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[OS] 2010-#60-Johnson's Russia List
Released on 2012-10-15 17:00 GMT
Email-ID | 323927 |
Date | 2010-03-26 15:20:15 |
From | firstname.lastname@example.com |
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Johnson's Russia List
26 March 2010
A World Security Institute Project
JRL homepage: www.cdi.org/russia/johnson
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Your source for news and analysis since 1996n0
In this issue
1. AP: Russian official: Russia, US to finalize arms deal.
2. Vremya Novostei: DISTRUST. Opinion polls show the Russians develop a prominent
anti-Western attitude.
3. Voice of Amerca: New Video Games Renew Cold War Stereotypes.
4. Moscow News: The motherland calls. What does it mean to be Russian?
5. www.russiatoday.com: "Putin cares more about what he is doing than about how
and when" PM spokesman. (Dmitry Peskov interview)
6. Moscow Times: Michael Bohm, Dmitry Gets No Respect.
7. ITAR-TASS: RF to have fewer time zones - officials say YES, but people doubt.
8. Moscow News: The demise of Dyadya Styopa. What will it take for Russia to
start trusting the police again?
9. ITAR-TASS: Russian Circus To Combine Opera And Performance In 2011.
10. Kommersant: ELECTIONS BENEFIT OPPOSITION. SOCIOLOGISTS: THE RUSSIANS EXPECT
11. RBC Daily: MISMANAGED. VCIOM sociologists gauged Russians' trust in members
of the Cabinet.
12. Interfax: Ruling One Russia to stick to its 'liberal-conservative' ideology -
13. BBC Monitoring: Putin dresses down Russian regional governor over wage
arrears - TV.
14. Interfax: Russians Trust Patriarch Kirill - Poll.
15. New York Times: Memo From Kaliningrad. Restlessness in Russia's Western
16. Interfax: Russian opposition plans to hold next Day of Wrath protest in May.
17. Harriman Institute hosts Maria Eismont re: documentary "Managed Democracy
Misfires: How Krasnoturinsk Elected Its Own Mayor"
18. BBC Monitoring: Russian opposition activists say they are targeted by Kremlin
19. National Public Radio (NPR): Violence-Worn Republic Wary Of Russia's
Promises. (Dagestan)
20. BBC Monitoring: Peace process should accompany killing of North Caucasus
rebels - Russian pundit. (Aleksey Malashenko)
21. Stephen Shenfield: Prosecution of human rights activists in Ulan-Ude.
22. www.opendemocracy.net: Alexei Levinson, Uses and abuses of Stalin's image.
23. Moscow News: Boom and bust.
24. Interfax: To Make Moscow a Financial Center, Legal System Must Be Predictable
- SWIFT Head.
25. Moscow Times: Cost of Bribes More Than Doubles in '09.
26. ITAR-TASS: Anti-corruption Struggle Senseless Just By Repressive Measures.
27. ITAR-TASS: Businesses That Complain About Corruption Need Protection -
28. Vedomosti: A portrait of the beloved CEO.
29. RBC Daily: AIDING PRIVATIZATION. The government intends to sell 18 billion
rubles worth of state assets to foreign investment banks.
30. The Economist: Yukos haunts Rosneft. A spectre of litigation. Adverse court
rulings are exhuming Russia's most infamous expropriation.
31. ITAR-TASS: Californian Forum Helps To Improve Innovations In Russia - View.
32. ITAR-TASS: Russia Wants U.S. High Technologies, Not Goods.
33. New York Times: Treaty Advances Obama's Nuclear Vision.
34. Asia Times: M K Bhadrakumar, China wary of US-Russia nuclear embrace.
35. ITAR-TASS: US Intelligence Analyst Says US Faces Variety Of Threats.
36. Gazeta.ru: Poll Shows Russia Should Ignore Criticism From West.
37. RIA Novosti: Gorbachev, Russian tycoon to set up international media
38. Moscow Times: Ukraine's Premier Wants 'Clean Slate'
39. Wall Street Journal: Ukraine Offers Russia Gas Deal. Ukraine, seeking gas
price cut, says Russia could help run pipeline.
Russian official: Russia, US to finalize arms deal
By DOUGLAS BIRCH
March 26, 2010
MOSCOW - President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev are within
hours of an agreement on the final details of a historic new treaty that would
drastically slash the nations' nuclear arsenals, a senior Russian official said
The two presidents will try to settle the last outstanding issues in a phone
conversation Friday, the official told The Associated Press. Later, both are
expected to announce a place and time for the formal signing.
The deal has been worked out in principle, but the language implementing it has
not yet been agreed on, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity
because he wasn't authorized to publicly discuss the issue.
U.S. officials have said previously that the treaty is expected to be signed in
Prague on April 8, just a few days before the international nuclear security
summit in Washington.
The accord, the first major arms control agreement in a generation between the
two former Cold War adversaries, raises hopes for further disarmament in the
years ahead. The pact is expected to cut the number of long-range nuclear weapons
held by each side to about 1,500 and sharply slash the number of missiles and
other delivery vehicles.
Dmitry Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Center think tank, said Friday the
treaty advances the causes of nonproliferation and nuclear disarmament, while
standing as a "symbol" that U.S. President Barack Obama's effort to mend tattered
U.S. relations with Russia is working.
"I thnk this also means that the environment of U.S.-Russia relations has
improved, and I think we will feel the positive impact of that treat for some
time," Trenin told the AP.
But he warned that both sides should move quickly to follow up the treaty with
agreements on other thorny issues. Otherwise, he said, the new era of good
feeling between Washington and Moscow "may be a short-lived effect."
The signing will set the stage for a White House campaign to win Senate
ratification. The treaty also must win approval by the parliament, and the two
legislative processes are likely to take months.
Robert S. Norris, a longtime analyst of U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals,
predicted that the White House could find it difficult to win Senate approval.
"Hard negotiations with the Russians will now be followed by hard negotiations
with Republican senators to achieve ratification," Norris said.
The signing in Prague comes about a year after Obama declared his vision of a
nuclear-free world in a speech there.
The new agreement to reduce long-range nuclear weapons would replace the 1991
Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which expired in December.
Both sides said that the new treaty, like the 1991 agreement, should set up a
mechanism for verifying compliance with its terms. A 2002 deal, known as the
Moscow Treaty, called for accelerated weapons reductions but did not include any
mechanism for verifying them.
The Moscow Treaty set limits on both sides' strategic nuclear warheads at between
1,700 and 2,200. The new deal, whose provisions have not been made public, is
expected to lower that to about 1,500. It also would reduce the permissible
number of strategic launchers - the missiles and bombers that deliver warheads to
their targets.
Obama spent an hour Wednesday in the White House briefing Democratic Sen. John
Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Sen. Richard
Lugar, the committee's ranking Republican. Both would play major roles in
ratification of the emerging treaty.
Two senior U.S. officials in Washington said Thursday the technical issues still
to be resolved were in an "annex" to the main treaty, and they foresaw no hurdles
to completing the entire deal within days. They spoke on condition of anonymity
due to the sensitive discussions.
Negotiations, which have been under way in Geneva since last spring, became
bogged down in recent months on disputes over verification measures and Russia's
objection to U.S. missile defense plans for Europe.
Russian negotiators have balked at including some intrusive weapons verification
measures in the new treaty. The Obama administration has warned that without
these, Senate ratification could prove difficult.
The agreement would still leave each country with a large number of nuclear
weapons, both deployed and stockpiled.
Norris, the nuclear weapons expert, and Hans M. Kristensen of the Federation of
American Scientists estimate that the U.S. has 2,150 deployed strategic nuclear
weapons and the Russians have about 2,600. The U.S. has another 2,600 warheads
held in reserve, plus 500 non-strategic nuclear weapons, by the two experts'
estimate. Another 4,200 retired U.S. strategic warheads are awaiting
Trenin said both the U.S. and Russia could use the new START treaty as a
springboard to settling other thorny issues.
The U.S., he noted, is looking to Russia to back tough sanctions against Iran's
nuclear program. Moscow meanwhile, wants a revival of its agreement with the U.S.
on civilian nuclear power, which would help Russia establish an international
nuclear fuel storage facility.
The Bush administration submitted that deal to Congress, but the White House
dropped its support following the August 2008 Russia-Georgia war.
Trenin said the new treaty would also help both sides sell global disarmament
initiatives in May, at a conference on the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
in New York City.
In particular, it would help Obama, who has called for working toward a total ban
on nuclear weapons.
"The eyes of the world are on the U.S., in particular President Obama, because
he's already committed himself to nuclear disarmament," Trenin said. "He will be
on firmer ground now that the treaty is virtually in hand."
[return to Contents]
Vremya Novostei
March 26, 2010
Opinion polls show the Russians develop a prominent anti-Western attitude
Author: Natalia Rozhkova
Opinion polls conducted by the Levada-Center show that the
Russians become increasingly less susceptible to criticism from
the West. Instead, most respondents believe that Russia has to
defend itself from NATO. Figures compiled over the years and
finally published by sociologists indicate that Russians' trust in
Western partners is ebbing.
Number of the respondents confident that Russia should heed
Western criticism of its foreign and domestic policy dropped from
46% in February 2007 to 42% in February this year. On the
contrary, the respondents claiming that this criticism ought to be
ignored numbered 38% then and 45% this year. Considering that the
respondents who did not know what to say to the question numbered
16% then and 13% earlier this year, it stands to reason to assume
that some of them opted to join the "ignore'em" group.
The Russians capable of substantiating their answers became
fewer over the years. Sociologists offered respondents four
answers to the question why opinion of the West ought to be
ignored both several years ago and now. Respondents convinced that
the West did not know the first thing about the mysterious Russian
mentality numbered 38% in 2007 and 36% in 2010. Believers in basic
maliciousness of the West (seeing Russia as a rival, it was going
out of its way to make life hard for Russia) numbered 39% and 35%.
Whoever considered the international community plain antagonistic
numbered 24% three years ago and 22% this February. The largest
drop (22% to 14%), however, was recorded in the group believing
that Western criticism ought to be ignored because critics
themselves were far from impeccable in whatever they were
criticizing Russia for.
Attitude toward NATO underwent even greater changes. Forty-
three percent respondents in January 2003 thought that Russia
ought to cooperate with the Alliance in the interests of common
security. In February 2010, this group numbered only 26%. The
group confident that Russia must concentrate on prevention of
NATO's expansion and form alliances of its own increased from 14%
to 25%. Faith in neutrality and non-alignment meanwhile increased
from 22% to 37%. Number of the respondents assuming that Russia
should join NATO has remained unchanged (3-5%).
Neither are the Russians particularly endeared to the United
States. The reload presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama
seems to be frustrating Russian general public to an ever greater
degree. In February 2010, 73% Russians called the United States
world's number one aggressor and Russia's likeliest potential
enemy. (Three years ago, they numbered 75%.) In the meantime,
faith in rapprochement with the United States dropped from 24%
three years ago to 14% this February. Thirty-six percent actually
said that Russia should stay away from the United States.
In other words, most Russians regard the United States as an
enemy, a country Russia should remain politely neutral to and stay
away from. Mostly pro-American are men aged 25-29 whose mentality
was shaped by the years of the perestroika. Noticeably less
friendly toward the United States are the Russians aged 55 and
more who grew up during the Cold War.
It is fair to add that the West is mostly dismissed by the
Russians aged 40-55 (49%), with college or university diplomas
(52%), impressive income (50%), and residents of Moscow and other
major cities (51% and 52%). Respondents with technical education
(47%), the poor (47%), and villagers (48%) are more likely to heed
criticism from abroad. These figures show that the social strata
where representatives of the Russian middle class might be found
are considerably less supportive of Western values than domestic
democrats like to pretend. As for the Russians who are wealthy,
their respect for the opinion of foreign countries keeps
[return to Contents]
Voice of Amerca
March 7, 2010
New Video Games Renew Cold War Stereotypes
By Jennifer Golloher | Moscow
In July, President Barack Obama visited Russia for the first time, meeting with
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in an effort to improve relations. But in the
world of video games it appears Russians will continue to be the bad guys.
Despite efforts by the United States and Russia to move forward in their
relationship, old stereotypes are hard to kill.
Two long-awaited video games were released last week in Europe, "Battlefield: Bad
Company 2" and "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction" and they depict Russians
as the enemy.
U.S. gamemaker Electronic Arts' Swedish-based DICE design team produced
"Battlefield: Bad Company 2" and "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction" was
developed by French video game producer Ubisoft's Canadian studio.
Russian student Alexander Panarin says he loves to play video games and has since
he was a kid. But he says he is bothered by the fact Russians are always the bad
guys, even in modern video games and movies. Panarin says it is only a video
game, but he thinks it is offensive for his fellow Russians. He thinks it would
actually be great to win against the Americans.
Sweden-based game developer Gordon Van Dyke produces the video game, "Bad
Company." Van Dyke says a lot of times the games are inspired by what is going
on in the news and Russia's invasion of Georgia, in August 2008, put Moscow back
in the spotlight.
"I think it is just what is going on in the world. We pay a lot of attention to
the news and really follow world events and things like that. I think that the
fact that the Russians went into Georgia really scared everybody again," he says.
A recent EU-backed independent report says Georgia's attack on the breakaway
region of South Ossetia marked the beginning of the five-day war between Russia
and Georgia, but that Russia retaliated with excessive force, and Moscow's
retaliation against Georgia went far beyond the limits of reasonable defense.
Since last year's brief war with Georgia, the Kremlin has recognized the
breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states.
The European Union and the United States consider the areas part of Georgia and
have repeatedly asked Russia to respect Georgia's territorial integrity.
Nicaragua and Venezuela are the only other countries to acknowledge the
Russian-supported breakaway regions.
Political analyst Masha Lipman of the Moscow-based Carnegie Center research
organization says Russia's actions in its war with Georgia have revived old
stereotypes associated with the former Soviet Union. Lipman says Russia's actions
encouraged a resurgence in the feelings that Russia is not only an
incomprehensible, dim and definitely unfriendly country, but that Russia is a
source of danger for U.S. allies, if not for the United States.
Irina Semyonova is business development director for Akella, one of the leading
producers of personal computer games and multimedia products on the Russian
market. She says it is not fair that Russians are often type cast as the bad
Semyonova says she finds it a bit annoying because attacks from the American side
happen much more often. She says the Russian gaming industry has some similar
games, but there are few examples and they are more of an exception.
But political analyst Lipman says it is no surprise Russian's continue to be cast
as the "baddies" and she says it will most likely take some time for the
decades-old stereotypes to change. Lipman says relations between Russia and the
United States have not been developing too smoothly. And, for the past decade,
they have gotten worse. So old stereotypes have popped up again. Lipman says,
the circumstances that attributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union, an
increase in crime, wild capitalism and murders gave food to Hollywood.
[return to Contents]
Moscow News
March 25, 2010
The motherland calls
By Anna Sulimina
What does it mean to be Russian? According to the government, once you leave the
country is means filing paperwork to prove a "cultural" or "spiritual" connection
to the homeland.
While pledging to develop a partnership with expats, the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs is also keen to ensure that the estimated 30 million Russians living
abroad retain something of that mysterious "dusha", or soul, on foreign soil.
"Compatriots living abroad should participate in national social organisations or
work on preserving the Russian language in the country of residence or on
protecting Russians abroad," the planned law suggests.
But not many emigrants welcome the scheme, calling it "immoral" and complaining
that they get little support in their travels.
Yekaterina Guskova vividly recalls the lack of help she received when she had her
passport stolen on an study exchange to the USA. With the Russian authorities
taking a month to release all the paperwork she needed to go home, she considered
simply staying in America.
"Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Washington did nothing to help me to return
home; it would have been much easier to stay in the States," said Guskova. "I
came back but really I was very tempted just to stay there because I know that
Americans are taken care of by their government wherever they are."
The new law says that national and regional councils are to be set up abroad that
will help "to use Russian language and set up social organisations and Mass
Media", but these won't provide documentary proof of their "compatriot" status.
Tatyana Sinitsina of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was furious about the
planned law.
"This is immoral - nobody can impose national identity," she said. "I know one of
[novelist] Turgenev's descendants who lives with his Russian wife in Ethiopia.
They love their country, but why should they go to some "national club" just to
prove they are Russian?
Alisa, a student in London who didn't want to give her surname, hopes to stay in
Britain after completing her studies. But she resents any idea that she is less
Russian because of it.
"It's not fair at all," she said "People have different reasons for moving
abroad, but wherever you live you remain Russian - they can't deprive you of
your nationality."
The law won't affect the "compatriot" status of ethnic Russians living elsewhere
in the former Soviet Union.
As part of the on-going effort to ease the national demographic crisis, the
government introduced a scheme three years ago to bring Russians living in the
CIS and Baltic States back home.
But many emigrants feel that they are being offered new homes in "the middle of
nowhere", remote regional towns with limited prospects.
And the foreign ministry website's account of the scheme reinforces that
impression, detailing the arrival of a Russian from Kyrgystan in the remote
Kamchatka peninsular and welcoming up to 2,500 newcomers to the Jewish Autonomous
Region of Birobidzhan on the Chinese border. A mere 17,000 applicants have taken
up the offer of houses and jobs since 2008.
Far from encouraging expats to stay in closer contact with Russia, the
authorities still seem to face an on-going battle to keep people in the country.
A UN report published on Tuesday says that Russia is fourth country for the
amount of its citizens seeking refuge, RIA Novosti reported.
