Tag Archives: presad

2012: not quite there yet

Many things that prominent Russia-watchers had expected didn’t happen in 2012. Most notably, the new opposition didn’t achieve a breakthrough in the regions, neither was Dmitry Medvedev dismissed, although in September these seemed all but imminent. Also, Vladimir Putin’s rating … Continue reading

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The kompromat bubble

There is a very unique Russian word that has haunted Russian politics ever since the fall of the Soviet Union: kompromat, a Russian-style contraction of ‘compromising material’. Kompromats have a lively culture in Russia. Creating a good kompromat has become … Continue reading

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Immoral foundations

Somehow, the autumn has so far failed us, those who expected seismic changes to happen in Russian politics as a consequence of the local and regional elections and/or the debate on next year’s budget. What we have seen so far … Continue reading

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Falling leaves

The tensest summer of the past decade in Russia is over. September is about to bring back the political battles – within the elite, within the opposition and between these two heterogeneous groups – to full swing. In 2008, it … Continue reading

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Rearranging that team photo

Russian media served a delicious treat to Kremlin-watchers last week. The Minchenko Consulting Group published a report on the “Politburo 2.0”, trying to decipher and to put into context the new setup of the “collective Putin” after the March presidential … Continue reading

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Pipeline crossroads

Russia watchers, in recent months, have been entangled in the cobweb of carefully concocted crackdown laws and the nervous improvisation of the ruling elite in order to contain the resilient opposition movement. Notwithstanding the importance of the said steps which … Continue reading

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Old habits die hard

The first few weeks of Dmitry Medvedev’s government under President Putin have more or less matched expectations. As I have blogged before, the new cabinet is designed to be either the engine of further reforms and a preparation for a … Continue reading

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