Home - Institute of Modern Russia

HIV/AIDS and TB: IMR Against Social Indifference

Details: 07 February 2012; Olga Khvostunova

The Institute of Modern Russia is launching an initiative to raise awareness of the disastrous state of affairs with HIV/AIDS and TB in Russia. The irresponsible and inhumane attitude of the Russian government toward the socially vulnerable group suffering from these infectious diseases is among the greatest horrors of the present situation in the country. In most first-world nations, HIV/AIDS and TB have been taken under state control, ceased to be taboo subjects, and have been destigmatized. This is not the case in Russia or the former Soviet republics, where independent observers report that the incidence of TB and HIV/AIDS have reached epidemic levels. But, despite these grim figures, the authorities have not only ignored this problem, but also actively suppress information surrounding it. People are largely unaware that a significant proportion of Russians are TB carriers. In carriers, when the immune system is compromised, for example, if they have HIV, tuberculosis may progress to an acute form very quickly.

Details: Law

Trial by Jury in Russia: Revival and Survival

Details: 25 January 2012; Ekaterina Mishina

Prof. Ekaterina Mishina remembers the 1993 reintroduction of trial by jury, and explains why the jury trials affect the destiny of the still young Russian civil society.

Details: Nation

Russia on the Eve of the Fourth Reform

Details: 17 January 2012; Alexander Yanov

In his address to the new Russian opposition, Prof. Alexander Yanov analyses the lessons of all three Great Russian Reforms, arguing that regional governance should still be considered as an important tool for the implementation of democracy and progress.

Details: Politics

Who is Mr. Navalny?

Details: 18 January 2012; Olga Khvostunova

Anyone with even the slightest interest in Russian politics is familiar with the name Alexei Navalny. During Navalny’s relatively short public and political career, he has managed to become the subject of various myths and has been called a social climber, a nationalist, and a populist, among other things. Olga Khvostunova analyzes Alexei Navalny's biography, his interviews and his blog in an attempt to separate myth from reality.

Details: Law

A Rough Road to a Democratic Criminal Justice System

Details: 12 January 2012; Ekaterina Mishina

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia began reshaping its legislative and executive branches of power. Judicial reform began two months before the USSR’s collapse, with the 1991 publication of “The Concept of Judicial Reform,” which emphasized the necessity for reform of criminal procedural legislation, especially since human rights needed maximum protection during the investigation and consideration of criminal cases in court. As a result of this activity, by the end of 1994, Russia had three competing drafts of the Criminal Procedural Code.

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