Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

RFE/RL Russia Report 30.10.2012 A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about domestic and foreign-policy developments in Russia. For more stories on Russia, please visit and bookmark our Russia page .

 

Putin Creates Agency To Restore Russia's National Pride Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the creation of a new agency to restore national pride and foster feelings of patriotism among Russians. More   The Seizure Of Leonid Razvozzhayev How badly did Russian authorities want to nab Leonid Razvozzhayev? To answer that question, you will need to separate the Kremlin's virtual reality from, well, actual reality. More   An Abduction, A Scandal, And A Tipping Point Will the scandal surrounding the abduction of Leonid Razvozzhayev become a tipping point for anti-Kremlin sentiment? More   Video Implicates Tatarstan Police In New Torture Scandal Investigators in Tatarstan say they are probing a video purportedly showing a man being tortured to death in a police station. The video, obtained and released by a local rights group, is the latest torture scandal to hit the Tatar police. More   Udaltsov Charged With Plotting Unrest Russia's opposition Left Front leader Sergei Udaltsov has been charged with preparing to organize mass riots against President Vladimir Putin's rule. More   Podcast: Shock And Awe, Kremlin-Style The Kremlin is using shock-and-awe tactics to stifle the opposition. Will it work? More   Razvozzhayev 'Forced To Confess' A Russian opposition activist has told human rights workers who visited him in prison that he was forced to confess to plotting unrest against President Vladimir Putin. More   Uproar Over U.S. Request To Import 'Russian' Beluga Whales A request by one of the United States' biggest oceanariums to import 18 beluga whales caught in Russian waters has set off a maelstrom of debate over the legality and ethics of wild-animal captures for science and entertainment. More   EU Magnitsky Stance Irks Duma Deputies Russian lawmakers are denouncing a proposal by the European Parliament that all EU member states impose travel and financial restrictions on Russian officials implicated in the death of Sergei Magnitsky. More   Activist Charged With 'Mass Disorder' Russia's Investigative Committee says Leonid Razvozzhayev, an aide to a State Duma deputy, has been officially charged with plotting mass riots. More   Duma OKs Wider Definition Of Treason Russia's lower house of parliament has overwhelmingly approved a new bill widening the definition of high treason in what critics say is part of the Kremlin's crackdown on dissent. More   New Russian Treason Bill Under Fire, 'Open To Abuse' A bill broadening the definition of high treason is drawing outrage in Russia after lawmakers hastily approved it. Lawyers and human rights campaigners say the draft law means any Russian who has contacts with a foreigner could be accused of betraying the state and stress that the vague definition of treason opens the door to abuse. More   Is Russia’s New Nationality Policy Tailored For Ramzan Kadyrov? The draft Strategy of a State Nationalities Policy currently in the final stage of discussion contains a provision that could allow for the consolidation of the North Caucasus republics into a single territorial-administrative entity of which Russian President Vladimir Putin could appoint his protégé, Chechen Republic head Ramzan Kadyrov, as head. More   Russian Held In Kazakh Oligarch Case Russia's Interior Ministry says that Czech authorities have detained a Russian citizen for her alleged role in the embezzlement of $5 billion from Kazakhstan's BTA bank. More   New York: A Refugee Portrays Strength, Struggle Of Gay Russians An exhibition of portraits of gay Russian asylum seekers was on display in a small New York City gallery last weekend. The artist described it as a "political" series, designed to fight for gay rights in Russia. More   Russian Opposition Leaders Detained Russian police have detained three opposition leaders during an unauthorized demonstration in the center of Moscow. More   On Pussy Riot, Gergiyev Channels Shakespeare (And Putin) When asked by RFE/RL for his take on the Pussy Riot trial and the stiff punishments meted out to members of the dissident female punk group, Russian maestro Valery Gergiyev appeared to channel the playwright: "Get thee to a nunnery!" More   Zombies And Cyberattacks: The Pitfalls Of Russia's Opposition Elections The organizers of the online vote, however, have come under fire for potentially exposing participants' data, which could provide a database of dissent for the Russian authorities. Plagued by cyberattacks and "zombie voters," the opposition vote has shown how susceptible such platforms are to hijacking from malicious parties. More   Georgia: No Relations With 'Occupier' Russia Georgia's new foreign minister, Maia Panjikidze, has reiterated to journalists her government's position that it will continue a policy of refraining from formal diplomatic relations with Moscow until Russia ends its "occupation" of two breakaway Georgian regions. More   Russians Remember Deadly Theater Siege Russia has been marking the 10th anniversary of the end of the Dubrovka theater siege in which nearly 200 people were killed. More