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RuNet Echo

Special topic archive · 289 posts

RuNet Echo is a project of Global Voices to expand and deepen understanding of the Russian language Internet (RuNet) and related online communities. Read more »


Latest stories from RuNet Echo

15 May 2012

Russia: Duma Deputy Wants Criminal Liability for Extremist Tweets

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Yesterday, on May 14, Aleksandr Khinshtein, a Duma deputy and member of United Russia, wrote a letter to Yuri Chaika, the Prosecutor General of Russia. In that letter, Khinshtein noted emerging extremist trends on Twitter and Facebook, and called on the state to prosecute users who advocate violence and other illegal acts.

Russia: Website Appears Publishing Civil Servants' Incomes

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The project "Public Profit" was established so that anyone interested could access information about the salaries of civil servants and state deputies. The information is compiled using public records and disclosed in accordance with Russian law. The published data are often surprising.

11 May 2012

Russia: Yavlinsky Stir Reveals Opposition Rift

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True to Yabloko's troubled past and present, Yavlinksy's May 10 blog post criticizing protest escalations has upset many and pleased relatively few. Current developments in the opposition have widened the gap between populist dramatics and nuts-and-bolts politics.

9 May 2012

Russia: Charity Crowdfunding

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There is no lack of successful 'people' projects, financed by private philanthropy. While much activity exists only in cyberspace, the effects of charitable organizations' work is quite tangible and real, and confidence in these groups is undiminished. The proof: the Tugeza ("Together") community

Russia: Putin's Return Rouses Online Polemics

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In the wake of protests against Vladimir Putin's inauguration, the reactions of Russian bloggers demonstrate a wide spectrum of opinion online. That oppositionist activism has suddenly taken on a more radical tone has only further inflamed the passions of already polemicized observers.

8 May 2012

Russia: Open Hostility in Moscow Surrounding Putin's Inauguration

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Both civilians and those charged with keeping order in the city displayed open hostility on May 6 when protesters took to the streets of Moscow in anticipation of Vladimir Putin's inauguration. Donna Welles reports.

4 May 2012

Russia: Varlamov's Failure in Omsk

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Ilya Varlamov, the Moscow photographer and popular blogger whom an online primary nominated last month to run for mayor of Omsk, has ended his election campaign. Varlamov provoked a serious rift between the Russian opposition's supporters and opponents of 'blogger politicians' when he entered the race, and that debate has only grown more heated now that he's out.

Russia: Tolstoy's ‘War and Peace' Legacy Today

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RuNet Echo continues its series examining the 200th anniversary of Tsarist Russia's Victory over Napoleon by examining Leo Tolstoy's novel 'War and Peace' and the role it plays today online. On the RuNet, discussions about 'War and Peace' and Tolstoy's literary style are common, addressing a variety of issues both linguistic and social.

3 May 2012

Russia: Crowdsourcing to Solve Local Urban Problems

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Solving problems at the local level, the kind encountered by inhabitants of big cities and regional centers, is becoming more and more feasible thanks to projects based on crowdsourcing technology. Crowdsourcing is getting groups of people involved in the discussion and resolution of all sorts of different problems, ranging from firefighting to election-monitoring.

30 April 2012

Russia: Gun Rights Advocates Rally Around Tula Hero

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Russian gun ownership laws are long and restrictive. In early April, when a small-scale farmer in Tula used a kitchen knife to kill three armed robbers that threatened him and his family, the incident sparked a new dialogue about gun rights and self-defense in Russia.

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