Russia

November 18, 2008

Grigory Pasko: The Banana Republic of Vladivostok

An international event – in the regime of a state of emergency Grigory Pasko – journalist A couple of days ago Russian television in the popular humoristic broadcast «Nasha Rasha» [“Our Russia”, but using a transliteration ...
November 18, 2008

Vasily Alexanyan Undergoes Surgery to Remove Spleen

Vasily Alexanyan was once the Harvard-educated general counsel of Russia’s most successful and prestigious company.  Today he may be becoming the world’s first victim of prosecutorial murder via medical blackmail.  His story ...
November 18, 2008

European Dependency on Russian Gas?

Pierre Noël, an energy academic, has a post over at the EU Energy Policy blog which questions the traditional assumption that Europe is becoming increasingly dependent on Russian gas, and points out that Gazprom is facing a number of daunting chal...
November 18, 2008

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

TODAY: Putin says decision to go ahead with tariffs does not conflict with the G20 Summit decision to hold off on tariffs; Politkovskaya trial to be open to journalists; Bakhmina to file petition for pardon; Obama supports Georgia, all sides denou...
November 17, 2008

Grigory Pasko: Nord Stream, Putin’s Pet Project

Putin, you’re angry – that means you’re not right*   Grigory Pasko, journalist   During the time of a meeting with Finnish premier Matti Vanhanen on 12 November of the year 2007, Russian premier Vladimir Putin for the f...
November 17, 2008

Grigory Pasko: In the Kingdom of Military Bureaucratism

Without a paper you – are a bug, but with a paper – a person*   Grigory Pasko, journalist The Strasbourg court asked me to send them a document in supplement to my application – a document about how I had received a pension ...
November 17, 2008

Russia Sued for $50 Billion Yukos Seizure

A group of former Yukos shareholders has begun its long promised legal campaign to sue the Russian government for damages caused by the unlawful nationalization of Yukos.  GML  (formerly known as Group Menatep) and a pension fund represe...
November 17, 2008

RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – Nov. 17, 2008

TODAY: G20 summit sees Russian optimism over Obama and a tentative offer to back down on missile defense; pro-Kremlin liberal party formed; Georgia-Russia PR war continues; Svetlana Bakhmina transferred to maternity ward. President Dmitry Medvedev...
November 15, 2008

Britain’s Sudden Turn on China and Russia

The British are a peculiar bunch.  I’ve lived here for years now, and still occasionally find myself surprised once in a while by the sudden reversals in foreign policy.  It’s as though the FCO practices a unique brand of sel...
November 14, 2008

Russia Fast Tracks Constitutional Changes

From the New York Times: As a bill extending Russia’s presidency from four to six years barreled through the Russian legislature on Friday, it fell to the old-timers from the Communist Party to put up a fight. “Why do we have to do thi...