Stories about Russia from March, 2008
Russia: A Scam
20 East writes about one of the popular scams that he became victim of during a visit to Russia three years ago.
Russia, U.S.: A Foreign Policy View
Valery Dzutsev offers a view on why “there is so much tension between the US and Russia.”
Russia: Dmitry Medvedev
Streetwise Professor writes about “the contrast between [Dmitry] Medvedev’s words and the ongoing acts of the government that he will soon head.”
Russia: Xenophobia in Moscow
Moscow Through Brown Eyes posts a short update on hate crime in Moscow; Window on Eurasia writes about a graffiti campaign launched by the Movement Against Illegal Immigration (DPNI) in...
Russia: Russian Reading Challenge 2008
Megan Case reviews novels by Andrei Makine and Olga Grushin for the Russian Reading Challenge 2008 at Ex Libris.
Russia: Russians/Americans “are NOT stupid”
Finally, a Russian answer (RUS) to the famous/infamous “Americans are NOT stupid” video (via LJ user maliar, RUS).
Russia: Myths
Da Russophile presents “the Top 10 Russophobe Myths, in opposition to La Russophobe‘s Top 10 Russophile Myths.”
Russia: Entry Visa Ordeal
20 East describes an ongoing ordeal of getting Russian entry visa.
Russia: Blogging Kozlovsky
Grigory Pasko, over at Robert Amsterdam's blog, writes about the newest ordeal of Oborona leader Oleg Kozlovsky. Kozlovsky (LJ user welgar) reprints the text on his new English-language blog. Also,...
Ukraine: “Imported Ideology” and Hate Crime
Ukrainiana blames “imported ideology” for hate crime in Ukraine.
Russia, Ukraine: The Nose; Andropov vs Khrushchev
De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis, in the March 25 entry, pays tribute to “The Nose” by Nikolai Gogol and quotes from Yuri Andropov's 1970 proposal to suppress Nikita Khrushchev's memoir.
Europe: Recognition of Kosovo
Balkan Baby and readers discuss Kosovo's independence.
The Balkans: NATO
Balkan Baby writes about George W. Bush's upcoming Central and Eastern European tour, the NATO Summit, and the Balkan states’ “quest to join NATO.”
The Balkans: John McCain
Greater Surbiton has “no doubt that the interests of South East Europe would be better served by John McCain as president than by either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama.”
Russia: Two Dagestani Journalists Killed
Ilyas Shurpaev, a Dagestani TV journalist who worked for a state-owned federal channel, was found dead Friday in Moscow. Later that day, Gadzhi Abashilov, director of Dagestan's state-owned broadcasting company, was shot to death in Makhachkala, the republic's capital. Below are a few bloggers' reactions to the murders, as well as the translation of Shurpaev's last blog post.
Russia: Tandemocracy
Scraps of Moscow reviews the terms used to describe Russia's current political system and its leaders: Tandemocracy, DIMAcracy and more.
LiveJournal: Bloggers Protest Basic Account Cancellation
Yet again, LJ users are in distress. Unlike the previous times, however, the current situation involves both the Russian-language and the English-language segments of LiveJournal. It all began when LiveJournal's management announced that no account created after March 12, 2008, could be turned into a free-of-charge and ad-free Basic Account. Today, some Anglophone and Russophone LJ users protest against this unpopular measure.
Russia: Kadyrov, Hijab and Education in Chechnya
Window on Eurasia writes about Ramzan Kadyrov's hijab policy: “Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov’s requirement that all female students in higher educational institutions there wear hijabs of a particular color and...
Russia, UK: Olga Freer's Book
The UK’s Daily Mail reviews “a book written by a young Russian woman about her experiences living in London” – and White Sun of the Desert reviews the book review:...
Estonia, Russia: Review of Edward Lucas’ Book
Itching for Eestimaa reviews The New Cold War by Edward Lucas.