Some Russian emigrants still show commitment to the homeland however tough it is.
Tatyana Savelyeva who emigrated to Germany to work as programmer claims she will
probably register at some organisation to be regarded as "compatriot".
"I think that this law will just add more Russian bureaucracy abroad", said
Savelyeva. "I won't be surprised if they will take money for getting these
[return to Contents]
March 26, 2010
"Putin cares more about what he is doing than about how and when" PM spokesman
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's press attache, Dmitry Peskov, spoke with RT about
the Premier's attitude towards protocol, his team's plans and Russia's handling
of the global economic crisis.
It is ten years to the day since Vladimir Putin was first elected Russian
His second term finished two years ago but, as Prime Minister, he remains at the
heart of Russian politics.
RT: Dmitry Peskov, thank you very much for your time!
Dmitry Peskov: It's my pleasure.
RT: Now, you've been with Vladimir Putin for the last ten years. He was a prime
minister, then, he became president and is the premier again. What are your
team's plans for 2012?
DP: We don't have any plans for 2012. We have plans for today, for tomorrow, for
next week, for next month. These are plans of very tense work. We are not looking
forward to 2012 and what I suggest is let's not create a false agenda. Let's look
into today's business.
RT: At the Valdai forum, the premier said that there will be no Medvedev vs.
Putin competition in the next presidential election. He also said that the
premier and the president would sit and have a friendly chat and would decide who
will run next. So does this inevitably mean that one or the other will run?
DP: No, he never said that they will sit and decide who will run next. They
simply cannot. They simply cannot because we are going to have elections in 2012.
RT: Vladimir Putin in his recent statement has said that a reactor is to be
launched a nuclear reactor in Iran's Busher. And that was said at a time when
Hillary Clinton was in Moscow. Now, was that a coincidence or was that some sort
of a signal to our American friends?
DP: This statement by Prime Minister Putin was made during the launching of a new
reactor in a nuclear power plant. Well, he was discussing the future of nuclear
energy sector in Russia.
You know that we have very ambitious plans for increasing the share of energy in
the whole, overall energy production. And so government will continue to spend
efforts in order to maintain the level of activities in construction of new power
plants that we have initiated lately. Russia possesses very advanced and
extremely safe technologies. Having these technologies, we have a demand, an
international demand for these technologies, and thus we have very good
perspectives for international co-operation. In the framework of this
international co-operation, our construction companies, relevant construction
companies have their projects abroad. One of these projects is the Busher power
The construction of the Busher power plant 100 per cent complies with all the
demands of IAEA and has nothing to do with agenda of non-proliferation.
RT: Well, you know, it still worries the Americans.
DP: Well, we have the IAEA international body. This is the only responsible body,
responsible for sector of nuclear energy, and compliance is total.
So, construction of Busher is going on and it's going to be completed this year.
And, certainly, these are planned activities. They have nothing to do with
traveling schedule of leaders of other states or the state secretary of the
United States.
RT: You know, Western media also speculates that Russia's United Aircraft
Corporation is to take part in the Pentagon tender for tankers' aircraft
supplies. Pentagon hasn't confirmed this. Is Russia going to take part in this
DP: No, Russia is not going to.
RT: Now, let's talk about trade and economy, about Russia and China, two huge
countries, two neighbors. It's a bit odd that Russia's main trading partner is
Europe. The reason I am asking is whether there's a possibility that China may
replace Europe; that all Russian exports will end up in China, including oil?
DP: Well, it's very hard to imagine that all Russian oil ends up in China, or
China is, let's say, an overwhelming trade partner. And the reason is very
simple. Russia traditionally was looking in both directions. Certainly, we are
trying to diversify routes of deliveries of natural hydrocarbons, natural
resources not limiting us only with Western direction, but also try to take
advantage, well, of demand that we see in the Far East, that we see in China.
This will and is balancing to a great extent the trade balance of our country and
this will continue.
But definitely China is traditionally our privileged partner. Prime Minister
Putin met the deputy chairman of China, and what we witness now is really
political will, coming from Beijing, to broaden our cooperation, and in exchange,
we certainly try to demonstrate and are demonstrating a totally reciprocal
RT: Well, then Russian citizens have their assets converted into dollars,
partially in dollars. How justified is that considering the current state of the
US economy, which is far from being perfect?
DP: Actually, the global economy is still far from being perfect. Let's not
forget that only one year ago we were all in a disastrous situation. Some
countries managed to withstand the consequences in a better shape, some not.
I would rather say that Russia is among the countries that managed relatively
smoothly. Yes, we had a greater decline and a greater shrinkage of economy in
comparison with other BRIC countries. This is true, but at the same time we were,
let's say, sophisticated, economically sophisticated, enough not to allow
negative social consequences to occur and not to allow decrease in the living
standards of the population. Well, savings in dollars? Savings in euros? We know
that Europe is also shaking economically.
RT: Well, do you have any further plans for diversification?
DP: Well, the Ministry of Finance proved to be a very wise investor. During the
crisis they avoided any loss in their investments, in their international assets.
And on the contrary, they managed to gain some profit. So, let's avoid speaking
in favor of one currency because the volatility in rates will continue for a
certain period.
RT: Now, the government has made huge investments into the Russian economy during
the crisis time. But even the premier said that not all the money was used
properly and efficiently. What went wrong? How come the funds allocated once
again fell into the hands of inefficient managers?
DP: Don't forget that crisis management is a process of a very rapid reaction.
You have to act very rapidly responding to changing global environment, economic
domestic environment. And that was done by the government.
Unfortunately we don't see the necessary level of growth of credit portfolio of
the banks. So, they don't give enough credits despite the fact that they were
supported by the government. The conditions are not suitable. And, thus we cannot
speed up economy as it is desired. Well, at the same time we know that some times
we still see difficulties, let's say, rather connected with bureaucracy.
So, it's day-to-day business, it's day-to-day problems. And that's why some
mistakes, some let's say less-efficient responses for measures that were taken
are inevitable. That's why crisis management cannot be in automatic mode. It can
only be in a manual mode.
RT: Now, Premier Putin is going to Katyn, which is the scene of the mass murder
of thousands of Polish prisoners of war, and primarily military officers, who
were killed by the Soviet NKVD. Russia has officially apologized for this crime
of 1940. Nevertheless, in Poland, this historical fact is often used as political
manipulation or speculation. Is this going to go forever?
DP: We sincerely hope that it is not. That was really a huge tragedy, but not
only of Polish people, but also of the Soviet people. Let's not forget that
beneath the bodies of Polish officers, bodies of Soviet people were found. They
were also destroyed, murdered by regime of Stalin.
RT: What is there to be done for this issue to become subject of discussion
between historians rather than politicians?
DP: It's just to exclude any attempts of politicizing on this issue from
diplomatic and political practice. Also, it's to exclude this issue from set of
instruments of domestic affairs. Sometimes, for the sake of domestic situations,
it used to be used in Poland. Certainly, we don't think that this is appropriate
We think that we, both Russians and the Poles, have to keep the memory of those
dead and rather use this memory as a uniting factor, as a factor opening new
perspectives for our two peoples, for interaction between the two countries being
very close and historical neighbors.
RT: Protocol it's kind of a tricky thing and it's kind of a ritual that Vladimir
Putin over the last decade has, a couple of times maybe, stepped away from it.
Can you, maybe, recall one instance when he made you nervous or made you smile?
DP: Putin is very pragmatic and much more he cares about what he is doing and not
about how and when he is doing that. He cares about the real outcome, not about
the process.
And sometimes he doesn't care about protocol at all. Sometimes he prefers not to
listen to a man of appropriate level for him.
RT: So, what do you do in these cases when he doesn't care about protocol?
DP: Well, our job is to create conditions for his comfortable work, to assist. So
we are trying to comply with his demands.
[return to Contents]
Moscow Times
March 26, 2010
Dmitry Gets No Respect
By Michael Bohm
Michael Bohm is opinion page editor of The Moscow Times.
NTV chief Vladimir Kulistikov took a well-aimed pot shot at Dmitry Medvedev
during a live televised meeting between the president and the general directors
of the country's top three television stations on Dec. 24. Kulistikov said that
while listening to Medvedev's state-of-the-nation address in November, he had
been struck by how many senior officials in the audience displayed an "amazing,
complete indifference" to what Medvedev was saying. During the speech, Kulistikov
said, some whispered among themselves, while others played with their cell
Having established that Medvedev enjoys little respect among bureaucrats,
Kulistikov asked, "Between you and reality are an army of bureaucrats. What are
you going to do so that your decisions are implemented in the regions and not
turned into a parody of themselves?"
What prompted the snide remark is unclear, but the question proved prescient.
Last week, Medvedev called governors and ministers to a meeting and ordered them
to show more respect. He complained that many of his presidential orders 38
percent in total last year go unfulfilled. He grumbled about getting the
runaround, of being inundated with legendary otpiski, or written excuses, which
Russian bureaucrats have craftily used for centuries to buy time or explain away
why this or that order was not fulfilled on time or not fulfilled at all.
The meeting marked the first of its kind to be shown on television. Medvedev
clearly had intended to use the gathering a video conference to publicly chew
out his subordinates, hoping to show that he is a tough boss a la his mentor,
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. But it backfired miserably.
"Discipline is lame," Medvedev complained. "It is necessary to value presidential
orders. They have to be rigorously fulfilled. Whoever doesn't fulfill them can
take a hike."
The biggest problem is that Medvedev plays an unconvincing tough guy. And the
more Medvedev tries to act tough, the weaker he looks.
Medvedev's height of 162.5 centimeters has little to do with it because Putin is
not that much taller. More important, Medvedev is perceived as too much of a
"smart kid" and wonk the "Blogger in Chief," as his opponents like to call him.
When Putin dresses down oligarchs and Olympic bureaucrats or threatens to send a
"doctor" to Mechel owner Igor Zyuzin "to clean him out," it is very convincing.
Just look at the stiff, serious and sometimes petrified faces of others present
when Putin performs one of his tongue-lashings. No one would even think of
sending a text message during one of Putin's meetings.
The arrest of former Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky in 2003 certainly helped
Putin establish his image as a tough boss, showing everyone he can put the money
where his mouth is. Putin shows once again what has always been said about
Russia: You have to be a tough to be an effective manager or leader in the
country; otherwise, subordinates will walk all over you. The old Russian saying
"If you are feared, you are respected" certainly applies to both Medvedev and
Several weeks ago, when Medvedev caught two Kremlin aides chit-chatting during a
government meeting with business leaders, he said, "Are you chatting again? You
do this at every meeting."
Even one participant during last week's video conference, Irkutsk Governor Dmitry
Mezentsev, was shown on camera signing papers brought to him by his assistant
during the meeting. It is a safe bet that Mezentsev was among the guys sending
text messages during Medvedev's state-of-the-nation address.
Medvedev struggled to get respect even during his pre-presidency days as first
deputy prime minister and Gazprom chairman. "Medvedev has such a weak personality
that he would be raped by lobbyists right on his table on the second day of his
presidency, and Putin knows this," Mikhail Delyagin, a former government economic
adviser, told The Moscow Times as speculation swirled that Putin in fall 2007
might support Medvedev as his preferred successor.
In the end, you can't help but sympathize with Medvedev. He is conscientious,
hardworking and appears to be honest. He is trying hard to gain respect and push
through his reform and modernization programs against all odds, including some of
Putin's eminence grises who are determined to undermine Medvedev's authority at
every step. After all, Putin's inner circle has a direct, financial interest in
making sure that Putin returns to the presidency in 2012. The stakes are too
high, and they don't want to take any risks.
The late American comedian Rodney Dangerfield had a great one-liner: "I get no
respect. The way my luck is running, if I was a politician I would be honest."
Sounds like Rodney and Dmitry might have something in common.
[return to Contents]
March 25, 2010
RF to have fewer time zones - officials say YES, but people doubt
By Itar-Tass World Service writer Lyudmila Alexandrova
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has not given up his idea of reducing the
number of time zones the country's vast expanses are sliced into, and also of
canceling the annual transition to seasonal summer time and back. In the
meantime, as of March 28 the number of time zones in the country will be cut from
eleven to nine. Many people in the reform-affected regions look unhappy about
The head of state on Wednesday instructed the government to look into the matter
of reducing time zones in the country and of canceling the annual shifts to and
from summer and winter time, because, in his opinion, narrower time gaps are
capable of invigorating business activity. Medvedev asked the Cabinet to analyze
the likely effects of the 'time reform' in great detail by next February.
The president raised the question of cutting the number of time zones from eleven
to five back last autumn, in his message to the Federal Assembly. And on
Wednesday Medvedev discussed this theme, as well as the likely cancellation of
the annual summer/winter time swap, introduced back in 1981 for energy saving
purposes, with the members of the government, governors and members of the
Russian Academy of Sciences.
He said he had decided to address this 'global problem' after taking a look at
some purely economic reasons, as well as at people's requests, because "the
reduction of the time lag is capable of invigorating business activity and
encourage new economic ties and projects."
Medvedev said "the proposals have met with experts' support by and large, as one
of the ways of optimizing and enhancing the effectiveness of state governance."
"Fewer time zones will allow for lifting a number of problems related to
transport and communications," he said.
The president said that on his instructions the government had adopted a
resolution by which the Kemerovo Region would join the fifth time zone, Udmurtia
and the Samara Region, the second time zone (Moscow time) and the Kamchatka
Territory and Chukotka, the tenth zone.
Thus, with the transition from wintertime to summer time as of March 28 one time
zone (Moscow time plus one hour) will cease to exist. The Samara Region and
Udmurtia have been allowed to shift to Moscow time. The easternmost time zone
(Moscow time plus nine hours) will disappear, too. Kamchatka and Chukotka will
enter the Moscow-time-plus-eight-hours time zone, where today one finds only the
Magadan Region. The Kemerovo Region will go over from the plus-four-hours time
zone to the plus-three-hours zone, which the Kuznetsk Coal Basin's neighbors -
the regions of Novosibirsk, Omsk and Tomsk, the Altai Territory and the Republic
of Altai have joined over the past fifteen years.
As it has turned out, a number of regions had started pressing for cutting the
time lag with their neighbors long before the presidential message. The Kemerovo
Region was among them. Its governor, Aman Tuleyev, has said that for about three
years the regional authorities had monitored the situation and analyzed the
likely effects of joining a neighboring time zone and of canceling the seasonal
time shifts. "This is what we noticed when we set the clocks forward and back,"
he said. "There was a sharp surge in the rate of occupational accidents, in
particular, in coal mines. And aggravations of cardiovascular diseases used to
become more frequent, in particular, those in elderly patients."
Further reforms along these lines, including the implementation of the Russian
Academy of Sciences' proposal for pooling the time zones of the Urals and
Siberia, will be possible, but all likely consequences must be evaluated first,
and all factors, including the medical and biological ones, as well as economic
and international consequences, should be monitored, Medvedev said. He
acknowledged that at the grass-roots level, from the standpoint of everyday life,
the reaction to the proposal is unequivocal - setting the clock back and forth is
very bad. But also there are the arguments of major energy companies. The reform
promises better controllability of regions and easier communication. On the other
hand, the measure will spell the cancellation of standard European practice. In
the meantime, Europe, the United States and many other countries around the world
- 110 all in all - remain committed to re-setting clocks twice a year, so Russia
may 'drop out from the world space in a sense,' the president warned.
Russian presidential aide, Arkady Dvorkovich, explained that according to energy
specialists' estimates the economic arguments in favor of summer-winter time
shifts have proved not so significant as it had been originally expected. The
time shifts may save an estimated 0.3-3 percent of energy. An amount like this
will be easily compensated for with the already drafted measures to raise energy
effectiveness. In any case, people's health is more important, Dvorkovich said.
The daily Komsomolskaya Pravda quotes the Health and Social Development Ministry
as saying that for the first five days following the time shift the frequency of
calls for ambulances by patients with hypertonic diseases and heart attacks grows
by 11 percent. The number of suicide attempts surges 60 percent. But in spring
time and in the autumn the human body experiences the pressure of re-adjustment
even without time shifts, and it is during such periods that various chronic
diseases, such as somatic and psychic ones, turn from bad to worse.
This issue requires thorough scrutiny by the public at large, says Alexei Skopin,
of the Higher School of Economics. The daily Vedomosti quotes Skopin as saying
that so far all experiments have been to the benefit of the economy, and not the
population. The shift to wintertime prolongs daylight working hours, but at the
same time reduces that of daylight leisure time (the dusk sets in at 16:00).
Industrial enterprises save energy costs, but the people suffer losses. The
shifts from one time zone to another will upset the biorhythms, too. Today a
person usually has one hour of daylight before going to work. An upset schedule
may cause depressions and a tide of suicides.
However, the daily Moskovsky Komsomolets recalls that the Samara Region already
staged a time zone shift experiment once in the past, and it was a very
unsuccessful one. In 1989 the region joined the Moscow time zone, but in 1991 the
authorities had to backtrack, because the people's electricity bills soared. In
December it was already dark at 15:00. People in the Samara Region are getting
ready to demonstrate against transition to Moscow time.
The people of the Kamchatka Territory are unhappy, too. Their very brief period
of daylight in wintertime is about to get still shorter. The reform has its
advocates, though - and all of them are regional officials and civil servants.
Getting one hour closer to Moscow it will be possible to better interact with the
federal authorities - civil servants across Russia are saying in chorus.
