The Russia Blog
I was amused to see RIA Novosti reporting the arrest of a con-man who had attempted to sell government posts to gullible businessmen.
In a statement, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that: “the suspect offered to sell senior government posts to interested parties, such as the post of deputy governor of St.… Read the rest
More than “16,000 police officers, Interior Ministry troops and police helpers” were on the streets of Moscow this weekend to “ensure order” during the Moscow City Day celebrations (source: RIA Novosti).
The weekend’s festivities passed off without any serious trouble, which is great. But I wonder, was anyone really expecting the kind of trouble… Read the rest
In one of the oddest public pronouncements of this year’s Russian Duma election campaign, the Chairman of political party A Just Russia has just offered to form an alliance with the Russian Communist Party.
This despite the fact that (a) formal coalitions are banned in Russia and (b) A Just Russia already has an… Read the rest
Reading about the visit of North Korea’s Dear Leader to Russia, I stumbled across this gem of a quote from RIA Novosti. So good, in fact, that I thought I should take a screenshot and publish it here before it gets taken down!
According to RIA Novosti: “Kim may also meet with Russia’s increasingly autocratic… Read the rest
So, imagine you’re Vladimir Putin, and you’re constructing the Duma of your dreams. What would it look like?
First things first. You’ve got work to do, after all, so your Duma has to do exactly what you tell it to. No unexpected surprises. You absolutely have to have a clear majority in the Duma.
But,… Read the rest
The Russian People’s Freedom Party (Parnas), a slightly motley coalition of marginalised opposition groups and parties, has been denied registration as a political party in Russia.
Registration rules in Russia are overly bureaucratic – naturally, this is Russia after all – but it appears that their registration has only been denied on a… Read the rest
I’m constantly amazed about how baffled people are when presented by Russia’s leadership tandem. How many people simply cannot grasp the concept of a country splitting ultimate responsibility between one or more politicians, rather than having a single, undisputed leader.
Take, as just the most recent among many examples, this quote from a… Read the rest
For months now, Kremlinologists have been fantasising about Putin and Medvedev stepping into the ring and duking it out in public for the title of Russian President. An electoral death match, if you will, for the fate of an entire country.
It was a fanciful notion at best, brought on by boredom and the… Read the rest
For the first time ever, Russia parachute drops an armoured personnel carrier – with crew inside!
Lake Baikal, near Irkutsk in Russia is one of the most beautiful Lakes in the world, and it isn’t surprising that there are many Baikal films in existence. In this post I’ve compiled a list of some of my favourite films about Lake Baikal.
First up, here’s a great little documentary about Baikal:
One… Read the rest
Yet another horrendous month for Russia, as a dam explosion kills 70, a suicide bomber kills 20, and a freighter goes missing very publicly in the Atlantic.
Putin goes on holiday, and gets his top off for the ladies… again.
Now here’s an interesting rumour circulating around the Russian language blogs – 26 year old Russian Olympic gymnast turned Duma Deputy Alina Kabaeva has just given birth to Vladimir Putin’s son.
After your sage advice from last week I’ve decided that, rather than post a weekly news update (which, lets face it, you can get anywhere) I thought I’d re-start my weekly roundup of great posts from around the Russia blogs.
So, drumroll please…
The best posts from the last week or so are (in no… Read the rest
A Sochi court kicks Alexander Lebedev out of the race to become Sochi’s next mayor.
If you’re in Russia and looking for an unusual night out, you might want to check out British band the Tiger Lillies (here’s the Russian Tiger Lillies site), who are playing at the Cisterna Hall, Moscow on 3rd April and at the Glav Club, St Petersburg on 4 April.
This is one of… Read the rest
Garry Kasparov – from the world’s greatest chess player to a minor Russian politician with lousy choice in friends.
And now, film star.
In the Holy Fire of Revolution, directed by Masha Novikova, follows Kasparov’s doomed attempt to stand for the Presidency of Russia last year.
I haven’t seen the film yet – it’s London… Read the rest
