· May, 2010

Stories about Russia from May, 2010

Russia: Journalist's Blog Hacked

RuNet Echo  31 May 2010

Both LiveJournal (sina-ja-mina) and Facebook accounts of Andrei Maltsev [RUS], journalist and blogger, were hacked on May 31, Vladimir Pribylovski reported [RUS]. This is the fourth blog hack this year and the third during the previous week (Following hack attacks of Maxim Sviridenkov [EN] and Renata Guseletova (aka demonessa22 [RUS])).

Russia: Blogger Describes His Experience With E-Gov Portal

RuNet Echo  31 May 2010

Alexey Grigoriev blogs [RUS] about his experience of starting a small business at e-government portal gosuslugi.ru. The portal is still full of technical bugs and even after online application one has to present all the papers in the regional tax service office.

Russia: A Study of Local Discussion Boards

RuNet Echo  30 May 2010

Online forums in Russian cities are in a certain sense a unique phenomenon. It's not blogs that became the major platforms for open discussion in the regions, but discussion boards (called more often forums). Alexey Sidorenko shares some of the results of his study of local forums in Russia.

Russia: Bloggers Cover Moscow Gay Pride Parade

RuNet Echo  30 May 2010

LJ-user Zyalt published [RUS] pictures from Moscow gay pride parade [EN] that took place despite it the ban by Moscow authorities. The event organizers had to change its location several times. Other pictures of the parade, which was just a few minutes long, can be found here, here and here.

Russian “Little Blue Buckets” Movement Reaches Ukraine

RuNet Echo  30 May 2010

Ukraine-based feminist organization “FEMEN” [EN] conducted an action [ENG] in support of the Russian online movement “Little Blue Buckets” [ENG] and against the “unification of Russia and Ukraine under Kremlin patronage.” Activists with their breasts painted in blue tried to rally near the building of the Russian embassy in Kiev,...

Russia: Blogger and Activist Arrested for Viral Video

RuNet Echo  28 May 2010

Leonid Nikolaev (aka LJ-user nikolaevleo) the main actor in the recent viral video against cars using emergency vehicle lighting had been arrested, lj-user halfaman reported. The blogger suggests the arrest is provoked by the video Leonid took part in.

Causes of Hatred in the Russian Blogosphere

RuNet Echo  27 May 2010

Lj-user blondycandy received [RUS] more than 400 comments on the question “Why there's so much hatred in the Russian blogosphere”? Evgeny Gorny summarized [RUS] the most often suggestions: general ‘offline’ unhappiness, inferiority complex, impunity, lack of education, envy, specific ‘Russian mentality’ and so on.

Russia: Taking Children as a New Method of Pressure on Journalists

RuNet Echo  27 May 2010

Children of Galina Dmitrieva, an oppositionary journalist and activist, were taken by Russian police after she published an investigation about Russian car manufacturer Avtovaz [EN], Anatoliy Baranov reported [RUS]. After instant blog-campaign her children were returned. Blogger Marina Litvinovich suggests [RUS] this method was used before against at least one oppositionary journalist.

Russia: Last Day of Classes in Moscow

RuNet Echo  27 May 2010

LJ users zyalt, medar, martin-sqare and alex-i1 (RUS) team up to photograph Moscow high school seniors celebrating the last day of classes on May 25. MoscowMom posts this observation: “Most Russian eleventh graders wear Soviet school uniforms (with the skirts MUCH shorter than they ever would have been prior to...

Russia: Explosion in Stavropol

RuNet Echo  26 May 2010

Miriam Elder reports at GlobalPost on the explosion in Stavropol, which took place next to a centrally-located concert hall shortly before a Chechen folk dance troupe was to perform there. LJ user dimazelensky, whose office is inside the concert hall building, wrote (RUS) that the police had cordoned it off...

Russia-USA: Like father like son

  26 May 2010

Windows to Russia turns attention to the only American soldier in the second world war serving in both the US and Soviet armies, who allegedly was also the father of current US ambassador to Russia.

Russia: Another Top Blogger Hacked

RuNet Echo  26 May 2010

Site of one of the top Russian bloggers Maxim Sviridenkov [RUS] (#16 in Yandex rating [RUS]) had been hacked today, Vladimir Pribylovski reported [RUS]. The site was defaced and the content deleted. This is the second [EN] top blogger hacked this year.

Ukraine: Medvedev in Kyiv; Yanukovych & the Wreath

  25 May 2010

Reactions to the Russian president's visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, last week (which included the Ukrainian president being hit by a wreath during a commemoration ceremony at the Unknown Soldier Monument) – at Kyiv Scoop, Ukrainiana (here and here), and Leopolis.

Russia: Hosting Providers Sign Charter Against Illegal Content

RuNet Echo  25 May 2010

Five hosting providers that allegedly control more than 25 percent of the Russian hosting market plan to sign a charter against ‘illegal content’, Vedomosti newspaper reported [RUS]. The charter implies more active involvement of hosting providers in filtering and blocking child porn, materials that break copyright or ignite hatred as...

Russia: Moscow Government Abandons Social Media

RuNet Echo  24 May 2010

Moscow mayor's office prepared a draft bill on access to the information with no mention of blogs or any kind of social media, gzt.ru reported [RUS]. Gzt.ru suggests the reason of the absence of Web 2.0 is the inability of the city's telecommunications committee to provide an effective information policy.