Month: April 2010

April 19, 2010

RA’s Daily Russian News Blast – April 19, 2010

TODAY: Medvedev’s appearance at Kaczynski’s funeral seen as solidarity; volcanic ash cloud could reach Russian Far East; Kyrgyz government answering to Russia?  Nato wants Russia involved in missile defense; Duma passes first read...
April 17, 2010

Jaroslaw’s Choice

An interesting opinion piece by Marjorie Castle in the Washington Post highlights the importance of Lech Kaczynski’s surviving twin, Jaroslaw, and how his interpretation of the tragedy will have a profound impact on Polish politics. The rema...
April 16, 2010

Remembering Lech Kaczynski Draws Out His Critics

Many people are quite legitimately upset and shocked about the sudden death of the Polish president in Russia.  However, in all the memory-making going on in this period of mourning, there have been some misunderstandings of Kaczynski’s...
April 16, 2010

Cobbling BRICs Together

According to Forbes today, an investment firm has chucked Russia out of its BRIC fund and replaced it with South Korea.  The Economist echoes the sentiment in a piece on the viability of the BRIC grouping, arguing that Russia is the one letti...
April 16, 2010

Happy Birthday, Nashi

‘Our movement knows no authority except the authority of the policies of Medvedev and Putin.‘  So says Vasily Yakemenko, the founding father of pro-Kremlin youth group Nashi, celebrating its fifth anniversary this week.  The ...
April 16, 2010

Energy Blast – April 16, 2010

Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko said gas exporting nations are ‘very concerned‘ about the European spot market.  Spanish oil company Repsol may sell its stake in Alliance Oil for as much as €70 million.  Russia has closed its ...
April 16, 2010

Today in Russian Business – April 16, 2010

In the bribery probe of Hewlett-Packard’s Russian offices, the Moscow Times reports that three Russians and four German citizens are accused of organizing a global web of shell companies to hide the transfer of €8 million in connection with ...
April 16, 2010

RA’s Daily Russian News Blast – April 16, 2010

TODAY: Russia suspends US adoptions after ‘monstrous deed’; security to be stepped up for Olympics after terror attacks; Kyrgyz scenario could repeat itself; OSCE welcomes Bakiyev’s resignation; BRIC summit, NATO and WTO membersh...
April 15, 2010

Energy Blast – April 15, 2010

Ukraine announced that it would get rid of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium – ‘enough to construct several nuclear weapons’ – although it would appear that by ‘getting rid of it‘, they mean ‘giving...
April 15, 2010

Today in Russian Business – April 15, 2010

Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov says Russia is in no hurry to remove the high import tariffs it imposed last year.  Rusal has awarded chief executive Oleg Deripaska a stock bonus worth $62 million for helping it sell shares in Hong Kong: ...