Month: February 2008

February 1, 2008

On Spies and the British Council

Michael Weiss provides an interesting history of the British Council in Russia in the Weekly Standard: “One theory popular among Putin’s domestic enemies is that the FSB is quite happy to level charges of espionage and “provocati...
February 1, 2008

Energy Blast, Feb. 1, 2008

“We are planning no radical steps to decrease taxation on the oil industry,” said a spokesman for the Finance Ministry. Russia may raise taxes on the gas industry but has no plans to cut them for the oil sector despite complaints from oil fi...
February 1, 2008

RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – Feb. 1, 2008

TODAY: Putin responsible for the strengthening the Kremlin’s “power vertical”. Medvedev to run “ascetic” campaign. Aleksanyan given “unprecedented attention and care”. Court bailiffs tighten border controls for those in debt. Human Rights Watch ca...
February 1, 2008

Today in Russian Business

The government has split its $157 billion Stabilization Fund into two subfunds for reserve and growth. Officials are “still at odds over how to invest the windfall, as the fund’s supervisor sits in jail and legal risks remain,” but investmen...