Claire Bigg covers Russia, Ukraine, and the post-Soviet world, with a focus on human rights, civil society, and social issues.
Presidents Lukashenka and Putin at a previous meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart Alyaksandr Lukashenka vowed to give new impetus to their countries' unification process during talks at the Kremlin today. Moscow’s support for Lukashenka is likely to anger the United States, a staunch opponent of the authoritarian Belarusian leader. The Kremlin meeting came a few hours after Lukashenka made scathing comments about U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who yesterday branded Lukashenka a dictator.
Putin welcomes Rice on her first visit to Russia as secretary of state Moscow, 21 April 2005 (RFE/RL) -- The United States and Russia are describing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to Moscow yesterday as fruitful.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Moscow, 21 April 2005 (RFE/RL) -- The United States and Russia are describing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to Moscow yesterday as fruitful.
Russia’s Atomic Energy Agency has floated the idea of dismantling foreign decommissioned nuclear submarines on Russian territory. According to the plan, spent nuclear fuel would be unloaded from the submarines in the country of origin. Russian environmentalists, however, are convinced the nuclear fuel will end up in Russia. They warn that Russia could turn into an international radioactive dump.
Moscow, 19 April 2005 (RFE/RL) -- Officially, Rice will be in Moscow to prepare for U.S. President George W. Bush's upcoming visit. Bush will be in Russia for the 9 May ceremony commemorating the end of World War II. U.S. officials have not provided any further details on the agenda for Rice's talks in Moscow.
Condoleezza Rice (file photo) As Russian President Vladimir Putin prepares to receive U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Moscow tomorrow, Russian observers are speculating on the likely agenda of the discussion. The United States is likely to raise concerns about Russia’s eroding democracy. But Russian analysts say Washington will prefer this time to focus on nuclear issues.
Russia's State Duma today backed in a crucial second reading a bill that would bar coalitions and independent deputies from gaining seats in parliament. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who submitted the controversial bill yesterday, says it will help new political parties to consolidate. But opposition parties and analysts argue that the law will boost the Kremlin's control of political life and squeeze the opposition out of parliament.
The collapse of the Soviet Union relaxed many restrictions on alternative sexual practices in Russia, including the lifting of a ban on homosexuality. But Russian gays and lesbians still consider a distant dream the rights enjoyed by their counterparts in the West. Life for Russian gays remains particularly difficult in the provinces, where homosexuals say intolerance and discrimination is rife.
"Knowledge is not only for the rich" (file photo) Thousands of young Russians once again took to the streets yesterday, calling on the government to raise their living standards and retain free higher education. Following in the footsteps of pensioners, they have been staging rallies across Russia for several weeks. For more on the rise of political youth groups, see RFE/RL's special website "The Power of Youth." --> /specials/youth/
Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Roza Otunbaeva is greeted in Moscow by her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov Barely three weeks after street protests toppled the government in Kyrgyzstan, Kyrgyz acting Foreign Minister Roza Otunbaeva met today with her Russian counterpart in Moscow. The talks focused on Russia's assistance in normalizing the political situation in Kyrgyzstan and on the protection of its interests there.
This week, over 200 protesters from the Russian Republic of Bashkortostan gathered in Moscow to call for the dismissal of Bashkir President Murtaza Rakhimov. Bashkortostan’s opposition accuses the president and the republic’s authorities of human-rights abuses and corruption. But its demands are likely to fall on deaf ears.
A leading Russian human rights group has urged the country’s authorities to reopen an investigation into the massacre in 1940 of thousands of Polish citizens by the Soviet secret police. This tragedy has long been a bone of contention between Russia and Poland. Now it threatens to further sour their relations ahead of the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.
Russian army unit in Chechnya (file photo) With the opening of the spring conscription campaign, the Russian army is once again struggling to fill its ranks. The annual draft, which began 1 April, aims to find 155,000 able-bodied men between 18 and 27. But it's not easy. The war in Chechnya and a reputation for brutality have made the army deeply unpopular. Thousands of young men across Russia hide from draft commissions and the police in order to avoid military service.
