Stories about Russia from October, 2007
Europe: Roma Links
Lots of new content on TOL's Romantic, including a post on the official patron saint of Catholic Gypsies.
Russia: Bloggers Discuss James Watson
James Watson, an American Nobel Prize-winning geneticist, provoked international outrage when The Sunday Times quoted him on race issues on Oct. 14. The news of the controversy produced a certain stir in the Russian-language blogosphere, too.
Russia: Beautiful Women
Natalia Antonova writes: “One of the most popular posts in the Russian blogosphere […] as of late was a simple “post pictures of women you consider beautiful” on some dude’s LiveJournal. The author later revealed that he was betting on a bottle of Hennessy – in order to determine whether...
U.S., Russia: Aleksandr Shevchenko on Trial for Murder
Moscow Through Brown Eyes writes about Aleksandr Shevchenko the painter – and his namesake, currently on trial in Sacramento for his role in the murder of Satender Singh.
Russia: Election Blogging
An overview of blogs covering the upcoming Russian election – at TOL's Vybory v Rossii.
Russia: Tatarstan
Window on Eurasia comments on Moscow's complex relationship with Tatarstan.
Russia: Prison Revolts
Window on Eurasia writes about unrest in Russian prisons.
Russia: Mosques for Moscow Region's Muslims
Window on Eurasia writes about the lack of mosques for the growing Muslim population of the Moscow region and the reluctance of the governor to build new ones.
Russia: Lev Yashin
De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis marks Lev Yashin's birthday: “…Lev Ivanovich Yashin, goalkeeper of the Soviet football squad, the best football goalkeeper of the XX century, the only goalkeeper to become the European Footballer of the Year, Olympic champion, 1960 European champion, 5 times USSR championship winner, 3 times USSR...
The War in Abkhazia – ‘Cyxymu’ Remembers
Blogger cyxymu - whose Russian-language blog is devoted to the “memories of Sukhumi, the war and the pain” - spent the second half of September marking the 14th anniversary of the storm of the Abkhaz capital, which dealt a final defeat to the Georgian forces in their war with Abkhazia. Lyndon Allin translates from some of cyxymu's entries, and reviews and comments on the others.
Russia: A St. Petersburger in Moscow
Russian bloggers are, of course, eagerly discussing the upcoming elections and other newsworthy political developments, but there's still plenty of room in the country's blogosphere for apolitical reflection. St. Petersburg journalist Svetlana Gavrilina (LJ user aneta_spb), for example, shares her impressions of Moscow, filing her little sketch from "the-street-named-after-I've-again-forgotten-who" in Kuzminki district of the Russian capital.
Russia: Internet Users
“Growth in the number of Russians going online has slowed overall this year and may even have been reversed in some places,” Window on Eurasia reports.
Russia: Bukovski
Robert Amsterdam writes about Vladimir Bukovski's return to Russia.
Russia, England: Football
Russia beats England, in football. More at Sean's Russia Blog and Siberian Light.
Russia, Iran: Putin in Tehran
Details of Putin's visit to Tehran – at Window on Eurasia, Sean's Russia Blog, Robert Amsterdam's blog, and Informed Comment: Global Affairs.
Iranian bloggers say Russia is offering Iran unfair deal
Several Iranian bloggers shared their concerns that Russia wants to allow Iran only a very small share in the wealth of the Caspian Sea. Iran used to exploit 50 per cent of Caspian Sea resources before the collapse of Soviet Union. The heads of state of all five Caspian littoral...
Poland: Katyn
Kinuk writes that Katyń, a new film by Andrzej Wajda, wasn't as good as the famous director's other work: “Towards the end of the film, we see the efficient (if one can call mass murder efficient) and organised methods by which these 20,000 officers were killed. Over and over, men...
Former Soviet Union: Pyotr Grigorenko's Centenary
Window on Eurasia writes about the “neglected centenary” of General Pyotr Grigorenko: “People like the late general are a rarity. Anyone who met him – and I was fortunate enough to do so – counts himself privileged. But even more, all those living in the post-Soviet states now are his...
Russia: De-Muslimization of the Army
Window on Eurasia reports that, according to a Russian newspaper, “the Russian defense ministry has been manipulating this fall’s draft in an effort to secure a more ethnically Russian and less culturally Muslim military.”
Russia: Sokolov vs Kissing Policemen
Siberian Light reports on the Kissing Policemen and Russia's “prudish Culture Minister Alexander Sokolov.”
Russia: Racism
MoscowThroughBrownEyes writes about the`a “fear of a black Russia.”
