Russia

“The ongoing crackdown on civil society is truly unprecedented”

Russian authorities continue to silence critical voices in the country and portray human rights organizations and foreign forces as bribed lackeys. Tanya Lokshina , program director for Human Rights Watch Russia, has been monitoring human rights developments closely in the country and believes the persecution of the Russian civil society that is going on right now is unprecedented.

Country: 
Russia

December 19 2013. #11 2013.

Putin's fight for “traditional values”

“Traditional values” may sound like something harmless and old fashioned, until one realises that they are the opposite of the rights that are the foundation of modern democracy.

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Russia

December 19 2013. #11 2013.

Notes from the provincial town of N

Anyone who believes that today's Russia is on the wrong track also hopes for political alternatives. However, the Russian opposition has often been fragmented, and how do you protest against a sometimes elusive opponent? The student Vasisualiy Lokhankin ponders over matters such as these in Igor Saveliev’s tragicomic “Revolution Report”.

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Russia

December 19 2013. #11 2013.

So here we are

“It is only this generation of 20- and 30-year-olds that are able to write about the conditions here and now, and view the Soviet Union as a purely historical era,” writes critic Natasha Perova elsewhere in this issue. The author Irina Bogatyreva, born in 1982, belongs to this generation.

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Russia

December 19 2013. #11 2013.

Day of rage

The poet Kirill Medvedev is today considered to be one of the most promising poets of his generation. He was also one of the activists who openly protested the trial of Pussy Riot last year, when he was arrested for having chanted poetry outside the courtroom.

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Russia

December 19 2013. #11 2013.

From the cycle of poems “Cognitive capitalism”

Alexander Skidan (born in 1965) is one of Russia's most critical social poets. His poetry often emanates from the complex interplay between ethics, aesthetics and politics. In this newly written poem, he gives a commentary on the change in our working conditions from industrial to cognitive capitalism.

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Russia

December 19 2013. #11 2013.

What is the literary scene in russia like today?

In the past, the state made sure that life was difficult for writers in Russia. However, in contrast to journalists, Russian writers are today freer to write about what they want.

Country: 
Russia

December 19 2013. #11 2013.

Russia in between security and democracy

Following 9/11, crucial social issues are often described as a choice between security and threat, rather than between freedom and oppression. This is the case also in Russia. There are, however, major differences: in Russia, different tactics are used to control independent media and dissidents, writes Russia specialist Johan Öberg.

Country: 
Russia

December 19 2013. #11 2013.

What happened to the multinational Russia?

Nationalism grows increasingly stronger in Russia and it is a fact that xenophobia is gaining grounds in society today. “It is no longer just skinheads and radicalised young men shouting: ‘Attack the black people!’” So do the women with grocery bags, writes journalist Natalya Afanasyeva. She asks the question: what is the basis for today's xenophobia?

Country: 
Russia

December 19 2013. #11 2013.

Islands of an archipelago

What is the best way to deal with the memory of the Great Terror? The famous journalist Yelena Rubinova has visited two of the places where the memory of Stalin's terror is still an open wound, like in Sochi, where the Olympic Games will be held.

Country: 
Russia

December 19 2013. #11 2013.

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