Stories about Russia from June, 2006
Ukraine, Russia: Dreams of a Biased Person
Ukrainian LJ user parasolya may admit to her anti-Russian bias a bit too eagerly, but all she wants is for Ukraine to be on friendly – and neutral – terms with Russia, a democratic variation of the USSR, sort of (UKR): I've borrowed a Russia [photo] album at work, they...
Russia: Private Vs Free Medical Care
St. Petersburg-based Megan Case explains why she'd only go to private clinics from now on, following her recent visit to “a scary unfamiliar hospital in a sleeping district even grimmer than mine.”
Russia: “Whatever you do – don't smile!
Jane of From Russia With Blog posts on how to stay safe in Russia: “Whatever you do – don't smile!”
Russia: Travel to Yasnaya Polyana and Tula
Jane of From Russia With Blog writes about and posts pictures from her recent trips to Tula and Yasnaya Polyana (and Leo Tolstoy's grave) and to Count Khrapovitsky's abandoned estate.
Russia: Kalashnikov
W. Shedd of The Accidental Russophile takes a minute from his preparations for getting married and posts about Mikhail Kalashnikov and his famed creation: the AK-47 gun.
Russia: Shifting Attitude Toward NATO
David McDuff of A Step At A Time writes about Russia's shifting position regarding NATO.
Russia: Anti-Chechen Feelings
David McDuff of A Step At A Time quotes from “an interesting and discursive study of anti-Chechen feeling in Russia.”
Russia, Ukraine: Bringing a Spouse to the U.S.
Stephan Clark of Everybody I Love You sets out to explore what it takes to bring one's foreign spouse to the United States – partly because this is what the subjects of his research often have to go through, but also because he is getting married to a Russian national...
Russia: Buzz Words For Journalists
Imitating the legendary Ostap Bender, East-West Shout Out comes up with a “writers set” for journalists covering Russia: “The solution is to create set of code words which can be used in different combinations / situations and with varying density.”
Russia: Independence Day Surveys
One day after Russia marked its Independence Day, LJ user larinax – Ksenia Larina, Radio Ekho Moskvy host – found herself mystified by the results of a survey conducted on one of the Ekho shows (RUS): […] To the question “Where would you like to live? – In the Soviet...
Russia: The Mennonites
J. Otto Pohl writes about the Mennonites in the Russian Empire and the USSR: a neglected, little-known – and persecuted – minority.
Russia: G8 Security and Domestic Issues
Domestic politics seems to somewhat interfere with the attempts of St. Petersburg police to provide security for the upcoming G8 Summit (July 15-17). LJ user aneta_spb, a journalist, retells a friend's story (RUS): There's been much noise in the [state-funded] mass media about pre-Summit security, about fighting xenophobes, fascists and...
Russia: Assaulted Activist Wins Lawsuit
Muckraked reports that Ivan Pavlov, the human rights lawyer who was attacked last week, won the lawsuit against Russia’s Bureau of Standards and Measures, which he believes had caused the attack.
Russia: Ruble Vs Dollar
The Russian parliament may pass a law banning price-setting in foreign currencies. Vilhelm Konnander comments on the implications of such a law: “Banning public use of dollar or euro denominations will have absurd consequences. Looking only at president Putin's recent annual address to the State Duma, it would have rendered...
Russia: “Manhandled. Insulted. Bitter. Disgusted.”
Jane Keeler of From Russia With Blog writes about getting assaulted by a drunk man in Vladimir; Brigid of Laughter in the Dark recounts her experience of being harrassed by a group of drunk men in Volgograd – and follows up with three more posts of her open correspondence on...
Russia: “Asylums for Dissidence”
Sean Guillory discusses an LA Times article by Kim Murphy, which claims that “the Soviet practice of condemning the political dissident to mental asylums continues in the cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg as well as in periphery of the Federation. Those seeking to pose an electoral challenge to local...
Russia: Human Rights Lawyer Attacked
Muckraked! writes about a recent attack on a St. Petersburg human rights activist: Ivan Pavlov, director of the Institute for Information Freedom Development, an organization that “takes secretive government agencies and state-run enterprises to court in order to force them to publicly release information about their practices.”
Russia: Copyright Violations
Yuri Mamchur of Russia Blog writes about the most recent case of copyright violations in Russia.
Ukraine: Russia's Claims to Crimea
LEvko of Foreign Notes looks into the situation with Russia's claims to Crimea.
Russia: Golden Ring Hotel and Sergiev Posad
Nancy Case of Case In Point writes of her escape from the “gilded cage” (Moscow's Golden Ring Hotel) – and into a 14th-century monastery (Sergiev Posad).
Barbados, Russia: Mail order brides
According to Barbados Free Press, a Russian “marriage introduction service” is arranging group tours of Barbados for “prospective Russian brides and North American men.” Adds BFP: “While Barbados is a beautiful and romantic island (as we all know), for North American men seeking Russian ladies, the allure of Barbados is...
