The protests are small enough, isolated enough, and moderate enough in their aims to fizzle out of their own accord, writes Matthew Clayfield, a freelance correspondent in Vladivostok.
Dmitry Medvedev
Crooks, thieves, ex-finance minister and a blogger in Russia
Headed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, United Russia has come to be known throughout the country as the party of crooks and thieves, writes freelance foreign correspondent Matthew Clayfield.
Western journalists missing the real Russian roulette
Moscow-based Western correspondents spent the better part of this year holding out hope that Dmitri Medvedev might remain in the Kremlin for a second term and continue pushing his pseudo-liberal platform.
In Russia, a bumper season for authoritarian self-sabotage
Russian nationalists have been in the news as of late. And there’s the perfect demonstration of the bifurcation of Russian nationalism into its two distinct halves.
In Russia, laughter, even in a paddy wagon, is the best medicine
Putin’s dismantling of Russian democracy was so brazen, and his apparatchiks’ justifications for it so transparently disingenuous, that it was hard not to laugh in disbelief.
Video of the Day: A touch of badminton with Putin
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev posted a rather bizarre video on the official Kremlin website showing him talking about badminton and then having a hit with president-in-waiting Vladimir Putin. While they obviously aren’t a direct translation, the subtitles done by Deadspin are rather amusing … The video isn’t embeddable, so click here to view it.
Putin apologists line up to justify the ruling tandem’s bitch slap to democracy
Commentators and analysts have been lining up, not only to explain the ruling tandem’s bitch-slap to democracy with Putin’s return to the Kremlin, but also, worse, to justify and excuse it.
It was 20 years ago today — remembering the Soviet coup
The fall of the Berlin Wall is probably the thing people remember most, but the Soviet empire, truncated and divided, limped on for another two years. It was the August coup, 20 years ago today, that really finished it off.
Video of the Day: How does Russia’s president dance?
Glorious footage has emerged of Russian president Dmitry Medvedev dancing with a group of friends to a song called American Boy. There’s a lot of robot-style stamping back and forth and weird hip thrusting from the prez.
Richardson: tension at the top in Russia
There’s a fairly widespread view that what they have is just a well-honed “good cop, bad cop” routine, in which Medvedev presents the friendly face of authoritarianism while Putin actually runs the show.
Political snippets: Liberals providing a reason for the flood tax
The arguing within the Liberal Party over what programs should be cut to finance the cost of Queensland’s flood damage repairs proves again that politicians find it easier to spend money than save it.
Move over Obama, Russia’s back
If the Kyrgyzstan uprising proved anything, it’s that Russia still has major dominance of the Eurasia region. Barack Obama may have declared the start of a new era for US-Russian relations, but this is vintage Russian power play.
Hillary Clinton: One step closer to a nuclear-free world
The new US-Russia nuclear treaty means world is now not only a safer place, it has sent a clear “up yours” to Iran and North Korea, writes US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
PHOTO GALLERY: From Russia with love: Putin and Medvedev
A hilarious yet surprisingly revealing photo gallery, featuring candid moments between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and PM Vladimir Putin. Is their bro-mance on on the skids?
Does Putin want to be President again?
After serving a little over a year as Russia’s Prime Minister, former Russian President Vladimir Putin looks have sit sights set back on the country’s top job, announcing he may run again in 2012.
Russia’s new war on drinking
Russian President Dmitri Medvedev is taking on the unenviable task of breaking the country’s vodka-guzzling ways, in an attempt to lower the staggeringly high level of alcoholism and alcohol-related deaths and illness. Can the convince the country to sober up?
History not on Obama’s side when it comes to Russia
The bulk of Obama’s visit to Russia was a mix of visionary kitsch, caviar and feckless horse-trading, says Claudia Rosett. He also called for common ground and progress toward a shared future. But that vision is flawed.
Political Fashion Semiotics 101: the implications of politicians’ clothes
This week, Russian president Dmitry Medvedev thrilled and horrified the blogosphere by wearing jeans and a designer blazer to a dinner with Barack Obama. Mel Campbell does some further political fashion analysis.
Dmitry in denim: should Medvedev have worn jeans?
On a double date with the Obamas, Russian president Dmitry Medvedev wore a pair of blue denims and a pinstripe designer blazer. But what did its mean? asks Luke Harding.
US and Russia strike an arms deal
Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev have reached a preliminary agreement on cutting both country’s nuclear weapons stockpiles, in what the NYT calls “one of the most significant arms control treaties since the end of the cold war”.
Russia on the slippery slope to autocracy
The Kremlin has been gradually taking away Russians’ constitutional rights over the last eight years, and are now literally rewriting the history books to conform to their worldview, says Vladimir Ryzhkov.
Kremlin commission to protect its version of history
President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered the creation of a new commission tasked with countering attempts to rewrite history to the detriment of Russia’s interests, the Kremlin. Sound familiar?
It’s not democracy in Russia, but does it matter?
How concerned we are by Russia’s recent flawed election, and therefore what attitude we take towards Russia in the future, will largely depend on what we think democracy is for, writes Charles Richardson.
