February 9, 2010 By Citizen M

RA’s Daily Russian News Blast – Feb 9, 2010

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TODAY: What next for Kaliningrad? Lawyers accuse telecoms companies of treating dissent as extremism; US defense secretary criticizes sale of French warship to Russia; Medvedev refreshes regional leadership; Berezovsky case being heard in London; Browder v Markelov v Browder; IOC president warns Russia. 
The Moscow Times looks at the factors contributing to the massive Kaliningrad protests last month, and examines the Kremlin’s possibilities now for response – at very least, the article suggests, it should remove governor Georgy Boos, but must be wary of ‘set[ting] up such a precedent‘.  The Association of Russian Lawyers for Human Rights has seized on the news that telecoms company Beeline blocks access to opposition websites, calling it evidence of a growing trend in Russia ‘to persecute dissident activism as extremism‘.  French defense officials have announced that the country will sell at least one advanced warship to Russia, and potentially three more, in what will be the first, ‘symbolic‘ arms deal between Russia and a NATO member.  The US Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, expressed concern about the deal, but his French counterpart warned against a ‘double discourse‘ over Russia, which is supposedly viewed by the US as a partner.