Stories about Russia from February, 2008
Russia: BP Closes Sakhalin Office
BP has closed its Sakhalin office, White Sun of the Desert reports.
Russia: Adamov's Case
Siberian Light reports on the case of Russia's former Nuclear Power Minister Yevgeny Adamov.
Kosovo: Views from the Russophone Blogosphere
According to the Yandex Blogs portal, over 3,700 posts on Kosovo independence have appeared in the Russian-language blogosphere in the past three days. Some of these posts have received dozens, if not hundreds, of comments. Below are a few snippets of this lively discussion, all translated from Russian.
Serbia: Bloggers Discuss Kosovo Independence
Sinisa Boljanovic translates some more reactions from the Serbian blogosphere to the declaration of Kosovo independence.
Kosovo: Legality; Economy
Eternal Remont discusses the allegedly missing “legal basis” for Kosovo's independence and Kosovo's allegedly missing economy.
Russia: Medvedev's “Vision”
Sean's Russia Blog writes about Dmitry Medvedev's “vision” – “a vision that when boiled down doesn’t look to rock the boat too much.”
Kosovo & Serbia: Independence Blogging
Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia on Sunday, Feb. 17, has caused both celebrations and protests - as well as plenty of media coverage and an avalanche of blog posts. Below is a selection of some Anglophone bloggers' views.
Russia: Degrees of Responsibility
Marat Gelman - LJ user galerist, Russian art dealer and, allegedly, Victor Yanukovych's “spin doctor” in 2004 - describes his recent brush with Russia's multilevel reality and inspires readers to comment on how much Putin's regime has to do with uncivilized behavior of certain individuals.
Soviet History: ‘Vdokhnovenie’ Chocolate
LaurenceJarvikOnline writes about the history of Vdokhnovenie chocolate.
Russia: Putin's Last Press Conference?
Sean's Russia Blog and Siberian Light write on what is likely Putin’s last annual presidential press conference.
Soviet History: Ban on Marrying Foreigners
De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis writes about the 1947 ban on “marriages between citizens of the USSR and foreigners.”
Ukraine, Russia: NATO Politics 2
Ukrainiana has more on NATO and the Russian-Ukrainian relationship.
Ukraine, Russia: NATO Politics
Foreign Notes writes about Ukraine's NATO-related politics and the muted response to Putin's comment about re-targeting Russian missiles against Ukraine.
Latvia, Russia: Ambassador Veshnyakov
Latvian Abroad is pleasantly surprised with Russia's new ambassador to Latvia – Aleksandr Veshnyakov, former head of the Central Election Committee: “He was interviewed by Echo of Moscow radio station before leaving for Latvia and he declared that he will learn Latvian because he considers that as a measure of...
Russia, Georgia: Coverage of Patarkatsishvili's Death
Foreign Notes reviews coverage of Badri Patarkatsishvili's death.
Russia: Inadequate Media Coverage
Vilhelm Konnander criticizes “international media's one-eyedness in Russia reporting.”
Russia: Bribes
Moscow Rules writes about corruption and reposts a table of “the current going rate for bribes people have to pay to do business here in Russia,” originally published in a Russian business daily.
Russia: Sergei Dorenko on Badri Patarkatsishvili
Badri Patarkatsishvili, an exiled Georgian tycoon, opposition politician and Boris Berezovsky's longtime friend and business partner, died unexpectedly on Feb. 12 in England. World media are providing extensive coverage of the ongoing investigation into Patarkatsishvili's death, and the Russian blogosphere offers plenty of commentary as well. Below is journalist Sergei Dorenko's comment about Patarkatsishvili and the people who surrounded him.
Russia, Georgia: 2002 Interview With Patarkatsishvili
Gideon Lichfield of Fugitive Peace recalls meeting Badri Patarkatsishvili in Sept. 2002 and posts interview notes.
Russia, Georgia, UK: Badri Patarkatsishvili
Siberian Light writes about the death of Badri Patarkatsishvili.
Europe: BarCamp Baltics
Daily EM reports on BarCamp Baltics.
