Stories about Russia from January, 2008
Russia: German Sadulayev's Appeal
Window on Eurasia writes about a Chechen writer's appeal to his fellow countrymen.
Russia: Osoaviakhim-1
De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis writes about the Soviet balloon Osoaviakhim-1, which reached the record altitude of 22,000 meters on Jan. 30, 1934, but crashed during the descent.
Russia: Khodorkovsky on Hunger Strike
Robert Amsterdam posts updates on Mikhail Khodorkovsky's hunger strike in protest against the treatment of jailed former Yukos executive Vasily Alexanyan – here and here.
Russia: No Future for “Nashi”?
Robert Amsterdam and Vilhelm Konnander write about what looks like the end of pro-Putin youth movement Nashi.
Russia: Internet Regulations
Perspectives on the new Russia writes about the Russian government's plans to regulate the internet.
Armenia: Russian Masters
After a visiting Russian official effectively endorsed the candidacy of the prime minister ahead of next month's presidential election in Armenia, Nazarian asks if it isn't time Armenians started to think for themselves.
Russia: “Top 5 Russia Blogs”
Siberian Light highlights “the most influential, the most interesting and sometimes the most controversial Russia blogs out there” – “in no particular order.”
Russia: Cost of Living
Sean's Russia Blog writes about different people's ideas of what the cost of living in Moscow is.
Russia: Kasyanov and Invalid Signatures
Mark MacKinnon writes about Mikhail Kasyanov's failed attempt to run for president and provides “an incomplete list of the invalid signatures phenomenon in post-Soviet elections.”
Russia: Vladimir Vysotsky
Leopolis posts a YouTube video of Vladimir Vysotsky and links to his songs’ translations.
Azerbaijan: Ethnic Novelist
Window on Eurasia says that a book by ethnic Azerbaijani author Eduard Bagirov is causing a stir as a best seller throughout the Russian Federation. In particular, notes the blog, Bagirov's books generally examines the “extraordinary difficulties Azerbaijanis and other non-Russians living in the Russian capital now face in trying...
Russia: Vladimir Vysotsky
Sean's Russia Blog writes on what would have been Vladimir Vysotsky's 70th birthday. Windows to Russia! provides links to translations of Vysotsky's songs. YouTube user filatovv posts a special anniversary tribute playlist of videos of Vysotsky performing in Montenegro in 1974. A 1981 video of people lining up at Vagankovskoye...
Russia: Ukok Princess
De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis writes about plans to re-bury the mummy of a Scythian princess in the capital of Russia's Altai Republic.
Russia: Hajj Quotas
Window on Eurasia writes about hajj quotas and how it relates to Russia's Muslims.
Russia: Decossackization
De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis writes about the history of Decossackization in Russia and recommends a book on the subject, written by Gregory Tschebotarioff, a former Cossack officer, now a professor at Princeton University.
Ukraine, Russia: Monopoly
MoldovAnn asks readers to vote “for Kyiv to become one of the 22 cities of the world to be included in the new Monopoly World Edition game board.” Robert Amsterdam writes about real-life Monopoly being played in Russia by the Kremlin.
Russia: Kasyanov and Zyuganov Out of the Race?
Siberian Light reports that it is likely that former PM Mikhail Kasyanov will not be able to run for president of Russia. Vilhelm Konnander reports that it is also likely that Communist leader Gennadiy Zyuganov will withdraw from the race.
Russia: St. Pete Tailors
Megan Case writes about affordable tailors in St. Petersburg.
Russia: The North
Window on Eurasia writes that “small ethnic groups of Russia’s north suffer […] from abuse in the post-Soviet media which appear to treat them all as one enormous and inappropriate Chukchi joke.”
Russia, Serbia: Gazprom Buys NIS
Robert Amsterdam and A Fistful of Euros write about Gazprom's acquisition of “Serbia's national energy monopoly, NIS, at a knockdown price.”
Russia: Rating Western Democracies?
“Stung by Western assessments that Russia is becoming less free, Moscow officials say they will create a new organization of their own to ‘rate’ democracy in the U.S. and other Western countries,” Window on Eurasia reports.
