As a particularly harsh winter comes to a close, Alexander Valiyev reflects on recent developments in Chelyabinsk, West Siberia. While the authorities gained a lot, increasing their grip on the power vertical by canceling local elections, it was, as ever, the little man who came off worse...
On March 13, Russia holds elections in twelve Russian regions — the last elections ahead of critical parliamentary and presidential elections. Nikolai Petrov suggests the results will give a good indication of the Kremlin’s control over electoral machinery and ability to monopolise political power
As new mayor of Moscow Sergei Sobyanin inherited a hugely wealthy city and a mass of problems. Putin’s vertical of power is collapsing and there are elections ahead. How will Sobyanin manage the inevitable political infighting, wonders Vladimir Pastukhov.
The southern republic of Dagestan is now Russia’s most violent flashpoint. Besieged by militants from one side, the republic is no better served by its security services on the other. Indeed, the brutality and lawlessness of these government forces actually risks motivating yet more young men to ‘
Many great statesmen have shaped the course of recent history: Churchill, de Gaulle, Thatcher, Kohl, Reagan, Havel and Wałęsa among them. But only one leader – Mikhail Gorbachev – determined the long-term history of the global order. Swept away by the wave he himself had unleashed, his life after
A diagnosis of autism is difficult for any family; in Russia, it can be shattering. With little hope of integrating into society, and a medical establishment unfit for purpose, a majority of autistic Russians are being condemned to a life in isolation. Dmitry Golubovsky and Svetlana Reiter present
There was “no sex in the USSR” (that, at least, is what one Soviet woman famously declared in a 1986 TV talk show). Attitudes to sex in contemporary Russia have undeniably moved on from such social conservatism. But have they changed enough to be called a revolution, asks Elena Fanailova?
On Friday, prominent Russians of varied political hue presented a daring open letter to President Medvedev. In the best Soviet dissident tradition, they expressed concern for the future. Russia is at a crossroads, they said; and the country needs to embrace freedom if it is to avoid revolutionary
External factors like the Internet, post-Soviet economic upheaval and the availability of exotic fruit have given young Russians a different system of values and approach to life. Mother of three Elena Strelnikova gives a wry overview of parenting in provincial Russia.
In October, two members of the Voina art collective were imprisoned for overturning police cars in provocative protest against corruption. As their criminal case continues, Danila Rozanov explains how their controversial methods have made it difficult to mobilise support.
In 2005, encouraged by the Kremlin, 50 prominent Russians wrote an open letter supporting the original verdict against Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev. Five years and a second verdict later, Mumin Shakirov interviewed the signatories to see if they had changed their mind.
