Think of Russia as the Toy that Children Don't Like to Share

PITY Dmitry Medvedev. He is just three weeks from becoming president, and the man he is meant to replace keeps stealing his limelight—and his power. Vladimir Putin formally steps down on May 7th. But he has already ensured that he will stay on as prime minister, and on April 15th he accepted the “invitation” to become leader of the ruling United Russia party, a political movement created by the Kremlin. “I am ready to take on the additional responsibility,” he told a specially-convened party congress.


Mr Putin spent the eight years since he was first elected president building up the powers of the office. He neutered the once-combative legislature and appointed prime ministers distinguished only by their loyalty: Mikhail Fradkov and, since last year, the even duller Viktor Zubkov.


Now Mr Putin is reversing the process, robbing the presidency of its omnipotence. As prime minister and party leader, he will have a tight grip on the country's finances and its regional elites. In theory, Mr Medvedev retains the constitutional right to sack him. But Mr Putin could change the constitution, given that he now leads a party that commands more than two-thirds of the seats in the Duma.


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Well the power battle continues. Putin is now stripping power from the role of President to assure that he is supreme leader when he changes positions. It will be interesting to see if any more changes take place in the next few months. It would also be interesting to hear what Medvedev has to say about his friends actions, and if he himself would rather have all of the control.

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Is Russia Wal-Mart's Answer?

Now that it is clear that Wal-Mart's (NYSE:WMT) international operations are growing much faster than its US division, the company is searching for new frontiers. Revenue overseas is growing at a rate better than 20% Wal-Mart has had trouble in some countries. Its operation in Japan continues to loss money and it has pulled out of Korea and Germany.

Now, the world's largest retailer is looking to Russia and eastern Europe for more growth. According to the FT, Wal-Mart "firmly signaled its intention to expand into Russia and eastern Europe, announcing that it had recruited Stephan Fanderl, a German retail executive, to explore opportunities in the region."

It will be at least a couple of years before the market can gauge whether Wal-Mart can have success in the region. It has to compete with other companies like big European retail chain Tesco. The Wal-Mart model clearly does not work in all cultures.

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If Wal-Mart takes on Russia as a new frontier, it could be economically profitable for the country. Wal-Mart operations provide the opportunity for jobs and economic growth. A large company coming to the country can signal positive ideas that Russia is a good place to go. This could lead to even more growth and power in the world community.

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Putin's New Role

MOSCOW (AFP) — President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday agreed to head Russia's ruling party in a significant shift of the political landscape three weeks before he hands power to successor Dmitry Medvedev.

Putin, who leaves the Kremlin after two terms on May 7, also confirmed he would become prime minister under Medvedev.

"With gratitude I accept the proposal of the party members and their leadership.... I am ready to take on the additional responsibility and head United Russia," he told a party congress in Moscow after being urged to take the post.

The 55-year-old ex-KGB officer's announcement, carried live on state-run television, signalled a reordering of Russia's political mix on the eve of Medvedev's presidential debut.

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Right before Medvedev takes power Putin gives himself one more head role in the government. It has been known that Putin would be the Prime Minister, but he is now also going to be the leader of the most powerful political party in Russia. When Medvedev finally takes power it will be interesting to see whether Putin takes over any more roles and just how much he cuts back.

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The UN Wants More Money

MOSCOW • UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asked Russia yesterday to increase its contributions to the United Nations budget to reflect the country’s growing clout on the world stage.

“Russia is one of the largest contributors in terms of financial contributions and also peacekeeping operations,” Ban, on his first visit to Russia since taking the U.N. post early last year, told a news conference.

“But with the increased development of the economy as well as the political profile, I hope Russia can do more. This is the wish that I have expressed to the Russian leadership,” he said, sitting alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

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Russia has shown that they already have resources to contribute a lot to the UN, but the UN wants even more. They feel that Russia has the ability to contribute more money, and hopes that the country will do so. By giving even more money to the UN Russia could show just how powerful they are and that they truly want to help the world.

