Stories about Eastern & Central Europe from January, 2013
Russian Facebook of Horrors: From Tragedy to Humor
Humor is sometimes the only way to deal with a tragedy like the one that struck Russian Facebook over the weekend, when it turned out that Alexey Kabanov, chef and father of three, had allegedly strangled and dismembered his wife, Irina Cherska.
Slovak Netizen Initiative to Redesign State Institutions’ Sites
Inspired by sf.citi (San Francisco Citizens Initiative for Technology & Innovation), Jakub Ptačin [sk] and Peter Fabor [sk] have launched It's Not Possible (“To Sa Nedá”; sk; on Facebook –...
Interview with Szabolcs Panyi, Editor of Global Voices in Hungarian
Szabolcs Panyi, 26, is the author and editor of a popular Hungarian blog, Véleményvezér ("Opinion Leader”). He joined Global Voices in Hungarian in September 2011, and since March 2012 he has been the site's co-editor.
Přednádraží Still Stands: Czech Roma Community Resists Evictions
In August 2012, the Ostrava City Hall issued a 24-hour eviction order to the owner of the 11 buildings at Přednádraží. Approximately 100 families of the local residents refused to move out. Many simply did not have anywhere else to go. Five months later, twelve families still remain at Přednádraží, including six children. Daniela Kantorova reports.
Russian Facebook of Horrors: The Murder Trail
A Moscow chef, Alexey Kabanov, has allegedly strangled and dismembered his wife and mother of three small children, Irina Cherska. Kabanov and Cherska were tightly integrated into the protest-minded Russophone Facebook community.
Russian Internet Easily Distracted by Beavers
Amid scandal and legislative controversy the RuNet is sidetracked by quirky recipes and celebrities.
Pedophilia & Rape Accusations Flood the RuNet with Cruelty
The Internet, any way you slice it, is a strange place populated by strange people. In the last few weeks, the Russian Internet—often your typical den of online cliques and conspiracy theorists—has boiled over the levees of "strange" and flooded the RuNet with a new intensity of bizarre moral recriminations. In the six days since RuNet Echo first reported on this story, top blogger Rustem Adagamov's situation has developed rapidly.
Russia's Protest Movement Is Back (to Usual)
For those of you who have been living under a rock for the past year: the Russian protest movement—which sprung to life in December 2011—has collapsed. Trusted demonstration speakers are selling toothpaste on TV, top bloggers are accused of pedophilia, and recent rallies have attracted smaller crowds. In other words, Russia's opposition—as it's been known throughout the Putin years—is back to usual.
Snowballs: Russia's Phantom Menace
St. Petersburg police have dispersed a snowball fighting flashmob in the city center. The RuNet is outraged.
Dazed & Depardieu'd in Russia
On January 3, 2013, Vladimir Putin signed into law nine pieces of new legislation (mostly dealing with immigration) and one executive order to naturalize French actor Gérard Depardieu. Not shockingly, most Russian bloggers and journalists responded to the latter event, given how utterly bizarre it is indeed. In that daze, however, they missed something.
1968 Comes to Today's Russian Universities?
Last month, on December 18, students at the Russian State University of Trade and Economics (RSUTE) began a strike and blocked the main door of their alma mater. Controversy surrounds Sergei Baburin, the school's recently sacked chancellor, whose academic tenure overlapped with a long history of political activity.
Sex Allegations Hound Russia's Top Blogger
As RuNet was preparing to celebrate the New Year, Tatyana Delsal, estranged ex-wife of popular blogger and Coordinating Council member Rustem Adagamov, has accused him of statutory rape.
Vladimir Pozner & Russia's Own Political Correctness
Late last month, Vladimir Pozner—one of Russia's best known journalists—spoke out on his television show against the “Dima Yakovlev” law. He criticized the need for such legislation, condemning it as an unnecessary and improper retaliation against the American “Magnitsky Act.” In what caught Russian headlines and sent the RuNet buzzing, Pozner also took an uncharacteristically harsh shot at the federal parliament, quipping that it is a house of fools
Secret Money, Hacks, and Politics of Russian Web
While suspicions about money and sponsorship plague all Russian politics, the RuNet is a particularly contentious battleground. The rift between the oppositionist and pro-government camps is a hotbed of accusations about illicit funding, with each side desperately professing its own honesty and insisting on the other's deception.
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