California native, and long-time Russophile, Nina has been active on Twitter as @NinaIvanovna and blogged about Russian politics at Putinania since 2009. Her interests include social media, corruption, security, & terrorism, particularly in the North Caucasus. She currently resides in Tbilisi.
Latest posts by Nina Jobe
Russia's Justice Ministry Targets Human Rights Group ‘Memorial’
Russia hasn't elaborated its grievances against the human rights group, but Memorial says the main issue is that officials want it to adopt a more centralized organizational structure.
Russian Special Forces Blogger Throws in the Towel
The anonymous LiveJournal blog hardingush, run by a member of Russia's Ministry of the Interior special forces operating in Ingushetia, is now closed.
Southern Russia's Road Warriors
North Ossetians display a readiness for civil disobedience that has many asking about their willingness to take to the streets (or highways, as it were), when faced with injustice.
Putin Brings Back Soviet-era Civil Defense Certification
Bringing back "Readiness to Labor and Defense" would "pay homage to [Russia's] national historical traditions."
Russia's No. 1 Separatist Dead, Again
Doku Umarov was declared dead by the official propaganda arm of the Caucasus Emirate, an armed separatist movement in Russia's south.
Yanukovich's Fabulous Palace Familiar to Russians
Russians, admittedly, are already familiar with examples of their own politicians' wealth and bad taste, as photos of their residences regularly leak onto the Internet.
I've Got 99 Sochi Problems
Russian bloggers debated the necessity of criticizing the Olympic games.
Blogger Unveils Sochi Corruption Website
Alexei Navalny joined the Sochi anti-corruption campaign this week, launching an interactive website outlining what he calls the true costs of the Olympic preparations in Sochi.
Who Bears the Cost of Russia's Olympics?
Accusations of corruption continue to plague Sochi Olympic preparations.
Russia Bans All Liquids on Aircraft
In the aftermath of the twin bombings in Volgograd before the New Year's holiday, Russia’s Transportation Ministry revised its rules on what airline passengers can bring on board.
Twin Acts of Terror for Russia's New Year
Little information about the perpetrators is known, but as usual the RuNet is rife with speculation.
Emptying Russia's Prisons to Fill the Seats at Sochi 2014
Many Russian bloggers believe that the 2014 Olympics in Sochi played a major role in the early release of both Greenpeace activists and Pussy Riot, as well as Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
Russia's Year of Pogroms
2013 has been a particularly virulent year for race violence in Russia. The most recent incident, which took place this past weekend in the city of Arzamas was no different.
The Russian Parliament's Golden Gun
Last Tuesday, two deputies demonstrated that the Russian Duma still has some fight left in it, when they got into a fistfight in the halls of the parliament building.
Closure for Russian Terror Victims?
Was the mastermind behind the Volgograd bus bombing killed by Russian special forces or captured by Dagestani civilians?
Cushy New Job for Sacked Russian Defense Minister
Is former Minister of Defense Serdyukov's new appointment a reward for his silence in a large-scale corruption scandal?
The Chechen Lawyer and the Dead Russian Colonel
Russia's Investigative Committee is targeting a Chechen lawyer for bribery in a murder case, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov to the rescue.
Funny Money for Russia's Winter Olympics
The most recent Sochi Olympics scandal involves a new 100-ruble Olympic-themed banknote that the Russian Central Bank released last week.
Russia's Demagogues Just Can't Get Along
Nationalist MP Vladimir Zhirinovsky ranted about natives of the North Caucasus on the popular debate show “The Duel” - Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov took offence.
In Wake of Suicide Bombing Russians Question Their Security
An explosion aboard a Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad) commuter bus caused a stir in Russia’s blogosphere on Monday.
Can the Kremlin Control Moscow Ethnic Violence?
A poverty-stricken industrial Moscow neighborhood has erupted in ethnic violence last week, after a local man named Egor Sherbakov was stabbed to death by an alleged "migrant."