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Don't Drink the Radioactive Water...

Russian town Chapaevsk, situated in Samara region, dies off. For several decades there have been produced warfare toxins. As a result for the last 15 years the population of the town has decreased in a quarter. The soil and ground waters are filled with dioxins and other poisons. People die from tuberculosis, throat and liver cancer.

In the 20th there has been constructed a secret plant that would produce the inside part of chemical weapons: sulphur mustard and lewisite. During World War II the chemicals were produced 24 ours a day and all the wastes were dumped into the near river and canals.

After the war the factories continued to produce chemical weapons, projectiles and explosives, which badly damaged the ecology of the town. Since early 90th the defense plants haven’t been producing anything. Soon the chemical plant was also closed down. However even today the citizens find chemical projectiles with strange stinky liquid leaking out of it. The town is situated on the bank of the river Chapaevka, all the wastes have been dumped there, so as a result the river doesn’t meet any ecological demands.

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The town of Chapaevsk is facing problems because of the damage to the environment caused by productions of toxic products in WWII. The plants in the region that produced wartime materials did not take the time to safely destroy the material, but rather just dumped it into the streams and rivers. The towns in the water supplies have long haunted the citizens of this region, and the water is still not safe to drink to this day. In order to promote growth and safety these environmental issues are something that Russia is going to need to address.

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Unrest Over Possible New NATO Members

MOSCOW, April 11 (RIA Novosti) - Russia will be forced to strengthen security on its borders if Georgia and Ukraine join NATO, Army General Yury Baluyevsky, chief of the country's General Staff, said on Friday.

At a summit in Bucharest last Thursday, NATO members decided to postpone offering Georgia and Ukraine the chance to join the NATO Membership Action Plan, a key step toward full membership, but promised to review the decision in December.

"Russia will undoubtedly take measures to ensure its security near the state border. These will be both military and other measures," Baluyevsky said.

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Russia is concerned that is Georgia and Ukraine become full members of NATO there will be unrest among citizens against this and possible out lashes towards their country. They have basically said if they are finally accepted as members they will take security measures on their border, but the specifics of these measures has yet to be specified.

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Jobs for Russian's in Iraq

President Vladimir Putin lobbied Iraq's prime minister Monday on behalf of Russian companies trying to get a cut of contracts for rebuilding Iraq's infrastructure, particularly its crucial oil and gas sector.

In a message sent to Nouri al-Maliki, Putin said the huge West Qurna oil field was of particular interest, and he noted Russia was expanding its diplomatic presence in Iraq.

The message came two days after Iraq's Oil Ministry invited local and international oil companies to bid for contracts providing technical support for two major oil fields in the southern and northern regions.

"Our companies are ready to increase their contribution to the restoration and modernization of the economic infrastructure of Iraq, primarily in the energy, oil and gas sectors where we have accumulated rich experience and made good arrangements," Putin said, according to a Kremlin statement.

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Russia has apparently gained an interest in the affairs of Iraq, but rather than wanting to send troops or anything like that they wish to acquire jobs from the rebuilding. Again Russia is expanding as a power in the world and possibly even feeding off of the misfortune of Iraq.

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More Economic Freedom

The lower house of Russia's parliament, the Duma, passed legislation Friday limiting the ability of foreigners to invest in industrial sectors considered as strategic. Colin McCullough reports for VOA from Moscow this came shortly after the Russian government announced the arrest of two Russian-Americans on charges of industrial espionage.

The Duma passed a bill restricting foreign investment in 42 sectors labeled strategic, including the manufacture and sale of military hardware, the nuclear industry, the extraction of mineral resources and mass media.

The bill says that any foreign private investor wanting to buy more than a 50 percent share of a company in any of the designated sectors will need approval from a commission composed of economic and security officials.

Foreign state-controlled companies will have to go through the same procedure if they want to acquire more than a 25-percent stake in a Russian company on the list.