[return to Contents]
Moscow News
March 26, 2010
The demise of Dyadya Styopa
By Alyona Topolyanskaya
What will it take for Russia to start trusting the police again?
Dyadya Styopa is dead. The image of a robust, good-natured police officer, who
takes pride in serving and protecting his fellow citizens, is nothing but a
sepia-tinted still from a Soviet cartoon.
On Tuesday, Chief of Police Rashid Nurgaliyev was that he has nine months to
shape up or ship out. In no uncertain terms, he was made to understand that if
reports of the police causing mayhem do not cease, he will pay the price.
Last October, Nurgaliyev quoted frightening statistics when speaking to the Duma
- in 2009, the number of crimes committed by police officers rose by 20 per cent,
and that's not even counting the last three months of the year.
At times it seems that the men and women in blue are doing their utmost to
tarnish their once good name. Daily reports of crimes involving police officers
are becoming common place - money laundering, drug trafficking, bribes, and hit
and runs, just to name a few.
Last year, policeman were responsible for 5 per cent of all crime in Russia, said
the internal safety department head Yury Draguntsov.
The number of serious crimes - particularly involving violence - is also growing.
Out of around 100,000 incidents reported, 5,000 were custodial offences.
Last week, an off-duty police officer accidently shot a Moscow metro passenger in
the leg after being involved in an altercation with another man. Within a few
hours of the story breaking it was revealed that the marksman was a member of the
police force.
Such stories have become all too common in Moscow in recent months. In January,
police searched for a man who killed a 60-year-old snowplough driver, only to
find that it was their trigger-happy colleague, Anatoly Maurin, 39.
The "human shield" scandal two weeks earlier, when traffic cops forced motorists
to try to block a getaway car on Moscow's outer ring-road became a youtube
scandal, while another cop, Gen.-Major Yevgeny Novikov, 51, faces charges of
disorderly conducting after firing his gun in public.
It's no better in the regions: in Krasnoyarsk a police car hit two women crossing
the street on their way to church and dragged them for 20 metres. In Chelyabinsk
a man was beaten by the police, after he was stopped for jaywalking. In
Yekaterinburg, a music professor was beaten and robbed after being stopped for
not having personal identification.
Sadly, the list can go on and on, and that's without the massive cases such as
Major Yevsuykov's supermarket shooting spree in Moscow last spring.
But are Russian policemen committing more crimes than before, or are we just
hearing more about it? It's the latter, says independent political analyst
Vladimir Pribylovsky. "In this age of the internet, even if the leading TV
channels don't talk about an incident on air, the masses are still going to know
about it."
Conspiracy theories have surfaced months ago in blog, saying that the reason
Russia's men in blue were behaving so badly, were in fact to bring shame upon
Nurgaliyev and force him out of the cabinet. Popular radio host Sergei
Stillavin's livejournal blog quotes Federation Council chief Sergei Mironov
suggesting these daily reports are a sure sign that someone wants Nurgaliyev
fired. Stillavin also finds it suspicious that police have been quoted as saying
things like "No Nurgaliyev is going to help you" while committing crimes, as in
the Yekaterinburg case.
So, how long has Styopa been gone, and what can be done to bring him back?
Pribylovsky says that the image of a Russian policeman began to disintegrate as
soon as Glasnost arrived. "We got more freedom, with it came the freedom to
commit more crimes." And according to him, having taken nearly 20 years for
Russians to stop trusting the police, it will take just as many years to regain
that trust. "The reform needs to start with high salaries, and a good benefits
package, so that people are going to think twice before jeopardising that,"
Pribylovsky says.
By April 1 Nurgaliyev has to present President Medvedev with a detailed reform
plan - and no fooling around. The reform is believed to include a new law
controlling the police, as well as some human resources reshuffling. "It's a lot
work," he told a correspondent from Moskovsky Komsomolets.
It would be silly to assume that the reform will have immediate results, and that
police officers will stop running red lights, swearing at the detainees, getting
behind the wheel drunk, shooting their firearms at random. If that were the
case, it would be a sure sign that Nurgaliyev had got his hands on a magic wand.
Yet the fact that the reform is needed, and that it won't be easy, should not be
a deterrent. Russian police could lead by example, and become more law abiding,
to help preserve that very law - if only someone would show them the way.
[return to Contents]
Russian Circus To Combine Opera And Performance In 2011
MOSCOW, March 26 (Itar-Tass) -- Rosgostsirk /state-run circus company/ has
started the staging of an outstanding show which will combine opera and
breath-taking circus performances.
Mozart's The Magic Flute will form the base of the new programme. Genuine
professional opera singers and a live orchestra will take part in it. The first
performance may be shown to public in the middle of 2011, the General Director of
circus company Alexander Kalmykov said on Thursday.
"Nowadays, circus is dull and not attractive for the youth," he said. "Its
development has mired."
Pavel Brune, who worked at Canada's Cirque du Soleil for ten years, will stage
the programme.
By next spring another interesting project, 'Leonardo', will be launched in the
circus. It will be devoted to the famous scientist, artist and inventor. The
performance will be staged by a circus director Yekaterina Morozova.
"We have sketches for the future backgrounds and money for the staging," Kalmykov
said. "It will be a complicated task to show famous inventions in the arena."
Russia's circus plans to make "a real 3-d circus with a 3-d screen as a
background for performances which will include elements of a circus show.
Over 40 buildings of circuses in Russia need to be repaired, and this is one of
the biggest problems, Kalmykov said.
"Russia's ministry of economic development earmarks between 500 million roubles
/USD 1=RUB 29.5/ and one billion roubles a year for this purpose while we
actually need 26 billion roubles for the repair works," he said.
"Presently, the government is considering an increase of these allocations to 5
billion roubles," he said.
"Very soon the repaired and fully equipped circus in Kursk /southwestern Russia/
will resume its performances," he said. "It will be one of the best circuses in
Circuses in Yaroslavl and Astrakhan will also open their doors for the audience
The circuses in Sochi, Penza and Ivanovo will see first repair workers in 2011.
The repaird will last for five or six years there.
All the circuses will have electronic system of ticketing and every circus actor
will be insured for 500,000 roubles.
[return to Contents]
March 26, 2010
Author: Maxim Ivanov
[Results of the Levada-Center's opinion poll indicate...]
Levada-Center sociologists discovered that of all the
Russians who participated in the voting on March 14, 59% had voted
for United Russia, 21% for the CPRF, 10% for Fair Russia, and 8%
for the LDPR. All other parties polled about 1% each. Asked this
January what party they would have cast their votes for had a
federal parliamentary election been scheduled to take place right
then and there, 65% chose United Russia, 17% the CPRF, 10% the
LDPR, and 6% Fair Russia.
Aleksei Grazhdankin of the Levada-Center attributed this
change in figures to the regional campaigns. Usually predominant
United Russia was losing ground since the opposition got better
coverage on the eve of elections. "It is in these infrequent
periods that the necessity to choose is forced on voters," he
In the meantime, 50% respondents admitted being satisfied
with the outcome of the March 14 election, 23% dissatisfied, and
27% said that they did not know what to say. Twenty-one percent
expressed confidence that the election had been rigged, 44% called
it free and fair, and all the rest (35%) ducked the question.
Forty-one percent said that they were expecting things to
start changing for the better now (in the wake of and in
connection with the election), whereas 50% dismissed any such
expectations as futile.
Sociologists asked respondents if they thought that regular
elections might eventually compel the powers-that-be to start
doing what the population expected from them. Thirty-seven percent
suggested they might and 55% said that no elections would ever
accomplish it.
"As matters stand, it is not much that people expect from
elections," Grazhdankin said. "And yet, they turn up and cast
their votes because campaigns are always accompanied by certain
hand-out of gifts and promises."
Sociologists approached 1,600 Russians aged 18 and more in
127 cities and settlements in 44 Federation subjects between
February 19 and 23. Statistical error is estimated at 3.4%.
[return to Contents]
RBC Daily
March 26, 2010
VCIOM sociologists gauged Russians' trust in members of the Cabinet
Author: Inga Vorobiova
Judging by results of the opinion polls conducted by the
Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM), the Russians put
their trust this year in the ministers that had nothing to do with
economic matters. Minister of Emergencies Hero of Russia Sergei
Shoigu polled 73% and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, 53%. It was
hardly surprising. Shoigu and Lavrov enjoy good press - the former
as savior of the population from natural calamities, the latter as
savior of Russia from foreign ill-wishers. Deputy Premier Sergei
Ivanov polled 39% and thus became the third most trusted Cabinet
member. (As a matter of fact, Ivanov's rating has been going down
for years, ever since 2007 when he was promoted as Vladimir
Putin's potential successor and his rating peaked at 67% at one
For reasons there is no need to dwell into, Minister of
Sports Vitaly Mutko became the most frowned-on member of the
government. Thirty-nine percent Russians dismissed his performance
as thoroughly inadequate. Fiasco of the Russian national team in
Vancouver even beat the Russians' dissatisfaction with reforms
within the national system of education. Minister of Education
Andrei Fursenko became the second least trusted Cabinet member
with 33%.
Anti-crisis policy of the government in 2009 crippled ratings
of three ministers - Aleksei Kudrin (finance), Victor Khristenko
(industry and trade), and Sergei Shmatko (energy). Each of them
lost 2-6% supporters but earned up to 8% enemies in 2009. Level of
trust in these ministers hovered in the 16-29% diapason and rating
of distrust varied between 25% and 34%. Neither did Economic
Development Minister Elvira Nabiullina fare much better, approved
by 23% respondents and disapproved by 27%. In 2010, however, all
these ministers made up for practically all lost points and all
but approached pre-crisis levels of trust again.
"A look at the percentage rather than absolute figures shows
that trust in Nabiullina dropped 10% and in Kudrin, 8%," said
Political Techniques Center Director General Aleksei Makarkin.
"That's because the ruble exchange rate did look shaky for a
moment but firmed up again. It was ascribed to efforts of the
Finance Ministry. As for the real economy, it all but collapsed
and never recovered. Blame for it was pinned, perhaps
unconsciously, on the Economic Development Ministry."
The government itself took rating changes in stride. "It was
to be expected. The population tends to perceive the crisis as
something purely domestic. It does not care that the crisis was
actually global," said a source within the government. "By and
large, however, the government's anti-crisis policy was quite
VCIOM sociologists said meanwhile that the rating of Igor
Shuvalov, the official in charge of the anti-crisis policy,
survived 2009 intact. Seventy-one percent respondents actually
admitted that they did not know anything about Shuvalov a Cabinet
member and therefore refused to try and gauge his performance.
Shuvalov's powerful colleague Igor Sechin turned out to be another
dark horse for the majority of respondents (75% would not evaluate
his performance).
"That's because some key figures within the government of
Russia all too obviously try to remain out of the spotlight," said
Olga Kryshtanovskaya of the Institute of Sociology (Russian
Academy of Sciences). "Shuvalov for one is the head of quite
important commissions in the government. For all his importance,
however, he is getting practically no coverage in the media."
Makarkin agreed that these people (Shuvalov and Sechin) were
mostly known to a few. "Shuvalov's fiery speech at the economic
forum in St.Petersburg where he berated the national system of
education marked a turning point. His superiors clearly decided
that independence such as this was surely too much," Makarkin
said. "Whispers began that Shuvalov might even become the next
premier. That neither Putin nor Shuvalov himself wanted these
insinuations goes without saying... As for Sechin, he has never
sought publicity so far as I know."
[return to Contents]
Ruling One Russia to stick to its 'liberal-conservative' ideology - official
Moscow, 24 March: A co-chairman of the Liberal-Conservative Club of One Russia,
the chairman of the State Duma Committee on Constitutional Legislation and
State-Building, Vladimir Pligin, announced that the party did not have any plans
for transforming its ideology.
"One Russia is studying with interest the proposals from opponents, who in recent
times for some reason have all become concerned with the future of the ruling
party," Pligin told Interfax on Wednesday (24 March).
According to him, the critics, "who do not let pass an opportunity to kick the
'bear' (One Russia), now start expressing concern either regarding the setbacks
of One Russia at the elections or in connection with the ideology of the party
being 'aloof' from reality".
"What is more, an entire set of measures for the transformation of One Russia is
being developed and put forward," Pligin added.
"Thank you for all the advice," he said.
However, the representative of One Russia stressed, the party has its own
distinct liberal-conservative understanding of many processes regarding the
development of the Russian reality.
"We will consistently, persistently and non-demagogically defend the rights of
private property in Russia. We are for restricting the activities of the
bureaucratic system, for its reduction, for transparency of the state's actions,
for freedom of mass media and for strengthening other civilization-forming
liberal values," he noted.
"I value that Boris Gryzlov (chairman of the Supreme Council of One Russia and
speaker State Duma - Interfax) is defending the principles of liberal development
of society and thanks to his principled personal position, among other things,
important laws have been adopted - for example, changes to the taxation and
criminal legislation and this has limited the repressive effect on business,"
Pligin said.
He spoke about the readiness of representatives of the party to cooperate with
all liberal circles of Russian society - "we are grateful that they continue to
provide support, understanding that we all have a shared goal - building a
democratic state for the good of the people".
[return to Contents]
BBC Monitoring
Putin dresses down Russian regional governor over wage arrears - TV
Text of report by Russian official state television channel Rossiya 1 on 25 March
(Presenter) (Russian Prime Minister) Vladimir Putin today met Arkhangelsk Region
governor Ilya Mikhalchuk. They talked about the socioeconomic situation in the
The indicators are not at all bad this year: production has risen 11 per cent and
such sectors as the timber trade and the pulp and paper industry are developing
The government is also supporting the shipbuilding sector: R55m (around 1.5m
dollars at the current exchange rate) is to be earmarked for the company Sevmash
(shipyard in Severodvinsk) to buy equipment.
However, the prime minister expressed his bewilderment at the fact there are wage
arrears in the region.
(Putin) Let's begin with wages after all. What is happening?
(Mikhalchuk) Thank you. But I would like to say, indeed, you correctly noted a
rise in the index, the index of industrial growth is increasing, I would even
like to say in individual categories, the production of cardboard, paper pulp.
(Putin, interrupting Mikhalchuk, tapping his hand) I didn't now ask you about
cardboard. I asked about wages.
(Mikhalchuk) On wages I would like to say that, yes, in this regard, first, there
are no arrears in the public sector.
(Putin, reading from a piece of paper) As of 1 March 2010 arrears came to
R113.6m. What's more, arrears have practically doubled since the beginning of the
year. It is particularly concerning that public sector workers have not received
their wages on time.
(Mikhalchuk) I'm ready to check.
(Putin) You are ready to check, but you are not ready to answer.
I have a great request for you. Literally today after our meeting, request all
the necessary information from you financial authorities and at the beginning of
next week report to me separately.
[return to Contents]
Russians Trust Patriarch Kirill - Poll
MOSCOW. March 25 (Interfax) - Patriarch Kirill has for the first time made it to
the list of the most trusted Russian politicians, sociologists from the Levada
Center told Interfax.
Patriarch Kirill is sixth on the list of the ten most trusted politicians in
Russia (eight percent of the respondents surveyed in a poll conducted March 19-23
in 46 regions of Russia by the Levada Center said they trust him).
The top officials on the list are still the Russian president and prime minister.
In March, three-fourths of Russian citizens (75%) said they approve of Dmitry
Medvedev's performance as president and 43% of the respondents said they trust
the president, the Levada Center told Interfax.
Seventy-eight percent of the respondents said they are happy with Vladimir
Putin's performance as prime minister and 50% said they trust him.
The high level of trust in the country's top officials is confirmed by a
nationwide study conducted by VTsIOM on March 20-21. The poll showed that 71% and
72% of the respondents are happy with the performance of the president and prime
minister, and 46% and 51% of the respondents said they trust them.
A study conducted by the Levada Center indicates that the list of Russia's most
trusted politicians in March also included Emergency Situations Minister Sergei
Shoigu (15%), Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov and Liberal Democratic
Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky (10% each), the Kemerovo region's Governor Aman
Tuleyev (7%), Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (5%), Deputy Prime Minister
Sergei Ivanov (5%), and Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov (5%).
Fourteen percent of those polled said they do not trusty any of Russia's
[return to Contents]
New York Times
March 26, 2010
Memo From Kaliningrad
Restlessness in Russia's Western Outpost
By MICHAEL SCHWIRTZ
KALININGRAD, Russia Amid the sagging Soviet-era apartment blocks and hulking
government buildings here, it can be difficult to imagine that this was once a
German city graced with gingerbread-style facades and Teutonic spires.
About all that remains of the 700-year-old city once called Ko:nigsberg which
was bombed to oblivion in World War II, then taken over by the Soviet Union and
renamed in 1946 after the death of a Bolshevik hero, Mikhail Kalinin are some
weathered houses and a few reconstructed cathedrals. But that does not mean
residents of this island of Russian territory wedged between Poland and Lithuania
do not entertain certain European expectations.
"I would like to bring Ko:nigsberg back to Europe," Rustam Vasiliev, a local
blogger and political activist, said, intentionally using the former German name
of this city. "I've got no Kremlin in my head."
People like Mr. Vasiliev have become a headache for the Kremlin, as some of the
largest antigovernment protests in Russia in recent years have broken out here,
in part because of the failure of officials to bring the region more in line with
the standards of Western Europe.
The Kremlin has had similar problems in other far-flung regions, notably in the
Far Eastern city of Vladivostok, where the economy has been drawn into the orbit
of local Asian powers.
