Russia: Reflections on Recent Murders in Moscow

Global Voices Online
Sunday, February 8, 2009

According to this roundup that appeared on Robert Amsterdam's blog on Feb. 6, the past week hasn't been too peaceful in Moscow and Moscow region:

[...] A former deputy mayor of Grozny was gunned down early yesterday morning in western Moscow in what authorities said appeared to be a contract murder. Yuri Grachev, the 72-year-old editor-in-chief of a [Solnechnogorsk] newspaper critical of the authorities, suffered concussion after being beaten near his house. The editor in chief of the independent Ekho Moskvy radio, Aleksei Venediktov, says he found a chunk of timber with an ax embedded in it outside his apartment door in Moscow yesterday. [...]

In another post on Robert Amsterdam's blog, James wrote this about the official response to the situation:

[...] But the state doesn't seem too happy to have Moscow pitch itself into a downward spiral toward 1990s-style gangland shooting gallery.
Today President Dmitry Medvedev made it clear to the country's security organs that their focus must be on "extremism," as "this type of legal violation inflicts colossal damage and is a systemic threat to national security."

But more than an effort to protect his own citizens, these comments appeared to include permission for a crackdown on any unrest related to the economic crisis:
"We are falling under the influence of the global crisis -- a worsening problem of unemployment and other social issues. At such a time one encounters those who wish to speculate -- to use the situation. So one can't allow an already complicated situation to deteriorate."

LJ user kozenko (Andrey Kozenko, journalist for the Russian daily Kommersant) posted this morbid mock letter to "out-of-town relatives" (RUS) on his blog, in which he described the situation in the Russian capital:

[...]

All is well here in Moscow. Only three high-profile murders in the past day - former vice mayor of Grozny, a businessman [Kakha Kalandarishvili] and an institute's director [Leonid Baron]. And only two of them can be considered contract killings. And this time no one was killed in the middle of the day. In general, everything is as usual and it's not even interesting to talk about it.

Remember how completely different it was in the wild 90s. Say, two killers would enter an office of "Thunder" company, [boom] - and there are 13 corpses. Gravestones made of black granite, and on them, along with the portraits of the guys, there are [VAZ-21099] cars, which they rode. Though, considering the [lavish spirit] of those times, the guys could be buried right in these ["nine-nine" cars]. But they were probably too shy.

Well, in our remote lands, my dear, it was scary in those 90s - something happens and then it takes a month for the whole city to recover its senses. And here it all happens every day, so it's not scary. Recently, everyone was discussing a girl who wrote on her blog: "My classmate was killed today. Ah, but I bought myself..." Can't remember now what it was that she bought. Nail polish or something... They were right to criticize her. But if you think hard, it's totally possible to understand her, too.

So this is the way we live now. Lots and lots of work. But these aren't the times to complain about it. People are more likely to brag about it now. So I'll finish working around 9 PM, as usual, and will go home. I'd like to watch some kind and good movie tonight, to get myself distracted. I'm trying to decide between [The Omen] and [Hostel]. I guess I'll go for The Omen. We've got enough of blood here already, but there's a lack of the devilish stuff. Nothing but a gray routine.

Kisses to you, take care and don't worry. A.

Russia: A Ticketless Passenger

Global Voices Online
Saturday, October 11, 2008

In Moscow, you can buy a bus/trolleybus/tram ticket from the driver and it'll cost you 25 rubles, which is roughly $1. If you buy your tickets at special kiosks, you get a discount. But some people prefer to cheat and ride for free. A ticketless passenger is known as zayats in Russian: a hare. Moscow-based LJ user kozenko described (RUS) a recent encounter with one representative of this species:

I really don't understand people who can ride for free on public transportation. Those who climb over turnstiles, hiding from conductors. And when they consider it heroism, that's totally beyond me. And if they are also older than 12, this, excuse me, is [absolutely obnoxious].

I was on a trolleybus going from [Dinamo] to [Sokol] today. A half-empty car, me and some pensioners. And then through the front door enters something of my age, if not older. Tall, wearing an old leather jacket and idiotic black pants with thin stripes. He steps over the turnstile and crashes down on an empty seat. The driver, a sturdy short woman, walked out of her cabin and told him that if he didn't get out, the trolleybus wouldn't be going anywhere. This something started laughing in response. It was actually laughing all the time, as if stoned.

The driver woman opened all the doors, walked out into the street, lit a cigarette and started strolling around. Two minutes passed. A pensioner, aged 70 or so, got up from his seat, came up to the zayats, if you can call it that, and asked him to leave. The guy even stopped laughing: "Grandpa, [what the hell]? Do you really give a [damn]? Go to your seat and sit there, [damn it]." The pensioner repeated his request, the black jacket and striped pants started laughing. The elderly man tried to take the jerk by his shoulder, the jerk waved him off and tried to push him. This is when I and another elderly man got up from our seats.

Anyway, we basically threw this smirking piece of crap out of the trolleybus. The driver returned to her cabin, closed the doors. The elderly men and I smiled to each other and, having built a civil society, haha, we proceeded on our ride.

Russia: Putin Out, Medvedev In

Global Voices Online
Wednesday, May 7, 2008

On Wednesday, Dmitry Medvedev became Russia's third post-Soviet president.

