Putin angry

Vladimir Putin was very angry, learned that in time of the action in Kaliningrad last Sunday protesters demanded his resignation from prime minister. An advisor of the Kremlin administration, who oversaw Kaliningrad region, resigns under pressure of Putin’s assistants. Putin does not understand how someone had dared to demand his resignation. Moscow newspaper Vedomosti does not exclude the possibility of resignation of the Kaliningrad region governor Georgy Boos during the next few months. At the same time leaders of pro-Kremlin party “United Russia” attacked the Federation Council speaker Sergey Mironov, who criticized Putin’s policy. One of them Vladimir Pekhtin said Mironov should resign before, and only after it he can criticize prime minister, “who supported by most Russians”. Incredible, Mironov is not member of the United Russia led by Putin, he is leader of his own party “Fair Russia”. The Federal Council is the chamber of the Russian Parliament, so its speaker is the same as Mr.Pekhtin – the parliament member, but not Putin’s team member. So he can criticize any government officials, even prime minister. All it shows crystal clear, what Putin and his party understand under the word “politics”.

Russian billionaire buys “The Independent”

A negotiations between Russian billionaire Alexander Lebedev and publisher Independent News & Media (INM) for buying newspaper The Independent and its Sunday supplement The Independent Sunday is close to completion. According a source close to the deal, “they are in the homestretch and will finish during the next two weeks”, Russian Internet-edition Gazeta.Ru informs.

See here text in Russian.

Putin’s Parliamentary Circus

The Foreign Policy magazine surprised, pop singer Nikolai Rastorguev became the Russian parliament member from the United Russia Party. What did so surprise the magazine? In Soviet time there were a number of singers, writers and other cultural or semi-cultural persons between the Soviet Supreme Council’s members. It is right the Soviet Supreme Council was not such parliament, as British Parliament or U.S Congress. The Soviet Supreme Council did not discuss the law projects but only legalized it lifting hands. Even in post-soviet time, when the parliament of new Russia became real parliament for a short time, in the political parties’ election lists was a number of actors, singers and somebody like this. Well-known singer Iosif Kobzon was the State Duma member during 1993 – 2007. Could you imagine that Frank Sinatra became a congressman? By the way, why not? Ex-actor Ronald Reagan was not only congressman but U.S. President. Of course, Nikolai Rastorguev, who sang: “We have a missile launcher Grad/ Behind us Putin and Stalingrad“, is not Frank Sinatra. But we remeber how the State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov said once: “The parliament is not a place for discussions“. Well, at such place could sit pop singer, oh my, let it be even porno star. It will change nothing.

More than 100 political and human right activists arrested in Moscow

Around 150 were arrested in Moscow last Sunday in time of opposition action in Triumfalnaya square. Between them leader of Moscow Helsinki Group Lyudmila Alekseeva (82), Boris Nemtsov, head of Human Right Center “Memorial” Oleg Orlov and well-known writer and political activist Eduard Limonov. One of arrested Ilya Yashin wrote at his blog (in Russian) the police also arrested some of journalists, covered the action. As Interfax news agency informed, Moscow police headquarter confirmed arrest of more than 100. By official statment, the action participants “blocked traffic by Tverskaya street”. The action was organised by a number of opposition and human right organisations for support the constitution article 31,  which guarantees for Russian citizens the right of movement and manifestations. Early Moscow Mayor’s office had not given the permission for this action at Triumfalnaya square.

Political activists in Kaliningrad demanded Vladimir Putin resignation.

Around 9,000 people took part in anti-government manifestation in Kaliningrad on Saturday 30th January, radio Echo of Moscow informed. Manifestation participants had banners against government fees and utility bills increase, they also demanded resignation of the Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin and the regional governor. Such demanding, as radio Echo of Moscow indicated, took place at first time. The manifestation was organized by movement “Solidarnost” (Solidarity), but in the action took part activists of various political forces in the region: communists, Liberal Democratic Party and others.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky: Russia must make a historic choice.

Russia must make a choice, says Yukos oil company ex-president, now prisoner of the Moscow prison “Matrosskaya Tishina”. According his article, published by The New York Times (reprinted also the International Herald Tribune) Russia has a chance “become an equal, full-fledged part of greater Europe in socio-economic and cultural spheres; a conduit of European political and humanitarian values on the Eurasian space; a strong and reliable connecting link between East Asia and Western Europe, not only through transport corridors but also through intellectual and cultural interaction. The only proper future for my country is that it grows into one of the intellectual and technological centers of the modern world.” Otherwise, writes Khodorkovsky, Russia in its current form simply ceases to exist. The country could break down into pseudo-state formations only nominally controlled from a single center. However Mr.Khodorkovsky indicates, that only Russians, the people and the elites, and not foreigners, who can transform Russia.

Full text of the article here.