Here in Russia's western extreme, people take pride in their European cars but
complain about their city's pocked roads. Advertisements for concerts in Warsaw
and Berlin hang on the crumbling facades of long-neglected apartment buildings.
When local people talk of Russia, they often seem to mean not their own country,
but some foreign land to the east.
"We are located outside of Russia's borders and within the borders of the
European Union," said Vytautas V. Lopata, a cafe owner and local independent
politician. "Here, people are freer. They see how people live in Europe; they
have heightened demands."
When it comes to politics, Kaliningrad is by no means a thriving democracy.
People here have nevertheless come to enjoy a level of openness not found
elsewhere in Russia. There are independent television stations and real
opposition politicians in the local Parliament (though their influence is
minimal). Small street protests are not uncommon and are generally tolerated by
the authorities.
By contrast, even the tiniest antigovernment demonstrations in Moscow are quashed
by riot troops, sometimes violently. And when protests broke out in Vladivostok
last year, the authorities sent those same Moscow riot troops to suppress them.
But officials both here and in Moscow were clearly caught off guard in January
when as many as 10,000 people poured into a central Kaliningrad square to demand
the resignation of the regional governor and other officials from Prime Minister
Vladimir V. Putin's political party, United Russia.
Since then, the authorities have been scrambling to contain the damage lest the
dissatisfaction in Kaliningrad spread to the rest of the country. They were able
to head off another protest scheduled for last weekend, in part by making serious
promises to opposition leaders to resolve their major complaints.
Still, it is unclear how long the tentative peace will hold, especially given
that there has been no shortage of unfulfilled promises here.
Though Kaliningrad remained under Moscow's control after the Soviet collapse, its
location outside contiguous Russia seemed to hold out the promise that the
formerly sealed military zone would be opened to the prosperity of the West.
But membership in the European club has always been elusive, to the dismay of
many here. The region remained relatively poor, even as its neighbors until
recently, at least prospered. Like all Russians, Kaliningraders must submit to
the lengthy process of applying for visas to visit cities a few hours' drive
"Here we are like fish in an aquarium," said Konstantin Doroshok, one of the
leaders of the January protests. "And the water has not been changed in a while,
and we are going extinct."
Things did not always feel this constricted, Mr. Doroshok, 40, said. Just a few
years ago, he and many others were doing good business importing European cars
into Kaliningrad to resell to Russians farther east, one of many similar
professions that thrived here because import tariffs from European countries into
Kaliningrad were cheaper than those for the rest of Russia.
A year ago, however, the Kremlin sharply increased customs duties on imported
cars, which Mr. Doroshok said effectively killed his business. He was also
slapped with what he said were fabricated charges of failing to pay customs
duties and fined about $600,000.
"One fine day it seems that one of the oligarchs calculated how much he failed to
earn as a result of the fact that citizens of Russia were importing automobiles
independently," he said, "and decided to try to push us out of this business."
It was then that Mr. Doroshok and others angry over Kremlin interference in their
way of life decided to push back.
A series of demonstrations culminating in the large January protests compelled
Kaliningrad's Kremlin-appointed governor, Georgy V. Boos, for the first time to
hold serious talks with opposition leaders, including Mr. Doroshok. Though
protest leaders called off a planned demonstration last week, several hundred
people gathered in central Kaliningrad, shouting "Down with Boos!"
"There was an underestimation by us and me personally of the need to devote more
time to communicating with people," Mr. Boos said of the protests at a news
conference here last week.
To deflect some of the ill will directed at the governing authorities here, some
local United Russia leaders have even floated the idea of relinquishing some of
the party's near monopoly on power something that might be considered
blasphemous elsewhere in the country.
"That would lower some of the political strain and allow for more democratic
governance," said Konstantin I. Poliakov, the deputy head of United Russia's
faction in the regional Parliament.
Many, like Mr. Lopata, the cafe owner, say that it makes little difference to the
people of Kaliningrad who their leaders are as long as their region remains cut
off from their real neighbors and under Moscow's thumb.
"We live within the European Union," Mr. Lopata said. "But it turns out that we
live behind a fence."
[return to Contents]
Russian opposition plans to hold next Day of Wrath protest in May
MOSCOW. March 26 (Interfax) - Members of the Russian opposition plan are to hold
the next Day of Wrath protest in May, Left Front movement leader Sergei Udaltsov
told Interfax on Friday.
This preliminary decision was made by the Day of Wrath organization committee on
March 25, Udaltsov said.
"Bearing in mind the fact that the Moscow authorities effectively foiled the Day
of Wrath on March 20 by illegally refusing to authorize it, the organizers plan
to recieve permission to hold a full-fledged rally on one of Moscow's central
squares," he said.
The organizers of the Moscow-based Day of Wrath also plan to call on people in
other Russian regions to stage similar protests, the Left Front leader said.
"A date for the next Day of Wrath will be specified within a week," he said.
Various public and political organizations participated in rallies, dubbed the
Day of Wrath, in Moscow and 50 other cities across Russia on March 20.
However, opposition movements and human rights activists failed to secure the
approval of the Moscow authorities for plans to stage a rally in the city's
Pushkin Square followed by a procession along the Tverskoy Boulevard.
Several dozen people were detained in Pushkin Square during the protest on March
20. All of them were subsequently released.
Russia's opposition organizations have been holding Day of Wrath nationwide
rallies since 2008. This year, the protesters are demanding the revival of
gubernatorial elections, voicing their lack of trust in the pro-Kremlin United
Russia party and expressing their discontent with growing household bills and the
transport tax hike.
Opposition members and human rights campaigners also plan to hold a rally in
support of the Russian Constitution's Article 31, which guarantees freedom of
assembly, near the Vladimir Mayakovsky Monument in Moscow's Triumfalnaya Square
on March 31 in defiance of the city's authorities refusal to authorize the event.
The Moscow authorities have rejected applications for permission to stage such
rallies, submitted by opposition members Eduard Limonov and Konstantin Kosyakin
and prominent human rights activist Lyudmila Alexeyeva, seven times this year.
[return to Contents]
From: "Masha Undensiva-Brenner" <email@example.com>
Subject: Harriman Institute hosts Maria Eismont re: documentary "Managed
Democracy Misfires: How Krasnoturinsk Elected Its Own Mayor"
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2010 15:14:37 -0400
Reported by Masha Udensiva-Brenner
Electoral Politics in Russia: Are Citizens Speaking Up?
On February 25, 2010, two weeks before regional elections took place in the
Russian Federation, Maria Eismont, Director of the Russian Independent Media
Program at the New Eurasia Foundation in Moscow, came to the Harriman Institute
at Columbi University for a screening and discussion of her new documentary,
"Managed Democracy Misfires: How Krasnoturinsk Elected Its Own Mayor."
Krasnoturinsk is a small town in the Province of Sverdlovsk, located in the
northeastern part of the Ural region873 miles from Moscow, and 224 miles north of
Yekaterinburg. The population is just barely 60,000, but the mayoral election
that took place there last March attracted enough interest to warrant a
In order to understand why an election in this remote town triggered national
attention, it is important to step back and examine the broader context of
electoral politics in the Russian Federation. Russia is a managed democracy;
competitive elections exist, but only in certain spheres, and with strict state
regulation. There are four dominant parties: the United Russia Party, the
Communist Party, the Liberal Democratic Party, and A Just Russia Partybut United
Russia, which was established with the strong support of former President
Vladimir Putin in 2001, continues to be the party of the statein 2008, Prime
Minister Putin became its chair. United Russia's involvement with the state, as
well as its political monopoly, has caused skepticism about the legitimacy of the
electoral process in Russia.
In 2004, in the wake of the Beslan Hostage Crisis, Putin abolished the direct
election of governors in Russia's 89 (now 83) regions (his decision was
reaffirmed by President Dimitry Medvedev this past November
in response to Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov's suggestion for a constitutional
amendment to reinstate gubernatorial elections). Putin changed the law in a way
that allowed him to appoint governors directly. He justified the legislation by
the need to concentrate state power in the face of terrorists. In fact, state
power was concentrated alreadyeven prior to Putin's legislation, governors had
little accountability to their citizens, and members of the United Russia Party
controlled most government posts.
Much like the gubernatorial elections used to do, mayoral elections tend to
reinforce the power of the United Russia Party. Once in office, incumbents stay
there for decades, and run the city with little regard for its electorate.
Vladimir Terekhov, an employee of the Krasnoturinsk Electoral Commission, who was
interviewed in Eismont's documentary, compared small town politics in Russia to
old American Westerns."There is a Mayor and a Sheriff and they do whatever they
want." Terekhov conveyed that building an opposition movement in local politics
is nearly impossible because of the tremendous power wielded by mayors and their
In light of this, the election results in Krasnoturinsk last March were
remarkableVictor Mikhel, a United Russia member who had served as Krasnoturinsk's
mayor for over eighteen years, unexpectedly lost his seat to Sergei Verkhoturov,
a previously unknown figure in town politics. According to Eismont,
"Verkhoturov's triumph proved that it's far too soon to pronounce Russia's
electoral process a failed experiment."
Verkhoturov, who did not even belong to a party at the time of his election, came
to power against the odds. In supporting him, citizens put their jobs on the
lineif Mikhel had been re-elected in Krasnoturinsk, those who openly opposed him
would never again find work in their town. "The people who support the 'wrong'
candidate risk everything," affirmed Natalia Kalinina, editor-in-chief of the
town's independent paper, Vechernii Krasnoturinsk (Evening Krasnoturinsk).
Verkhoturov's campaign manager, Tatiana Sokolova, described the near
impossibility of disseminating campaign literaturecity employees followed
Verkhoturov's team, and each time they posted flyers, the city staff would take
them down. "They would even take them out of people's mailboxes." When residents
tried to stage a protest, the city sent a team of policemen. "I guess you could
say that the protest was for democracy," recalled Sokolova. About 200 people
filled the town square, "300 if you count the police," added Olga Beredetskaya,
the assistant editor of Vechernii Krasnyi Turinsk.
The police lined the perimeter and videotaped. The city administration sent a
cleaning truck. "It was funny how they chose that very day, that very place, to
clean the streets," expressed Beredetskaya. The truck noise drowned out the
megaphones. The protesters finally asked the driver to take a break from
cleaning. "Luckily, he was a reasonable guy." Sokolova said that the protesters,
some of whom came from tiny villages, stunned her. "They were simple people
expressing themselves very eloquently." Citizens used the megaphones to plead
with the administration. They wanted to be heard.
The town newspapers played an integral role during the campaign. "There are
always two papers in Russian townsthe municipal paper, the content of which is
dictated by the state, and the independent newspaper," Eismont explained before
the screening. The independent paper, Vechernii Krasnoturinsk, touted Verkhoturov
throughout his campaign, and is largely responsible for paving his way to the
mayoral seat. The municipal paper, Zarya Urala (The Dawn of the Urals), spread
negative rumors about the candidate. "I knew that it was impossible to stay
clean. You had to choose: either sling dirt or risk your job," disclosed Ludmila
Makeeva, a reporter from Zarya Urala. "I was told, 'if you're not with us,
there's the door." Despite the obstacles, the town's citizens rallied to support
Mikhel's opponent, and surprisinglythey won.
"We have always loved our city. In its glory, it was an oasis of well-being,"
Isabella Khokhrina, an older resident, said at the beginning of the filmshe was
referring to the 1990s, when the town's industry was thriving. "When delegations
came to visit us, or we encountered people from outside the town, we would sing
them our anthem." She repeated the words of the song for the camera. "We love our
town of Krasnoturinsk, it's beautiful in day or night, come visit and we'll show
you our town's delights, and sing our favorite song." Khokhrina confessed that
times have changed. "A shadow of sadness hangs over our town. The results of the
recent elections show that people can't live like this."
Eismont speculated that the economic crisis, "which Mikhel had no more to do with
than he influenced the 'fat years,'" was a precipitating factor for the
incumbent's defeat. "When you have all the poweryou make yourself responsible for
everything, even the weather." She imparted that Mikhel was not a particularly
horrible mayor. "He wasn't good, but he wasn't the worst of them. People just
felt like they needed a change and Mikhel and his team were taking their
persistent victory for granted." Eismont mused that Mikhel "didn't even think to
rig the vote because he was so certain that he would win."
The Russian Federation is vast, and news concerning local politics often slips
through the cracks. In order to stay current on regional political developments,
the Independent Media Program collaborates with various newspapers across the
Russian Federationthey learned about Verkhoturov's sudden victory through
Vechernii Krasnoturinsk. "I knew that there would be an interesting story there,
and wanted to film immediately," Eismont recounted.
Eismont applied for a grant that would allow her to hire a professional team of
filmmakers to document the town in the aftermath of the election. She discovered
that a grant would take six months to process. "In six months everything would be
forgotten, relations might be spoiled, and people probably wouldn't be willing to
talk," she explained. ""I knew we had to go immediately."
Forming a film crew with three of her colleagues, Eismont went to
Krasnoturinsk"None of us were professional filmmakers," she remarked. "We took
the camera that I had at homea semi-professional handheldsome funds from our
budget, and went." The crew purchased a tripod, "so that we felt like real
Spending nights at the houses of Vechernii Krasnoturinsk employees, the film crew
passed the days interviewing Krasnoturinsk citizens. "We wanted to get everyone,
to tell the story entirely from the point of view of its principal actors. Our
goal was to show as unbiased a portrayal as we could," said Eismont, who, along
with her colleagues, had no presence in the footage.
Despite the filmmakers' lack of expertise, the documentary does not seem
unprofessional. It is well-paced, ironic, and skillfully shot. The voices of
Krasnoturinsk immediately dominate the filmwe hear the murmurs of various
citizens discussing Verkhoturov's sudden appearance as the camera zooms in on the
sidewalks and buildings of a bustling small town in the mountains"Who is
Verkhaturov?" "He came out of nowhere," "Appeared suddenly," "Within three weeks
his name was everywhere!" The murmurs continue as the screen darkens and the word
"Verkhoturov" flashes all over it in white.
The scenes shift to the sounds of an upbeat folk orchestra. Most strikingly the
music accompanies the unveiling ceremony of the municipal bathhouse, where Mikhel
presents a freshly painted building. The screen flashes a sign: "The Temple of
Cleanliness." Mikhel describes the new construction as, "one of the town's most
pivotal structures." The next clip reveals the bathhouse interiora pile of ruins.
Sadly, the bathhouse remains unfinished even now, despite Verkhoturov's campaign
promises. "This is Russian politics, and just like palm trees don't grow in the
North, Russia doesn't breed democrats," remarked Eismont. Verkhoturov had also
promised to establish a public chambera forum for citizens to discuss internal
politicshe did not do this either. He has joined the United Russia Party.
"But, Verkhoturov's failures are beside the point," Eismont stressed. "The point
is that the electoral process in Russia can be functionalthat people have some
agency in choosing who governs them." She explained that she had never expected
Verkhoturov to follow through on his guarantees. "Even if you have the best
intentions when you come into office, in Russia's small towns there is never
enough funding to fulfill them." As for Verkhoturov joining the ruling
partysurviving as a political official in the Russian Federation without joining
United Russia, is impossible. "If a United Russia member loses an election, they
buy off the winner." The former candidate always vanishes from the scene.
Consequently, the documentarians were unable to interview Mikhel. "He was
completely unapproachable, after the election he simply disappeared." The former
mayor is shown in the documentary only through clips from his public speeches.
Eismont hopes that this year, when she returns her team to Krasnoturinsk for the
anniversary of Verkhoturov's election, and a public screening of their
documentary, she will be able to approach Mikhel. "Perhaps he will be willing to
talk now that the hype has died down."
Eismont speculates that if Krasnoturinsk had been located much closer to Moscow,
the electoral outcome would have been different. "We filmed another documentary
in Zhukovsky, where the local government wanted to cut down a forest in order to
pave a VIP road to a car show." This was during election time, and an opposition
candidate, who promised to preserve the forest, won the majority vote. "Because
the town was in proximity to Moscow, the central government intervened," Eismont
described. The government declared seven of the polling stations faulty and
discounted their resultsas a result the incumbent remained in office. "The crazy
thing is that everyone knew about this; newspapers reported on it, it was a topic
of great discussion." She said that the matter is currently being challenged in
court. "No one knows how this story will end."
Despite her country's shortcomings, Eismont emphasized that the situation is not
as bad as it is often portrayed by outsiders. "There is a general tendency to
stereotype and oversimplify Russia," Eismont admitted. "It is not a very healthy
democracy, but it's not North Korea." Shortly after Eismont's talk at the
Harriman Institute, the Russian Federation held another round of regional
elections. The results undermined (ever so slightly) United Russia's dominance.
The party maintains a stronghold over the country even after the elections, but,
though it held on to plurality in all eight regions that elected legislatures,
United Russia's ballot share fell in seven of them,dropping below 50% in fourand
the party lost a mayoral seat in Irkutsk, a Siberian city with a population just
above half a million.
As Eismont suggested, it appears that United Russia's power is eroding only in
those regions farthest from Moscow, with its most visible decline in the Province
of Sverdlovskthe very Sverdlovsk that is home to Krasnoturinsk. Analysts
deliberate that United Russia's faltering victory could be a reaction to the
criticism following Russia's last regional electionsin October 2009 the United
Russia Party won by a landslide, and after accusations of electoral fraud,
President Medvedev encouraged closer election monitoring and a more visible
opposition. It is possible that United Russia's slight electoral slip has been
manufactured, or perhaps, people are finally fed up. Most likely, it is a
combination of both.
