Stories about Russia from November, 2008
Russia: Fast Track Constitutional Changes
Robert Amsterdam discusses the quick changes to the Russian Constitution in favour of prolonging the presidential term to seven years.
Russia: The Plight of Journalism
As the West continues to turn attention to the Politkovskaya case, Foreign Policy Association's Russia Blog gives focus to the plight of Mikhail Beketov, editor of the obscure Khimki Pravda.
Russia: Rise of Orthodox Militia
Sean's Russia Blog writes about Moscow Patriarch's plans to found an Orthodox People's Militia serving the Church. WindowonEurasia and Windows to Russia! continue the discussion.
Russia: Newspaper Warned off for Extremism
Finrosforum draws attention to Russian authorities warning mainstream newspaper Vedomosti against publishing extremist content.
Russia: PayPal “Still Half Usable For Many”
Svetlana Gladkova writes at Profy that “the difference between a US user of PayPal and a user from Russia is huge.”
Russia: Russian March Photo by Drugoi
Scraps of Moscow and Moscow Through Brown Eyes both pick LJ user drugoi‘s photo as their favorite one from the Nov. 4 Russian March.
Russia: Tatars Ask UN to Condemn 1921 Famine as Genocide
Window on Eurasia reports: “Tatar nationalists have appealed to the United Nations to recognize the 1921-22 famine in the Middle Volga as a genocide organized by Bolshevik Russia to destroy the Tatar nation and its elite and reduce Tatarstan’s opportunities to develop its own national life and pursue its independence.”
Russia: The Crisis and the Hajj
Window on Eurasia writes: “For the first time since the end of the Soviet Union, the number of Muslims from the Russian Federation making the pilgrimage to Mecca is set to fall significantly, the result of a financial crisis that has cut incomes, increased prices and reduced private and government...
Russia: “Technology's Threat to Human Rights and Free Speech”
Robert Amsterdam writes that Skype is not “safe from the wiretapping efforts of Kremlin authorities.”
Russia: Lustration
Robert Amsterdam writes that “it is time for Russia to reconsider lustration, no matter how difficult and complicated the politics of memory.”
Estonia: Citizenship
Itching for Eestimaa writes about “a renewed public interest in the criteria for obtaining Estonian citizenship”: “The news that the Russian embassy handed out more Russian passports to stateless persons than the Estonian government did last year, however, is symbolic of the challenge that faces either this Estonian government or...
Russia: “Different Family” Photo Project
"These people may have no home, no jobs. They may be doing drugs, their neighbors may hate them, and they may be banned from entering a theater because of their inappropriate looks. But within such families, love and caring relationship still reign." This is how photographer Irina Popova describes the subjects of her "Different Family" project, currently on exhibit in St. Petersburg. But since the series is centered as much on a toddler named Anfisa, the daughter of Popova's marginal adult subjects, the photographer's interpretation of her own work has caused harsh criticism.
Nagorno Karabakh: Insular View
Security in the Caucasus comments on the recent declaration signed by the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian presidents in Moscow regarding the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh. The blog finds it ironic that opposition and nationalist groups have reacted to it in the way they have and wonders what they propose instead.
Georgia: Fox News and the War
The Tbilisi Blues comments on video footage of Fox News reporters fleeing what they describe as “Georgian forces firing at journalists” during the recent war with Russia. Tbilisi-based journalist Paul Rimple says that the news channel got it wrong.
Russia: 65 Years Since the Deportation of Karachais
Otto's Random Thoughts writes – here and here – about the deportation of the Karachais, which began on Nov. 2 sixty-five years ago.
Romania: Elections and Gazprom
Kosmopolito writes that in Romania, “[t]he fight against corruption is ongoing and is progressing according to schedule: endless” – and as the country prepares for the parliamentary election on Nov. 30, “[m]ost likely it will not vote”: “Those who will vote, will have to choose pretty much the same thing....
Central & Eastern Europe: A Travel Roundup
Olive harvesting in Albania, John Paul II monuments in Poland, a Soviet military hardware cemetery in Moscow and more: Central and Eastern Europe-based bloggers share their recent travel stories and photos.
Russia: Financial Problems
Streetwise Professor posts a detailed update on Russia's financial problems: “Whichever way Medvedev or Putin […] turn, they face stark choices. Protect the Ruble – burn through the reserves or throw an already wobbly economy into a tailspin by jacking interest rates. Let the Ruble fall – serious potential for...
Russia: Voina “Storms” Russian White House
IZO reports, via LJ user kassian (RUS): “The latest Voina group action, on the night of 6-7 December, involved the ‘storming’ of the grounds of the Russian White House and projection of an anarchist skull-and-crossbones on the building's facade.”
Ukraine, U.S.: Democratic Congressman on Relations With Russia
Ukrainiana critiques a recent statement by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) on relations with Russia.
Czech Republic: Public Opinion on Russian-Georgian War
Dr. Sean's Diary reports that “the Czech public holds a characteristically divided / balanced set of views the Russo-Georgian war: majorities disapprove of both Georgian intervention in South Ossetia and Russia’s response […].”