Notebook

Russians reflect on September 11 aftermath

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n a recent article titled “Unforgiven Partners,” Izvestia daily recounted the results of a VTSIOM poll regarding US actions in the war on terrorism. Just 20% of Russians said they support the US action against the Taliban (vs. 41% of Muscovites). At that, the overwhelming majority of that 20% advocates only peaceful participation by Russia in the operation: e.g. “transmission of intelligence information,” “diplomatic support,” and “support by general compassion.” 

Some 57% of Muscovites do not support the operation and only 31% of capital resident said they feel “it is a well-thought-out operation.” 63% said they think what is happening is just “a demonstration of American force.” Another 72% would not support such actions against other countries that the US Department of State has enumerated as terrorist states: i.e. Iraq, Iran, Libya. 

In regard to the potential effectiveness of the operation, 64% of those polled said they felt the Afghanistan operation would only create broader support for terrorists and cause new terrorist acts; just 22% said they felt that the US will succeed in destroying the international terrorist organizations. 

Another poll conducted in September 2001 by the Russian Public Opinion Fund revealed that 50% of Russians still think NATO is an aggressive alliance, while only 26% see it as a defensive one. The same poll revealed that, in September 2001, 48% of Russians felt the US was still an “unfriendly state.” Even after the events of September 11, the situation did not change significantly: just 12% of Russians said their perception of America improved (mostly because of compassion for the victims) while 4% said they feared America is “just unleashing war” and “itself provoked the terrorist acts.” 

The Old is New Again

The Kazymkins are members of the Khanty ethnic group (just 22,500 members in Russia, mainly living in Western Siberia), and they are one of the few young families which have recently chosen to leave stationary villages and make their lives on a stoybische (shepherd’s farm). For such families seeking to return to this traditional lifestyle, authorities in the Khanty-Mansiysk okrug have earmarked special “family lands.” On such land only members of the family can pick berries, hunt or fish. Even oil companies are barred from exploration on these lands. The Kazymkins—Pavel and Tamara—recently had their first child, a son Yura, who may be one of the first Khanty to grow up in a stoybische in many decades.

Russia ranks second in the world (behind South Africa) in murders per 100,000 persons. During the first eight months of 2001, some 22,500 murders or attempted murders were registered in Russia (Deputy Head of the Criminal Militia, Vladimir Gordienko). ! Russia’s three million drug addicts consume more than a billion dollars in drugs every year, according to Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov. Nearly 300 tons of drugs arrive from Afghanistan via Tadzhikistan every year. Only 5% of the narcotics traffic is confiscated at the border due to lack of funds. ! An estimated one in seven persons living in Russia, or 20 million persons, is of the Muslim faith. ! Nine pacifists have become the first Russians to win the right to substitute civil service for time in the army. Authorities in Nizhny Novgorod have allowed the young men to work in a local hospital. The regional prosecutor still has to approve the local authority’s decision, which has been dismissed as illegal by military officials in charge of the draft. ! Russian corporate computer networks are hacked into twice as often as in Western Europe. 65% of those surveyed encountered problems with computer security sometime in the past year. Companies most often suffered from computer viruses, network crashes and unauthorized access from within the company. 39% reported that hackers had broken into their systems, yet only 26% experienced vital system failures, compared with 70% in Western Europe (Ernst & Young, Russia). ! Russia’s Federal Budget had a R87.3 billion surplus ($3.2 billion) from Jan-Sep 2001, on total revenues of R1.108 trillion (Russian Finance Ministry). ! The Land Code approved by the State Duma in its September 20 final reading allows for the sale of 2% of the country’s 1.7 billion hectares of land. Only 130 Communists and Agrarians in the 450-seat Duma voted against the legislation. In addition to municipal land, the code permits the sale of land under private homes and dachas. The sale of farm land will be dealt with in a separate law which the government has promised to send to parliament by the end of the year. ! In 2000, Russia lost R222 billion due to administrative barriers that hamper business. This works out to R18.5 billion per month, while monthly income tax revenue to the state equals R13 billion. (Ogonyok magazine). ! Nine years ago, Russians received vouchers that could be used to take part in the privatization of several large enterprises. A recent poll showed that 36% sold their vouchers for cash, 16% bought stock in investment funds, 10% bought stocks of another enterprise, 9% still have the vouchers, 7% bought shares in enterprises where they or their relatives work, 6% did not get a voucher, 5% gave it away as a gift, 9% don’t remember what they did, 2% did other things with them. (VTSIOM) ! Up to 10 million illegal immigrants enter Russia each year. (State Duma Legal Committee) ! Foreign investment in Russia rose by 40% this year, said Minister of Economic Development German Gref.