Grand Duchess of Russia is so poor, she cannot buy a flat in Moscow

Official speaker of the House of Romanov Alexander Zakatov said, the Romanov family can not possibility to come back to Russia, because they have not enough money to buy a flat here, Interfax news agency informs. According his words, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, head of the House of Romanov, and her son Grand Duke George Mikhailovich would like to come back to the historical native land, but cannot by absence financial means. However they are have not any restitution claim of the property of the House of Romanovs in Russia and have no material claims to Russia, Alexander Zakatov said.

Poor Grand Duchess, she cannot buy a flat in Moscow, it is so expensive for the family, self-named as successor of the Russian emperor. But she is proud enough, that as Mr. Zakatov said, not to ask for financial support from Russian government. Her Highness would be glad to get an official status in Russia. The main problem is Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna really self-named successor. She has not any right for such name. There is not any who has such right, all descendants of Romanovs are deprived the rights of the throne, it is possible to say, the dynasty was stopped. So, what Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna wants? She wants to get a status in Russia and some financial support, and she hints at it by words of her representative. Russian officials should guess and offer Grand Duchess all she wants, and not a flat in Mosow, which prise could be around $50,000, but more, something like a palace. Of course as property, as compensation for property, which bolsheviks have deprived her grandfather. What for it for Maria Vladimirovna? It seems for not so poor living and traveling across the World in special status, maybe with diplomatic passport. What for it for Putin’s Russia? for nothing. So Grand Duchess could hint again and again, she will get nothing

Yeltsyn’s daughter opens Kremlins secrets

Boris Yeltsyn’s daughter Tatyana Yumasheva started own blog in the Net:  http://t-yumasheva.livejournal.com, in Russian of course. One of the first her post was about Russian-Belorussian union creation in 1998.

Tatyana Yumasheva, early known as Dyachenko, under this name she was her father’s advisor between 1996 – 1999, writes how Anatoly Chubais, he was deputy prime minister that time, stoped union creation process. Having read the union creation agreement Chubais understood that if the document will be signed in such kind, Russia will get under full control of Aleksander Lukashenko. There was a paragraph on which decisions of the Supreme Council of the union would be obligatory for both union members. Meanwhile Lukashenko should be the chairman of the Supreme Council after its creation. Chubais informed Boris Yeltsyn about it. It was found neither Yeltsin, nor other participants of process, did not read the project. Some of Yeltsin’s advisers suggested the document to sign in such kind as, they spoke, it will accelerate restoration of the new Union of former Soviet Union parts. Yeltsin has ordered to withdraw the doubtful paragraph from the project. Lukashenko was dissatisfied, but at the end should agree.

It is not sensation. Russian media had informed about it in 1998. However now, 10 years later, many people forgot about this strange situation. The history could go by another way because of several words only. Anyway maybe soon we learn about other interesting events of that time when Yeltsyn’s daughter was the adviser of her father.

Yegor Gaidar died

Yegor Gaidar, the architect of Russia’s market reforms in the 1990s, has died on Wednesday December, 16. He was 53.

Mr Gaidar was Russia’s acting prime minister in November 1991 – May 1992, launching the “shock therapy” reforms after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Mr Gaidar is credited with carrying out the first wave of privatisations under President Boris Yeltsin. His lifting of price controls was highly unpopular. The policies angered millions of Russians who saw their savings devalued.

Interfax news agency quoted a police source as saying Gaidar died from a blood clot in his house outside Moscow. Any other detail are still unknown.

Yegor Gaidar was born in Moscow on March 19, 1956. He graduated in economics from Moscow State University in 1978. Since leaving politics, Mr Gaidar headed a Moscow-based think tank which had criticised Vladimir Putin’s economic policies. As political figure he looked as a marginal in recent years. However he remained very influential behind the scenes, offering informal advice to Russian government on a range of economic issues, Reuters agency has reminds.

“He was a great man. A great scientist and a great statesman,” Anatoly Chubais, a close friend and fellow reformer, wrote on his website www.chubais.ru. “Russia was tremendously lucky that Gaidar was there in one of the hardest moments of its history. At the beginning of the 1990s, he saved the country from hunger, civil war and collapse.”

“Yegor was a fearless, strong and honest person, and a genuine patriot,” the opposition movement “Solidarnost” leader Boris Nemtsov, who worked with Gaidar at the democratic Party of Right Forces, said. “Gaidar knew that a lot of people hated him,” Nemtsov said. “But people should know that after the collapse of the Soviet Union there were only two possibilities: disintegration, civil war and rivers of blood, or difficult and painful reforms.”

Lord Richard Layard, a British economist who worked closely with Mr Gaidar during the period of reform, said BBC on Wednesday, he was saddened when he heard the news. Lord Layard named Gaidar “a giant fugure”. “He behaved with extraordinary dignity in Russia,” Mr. Layard said. “He was still consulted by presidents and respected very much and it is a tragedy that he has gone.”

Putin: “thanks God, we have not any elections.”

Vladimir Putin answered questions of Russian citizens again. During the programm, broadcasted by state owned TV-channel Russia, a girl asked him why he visited a TV show with hip-hop and rap singers, for political rating or what for. I don’t need rating, he said, “thanks God, we have not any elections”.

Guess, what Mr. Freud could tell about it?