Valery Morozov is a whistleblowing businessman who fell foul of the Russian authorities in Sochi after reporting state bribery. He has been granted political asylum in Great Britain. Morozov posts this dramatic story. What starts as a conversation about Sochi, and corruption in Russia in general, ends in a revelation about the theft of one […]
The following is a translation a report written by opposition leader Boris Nemtsov and Solidarity activist Leonid Martynyuk, detailing allegations of rampant corruption in the preparations for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics The original excerpted report was published on July 7, 2013. A significant update, with many new findings and some eyeopening headlines, has been published […]
The Central Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia (SKR) has opened a criminal case against the detained mayor of Astrakhan, a member of United Russia, Mikhail Stolyarov. According to investigators, he demanded 10 million rubles from an Astrakhan entrepreneur, as well as a stake in his company in exchange for a land parcel. […]
The Bolshoi Ballet Company is one of the most renowned dance troupes in the world, but recently is has been rocked by one scandal after another. In January, Bolshoi director Sergei Filin had acid thrown in his face, severely burning his face and neck, by a man who was hired by a former dancer to […]
Former Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov’s fall from grace is a thread that has unraveled a culture of corruption inside the Russian government. The case also led to the imprisonment, death, and postmortem conviction of Sergei Magnitsky, a case that has set off significant international complications. It began when Serdyukov cheated on his wife with Yevegeniya […]
Current election law in Russia bans anyone convicted of a serious crime from ever holding public office. This is one reason that the court case against opposition candidate Alexei Navalny is significant — though his sentence has been suspended, he is still a convicted felon, and so would be unable to run for office under […]
Guarantees of privacy and secrecy of correspondence are becoming more elusive. The Federal Security Service (FSB) intends to require providers to install new equipment for comprehensive monitoring of Internet traffic and email correspondence. From the draft joint order by the FSB and the Ministry of Communications, published on the ministry’s website, it is clear that […]
A Moscow court has decided that the results of the september mayoral election will stand, thus dismissing the complaints brought forward by opposition candidate Alexei Navalny. Most notably, the court decided that President Vladimir Putin did not break campaign laws when he gave an interview the week of the election where he suggested that Navalny […]
A new system would pay Moscow officials an extra 20,000 rubles (approximately $620) for extra work done at their places of employment, including work done in the community, and landscaping. However, there are allegations that this reward is, in operation, just a bribe for loyal officials – Ed. Cash rewards paid to the most active […]
In the United States, the White House launched an initiative where people could organize a petition drive, and if they got enough signatures then the White House would officially respond by either giving a public statement or by proposing legislation. Putin appears to have copied that effort. Before the Moscow election, Alexei Navalny started a […]
