Institute of Modern Russia

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News

Pavel Khodorkovsky Statement on Kremlin's Decision to Halt USAID Activities in Russia

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19 September 2012

Pavel Khodorkovskiy

Pavel Khodorkovsky, president of the Institute of Modern Russia and son of political prisoner Mikhail Khodorkovsky, released the following statement today: "The Institute of Modern Russia is disappointed with the Putin administration's decision to prevent human rights organizations and other NGOs working in Russia from receiving USAID funding. The current regime is eager to disavow and denigrate [...]" Read >>>

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Politics

Khimki: Local Elections, National Importance

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17 September 2012

Vladimir Kara-Murza

Last week, the electoral commission in Khimki, a northern suburb of Moscow, completed the nomination process for the upcoming mayoral election. Twenty-six candidates are planning to take part in the October 14th vote, with nine of them already registered. Yet the real battle will be between two contenders: Oleg Shakhov, the regime-backed candidate, and Yevgenia Chirikova, a leader of the Russian opposition. IMR Advisor Vladimir V. Kara-Murza discusses the importance of this campaign for the country’s protest movement.

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Nation

"Russia Rising": 30 Graphic Designers Challenge Putin's Regime

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13 September 2012

"The current regime is openly disdainful of its constituents, and while it generally does not threaten their lives, it does assault their human dignity and their basic freedoms. Our hope is to help lend a well-pitched voice to the outcry," says Misha Beletsky, New York graphic designer, art director for Abbeville Press, and co-curator of the "Russia Rising: Votes for Freedom" exhibition. The showcase, responding to recent political turmoil in Russia through protest posters, will run in New York September 4th through 22nd at the School of Visual Arts' Westside Gallery, 141 West 21 Street.

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Politics

Russia’s Opposition Vote: Pro et Contra

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12 September 2012

September 15th is the last day for candidates to register for election to the Coordinating Council of the Russian opposition. According to its proponents, the new structure, by having elected members, will legitimize opposition leaders in the eyes of the grassroots, and consolidate the protest movement, which has become a major force following the mass rallies in 2011 and 2012. Yet not all opposition figures are backing this idea: skeptics fear that internal competition will weaken the protest movement and lead to a split in its ranks.

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Nation

Benefit in Support of Pussy Riot’s Political Statement

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11 September 2012

On September 10th, a benefit for the Pussy Riot feminist punk band took place in Lombard Freid Gallery in New York. The walls were covered in flat-screen televisions showing five original videos of the band's performances filmed in various locations in Moscow, culminating in their final, and most provocative, act at the Christ the Savior Church. The event, co-sponsored by Amnesty International, attracted a mixed Manhattan crowd of artists, journalists, human rights activists, and band sympathizers.

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Nation

The Education Controversy

New Russian law on education to significantly cut school and university opportunities

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10 September 2012

Olga Khvostunova

New legislation in Russia, scheduled to be implemented before the end of the 2012, is expected to result in drastic changes in the country's education system. These changes will affect all educational levels, from pre-schools to universities, with foreseeable reforms in both the schooling and school funding of such institutions. IMR analyst Olga Khvostunova and independent journalist Xenia Prilepskaya review the upcoming reforms.

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Nation

Pussy Riot Benefit at Lombard Freid

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06 September 2012

Lombard Freid Gallery is pleased to announce a one-time event for the benefit of the Pussy Riot Feminist Art Collective on Monday, September 10, from 6-10 pm at 518 W 19th Street, Manhattan, NY. All proceeds from the event will go to assisting the families and defense fund of the jailed band members.

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Nation

A Day Lost: The End of Russia's Tandem

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05 September 2012

Tatiana Stanovaya

On August 8, while Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was traveling to South Ossetia, a documentary was posted on the Internet charging him, the former Commander-in-Chief and President of the Russian Federation, with criminal neglect regarding South Ossetia on the eve of Russia’s 2008 war with Georgia. The influential military commanders interviewed in the film claimed that Medvedev’s delay in launching a military attack on Georgia significantly increased the war’s casualties. Who are these filmmakers, and why did they producethis film? Tatyana Stanovaya provides us with some possible answers found in the Russian media.

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World

Romney and the Kremlin: Russian Themes at the 2012 Republican National Convention

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04 September 2012

Although the economy has without question emerged as a central theme of the 2012 U.S. presidential campaign, foreign policy – particularly policy towards Russia – was a prominent subject at the Republican National Convention in Tampa. Presidential nominee Mitt Romney spoke about Russia in his acceptance speech, the GOP Platform features a section devoted to Russia, and an expert conference during the Convention explored the future of U.S.-Russia relations under a Republican administration.

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Nation

“Corruption: Russia’s Own Special Way”

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29 August 2012

A recent Sunday Times op-ed on corruption by New York photographer Misha Friedman is essential reading for anyone who lives or runs a business in Russia. "I have been working on this project for the past six months," Friedman writes. "I see corruption as more than something done to people; it is something they participate in. It involves both a resignation to and a justification of a state of iniquity, insecurity and mistrust."