“The series of barbarian terrorist acts against innocent people raises our outrage and indignation ... We understand your grief and pain. Russians have themselves experienced the horrors of terror ...”

Russian President Vladimir Putin

“When, two years ago, these scary explosions occurred in Moscow apartment buildings, it seemed to the Americans to be so far away. But there are no borders for international terrorism.” 

Alexander Yakovlev, Leader of the Party of Social Democracy and 

chief architect of perestroika (Kommersant Vlast weekly)

“Only vodka can be better than cognac.”

Jean-Paul Camus, chairman of the board of directors of 

Camus Cognac, while visiting Russia last September. (Izvestia)

“I must say that the Afghans, including those from the Northern Alliance, have mastered our weapons better than our own servicemen, because they have been warring with these weapons for 20 years. They need simple, dependable weapons and when someone offers them something different, they reject it with indignation and demand their Kalashnikov.”

Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov on why there is no need to 

send Russian military instructors to Afghanistan (ORT) 

“To bomb terrorists rather than territories is like cutting microbes with a sword. The pin-point war was invented by the US. But will they be able to make use of their invention?” 

Itogi observer Leonid Radzikhovsky 

“I am the face of the President. And the President has a courageous, open, honest and noble face.”

Viktor Kazantsev, plenipotentiary presidential 

envoy in the Southern Federal District (Itogi)

“One day I attended a governmental session, and they began scolding the CPSU. I asked them: ‘Those who [under the USSR] were not members of the Communist Party, raise your hand.’ No one did. So I said: if you continue to criticize, I will make you pay ten years worth of back membership dues in hard currency.”

Gennady Zyuganov, leader of the Communist Party (Itogi) 

Living standards end their decade-long decline

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ussians’ financial situation has stopped declining for the first time since the beginning of economic reforms. Even though average monthly income totals just R1600 ($60), consumers are now spending more on non-essential consumer items and looking toward the future with optimism. 

An opinion poll of 2,000 persons by Gfk Company revealed that, over the course of this year, only 31% of Russians saw their living standards decline (vs. 68% in 2000 and 83% in 1999). 48% of Russians said their standard of living is stable and 18% have noted an improvement. Moreover, Russians’ income has increased in real terms 43% since 1998. This even despite the fact that Gfk estimated average per capita income much lower than Goskomstat (which estimated it at R2000 in August). 

These upbeat conclusions are confirmed by retail trade data. The founder of the supermarket chain Seventh Continent, Vladimir Gruzdev, said his company’s turnover is expected to increase by 60-70% this year, the most dynamic change since the crisis of 1998; 76% of buyers, Gruzdev said, rely upon “well-established” brands. 

Gfk also noted increased sales of products not considered “goods of first necessity,” like chips, yogurts, juices or special detergents; 11% of households said they intend to buy a car in the next two years and 7% said they intend to buy audio or video equipment. 

Economic experts attribute the change in consumers’ mood largely to the bettering of Russia’s macroeconomic situation. Rising sales have spurred growth in other markets as well: according to the president of the Russian Association of Advertising Agencies, in 2001 ad market turnover may reach $2 billion, more than the record levels of 1997. 

Gfk surveyors also found out that, in 2001, Russians spent more time on rest and leisure: watching TV, walking, sleeping, reading newspapers and magazines, meeting with friends. Especially impressive was the increase in the number of sauna goers (a 5-7% rise).

Russia will harvest some 80 millions tons of grain this year and is offering some as humanitarian aid to needy countries. This bumper crop exceeds earlier forecasts of 72-75 million tons and is an increase over last year’s crop. Agricultural Minister Alexei Gor-deev said that Russia will offer about five million tons of grain for export, including some for humanitarian aid, ITAR-TASS reported. In 1998, Russia was forced to ask for large shipments of food aid from the United States and European Union after suffering its lowest grain harvest in decades. 

The Tupolev-154 which crashed over the Black Sea on October 4 some 185 km from Sochi was hit by a stray Ukrainian S-200 missile during exercises on the Crimean Peninsula. Sixty-six passengers and 12 crew members traveling from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk were killed in the crash. Russian investigators said experts found fragments resembling the missile’s payload in pieces of the plane and in the bodies of passengers who flew on the Sibir company airliner. Russian experts concluded that passengers and crew were alive for at least 40 seconds after the impact of the missile. “Kuda popalo?” (“Where were we hit?”) were the captain’s last words, as heard by air controllers when radio communication was temporarily reestablished. Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma said he would accept the conclusions of the crash investigation, even if it implicates the Ukrainian military. Yet he told reporters he would not “make a tragedy out of it” urging them to “look around,” for, as he said, “pomylki (Ukrainian for “errors”) happen everywhere, in the world and in Europe.” Ukrainian Secretary of National Security Council Yevgeny Marchuk was charged with the unenviable job of officially admitting the error. Yet, Kuchma’s clumsy statements prompted many relatives of victims to make claims for moral damage.  

