Archive for Mig Greengard
Editor of theotherrussia.org.
Gazprom and the EU
The Foreign Policy blog takes a critical look at how the Russian state energy goliath Gazprom is exploiting European disunity and weakness.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in a 2006 press conference with Tony Blair, said the European Union needed to work towards a common energy policy to limit the influence of Gazprom, the Russian-controlled energy giant. [...]
The Expected Unexpected PM
We are continuing to watch with amusement the caricature of shock on the face of the global media after Putin appointed unheralded functionary Viktor Zubkov to the post of Prime Minister this week. Zubkov’s lack of experience in anything important other than being Putin’s friend was no obstacle to his being confirmed overwhelmingly by Putin’s [...]
Sep 14, 2007 | Continued
Putin Shuffles the Deckchairs
For some reason western media outlets are acting as though today’s announced cabinet reorganization by Vladimir Putin is in some way significant. It is nothing more than a ritual. Nor does it have much to do with the December 2nd parliamentary elections, which are little more than a farce scripted long ago. Putin will use [...]
Sep 12, 2007 | Continued
Kremlin Increases Pressure
The Russian government of Vladimir Putin has increased pressure against the activities of the Other Russia across the country, including in Moscow, during our primary election cycle. In recent days four delegate conferences have been blocked by the government. This is a significant escalation by the Kremlin because their actions come not against street protests [...]
Sep 10, 2007 | Continued
Piracy Charges to Pressure Critics
The Moscow Times reports on yet another tactic the Kremlin is using to crack down on critics.
A series of raids in recent months suggests that the authorities may have found an innovative way to crack down on critics: allegations of using pirated software. Most recently, the high-tech crimes unit of the Nizhny Novgorod police raided [...]
Books Blocked in Moscow
Burning books is considered passé these days in Moscow. Preference is given to quieter methods of keeping critical tomes off the shelves of Russian bookstores, or the Moscow International Book Fair. First, the largest Russian publisher, Eksmo, announced that Other Russia leader Garry Kasparov’s new book, “How Life Imitates Chess,” would not be released in [...]
Sep 7, 2007 | Continued
Friends in High Places
One of the most consistent features of the Putin regime has been the appointment of closer and closer personal friends to sensitive positions in the administration. Whenever difficulties are expected, anyone who hasn’t been enthusiastically loyal enough gets the boot, replaced by someone who can be counted on to obey the executive unquestioningly. This pattern [...]
Sep 6, 2007 | Continued
Moscow Vigil for Polikovskaya
Thursday, August 30 would have been the 49th birthday of Anna Politkovskaya, the investigative journalist shot down almost one year ago in Moscow. A vigil was held on her birthday to honor her memory and her fight for truth and justice. From the Moscow Times:
The meeting came on a day Russian media reported that [...]
Another Journalist Detained
The infamous law on extremism was again put into use against a journalist whose only extreme act was doing his job in an environment that does considers any criticism to be extremism. This time it stopped at intimidation, perhaps more insidious than actually arresting someone, which would expose the preposterous and exaggerated nature of the [...]
Aug 29, 2007 | Continued
Other Russia Regional Conference Update
All over Russia, opposition conferences are selecting delegates for the December parliamentary election slate and voting on an opposition candidate for the March 2008 presidential election. Several of the conferences have been disrupted by authorities with the usual outlandish claims of emergencies and threats. In Kurgan, where a majority voted for Garry Kasparov to be [...]
Aug 28, 2007 | Continued
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