[This article in The New Times argues that Vladimir Putin’s political control is eroding inexorably as a result of corruption from above and increasingly poor economic performance—Ed.] A year and a month after the third coming of Vladimir Putin, who in fact never left, it is becoming obvious that he will not fulfill the main demand of […]
[This article analyses United Russia’s political manoeuvres in relation to the Moscow mayoral race, scheduled for September 8, 2013 following the early resignation of Mayor Sergei Sobyanin—Ed.] United Russia Duma Deputy Irina Yarovaya has said that Prokhorov cannot run for Moscow Mayor’s office, even if he transfers his foreign assets to a trust. In her […]
[Summary: Acting Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, a member of the Superior Council of United Russia, is expected to run for the mayoral elections on 8 September as an Independent. United Russia has explained this by the fact that “40 parties” “might want” to support him. The main potential rival to the acting mayor, Civic Platform […]
[In this article, Yulia Latynina argues that arrest last week of the powerful Mayor of Makhachkala, Said Amirov, has signaled the FSB’s assertion of direct control in the republic of Dagestan. Latynina speculates that this is partly motivated by the desire to stem the growing power of salafists in the region.—Ed.] In a Hollywood movie-type, […]
On June 4, Sergei Sobyanin, the Mayor of Moscow, announced his resignation. He will be running for office at early mayoral elections that will be held in September According to Sobyanin, the majority of the capital’s residents support the idea of holding early mayoral elections concurrently with elections for the governor of the Moscow Region […]
[Russia’s security services have shocked the public by arresting Said Amirov, the Mayor of Makhachkala in the Republic of Dagestan, alleging his involvement in conspiracy to murder and involvement in the narcotics trade, among other serious crimes. Amirov has dominated Dagestani politics for fifteen years, and his arrest has raised questions of whether the state […]
On May 22, a presentation of the military-patriotic movement Fatherland Guard will take place during the closed government hour at the State Duma, where Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is expected. The Fatherland Guard will be involved in the patriotic education of children and preparation of youth for the army. Viktor Vodolatsky, a State Duma deputy […]
Alexei Kudrin, head of the Committee of Civic Initiatives (CCI), has said that the possibility that he will be appointed prime minister is “minimal,” emphasizing that he has some antagonisms with the political leadership of the country. The ex-Minister of Finance “for now” is engaged in “direct political activity.” Kudrin made this statement at an […]
[Veteran activist and Litvinenko friend Alex Goldfarb explains the next steps for Marina Litvinenko following the news that the UK government has hamstrung the inquest by requesting that crucial evidence remain classified. –Ed.] Today [May 17] Sir Robert Owen, the British coroner who is performing the inquest into the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, in part […]
[Vladimir Markin, head of media liaisons for the Russian Federation Investigative Committee, has recently become the main supplier of political news. His commentaries and interviews not only lead to feverish discussion about who’s in and who’s out in the Kremlin, they arguably result in the immediate firings of the ill-favored: That’s what happened after Markin […]
