Stories about Russia from July, 2006
Central Asia: Eurasian Islam
Ataman Rakim argues for a Eurasian Islam that would unite Muslims of the former Soviet Union under a common identity and serve not so much as a formal set of religious and political ideas but instead as a catalyst for social initiatives.
Russia: Lyudmila Putina's Style
LJ user plushev is wondering (RUS) who is responsible for the tacky dresses of Putin's wife (photos attached): “I've heard a fantastic version that this is the work of Kremlin's imagemakers – this way they are said to win women's sympathy for Putin: women unconsciously pity the president who's got...
Russia: “Senseless Brutality” in the Army
Yuri Mamchur of Russia Blog writes about “senseless brutality” that keeps occuring in the Russian army: “This time one of the victims is 19-year old Radik Habirov from Kazan, who was brought in to a local hospital weighing only 65 pounds and is now in a coma. This is the...
Russia: G8 and Coverage of Crackdown
Sean Guillory of Sean's Russia Blog reports on results of the G8 Summit and criticizes the coverage of crackdown on protesters: “The methods that are being used in St. Petersburg—preemptive arrests and detention, restricting protests and protesters, caging them in, preventing foreign activists from entering the country—are not new in...
Russia: Failure to Join WTO
Sean Guillory of Sean's Russia Blog writes on why Russia hasn't joined the WTO.
Russia: Oppositional Disarray
Konstantin of Russian Blog criticizes the coverage of what the “Western media pictured […] as a ‘democratic’ challenge to Putin”: “Few mentioned the fact that at this forum Kasparov gathered almost all extremists both left and right. Like, Limonov’s National Bolsheviks (their flag is an exact copy of Hitler’s banner...
Belarus, Russia: Ways (Not) to Develop
Alex(ei) of The Russian Dilettante's Weblog shares his views on what Belarus is and what it's not, as well as what it should not do if it wants to turn into a “a much-improved version of Russia.”
Russia: Chechen Views on Basayev's Death Translated
David McDuff of A Step At A Time translates a Prague Watchdog report on how ordinary Grozny residents react to the news of Shamil Basayev's death: “It is possible that those who believe that the guerrilla movement is now broken are slightly more numerous than those who are certain that...
Russia: Basayev Might Have Been Killed by Daghestani Terrorists
Sean's Russia Blog continues to follow the story of Shamil Basayev's death and discusses a new theory of what caused it: “[…] Basyaev’s death was possibly carried out by the Dagestani terrorist group Shariat. The theory is based on the fact that forensics now believes that a bomb was indeed...
Russia: Papa John's Pizza vs Russian Police
Konstantin Dlutskiy of Russian Marketing Blog posts pictures of a Russian take on Papa John's Pizza Delivery's “guerilla marketing trick.”
Russia: Cause of Basayev's Death
Sean's Russia Blog writes that Shamil Basayev's belated demise was most likely caused not by the FSB's special operation, but by “‘careless handling of explosives.’ Not the type of valiant death a ‘shaheed’ would hope for.”
Russia: Nuclear Deal With the US
Charlie Ganske of Russia Blog and Vilhelm Konnander look at the US-Russia relationship and the nuclear deal the two countries are likely to make in the near future.
Russia: Future Without Basayev
Sean Guillory contributes a lengthy post to Publius Pundit on the effect Basayev's death might have on Chechnya.
Russia: Voting System To Resemble That in Belarus
TOL's Belarus Blog writes about a new law that allows early voting in Russia – which, in its turn, would allow manipulations.
Russia: Putin
On the eve of the G8 Summit in St. Petersburg, Edward Lucas, the Central and East European correspondent of The Economist, writes a lengthy critique of Vladimir Putin and the country he is turning Russia into: “Putin is trying to recreate an empire reminiscent of the Soviet Union – feared...
Russia: Human Rights Situation
David McDuff of A Step At A Time writes about the Other Russia conference and Lyudmila Alexeeva, a distinguished human rights activist.
Russia: Shamil Basayev Dead
Nikolai Patrushev, head of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), announced Monday that Shamil Basayev had been killed shortly after midnight in a truck explosion outside a village in Ingushetia. Timur Aliev (LJ user timur_aliev), editor-in-chief of the print/online weekly Chechen Society (Chechenskoye Obshchestvo), happened to be in Nazran (the...
Moldova: Explosion in Transnistria
Vilhelm Konnander reports on last Thursday's blast in Tiraspol, the capital of the breakaway region of Transnistria: a territory which is “an ignored and absurd anachronism in contemporary Europe.”
Russia: Flickr Payment Trouble
Flickr user Anaderi – who lives and works in Moscow – reports a problem many people in certain countries (e.g. Russia, Ukraine) face when they attempt to upgrade their Flickr accounts to Pro status: their payments are not accepted. Anaderi is beginning to have doubts about Flickr: “I'm a bit...
Russia: Moscow Stiletto Run
Snowsquare.com writes about a “stiletto run” that took place in Moscow this past Saturday. To participate, one's heels had to be 9 cm or over. Two more similar races are being planned by Glamour magazine, a sponsor: in St Petersburg on July 22 and in Novosibirsk on July 23 .
Russia: Putin and Sex
Sean's Russia Blog quotes Vladimir Putin's response to an Internet user's question about sex: “‘I can't remember exactly when I did it for the first time,’ a laughing Putin said. ‘But I certainly remember when I did it the last time, to the exact minute.'”