Russia

August 27, 2010

Grigory Pasko: Viktor Bout Conspiracy Theories

Philip Crowley, a representative of the U.S. State Department, has assured observers that the case of Viktor Bout will not impact in a negative manner the development of bilateral relations with Russia. Naturally, it’s Mr. Crowley’s du...
August 27, 2010

Putin’s Road Trip

Fresh from a whale chase near the Kamchatka Peninsula, Putin is off again on another publicity stunt adventure: a 2,000 km journey across Siberia in a yellow Lada – followed by an entourage of journalists, of course. The journey, he says, is...
August 27, 2010

Viktor Bout’s Upcoming Great Escape

From Robert Amsterdam’s latest article on the Huffington Post: Most importantly, Bout is a picture perfect representation of “one of the men” currently in power in the Kremlin, and say what you will about Vladimir Putin, he is ve...
August 27, 2010

RA’s Daily Russian News Blast – Aug 27, 2010

TODAY: Activists praise decision to delay Khimki proceedings; Pomonaryov receives three-day sentence; Medvedev sends Magnitsky appeal to Investigative Committee; fire damage estimates are ‘astronomical’; governor withdraws lawsuit agai...
August 27, 2010

Too Early to Celebrate

Activists’ efforts have been awarded with the staggering news that President Dmitry Medvedev has temporarily halted and ordered a review into the construction of a highway through the Khimki forest. But The Economist’s ‘East...
August 26, 2010

An Avoidable Headline

Seriously?  Not even just this one time when a world famous rock band comes to town and is gracious enough to do a photo shoot with the president, can the Russian police resist the temptation to act like moronic gestapo by arresting and banni...
August 26, 2010

Bout Far from Alone

Writing over at Russia Profile, Roland Oliphant has some fascinating quotes from Roy Isbister of Safer World.  One of the reasons why I think any trial of Viktor Bout is unlikely to reveal any “blockbuster” exposures is that so ma...
August 26, 2010

Hard Bargaining Over Viktor Bout

The saga of the “merchant of death” Victor Bout has taken a stunning new turn. Last week, a Thai appeals court reversed a lower court judgment and ordered the Russian citizen extradited to the United States. This was clearly in respons...
August 26, 2010

Grigory Pasko: A drop of bile in the barrel of Putinite honey

There is such a news wire under the name of «Kaplya zhelchi» [A drop of bile–Trans.] There, wonderful Russian journalists, as a rule, oppositionally disposed in relation to the regime of Putin, subtly observe certain peculiarities of this re...
August 26, 2010

RA’s Daily Russian News Blast – Aug 26, 2010

TODAY: Amnesty members detained at U2 concert; Strategy 31 cop under investigation; Triumfalnaya closure won’t deter protesters; anti-Putin report confiscated; Luzkhov prefers bees; Young Guard leader stepping down; bombers near Canadian air...