Archive

February 18, 2008

Today in Russian Business

The Russian government has renominated a number of key officials to the boards of state companies, including Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Kudrin and Kremlin deputy chief of staff Igor Sechin. For the first time in the history of Russia’s mobile co...
February 18, 2008

RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – Feb. 18, 2008

TODAY: Independence for Kosovo ruffles Russia. Nashi forms a children’s movement. Medvedev defends power of presidential role, even with Putin as prime minister. Protesters rally in support of Yukos prisoners. Polish prime minister Donald Tusk urg...
February 18, 2008

Tusk: Europe must speak with one voice to Russia

The Prime Minister of Poland writes in the FT about how Europe should handle Russia: Europe must speak with one voice to Russia By Donald Tusk Russia is the largest and one of the most important of the European Union’s neighbours. The challenge is...
February 17, 2008

Censorship on YouTube

Over the past week an unprecedented level of attention has been received by my YouTube channel, where for several months we have hosted a powerful video documenting torture and abuse of prisoners in Yekaterinburg. For more than 60 days, the contro...
February 16, 2008

Medvedev’s Challenge

The FT is reporting today on the tough road ahead for Dmitri Medvedev to accomplish his boldly reformist agenda: “We’ve tried to do this all before. A great deal was not implemented. Instead, they carried out completely different tasks...
February 15, 2008

McCain on Russia’s Puppet Show

U.S. Presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain had some strong words in reaction to Putin’s annual five-hour press junket yesterday: “I think that Mr. Putin is trying to restore the old Russian empire. Obviously he is perpetuating himself ...
February 15, 2008

Get Them While They’re Young

How young can a child be before the state begins to incorporate them in political indoctrination programs? Well in Russia, it seems that age has dropped down to just seven. Everyone is well aware of the Nashi’s activities organized by the st...
February 15, 2008

Medvedev Promises Independence of the Legal System

This one comes from the FT: “One of the key elements of our work in the next four years will be ensuring the independence of the legal system from the executive and legislative branches of power,” he said in a speech addressing business leaders ga...
February 15, 2008

To Talk or Not to Talk with the Despots

What is a president to do with all the troublesome despots of the world like Hugo Chavez and Vladimir Putin? Freeze them out and refuse to engage, like President George Bush has done with the governments of Iran and Syria? Or set up regular diplom...