Ivan the Terrible had the feared Oprichniki to keep the silence. Men in black; their insignia was a severed dog’s head (to sniff out treachery) and a broom (to sweep the traitors away). In today’s Russia, the state has other, more or less, fearsome means to keep the people from talking.
Marina Salye, who died in 2012, was the author of the 1992 Salye report revealing corruption by Vladimir Putin and his officials in St Petersburg City Hall. What happened to that report?
In a few months, the EU will decide whether to sign an Association Agreement with Ukraine. President Viktor Yanukovych is, however, focused on a different agenda - how to win a second term in 2015. He's ready to go to any lengths to bring that about, reports Sergii Leshchenko.
Broadcaster Vladimir Posner’s ‘slip of the tongue’, calling Russia’s parliament the Dura (fool) instead of the Duma, added yet another slur to the already emasculated body. A lapdog parliament is exactly what Putin wants running behind him, writes Mikhail Loginov.
Cyprus’s monetary crisis has drawn international attention to the island’s role as a tax haven and money laundry for Russia’s rich. Meanwhile, Putin has announced a crackdown at home — which Pavel Usanov believes is doomed to failure, given the all-pervasive corruption of life in Russia.
THE CEELBAS DEBATE // There have been tensions between native Russians and ethnic minorities since the Tatar Yoke of the 13th century. Successive rulers either tried to keep an uneasy peace or fanned the flames of division. Federica Prina discusses the Russian Government’s latest strategies for cr
THE CEELBAS DEBATE // In the post-2010 crackdown, cultural expression has become synonymous with political resistance in Belarus. But is it really possible for a regime to fight against its own national culture, and survive, wonders Simon Lewis?
THE CEELBAS DEBATE // How far does the current clash between the opposition and authorities reflect Russia's history of dissidence? Tom Rowley considers the importance of the similarities and differences.
THE CEELBAS DEBATE// The role of the social networks in the organisation of recent political protest in Russia has been well documented. But the nature of revolution is changing, affecting language, literature and the involvement of the intellectuals, says Olga Breininger
How far has culture become a frontline in Russian politics, and how does it compare to earlier periods in the country's history? Introducing a new week-long CEELBAS debate on oDRussia, Artemy Troitsky, Peter Pomerantsev and Oliver Carroll discuss the nature of art, protest and the absurd.
The death of Boris Berezovsky created a storm of speculation and reminiscences in the world press. But for most Russians Berezovsky was a forgotten figure, so why the explosion of interest there too? Because it’s a classic Russian fable, thinks Zygmunt Dzieciolowski
