Outgoing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev used his final State of the Nation address to promise a “comprehensive reform” of Russia’s political system. Key proposals include directly elected regional...
Archive - 2011
AndyCSTO slams door on US bases in Central Asia
The Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) today announced that no-one will be able to establish military bases on the territory of a CSTO member state without the express agreement of all other member states...
Russia Jupiter mission agreed with ESA
Russian space agency Roscosmos today announced that it had agreed in principle to undertake a number joint missions with the European Space Agency. The agreement was reached at a meeting in Moscow between Vladimir...
Russian Presidential Elections Roundup
It’s been a busy few days for Russian elections news, so I thought I’d roundup a few of the key stories that caught my eye. Webcams in every polling station In his recent marathon TV interview, Vladimir...
Soviet Cars
When you think of some of the classic vehicles to emerge from the Soviet era it’s easy to build an image of a lumbering stereotype; a kind of dull, functional car that looked and felt extremely similar to other models...
Maria Putin
Much is known about the Russian Prime Minister’s political and military career but until very recently, his family life was largely unknown. All that was to change however when Vladimir Putin’s daughter Maria Putin...
This Week in Russia Blogs #3
After an enforced break (a doctor jabbed a very sharp needle into my thumb joint – long story) TWiRB is back to update you on what Russia bloggers have been talking about in the last week – which as it turns...
Mikhail Prokhorov: Russia’s next Prime Minister?
Mikhail Prokhorov’s dramatic entry into the 2012 Russian Presidential race has caused confusion among analysts. Put simply, no-one can fathom why Russia’s third richest man would want to have another stab at...
Moscow Protests: For now or the future?
Protests took place in Moscow on Monday as people unhappy at United Russia’s manipulation of Sunday’s Russian Duma election took to the streets. Numbers are difficult to judge, but it appears that around 5...
How United Russia stole victory
United Russia won 49.54% of the popular vote in this weekend’s Duma Election, which was just enough to secure it an overall majority in the Duma. By and large, election observers felt that the ballot itself was...