspapers and other media outlets” – and “[t]hese Andrei Kolesnikovs are like good/evil twins or...
Russia: Driving News
Russian driving news: Keith Gessen posts a Tver resident's video of a ride across a recently reconstructed bridge over the Volga river – which, supposedly, “is now fully open to traffic in both directions”; Julia Ioffe writes at True/Slant about an impatient Russian MP who kept trying to get past...
Russia: Pictures of Zombie Mob
Tons of fake blood, zombies, undead and other scary creatures invaded the main street of Moscow. Photos from the event called “Zombie Mob” can be found here, here and here.
Russia: Coal Miners Block the Railroad
Desperate coal miners in Mezhdurechensk [EN] (Kemerovo region, Siberia) blocked the Transsiberian Railroad and were suppressed by the police (video here [RUS] and here [RUS]). Miners claim that the official data on the casualties in the May 9 Raspadskaya mine explosion [EN] were underestimated. Their official appeal is here [RUS]....
Russia: Blogger Follows “Privileged” Car to Find Its Destination
LJ user teh-nomad posted a short video/photo report on a car with government license plates that ignored all rules of the road and turned on flashes pretending to be on an official business. As it turned out, the car was rushing to pick up a woman from a shopping mall.
Russia: Yet Another “Little Blue Buckets” Action
A peaceful street gathering of the representatives of the “Little Blue Buckets” (citizen organization against law nihilism on the roads – GVO was writing about it here and here) had been suppressed by the police. Photos and videos can be found here, here, here and here.
Russia: First Cyrillic Domains Go Online
First Cyrillic domains officially went online on May 13 and caused different reactions among Russian Internet users. Many people still wonder what will be the consequences of this initiative.
Quick Overview of Russian Blogosphere in 2009-2010
Russian Internet is becoming more politicised and more regulated place. Together with more trust and number of readers, bloggers gain more attention from the authorities. At the same time, the structure of the blogosphere tends to reproduce the offline social structure with its biases and hierarchy