[return to Contents]
BBC Monitoring
Russian opposition activists say they are targeted by Kremlin provocateurs
Ekho Moskvy Radio
March 24, 2010
Editor-in-chief of the Russian Newsweek magazine Mikhail Fishman has fallen
victim to a thoroughly planned provocation, members of the Russian opposition
movement Solidarnost, Ilya Yashin and Roman Dobrokhotov, told Russian
Gazprom-owned editorially independent radio Ekho Moskvy on 24 March.
They were referring to a clip posted on the Russian Gazprom-owned video hosting
website RuTube on 21 March (tinyurl.com/ydbdrxq). The video shows a man
resembling Fishman snorting a white substance. It attracted more than 9,800 views
by 1400 gmt on 24 March.
Both Yashin and Dobrokhotov appeared in Ekho Moskvy's daily slot Dnevnoy Razvorot
("U-Turn") on 24 March saying that they nearly fell into the same trap. Yashin
said that he recognized the flat where the video had been filmed. He said that he
was invited to this flat by two girls, who later tried to make him take drugs,
but he refused. Dobrokhotov said he recognized the girl sitting next to Fishman
in the video, even though her face was blurred. She also invited him over to her
place and asked him to show her how to roll joints, but he refused, too.
This video followed shortly after another video, showing people resembling
Yashin, Fishman and political scientist Dmitriy Oreshkin supposedly caught in the
act of giving bribes to traffic police officers, which was posted on the
video-sharing website YouTube on 15 March.
This is a carefully planned campaign aimed at distracting public attention from
mass protest rallies in the country on 20 March, Yashin told Ekho Moskvy on 24
"The story, where bribes were allegedly offered to traffic policemen, took place
at the end of August last year. Seven months have passed. Come to think of it, if
I had been caught bribing traffic policemen, if there had been irrefutable
evidence, if there had been policemen who should have reported this and were
ready to testify in court, a logical question emerges: why did you not initiate
criminal proceedings against me in these seven months?" he said.
He added that he was considering appealing to the Prosecutor-General's Office
over this, together with Oreshkin and Fishman.
Fishman published a commentary on the video in his blog
(mfishman.livejournal.com) later on the same day.
"A special operation was conducted against me. It was thoroughly planned. It was
based on acts of provocation, deceit, editing and long shadowing, and staff of
law-enforcement agencies were involved in it," he wrote.
Fishman went on to say that the main aim of the campaign was to make him change
the editorial policy of the Russian Newsweek magazine, "to make our whole team
constantly think whether they interfere with the interests of those who give
illegal orders or simply bribe staff of law-enforcement agencies, interfere with
the private lives of citizens protected by the Constitution, gather compromising
materials, shadow and bait people". "This is a signal to all journalists: stay
quiet," he added. Fishman went on to say that the editorial policy of his
magazine will remain unchanged.
He thanked the media community for their support (on 23 March the Russian Union
of Journalists adopted a statement condemning the defamatory videos) and said he
was "firmly determined to seek the investigation of all circumstances of the
special operation, initiation of criminal proceedings (against the culprits)".
[return to Contents]
National Public Radio (NPR)
March 25, 2010
Violence-Worn Republic Wary Of Russia's Promises
March 25, 2010 | David Greene | NPR
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has vowed to take a new approach to ending the
cycle of violence in the southern republic of Dagestan, where fighting continues
between Islamist insurgents and Russian security forces. He wants to improve the
economy and create jobs, but how does Dagestan attract investment in what amounts
to a police state?
In Russia's southern republic of Dagestan, militants and police are killed or
wounded in the streets almost every day. War continues between Islamist
insurgents and Russian security forces here and elsewhere in Russia's Caucasus
But the people of Dagestan try to get on with their lives. The Dagestan soccer
team recently played a big game and got hearty pep talk beforehand from
Magomedsalam Magomedov, the president of the semi-separate republic.
Later, Magomedov talked about a tougher part of his job: ending what he called
Dagestan's "constant conflict." Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has promised a
new approach. He wants to end the cycle of violence by improving the economy and
creating jobs.
"People need work," Magomedov told NPR. "You understand, though, the state can't
just build new plants and factories, like it used to in Soviet times. We will
create conditions so business will develop in Dagestan, and investments will
arrive and bring new jobs."
Magomedov is an economist whose specialty is job creation, which explains why
Medvedev appointed him last month to lead the troubled republic. But the question
for Magomedov is how to attract investment in what amounts to a police state.
Public Skepticism
Russian special operations forces are constantly on the attack in Dagestan,
hunting for insurgents. Magomedov delicately avoided criticizing his own
government's forces.
"They do their job. And they do it within the bounds of the law," he said. "But
if they use force ... if the physical use of force on their part is improper or
not the appropriate reaction, of course, we don't support such behavior."
Around Makhachkala, Dagestan's capital, the streets are teeming with taxis
blaring music, vendors selling kebabs and people flocking to afternoon prayer.
Dagestan has 2.5 million people, the majority Muslim. And in the fight against
Islamist extremism, this is one of the world's battlegrounds.
In Dagestan and in the nearby republics of Chechnya and Ingushetia, militants
have vowed to create an independent Islamic state. The Russian government, under
former President Vladimir Putin, responded brutally. Medvedev, the current
president, has kept up the pressure. He recently described extremism in this
region as a cancerous tumor.
Many in Dagestan, like Svetlana Isayeva, say they don't believe Medvedev's new
promise to build up the economy.
"It's wonderful what he said," Isayeva says. "But the citizens of Dagestan should
see and feel deeds. It's not just about listening to an interview, and then
A Struggle With Fear
Isayeva runs a group called Mothers of Dagestan for Human Rights. She formed it
in 2007 after her 25-year-old son was kidnapped a victim, she said, of a
government raid. Her son had no militant ties, she says, though one old
acquaintance of his did kill a police officer. Isayeva says she believes federal
forces responded by casting a huge net and rounding up as many young men as they
could find.
She has not seen her son since.
"You can't even imagine the torture of going to bed and waking up in the morning
with one and the same thought: 'Maybe today I'll learn something; now I'll get
some news.' "
The government has denied targeting innocent people. But the Mothers of Dagestan
and other families have similar stories. There is a sense among many people in
Dagestan that there is no way to build up an economy when young men fear leaving
their houses.
'We Work Here. We Live Here'
Makhachkala's mayor, Said Amirov, knows fear. Militants have tried to assassinate
him 15 times. In 1998, a bullet pierced his car and shattered his spine. He is
paralyzed from the waist down.
When asked what keeps him going to work onto these dangerous streets every day
in a wheelchair he responds: "Where should I go? Shall I run to America? We work
here. We live here. What kind of answer would you like to have?"
This republic desperately needs jobs, he says. And if the Kremlin is serious
about investing there, the people will give it a chance. Nothing, the mayor says,
is impossible.
[return to Contents]
BBC Monitoring
Peace process should accompany killing of North Caucasus rebels - Russian pundit
Text of report by Gazprom-owned, editorially independent Russian news agency Ekho
Moscow, 25 March: Militant leaders in the North Caucasus should not simply be
destroyed, but should be tried, the political scientist and an expert from the
Moscow Carnegie Center, Aleksey Malashenko, said on Ekho Moskvy when commenting
on the elimination of the militant leader active in Kabarda-Balkaria, Anzor
"(Rebels) should not just be killed but tried, because they are responsible for
crimes, or crimes are attributed to them, and society should know about this,"
the political scientist said. According to Malashenko, "the elimination of the
highest profile figures, the most popular people with the most authority from
among the Islamist opposition, is definitely a success for the intelligence
services," and an indicator that "planned systematic work is being carried out"
in this area. However, in his opinion, "the destruction of leaders should be
supplemented by a peace process".
"It is necessary somehow to build up contacts, make those who are around them
move away from these activities. If you kill a leader, you can also cause
animosity as well as fear. If you do not carry out peace work at the same time,
this cannot lead to very good results," Malashenko noted.
However, as regards the possibility of organizing public trials of militants,
Malashenko thinks that the authorities "are afraid of such trials because, as a
rule, the militant leaders are charismatic figures, they know how to talk, and if
they are alive they can pose a danger if they are imprisoned, or even when
appearing in court".
The political scientist also noted that as a result of the destruction of
militant leaders they "can be replaced by understudies who come gradually, and a
new generation appears".
[return to Contents]
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2010
Subject: Prosecution of human rights activists in Ulan-Ude
From: Stephen Shenfield <firstname.lastname@example.com>
On April 23, 2009, the procuracy of the Republic of Buryatia in Ulan-Ude
charged two local human rights activists and members of the Democratic
Union, journalist Nadezhda Nizovkina and lawyer Tatyana Stetsura, with the
offence of ^3inciting social hatred^2 under Article 282 of the Criminal Code
of the Russian Federation, on the grounds that three texts written and
disseminated by them ^3incite hatred on social grounds toward officers of the
police, procuracy, Federal Security Service, army, and prison service.^2
Article 282, which carries penalties of up to five years of imprisonment,
was originally directed solely against the incitement of hatred on ethnic,
racial, or religious grounds. Anti-fascist activists often complained that
the authorities were too reluctant to press charges under the Article
against hate propagandists.
In 2003, however, the scope of Article 282 was expanded to cover incitement
of hatred on grounds of sex, language, origin, or ^3membership in any social
group.^2 It is now common practice to charge activists of various political
orientations with "inciting social hatred." As critics have pointed out,
protesting against anyone and anything can be construed as inciting social
hatred. For instance, protesting against or simply publishing information
about murders can be construed as inciting hatred against members of the
"social group" of murderers.
Nizovkina and Stetsura are graduates of the law faculty of Buryatia State
University. They have engaged in protests against abuses committed by
various state agencies, including the cruel treatment of minors held in
closed institutions, and in defense of ethnic minorities and Buryat
autonomy. They have also spoken on local television.
The three texts on which the charges are based were written, posted on
websites, distributed as leaflets, and published in the journal "Svobodnoe
slovo" (Free Word) between November 2008 and March 2009.
The first text was in defense of Imam Bakhtiar Umarov, who initiated the
construction of a mosque in Ulan-Ude and was arrested on charges of
"terrorism." The authors argued that the charges against him were
The second text marked the 65th anniversary of Stalin's deportation of
Chechens, Ingush, Crimean Tatars, Volga Germans, and nine other ethnic
groups in 1944. The authors stated that the force structures still commit
atrocities against members of ethnic minorities today and that the
perpetrators are rewarded with medals and bonuses.
The third text was in defense of Volgograd journalist Elena Maglevannaya,
who was being sued for defamation by the managers of Penal Colony No. 15
after publishing a series of articles alleging that Chechen political
prisoners were being tortured in the colony. She had focused especially on
the case of Zubair Zubairayev, who had been sentenced on (as she argued)
fabricated charges of possessing weapons and making an attempt on the life
of a law enforcement officer.
On September 4, 2009, Nizovkina and Stetsura were examined at the
Transbaikal Laboratory of Judicial Expertise (under the Ministry of Justice)
by psychologist Yuliya Malinina and linguist Galina Sudoplatova, who chairs
the Russian Language Department at Buryatia State University. Based on the
examination and linguistic analysis of the three texts, Malinina and
Sudoplatova issued an All-Sided Judicial Psychological-Linguistic Expert
Appraisal. Nizovkina and Stetsura were found to be immature personalities
exhibiting "chronic malice and unhappiness" and "sociopathic tendencies."
Since then two further appraisals have been conducted.
On February 18, 2010 Nizovkina and Stetsura went to Moscow to take part in a
law seminar. As they went without permission from the investigator, they are
afraid of being arrested if they return to Ulan-Ude. They have therefore
remained in Moscow (though of course they may be arrested there too). They
plan to appeal to the Constitutional Court on the grounds that Article 282
is unconstitutional.
Source: documents and e-mail communications from Nadezhda Nizovkina
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March 25, 2010
Uses and abuses of Stalin's image
By Alexei Levinson
The Levada Center has been monitoring Russian attitudes to Stalin for years.
Alexei Levinson, reviewing changing attitudes to this iconic figure following the
Center's latest survey, finds that he remains popular, and that people are
strangely forgiving of his crimes. But there is some resistance to the way the
authorities exploit his image to their own ends
Joseph Stalin died 57 years ago, in March 1953. Since the average life expectancy
in Russia is about 68, very few people who were of reasoning age while Stalin was
alive are still able to talk publicly about life back then. But attitudes towards
Stalin and Stalinism are once again provoking public polemics, this time among
the children and grandchildren of those people. Today, as shown by a Levada
Center survey, about half of all young people say that they are "indifferent" to
Stalin. The attitude of the other half to a figure they only know about from
history is divided.
In the first decade after Stalin's death, Soviet domestic policy fluctuated
between condemning him, and condemning the condemnation of him. But interest in
Stalin gradually faded. At the end of the 1980s, our surveys showed that not more
than 10% in Russia thought he was one of the "great people of all times and
nations" (about 20% accorded this honour to Gorbachev). Liberal tendencies in
vogue at the time were associated with the symbolic figure of Lenin. Stalin was
seen as his antithesis. Under Gorbachev Soviet society cherished the hopes that
had been crushed by the Soviet tanks in Czechoslovakia in 1968: that a democratic
system could be created in a socialist society. This illusion was destroyed by
the collapse of the USSR in 1991.
Yeltsin's era was a time when the ideas of the Soviet communist utopia, and the
utopia of socialism with a human face, were debunked. They were replaced by a
mass determination to build a democratic state with a market economy right here
and now, so that the country could begin to flourish and prosperity improve. What
they got, however, was a severe economic and social crisis. A minority used the
ruins of the Soviet system to become extremely rich; the majority saw a severe
drop in their material wealth and, more importantly, the loss of their world and
their status. Huge masses of people found themselves in a situation where it was
impossible to move back to the past they had rejected or into the future which
turned out to be a deception. All they had was the destitute present.
The mood in society changed radically in just a few years. Our studies noted a
loss in democratic hopes, more frequently illusions, among both the general
public and the ruling groups. The latter began to look for a replacement for the
"democrat" Yeltsin in the opposite camp, among officers of the KGB and similar
departments. The public rejected both the "democrats" and Lenin and found their
ideal in Stalin. In 1994 20% already classed him as a "great man". By the end of
the Yeltsin era in 1999 this number had grown to 35%.
Then the Putin era began. Putin was very effective in capitalizing on the
disenchantment with democracy and democrats. With the aid of a number of simple
gestures and signs, he showed that he could offer the public a type of leadership
that was the complete opposite of democracy, which had become so compromised in
people's eyes. It wasn't dictatorship or tyranny. His approval ratings stayed at
60% and higher for ten years. This shows that the signal he gave was the right
one for the time, which was that the type of government was not a foreign model
forced on the country by the West, but home-grown and that Russia would talk to
the West as equals. We have a "democratic" constitution, but real power is not
based on the laws and democratic institutions enshrined in this constitution,
such as parliament, parties and elections, but on the rule of the leader, who has
universal support. In today's popular consciousness Stalin is an emblem of this
type of leadership. Since Putin came to power, Stalin has moved to third place on
the list of "great people", and in 2008 was only 1% lower in the ratings than
Emperor Peter the Great. Putin was in fifth place on the same list.
Disillusionment with democratic ideals does not mean they have disappeared from
popular consciousness. They are indeed present, though repressed and symbolically
crushed. The figure of Stalin is in fact needed as an expression of this
repression. Popular consciousness does not deny the attributes of this figure
that are condemned (from the democratic standpoint). Almost 60% of Russians
recognise that "the sacrifices made by the Soviet people in the Stalinist era
cannot be justified by great goals and results". This is even more obvious if one
compares two figures. 35% of people born before Stalin's death said that members
of their families had suffered in the Stalinist repressions. But only 25% are
prepared to call Stalin a "state criminal". In other words, although the
sacrifices cannot be justified, Stalin is forgiven for them.
The contradictions and divisions surrounding this symbol can be found in all
sections of society. We have already mentioned that young people are equally
divided into Stalinists and anti-Stalinists. But in many ways pro-Stalinist and
anti-Stalinist moods reflect the opposition between young and old. Over 30% of
the older generation believes that, with the death of Stalin, the country lost a
"great leader and teacher"; only 9% of young people are of this opinion. There is
also the gender aspect: 23% of men say that Stalin was a great leader, but only
15% of women. Analysis shows that the Stalinist principle of victory at any cost
appeals to men of an active age, "real men", so to speak. Women are more inclined
to regret the sacrifices and excesses of this type of leadership. There is also a
regional element in the opinions people give: in the capital 12% express respect,
admiration and sympathy with Stalin, but in cities of medium size, this figure is
three times higher.
A projection of Russians' beliefs about attitudes to Stalin outside Russia gives
some revealing results. 22% of Russians believe that people in the West think of
Stalin as a "despot and criminal of the same ilk as Hitler and Mussolini". 16%
believe that in the West Stalin is considered a "great person, under whose
leadership the Soviet Union became one of the most powerful countries in the
world". Another 19% believe that in the West people have "mixed feelings of
respect, fear and indignation". But Russians give a different answer to the
question about attitudes to Stalin in the former socialist countries of Eastern
Europe i.e. they realize that there are far fewer illusions about Stalin there.
