Latest posts by Kevin Rothrock from March, 2014
Top 10 Russian-Language Tweets, Week 13 of 2014
Every Friday, RuNet Echo collects the top ten Russian-language tweets and curates them for Global Voices readers.
‘Anonymous International’ Leaks Kremlin's Instructions to Russian TV
A Russian Internet group called “Anonymous International” has leaked what it claims is a “tyomnik”—a list of prepackaged news stories prepared by the Kremlin for Russia’s central television news stations.
Blogging about Russia's Crimea Annexation? You Could Be an Extremist!
Russian lawmakers are toying with the idea of levying extremism charges against bloggers who “incite xenophobic attitudes” when writing about the Crimea.
Russia's Media Crackdown Spills into Academia
Three days ago, MGIMO University fired Professor Andrei Zubov for so-called academic misconduct. His supposed crime was writing an antiwar op-ed criticizing Russia's intervention in Ukraine.
Putin's Alleged “Ukraine Annexation Plan” Surfaces Online
Katya Gorchinskaya, deputy editor of the newspaper KyivPost, has published on Facebook photographs of a report that journalists are calling "Putin's plan for annexing Ukraine."
A Telethon to Save Russia's Independent TV
Russia’s only independent television station, TV Rain, is on its last leg. Following what appears to have been an orchestrated campaign to rob the channel of its cable and satellite distributors, advertisers have run for the hills and the station is being evicted from its Moscow studio at Red October...
Ukrainian Women's Sex Boycott Against Russian Men
A creative boycott is drawing the attention of Russian Internet users. Ukrainian women are organizing a new campaign called “Don’t give it to a Russian”—a sex embargo against Russian men.
Do US Sanctions Against Putin's Cronies Fuel Russian Patriotism?
So far, it seems the West’s response to the annexation of Crimea has only reinforced Russia’s patriotic frenzy. But could tougher sanctions change that?
Did Russia's Most Famous Actor Just Denounce Vladimir Putin?
In Russia, it is exceedingly rare for anyone who regularly appears on television or the silver screen to criticize, let alone denounce, Vladimir Putin. But did Khabensky?
Russia's Crimea Ballot Fraud that Wasn't
A scandal surrounding a ballot photo suggests that Russians are pessimistic about Crimea's Sunday referendum. Many are ready to believe the worst now, even on laughably circumstantial evidence.
Russia’s Best News Portal Decimated
In Russia’s jingoist climate today, it is now much easier for corporate owners and state authorities to meddle in the politics of the country’s news websites.
Mother Russia, Jump the Gun
Try to imagine how hopelessly outgunned Ukrainian soldiers now find themselves in the Crimea, where armed militia choke the roads and airports with checkpoints
The Russians Have Weaponized Photoshop
With the Crimea crisis, Twitter feeds overflow and news changes too fast to accommodate longer-form blogging. The most successful way to grab attention might be an old medium: political cartoons.
Damn Provocateurs vs. Couch Potato Liberals: Russian Nationalists Debate Invading the Crimea
When it comes to the current unrest in the Crimea, Russian nationalism produces wildly dissimilar views about what Moscow ought to do.
