Kevin Rothrock · April, 2012

Latest posts by Kevin Rothrock from April, 2012

Russia: Liberal Democrats Join Opposition to Ulyanovsk NATO Hub

RuNet Echo  21 April 2012

In the last week, Vladislav Naganov and Aleksei Navalny, two of Russia's most prominent liberal democrat bloggers, entered the debate about a proposed NATO transit hub in Ulyanovsk. The transit hub (or "military base," as critics call it) is unlike most Russian political issues that involve the North Atlantic Alliance, as the Kremlin in this instance has agreed to cooperate with (rather than resist) the West.

Russia: Ilya Varlamov, Omsk's Blogger-Mayor?

RuNet Echo  13 April 2012

In the city of Omsk, a local activist group has arranged online primaries for opposition candidates, in order to nominate one for the city's June mayoral election. Popular Muscovite photoblogger Ilya Varlamov has emerged as the contest's front runner, but what impact could his candidacy have on regional politics?

Russia: Astrakhan Becomes Opposition's New Rallying Cause

RuNet Echo  10 April 2012

Astrakhan mayoral candidate Oleg Shein's cause is becoming the biggest rallying point for an anti-Kremlin opposition that has spent the last month struggling to rediscover its direction. Today, a hunger strike by Shein and several of his supporters is entering its fourth week, with rumors flying that participants' lives are in danger.