Less than 10% believe that people remember Stalin as a great person in the
socialist bloc. He is considered a despot and criminal to a greater degree than
in the West, they believe. But most frequently (26%), Russians attribute this
mixture of "respect, fear and indignation" to their former socialist brothers. In
fact, they believe, this is what the attitude should be to a ruler sent by fate.
In addition, the public's fluctuating attitudes to Stalin, have been given a
helping hand by the government. Stalin serves as an authorization for autocratic
rule, but he is also interesting for the rulers of Russia today because he is
linked to the strongest symbol of integration in their armoury the people's
memory of victory in the Great Patriotic War. This event is perceived by
practically all Russians as the greatest event in history, and no one dares to
dispute its importance. The only dispute is whether the victory was achieved
because or in spite of Stalin's rule. For all his errors, crimes even, Stalin
remains in the eyes of many the organizer and inspirer of this victory, and the
government tries to uphold this belief. The incredible price paid for the victory
only increases its importance in the eyes of the majority. Stalin's errors and
even crimes are admitted, but they only make him a more solid figure as a
symbolic resource. The public has no illusions as to who is making use of this
resource, how and why. They are not so naive as to think that the authorities
"are using the cult of Stalin to bring back the Soviet system". Only 8% believe
this. The rest realize that it's just a cover, that in fact it's not the Soviet
system the authorities want, but their own. This is why twice as many people
believe that the Russian authorities "try to use the cult of Stalin to justify
their abuse of power". Another 20% believe that for the authorities "the present
Stalin cult serves to compensate for the lack of a national idea". And 23%
believe that the authorities use it "to strengthen their own position".
The study showed that the number of people whose families suffered from Stalinist
repressions was four and a half times lower among the medium and lower levels of
bureaucracy, than in the engineering and technical intelligentsia. But hostility
to the figure of Stalin is roughly similar in both groups. This medium and lower
bureaucracy is more dissatisfied with the way the rulers of the country exploit
this symbol for their immediate needs. They criticize the Moscow authorities'
plan to put up posters with Stalin's portrait on Victory Day one third more than
the average. Local government, like business, has no need of Stalin to solve its
[return to Contents]
Moscow News
March 25, 2010
Boom and bust
By Ed Bentley
Russia is on course for booming growth of 5.5 per cent in 2010 as the economic
recovery gathers pace, but worries the rest of the World is heading for bust has
sent Moscow's bourses down.
The World Bank upped its forecast in a report on Wednesday, saying Russia would
see a "robust" improvement in output this year, though unemployment would remain.
"A double-dip recession in Russia is not likely and recovery will be sustained,
primarily driven by the revival of domestic demand - consumption and investment,"
said the Bank's chief economist, Zeljko Bogetic, in the report.
Despite the sprouting green shoots, Russia's stock markets slipped to a fifth
straight day of losses on Friday, as risk appetite and the oil price fell amidst
signs of a sneeze on the US bourses.
"The Dow fell 0.5 per cent and the S&P slipped 0.6 per cent as the market became
increasingly worried about Greece's debt troubles and Portugal was downgraded by
Fitch," Renaissance Capital strategist Tom Mundy wrote in a note.
Investors also remain concerned that the developed world may be slower to recover
than expected since consumers have failed to shake off the cause of the crisis in
the last two years.
"In the US ... overleveraged consumers and the ongoing balance sheet adjustment
in the household sector [are more important], which means the recovery will
probably ultimately disappoint," said Neil Shearing, senior emerging market
economist at London-based Capital Economics.
Worries persist in emerging markets too, after EU Commission President Jose
Manuel Barroso again urged action over Athens' debt. With German taxpayers
vehemently opposed to a bailout and the Eurozone's major forces seemingly split
over what action to take, no end to the saga is in sight.
In contrast, debt laden Dubai World received a $9.5 billion bailout from the
emirate's government and has submitted a plan to creditors to restructure its
A bigger long term worry for Russia, however, comes from China, where signs of a
bubble are growing as property prices pick up and GDP continues shooting up.
"Our best guess is that a significant bubble may still be one or two years away,
and the bust probably at least three years," Citibank economists Willem Buiter
and Minggao Shen wrote in a report.
China's growth of 8 per cent helped carry the world economy through the crisis,
in particular picking up the oil price and relieving the pressure on Russia. A
collapse in Chinese output would reverberate through Russia, which is seeking to
expand its energy exports east.
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To Make Moscow a Financial Center, Legal System Must Be Predictable - SWIFT Head
MOSCOW. March 25 (Interfax) - Plans to make Moscow an international financial
center will require improvements to financial law and consolidation of financial
institutions, SWIFT President Lazaro Campos said.
Campos, speaking at a SWIFT conference in Moscow, noted the progress the city has
made over the last 20 years toward becoming an international financial center
Moscow is indeed likely to become an international financial center in the next
20 years. At the moment, political and business leadership only have a road map
to work with.
Russia must have a predictable legal and court system, and its paid bank services
must be improved to meet international standards, Campos said.
Russia's financial infrastructure, though sound, must be structured, he said. A
consolidation of the financial sector, where there are currently two many
intermediaries, would produce benefits.
Russia has a great deal of internal liquidity, even though big Russian companies
continue to raise money abroad. The financial services sector must be developed
so that major borrowers can find financing inside the country, he said.
Campos said creation of an international financial center in Russia will
facilitate full-fledged economic growth.
SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) provides
communications platforms, products and services to more than 9,000 banks,
securities firms and corporations in 209 countries. ROSSWIFT, the Russian
national association, was formed in 1994.
More than 500 Russian banks and organizations currently use SWIFT.
[return to Contents]
Moscow Times
March 26, 2010
Cost of Bribes More Than Doubles in '09
By Alex Anishyuk
The average cost of a bribe more than doubled last year, the Interior Ministry's
economic safety department said Thursday, although experts say the figures may be
on the low side.
The cost of an average bribe last year reached more than 23,000 rubles ($780), up
from 9,000 rubles in 2008, the department said in a statement posted on its web
The ministry registered 7,856 cases of bribery involving state agencies in 2009,
an increase of 10.2 percent from the year before. Of those cases, a total of
2,351 people were prosecuted for corruption last year, a rise of 14.9 percent,
the statement said.
But corruption is likely to level off this year, as the department already has
registered a decline in the number of corruption cases since January.
"[There's been] a 7 percent decline. It's not a global victory, but it shows that
the measures taken in 2009 are working," said Alexander Nazarov, deputy head of
the Interior Ministry's economic safety department.
President Dmitry Medvedev declared war on corruption after assuming his post in
2008, creating the Anti-Corruption Council and calling on it to draft legislation
to protect businesses from corrupt bureaucrats and to guarantee judicial
Medvedev signed a national plan to combat corruption in 2008 and last year signed
new anti-corruption legislation, which includes statutes barring officials from
accepting gifts worth more than 3,000 rubles ($100) and forcing them to inform
state bodies if they plan to join companies in which they may have vested
But the Interior Ministry statistics involve mostly low-profile crimes, and they
aren't very helpful in understanding the total amount of corruption in the
country, said Yelena Panfilova, head of Transparency International Russia.
"The statistics published by the Interior Ministry don't cover the whole scope of
corruption-related crimes bribery is just a part of the problem," she said. "It
would be more helpful if the Prosecutor General's Office offered some statistics
on abuse of power by high-ranking officials."
In fact, the average bribe would be much larger if the economic safety department
tackled high-ranking people within the law enforcement agencies, said Kirill
Kabanov, chairman of the National Anti-Corruption Committee.
If the authorities went after higher-ranking officials, the size of the bribes
they would find "would stun both journalists and the public," he said.
And while the Kremlin's anti-corruption campaign is a good start, it won't be
enough to put a dent in the real corruption problem.
"[Medvedev's] main accomplishment is speaking openly about it and calling for
action," Kabanov said. "But it looks like the officials on the lower levels don't
hear him."
Russia was ranked 146th in Transparency International's worldwide corruption
rating in 2009, slightly improving from 147th place, where it was in 2008, the
organization said.
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Anti-corruption Struggle Senseless Just By Repressive Measures
MOSCOW, March 25 (Itar-Tass) - The anti-corruption struggle is senseless just
through repressive measures, deputy chief of the economic security department of
the Russian Interior Ministry Maj. Gen. Alexander Nazarov told reporters on
"Currently the state is taking drastic systemic anti-corruption measures.
Alongside, the Interior Ministry is taking the range of measures seeking to make
this work more efficient," he noted. Some 43,000 corruption
crimes were exposed in the country in the previous year, 90% of which were
reported in the police. Some 2,351 bribers were brought to criminal
"Corruption cases have been exposed in the course of the year in all federal
constituent territories. The corruption level is lower in some regions and is
higher in other regions, but unfortunately corruption exists everywhere," Nazarov
noted. He stressed that the struggle against corruption is a long-term campaign
and no matter how the Russian leadership is eager to get a quick effect, it will
not be so. "This problem cannot be settled just through repressive measures, as
well as the quality of anti-corruption measures cannot be assessed in numerical
indicators, as it is the Sisyphean labour. So, other officials will replace the
detained officials, and this senseless work can last for decades," Nazarov
"The efforts should be targeted, concrete and aimed at minimizing the losses from
corruption," he said.
[return to Contents]
Businesses That Complain About Corruption Need Protection - Police
MOSCOW, March 25 (Itar-Tass) -- Businesses that decide to inform law enforcement
bodies on corruption cases should be granted economic security, the deputy head
of the Economic Security Department at Russia's Interior Ministry Major-General
Alexander Nazarov, said on Thursday.
The present legislation does not contian such a norm.
"If someone exposes a bribe that was requested in exchange for admisison to a
college or university or for getting some document, the informer is not
threatened in any way," he said. "However, as far as the corruption of high-level
officials is concerned, quite often it so happens that once a business has
informed us of corruption, it finds itself at risk."
Corrupted society is highly corporate, and as a result the business in question
is barred from bidding contests in retaliation.
"Other countries are also faced with this problem nowadays," Nazarov said. "I
believe that appropriate changes should be made, since those who have the courage
to inform us on corruption are brave people."
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March 26, 2010
A portrait of the beloved CEO
By Grigory Milov
Russian CEOs have an underdeveloped competence level related to motivation and
education of staff, say experts of RosExpert, a consulting company, basing their
argument on a detailed analysis of decision making styles of CEOs of Russia's
largest companies.
In many managerial competencies, Russian managers are no worse than their foreign
colleagues, say the researchers. Russians are highly intelligent, focused on deep
expertise, capable of interpreting and analyzing complex information, quickly
adapt to changes and prove to be effective in stressful situations. But, the list
of their shortcomings was rather lengthy as well, note RosExpert specialists.
Our minuses
A Russian CEO resolves immediate problems in rapid response mode and relies
solely on himself, expecting his subordinates to perform administrative and
expert, rather than managerial roles. Team discussions and brainstorming are used
by Russian executives less frequently and less effectively. Russian leaders are
not inclined towards encouraging team work. Its absence is compensated by a
narrow circle of trusted individuals, while the process of becoming a part of
that circle is non-formalized and not transparent.
Russia's first line managers are authoritative and unwilling to justify their
ideas and decisions to their subordinates, thus striving to create an image of
confident, self-sufficient leadership. They do not allow room for doubt, rarely
consult others, and not always adequately assess the strengths and weaknesses of
others as well as their own. They abuse negative motivation and do not consider
it necessary to acknowledge achievements of others. Russians are ambitious and
driven by status and financial compensation. If their financial expectations are
not justified, motivation and loyalty decreases markedly. Even during
negotiations, Russian executives try to dominate and do not listen well to
others, say the consultants.
All of this leads to an information vacuum in companies, lack of comprehension of
strategy on all levels, and a lack of staff initiative. According to the study,
as a result, it may be long before the tradition of development of managerial
teams emerges in Russia.
Whom we are being compared with
The consultants made these findings based on a comparison of CEO profiles of
Russia's largest companies with international standards that were established
based on the many years of research of decision making styles of top managers
from various countries. A database of the international headhunting company, Korn
Ferry, was used; it includes profiles of more than 5 million leaders from five
management levels: from the first person to a supervisor. Questionnaires were
filled out by representatives of 51 countries.
In Russia, RosExpert consultants invited more than 100 of Russia's CEOs from more
than 10 economic sectors to take part in the research. Responses came from 52
people, 12 of whom are business owners or CEOs, said RosExport partner, Galina
Study participants answered psychometric questionnaires, developed by Decision
Dynamics, which is a part of Korn Ferry. Based on these surveys, a general
profile of the Russian CEO was created, which the consultants compared with the
international samples. Average values were calculated for each of the
competencies, as well as best results in each category. Best people were to be
selected based on their performance, says Clive Newton, head of talent and
leadership practices at Korn Ferry. But, it was impossible to find universal
criteria for performance, so they chose the most highly paid individuals. The
company representatives understand that wages do not always correspond to the
achieved results, but expect that these differences were leveled out by the
sample size.
Changing for the best
General Director of the Russian branch of the international insurance group,
Zurich, Nikolay Klekovkin, underwent the assessment twice, based on the
methodology of Decision Dynamics. The first time was when he was applying for his
job: in Zurich, every candidate is subjected to a similar examination. The second
time was on a voluntary basis for RosExpert. According to him, he sees noticeable
stratification in management styles of Russian companies. There are large
industrial groups, where work methods generally do not differ greatly from the
stereotypes, described by the consultants. But, there are companies that have
managed to adopt all of the positive aspects of Western management, and at the
same time, did not lose the positive qualities of Russian style of management.
According to Klekovkin, consequences of the shortcomings of the typical Russian
style of management are not necessarily evident in stable conditions. But, during
an economic crisis, the inability to, for example, simply keep employees informed
may lead to considerable personnel and financial losses.
The international headhunting company, Egon Zehnder, does not conduct
psychometric surveys, but an assessment of professional competencies of teams and
management. In the European office, job candidates' competence levels have been
assessed for 30 years, in Russia -- since 2001, said Artem Avdeev, managing
partner of the Egon Zehnder Moscow office. It was able to collect profiles of
more than 1,000 top managers. Averages were not calculated, he says. But it is
evident without them that Russians are result-driven and have a lot of experience
in making changes. But leadership qualities have traditionally been regarded in
Russia as the ability to give orders. The situation began changing for the better
only recently. Russians lack in collective decision making experience, says
Avdeev. Nor is staff training agreeable in Russia, he noted.
Minus Three
Last year, competencies of about 4,000 managers of Russia's Sberbank were
assessed, says Sergey Gorkov, human resources director at Sberbank. As it turns
out, practically all of them lack in three competencies: strategic management,
risk management, and staff training. In order to eliminate these shortcomings,
Sberbank plans to implement Western business school methods, such as those of IMD
in Lausanne and LBS in London, says Gorkov.
[return to Contents]
RBC Daily
March 26, 2010
The government intends to sell 18 billion rubles worth of state assets to foreign
investment banks
Author: Anastasia Matveyeva
The government is resolved to continue privatization. The lots
might go to foreign buyers this time - Bank of America - Merrill
Lynch, JP Morgan Chase & Co, and UBS. This emphasis on foreign
buyers reveals the intention to attract capitals from abroad. The
first auction will take place in April.
Price of the lots to be put up for sale is not what the
government declared in autumn 2009. A special working group under
Senior Deputy Premier Igor Shuvalov then considered the sale of
100 billion rubles worth of state-owned assets. Their list
included 690 joint-stock companies, 230 federal state unitary
enterprises, and 74 objects owned by the treasury. According to
insiders, 150 joint-stock companies were already appraised and
nearly ready for sale. On the other hand, their aggregate worth
amounts to only 18 billion rubles at best. The largest assets
earmarked for sale this year include Rosgosstrakh, Moscow Metro
Construction, Tyritsa Salt Pit, and Iskitim Cement.
If the government means to sell 100 billion rubles worth of
assets, it had better start considering the sale of strategic
enterprises. Sources close to the Cabinet say that preparations
for it are under way. The number of strategic enterprises is to be
reduced from 211 to 41, that of federal state unitary enterprises
from 230 to 159.
Auctions such as the one that is about to take place are
usually organized in May or June. Yaroslav Lisovolik of Die
Deutsche Bank attributed the earlier than usual action this time
to the government's ambitious plans regarding privatization. "The
government expects to use what is made in auctions to cover the
budget deficit," he explained. "Besides, privatization on so major
a scale implies a certain reduction of state's presence in
[return to Contents]
The Economist
March 27-April 2, 2010
Yukos haunts Rosneft
A spectre of litigation
Adverse court rulings are exhuming Russia's most infamous expropriation
REMEMBER Yukos, Russia's biggest oil firm, which was bankrupted by improbable tax
claims and then dismembered in bogus auctions? The Russian government would
rather that you did not. Although it has expunged Yukos from official registers,
the firm's ghost is haunting the Kremlin and its state oil company, Rosneft,
which swallowed Yukos's assets. In the past few weeks this ghost has been
particularly active, making appearances in several European and American courts,
demanding retribution and winning injunctions against Rosneft. Earlier this month
an English court froze Rosneft's local assets in a case brought by Yukos Capital,
an offshore affiliate of Yukos. A week later a similar freezing order was imposed
by a court in Ireland.
This is part of an effort by Yukos's former managers to enforce an earlier Dutch
court ruling that Rosneft should repay a loan of nearly $400m (plus interest and
penalties), which it had acquired together with Yukos's main production assets.
