Two days after the protest rally in Moscow on May 6 ended in violence, Vladimir Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, told one of the opposition leaders: “The demonstrators’ livers ought to be smeared on the asphalt for every wounded OMON riot policeman” (https://ilya-ponomarev.livejournal.com/482999.html). In Moscow,... MORE

Despite the constant upbeat reports from Russian ministries and agencies concerning the “neutralization” of 316 militants in the North Caucasus since the start of 2012, the number of militants in the region for some reason does not appear to be decreasing. “Neutralization,” as a rule,... MORE

The relatively lengthy process of forming a ruling cabinet and administration after Vladimir Putin’s inauguration on May 7, and the endorsement of Dmitry Medvedev as Prime Minister on May 8, ended with the creation of a seemingly cumbersome two-tier government. Medvedev’s government (as promised) is... MORE

On May 20-21, Circassian activists around the world commemorated the 148th anniversary of the end of the Russian-Circassian war in 1864. As the Winter Olympics in the former Circassian territory of Sochi approach, the Circassians’ historic memory and its political reverberations have also intensified. Even... MORE

Speculation on the future shape of the new Russian cabinet has developed with unusual fervor, and Russian journalist Ignat Kalinin recently addressed the issues revolving around the next government’s precise formulation. He noted that one source suggested that Putin wants to enlist the Russian officer... MORE

On May 16, Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly met Moscow’s envoy to the North Caucasus, Alexander Khloponin at the president’s official residence in Novoogaryovo near Moscow. The meeting was part of the process of forming the new government after Putin was elected President of Russia... MORE

Hardly more than a handful of experts in Moscow paid attention to the G8 summit in Camp-David last week-end, and President Vladimir Putin’s absence accentuated the impression that Russia does not really belong to this exclusive club. The seven leaders had to work hard to... MORE

The forming of the new cabinet and presidential administration in Moscow after the inauguration of Vladimir Putin for a third six-year term as president on May 7, seems to have turned out to be much more time-consuming than previously anticipated. On May 14, prime minister... MORE

On May 12, Ingushetia’s most well-known opposition organization Mehk-Khel published an address to the newly elected president of Russia, Vladimir Putin. Ingushetia’s opposition called on Putin to dismiss the head of the region, Yunus-Bek Yevkurov. The authors of the open letter cited “critical political and... MORE

With the world’s attention on London in the run-up to the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, it is important to bear in mind that the next Olympics in 2014 will be held in the Russian Black Sea resort town of Sochi, which abuts some of the... MORE