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The law passed to "protect" the Russian economy looks as if it will continue to limit it. The economy already scored low in The Heritage Foundation's ratings posted earlier, and these numbers may continue to go down now that this law is going into effect. By limiting foreign investments into its economy Russia may very well be hindering its growth.

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Egypt Nuclear With Russia

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak heads for Russia on Monday where he is expected to get assurances of Russian assistance to build a nuclear facility.

A bilateral nuclear power deal was outlined last week and is expected to be signed
during the visit.

Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu Al-Gheit said the pact would enable Egypt to tap into Russia's extensive experience in the field of nuclear energy.

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Egypt is looking for Russia for support in building their own nuclear facilities. They say that Russia has much experience and will be able to offer them much advice. It has yet to be seen as to whether or not it is good that Russia has experience in this field. This pact is also another example of Russia getting more involved in the global community.

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Fake Vodka? (100th Post)

MOSCOW (AFP) — Russian prosecutors have confiscated thousands of bottles of illegal Olympic vodka, six years before the Winter Olympic Games come to Russia, an official said Wednesday.

Close to 14,000 bottles of vodka that used the Olympic name without permission were confiscated last month, according to a statement on the website for the prosecutor's office in the southern province of Krasnodar.

"It's the first such case" involving vodka production in the run-up to the winter Olympics to be held in Sochi in 2014, Yelena Kozyr, a spokesman for the Krasnodar prosecutors said on Wednesday.

The vodka, called Olympic, bore the Olympic symbol of five interlocking rings and the words Sochi 2014. The Black Sea coastal town of Sochi was chosen as the host of the games last year.

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Well clearly they were preparing for the future. By the time the Olympic games rolled around there would definitely have been enough vodka to go around, if it had not been confiscated by the government. Well I guess the importance of this post doesn't lie as much in the vodka as it does Russia being the host for the 2014 Olympic games. The Olympics and the way the games run can create positive relations for country and positive media coverage. Russia can show off what they have to offer and provide a place for people to come and enjoy sports of all kinds, but incidents of this nature (fake vodka or just fake items in general) can create a bad name for Russia. Sure it happens everywhere, a black market and ripped off goods, but its never good media when they are found. But Russia is setting a positive example by confiscating it and seeing that people don't get ripped off.

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Russia Approves EU Mission to Chad

Russia has approved the deployment of helicopters to bolster an EU peacekeeping force along Chad's border with the Darfur region of Sudan, the Russian defense minister said Tuesday.

The deployment would be the first direct Russian contribution to an EU military mission, an EU official said, though technical and legal details of the plan were still being discussed, and no timeline was announced.


Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, has already approved the mission and government funds have been allocated, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said during a visit to Paris.


The EU force's mission to Chad and neighboring Central African Republic is to help limit possible spillover from the fighting in Sudan's western Darfur region. It is expected to be fully deployed by June with 3,800 troops from at least 14 countries.



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Russia has made its first large contribution to an EU military mission by allocating funds and helicopters for a mission in Chad. The Darfur region is in much turmoil right now, and it says something about Russia's foreign relations to allocate a resource such as that and help in the EU.

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Hunger for Speech

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — A Russian opposition leader accused of hitting a policeman has gone on a hunger strike to protest his detainment, which he believes is politically motivated, his lawyer said Wednesday.


Maxim Reznik, leader of the Yabloko party in St. Petersburg, began the hunger strike on Tuesday, when a city court ruled that he should remain in custody for two months while the case is under investigation, attorney Boris Gruzd said.


Reznik was arrested before an anti-Kremlin protest was to take place Monday, led by former chess champion Garry Kasparov. Reznik is a St. Petersburg organizer of the protests held by Kasparov's opposition coalition.



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In the US freedom of speech and peaceful protest are rights that we may sometimes take for granted, but as seen in this article these rights are rare in Russia. A man supposedly having a peaceful protest over Sunday's election was detained for two months. That is another thing that would not happen in the US. He is not being charged, just held until they can "research." Two months is a long time to research over a protest march. Will these violations of rights continue or will Medvedev lead to change.

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To change or not to change? That is the question...

