Stories about Russia from December, 2013
Twin Acts of Terror for Russia's New Year
Little information about the perpetrators is known, but as usual the RuNet is rife with speculation.
9 Things the Russian Government Says Are “Gay Propaganda”
Russian state censors have revised the criteria for identifying information online that supposedly endangers minors. One new report tries to clarify the definition of "gay propaganda."
Vladimir Milov “On Khodorkovsky”
Vladimir Milov is an energy sector expert and former Deputy Energy Minister of the Russian Federation. RuNet Echo translates his reaction to Mikhail Khodorkovsky's release from prison last week.
Accenting the Positive on the Russian Internet
BestPozitiv.ru, also known as “Tol'ko Pozitiv” (Only the Positive), is a Russian website that promises to “fill you with positivity every day” by bringing its viewers “the most interesting” videos, GIFs, photographs, lists, and other multimedia “that the Internet has to offer.” The site aggregates everything, from memes of cute...
#askPussyRiot Wants Your Questions
After almost two years in federal custody, Pussy Riot's two most famous members, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alekhina, will hold their first post-prison press conference [ru]. The event will be hosted by the online TV station Dozhd and take place on Friday, December 27, 2013, beginning at 2:00 PM Moscow time (5:00 AM...
Pussy Riot Free to Tweet at Last!
Maria Alekhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova are already micro-blogging up a storm.
Emptying Russia's Prisons to Fill the Seats at Sochi 2014
Many Russian bloggers believe that the 2014 Olympics in Sochi played a major role in the early release of both Greenpeace activists and Pussy Riot, as well as Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
Will Pussy Riot Fight Putin's Amnesty and Remain in Prison?
The manner in which Mikhail Khodorkovsky was freed seems to differ from what awaits Pussy Riot's Tolokonnikova and Alekhina, who have signaled some unwillingness to leave prison early.
“Good Tsar” Putin Pardons Khodorkovsky
The news that Khodorkovsky had potentially admitted guilt and would be imminently released sent the RuNet into a fit of speculation.
Russia's Government Might Block Websites for Calls to Unsanctioned Rallies
The Russian parliament will soon vote on a law that would empower the Prosecutor General’s office to close any website that hosts content encouraging people to attend unsanctioned rallies.
Russia's Year of Pogroms
2013 has been a particularly virulent year for race violence in Russia. The most recent incident, which took place this past weekend in the city of Arzamas was no different.
The Caucasus Network: In Blogs, Russian is the Common Language
No indigenous languages dominate any of the blogging platforms in the North Caucasus. Even the forums dedicated exclusively to local issues operate in Russian.
The Caucasus Network: On Blogging and Keeping Up Appearances
The Russian North Caucasus divided into clusters and studied for reader interactivity.
The Caucasus Network: What They Blog About
North Caucasus bloggers appear to exist in a bubble, demonstrating little interest in the outside world. There are roughly six topics the most popular blogs focus on.
The Caucasus Network: The Subtleties of Censorship
The mechanics of Internet censorship in the North Caucasus are not dramatically different from elsewhere in Russia. But they are unique in their own way.
The Caucasus Network: Personable Blogger, Svetlana Anokhina
Svetlana Anokhina—a 50-year-old journalist, writer, and community manager from Makhachkala, Dagestan—is as personable and undoubtedly real as netizens get.
The Caucasus Network: Dagestan Blogger Rasul Kadiev
Rasul Kadiev is a lawyer, born and raised in Makhachkala, Dagestan. Constantly among the region’s top five bloggers, he writes in Russian and uses LiveJournal.
Russian State News Agency Gets a Loyalist Upgrade
One of Russia's best known news agencies, RIA Novosti, won't survive the winter. Employees of the state-owned international news agency awoke to discover a new presidential order "liquidating" their organization.
The Caucasus Network: Grozny Blogger, Ali Suleymanov
A 28-year-old Chechnya native, Ali Suleymanov, "Archidesigner," spent most of his adulthood in the Moscow region, where he studied and later worked as exterior designer.
The Caucasus Network: Special Forces Blogger, Hard Ingush
Based in Ingushetia, Hard Ingush claims to be an officer in the Special Forces. In the last couple of years, he has led the North Caucasus’ blogosphere.
Introducing the Blogosphere of Russia’s North Caucasus
Our new study explores the people and culture of the blogospheres of Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkaria, and Ossetia.
