Notebook

Alla No More

Soviet diva bids goodbye

Alla Pugachyova has decided to officially stop performing on stage and focus on other activities. The 60-year-old veteran of Soviet and then Russian stage was popular throughout the 1980s and became something of a matriarch for the post-perestroika pop music scene in Russia. No doubt wanting to go out with a bang rather than melt into obscurity, Pugachyova held a press conference in early March to announce her goodbye tour. 

Pugachyova’s puffy hair, scandalous love life, and her role in constructing the pop-culture scene in Russia with various protégés, have more or less replaced the eccentric, full-voiced debutante that sang Arlekino in the Moscow metro in the late 1970s. 

Lately, Pugachyova has focused on producing TV shows and launching perfume and shoe lines. “After a series of operations, my voice has dropped and cannot express the range of emotions that it could before,” she said at the conference. Pugachyova promised four concerts in Moscow that will coincide with her birthday, as well as visits to all the CIS capitals and to five cities in the United States, all in the course of a year-long tour that will be dedicated to the theme of love.

 

Little Known Fact: Alla Pugachyova was the last person to receive the title of People’s Artist of the USSR, signed by Mikhail Gorbachev on December 20, 1991, just four days before the Soviet Union was signed out of existence.

 

Russia 2009

Not ready to face the truth?

After a successful screening at the Berlin film festival, Rossiya-88, the country’s first film to question nationalism and xenophobia, was met with wary attitudes at home. Director Pavel Bardin was a shoo-in for the Best Picture award at the Khanty-Mansiysk Film Festival, but then a phone call was allegedly placed to the jury, and he was quietly awarded the Jury Prize instead. 

Several journalists complained on openspace.ru of having their interviews with Bardin and articles about the movie pulled from magazines at the last minute, without explanation. 

The film, Bardin’s third, is about a young, Russian neonazi nicknamed Shtyk, leader of a skinhead group called Russia 88. Bardin says he based the film, which has a fictional plot, on YouTube clips filmed by neonazis and on interviews with members of similar groups in Moscow and beyond. It is not clear who might be behind efforts to silence the film or to keep it out of the press. “We are waiting for the Ministry of Culture’s permission to release the movie in theaters,” Bardin told openspace.ru. “If the process stalls, then the rumors are true.”

 

Too Sexy for That

Russian beauties disqualified

Russian women are not faring very well in international contests this spring. 

First, 29-year-old Yulia Yalo-vitsina was booted from an internet contest for the “Best Job in the World.” Yalovitsina, who is from Karelia, was second runner-up in online voting to select a caretaker for Hamilton Island. She was doing better than most of the 34,000 applicants for the spot before the jury excluded her from the contest after finding a home sex video featuring Yalovitsina on the internet. Yalovitsina told the Russian press that the video was on a computer seized as part of investigation against her husband, who is suspected of distributing pornography. It was “leaked” on the internet as part of a “calculated campaign,” she said.

Meanwhile, another beauty, Sofia Rudyeva, who won the Miss Russia 2009 title this spring, was disqualified from participating in the Miss World contest after erotic photos of her appeared on the internet. Russia will now be represented by the first runner-up, Krasnodar native Svetlana Stepankovskaya.

 

Tried Again

Ex-Yukos head could face life

Form Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky faces a new sentence after his long exile in Chita. Flown in from Siberia to Moscow, he and his former colleague Platon Lebedev are now accused of stealing Russian oil worth almost R900 billion. 

The new case was opened in 2005 and the trial commenced on March 31. The trial is open to the public but has no jury. Khodor-kovsky is serving his first term after having been found guilty of fraud and sentenced to nine years in 2005, later reduced to eight. He could be released in 2011. But if he is found guilty in the new trial, he could receive another 27 years. 

Khodorkovsky said he plans to act as his own lawyer in the current trial. “Unlike normal cases, where finding the crime leads to a search for the criminal, in this case the prosecutor found the accused, and then tried to select a case for him,” Khodorkovsky told journalists. According to the Moscow Times, critics accused the prosecution of bending rules regarding double jeopardy.

Really Cold War

Russia flexes Arctic muscles

The Russian government wants to create a special military force to patrol the Arctic Ocean. Kommer-sant, citing a report on Russia’s “Arctic Strategy,” said that, by 2016, the region will fall under the FSB’s control and become a “strategic resource base.”

FSB head Nikolai Patrushev has already mentioned the likelihood of future “arctic wars.” The Arctic as a zone of contention first emerged as an issue when, on August 2, 2007, Russian polar explorers planted a flag on the ocean seabed beneath the North Pole. Since then, the explorer in charge of the campaign, Artur Chilingarov, has been appointed presidential advisor on Arctic issues, and he accompanied Patrushev on trips to both the North and South poles.

