Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has kept silent since the nationwide protests started 10 days ago. On Thursday, he addressed the protests during 4 1/2-hour long telephone call-in show. During the marathon session, Putin signaled that he will allow the protest movement to continue, but repeatedly heaped ridicule on the protesters. He said some protesters [...]
Tag: Vladimir Putin
December 16, 2011
December 15, 2011
December 14, 2011
Medvedev Announces First Session of Russia’s New Duma
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has announced the first session of the country’s newly elected parliament, despite protests against alleged fraud during parliamentary elections earlier this month. Medvedev on Tuesday told a meeting of the leaders of parties that won seats in the State Duma, or lower house, that the first session will be held December [...]
December 13, 2011
Russia’s Prokhorov to Challenge Putin in Presidential Election
Russian tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov says he will run against Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in a presidential election next March, in the latest challenge to the Russian leader. Prokhorov, who also owns the U.S. basketball team the New Jersey Nets, said Monday his decision to compete in the election is the most important of his life. [...]
December 13, 2011
Russians Look Ahead to Mass Protest, Presidential Election
Is Russia’s middle class on the march? People are angry, and are speaking out for clean elections and democracy. Two days after Russia’s largest democracy demonstration in a generation, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev responded with a few lines in Facebook. He wrote, “I agree neither with the slogans, nor the statements voiced at the protests.” [...]
December 12, 2011
Billionaire to run against Putin
12 December 2011 Last updated at 15:33 GMT Mr Prokhorov is one of Russia’s richest men Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov has said he will challenge Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in next March’s presidential election. Mr Prokhorov said it was “the most serious decision” of his life. Saturday saw Russia’s biggest demonstration in years by protesters [...]
December 12, 2011
Medvedev Orders Probe Of Russian Election Fraud Allegations
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Sunday ordered an investigation into the allegations of electoral fraud during last week’s parliamentary vote. The announcement came a day after tens of thousands of people rallied in Moscow and other cities to demand the December 4 polls won by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s ruling United Russia party be annulled [...]
December 11, 2011
Medvedev: Russia to Probe Election Fraud Allegations
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, facing unprecedented voter protests, says he has ordered his government to investigate allegations of electoral fraud in last week’s parliamentary elections. Medvedev broke two days of official silence Sunday, revealing the probe to followers on the social networking site Facebook. He said he disagreed with tens of thousands of protesters who [...]
December 11, 2011
Tens of Thousands Protest Alleged Voter Fraud in Russia
Protesters came out across the world’s largest country to demand clean elections and to say what, only one week ago, was unsayable. “Russia Without Putin” was the favorite chant of thousands of demonstrators who marched within earshot of the Kremlin in the largest pro-democracy demonstration since Vladimir Putin came to power in 2000. From Vladivostok [...]
December 10, 2011
Pro-Democracy Protests Put Putin, Russia at Turning Point
Is the Arab Spring moving North to become the Russian Winter? With democracy demonstrations to take place across Russia on Saturday, the world’s largest nation may be at a crossroads. From his prison cell near the Arctic Circle, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the jailed Russian tycoon, captured the core of Russia’s political impasse when he predicted a [...]
December 9, 2011
Russian Social Network Rejects Calls to Block Opposition Groups
Russia’s most popular social network has rejected a call by the country’s domestic security agency to block opposition groups from using its website to organize post-election protests. The network, VKontakte, said Thursday that the Federal Security Service asked it to deactivate the accounts of groups that posted calls for riots and a revolution. Spokesman Vladislav [...]
December 8, 2011
Putin Accuses US of Provoking Unrest
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is lashing out at the United States, accusing Washington of riling up the opposition. Putin said Thursday that remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton “gave a signal” to his opponents. Clinton said Tuesday that Russia’s parliamentary elections were neither free nor fair, and that the results raised “serious [...]
December 7, 2011
Protests over Russian Elections Spread to More Cities
Russia’s ruling party won only half of the votes in elections on Sunday. But opponents say even that poor showing was boosted by widespread fraud. Now they are protesting. Protests against Sunday’s Duma elections are spreading across Russia. On Tuesday, the interior ministry flooded downtown Moscow with dozens of prison trucks and as many as [...]
December 5, 2011
Russian Ruling Party Weakened as Voters Choose New Parliament
Russia’s Prime Minister is hoping for a renewed mandate from Sunday’s parliamentary elections. Instead, Vladimir Putin’s political party appears to have lost ground. Exit polls indicate that Mr. Putin’s United Russia party is hoping to keep its majority in parliament, with nearly one quarter of its seats going to the opposition. After state-run television aired [...]