LJ user kozenko - Andrey Kozenko, journalist for the Russian daily Kommersant - wrote this (RUS) about the legacy of the outgoing president, Vladimir Putin:

[...] I feel all but indifferent about Putin's departure. Nothing to thank him for. He ruled the way he could, according to the mentality. Many people liked it.

But still, there is something to this phrase: "Former Russian president Vladimir Putin"... mmmmm :) [...]

In an earlier post, Kozenko explained (RUS) his decision to take part in the Dissenters' March in Moscow on May 6 (his thoughts on what the rally turned out to be like were featured in yesterday's Global Voices translation):

[...] I don't like the [Soviet-style] "rapturous and long ovations" [to Russia's leaders] on TV. I don't like news styled as propaganda.

I don't like aggressive patriotism and hostile rhetoric.

I feel dirty when I hear of a certain governor who was sweating as he sat with a suitcase of cash in the reception area of the head of a certain state-controlled corporation - in order to have his region included into some [state-funded development] program.

I no longer find it funny that in my native region half of the officials have been sent to jail for corruption. Especially, considering there's an opinion that they were jailed not because they deserved it, but due to clan war. Because, basically, they all deserve to be jailed.

I really dislike it that all my friends and acquaintances involved in business [may be jailed all too easily]. And they're saying that they try [as hard as they can] to do their work in accordance with the law.

Anyway, I do have the reasons to dislike this regime. And I want to vote for the opposition. And I don't really understand why the regime has annihilated all the oppositional politicians who could have been representing my interests. I'm not even saying they should make up the parliamentary majority. I just want for them to be there and to have influence. But they aren't [...]. And I'm presented not even with a choice, but with something given: forget about it, stop caring. We are experiencing a consumer boom, enjoy it. Buy yourself something. Or, well, go to the Dissenters' March if you are so oppositional.

But I don't want to go to this march at all, with people I don't consider close. One of them [...] is a writer [Eduard Limonov], the other is a chess player [Garry Kasparov]. I don't like this form of protest, I don't like to chant slogans and don't know how to. But, I repeat, I have no choice. Either I go, or I stop caring about what's going on.

Here is the last comment to this post:

stas_ya:

How about everything exactly [the way you describe it], but there's no money as well? And [no hope of getting some in the future.] What consumer boom are we talking about? The only thing left is angry apathy - would make it neither the [protest] march, nor to a store...

Back to Medvedev's inauguration: LJ user dolboeb (Anton Nossik) was so impressed with the traffic situation in Moscow on Wednesday that he decided to write a letter (RUS) to the new Russian president:

[...] Dear Dmitry Anatolyevich,

Congratulations on assuming your new post. I hope you enjoyed the ceremony as much as I did. I thank you for providing me with a rare opportunity to see daytime Moscow without traffic jams. Please consider holding inaugurations once every week, preferably on Wednesdays. I think this could contribute to solving many traffic problems of the Russian capital. [...]

Judging by this popular "bold/hairy algorithm" cartoon - posted, among others, by LJ user tumbochka - Medvedev is to have more than one inauguration in the next few decades (if not weeks):


Soviet/Russian leaders: Lenin (bold), Stalin (hairy), Khrushchev (bold), Brezhnev (hairy), Andropov (bold), Chernenko (hairy), Gorbachev (bold), Yeltsin (hairy), Putin (bold), Medvedev (hairy)... Putin (bold), Medvedev (hairy), Putin (bold), Medvedev (hairy), Putin (bold), Medvedev (hairy)

Russia: "The March, Sort Of"

Global Voices Online
Tuesday, May 6, 2008

The Russian opposition was to hold a protest rally on May 6 in Moscow, on the eve of Dmitry Medvedev's inauguration as president Vladimir Putin's replacement, but city officials refused to allow it - and leaders of the oppositional coalition, the Other Russia, ended up canceling the Dissenters' March at the last minute. Dozens of protesters were detained by police anyway.

LJ user drugoi, a top-ranking Russian blogger, posted photos as well as this description (RUS) of "the march, sort of":

[photo]

This evening, by the monument to Griboedov at Chistye Prudy, 4,625 journalists and 8,416 policemen were waiting for the participants of the Dissenters' March, who, however, showed up from the opposite direction.

[photo]

A small group of 15-20 people gathered at Pokrovka and moved along Chistye Prudy towards the subway station, accompanied by a few photographers and cameramen.

[photo]

The police saw the group from afar and stopped it near the monument to a Kazakh [folk singer]. Just as I heard "grrrr... self-control and calmness... grhm-hm-gr..." coming through static noise from one riot cop's walkie-talkie, the opposition [protester] walking down the path were attacked from all sides.

[more photos and text]

LJ user kozenko posted an epitaph (RUS) to the Other Russia:

There was no Dissenters' March. The leaders vanished, and the activists carried out several small-scale and brief public disturbances in the city.

Well, the Other Russia, congratulations on your demise. Last year, it was fun with you, and even interesting. And at the start it even seemed that there was a future. But the finale turned out to be - forgive me - boring and embarrassing.

Amen.

Here is one exchange from the comment section to this post:

marchenk:

This post sounds like something written by an offended and disappointed viewer. As if you had bought tickets for this show. And the troupe ran away with you money. :)

kozenko:

This posts sounds like something written by an offended and disappointed person. Very disappointed, because none of the politicians in this country represents his interests. [...]