Stories about Russia from January, 2011
Russia: Bloggers on Lessons of Tunisian Revolution
The outcome of the Tunisian protests has provoked people worldwide to think about political change. One of the major questions discussed by Russian bloggers is whether the possibility of similar scenario in Russia exists.
Russia: Blogger Tests if $88 per Month is Enough to Survive
Volunteer project minproduct.ru launched by a 17-year-old Muscovite examines the state-defined monthly living wage (around $88 per month). Many Russians retirees have nothing but this amount to live on. Vitaliy, an author of the blog, shares recipes and pictures of his humble daily diet.
Russia: HimkiLeaks Project Launches Campaign Against Corrupt Mayor
LJ account HimkiLeaks [RUS] published several reports exposing Vladimir Strelchenko, ill-famed mayor of Khimki city. Previously, Strelchenko's name has been connected with such drastic events as repressions against environmentalists, assaults on journalists Konstantin Fetisov, Oleg Kashin, Mikhail Beketov, etc.
Russia: Anti-Corruption Blogger's Gmail Hacked
Alexey Navalny, one of the Russia's most influential anti-corruption bloggers, twitted [RUS] that his Gmail account has been recently hacked. This happened after Navalny accused [RUS] one of the Russian ministries in corruption. Gmail, however, reacted fast, and within 15 minutes returned [RUS] the account to the owner.
Russia: Financial Pyramid Founder's New Online “Project”
Profy reports that Sergei Mavrodi, who created one of the world's largest financial pyramids in the 1990s, is at it again: recently, he “[…] has decided to launch a new pyramid […] – but this time it should all take place exclusively online using electronic payment provider WebMoney that is...
Russia: 7 Sites Warned By Media Regulator in 2010
Roskomnadzor, Russian regulatory body that oversees online and offline media, published annual 2010 report [RUS] on issued legal warnings to the media outlets. 7 out of 53 warnings were issued to online media outlets, most of them for ‘using mass media to implement extremist activities.’ The second legal warning received by...
Russia: Journalist Claims RuNet Has Become “Controllable”
Katya Gordon, opposition activist and a journalist, presents her view [RUS] on the state of freedom of expression in Russian Internet. Gordon accuses major search engines in ‘silencing’ hot topics, news portals in creating ‘alternative agenda’ when something important happens, and top bloggers in using black hat SEO methods.
Russia: Internet for Tatar Diaspora
Paul Goble writes about the role of the Internet in connecting dispersed Tatar communities both in Russia and abroad. “… the Tatnet is thus serving as a virtual space in which all of them can come together, something Tatars in Kazan have long dreamed of but up until now they...
Russia: Ushahidi Project Adresses Problems of Russian Winter
“Help Map for Russian Winter” (Holoda.info), a new crowdsourcing project, was launched in Russia to address the problems of people who are affected by cold weather. RIA Novosti news agency reports [RUS] that the website's goal is to raise awareness about people suffering from the lack of heating and other...
