Stories about Russia from December, 2010
Russia: Google Launches Search of Russian Blogs
Google launches blogsearch.google.ru, Russian-language blog search service. One of it's functions – to display the most discussed news of the Russian blogosphere. Almost a year ago, Yandex.ru, Russia's most popular search engine, closed a similar blog rating. Yandex claimed that the blog search and rating of blog entries wasn't efficient. Political...
Russia: A New Initiative to Release of Mikhail Khodorkovsky
Few days before the court will announce its verdict on the second trial of oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a new online initiative suggests to promise president Medvedev electoral support in exchange of Khodorkovsky's release. Led by Mikhail Gurevich, executive director of Russian media corporation RBC Group, the project launched a Facebook group [RUS]...
Russia: President Medvedev Argues with a Fake Lawmaker's Twitter
President Medvedev had a Twitter clash with a fake Twitter account of Alexander Khinshtein, Russian lawmaker. The clash was about Medvedev's relations with the Belorussian president Alexander Lukashenko. Surprisingly, real Khinshtein apologized for the fake accounts’ critique. According to RT, “fake top official's accounts flood RuNet.”
Russia: More Photos of Nationalist Riot Near Kremlin
LiveJournal-user Zyalt [RUS] and DervishRV [RUS] published more photo reports of riots of soccer fans and nationalists that took place next to the Kremlin's wall in Moscow. After the protest has been dispersed the crowd started to attack everyone with non-Slavic look on the streets and in the metro.
Russia: Photos and Videos of Soccer Fans Protesting in Moscow
Blog of Novaya Gazeta [RUS], Radio Liberty [RUS], aleshru [RUS], and vadimb [RUS] share pictures and videos from the mass protest action of soccer fans in the center of Moscow. It is the second public event since the murder of one of the fans this week. Snob.ru hosts [RUS] discussion on the political consequences of...
Poland: President Meets With Medvedev and Obama
Leopolis reports on the Polish President's recent meetings with his Russian and U.S. counterparts.
Russia: Assange for Nobel Peace Prize?
Siberian Light writes that “Russia seems to be having great fun with the whole wikileaks affair”: “And the latest – Russia has gleefully seized the opportunity to suggest that Assange has done such a service to the world that he should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. […] Next...
Russia: Political Implications of Kushchevskaya Massacre
A Good Treaty and The Power Vertical write about last month's Kushchevskaya massacre and its political implications.
Russia: Soccer Fans Block Moscow Streets in Protest Against Murder
Corrupcia.net, bb-mos, podkradyha, and harfang83 share pictures of the soccer fans blocking Leningradskiy prospekt, one of the major Moscow streets, to protest against the murder of their colleague Yegor Sviridov. Killers of Sviridov were released soon after the murder. Most of those who participated in the street action are afraid the...
Russia: New Language for Organised Crime
In Moscow's Shadows notes that “modern organised crime has in some ways evolved beyond the language” and “new terms for new types of organised crime figures” are needed.
Russia: “Battle for Russia’s Heritage Resumes”
Clementine Cecil, a journalist and co-founder of the Moscow Architectural Preservation Society (MAPS), writes on OpenDemocracy.net about protests against the proposed amendments to Russia’s heritage law: “Experts have already written to President Medvedev to voice their concern with the proposals, arguing they would ‘place tens of thousands of monuments of...
Russia: Winter in Yakutia
Photos and video of Yakutia's very cold winter – at eYakutia.
Russia: World Cup; Google's Mistake
Siberian Light writes about FIFA's announcement that Russia will host the 2018 World Cup. Profy.com notes that “Google hurries to congratulate Russia on World Cup results… and offends Russians” by putting the wrong flag on the “doodle” on the Russian domain.
Russia: Khodorkovsky Legal Team on Trial and WikiLeaks
FP's Passport talks to Mikhail Khodorkovsky's legal team about the trial and the relevant WikiLeaks’ content.
Russia: Old and New Media Panel
A Good Treaty reports from the Old and New Media in Russia Today panel, held in Los Angeles on Nov. 19.
Transnistria: A Trip to Tiraspol
The Kalpak writes about a short trip to Tiraspol, Transnistria. Morning in Moldova has more on the situation with Transnistria.
The Sad Fate of Russia's “YouTube Cops”
Several police officers have followed in the footsteps of Alexey Dymovskiy, uploading YouTube testimonies of wrongdoings within the police force in the past year. Unfortunately, nearly all have suffered arrests, beatings, firings or criminal prosecution, and justice has never been done.
Russia: Khimki Local Provider Blocked Environmentalist Website
Telincom, Khimki city Internet provider, applied regional blocking technique by preventing access of its users (all other users could freely access the website) to the environmentalist website ecmo.ru, kasparov.ru reported. The blocking started after the website began to collect signatures for the dismissal of the local mayor, Vladimir Strelchenko.
Russia: Omsk Forum Users Publish Erotic Socio-Political Calendar
Users of forum.omsk.ru decided to continue [RUS] a popular format of erotic calendars dedicated to the hot political topics. This time the calendar is dedicated to local issues: traffic jams, high gas prices, environmental issues (scans of the calendar available here [RUS]).
Russia: Another Photo Report on Critical Situation in Moscow Hospital
LJ-user Yanissimo posts [RUS] shocking pictures of the Filatov hospital (in Moscow). Together with pictures he tells a story of bad conditions, immorality, lack of ethics and competence that rule in the hospital. “What is it if not a genocide?” asks the blogger.
Russia: WikiLeaks’ Cyrillic Mirror
Anatoly Karlin (@sublimeoblivion) reports that WikiLeaks “gets a Cyrillic mirror at викислив.рф,” an initiative of the Pirate Party of Russia (more info, RUS – here).