Two years from now the ruble may be conferred a long-awaited status: it may become a hard currency and a “legal tender” of the International Monetary Fund. During a visit to Russia in early October, IMF president Horst Keller said “We would like to see the Russian ruble as payment currency.” The IMF is ready to give the ruble such privileged status if two conditions are met: Russia must fully repay its debt to the IMF and Russia must apply to have the ruble become an IMF currency. According to First Deputy Finance Minister Alexei Ulyukaev, by the end of the year 2001 Russia’s IMF debt will decline to $7.6 billion and “may be totally repaid within two years.” 

In the aftermath of terrorism by mail attacks in the US, the Russian Ministry of Commu-nication and Informatics held the first session of the Interagency Council on Security in the Mail. A special resolution provided for increased control over letters and parcels, especially those from abroad. On October 16, a special security regime was introduced at all international mail points. Special attention is being paid to letters posing a “bacteriological threat.” According to the director of the Department of Quality and Security at the International Post Office, Yevgeny Chernenko, suspect letters include those without a return address, letters with special notes “for personal delivery only,” letters where the return address of the sender does not coincide with the postage stamp, and letters of unusual size and weight. Russia has some 40,000 post offices, with a total staff of over 300,000. Each year, some 1 billion pieces of mail and 12 million parcels are delivered through the mail. Business and advertising mail now accounts for 55% of all mail in the system.

Saratov region Governor Dmitry Ayatskov said he does not rule out strikes against central regions of Russia carried out by extremists—i.e. Chechen warlords—in retaliation for the US bombing of Afghanistan. Ayatskov ordered stepped up security measures in the region, including at local missile sites and at a research institute whose experts work with anthrax spores. 

In the third quarter of this year, the government raised the base salary for calculating pensions to R1,671 (up from R1,523). This index is used to set individual pensioners’ monthly payments, based on each’s individual coefficient. According to Goskomstat, the average monthly salary in Russia now exceeds R3,300. Observers say the Pension Fund will end the year with a deficit. 

The Russian company Aquarius has announced that it will be producing Hewlett-Packard PCs under license in Russia. Aquarius will manufacture the entire range of HP PCs as well as do special assembly orders. Compaq earlier announced similar plans to launch computer manufacturing in Russia, yet the company’s recent buyout by HP put this project on hold.

While Muscovites marked the anniversary of St. Basil’s Cathedral on Red Square (see cover story), which was dedicated to Ivan the Terrible’s seizure of Kazan, native Tatars resident in Kazan held a Day of Memory to remember those who defended the city against Ivan’s siege. Participants burned a portrait of Tsar Ivan and held banners calling for Tatarstan’s complete independence from Russia. At present, Tatarstan enjoys wide autonomy within the Russian Federation. 

The 12th International Tchai-kovsky Contest will be held June 6-24, 2002 in Moscow. According to Contest Director Nikolai Butov, the prize money awarded to winners will be doubled. The first prize winner will now be awarded $20,000. Out of the official $3.5 million contest budget, approximately $2 million will be provided by the Ministry of Culture; the balance will be financed by sponsors like Gazprom or Lukoil. Com-poser Tikhon Khrennikov, chairman of the contest’s organizing committee, called the Tchai-kovsky Contest “a musical relic of our country.” The Tchaikovsky Contest ranks among the most prestigious in the world and its winner in the piano competition traditionally goes to Tchai-kovsky’s house in Klin to play on the famous composer’s piano. (see Russian Life July/August 2000). The jury will be composed of very authoritative names such as Vladimir Kraynev (piano), RNO Conductor Vladimir Spi-vakov (violin), Alexander Rudin (cello) and Yevgeny Nesterenko (vocal). Applications from candidates (including an audio or video cassette and a $100 admission fee) are being accepted through December 31.

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Residents of 23 rural districts from Belgorod region got together in the district of Schebekino to celebrate the 500th birthday of a giant oak. The folk holiday, dubbed “Marking the Oak’s Birthday,” was followed by a cleaning of the forest where the mighty tree grows. Such environmental actions have become a tradition in Schebekino.

One hundred twenty five years after its inception, the Korenskaya fair has been resurrected in the village of Svoboda (Kursk region). The fair is named after the monastery “Korennaya Pustyn,” a Russian Orthodox Church holy site that is located in Svoboda. In the 19th century, Korenskaya had an annual turnover of R9 million and was one of the best-known fairs in Russia, trailing only the Makarievskaya fair of Nizhny Novgorod. Today, over 56 leading enterprises and agro cooperatives from Kursk and neighboring regions participated in the Korenskaya fair. Above: Fair participant Nadezhda Golikova displays traditional lapti footwear and woven baskets.

