Archive

February 18, 2009

RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – Feb 18th, 2009

TODAY: Medvedev courting Japan; Lavrov courting Egypt; Iran courting air defense systems. Moscow Mayor speaks out against Kremlin, United Russia tries negative campaigning ahead of assembly elections; Supreme Court head resigns after son accused o...
February 17, 2009

A Letter to Moscow

The economic crisis is not just doing damage in Russia, but has a knock-on effect for its North Caucasus neighbours, says this report.  Chechnya’s Kremlin-backed government, for example, will receive a reduced budget from Russia this ye...
February 17, 2009

The Laughably Implausible Second Trial of Khodorkovsky

Today Robert Amsterdam and other members of the legal team are quoted in a Bloomberg story on the second trial of political prisoner Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Bloomberg: Lawyers for Mikhail Khodorkovsky called theft and money-laundering charges brough...
February 17, 2009

The Courts and Corruption

Highlighting the problem of corruption in Russia, Alexander Karpov, the deputy head of the Russian Supreme Court, has resigned days after his son, Vladimir, who he claims not to have seen in five years, was arrested for taking a $28,000 bribe from...
February 17, 2009

The Russians Take Manhattan

Tucked into a piece of prime midtown Manhattan real estate is the mysterious Russian think tank, the Institute for Democracy and Cooperation. If the name sounds like a spoof by Stanley Kubrick, the institute’s director, Andranik Migranyan, a...
February 17, 2009

Energy Blast – Feb 17th, 2009

Following meetings with President Evo Morales, President Dmitry Medvedev announced that Gazprom is in talks to build a system of gas pipelines in Bolivia in work that could stretch through to 2030.  Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin says Russ...
February 17, 2009

Today in Russian Business – Feb 17th, 2009

Russian banks and companies may have earned as much as $25 billion using state bailout funds to bet against the ruble during its decline.  Industrial output fell dramatically by a fifth last month, including an 80% drop in car production, and...
February 17, 2009

RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – Feb 17th, 2009

TODAY: Medvedev fires four governors in one day, fears of social unrest are suspected; Medvedev signs declaration of shared interests with Bolivia, promises helicopters; BBC Russian Service to stop making features; no change to Iran policies. Pros...
February 17, 2009

Major News Coming on the Khodorkovsky Case

Some readers have been writing me regarding confusing media reports on the latest events in the Mikhail Khodorkovsky case.  What I can tell you is that there is some inaccurate information circulating right now, and that we are anticipating a...
February 16, 2009

The Anti-Yushchenko Show

Some 1500 Ukrainian communists demonstrated against the pro-Western policies of President Viktor Yushchenko – including his desire to join NATO – in the Russian-speaking, Eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk today. Russian media reported ...