Stories about Russia from April, 2006
Chernobyl: First Victims
Oleksa of My Reflections writes about Chernobyl and its first victims: “However, it is the plight of the 14 firefighters that made the greatest impression on me. They arrived on the station mere minutes after the blast and had to extinguish fire with their bare hands, almost literally, throwing the...
Russia: Protes in Ufa Ignored by Media
As a discussion of media ownership and censorship in Russia is taking place at Russia Blog, Daut of Ufa Blog writes about a recent protest rally in Bashkortostan's capital that no local media have covered and no one seems to be aware of: “A demonstration in America will probably also...
Belarus: Rumors On Belarus-Russia Relations
TOL's Belarus Blog considers rumors of “the future in Belarus-Russia relations,” one of which is that Kremlin would like to get rid of Aleksandr Lukashenko in order to incorporate Belarus into the Russian Federation.
Poland, Russia: Katyn Massacre
In 1940, the Soviets executed some 22,000 Polish officers; the victims’ families have now brought charges against Russia and are demanding full disclosure of the truth about the tragedy. Vilhelm Konnander examines the issue.
Belarus, Ukraine: Chernobyl Meaning
Vilhelm Konnander explains the meaning of Chernobyl for Belarus 20 years later. Tim Newman of White Sun of the Desert disagrees with Sean Guillory's take on the lessons of Chernobyl: “To use Chernobyl as a reason to abandon nuclear power is like using the Titanic as a reason to discontinue...
Russia: Kateryna Chumachenko's 1983 Letter
Michael Averko, a Diaspora Russian contributing to Russia Blog, writes about the letter that Kateryna Chumachenko, a (formerly) Diaspora Ukrainian wife of president Yushchenko, wrote to the Washington Times 23 years ago. In it, Chumachenko wrongly suggested “that Russian-Americans didn't petition to have Russia listed as a captive nation.” A...
Russia: American Votes For Yavlinsky
Raffi Aftandelian of maaskva: nashimi glazami writes (in English and in Russian, as always) about an American who went to the polling station instead of her apolitical Russian friend and voted for Grigoriy Yavlinsky: “I think even if given the chance I would never have voted for Yavlinsky. I was...
Ukraine: A Trip to Chernobyl
Dan McMinn of Orange Ukraine links to his own report from a trip to Chernobyl he and his wife took on November 13, 2004.
Chernobyl: Letters Never Written
LJ user wall4 – originally from Lviv, Ukraine, now living in Connecticut – writes about his experience as a soldier forced to serve in Chernobyl 20 years ago (RUS). The piece is accompanied by several black-and-white army pictures. 20 Years Ago. Letters I haven't written. “Mama, I'll never forget how...
Chernobyl: Facts and Myths
Vilhelm Konnander writes about the facts and myths of Chernobyl: “The first news of the accident actually reached a western audience. High radioactive levels were registered at Swedish and Finnish nuclear plants already on 26 april. It quickly became apparent that the radioactivity emanated from somewhere within the Soviet Union....
Russia: Svetlana Bakhmina's Sentence A “Replay” of the 1930s
Alex(ei) of The Russian Dilettante's Weblog writes that the case of the former Yukos lawyer Svetlana Bakhmina might be a “replay” of the 1930s and deserves “international interference or protests.” “The convicted mother of two, who has been in detention since 2005, is not only legally innocent — her standing...
Russia: Klyukva v Sakhare
Konstantin Dlutskiy of Russian Marketing Blog writes about “another nostalgia food product” – klyukva v sakhare (cranberry in sugar).
Latvia: Dangerous for Russians
All About Latvia writes that, according to one survey, “53 percent of [Russian] respondents named Georgia as the most dangerous country to Russians, while Latvia came second with 29 percent.” Belarus and Kazakhstan are considered the safest.
Russia: Ethnically Motivated Violence
Racially and ethnically motivated violence seems to be on the rise in Russia. Some of the most publicized cases that took place in April alone include an attack on a TV journalist of Azeri origin on a subway train in the center of Moscow; an attack on the culture minister...
Russia: NGOs Under Attack, Anti-Fascist Killed
Sean Guillory reports on one day's news out of Russia's capital: “Soldiers’ Mothers, HIV/AIDS NGOs Under Attack & Anti-Fascist Murdered in Moscow.”
Russia: Demographic Situation
W. Shedd of The Accidental Russophile writes about the demographic situation in Russia.
Helping Russian Orphans
On March 19, a group of wonderful, kind people from Moscow took presents acquired on donations from ordinary Muscovites to an orphanage in Ivanovo, home to 122 children (o to 4 years old), most of whom have various disabilities. The effort – one of the many – was coordinated online...
Russia: Bakhmina's Sentence “Last Drop”
Alex(ei) of The Russian Dilettante's Weblog thinks the seven-year sentence for former Yukos lawyer Svetlana Bakhmina, mother of two, is “the last drop”: “It is now painfully clear that Putin's junta has no problem imprisoning obviously innocent, essentially common people (as opposed to oligarchs) — even women, even mothers —...
Russia: Kalashnikov and Copyright
Charlie Ganske of Russia Blog writes about the popularity of Kalashnikov guns and the disregard for the copyright laws in Russia.
Russia: Yukos Lawyer Bakhmina Sentenced
David McDuff of A Step At A Time provides links to the news about Svetlana Bakhmina's sentencing. Bakhmina, 35, used to be a Yukos lawyer and is the mother of two young children. Today, she has received a 7-year prison sentence.
Russia: “Russia Lodges Protest with US Over Chechnya Seminar”
As Russia is protesting a 3-hour Jamestown Foundation seminar on North Caucasus that took place April 14, W. Shedd of The Accidental Russophile discusses some of Russia's unfulfilled international obligations.
