Stories about Russia from April, 2008
Soviet History: Samizdat Anniversary
Window on Eurasia writes about the 40th anniversary of the launch of the Soviet samizdat publication, the Chronicle of Current Events.
Estonia, Russia: Bronze Soldier Crisis Anniversary
Vilhelm Konnander posts an extensive analysis of the issues surrounding the first anniversary of the Estonian Bronze Soldier crisis.
Russia: May 9 Parade Rehearsal
LJ user m_i_s_t_e_r_x_1 posts pictures of some of the fighting vehicles that will be displayed during the May 9 parade in Moscow. LJ user zaxarman posts a picture from the parade rehearsal in downtown Moscow tonight; some people in the crowd seem to have mistaken Russian-made cars for Hummers. (Text...
Europe: RFL/RL Hacked
James of Robert Amsterdam's blog reports on the hack attack on Radio Free Europe's sites.
Russia: Moscow and NYC
Two-Zero explains why Moscow is not “the new New York.”
Ukraine: Remembering Chernobyl
Déjà Vu – The Uncanny Feeling remembers Chernobyl: “When I think of Chernobyl … […] … I see 16-year-old Katya in Kiev, 90 km south of Chernobyl, scared to death by a danger she can't see, she can't sense, getting on a train for Leningrad to escape from radiation. She...
Russia: Computerization of the Russian North
Window on Eurasia reports: “Scholars in the Sakha Republic have developed computer scripts for the Linux operating system […], a breakthrough that […] promises to open the way for computerization across the Russian north.”
Russia: “Chernobyl's Other Victims”
Window on Eurasia writes about “Chernobyl's other victims” – “the thousands of people who exposed themselves to extraordinarily high levels of radiation while taking part in the clean up” and who now “find themselves not only sick as a result but largely forgotten by the successor governments to the regime...
Lithuania: Stance on EU-Russia Partnership
Lituanica reports that Lithuania “is not interested in vetoing or blocking Brussels-Moscow talks over commencement of strategic EU-Russia partnership treaty.”
Russia: Anti-NATO
Streetwise Professor writes about Russia's anti-NATO stance: “Fighting the last war is dangerous if you really have one. Preparing to fight the last war is not so deadly if no conflict is in prospect. The Russian leadership acts as if that is the case, and feels just fine about living...
Russia: Travel Photo Reports
Lots of Russia travel photo reports – by LJ user victorprofessor.
Russia: Lenin's Mausoleum
Window on Eurasia reports on a Moscow clergyman's appeal to turn Vladimir Lenin’s mausoleum into a “museum of the victims of Soviet power.”
Russia: Oil and Gas Industry
Two extensive posts on the Russian oil and gas industry – at White Sun of the Desert, here and here.
Russia: Kasyanov and Kremlin's Populism
Scraps of Moscow writes about Mikhail Kasyanov and the Kremlin's “populist rhetoric.”
Russia, U.S.: Hillary; McCain
Mark MacKinnon writes on “why the Kremlin is pulling for Hillary.” Robert Amsterdam explains “McCain's brain on Russia.”
Russia: TV, Chechnya and the West
Valery Dzutsev writes about a documentary recently aired on a Russian state-owned channel, “in which western security services were accused of an attempt to promote Chechnya’s secession from Russia.”
Georgia: Drone Downed
Registan comments on the latest scandal to hit Russian-Georgian relations after the alleged shooting down of an apparently unarmed Georgian drone by what appears to be a Russian MiG-29. For a variety of reasons outlines in the post, the blog concludes that the true circumstances of the incident may never...
Ukraine, Russia: “Hitler Toy” Story
Ukrainiana writes about the “Hitler toy” story that first appeared on the Russian TV and was later picked up by BBC: “To the extent that the Western media often cite Russian sources as an authority on Ukraine, they also partake in this smorgasbord of Soviet-style propaganda.”
Estonia: Dozor Night Game
AnTyx writes about playing the Dozor Night Game in Estonia, which “[grew] out of games that have been played for centuries; and certainly after the fall of the Soviet Union every young boy (and a surprising share of girls) all over its former territory went crawling around crumbling industrial parks....
Russia, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan: Lenin's Birthday
On April 22, Vladimir Lenin would have turned 138 - and quite a few Russophone bloggers still remember the date.
Russia: Two Articles
Sean's Russia Blog reviews “two must read articles on Russia.”