· August, 2011

Stories about Russia from August, 2011

Russia: Why We Are Leaving Our Country Behind

RuNet Echo  31 August 2011

Recent months have seen a new spin on the topic of emigration that seems to be ever-present in the Russian online space. Several powerful blog posts written by people from different social groups have become a platform for expressing one's take on the present and future of the country and people's place in it.

Russia: Content Analysis of Party Manifestos

RuNet Echo  30 August 2011

LJ-user schegloff analyses [ru] party manifestos of the Russian parties using Wordle word clouds. “Opposition can be identified by the word “must,” patriots by the word “Russia,” ruling party by the word “Unity,” concludes the blogger, speaking of the word frequency in each document.

Russia: Shark Attacks in Vladivostok

RuNet Echo  29 August 2011

Russia is not known for sharks attacks, but this summer a number of incidents have occurred. Masha Egupova reports, and examines the blogosphere's response to the recent spate of shark attacks in the Russian Far East.

Russia: HIV Activists Protest Against Medicine Shortages

RuNet Echo  29 August 2011

Vitaliy Ragulin posts pictures [ru] of HIV activists rallying in front of the President's Staff office. The activists accused the Ministry of Health care in poor HIV/AIDS politics, and, more importantly, of shortage of medicines needed for HIV treatment.

Russia: Court Rules Out to Block An Undisclosed LiveJournal Account

RuNet Echo  25 August 2011

Samara city court had ordered a local ISP to block an undisclosed blog at LiveJournal platform that ‘incites hatred towards an ethnic and social (professional) group,’ the website of Samara Prosecutor's Office reports [ru]. The ‘extremist’ website was found ‘during the monitoring of the Internet,’ the report says.

Russia: Intoxicating Economics

  24 August 2011

Streetwise Professor argues against the bad economics of promoting Russian wine production to turn consumption patterns from stronger to weaker alcoholic beverages in order to fight the country's rampant alcoholism.

Russia: “Democracy Without Balls”

RuNet Echo  21 August 2011

Oleg Klimov writes [ru] that Mikhail Gorbachev, speaking on the 20th anniversary of the Soviet Union's collapse, said that “Putin is no dictator – he has just castrated democracy by depriving citizens of the democratic right to choose.”

North Korea: Speculation Looms over Kim Jong-il's Visit to Russia

  20 August 2011

Net user 100gf from Politics and Computers blog posted a brief summary on North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's visit to Russia, a rare official visit for the first time in nine years. As Kim is expected to hold talks with President Dmitry Medvedev regarding energy and denuclearization issues, speculations have...

Russia: Bloggers Remember 20th Anniversary of August Coup

RuNet Echo  19 August 2011

On August 19, Russians commemorate 20 years since the "August Putsch," a failed coup d'etat conducted by a number of KGB officers and military units who were opposed to Gorbachev's reform program and decentralisation of power to the Soviet republics. Citizens took to the streets to defend democracy, and bloggers are remembering their efforts.

Russia: Alcohol Consumption Down

  18 August 2011

Russland in der Krise! notes [ger] that alcohol consumption in Russia has decreased from 18 to 15 litres of alcohol, and attributes the decrease to a change in consumer habits and less availability.