Russia's presidential election this weekend may have been flawed, but it reflected that most Russians are pleased with the nation's strong economy and assertive foreign policy, experts and election observers said Monday.

Such views make it unlikely that President-elect Dmitry Medvedev, at least initially, will embark on a far different course from his predecessor and mentor, Vladimir Putin.

Medvedev (pronounced med-VEHD-ev) vowed to uphold Putin's policies. "We will increase stability, improve the quality of life and move forward on the path we have chosen," he said. "We will be able to preserve the course of President Putin."

Medvedev is "going to have an unreceptive public for any real changes … because a lot of people are satisfied," said Toby Gati, who was a State Department official under President Bill Clinton.

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Change has occurred in the form of a new President, but seeing as how Medvedev was handpicked by Putin, the policy of the country will most likely not change. Putin most likely supported him because he knew that he would be willing to follow his path and not change the path that Russia is going down. Though the article does say that the country is content with the way it is run, so maybe that is the way that they should live.

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Russia...Voter Fraud?...Never!

The two top rivals to the man who appears to have won Russia's presidential election alleged violations Sunday, Russian news agencies reported.

Communist Party chief Gennady Zyuganov and ultranationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky spoke out after electoral officials and exit polls pointed to an easy victory for Kremlin-backed candidate Dmitry Medvedev, Vladimir Putin's favored successor.

"It seems that we don't have elections but a procedure of confirming the appointed president," Interfax quoted Zhirinovsky as saying. "This disgusts not me but the citizens of Russia."

The remarks were striking for Zhirinovsky, whose presidential bid was widely seen as a Kremlin-supported move to lend legitimacy to the vote, in which Medvedev's victory was a foregone conclusion.

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As predicted Medvedev won with a hefty margin of the votes, but his competitors aren't satisfied. Apparently they feel that they didn't have a chance in the election. One would most likely have to agree with them. Putin did hold a power over his people, and he is passing this on to Medvedev. If a person doesn't know better then of course Russia is a great country, but in actuality it is not quite the democracy that the US is. Zhirinovsky made the comment that the overwhelming win by Medvedev upset the citizens of Russia, and I may not know much but if 70% of them voted for him they can't be too upset. If Russia is to ever get out of the rut they will have to kick it into high gear, but most citizens are content just as they are, avoiding change.

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Medvedev Appears in WSJ

Read what the WSJ has to say about Russia's upcoming leader...

The Pipeline Deal

MOSCOW: Russia scored another victory Thursday in its push to tighten domination of European energy supplies, signing a landmark deal with Hungary for a new natural gas pipeline.

President Vladimir Putin, who was joined by Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany for a signing ceremony at the Kremlin, said the South Stream project was a "joint contribution by Russia and Hungary to Europe's energy security."

The €10 billion (US$15 billion) pipeline will go through Hungary after crossing Bulgaria and Serbia, and it further undercuts an alternative project — the Nabucco pipeline, which has been backed by the United States and the European Union as a way to ease Europe's reliance on Russia for energy.

"If the project is implemented, the role and significance of Hungary as an energy supplier to Europe will grow and its own energy security will be guaranteed," Putin told Gyurcsany before the signing.

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Russia and Hungary recently completed a deal for a natural gas pipeline. This pipeline is designed to help Europe with its need for energy and take the burden off one particular country. This pipeline will help to push Russia as well as Hungary to the a more dominant position in European politics. Russia is also continuing to extend their foreign relations and build alliances with other countries.

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A Jewish President for Russia?

MOSCOW: Allegations by nationalists that Vladimir Putin's chosen successor, Dmitry Medvedev, has Jewish roots have brought anti-Semitism to the surface on the margins of Russia's presidential election campaign.

The first deputy prime minister, who is all but assured of victory on Sunday because he has Putin's support, has said he belongs to the Russian Orthodox faith.

But some nationalist groups say his mother's maiden name, Shaposhnikova, is Jewish, and that he is unfit to be president because of this.

