Stories about Russia from April, 2014
The Kremlin’s Internet Annexation
For some reason, lawmakers in Russia today continue to add new powers to the state’s censorship utility-belt, as though the current panoply of Internet controls weren’t enough.
From Igor Sechin to Dick Cheney: the End of Russia's Zuckerberg
In February, Vkontakte's CEO joked in public that nothing would reverse Facebook’s “slow death.” What’s died instead, it seems, is Durov’s opposition to the world’s largest social network.
Raising the Dead to Fight Ukraine
Sokoloff's conclusion at seeing Lobov in uniform at a Ministry of Defense meeting was that the man had come out retirement, which can only mean one thing.
Ukrainian Artists Cage Russians Like Animals
A group of artists in Kiev has opened a new exhibit that many Russians are calling dangerously xenophobic. Yesterday, April 24, 2014, the “Ukrainian Cultural Front” presented four interactive installations...
LiveJournal Fights Coming Censorship, But Don't Tell Anyone
Some RuNet giants are already fighting back against coming law that may be used to censor opposition bloggers.
USA Makes Kremlin Propaganda Easy, Again
Simply imagine Russia remodeling schools near US Marine Corps fatalities on Okinawa.
How Dmitry Tymchuk Broke the Russian Blogosphere
Rather than acknowledge Moscow's role in promoting blogger Dmitry Tymchuk, some in Russia prefer to blame NATO. Life, after all, is simpler with your head in the sand.
So Long, Mr. Durov, and Thanks for All the Fish
After more than a year of rumors, the stockholders of Russia’s largest online social network, Vkontakte, have finally fired founder and CEO Pavel Durov.
Bad News & Worse News for Russian Internet Users
A Russian initiative to expand regulation over bloggers is still just a bill in the legislature, but it’s already harming the country's Internet freedom.
Censorship by Litigation in Russia?
Earlier this month, VKontakte minority shareholder United Capital Partners (UCP), filed a complaint against Durov for breach of VKontakte fiduciary duty for creating the secure messenger Telegram.
Southern Russia's Road Warriors
North Ossetians display a readiness for civil disobedience that has many asking about their willingness to take to the streets (or highways, as it were), when faced with injustice.
Facebook Post Spells Legal Trouble for Russian Charity
Romanenko reported that no less than the governor of Vologodsk had filed a complaint against him with the local prosecutor's office because of the jocular post.
Russia's Largest Social Network Says No to Censorship
Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of Russian social network VKontakte, has once again used his account there as a platform to speak out against Internet censorship.
Uncle Sam's Ukraine Failure in Russia
The violence might be only starting, but an information war between Russia and the West has raged for months now.
Russia Reconsiders Bitcoin?
A partial exodus from Russia by MasterCard and Visa has inspired some digital currency enthusiasts to propose Bitcoin, the world's leading crypto-currency, as a solution to the country's monetary problems.
Will Russia Regulate Blogs Like Mass Media?
The regulations would require fact-checking, age restriction warnings, and obeying election laws, among other responsibilities.
Censorship Forces Navalny to Abandon LiveJournal
Russia's most famous blogger (or as he describes himself: "corruption fighter, son, husband, father") has been forced to move away from the blogging platform that launched him to fame.
Russia Intends to Clean Up “Internet Pollution”
The Russian government is drafting a new project that would redefine the “principles of state cultural policy.” In a concept paper shared with the press this week, a working group...
Russian Internet Hipsters Are Out For Blood
A cautionary tale about the dangers of ill-conceived Facebook status updates, or perhaps about the growing threat of RuNet's epistemic closure.
Top 10 Russian-Language Tweets, Week 14 of 2014
At the end of each week, RuNet Echo collects the top ten Russian-language tweets and curates them for Global Voices readers.
A Russian Gulag for American Social Networks’ Data?
A Moscow city councilman is promoting legislation that would require all online social networks to house users’ personal data on servers located on Russian soil.
