Mikhail Khodorkovsky Statement

By Robert Amsterdam | Published: September 28, 2007

English-language translation of statement of September 27, 2007 by Mikhail Khodorkovsky: “Please inform all my lawyers that I am withdrawing the defence from participation in the court hearing about the extension of my custody. The reason for this refusal is the categorical conviction that it is pointless to rely on a judicial defence when the […]

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Keep Your Chin Up, Brother

By Robert Amsterdam | Published:

From a Reuters article covering the extremism trial in Russia of the political analyst Andrei Piontkovsky: In one of the book’s chapters, the author imagines Putin walking along the beach in France, not long after the Cannes Film Festival, accompanied only by his black Labrador Koni. The imagined Putin meets famed Russian director Nikita Mikhalkov, […]

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Petrov Day

By James Kimer | Published:

Although we are a few days late, Eliezer Yudkowsky has an excellent blog post calling for a celebration to honor Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov, and admirable and courageous Russian who once saved the world from nuclear holocaust. From Overcoming Bias: Petrov decided that, all else being equal, he would prefer not to destroy the world. He […]

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File Under Foregone Conclusions

By James Kimer | Published:

From today’s painful Bloomberg article: “Investors seek no ‘post-Putin’ Russia” Even some investors who acknowledge the economic benefits of a still-powerful Putin say there are risks in the system’s lack of transparency. Nothing better than the money men of the West endorsing an autocratic future for Russia’s citizens. Aspirin, please.

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Kuchins: Russia Looks to FDR

By James Kimer | Published:

Andrew Kuchins from CSIS has a rather obvious article in the Washington Post today. Although he offers little in the way of new information, at least he seems to have done a better job resisting the regime’s seduction at the Valdai discussion group, unlike many others. The word among Moscow insiders today is that the […]

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RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – Sept. 28, 2007

By Citizen M | Published:

Sergey Lavrov, minister of foreign affairs of the Russian Federation speaks to the press at the presentation of Russia Today and Rusia al-Yaum English and Arabic news channels, Thursday, Sept. 27, 2007 in New York. (AP Photo/Dima Gavrysh) In his first cabinet meeting since the reshuffle, Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov chastised Russian banks for failing […]

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Why is Russia Terrified of Burma’s Saffron Revolution?

By Robert Amsterdam | Published:

For all that is said about the enigma of Russian politics and the “impenetrable” opacity of Putin’s Kremlin, much can be gleaned from their imagined history – the much ballyhooed new school textbook created by the government. The new official history, which among other fantasies declares Stalin as “the most successful Soviet leader ever,” contains […]

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Authoritarians, Unite!

By James Kimer | Published: September 27, 2007

Photo: AP Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, during a visit to President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus in July 2006: “There are many possibilities now for forming a strategic alliance to save the world from madness, wars and color revolutions.” Washington Post: Save Burma – Will China and Russia give a green light to a slaughter of […]

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The Incremental Elimination of Liberty in Russia

By James Kimer | Published:

Yesterday Bob posted two different articles – one which linked to an article arguing that the world’s autocrats “are learning to eviscerate their peoples’ civic choices incrementally,” and another about the political trial of opposition member Andrei Piontkovsky. In light of these observations, it is especially timely to consider the questions raised by the following […]

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The Return of Semeistvennost to the Kremlin?

By James Kimer | Published:

Today Eurasia Daily Monitor ponders whether or not the recent resignation of the defense minister, later rejected by the president, was just a ploy to hide a new level of nepotism forming in the Russian government. In Soviet times, close relatives were strictly forbidden to be in direct subordination to each other on all levels […]

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