 

Crisis Cost Cutting

Russia rethinks its budget

The government finalized its long overdue budget for 2009, which will have a deficit for the first time since 1998. The revised budget will have a R2.98 trillion deficit, or 7.4 percent of Russia’s projected GDP. The government mulled over the budget as oil fell from its peak price last summer. While the original budget assumed world oil prices of $95 per barrel, the new one is based on $41 per barrel and inflation of 13 percent. Deficit spending will come from the Reserve Fund. 2010 and 2011 are currently projected to have deficits of five and three percent, respectively.

 

New Aeroflot Era

Government clips CEO’s wings

Valery Okulov, CEO of Russia’s flagship airline Aeroflot, was fired after leading the company for 12 years. The reasons for the move, believed by some to be instigated by the Russian government and orchestrated by Transportation Minister Igor Levitin, who heads the airline’s board, are not entirely clear. 

Okulov, though a controversial manager, transformed the company from a decrepit Soviet holdover into a profit-making airline with an improved international image. Replacing Okulov in the midst of a major industry crisis with an executive lacking in aviation experience (Vitaly Savelyev) could weaken the company, which is still 51% owned by the state.

Okulov, who is the son-in-law of Boris Yeltsin, rose swiftly in the company from his position as a flight navigator in Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg). Rumors of his departure have circulated since Yeltsin left the Kremlin in 1999.  

 

United Cities

Muni elections yield a shaky win

United Russia has won yet another election, spurring a new wave of complaints about rule violations. Some 3000 elections in regions and municipalities across Russia, held on March 1, had few surprises, despite growing public discontent with government policies and with dwindling purchasing power. 

Turnout in nine regions where parliamentary elections were held was 55.7 percent, slightly less than for the 2007 State Duma elections (59 percent). Turnout in municipal elections in the Far East did not exceed 30 percent. United Russia polled from 42 to 80 percent support, depending on the region. 

In some towns, the Kremlin-backed party failed to achieve a clean sweep. That may be why President Dmitry Medvedev submitted a new bill to the Duma that would give governors the power to fire mayors. If the Duma passes the bill, popularly elected mayors will become just another segment of the “power vertical.” Under the bill, the dismissal of a mayor would require the approval of two-thirds of the local legislature. Yet, since most cities are dominated by United Russia, resistance is unlikely.

Public Chamber member Vyacheslav Glazychev told the Moscow Times that mayors are already frequently pressured to leave their posts: last year 80 mayors faced criminal prosecution, went on the lam, or left their posts voluntarily.

 

Good Friend

Shinkle receives Russian honor

In April, Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey I. Kislyak conferred the Order of Friendship award on Bradford Shinkle, IV, Director Emeritus at The Museum of Russian Art (TMORA), on behalf of President Dmitry A. Medvedev. The Order of Friendship medal is one of the most prestigious awards a foreign citizen can receive from the Russian Federation.  Recent Ameri-can recipients include Raymond E. Johnson (founder, The Museum of Russian Art), Donald Kendall (CEO of PepsiCo), Van Cliburn (Pianist), James Wolfenson (President of the World Bank), and Captain Steven Smith (leader of U.S. Navy rescue of the Russian submarine Kursk lost at sea).

 

Danilov Saga 

Harvard bells ring in Moscow

After decades of announcing football games in Harvard University and a two-year-long transfer operation, the bells of Danilov Monastery have rung in their new (old) home for the first time. The 18 bells were sold abroad in the 1930s, narrowly avoiding being melted down in the course of the Soviet Union’s anti-religion efforts. The idea of their return was first circulated in the 1980s. Harvard accepted replicas in exchange, which were custom-made in Voronezh. 

 

New Ag Minister

President Dmitry Medvedev has appointed a third woman to his Cabinet. Yelena Skrynnik became the first woman in Russian history to head the Agricultural Ministry. The sector faces a crisis following the ousting of Alexei Gordeyev. The other two women in Medvedev’s cabinet are Elvira Nabiullina and Tatyana Golikova.

 

Officer and a Gentleman

Moscow policemen may soon pick up some French language skills. A joint program of the Interior Ministry and the French Embassy in Moscow will test Moscow policemen with basic French language skills. Those who pass the test will be eligible to study the language with French teachers.

 

Extreme Sports

In what has become an annual ritual of sorts, Emergency Situations troops rescued over 200 fishermen from an ice sheet set adrift into the Bay of Finland. 800 people were ice fishing when the ice broke loose from the coast, RIA Novosti reported. In 2006, 130 people were rescued in similar circumstances, and went back to fishing as soon as they stepped out of the helicopter. In 2004, there were 100 fishermen rescued.

