Stories from RuNet Echo from July, 2013

Laughing at Putin's Pike

Vladimir Putin's presidential photo-ops, which grow more absurd with each passing year. In his latest publicity stunt, Putin joined Prime Minister and Defense Minister on a fishing trip in Krasnoyarsk.

Ethnic Slurs Haunt Alexey Navalny

Alexey Navalny came under harsh criticism from Russian opposition movement colleagues just days after he was released from Kirov jail, and as soon as it became clear that he would continue to run for mayor of Moscow throughout the appeals process for his 5-year long prison sentence.

Crooks, Thieves and the Independent Mayors Who Run Russia

The mayor of Yaroslavl will spend the next two months behind bars on extortion charges. A former United Russia member who ran as an opposition-friendly independent, Evgeny Urlashov won the mayor’s seat roughly a year ago in a highly publicized election that seemed to mark a highpoint in the 2011-2012-winter protest movement.

The New Despicableness of Doubting Navalny

Alexey Navalny's closing statement in a trial that could land him in prison for up to six years was a stinging, poignant speech against the current government, which he called a “feudal regime.” The popular anti-corruption blogger and opposition leader stands accused of embezzling $500 thousand worth of lumber from...

How Edward Snowden Divides Russians

When Edward Snowden left Hong Kong for Moscow, it placed Russia at the center of what had primarily been an American story. For Russians, his prolonged stay in Sheremetyevo has turned the question of what should be done with him from academic to practical, as his fate now rests largely in Russia's hands.

The Day Russia's Libraries Stood Still

On July 2, 2013 three of Russia's popular online libraries blocked user access to their websites and collections as a way to protest a new law aimed at combating internet piracy: "On their side is money, power and congenital brain failure. On ours -- technology, science and the aspirations of millions of people."

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