GQ Suppresses Controversial Article in Russia

GQ magazine has gone through great measures to prevent a controversial article on Russia to appear in the country. The story questioned the role that Russia’s security agencies played in a series of devastating apartment bombings that took place in 1999. The bombings propelled Russia into a second war in Chechnya and marked the start of then-Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s consolidation of power.

Read more from National Public Radio. A full scan of the article as well as a Russian translation are now available from Gawker.

Britain Files Arrest Warrant for Cell Phone Tycoon

On August 27 Britain filed an arrest charge against Yevgeny Chichvarkin, former chairman of Russian Yevroset cell phone company. Russian prosecutors seek to extradite him for extortion and smuggling, and the case may prove important for Russian-British relations. Chichvarkin maintains his innocence.

Read more from the Moscow Times.

Russia’s Single Industry Towns Struggling

Many of Russia’s 500 single-employer towns are struggling, and Russian workers are feeling the pinch. Unique issues, like difficulty of mobility, are making things worse.

Read more from the Associated Press.

Russian Supreme Court Demands Further Investigation of Journalist Killing

The Russian Supreme Court recently ruled to investigate the brutal murder of reporter Anna Politkovskaya in 2006 further, overturning the previous rejection by a lower court to do so. Ms. Politkovskaya was an outspoken critic of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s regime and the government of Chechnya.

Read more from the St. Petersburg Times.

Russian Piracy Expert Flee Russia

Mikhail Voitenko, a piracy expert who first wrote about the Arctic Sea incident, has fled Russia after being threatened by “anonymous” sources. Voitenko suspects involvement by the country’s security forces.

Read more from the St. Petersburg Times and CNN.

Russia and United States Renegotiate Nuclear Arms Pact

Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev have been meeting since July to negotiate a deal on nuclear weaponry once the START pact expires in December. They have had difficulties with establishing certain policies such as how delivery vehicles for nuclear weaponry should be managed.

Read more from the RIA News Agency.

Georgian Coast Guard Intercepts Trade Vessels between Turkey and Abkhazia

The Georgian Coast Guard recently intercepted an Abkhazian cargo ship filled with scrap metal bound for Turkey and a Turkish cargo ship filled with fuel as part of Georgia’s economic blockade of the breakaway region. The incident raised already high anti-Georgian sentiment in Abkhazia, a de facto independent region backed by Russia. Abkhazia and South Ossetia remain in a strange state of international and legal quagmire one year on from Russia’s land war with Georgia.

Read more from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Russia Arrests Eight for Hijacking Ship with Dubious Cargo

Russia has charged eight men from Estonia, Latvia, and Russia with hijacking a Russian ship named the Arctic Sea last month. Media reports have said that the ship may have been carrying arms or nuclear material to the Middle East.

Read more from Reuters and the Canadian CBC News.

Kyrgyz Teenager Assaulted in Petersburg: Despite Evidence Contrary, Investigators Claim Violence Was Not Ethnic Hatred

Kyrgyz ninth-grader Tagir Kerimov and a friend were assaulted in Petersburg in February by a group of 25-30 who shouted, “Beat the khuch” and “Russia for Russians” along with other racist and nationalistic slogans. On Friday investigators said that the assault was not incited by ethnicity or nationalistic intent, stunning human rights activists.

Read more from the Moscow Times.

Putin Vows to Settle Debt from Soviet Era

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian Ministry of Finance to repay the remaining debt from the USSR. Before the end of the year, Putin plans to close the $34 million debt owed to the London Club of Creditors.

Read more from Pravda.ru.

Russian TV Documentary Caught in False Reporting Scandal

A dispute ensued over the past week between media photographer Arkady Babchenko and the state-run Channel One. The channel aired a documentary accusing the West of manipulating the media, even as it misrepresented a photograph of a wounded soldier.

Read more from The Other Russia and the St. Petersburg Times.

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev proposes limiting trial by jury in cases of terrorism and organized crime.

Read more from Russia Profile.

New University Exam Highlights Corruption Problems

A new, standardized University exam created to fight corruption was doing the opposite, as wide-spread cheating and bribery became apparent.

Read more from the Moscow Times.

Suicide Bombers Kill Five in Grozny

On Friday two suicide bombers killed four policemen and one civilian in Grozny, Chechnya. The attack came at the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan.

Ingush President Recovers and Vows to Act Against Corruption

Ingush President Yunus-Bek Yevkurov returned to office after a suicide attack nearly took his life, and pledged to toughen policies on corruption.

Read more from Reuters.

Questions Surface in ‘Arctic Sea’ Hijacking

Days after Russian authorities intercepted the Arctic Sea cargo ship, murky questions remain about the alleged hijackers and illicit cargo that may have been on board.

Read more from BBC News and the Associated Press.

Transparency Fading as Russian Bureaucrats Shun the Media

Journalist Galina Stolyarova comments on a new “ethics code,” which prohibits civil servants from speaking openly with the media.

Read more from Transitions Online.

Medvedev Drafts New Defense Law, Allowing Russian Military Freer Reign

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev recently introduced a new bill to Parliament that would restructure Russia’s policy on defense. While the current policy is strictly defensive of the Russian heartland, the new one would allow Russia to “defend” other states as it sees fit.

Read more from Russia Profile and the Moscow Times.

Top Kremlin Official Pens “Gangsta Fiction” Novel, Detailing the Corrupt Nature of Russian Politics

Vladislav Surkov, the Kremlin’s First Deputy Chief of Staff, published the novel “Okolo nolya” (Around Zero) under a pseudonym about a month ago, in which he confesses the vast level of corruption present in the Russian government.

Read more from the Moscow Times.

Suicide Bombing in Nazran, Ingushetia Kills 20, Injures 119: Insurgents Escalate Violence in Caucasus Region

On Monday a suicide bomber drove a minivan filled with TNT through a police station in Nazran in southern Russia. Further insurgent violence continued in following days.

Read more from the Moscow News and Russia Profile.

Russian punk rockers rage against the Putin machine

PTVP, a St. Petersburg punk-rock group, shows that anti-authoritarian and rebellious culture is alive and well in Russia.

Read more from the Agence France-Presse.