Medvedev's campaign staff declined to confirm or deny he has Jewish roots. The Kremlin condemns all forms of anti-Semitism.



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Recent claims among nationalist groups in Russia are that Medvedev, Putin's successor, is Jewish. These claims are based off of the last name of his mother, which makes them not very credible claims. These tactics are the same smearing tactics that we are currently appearing in the US's election. Though the interesting thing is that these claims have not arisen until a week before the election. In the US they would appear much before that. Since Medvedev is the favored successor it will be interesting to see if these allegations hurt his campaign at all.

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Satellite Conspiracy

The satellite was destroyed on Wednesday, February 20 using a modified SM-3 missile fired by a U.S. Navy warship off the coast of Hawaii. The operation to shoot down the orbiting spacecraft was clearly designed to send a message to both Russia and China, America’s two major competitors in the race for military dominance in space. Interestingly, the SM-3 missile used to shoot down the satellite forms the terminal phase of the anti-ballistic missile system currently being developed by the Bush administration.



According to the Pentagon, the out-of-control satellite had to be brought down because the toxic fuel it was carrying, hydrazine, had frozen and so could not be used to guide the satellite into the Earth’s atmosphere to burn up. According to the Pentagon, the toxic fuel posed a significant risk to human health, given the impossibility of predicting where or when the satellite was going to come down. There was also some speculation on whether the satellite contained other potentially hazardous materials, such as a nuclear power source. The Pentagon certainly kept quiet about that.



Both Russia and China, along with many experts around the world, have dismissed the Pentagon’s hazardous fuel argument, saying there are many instances of satellites falling to Earth harmlessly before and it is unprecedented for such action to be taken against a rogue satellite. In 2002, for example, parts of a science satellite rained down over the Persian Gulf. The most spectacular case, however, of a satellite falling to Earth took place when Skylab, a 78-ton abandoned space laboratory belonging to NASA, fell from orbit in 1979. It came down in a fiery mass of debris strewn over the Indian Ocean and Australia. No one was harmed in that incident, but the event was a media sensation at the time.



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China and Russia have expressed their concern over the shooting down of the US satellite. There have been instances in the past of satellites falling safely. They are concerned that the satellite could have contained no technologies or even space weapons that the US is trying to keep a secret from Russia. This instance has definitely hurt our relationship with both China and Russia, and it may be a while until we actually find out what was on that satellite.

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Can you communicate with the nether world?

Sesnational news from the spirit-world came just the day 2 planes crashed in Russia. While Federal Security Service staff was clearing away the wreckage in the places of the accident in Rostov and Tula regions, the scientists of Saint Petersburg already knew that was an act of terrorism. They got interested strange sounds heard in the ultra short waves that are free from radio signal. When the scientists scrolled down the record, they were astounded. It said: That was a terrorist”.

That was a sensation. The words were replayed on “Saint Petersburg Radio” air. Non-believers finally realized that the other world really exists.

A University of Radio technique professor Artem Mikheev got interested in this question. He found “Russian Instrumental Transcommunication” – an organization aimed to cooperate with the nether world.

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And the debt continues...

MOSCOW (Thomson Financial) - Russian gas monopoly Gazprom and Ukraine have failed to reach a deal on resolving a dispute over debts owed by Kiev for Russian natural gas, but talks will continue, news agencies reported.

'The meeting is finished. Talks will continue,' Gapzrom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov was quoted as saying by Interfax and RIA Novosti news agencies after talks between Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and Gazprom chief Alexei Miller.

On February 12, President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Viktor Yushchenko announced a deal in principle to avert a threatened gas cut-off over Kiev's debts, but the agreement has yet to be finalised.


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The attempt to resolve the Ukrainian debt has failed. Yet again Russia is having to deal with money that is in debt to them. Here in the US we are generally the ones in debt, but apparently everyone owes Russia money. Russia must be at least fairly stable economically if they don't have to resolve these debts immediately. Whether or not these debts will be resolved in the near future has yet to be seen, but as of current Ukraine still owes money to Russia.

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