· December, 2005

Stories about Russia from December, 2005

Russia: Corporatism

28 December 2005

President Putin's economic adviser Andrei Illarionov resigned, charging Russia with corporatism. Sean Guillory examines the charges, looks at capitalism in Russia, and asks how far it is from the global norm.

Russia: Gas War

28 December 2005

br23 blog weighs in on the Ukraine-Russia gas war, calling it one of the most important regional battles since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Russia: Free Product Placement

23 December 2005

Russia Marketing Blog discusses how free PR and product placement made a certain Russian brand that has never advertised one of the world's most recognizable.

Russia: Not Enough Cows

23 December 2005

Alistair reports that demand for dairy is on the rise in Russia while the number of cows in the country is falling.

Russia: NGO Bill

23 December 2005

Sean Guillory notes that Russia's controversial new bill on NGOs has passed a second reading in the State Duma. It has undergone minor technical changes, but it is still set to enormously impact relations between the state and civil society.

Russia: Heavy Traffic

21 December 2005

Cyber-Generation reports that it's the busiest time of year in Moscow as people prepare for the holidays and has photos of some of the horrible traffic.

Russia: Ded Moroz

20 December 2005

Russia's Ded Moroz (Old Man Frost) is often mistaken for a Russian version of Santa Claus who brings gifts on New Year's. And while the comparison more or less works now, Konstantin of Russian Marketing Blog points out his history is quite different.

Russia: End of the Line

16 December 2005

Scraps of Moscow continues its “End of the Line” series with photos from the southern end of Moscow's green line, Red Guard station.

Ukraine: The Coming Showdown

16 December 2005

Scott W. Clark discusses the gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine and how the EU may become involved.

Russia: False Vodka Advertising

13 December 2005

Russia Marketing Blog reports that the government is taking steps to stop the marketing of vodka as such things as candy or mineral water.

Russia: The Revolving Door

13 December 2005

Scraps of Moscow reports on the revolving Russo-German door–in which Gerhard Schroeder has taken a position with a major (Russia's) Gazprom-led gas pipeline project shortly after leaving office.

Russia: Volgas

13 December 2005

Carpetblogger reports the demise of a beloved (well, by some people anyway) Russian automobile, the Volga.

Russia: Framing Debate

7 December 2005

David McDuff writes about how the Russian government manipulates language to frame public debate.

Russia: Moscow Municipals

6 December 2005

Sean Guillory reports on the Moscow municipal elections, which many view as a preview of the 2007 parliamentary and 2008 presidential elections.