Stories about Russia from July, 2009
Russia: GUM – a strategic object?
Your Life Will Turn Into Photography reports [RUS] that Moscow's world famous department store, GUM, apparently has been turned into a “strategic object,” along with an increasing number of Russian business ventures.
Russia: Social friction police
LJ user Savinkoff comments on [RUS] the establishment of Interior Ministry squads targeted at averting social friction in Russian regions, such as protests and demonstrations due to the economic crisis.
Russia: Moscow election posters
LJ user Ilya Yashin publishes [RUS] campaign posters for the upcoming Moscow local elections, illustrating the current Russian political landscape.
Russia: Sources of sectarianism
Sean's Russia Blog reflects upon Russians’ affinity to religious sectarianism, against the background of RIA Novosti coverage.
Russia: Barring appeal to the Court of Europe
Finrosforum turns attention to a Russian legislative proposal designed to bar citizens – mainly Chechens – to sue Russia at the European Court of Human Rights.
Nabucco: Running out of gas
Der Spiegelfechter comments on [GER] the agreement to build gas pipeline Nabucco and wonders where the gas will be coming from, whereas Der Unbequeme questions [GER] the need of yet another pipeline. LJ user xystos argues [RUS] why Nabucco is a mere mirage, and LJ user tertiaroma sees [RUS] the...
Russia: Why there will be no new war with Georgia
LJ user ulakya rejects [RUS] fears of a new conflict between Russia and Georgia and argues why Moscow wants to avoid war in the Caucasus.
Russia: If you can't beat the west – join NATO
LJ user ne onegin defaitistically argues [RUS] that Russia should join NATO due to the alliance's military superiority, arguing if you can't beat them, join them.
Lithuania: Russian charter challenges loyalty
Lituanica comments on news that a Russian NGO is starting to issue so called Russian charters – a certificate of allegiance to Moscow – to ethnic Russians outside of the country and sees it as a potential threat that state citizens of other countries may declare loyalty to Moscow.
US-Russia: American reactions to Obama in Moscow
The Ivanov Report discusses some reactions in US media on President Obama's visit to Moscow last week.
Russia: Search engine politics
LJ user kostyaorlov posts [RUS] statistics on the frequency of searches for political parties by leading search engine Yandex in various Russian regions, thus indicating geographic variation of political interest among web users.
Russia: Putin breaking the law
Ilya Yashin tells [RUS] how Premier Putin apparently broke the law by serving US President Obama Russian caviar, considered contraband since capture of sturgeon was outlawed in 2007.
Russia: Burning books
LJ user red warrior red claims [RUS] that the Russian edition of a book by murdered dissident-in-exile, Alexander Litvinenko, has been confiscated and destroyed by the Federal Security Service (FSB) in connection with a criminal investigation.
Russia: Ural curfew
LJ user wladimirmgerturns attention to [RUS] a 22 PM to 6 AM curfew for underaged, recently decided by politicians in the Chelyabinsk region of southern Ural.
Russia: Fifth anniversary of Klebnikov murder
Sean's Russia blog brings memory to the fifth anniversary of the murder of Pavel Klebnikov, editor-in-chief of Russian Forbes Magazine.
Russia: Seven sisters – a short story
English Russia tells a short story with pictures of the Seven sisters – more known as Stalin skyscrapers – built in Moscow 1947-53, and points to other examples in the former “Eastern bloc.”
US-Russia: Blogger reactions to Obama in Moscow
Karina Alexanyan of Internet & Democracy Blog analyses Russian blogger reactions to US President Obama's Moscow visit – a theme previously also covered by Global Voices.
Russia: At the lead in online social networking
Information Policy turns attention to a recent survey showing Russia and Brazil in the lead of online social networking.
Russia: Trenches of Russophile-Russophobe ecclecticism
Sublime Oblivion takes on the complex problem of Russophilia vs. Russophobia, with a very interesting and thoughtful discussion, attempting to schematically categorize bloggers and analysts, but in the process – possibly – raises more questions than providing answers, due to the very ecclectical character of the issue on various practical...
Russia: History of handling vodka
English Russia tells the story of how the vodka issue was dealt with by political leaders during the soviet era.
Russia: Why Medvedev was drowsy at G8 summit
LJ user supehero gives his very own explanation [RUS] to why President Medvedev looked so drowsy at the G8 summit in Italy.
