Latest Articles about Domestic/Social

Blindness and Blunders Propel Putin’s Regime to Isolation

There is no August lull in Russian politics this year, and the atmosphere in the country is thickening as President Vladimir Putin resorts to tougher and dirtier methods of upholding his eroding authority. Persecution and police pressure on prominent “rebels” – from the fierce blogger,... MORE

Suicide Bombings Return to Grozny

Before the commotion over the possible death of the well-known Chechen rebel emir Zaurbek Avdorkhanov in the Ingush village of Galashki on July 29 had subsided (www.chechenews.com/world-news/breaking/8565-1.html), suicide bombers attacked in Grozny. As of August 8, it was still unclear whether Avdorkhanov was really killed,... MORE

Olympic Successes Raise Kazakhstan’s Prestige

“Sky of golden sun, Field of golden seed, Legend of courage – Take a look at my country! From ancient times, our heroic glory emerged.” These first words of Kazakhstan’s national anthem should have put the world on notice that the Kazakhstani Olympic team was... MORE

Putin Confirms the Invasion of Georgia Was Preplanned

The fourth anniversary of the August 2008 Russo-Georgian war has been marked by a seemingly open spat between the supporters of President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. In a 47-minute documentary film of unclear origin, “Lost Day,” posted on YouTube, retired and active... MORE

Dagestan’s Government Is Forced to Rely on Crude Force

On August 5, a group of protesters blocked an international rail line in Dagestan for two hours. The railway links Russia with Azerbaijan and Dagestan’s capital, Makhachkala, with Moscow. The protesters were from the village of Komsomolskoye in northern Dagestan’s Kizilyurt district and were protesting... MORE

Swedish Ambassador’s Departure from Belarus

On August 3, Belarusian television stations explained why the Belarusian authorities have refused to extend the accreditation of Swedish Ambassador Stefan Eriksson. On the program Panarama, Syarhey Husachenka stated first that it was a routine matter, and the Swedish ambassador had already spent a long... MORE

Putin Turns to Patriotism as the Support Base of Last Resort

There is no royal tourism to Siberian natural preserves or Black Sea beaches for President Vladimir Putin this August; instead, he is hurrying from the naval shipyard in Severodvinsk to the garrison of an airborne brigade in Ulyanovsk oblast to the “patriotic” youth camp Seliger,... MORE