Far-Right Party Performs Strongly in Ukrainian Vote

While the results of the Oct. 28 elections in Ukraine are still being finalized, netizens are already discussing the anticipated outcome. Many are paying special attention to VO Svoboda, a far-right party, and its victorious leap over the 5% threshold necessary to get any Parliament seats.

Russia: Assessing Predictions About the Coordinating Council Election

Russia  29 October 2012

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 advance of the vote, Global Voices offered projections based on Yandex's blogger rating index. Here, we've assessed those predictions against the actual results and another forecast model

Ukraine: Election Monitors’ Websites Under DDoS Attack

Ukrainian domestic election monitoring organizations and projects using crowdsourcing for mapping election violations (see GV post) reported [uk] being DDoS-ed on the day of the vote: […] web-sites of election monitoring organizations are experiencing DDos attacks. Maidan, OPORA, ElectUa.

Central Asians Treated ‘Like Crap’ at Moscow Airport

I realized that once you find yourself at [the Moscow airport] Domodedovo, you start feeling like you are [crap]. And you feel so not because you are actually [crap], but because the personnel at the airport treat you this way.

Ukraine: Election Votes for Sale Via Social Network

Odessablog draws attention [en] to a VKontakte page [ru] used by those who are willing to sell their Oct. 28 election votes. Roma Lexikov, one of the very few users who posted on the page to protest the practice, wrote:

Slovakia: Protesting SOZA's Newest Copyright Fees

SOZA's general manager Vladimír Repčík addressed Slovak high school seniors via his blog on October 22, urging them to register with his agency and pay €15 for their traditional graduation parties. Tibor Blazko reports on the controversy.

Russia: the Scuffles of the Moscow Literati

Russia  27 October 2012

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 Maksim Kononenko and Pussy Riot lawyer Mark Feygin demonstrated.

Russia: Facebook Insults Lead to a Fight at the Bolshoi

Russia  27 October 2012

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, Tatler's Eduard Dorozhkin insulted GQ's Michael Idov in a Facebook post that had anti-Semitic overtones [ru]. Idov, a Jewish emigre whose parents fled...

Ukraine: Technology for Transparent Elections

Amidst mounting allegations of the ruling party's use of administrative resource during election campaign, the government has pledged to keep the Oct. 28 free and fair. Local election monitoring groups, however, have been utilizing new technology to ensure electoral transparency and to check governmental pledges for themselves.

Ukraine: Crowdmapping Election Violations

ElectUA.org [uk] is a crowdsourcing tool used to report and map election violations in Ukraine. A project of Internews-Ukraine, its goal [en] is “to encourage citizens to have active social position and monitor the electoral process.” So far, 1,177 reports have been submitted; the parliamentary vote is to take place...

Ukraine: Pre-Election Roundup

In the run-up to the October 28 general election in Ukraine, discover a selection of relevant blog posts.

Russia: Cryptanalytic Vulnerabilities in the Opposition's Online Elections

Russia  25 October 2012

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 it happened indicate more serious vulnerabilities in the protest movement's digital self-defense?

Russia: With Opposition's Online Elections Over, Scandals Plague Results

Russia  25 October 2012

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 with more than a few critics among and outside the opposition.

New Realities of the India-Russia Defence Partnership

India has traditionally enjoyed warm defense ties with Russia. However, New Delhi’s recent tilt towards Washington has prompted Moscow to enhance its defense and diplomatic states with other South Asian countries, most notably Pakistan.

Ukraine: Homophobic Bill Considered Ahead of Election

Shortly after scrapping the infamous defamation bill in early October, Ukrainian MPs passed another scandalous proposal in the first reading, aimed at “defending children from the propaganda of homosexual lifestyle and the HIV/AIDS infection associated with it.” Tetyana Bohdanova reports.

Slovakia: “For Decent and Safe Life” Rally Stirs Controversy

Tibor Blazko reports on the controversial Oct. 13 rally for "a decent and safe life," translating netizens' views on the rights of Slovakia's Roma and non-Roma citizens, as well as on the failure of the state to address the alarming social situation adequately.

Russia: DDoS Attacks Cripple Opposition's Online Vote

Russia  20 October 2012

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

Russia  20 October 2012

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 took place last weekend. They were wrong, and the Coordinating Council election might be partly to blame.

Russia: A Ponzi Scheme to Destroy the Opposition's Coordinating Council?

Russia  19 October 2012

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 unsavory scheming of one of Russia's most infamous and odious characters: Sergei Mavrodi, the founder of the MMM series of pyramid schemes

Slovakia, UK: “Child Snatching” or “Child Protection”?

As many as 30 UK-based Slovak children have been removed from their families by British social workers in recent years. While some consider it "child protection," others call it "child snatching." Tibor Blazko reports on the controversy.

Russia: Regional Governor Holds Twitter Q&A

Russia  18 October 2012

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 few hours answering several dozen of them. The new-media-savvy public relations move met with hundreds of “trolling” questions like “how...