Two German and two Soviet tanks dating from World War II were installed on the panorama site of the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Moscow battle (see story on page 49) . The armored tanks were found by the Moscow-based search group Ekipazh (“Crew”), on the sites of the Moscow battles in Tver and Moscow regions. The German T-SH (photo above) was well preserved, as was a Soviet T-26. Other finds, such as a German T-IV and a Soviet T-34, were in fragments. Over the last decade, Ekipazh has found and transferred to Moscow’s permanent exhibition on Poklonnaya Gora over 60 pieces of such war equipment. 

Kafelnikov wins Kremlin Cup, hearts

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n October, Russia’s top tennis player, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, thrilled a local crowd with his 6-4, 7-5 victory over Nicolas Kiefer (Germany) in the 2001 Kremlin Cup finals. This made Kafelnikov only the third person in the Open era to win the same tennis event five years in a row (the other two being Bjorn Borg, Wimbledon, 1976-80, and Balazs Taroczy, Hilversum, 1978-82). 

Kafelnikov has a remarkable 36-5 professional record in Moscow, including 25 straight wins at the Kremlin Cup. It was the 27-year-old Kafel-nikov’s 24th career title and second this year. 

“This tournament holds a special place in my heart,” Kafelnikov said. When asked to comment on the idea that the Kremlin Cup might be leased to China as a tournament (a common practice when tournament organizers have financial troubles), Kafelnikov won points with the press by his dismissal: “This will never happen. I’d rather buy out the tournament with my own money.” 

Kafelnikov also surprised everyone when he announced after winning the finals that he would donate his prize money ($119,842) to the families of the victims of the plane crash of October 4 (see page 8). “This crash occurred over the Black Sea,” Kafelnikov said. “It is my beloved sea, not far from Sochi, the city where I grew up ... I understand no money could ever make up for these human losses, but I am doing this from the bottom of my heart.” 

After receiving the cup from Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, Kafel-nikov waited on the court for First Russian President Boris Yeltsin and his wife Naina, who had watched the final match, to come down to the court for a photo session. 

Next Stop Korea

Much to the delight of less-than-jaded Russian fans (who have not seen their national team in a world soccer championship since 1994), Russia defeated Switzerland at home 4-0. This qualifies the team, under the tutelage of Oleg Romantsev, to play in the June 2002 World Championship finals in Korea and Japan. Russia needed just a draw to make it to the finals, but took no chances, taking an early lead thanks to three goals by forward Vladimir Besschastnykh (two of them on headers). Yegor Titov (#9 in the photo) scored the fourth goal after a free kick. 

Russia’s women’s cycling team brought home two golds, one silver, one bronze and a second place in the overall team medal count at the World Championships in Belgium. Sprinter Svetlana Gran-kov-skaya, 25, became the first Russian to win a gold at the World Championships in four years. Thirty-two-year-old Olga Slyusareva, in addition to a silver medal in the individual 3 km pursuit race, added a gold in the team race by points. 

On the eve of the 2001 Kremlin Cup, Izvestia reported that the US edition of Playboy had offered Anna Kurnikova a sum “hard to resist, even for a quite well-off girl” to pose for the magazine. No denial or confirmation was received at press time. Meanwhile an opinion poll on the Playboy website revealed that Kurnikova ranked as the sexiest woman tennis player. Kurnikova got 41% of the votes, followed by Barbara Shett of Austria (33%) and Jennifer Capriatti (5%). Yet Kurnikova’s popularity has not been matched by her tennis performance. At the Kremlin Cup, 18-year-old Galina Fokina (in the tournament as a wildcard) upset Kurnikova 6-2, 1-6, 6-2 in the opening match. It was only Kurni-kova’s third match in eight months, due to a stress fracture in her left foot that has kept her sidelined since February. Kurnikova was also eclipsed this year by Elena Dementieva as Russia’s top female tennis player. Dementieva nearly won the singles title in the Kremlin Cup, losing only to Elena Dokic (Yugoslavia) in the finals 3-6, 3-6. Kurnikova did prove her mettle however by taking the Kremlin Cup doubles title together with Martina Hingis, defeating the Russian team of Dementieva-Krasnorutskaya in the finals.

Eighteen-year-old Russian forward for the Atlanta Trashers, Ilya Kovalchuk (see Russian Life Sep/Oct 2001), made his successful NHL debut. After scoring twice in an exhibition match against Nashville, Ilya scored again against Pittsburgh. Kovalchuk told Sport-Express daily he was happy to have scored three goals in two matches, especially since the goals were decisive ones. Kovalchuk added that he felt it unlikely he would return to Spartak (Moscow), as he feels he is playing fine and has good prospects in Atlanta.