Month: February 2010

February 11, 2010

Energy Blast – Feb 11, 2010

The head of the World Wildlife Fund is not satisfied with Russia’s promises to clean up the Baltic Sea bed: Jochen Lamp ‘said the environmental impact assessment prepared by Nord Stream was insufficient and that more assurances were re...
February 11, 2010

Today in Russian Business – Feb 11, 2010

Russia gained 28 new dollar billionaires last year, and the rich are getting richer.  The business community reportedly wants a new bill that would prevent executives from being arrested for most economic crimes (not including fraud) to ̵...
February 11, 2010

RA’s Daily Russian News Blast – Feb 11, 2010

TODAY: Putin promises to clean up the Baltic Sea ahead of Nord Stream; EU visa regulations for Russians; NATO not concerned about French warship sale; inquiry into police beating of pianist; Rogozin takes to Twitter; alcoholism. Speaking at a Balt...
February 11, 2010

The Irrational Fear of Russian Money

We fully agree with the arguments made in Vladimir Antonov’s opinion article in the New York Times on the prejudicial treatment of Russian investment.  The EU’s visa restrictions and the ongoing insult of Jackson-Vanik in the Unit...
February 10, 2010

Ryzhkov, Recurring Data, and the Disappearing Blogger

This one is from Vladimir Ryzhkov, a former Duma deputy, who writes in today’s Moscow Times about the fallout from the report issued last week by the Institute of Contemporary Development, a think-tank closely affiliated with President Dmitr...
February 10, 2010

Quibble II

This quibble comes from Duma speaker Boris Gryzlov in relation to comments made earlier this week by Finance Minister (and Putin ally) Alexei Kudrin, who is disappointed by United Russia’s left-leaning policies (fyi, a Moscow Times writer to...
February 10, 2010

Energy Blast – Feb 10, 2010

Vladimir Putin is in Finland to discuss Baltic Sea environmental issues related to the Nord Stream pipeline – Finland is the only country not yet to have approved the project.  ‘The state of the sea is alarming,‘ according t...
February 10, 2010

Today in Russian Business – Feb 10, 2010

The Federal Anti-Monopoly Service has found MegaFon in violation of anti-monopoly law over its ‘simplified sales procedure‘ for the mass distribution of SIM cards that, it says, gave it an advantage over its competitors.  Russian ...
February 10, 2010

RA’s Daily Russian News Blast – Feb 10, 2010

TODAY: Russian military general says US missile defense plans are delaying START negotiations; Albright criticizes notion of ‘sphere of influence’; Georgian opposition leader in United Russia deal.  Duma to create new council to b...
February 10, 2010

Medvedev as the New Gorbachev?

Writing in the Los Angeles Times, Leon Aron draws a comparison between what President Dmitry Medvedev appears to be attempting to do, and the radical transformation brought about by Mikhail Gorbachev’s policies of glastnost and perestroika.&...