The loan dates to 2004, when the Russian authorities simultaneously piled up
billions of dollars worth of tax claims on Yukos and froze its assets and bank
accounts, making it impossible for the oil company to make any tax payments.
To shore up Yuganskneftegaz, its main production unit, Yukos arranged for a loan
from one of its offshore affiliates, Yukos Capital. However, the government soon
seized Yuganskneftegaz and auctioned it off to a front company called
BaikalFinanceGroup, which had been registered two weeks earlier at the address of
a vodka bar in the provincial Russian town of Tver. A few days later
Yuganskneftegaz ended up in Rosneft's hands. But Rosneft refused to repay Yukos
Remarkably, a commercial arbitration court in Moscow ruled in Yukos's favour,
telling Rosneft to repay the loan. This decision was soon overturned but it gave
Yukos Capital a chance to take its case to a Dutch court which also ordered
Rosneft to pay up. When Rosneft refused, Yukos Capital asked the courts in
Britain, Ireland and the state of New York to oblige it.
On March 17th the court in New York said that unless Rosneft had assets in the
state, the case was outside its jurisdiction. (Yukos Capital was given 60 days to
find such assets). But in England and in Ireland the freezing orders remain in
place, at least for now. In a statement, Rosneft said the British court order was
groundless and it was taking all necessary measures to protect its interests.
The injunctions, which stop Rosneft from making payments from its local accounts,
have put its oil traders and its creditors into a spin. They put Rosneft into
technical default on loans from foreign banks which are secured by sale contracts
between Rosneft and its customers. As Russia's largest oil company, it is
certainly good for the money: the disputed sum represents just 10% of last year's
profit. But it is the first time that Rosneft has been materially affected by its
controversial acquisition of Yukos's assets.
The timing is particularly important given a $98 billion claim made in the
European Court of Human Rights against Russia by Yukos before its destruction.
Despite Russia's protests that Yukos no longer exists, the court accepted the
case; a judgment is pending. In its defence, Russia argued that "the integrity,
professionalism and independence" of Russian courts has not been challenged. But
the European Court, which regularly overturns Russian legal judgments, may have a
different view. If it finds in Yukos's favour, the shareholders could seek
enforcement in any court in Europe.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Yukos's former owner, already serving an eight-year
sentence for tax evasion, is now on trial for stealing oil as well. According to
a recent poll, 41% of Russians believe that the government is putting pressure on
the courts to secure a guilty verdict, whereas only 20% think otherwise.
The Kremlin has tried to portray Mr Khodorkovsky as a blood-soaked gangster and
Yukos's destruction as a noble act on behalf of Russia's defrauded taxpayers. In
a recent phone-in session open to the public, Vladimir Putin, Russia's prime
minister, in effect accused Mr Khodorkovsky of murder, diverted responsibility
for Yukos's bankruptcy to foreign banks and took pride in returning to the
Russian people the money he says was stolen from them.
But few Russians seem to subscribe to that version of events. According to the
same poll, only 7% of respondents believe that the destruction of Yukos has
benefited the people, whereas 63% believe it was orchestrated in the interests of
a small group of bureaucrats and businessmen with close ties to the Kremlin. The
thought that some foreign courts might share that view must truly haunt Russia's
[return to Contents]
Californian Forum Helps To Improve Innovations In Russia - View
PALO ALTO, California, March 25 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia has made certain progress
in innovative technologies, and the 7th global technology forum in California
will help register it, deputies of Russia's State Duma taking part in the forum
said on Thursday.
The situation with innovative projects "has been changing for the better in
Russia," the Chairman of the State Duma's Sub-Committee on Technologies, Ilya
Ponomarev, said."The changes are not too quick but they do take place."
The attention to innovations is very close on the part of Russia's current
President, the deputy said. Ponomarev said he tried to bring to California a
delegation of experts from St. Petersburg and other regions to establish new
business contacts and enrich their ideas on the true potential of scientific
As far as fundamental sciences are concerned, "we are the leaders," the deputy
said. Still, if one take the level of commercialised technologies, Russia,
unfortunately, is behind the top twenty countries. Russia's huge potential should
be developed, and this is something to be done by those who know how to use
scientific research in commercial projects, Ponomarev said. The main obstacle
here is that we lack such specialists.
"We do not have enough experts who realise what is to be done."
"Such people do exist in Russia, and their number will grow," the MP said. "We
need to have conditions for them to appear and grow - like those in the Silicon
Valley. Then they would be able to do what they are supposed to be doing, rather
than solve numerous every-day problems."
His colleague at the State Duma, Konstantin Beschetnov, who deals with
non-material assets /brands, technologies, inventions, intellectual property/,
estimates the potential of this part of Russia's domestic market to stand at "60
billion dollars a year." These assets do not contain money as it is, but they may
achieve colossal capitalisation, as they grow fast and stimulate the GDP's
"They deserve being fought for," he said.
Everything related to this part of Russia's market is to be started from scratch
and it may be attractive, Beschetnov said. One of the priorities here is
legislation and this is precisely the area where western experience may be of
real use.
"We shall try to use the experience of previous attempts and to avoid repeating
past mistakes," he said.
Russian business is still lacking motivation and understanding to be fully
involved in innovations, the deputy thinks.
Educational trips, forums like the present one and success stories will improve
motivation and understanding, he hopes.
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Russia Wants U.S. High Technologies, Not Goods
PALO ALTO (California), March 26 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia wants U.S. high
technologies rather than shipments of high-tech goods, according to a senior
economic development ministry official.
Oleg Fomichev, head of the department of strategic management and budgeting, said
Russia wants "genuine partnership" and would like foreign partners to share high
technologies through joint ventures and engineering centers.
"The only thing we do not want is that it all boils down to deliveries of
American equipment," he told Tass on Thursday.
Fomichev, who replaced Economic Development Minister Elvira Nabiullina at a
technological symposium in California, said mostly major high-tech companies are
interested in the Russian market, while companies of a smaller scope are
practically absent in Russia.
"We are interested in all foreign firms without exception that are ready to
invest into joint ventures with Russia. There is room enough for everyone," he
Russia offers its "economy, market and possibility to participate in economic
modernization," he said.
Fomichev said there are numerous innovative ideas in Russia, but in contrast to
the Silicon Valley in the United States there is no possibility to test them for
production purposes.
"Even competitive design is not commercialized. The reason is the absence of an
uninterrupted mechanism to test any worthy idea for practical business
implementation. If it is not quickly commercialized, the idea becomes outdated in
three years," Fomichev said.
He added there is nothing shameful in borrowing foreign technologies. "Russia can
do a lot, but not all," he said, adding high-tech cooperation is planned with
China, India and Brazil.
"The more global the common business is, the better it is for all and for us,
first and foremost," he said.
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New York Times
March 26, 2010
Treaty Advances Obama's Nuclear Vision
By PETER BAKER
WASHINGTON The arms control treaty being completed by the United States and
Russia represents another step toward closing the books on the defining struggle
of the final half of the 20th century. But it also marks the opening of a broader
campaign to counter the emerging threats of the 21st century.
The treaty that the two sides hope to finalize as early as Friday will require
hundreds of nuclear weapons to be shelved or destroyed, still just a fraction of
the formidable arsenals maintained by the former cold war adversaries. But
perhaps more important than the numbers is the tangible evidence of a new
partnership with Russia and momentum toward a revamped nuclear security regime.
If President Obama signs the treaty with President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia
in Prague on April 8 as expected, it will give Mr. Obama a stronger hand heading
into two back-to-back nuclear summit meetings where he wants to push toward the
nuclear weapons-free world he envisions. At the two meetings, Mr. Obama hopes to
forge international consensus to limit the spread of weapons and secure materials
that could be vulnerable to terrorists, efforts that could be accelerated by the
new treaty.
"The larger meaning is the delegitimization of nuclear weapons," said Kenneth N.
Luongo, president of the Partnership for Global Security, a nonprofit group
pushing for aggressive efforts at the approaching meetings. "Obama will be able
to go, and Medvedev as well, and say, 'Here's what we did on disarmament. Now we
need to get serious about nuclear terrorism and nuclear materials.' "
Stephen Sestanovich, a veteran Russia expert who was ambassador-at-large to the
former Soviet republics during the Clinton administration, said that the White
House viewed the new treaty as "the key that turns a great many other locks." But
writing on the Web site of the Council on Foreign Relations, he cautioned that
the deep mistrust between the United States and Russia stubbornly remained. "The
new treaty will not put it to rest," he wrote.
The specific arms reductions embedded in the new treaty amount to a continuing
evolution rather than a radical shift in the countries' nuclear postures.
According to people in Washington and Moscow briefed on the new treaty, it will
lower the legal limit on deployed strategic warheads to 1,550 each from the 2,200
allowed as of 2012. It would lower the limit on launchers to 800 from the 1,600
now permitted. Nuclear-armed missiles and heavy bombers would be capped at 700
The United States currently has 2,100 deployed strategic warheads, and Russia
2,600, according to the Federation of American Scientists and the Natural
Resources Defense Council, so each side will have to cut hundreds within seven
years after the treaty is ratified. But both sides have been cutting their
launchers unilaterally for years, with the United States already down to below
1,200 and Russia already at just 800 as allowed in the new treaty. Moreover, the
treaty does not limit the thousands of tactical nuclear bombs and stored
strategic warheads.
The notion that "this is somehow great news or a breakthrough" in fact "is hardly
the case," said Peter Huessy, president of GeoStrategic Analysis, a national
security consulting business. As a matter of percentages, Mr. Huessy noted that
the treaty cut warheads only half as much as did the Treaty of Moscow signed in
2002 by President George W. Bush.
"What did we get out of the deal?" Mr. Huessy asked. "Nothing that I can see, and
I have been doing nuclear stuff, including arms control, since 1981."
The Obama administration readily acknowledges the limitations of the new treaty,
but from the beginning described it as an effort aimed especially at building a
foundation of trust with Moscow and establishing an inspection regime to replace
the one that expired in December with the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or
After a successful first round, Mr. Obama plans to open another round of
negotiations to cut arsenals even further, including stored warheads and tactical
weapons. And eventually he envisions bringing other nuclear powers like China,
Britain and France into the discussions.
Disarmament is only part of the agenda. Four days after the treaty's signing in
Prague, Mr. Obama will host the leaders of as many as 45 countries in Washington
to discuss how to prevent nuclear materials from falling into the wrong hands.
And then a month after that, world leaders will gather in New York for the
regular review conference of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, where they will
consider how to keep more countries from developing weapons like North Korea has
done and, according to Western leaders, Iran is doing.
Mr. Obama also wants to negotiate a treaty on fissile materials and plans to
press the Senate to finally ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
"If we get a Start deal done, it will demonstrate a strong partnership between
the United States and Russia being able to address not just the problems of
nuclear security in their two countries, but the deadly spread of nuclear weapons
throughout the world," said Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary.
Nikolai Sokov, a former Soviet arms negotiator now at the Monterey Institute of
International Studies in California, said the new pact was "both modest and
essential" to more lasting accomplishments.
"So much effort has been spent in the last several months that there is a
tendency to see it as a major step forward," he said. "I think 10 years from now,
we will see it for what it is a small bridge treaty, without which subsequent,
much bigger, achievement would not have been possible."
Clifford J. Levy contributed reporting from Moscow.
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Asia Times
March 26, 2010
China wary of US-Russia nuclear embrace
By M K Bhadrakumar
Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar was a career diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service.
His assignments included the Soviet Union, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany,
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kuwait and Turkey.
United States President Barack Obama is about to pull off his biggest foreign
policy achievement thus far as a perfect twin to the historic healthcare reform
bill passed this week.
Obama was expected to pick up his "hotline" to his Russian counterpart Dmitry
Medvedev on Friday to okay the first arms control agreement of the post-Cold War
era. The "reset" of US-Russia ties is under way, which is no mean achievement
considering the army of cold warriors in Washington, including within Obama's
However, at this historic point in contemporary world politics, such an arms
control deal needs to be more than a bilateral Russian-American affair. Moscow
had a hugely important visitor this week - China's Vice President Xi Jinping, who
is widely regarded as the main candidate to succeed President Hu Jintao as the
secretary general of the Chinese Communist Party at the 18th Party Congress in
The new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) agreement heralds an uncertain
phase in the complex US-Russia-China equation, and Beijing will watch closely
because China's rise could well be a leitmotif of the US maneuvering to "reset"
ties with Russia.
In a resonant statement in Moscow on Tuesday, Xi all but suggested a Sino-Russian
alliance. "Russia and China must become strategic props for each other in the
future on all questions which have a strategic interest for Russia," Xi said.
Obama-Medvedev tandem
Xi's five-day visit to Moscow took place against the backdrop of tortuous START
negotiations in Geneva that had lasted months finally yielding a deal, while
Sino-American ties have run into rough weather over a spat over the value of the
yuan exchange rate. The latter is "locking China and the US in a wrangle ... in
which confrontational actions seem to be brewing," the China's People's Daily
observed in a commentary on Wednesday.
Both Obama and Medvedev are keen on a START deal. For Obama, the new treaty is a
foreign policy milestone that builds momentum for the April 12 "nuclear summit"
he will be hosting in Washington. It also opens a pathway to a more ambitious
round of arms cuts later, which taken together could be a defining legacy of his
Two, if Obama gets the "reset" started in the US's troubled relationship with
Russia, this would not only ease tensions that accrued during the George W Bush
era but also gain leverage to influence the Russian position on vital issues of
foreign policy such as the Iran nuclear issue, terrorism, Middle East, energy -
and most importantly - China's rise.
Medvedev's is equally in need of an "achievement" politically, and nothing
enhances his cultivated image as the reformist in the Kremlin than being seen as
capable of making a difference to Russia's ties with the West. Medvedev has
squarely placed himself in the limelight for the theatrical nuclear roadshow
slated for April 12.
The Kremlin overruled the Russian military's advice that Moscow ought to insist
on any new arms pact specifically restricting American plans for a missile
defense system based in Europe. Under the new pact, according to media sources
privy to the negotiations, each side would have to cut its deployed strategic
warheads by one-third to 1,550, while the number of launchers would be halved to
800 and number of nuclear-armed missiles and heavy bombers would be capped at 700
There is no provision limiting missile defense programs as such, except a broad
non-binding recognition of the relationship between offensive weapons and missile
defense. The Kremlin seems to have accepted that it is not conceivable that
parameters of anti-ballistic missile systems could be put into a treaty dealing
with strategic offensive arms. Obama has, for the time being at least, put on
hold or terminated any major strategic ballistic missile development programs.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin weighs that theater missile defense systems deal with the
potentials of countries like China, Iran or North Korea and Russia, and the US
could even pool efforts in their development.
The arms pact helps project an image of Russia as the US's key interlocutor in
maintaining the global strategic balance, and such an image raises its prestige
in the eyes of the world although Russia is no longer a world power.
Given the economic difficulties and paucity of funds for weapon development, a de
facto reduction of Russia's strategic forces has become inevitable in the
near-term, whereas the US has no such problem maintaining its nuclear potential
at the current level.
Moscow keenly seeks progress in Russian-American relations. The "reset" so far
has been largely in atmospherics, and Moscow estimates that real progress in
bilateral cooperation with the US on any sphere will be hard to expect without
the START follow-on treaty.
A helping hand from China
Moscow, therefore, is a net beneficiary of the new arms reduction pact. Arguably,
Russia has little choice at the moment. To quote Sergei Rogov, director of the
Institute of the USA and Canada at the Russian Academy of Sciences, in a recent
interview with Nezavisimaya Gazeta, the new treaty is a "dire necessity" for
He said: "The Americans have been developing extremely powerful and precise
conventional weapons. They are good against practically all objects, probably
save for very deep bunkers and such like. It means that these conventional
weapons could be launched at targets whose elimination previously required
nuclear weapons.
"And since the US is the only country possessing such [conventional] weapons, it
can afford to make this noble gesture [to Moscow] and suggest reduction of
nuclear weapons. By and large, Obama's administration promotes a policy that
combines anti-nuclear rhetoric and modernization of nuclear weapons."
Are we seeing the end of history? Far from it. The Moscow-based Levada Center, an
independent, non-governmental poll research organization, just found out that
only 14% of Russians advocate the Kremlin striving for closer relations with the
US, whereas 73% believe the US to be "the aggressor that is striving to bring all
countries in the world under its control".
The Levada Center told Interfax news agency, "This data is evidence of support by
the Russian population for the Kremlin's consistently tough position concerning
the US foreign policy."
Thus, Xi's visit to Moscow came at a turning point in the US-Russia-China
equation. Xi obviously intended to demonstrate that China's ties with Russia are
as important for Beijing as its relations with the US. Indeed, neither Beijing
nor Moscow has shown willingness to treat their relationship to be in the nature
of an alliance.
But, through Xi's visit, as Vladimir Portyakov, deputy director of the Institute
of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences put it, "Beijing wants
to deepen the climate of trust that already exists between the two countries ...
It is a favorable factor for us [Russia] in geopolitical terms, and Russia may
feel more confident during talks with the US and European powers."
At a time when the US is "no longer an enemy, but also not yet a friend" - to use
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's most recent description - China's support does
work as a favorable factor for Moscow. Thus, disregarding the US push to
"isolate" Iran, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin recently announced Moscow's
intention to commission the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran in August.
To be sure, while the initialing of the new START deal is just round the corner,
the hard part may only be beginning, since Moscow needs to factor in that the new
START deal must win US Senate ratification, which will not be easy.
