March 30, 2006 White Ribbon Victory Do recent nationwide demonstrations in Russia signal a new faith in public action to foment political change? Politics Russia File
March 09, 2006 Hermitage Cats A look at the cats that guard one of the world's great museums. Art Humor Russia File
February 01, 2006 Cell Phone Mania A look at the astonishing rise in cell phone use in Russia. One report indicates that over 60% of Russians now have cell phones, versus just 25% two years ago. Business Culture Russia File
October 31, 2005 Byzantine Catholic Church in Russia Examination of the history of this Christian tradition, which is in full communion with the Church of Rome. Culture History Religion Russia File
October 21, 2005 What Price a Free Press? Three interesting, related, but separate news items came across the electronic transom today: #1: The Russian Duma's Information Policy Committee yesterday adopted a resolution that states, among other things: "The ideological slant of media has been replaced by a commercial one, while pornography and violence in media have become a national threat." On the whole, members of the committee said, the media is too negative, it is only out to "tease and entertain." The solution? Why, st Russia File
October 18, 2005 Jarkov Mammoth Finding the remains of the prehistoric giant mammoth in the far reaches of northern Siberia is not an unusual occurrence. Bones and tusks reveal themselves when the permafrost thaws. However, the discovery of an intact mammoth is something for scientists to get excited about. Regions Science Russia File
October 17, 2005 Alexander I In the summer of 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France, and his army marched into Moscow. This resulted in one of the turning points in Tsar Alexander I's reign. Napoleon began his retreat from Moscow on November 12, 1812. History Int'l Relations Russia File
October 16, 2005 Judgement Day Curioser and curiouser...Apparently President Bush, with his appointment of Harriet Miers, is striving to imitate President Putin. To whit, this was reported by Kommersant, reported by RFE/RL in early October:"The Federation Council confirmed on 5 October Yelena Valyavina for the post of first deputy chairman of the Higher Arbitration Court..."According to Kommersant, Valyavina graduated from President Putin's alma mater, the law school at Leningra Russia File
October 11, 2005 Chechnya; Land of Conflict Republic of Chechnya and Russia; ancient ethnic conflict in modern times. History Int'l Relations Regions Russia File
September 29, 2005 What a difference a friend makes Today, Roman Abramovich is $13 billion richer, thanks to a lucrative sell-off of his oil company, Sibneft. The very fine linked Bloomberg article contrasts Abramovich's fate nicely with that of Mikhail Khodorokovsky, a similarly enriched oil magnate and oligarch, but one who did not play by "the rules." Moral of the story: it pays to have friends in high places in Russia. Well, only if, instead of sitting in a Moscow prison cell, you would rather be governor of a ma Russia File
September 23, 2005 Anniversary This Sunday is the 20th anniversary of Gorbachev's creation of the Anti Alcohol League. Na zdorovye! As if in fitting tribute, it was revealed today that the French liquor giant, Pernod Ricard, may be in talks to purchase the Russian brand... drumroll please... Stolichnaya. Is nothing sacred? Russia File
September 23, 2005 Khodortaystvo Last evening, the Khodorkovsky case was brought to a hurried close when the imprisoned oligarch's appeal was summarily rejected just as K's sentence (and that of his codefendant) were reduced to eight years. "I won't live that long," K commented on leaving the court. "What we are dealing with here is not the prosecutors or the judges, it is the full weight of the state machine. The political authorities are dictating what is going on here," the Moscow Times reported K's l Russia File
