Year: 2008

June 18, 2008

Russia’s Winning Streak Continues

First Zenit St. Petersburg wins the UEFA Cup, then Russia has the honor of hosting the Champion’s League final between Chelsea and Manchester United, and now, today, for the first time since the fall of the Soviet Union, the Russian national...
June 18, 2008

High Times for Russophobia

An interesting article recently appeared in the French magazine Marianne – below is our exclusive translation. The original version can be downloaded here. Russophobia is doing well There are people for whom Russia is always wrong regardless...
June 18, 2008

Wall Street Journal on the Exile

No more complaining about silence in the Western press, right? From the Wall Street Journal: Raucous Russian Paper Closes Amid Kremlin Scrutiny Expat’s Exile Falls As Investors Retreat; Ribald Pranksters By ALAN CULLISON June 18, 2008; Page ...
June 18, 2008

The Petrostate Chess Game

Today the New York Sun reviews Marshall Goldman’s book Petrostate. We’ll have our own review up soon. For whatever reason, the Sun continues to hamper on with its conservative pro-authoritarianism bent, reminiscent of the well-known pl...
June 18, 2008

The “Oilygarchs”

Robert Amsterdam was on the CBC show The Current yesterday to talk about all that TNK-BP stuff, along with Steve LeVine and others. Listen to the show here (just scroll down a bit).
June 18, 2008

Energy Blast – June 18, 2008

TNK-BP’s Russian shareholders reportedly have rejected a buyout offer from BP, accusing the British company of trying to seize control. “The TNK-BP dispute promises to define Dmitry Medvedev’s presidency in the same way that the Yukos bankru...
June 18, 2008

Today in Russian Business – June 18, 2008

President Dmitry Medvedev has approved a riskier investment strategy for the country’s first sovereign wealth fund. Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin “is fighting an uphill struggle to limit spending.” Property management services firm Jones La...
June 18, 2008

RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – June 18, 2008

TODAY: British Council in Moscow slams “punitive” tax bill; Georgia releases troops; Russian ban likely to “infuriate” Iran; Medvedev seeks advice on corruption; Anna Politkovskaya: three men charged. Relations between Britain and Russia have hit ...
June 17, 2008

Keep Your Eye on the Ruble

Keep your eye on the ruble. Since the default of 1998, when the ruble collapsed and the savings of millions of ordinary Russians became worthless in a matter of days, the Central Bank of Russia has been pursuing a monetary policy known as “exchang...
June 17, 2008

Kissinger Backs Medvedev, Urges Dialogue with Russia

Today Henry Kissinger met with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev as part of his duties on a bilateral panel, essentially offering his approval and stamp of legitimacy for the new leader: “I have followed with great interest your becoming pre...