Stories about Russia from July, 2009
Russia: Comparing Hitler and Stalin
LJ user fesstagere turns attention to [RUS] an Ekho Moskvy survey, showing that the radio stations readers see greater similarities than differences between Hitler and Stalin – a comparative issue that recently has evoked strong reactions and protests in Russian debate.
Bulgaria: Ukrainian gas crisis caused government fall
LJ user koltashov turns attention to [RUS] a report claiming that Bulgaria's government fell earlier this year due to the gas crisis between Russia and Ukraine.
Russia: Retreat of the Cold Warriors
Gerhard Mangott discusses [GER] the recent letter by Central and East European leaders, warning the US of the consequences of a withdrawal from the region.
Russia: Medvedev Murder Mystery
Anna Politkovskaya... The mere name evokes images of Moscow's worst public relations nightmare in years - an ongoing ordeal for Russia's international reputation in the realm of rule of law. Still, the murderers have not been brought to justice, and Politkovskaya turned into a martyr for world voices critical of Russia - for them epitomising everything that is wrong and wretched with the country. So, should President Medvedev's quick reaction to this week's murder of Human Rights' acitivists Natalya Estemirova merely be regarded as lessons learnt from the Politkovskaya assassination? The answer might be more complicated, as voices from the Russian blogosphere have their say.
Russia: Grozny photographies
LJ user pumchik posts pictures with comments [RUS] from the new Grozny, rebuilt after the second Checnyan war.
Russia: Did Kadyrov kill Estemirova?
Reactions to the murder of Russian Human Rights’ avtivist, Natalya Estemirova, of Memorial have been frequent in recent days. Sean's Russia Blog discusses accusations against Chechen president Kadyrov of being behind the murder, and posts a translation of a Novaya Gazeta article. Streetwise Professor compares the terror of the Chechen...
Russia: Kadyrov sues Memorial
Eternal Remont comments on Chechen president's, Kadyrov, plans to sue Russian Human Rights’ organization Memorial for libel, by accusing him to be guilty of Natalya Estemirova's murder.
Russia: Extremism law going to extremities
Sean's Russia Blog reports how the Russian law against extremism is increasingly liberally interpreted, now to include the registration of youth subcultures, in parallel to the registration of ideologically harmful culture during soviet times.
Russia: Shalamov's Siberia
Russian Blog does a follow up on the Russian writer and Gulag prisoner Varlam Shalamov, visiting sites of his incarceration in the Ural and posting pictures to illustrate the story
Russia: Americanophobia or Americanophilia?
In the midst of the Russophobia-Russophilia debate, LJ user drugoi raises the issue [RUS] of whether Russians are Americanophobes or Americanophiles.
Russia: Which way with the WTO?
Amanda Lahan at Crisis Crunch discusses Russia's ambivalence on whether to become a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) or not.
Russia: Rocket science in reverse
Streetwise Professor discusses the problems that the new Russian sea launched ballistic missile (SLBM), the Bulava, is still experiencing after years of testing.
Russia: Birth of Pirate Party
LJ user savinkoff posts [RUS] the manifest of the recently founded Russian Pirate Party, following the pattern of protagonists for Internet freedom in the rest of Europe.
Russia: History of kommunalkas
English Russia presents an abridged history of soviet kommunlkas – communal apartments – with accompanying pictures.
Iran: ‘Down with Russia Slogan’
GreenVote tweeted [fa] that Iranians chanted down with Russia slogan at Friday Prayer in Tehran University. Iranian opposition says that Russia trained Iranian security forces to repress the protest movement.
Russia: Reflections on Estemirova's murder
Sean's Russia Blog further reflects upon today's murder of Russian Human Rights’ activist Natalya Estemirova, and puts the case into wider perspective as for the general situation for freedom of speech and human rights in Russia.
Russia: Infringing on constitutional rights
LJ user srmt argues [RUS] that new regulations concerning correspondence is an infringement on the right of privacy regulated by the Russian constitution and the UN Declaration on Human Rights.
Russia: From Reykavik to Reset
Russian Life Blog publishes an interesting and initiated exposé of US-Russian relations from Reagan to Obama.
Russia: Medvedev, Obama, and the lot…
Windows to Russia! ironises over Obama's visit to Russia and Medvedev's visit to South Ossetia.
Russia: Politkovskaya laureate murdered
Just another death, just another obituary. That seems to be the general sentiment as news of today's murder of Russian Human Rights activist, Natalya Estemirova, broke. However, there are still people out there, in the Russian blogosphere, who challenge disillusion as yet another voice of conscience and tolerance is silenced by violent death.
Armenia: ‘Bloggers’ call for foreign minister's resignation
Following a July 10, 2009 statement by the U.S., Russian, and French presidents calling for Armenia and Azerbaijan to resolve the longstanding conflict over Nagorno Karabakh, some bloggers in Armenia have launched a campaign demanding the resignation of the country's foreign minister.
