Archive

December 18, 2008

RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – Dec 18th, 2008

TODAY: Motorist protests are first sign of public anger over financial crisis, activists concerned over widening of treason definition; Russia to give Lebanon fighter jets; Medvedev to have early meeting with Obama.Protests by Russian motorists on...
December 17, 2008

Russia’s China Envy

Writing in the Moscow Times, Yulia Latynina thinks that that the Russian government should be more worried about losing territory to China in the long-term than collective security in Europe in the short term.  The answer: focus on economic d...
December 17, 2008

Defining Treason

Defining treason in legal terms is an inherently political process, fraught with bitter contention, weight of history, suspicions of abuse, and no shortage of nationalist grandstanding.  But probably not for Russia, which this week introduced...
December 17, 2008

Preemptive Repression

The following is an exclusive translation from RBK Daily on the preparations being made by the Russian security forces to handle an uprising or unrest over the economic crisis. In expectation of uprisings The powers have rethought reducing interio...
December 17, 2008

Rhetoric and Reality at OPEC

Yesterday we blogged that Russia had a number of reasons to stay outside the sway of OPEC, not least because they wouldn’t want to risk their hard-earned international standing in groups such as the G8 and the succession effort to the WTO, b...
December 17, 2008

Alexanyan Calls Bail “Cynical”

We’ve done a fair amount of blogging about the case of the terminally ill former Yukos general counsel Vasily Alexanyan, who after spending years in prison under no charges and subjected to essentially fatal medical blackmail, was recently g...
December 17, 2008

Energy Blast – Dec 17th, 2008

The highly-anticipated OPEC meeting is being held today in Algeria, where members and non-members, including Russia, will discuss what is expected to be a significant cut in production – currently being reported at 2 million barrels per day ...
December 17, 2008

Today in Russian Business – Dec 17th, 2008

Russia’s economic situation is worsening by the day – ‘the big question is whether the regime’s political control will crack too.‘  Despite the financial crisis, Russia’s arms exports will exceed $8 billion...
December 17, 2008

RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – Dec 17th, 2008

TODAY: Pro-Putin ministers slam Finance Ministry; anti-corruption bill to get second reading; Peskov goes after negative stereotypes; Kremlin backing Lukashenko?  Russian mayor stabbed to death.President Dmitry Medvedev’s anti-corruptio...
December 16, 2008

Incorporating the Opposition

Contract with the devil Grigory Pasko, journalist The regional congress of non-commercial (human rights and civic) organzations (NCOs) took place from 4 through 7 December in Penza. In the year 2005, the congress took place in Poland, while in 200...