MOSCOW – Last week a number of Russian democratic-leaning online publications posted a Dmitry Medvedev essay titled Forward, Russia! It is an unprecedented and open criticism of Russia’s backward economy, its humiliating raw material orientation, corruption and other woes. Medvedev also offered a critical analysis of the political factors that define Russia’s development – a fledgling democracy, negative demographic tendencies, and volatile Caucasus. Tellingly though, Medvedev’s target audience, Russia’s young internet readership, had a lukewarm response to their President’s insights. His comments failed to make the spotlight in numerous blogs, …
The past week saw a specter of a gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine rising again, reviving fears of dramatic economic and political consequences for both the two nations and Europe at large. These developments were caused by an agreement between the European Union and Kiev designed to overhaul its gas pipeline network. Under the Brussels accords, Ukraine is set to receive from big Europe over $2.5 billion to upgrade its gas grid. In return, Kiev guarantees gas transit transparency and equal access to the gas pipelines. This agreement drew …
