Monthly Archives: July 2007

The diplomatic confrontation between Russian and Britain is hitting a boiling point. In response to the expulsions, Russia said they were “russophobic,” ‘immoral,” and part of “a carefully choreographed action” that could result in a political backlash. Nevertheless, Mikhail Kamynin, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman, reiterated Russia’s willingness to cooperate with Britain in the Litvinenko case.

That doesn’t mean that Russia is going to sit idle. Alexander Grushko was quoted in the Guardian saying that Russia will give their response soon adding that whatever it will berespo1 Russian-British business ties will be kept in mind. Russia’s Resources Minister, Yuri Trutnev, told reporters that “I don’t think it makes sense to impose restrictions that would affect the investment climate, because that would be very expensive, including for Britain.” He’s right and the Guardian concurs. There is no way Russian or British elites are going to pump ..read more

The Moscow Times reports that the Russian government published its blacklist of books, articles, pamphlets, films and records in Rossiiskaya gazeta on Saturday. The list includes 14 works that the Putin government says incites racial and political hatred. Sergei Vasil’ev, the Head of the State Registrar, told the state newspaper that “Russian citizens must know that displays are one of the sources for extremism that are dangerous enemies to society’s stability and well being.”

There are currently two statutes on the Russian Criminal Code that pertain to extremist speech. The first concerns calling out for or verballing inciting “extremist activities.” The other punishes the “agitation of hatred, animosity, or degradation of human dignity”. Conviction of either carries of a maximum prison sentence of five years.

The list consists of the following:

“Music for White People,” The Order. Book of Monotheism, Muhammed idn Sulaiman al-Tamimi. Letters of the Kuban Rada of ..read more

The “Litvinenko Affair” has started to make me to feel a bit like Michael Corleone. “Every time I try to get out, they pull me back in!”

The Brits have lived up to their threats and expelled four Russian diplomats. They also plan on suspending negotiations with the Russians over visas, making it more difficult for Russian government officials and citizens to get entry into Britain. David Miliband of the British Foreign Ministry told reporters that “This is a situation the government has not sought and does not welcome. But we have no choice but to address it. We have chosen to expel four diplomats, four particular diplomats, in order to send a clear and proportionate signal to the Russian government about the seriousness of this case.” Well if you want the Russians to take the extradition of Andrei Lugovoi seriously, turning the issue into a full ..read more

Another twist was added to the “Litvinenko Affair” on Sunday. The Sunday Telegraph features an article about Norberto Andrade, the waiter who served Litvinenko, Vyacheslav Sokolenko, Andrei Lugovoi, and Dmitri Kovtun at the Pine Bar at the Millennium Hotel in London the night of Litvinenko’s infamous poisoning. Andrade claims that while he didn’t actually see the poison delivered, he believes that he was deliberately distracted so that polonium could be sprayed into a teapot of green tea.

“When I was delivering gin and tonic to the table, I was obstructed. I couldn’t see what was happening, but it seemed very deliberate to create a distraction. It made it difficult to put the drink down.

“It was the only moment when the situation seemed unfriendly and something went on at that point. I think the polonium was sprayed into the teapot. There was contamination found on the picture above where ..read more

Putin signed a decree today officially suspending Russia’s participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty and threatens to fully withdraw in five months time unless a compromise was found on some of its provisions. The CFE, which was signed in 1990 and amended in 1999, limits troop deployments on the European continent. The 1999 revisions require the Russians to fully withdraw its troops from Moldova and Georgia. Russia is in the process of withdrawing troops from the latter but has refused to consider the former because of the dispute over Transnistria. NATO has used Russian troops stationed in the two former Soviet Republics as reason to not sign the amended treaty.

According to the decree, Russia considers linking of the signing of the treaty with Russian bilateral talks with Georgia and Moldova as “wrong” and the need to suspend participation in the treaty stems ..read more

I’ve read a lot of horrific stories about Russia over the years. Tales about hazing in the military, torture, assassinations, wanton thievery, corruption, not to mention, the often tragic comedy found on the now sadly defunct Mosnews. But never have I read an article so disturbing, so utterly chilling to the bones as when I read “Russia’s Mullet Revolution” in the eXile.

That’s right. Mullets. The shlong. The ape-drape. Business in the font, party in the back. The Tennessee top hat. The Billy Ray Cirus. The Kentucky Waterfall. The Ben Franklin. They are simply the fashion scourge of the earth.

Alas, mullets are alive and well in Russia, and unlike in the States, they are sported, sprayed, combed and flayed without any irony whatsoever. As Yasha Levine writes,

The mullet continues to thrive in every ..read more