Category Archives: Uncategorized
Sponsors, sponsors everywhere
Today, Vedomosti published a list, obtained from the Russian Department of Labor, of foreigners working in Moscow and grossing over 1 million rubles ($32,000) a month. (This follows new mayor Sergei Sobyanin ordering the publication of which “specialists” had been … Continue reading
Back in the USSHarharharhar
And now we know about the Kremlin office party. On December 18, just eight days shy of the 19th anniversary (or yahrzeit, depending on how you look at it) of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Kremlin will have … Continue reading
The unfiltered fallout
Here’s a truism: in times of tragedy, people’s real colors show through. In Russia, the Land of No Filters, that process takes no time at all. Also? Them’s ain’t colors; them’s some weird tie-dyed checkers. Today, four days after Oleg … Continue reading
Tone deaf
Journalist Oleg Kashin lay in an artificial coma after a savage beating left everything that could possible be broken, broken. President Medvedev spoke firmly of the need to punish the perpetrators, the investigative foot soldiers of the Interior Ministry were … Continue reading
Oleg Kashin: update
As many of you have heard, superstar Kommersant and Forbes Russia Oleg Kashin had the shit beaten out of him over the weekend. What we didn’t know till yesterday was that Kashin’s father was visiting from out of town and was … Continue reading
Ratings schmatings
I get the sense that you people don’t care much for ratings. Nor do I, really, except for when they hit on something true, as they often do. Take today’s release of Forbes Magazine’s Powerful People rankings. The (non) surprise … Continue reading
Grumpy Old Men
I’m traveling in Krasnoyarsk now, but wanted to bring my latest piece — on the implosion of the opposition behind the Strategy 31 movement — to your attention. Eduard Limonov has long been a black sheep in Moscow’s opposition circles. … Continue reading
“I am ashamed for my country”
Today, Mikhail B. Khodorkovsky delivered his final statement in a crowded Moscow courtroom (where the prosecutor earlier delivered his statement, attributing it to “the court”). In lieu of a post, I wanted to reprint Khodorkovsky’s full statement, in English. I … Continue reading
One TRILLION rubles
Last week, Transparency International released its annual Corruption Perception Index. Despite President Medvedev’s long battle against corruption, Russia has slipped down the greasy pole of corruption rankings once again to finish the year at 154th out of 178. (Last year, … Continue reading
Worm hole
On Tuesday night, Dmitry Zelenin, the governor of Tver, went to the Kremlin for a fancy-pants state dinner with German President Christian Wulff. (Wulff was supposed to visit Tver later in his trip to discuss possibilities of economic cooperation. After … Continue reading
