Stories about Russia from March, 2010
Moldova: Fear for a fifth column
Zimbru of Morning in Moldova argues that Moldova's centre-right politicians underestimate the power of political forces aligned with Russia and thus put the country's democratization and plans to join the...
Is Russia an Enemy of Internet?

The degree of freedom on the Russian Internet is an issue for debates. Some put Russia on the same list of "Internet enemies" with China and Iran. Others strongly oppose this kind of generalization and claim that Russian Internet is the most liberal and unrestricted public sphere in the country.
Russia: Prisoners Spend Their Time on Social Networks

Internet and social networks help Russian prisoners spend their time in prison, says an article at chaskor.ru. Convicts use mobile Internet to access dating sites, search information, and even post...
New requirements for Russian E-Gov Sites.
The Russian Ministry for Economical Development published a list of requirements for governmental Web sites that provide online services, reports lenta.ru. All the documents on the sites should be accessed...
Russia: Prosecuted Blogger Receives Journalist Award

Mikhail Afanasyev (aka LJ user rukhakasia), blogger from Abakan, Eastern Siberia, received a Journalist Union Award “For Professional Achievement” for a series of articles about the accident at Sayano-Shushenskaya dam,...
Russia: Activists Burns Effigy of Policeman

Activists of the movement “Autonomous Action” burnt an effigy a policeman during the “political Maslenitsa“, indymedia reports (photos and footage available). The action was dedicated to Seva Ostapov, a young...
Russia: Bank Employee Spoils Credit History for $0.26

Blogger logra published the recording of her conversation with a Russian bank employee who called her and in a strikingly impolite manner said he would spoil her credit history for...
Russia: Actor Calls Against Cooperation with Government

Russian actor Aleksey Devotchenko wrote a desperate post about what professional actors can do to express their protest against current political regime. Among the measures proposed are: not to stage...
Russia: Alpinist Destroys Cars And Blogs About It

Karpovka.ru writes about blogger drunn2007 who works as an industrial alpinist climbing up house walls and breaking excessive ice. On his blog, drunn2007 posts photos of cars damaged by fallen...
Russia: Protests in 48 Cities Mark “Day of Anger”

Bloggers post photos of mass protests dedicated to the “Day of Anger” held on March 20, 2010. Protests in 48 cities gathered around 20,000 people. Here are the links to...
Russia: Putin pros and cons go cyber

LJ user Anton Igorevich reports [RUS] that recent demonstrations against and for Russian Premier, Vladimir Putin, now have gone cyber, with websites against and in support of Putin, the latter...
Russia-UK: British troops return to Red Square

Siberian Light questions the recent reports that British troops are to march on Moscow's Red Square for the first time ever on the 9 May Victory Day Parade, illustrating previous...
Russia-US: A Derogatory Dilemma
Streetwise Professor reflects upon US Secretary of State's, Hillary Clinton, visit to Moscow and reacts against her not responding to insults from Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, fearing this will...
Russia: Bloggers Expose Election Fraud Techniques

The recent elections for local administrative offices in Russian regions were the first to show the power of Web 2.0. in uncovering voting violations. Bloggers would gather evidence with their cell phone cameras and published them online.
Russia to Investigate Closure of iFolder

Russian Minister of Interior Rashid Nurgaliev gave an order to check if the action of police against a popular Russian hosting ifolder.ru was legal. According to Lenta.ru, the order was given following...
Russia: Filipina Babysitter and Moscow Police
English Man in Moscow recounts his family's Filipina babysitter's ordeal with the Russian police.
Russia: “Battle for Khimki Forest”

A detailed account of the ongoing “battle for Khimki Forest” – by Yevgeniya Chirikova at OpenDemocracy.net: “The plan to construct a section of the new Moscow-St.Petersburg motorway through the legally-protected...
Russia: Andrei Loshak's Text on Corruption

Andrei Loshak's much-discussed text about corruption and “the normal functioning of an irrational system” in Russia has been translated into English by OpenDemocracy.net (the Russian-language original is at OpenSpace.ru).
Russia: Bread
Photos of “how Russian bread is being baked” – at English Russia.
Ukraine: Differing views of the Orange revolution
The Ivanov Report presents a very critical comment on an essay about the Orange revolution by Keith Gessen in The New Yorker.
Russia: Authorities Shut Down File Sharing Service

ifolder.ru, Russian file sharing service, has been shut down by police, roem.ru reported. This is the second case of the file sharing site being shut down. The first one was...