 

Nashi Fesses Up

The Kremlin-financed youth group Nashi confessed to the Financial Times that they were the ones behind hacker attacks on Estonian websites in 2007. The attacks, done to coincide with protests over the dismantling of the Soviet soldier statue in Tallinn, paralyzed Estonian government websites for several days. Nashi activist Konstantin Goloskokov, said they “taught Estonia a lesson.”

 

Expat Radio

Maverick oligarch Alexander Lebedev, who calls himself a “capitalist idealist” and frequently criticizes government policies, is planning to launch an English language radio station in Moscow. He also told the Guardian that he plans to distribute copies of the Evening Standard, which he recently bought, in the Russian capital.

 

Corporate Cutbacks

Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin wants to reduce the salaries of state corporation management, he told Vedomosti. State corporation CEOs get salaries three to four times that of ministers. There are ten such corporations; the largest salaries are at Olimpstroy and Russian Technologies. An Olimpstroy deputy CEO receives R500-800,000 rubles per month.

 

Money Money Money

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin may be an Abba fan at heart, as revealed by tribute group Bjorn Again to the Times of London. The group was flown to Moscow and driven to Lake Valdai (200 kilometers north of the capital) to perform what the band called “the strangest concert in our lives.” The stage was separated from the small, select audience by a lace curtain, but band members identified Vladimir Putin as one of the people enjoying their singing. They were paid £20,000, the group said. Putin’s spokesman denied the reports.

 

Russian Star Rising

Russian directors are in favor in Hollywood. Following Timur Bekmambetov’s blockbuster, Wanted, Sergei Bodrov was invited by Warner Brothers to direct The Last Photograph. The idea for the movie came from Watchmen director Zach Snyder, Variety reported. It is about two men who are inspired by a photograph to travel to Afghanistan.

 

Casinos Morphing

Clinging to straws before they are officially declared illegal this summer, Russian casinos are planning to convert themselves into poker clubs. To avoid closure, casinos can convert into restaurants, concert halls or poker clubs. They can also evacuate their premises and relocate to special “Gaming Zones.” There are four such zones in Russia, far from Moscow, where casino gambling will be allowed.

 

“It seems to me as if a blind man and a deaf man sat down and signed a piece of paper, without any understanding what they were signing.”

Russian Ambassador to Ukraine Viktor Chernomyrdin,
on the declaration Ukraine and the EU signed about
modernizing Ukraine’s gas network system. (Interfax)

 

“Vladimir Putin and my feelings for each other are absolutely mutual. However, I try not to perceive him as someone I have talked to in the past, but as a historical figure. There was once such a president in Russia. Now that president is no more. Whether or not he ruled Russia well is something for the next generation to decide.”

Mikhail Khodorkovsky, after moving from a prison cell in Chita
to one in Moscow (Sobesednik)

 

“We are resetting, and because we are resetting, the minister and I have an ‘overload’ of work.” 

Hilary Clinton, after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, during which he was presented with a red “reset” button, only it mistakenly said “peregruzka” (overload) instead of “perezagruzka” (reset). (BBC) 

 

Gennady Zyuganov: “It’s very clear. Where United Russia doesn’t know what to do, you urge them on a bit more energetically.”

Vladimir Putin: “What about?”

Zyuganov: “Well, they seem to be lost in the trees. They are not working on your measures very well. In your place, I would more strictly enforce control over fulfillment of all your instructions.”

Communist Party boss Gennady Zyuganov,
 advising Prime Minister Putin (government.ru)

 

“If the opposition (nesoglasnye) were allowed to have official demonstrations, this is what it would look like: 20-50 participants, 115-200 policemen, 100-200 journalists, and 50-60 passersby. Even Limonov and Kasparov say that western society is more ready, more democratic, capable of mobilizing, while we only have faith in our gentle tsar. Why touch the tsar?”

Vladimir Pronin, Head of Moscow City Police. (Interfax)

 

“It will be like a merging together of Quiet Flows the Don and
[Mario] Puzo’s The Godfather, or the combination of a psychological
family drama and a western.”

Russian director Oleg Pogodin, on his new blockbuster project Dom,
to be released in 2010 (RIA Novosti)

 

“I wish for all of you to become beekeepers.
Who would like to become a beekeeper after my speech? Not too many of you.”

Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov (pictured at right), addressing children, together with
Patriarch Kirill, at Christ the Savior Cathedral; few hands were raised. (RIA Novosti)

Russia is the world’s largest consumer of heroin. 90% of drug users use heroin from Afghanistan. 2.5 million Russians are drug addicts, mostly between the ages 18 and 39.

