Tag Archives: novosibirsk

On online voting, the war coalition and others

What happened in Russia over the past week? A couple of words on the role of online voting, on the importance of a visibly strong pro-war coalition for Putin, and some regional political and economic news.

Posted in Dispatches, Policies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Requiem for a man – not for a dream

More than a week has passed since Alexey Navalny’s death in an Arctic prison colony – a death which, while its exact circumstances have not been revealed, can, in my opinion, rightly be called a murder, for which Vladimir Putin … Continue reading

Posted in Policies, Society | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On schools and verticals

With the launch of the “School of Mayors” in November, the Kremlin took another step towards the corporatization of public administration in Russia. This happens alongside a severe restriction of local democratic institutions. This would carry risks even in a … Continue reading

Posted in Policies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What is at stake in Russia’s regional and municipal elections?

On September 8-10 Russia holds regional gubernatorial or legislative elections in 33 of its 83 regions, including in Moscow. Apart from these votes, a number of municipal votes will be held across the country, and the occupying authorities will stage … Continue reading

Posted in Elections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A mayor issue

The issue of direct mayoral elections and of local representative democracy in general is triggering protest movements and referendum initiatives in several Russian regions. This is partly due to national and regional politics becoming less and less pluralistic. However, the … Continue reading

Posted in Elections, Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Shrinking spaces

From keeping up appearances to maintaining social stability and meeting the needs of the army, regional officials are finding themselves in tight spots more and more often. A handful of developments from the recent past highlight the means and pitfalls … Continue reading

Posted in Policies, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

No country for old politics

March has seen the start of this year’s spring “gubernatoropad” (“the season of falling governors”) in Russia with the dismissal of (as of this writing) two governors. While ongoing rumors and some recent investigations indicate that there could be more … Continue reading

Posted in Elections, Policies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment