Kevin Rothrock · April, 2012

Latest posts by Kevin Rothrock from April, 2012

Russia: Putin Proposes Contentious State Power Grab in Siberia

RuNet Echo

On April 20, 'Kommersant' revealed an ongoing legislative project to create a state company to oversee the economic development of Eastern Siberia and the Russian Far East. The schism at the heart of the RuNet's response to this issue reveals certain fundamental apprehensions that shape online Russian civil society.

27 April 2012

Russia: Liberal Democrats Join Opposition to Ulyanovsk NATO Hub

RuNet Echo

In the last week, Vladislav Naganov and Aleksei Navalny, two of Russia's most prominent liberal democrat bloggers, entered the debate about a proposed NATO transit hub in Ulyanovsk. The transit hub (or "military base," as critics call it) is unlike most Russian political issues that involve the North Atlantic Alliance, as the Kremlin in this instance has agreed to cooperate with (rather than resist) the West.

21 April 2012

Russia: Ilya Varlamov, Omsk's Blogger-Mayor?

RuNet Echo

In the city of Omsk, a local activist group has arranged online primaries for opposition candidates, in order to nominate one for the city's June mayoral election. Popular Muscovite photoblogger Ilya Varlamov has emerged as the contest's front runner, but what impact could his candidacy have on regional politics?

13 April 2012

Russia: Astrakhan Becomes Opposition's New Rallying Cause

RuNet Echo

Astrakhan mayoral candidate Oleg Shein's cause is becoming the biggest rallying point for an anti-Kremlin opposition that has spent the last month struggling to rediscover its direction. Today, a hunger strike by Shein and several of his supporters is entering its fourth week, with rumors flying that participants' lives are in danger.

10 April 2012