Meanwhile, the rivalries in the post-Soviet republics keep simmering. In the
latest eruption of Great Game rivalries in Central Asia, no sooner than Moscow
dropped the idea last December to deploy a military contingent in Batken, in
southern Kyrgyzstan, than Washington made a counter-offer to Bishkek to increase
its own presence in the region on top of the 1,000 American military personnel
already stationed at the Manas airbase.
The growing US presence in Kyrgyzstan is a cause of concern for both Moscow and
Beijing. Batken is close to both the Ferghana Valley, the cradle of radical Islam
in the region, and Xinjiang. Kyrgyzstan hosts a sizeable Uyghur diaspora.
Washington has been aggressively expanding its influence in Kyrgyzstan. The
family-owned businesses of Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev earns more than
US$80 million annually from the Pentagon's procurement contracts for Manas base.
The tandem in the Kremlin
A Kremlin source described Xi's meeting with Putin as "extremely cordial and
productive". Putin told Xi that Russia has "always supported China on most
sensitive issues, including the Taiwan problem. We intend to further build
relations with China on the basis of respect for our common interests".
Curiously, it may seem that Beijing readily relates to Putin, whereas Washington
feels encouraged by Medvedev, the "European in the Kremlin". During last week's
visit to Moscow by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Medvedev's upbeat
assessment of US-Russian relations was that they "are honest and open with
agreements honored".
But Putin's foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, said Putin "frankly" discussed
with Clinton the entire range of contentious issues - trade, missile defense,
Iran and the Jackson-Vanik amendment, a Cold War-era law imposing trade
restrictions on Russia.
Ushakov noted, "Putin said plainly that Russia's entry into the World Trade
Organization directly depended on the political will of the US administration"
(Russia applied for membership to the trade organization in 1993), and he used
"interesting and expletive" words while informing Clinton of the Russian position
on Georgia and Ukraine. Putin told Clinton that new UN Security Council sanctions
against Iran are possible, but they may be counter-productive.
In sum, as a commentator put it, Beijing, Moscow and Washington are like
"unwieldy participants in a cultural dance that none can quit without suffering
real pain. The trick, however, is how to coordinate the steps so that the
participants aren't tromping all over each others' feet."
The yuan exchange controversy is the latest example of this threesome waltz.
China has openly expressed the hope that Russia, which also holds large reserves
of US dollars, will "take an objective approach and will support China" against
pressure from Washington. There has been no official word from the Kremlin so
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US Intelligence Analyst Says US Faces Variety Of Threats
WASHINGTON, March 25 (Itar-Tass) - Unlike the period of the Cold War, when the
United States faced a threat to its existence, now it is concerned over a variety
of problems, not all of the them of the existential character, Mathew Burrows,
counselor to the National Intelligence Council and director of the Analysis and
Production Staff, told Itar-Tass on Thursday.
According to Burrows, the current threats, which are so many, pose great danger
since they can accelerate like pandemics.
Speaking at a briefing, Burrows, who is responsible for preparing annual threat
assessment reports to the US Congress, named cybersecurity and growing "malicious
cyberactivity" as the top global threats.
Burrows reiterated his country's concern over increasing Chinese defence
spending. "Although preparation for a Taiwan conflict involving a U.S.
intervention continues to dominate PLA modernization and contingency plans, China
increasingly worries about how to protect its global interests," he said.
Turning to the global economy, "where the trends are more positive," Burrows
noted that "not all countries have emerged from this slump."
"Pakistan and Ukraine are still struggling to put their economic houses in order.
Allies are trying to insulate spending on Afghanistan from budget cuts," he said.
Touching on the terrorist threats, Burrows said the United States had managed to
diminish threats of "9/11-style attacks," but the threat from terrorism was
"still very high in our mind."
"And what our worry is -- and again, what I indicated there is that you have more
individual attacks, ones that are still inspired, supported or even more directly
planned by al Qaeda, and that those are actually very difficult to track and time
in order to disrupt," he stressed.
Special attention was paid to Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs. In his
words, the United States was worried about their efforts to develop nuclear
weapons, but it was also concerned about proliferation of nuke weapons and
When asked about relations with Russia, Burrows said: "We're hoping that the
reset takes hold. We're more worried - as we were talking about - the Caucasus,
tensions there. And of course I'm hopeful that Russia will be becoming
increasingly globally integrated as a result of the modernization efforts the
Russians are taking."
Answering the question about ongoing trends in the Arctic region, Burrows said
the worries were "more on the climate-change aspects" rather than on tensions
between countries, which have access to Arctic.
When asked to explain the relative weakening of U.S. position in the world,
Burrows said: "We did an unclassified study, which is called "A Transformed
World," back in 2008. And we talked about at that time the end of the unipolar
moment and a multipolar world. What we would see with the financial crisis is
that, in some ways, that accelerated that trend. So what we would probably
emphasize is not so much the, you know, relative decline of the U.S., but rather
the rise of other states."
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Poll Shows Russia Should Ignore Criticism From West
March 24, 2010
Article by Aleksandr Sheyko: "So What If There are Enemies All Around"
Should we pay attention to criticism addressed to Russia on the part of the West?
February 2010
February 2007
Poll conducted by the Levada Center on 26 February - 2 March 2010.
Russians do not believe that it is necessary to react to criticism on the part of
the West, to draw closer to NATO or any other military blocs, or to be friends
with the US. Sociologists and experts believe that the Russian authorities have
been largely successful in persuading citizens of the presence of "double
standards" in the West.
Russians are ever less convinced that it is necessary to pay attention to
criticism on the part of the West.
According to data of Levada Center sociologists, in February of 2010, 42 percent
of residents reported that we should listen to criticism addressed to Russia,
while 45 percent said that we should not. In February of 2007, 46 percent were
ready to listen to critical statements addressed to Russia, while 38 percent saw
no need in this.
Sociologists explain that, in the last 3 years, the number of respondents who
were convinced of the lack of objectivity and bias of criticism of Western
countries addressed to Russia had increased by 7 percent as a result of the
consequences of the South Ossetian conflict in August of 2008.
In the opinion of a member of the Carnegie Center's Scientific Council, Andrey
Ryabov, these events happened too long ago to influence the viewpoint of people
today. But the way in which the Russian authorities, as well as the state mass
media, presented the picture of the economic crisis in the West had a much
greater effect. "The image that it is better in the West than it is here is
fading. And it is not even better, but perhaps even worse," the expert explained
to Gazeta.Ru.
Generally, Russians with a secondary special education (47 percent), those with
low consumer status - they have only enough money for food products (47 percent),
as well as rural residents (48 percent) consider it correct to listen to
criticism. Russians in the age group of 40-55 years (49 percent) with a higher
education (52 percent) and high consumer status (50 percent), as well as
residents of Moscow and large cities (51 and 52 percent) feel that it is most
correct to ignore negative statements.
Those who do not intend to take criticism of Russia seriously explain this by
saying that, in the West, they do not understand our life, and want to teach us
(36), and by the fact that Western countries see Russia as a competitor and are
trying to weaken it (35 percent). Around 22 percent believe that Western
criticism is harmful because of its unfriendly attitude toward Moscow. Another 14
percent are convinced that Western critics accuse Russia of the same things that
they themselves are guilty of.
In 2007, the most popular response was the attempt by the West to weaken Russia
(39 percent), while only 22 percent spoke of a policy of "double standards."
Three years ago, President Vladimir Putin had repeatedly made such statements.
The idea of Russia's cooperation with NATO has not seemed attractive to
respondents for a long time now. Only 3 percent say that we should strive to join
the North Atlantic alliance, although the highest indicator (8 percent) was
reported in January of 2004, and since that time it has fluctuated within the
region of 3-4 percent. Twenty-six percent believe that we should nevertheless
cooperate with NATO in the interests of common security. About the same number of
people (25 percent) call upon the authorities to oppose the expansion of the
alliance and to create defense unions to counterweigh it.
Thirty-seven percent are convinced that we should not join any military blocs. A
year ago, 36 percent of respondents took such a position.
Sociologists are reporting that, as of January 2003, this viewpoint is becoming
the most popular. At that time, 22 percent of survey participants chose this
point, but in 2004 it was already 31 percent, and in 2008 - 32 percent. It is
mainly men (40 percent), respondents in the 40-54 year age group (41 percent),
with a secondary education (41 percent) who want to retain neutrality in regard
to world military blocs, as do residents of Moscow (46 percent).
In regard to the US, which is most often associated with the West, ever more
Russians believe it correct to retain the currently existing status-quo. In 2010,
40 percent of Russians spoke out in favor of this, and in 2007, 33 percent were
ready to leave everything as it is. Thirty-six percent of respondents believe
that we should keep a greater distance in dealings with Washington. There are
fewer supporters of this viewpoint as compared to 2007: At that time, 39 percent
of respondents insisted on this point of view. Russians have never especially
strived to draw closer to the US, but a smaller number of people now retain this
desire: 14 percent in 2010 versus 16 percent in 2007 and 24 percent in 2003.
The rather cool attitude of Russians toward the US is entirely explicable. Thus,
73 percent of respondents consider this state to be an aggressor, which is
striving to take all countries of the world under its control. In February of
2003, this viewpoint was supported by 75 percent of respondents, and in 2007 - by
76 percent. Eight percent of Russians are convinced that the US is a protector of
peace, democracy, and order in the whole world. Generally, such a view is
characteristic for young Russians (25 - 39 years of age), mostly men, and people
whose ideology was formed during the period of perestroika (12 percent),
sociologists note.
In Ryabov's opinion, there is nothing surprising in this viewpoint of Russians.
He believes that the country's official line is oriented toward being one of the
poles in the world -- and better the only one, because we have no friends as
such. "Russian-European relations have long been in a stage of stagnation. The
reset of relations with the US has taken place, but as yet there is no effect
from this," the expert explained.
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Gorbachev, Russian tycoon to set up international media foundation
London, 25 March: The Russian businessman Aleksandr Lebedev, who on Thursday (25
March) bought the British newspaper, The Independent, and former Soviet President
Mikhail Gorbachev intend to set up Novaya Independent Media Foundation (NIMF), a
noncommercial foundation to support international mass media projects, the
businessman's official website has announced.
The Dublin-based media company Independent News & Media announced on Thursday
that the deal in which Lebedev bought the nationwide British newspapers The
Independent and The Independent on Sunday, which had been anticipated for several
weeks, was finally completed. The businessman will pay a symbolic sum of one
pound for the paper. Under the terms of the deal, over the next 10 months
Independent News & Media will pay Lebedev 9.25m pounds, and in exchange the
businessman will take over the liabilities on the debts of the paper, which has
recently been making substantial losses.
The Lebedev family already has a 75-per-cent stake in the London evening paper,
the Evening Standard, and in the Russian Novaya Gazeta (newspaper), which is also
co-owned by Gorbachev.
It is these media projects that the new foundation will fund.
"We are talking above all about Novaya Gazeta in Russia, and The Independent and
London Evening Standard in the UK. We hope that other philanthropists will also
become interested in supporting quality journalism to protect the freedom of
speech and create incentives for the genre of investigative journalism so as to
create more transparent society," the website quotes Lebedev saying.
Lebedev declined to comment directly on his latest acquisition or publicize his
plans concerning the future of the publication, only noting that he continued to
invest in the development of free mass media with the aim of creating transparent
society and fighting international corruption.
The deal in which The Independent is bought by the Lebedev family-controlled
Independent Print Limited (IPL) will be finalized in April. IPL will be headed by
Lebedev Sr's son, Yevgeniy Lebedev, who is also president of the Evening Standard
Ltd company.
"I hope that the spirit of independence and free journalism will continue to
thrive. I sincerely believe in the value and great mission of the serious press,"
Lebedev Jr said.
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Moscow Times
March 26, 2010
Ukraine's Premier Wants 'Clean Slate'
By Anatoly Medetsky
Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, seeking to revise a gas contract with
Russia, called for the two sides to forget the legacy of Ukraine's previous
government during talks Thursday with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
"Perhaps, we must forget what happened between our countries over the past five
years, turn the page and start our relations from a clean slate," Azarov said in
his opening remarks.
He was referring to the five-year presidency of Viktor Yushchenko, during whose
tenure relations between the two countries were tested by several gas wars and
other political feuds.
The current government, under President Viktor Yanukovych, who ousted Yushchenko
in February elections, wants to repair the rift between the two neighbors as part
of an effort to steer the economy out of its nosedive, Azarov said.
"We will do everything to rebuild our cooperation and our joint projects," he
Azarov said he brought new proposals for Russia, possibly referring to a plan
that would see operational control over Ukraine's giant gas pipeline network
handed over to a consortium including Ukrainian energy firm Naftogaz, Russia's
Gazprom and European Union energy firms.
Ukrainian officials, including Yanukovych, have repeatedly floated the idea in
past weeks. Even so, Azarov didn't even mention gas during his introductory
"We may ... reach some agreements soon; sign them and show that we don't simply
exchange proposals but work constructively," he said.
Putin, receiving his counterpart in the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow,
was quick to note that this was Azarov's first foreign trip as prime minister.
"It's very pleasant. It's a good sign," he said, before lamenting that the trade
between the countries had decreased over the past few years. It is possible, he
said, to restore previous trade levels or even raise them to new heights.
Afterward, the talks were continued behind closed doors and were still ongoing
Thursday evening. Ukraine's new government believes that the current gas trade
contract is charging an unfairly high price on imports from Russia.
Earlier Thursday, Gazprom urged Ukraine to store up enough gas during the summer
to ensure smooth westward transit during the winter, the company said in a
statement after its chief Alexei Miller met Azarov. About 80 percent of Gazprom's
exports to Europe traverse Ukraine.
Opposition parties in Kiev promised a tough fight over the gas consortium plan,
describing it as harmful to national security. A Ukrainian opposition lawmaker
said there would be riots if the government handed some of the authority over the
country's pipelines to Gazprom.
"If the government attempts to trade away Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and
national interests, including strategic national assets, our people will be
strong enough ... to stand up for everything Ukrainian," said Ostap Semerak, a
senior member of the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, named after its chief, the former
prime minister. "Radical methods of resistance, including physical defense of gas
pipelines, are not ruled out."
[return to Contents]
Wall Street Journal
March 26, 2010
Ukraine Offers Russia Gas Deal
Ukraine, seeking gas price cut, says Russia could help run pipeline
By RICHARD BOUDREAUX and JAMES MARSON
MOSCOWUkraine offered Russia a share in the management of a network of pipelines
that carry Russian gas westward across its territory, a move that could head off
midwinter price disputes and gas cutoffs that at times leave European homes
without heat.
As the two countries' prime ministers met on Thursday to open talks on the offer,
Russia indicated it would consider giving Ukraine what it wants in return: a
lower price for its own gas imports.
"We agreed that no issue is closed to us," Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
told reporters after a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Mykola Azarov.
Mr. Putin called the two countries' gas contract "balanced" and profitable for
Russia but agreed it could be reviewed.
"If we aim to reconsider the price, the question is what we will get in return,"
Mr. Putin said. "It would be fair to consider our relations in the energy sphere
as a whole."
Officials of both countries say tough negotiations lie ahead, despite warmer ties
ushered in by Ukraine's election last month of President Viktor Yanukovych, who
is friendlier toward Moscow than his predecessor. Mr. Yanukovych takes over after
years of sparring between the Kremlin and pro-Western leaders of Ukraine's 2004
Orange Revolution.
Those tensions led to three "gas wars" between Russia and Ukraine and disruptions
of supplies to Europe, which gets about one-fifth of its gas through Ukraine.
Russian officials welcomed Mr. Yanukovych's election while defending a 10-year
gas pricing agreement that he has vowed to undo. The 2009 accord phased out
subsidies and now obliges Ukraine to pay European prices, $305 per 1,000 cubic
meters, for Russian gas.
It is a burden that Mr. Yanukovych says Ukraine's economy, which shrank 15% last
year, cannot bear.
Mr. Yanukovych is seeking a one-third reduction in that price, which would save
Ukraine about $3 billion a year. He campaigned on the promise that he could
achieve a lower price by giving Russia a stake in its pipeline network.
The plan would bring in Russia's gas monopoly OAO Gazprom and a European company,
as yet undesignated, to pay for upgrading the network.
Each company would get a one-third share of a management consortium that would
operate the pipelines under a Ukrainian government concession.
Russia and Ukraine explored a similar arrangement in 2002, but the idea died when
the Orange Revolution leaders came to power and balked at giving Russia control
of the Ukrainian pipelines.
In reviving the idea, Ukraine's new leaders have emphasized that the state would
retain ownership of the pipelines. But the issue of Russian influence is
sensitive in a country mindful of its long domination by Moscow.
"Handing over management of the gas-transport system is the same as handing over
management of Ukraine," said former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who lost the
election to Mr. Yanukovych.
Such opposition in Ukraine makes Russian officials wary, said Alexander
Burgansky, head of oil-and-gas research at Renaissance Capital in Moscow. "They
have a huge interest in Ukraine's pipelines, because they want to make sure their
customers in Europe get their gas," Mr. Burgansky said. "But they are cautious
because Ukraine proved in the past to be an unreliable partner."
Valery Yazev, Russia's deputy parliament speaker and also Gazprom's chief
lobbyist, said the company was interested in managing Ukraine's pipelines but was
reluctant to agree to price reductions that would cause the company to incur
Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen in Moscow contributed to this article.
[return to Contents]
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