Year: 2008

December 15, 2008

Dismantling the Constitution

Below we’ve got another exclusive translation from RBK Daily, which our regular readers understand is almost amusingly pro-government news source from Russia which at times can help glean insights into Kremlin thinking.  According to th...
December 15, 2008

Grigory Pasko: Russia’s New Dark Political Humor

Recently, my German acquaintance phoned and asked how people in Russia are weathering the crisis. I replied: they tell each other jokes. He, apparently, did not understand. I will explain in this article. Inasmuch as there aren’t so many own...
December 15, 2008

The Gas Troika is Hot Air

It’s an ongoing debate.  Is the threat of an OPEC-like natural gas cartel being bandied about by the Gazprom for real, or just all talk?  It’s not about whether the exporting countries are willing to form a new series of prac...
December 15, 2008

Video: Lira Tskhovrebova

Related to the earlier post, here is the news clip of Russia’s alleged spy, Lira Tskhovrebova, sent to pitch the invasion of Georgia in Washington DC.
December 15, 2008

FSB Plant Pitches the War in Washington

File this one under “caught red handed.”  The Kremlin might take note that they shouldn’t have their spies posing as “independent South Ossetian activists” hiring elite public relations firms.  From the Asso...
December 15, 2008

Taking the Cake

Today the Wall Street Journal is reporting on Siemens $528.3 million bribery settlement with German authorities, while the claim with U.S. under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act is now underway.  Anyone still curious where the majority of th...
December 15, 2008

Hate Crimes on the Rise

There’s been a lot coverage recently of these outbreaks of violence from Russian nationalists directed toward migrants and foreigners – a trend that some say is passively tolerated by the state.  Though the loss of jobs caused by ...
December 15, 2008

Energy Blast – Dec 15th, 2008

A Russian deputy is to attend this week’s OPEC meeting.  The price of oil is slowly rising on expectations that the meeting will lead to a significant cut in output, although this report suggests that, although Russia is willing to coop...
December 15, 2008

Today in Russian Business – Dec 15th, 2008

The economic crisis is driving minority shareholders, who had previously turned a blind eye, to demand responsible corporate expenditures.  Import levels have dropped 20% on last year’s levels, due to the fluctuating ruble and slowing d...
December 15, 2008

RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – Dec 15th, 2008

TODAY: Weekend protests see activists detained; Solidarity given ominous gift; activist heckles Medvedev; Lavrov attending Mideast Quartet, US and Russia to discuss arms trade; hate crimes, killer blogs, Russophobia. The opening day of the foundin...