 

There are 845,000 Russians working for the state – that’s up 74% in the past 10 years. 71.7% are women and the average age is 40.

 

The share of pirated DVDs and CDs on the Russian market has risen from 70-75% to 80% during the present financial crisis. Total sales dropped by 25%, but licensed product sales declined 40-50%. Legal DVD/CD sales have been growing by 25-30% per year over the past five years, and amounted to almost

$2 billion in 2008. The top 10 places Russians want to work are: Gazprom (21%), the President’s Administration (11%), Lukoil (9%), Sberbank, Rosneft, the Interior Ministry, Gazprombank, Russian Railways, Microsoft, and

Toyota Motors.

 

1,300 policemen were charged with crimes in 2008; 1,500 were fired for misconduct; 11,000 were penalized less severely. The Interior Ministry received a total 27,000 complaints during 2008.

 

2-3000 people are losing their jobs each day in Moscow. 190,000 foreign guest workers were officially registered in the capital in the first two months of 2009, which is 17% more than in the same period of last year.

 

The maximum wage for actors working on a Russian television series has fallen from R280 thousand to about R82.2 thousand per day because of the crisis. Screenwriters will get a maximum of R281.4 thousand per episode, a downgrade from $15 thousand in 2008.

 

25.2% of Russian businesses declared a loss in 2008. This figure has increased by 1.8%

 

since 2007. Losses declared grew 4.7 times, to R1.44 trillion.

 

The Russian Trading System (RTS) and Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange have declined 78% and 67% in value since May 2008, respectively. Russians have withdrawn about $290 billion from Russia’s banks since the onset of the financial crisis.

 

In 2008, 11 Russian regions were in the black and contributed about 70% of the country’s budget. This year, only two regions are in the black. Just 10% of Russian cities are financially stable.

 

There are two million .ru domain names. Since September 2007, the number of websites in the RuNet has doubled. In 2008, the number of registered domains grew 64%, a rate second only to China’s .cn.

 

Zvonareva Shines

Vera Zvonareva dominated the women’s tennis event in Indian Wells, capturing both the singles and doubles titles. Because of its strong draws and lucrative purse, Indian Wells, along with the Miami tourney, is considered by many to be an “unofficial” Grand Slam event. Zvonareva became the second woman ever to win both titles in one year (Lindsay Davenport was the first, and she did it twice). 

Most significant was seventh-ranked Zvonareva’s capture of the singles title by defeating the world’s top-ranked player and Indian Wells defending champion Ana Ivanovic, 7/6 (5) 6/2.

“After a couple of games, I knew that the conditions were very difficult and that it was not going to change, and I would have to fight for every point, have to adjust my game,” Zvonareva said after the match. “Even though I had some mistakes and some frustrating points with the wind, I was still trying to put as many balls as I could in the court, trying to concentrate.” A two-time Fed Cup winner (2004 and 2008), Zvonareva raised her ranking through the victory to fifth in the world. 

 

 

 Dancing in LA

Russia earned two medals at the World Figure Skating Champion-ships in Los Angeles in March. Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin took the gold after a scintillating performance in the free dance program, choreographed to music from Aram Khachaturyan’s ballet Spartak. Interestingly, the duo trains alongside their main rivals, Americans Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto. Both pairs are coached by ice dancing Olympic Champions Natalia Linichuk and Gennady Karponosov, who have settled in the US. 

It was Domnina and Shabalin’s first world title. “This [success] probably means very, very much, but right now I’m not feeling anything,” Shabalin said. “We reached a goal we have been living for and we’ve strived to achieve for many years. If I didn’t believe in it, I wouldn’t win.” Meanwhile Yuko Kawaguchi and Alexander Smirnov took the bronze in pairs. Russian skaters were medal-free in the singles categories. Yu-Na Kim of Korea won the women’s event and American Evan Lysacek took the gold in the men’s competition.   

 

Russia Advances

Russia beat Azerbaijan 2-0 in their World Cup qualifier played at Moscow’s Luzhniki stadium in March. Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko was the hero of the match – he opened the score with a 22-meter direct free kick in the first half past Azeri goalkeeper Farhad Veliyev. Then, in the 71st minute, Pavlyuchenko passed to the unmarked Konstantin Zyryanov who hit the target from very close range. 

The win helped Russia remain in second place in its qualifying group, with nine points, trailing only Germany, which has ten. The first-placed team in each of the nine European qualifying groups automatically qualifies for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, while the eight best second-place teams will enter a play-off tournament for a spot at the tournament.