Month: March 2009

March 2, 2009

Predictability Reigns

Radio Free Europe reports on the predictable results of yesterday’s regional Russian elections, in which the ruling United Russia party swept all nine legislative races: According to preliminary results, Unified Russia’s share of the v...
March 2, 2009

The Peaceful Viking Gets Angry

It’s been a long time since the Russian media dubbed Norway’s Prime Minister Yens Stoltenberg the Peaceful Viking. Way back in 2005, Stoltenberg sided with the Russians over the proposed US missile shield in Poland, and seemed willing ...
March 2, 2009

Energy Blast – March 2nd, 2009

Dmitry Medvedev says he will present a new energy charter at the G20 next month, designed to guard against disputes such as its row with Ukraine.  Spanish builder Sacyr has discussed selling its 20% stake in oil giant Repsol to Russia’s...
March 2, 2009

Today in Russian Business – March 2nd, 2009

Vladimir Putin has made a public example of Kremlin logic using the case study of Sakha Republic: in a meeting with its president, Putin said that the region’s economic problems would be solved by the fact that Sakha mines a lot of gold, and...
March 2, 2009

RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – March 2nd, 2009

TODAY: Regional elections held over the weekend – low turnouts and accusations of cheating; Justice Minister slams European Court of Human Rights; Italy gives Russia a church; US and Russia to begin official talks at the end of the week; bus...
March 1, 2009

The Litmus Test of Russian Justice

From Owen Matthews in Newsweek: How serious is President Dmitry Medvedev about repairing Russia’s corrupt courts? A trial opening this week in Moscow could be a key test. Former Yukos oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was jailed in 2004 o...
March 1, 2009

The Impossible Case against Mikhail Khodorkovsky

From the Associated Press: But his lawyers say the allegations of a $25 billion theft border on impossible. Many believe Khodorkovsky’s real sin was to have violated an understanding with the Kremlin that powerful business leaders keep out o...