Stories from RuNet Echo from June, 2011
Russia: Microsoft Representative ‘Would Be Glad’ To Provide FSB with Skype Source Code
Nikolay Pryanishnikov, president of “Microsoft-Russia,” said ‘he would be glad’ to provide Federal Security Service (FSB) with the source code of Skype, after the corporation finalizes the deal. Some media outlets first misinterpreted [ru] his statement, but later Microsoft had officially explained [ru]: “Within many years Microsoft had provided FSB...
Moldova: A solution to the Transnistria conflict?
Zimbru of Morning in Moldova comments on and argues against rumours about an upcoming German-Russian proposal on the status of breakaway province Transnistria within a federal state of Moldova.
Russia: Bloggers’ Quest For Freedom of Photography
Ilya Varlamov and Dmitry Ternovsky continue [ru] (see also feature article by Will Partlett) their quest for the freedom of photography. This time they visited three Moscow railway stations to check, wherever the police still prohibits (illegally) to make pictures at the self-proclaimed ‘strategic objects.’ Yet, the police ignores the law,...
Russia: Life Of Central Asian Labor Migrants in Moscow
Photoblogger dervishrv posts pictures [ru] of Central Asian migrants’ living conditions in Moscow. Gastarbeiters, as they're called by Muscovites, live in abandoned houses, basements, often illegally.
Russia: Journalists Discuss Possible Closure of “Izvestia” Newspaper
Nataly Oss [ru] and Ksenia Larina [ru] discuss possible closure of “Izvestia,” once “a long-running high-circulation daily newspaper.” The control over the newspaper was taken over by Inews (publisher of a popular online tabloid LifeNews.ru). If closed, Izvestia will be 4th major media outlet after Russian Newsweek (closed in October 2010), BBC Russian...
Belarus: Security Services Arrest Administrators of Major Opposition Vkontakte Groups
Several administrators of opposition groups at Vkontakte network were detained, Nasha Niva reported [by]. Sergey Pavlukevich [by], administrator of “We Stand for Great Belarus” [by] (123,000 members, functional although some reported its closure) was detained on June 4, 2011. Dmitry Nefedov [ru], administrator of “Movement for the Future” [ru/by] group (more...
Russia: Continuing demographic decline
Anatoly Karlin of Sublime Oblivion comments on Russia's continuing demographic decline and posts statistics to substantiate it.
Russia: Towards a gas spot market?
Streetwise Professor discusses a Bloomberg article claiming that Russia and its state gas company Gazprom are feeling an increased pressure to admit a spot market on gas instead of pegging the price to that of oil.
Russia: Apocalyptic Video of Ammunition Blast Near Izhevsk City
YouTube user Malsagoff publishes a shocking video [ru] of ammunition blast on Pugachevo military base near Izhevsk city. So far 48 people hospitalized, unofficial sources report [ru] 18 dead.
Russia: Social Networks and Civic Mobilisation
What effect can the rapid development of social networks, the growth of the number of users, and the strengthening of their capacity for social impact and mobilisation have, and when? Marina Litinovich analyses the factors contributing to public mobilisation via social networks.
Russia: Freelance Researcher Reveals Skype Source Code
Efim Bushmanov, Russian ‘freelance researcher’ and a programmer, publishes reverse-engineered source code of Skype internet messenger. Bushmanov explains: “While “Wall Street Journal” makes politics and skype today's trend, i want to publish my research on this. My aim is to make skype open source. And find friends who can spend...
Russia: 13 Non-Political Claims to the Government
LJ-user skitalets sums up [ru] common claims to the Russian government: hypocrisy and amorality, lack of vision, amateurishness, fear of change, ‘psychology of a petty hooligan’ towards neighbors, deafness in a dialogue with civil society, stand on ignorant majority, denial of other countries experience, historical complexes, dropping support of culture...
Russia: Exposing the Private Side of Lawlessness
Will Partlett writes about young Russian activists who, with the help of a digital camera and a copy of the applicable law, have exposed the private side to the arbitrary exercise of power in Russia.
Russia: Civic Activists Launch ‘Anti-Seliger,’ Open Air Civil Society Forum
Alexey Navalny and Yevgenia Chirikova, famous civic (and digital) activists published [ru] a video-invitation to Anti-Seliger (reference to the annual event organized at Lake Seliger by pro-Kremlin youth movement “Nashi”). Anti-Seliger website [ru] describes itself as a festival of artists, bloggers, environmentalists, human rights defenders and promises 4 days of...
