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Special report
Rough justice: does anybody here remember Pussy Riot?
Hot gossip: Speakers’ Corners come to Moscow parks
Adygea: discover a little bit of paradise in the Caucasus
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PRESS PHOTO
Society PRESS PHOTO
Protest
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Thursday, September 6, 2012
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Religion Suicide bomber kills Muslim leader who condemned fundamentalism in Dagestan as tensions grow
NEWS IN BRIEF
Cleric murdered in ‘civil war’
Logo launched in tourism campaign
A string of sectarian killings amid escalating violence in Russia’s Muslim provinces threatens to destabilise a fragile peace.
AP
COMBINED REPORTS
Sheikh Said Afandi, an influential Sufi cleric, was killed in Dagestan last week along with six others in a suicide bombing police say was carried out by an ethnic Russian woman who had converted to Islam and who had ties to the Islamic insurgency in the volatile North Caucasus region. Mr Afandi, 75, was known to have publicly denounced Islamic fundamentalism, and his murder follows the coordinated attack on July 19 on two high-ranking muftis in the Volga Republic of Tatarstan, one of whom, Valiulla Yakupov, was shot and killed. Both MrYakupov and Ildus Faizov – who escaped with leg injuries when an explosion ripped through his car – were perceived as stateapproved religious leaders who attacked radical Islam. As a cleric in the Sufi Brotherhood, Mr Afandi was a key leader in the sect of Islam which is traditionally popular in the North Caucasus but despised by Islamic fundamentalists, who practise an ultra-conservative form of Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism.While Sufis incorporate the worship of saints and highly ritualised ceremonial prayers into their practice, Wahhabis condemn this as idolatry and are opposed to other non-traditional forms of worship.
They also call for the establishment of Islamic rule and sharia (Islamic law). Mr Afandi, like MrYakupov and Mr Faizov, played an active role in discouraging local populations from adopting radical Islam, and enjoyed support from the local authorities. “There have been
57 Islamic spiritual leaders killed in Russia over the past 15 years, but last year was a record,” said Roman Silantyev, religious scholar and associate professor at Moscow State Linguistics University. “These most recent killings involved child victims and a mosque being burnt to the
ground. This didn’t happen before.” Aslambek Paskachev, the chairman of the Russian Congress of the Peoples of the Caucasus, disagreed. He said:“This isn’t anything new. Many religious figures have been attacked in the past 10 to15 years. Whenever some
semblance of peace returns to the Caucasus, some new attacks happen. This shows that there are serious forces that are not interested in a lasting peace.” In his blog, In Moscow’s Shadows, the Caucasus security expert Mark Galeotti said that Mr Afandi had been
Legacy of violence: the aftermath of an earlier attack by insurgents in Ingushetia
targeted “because he was a rival source of religious authority”to the Wahhabis and “challenged the legitimacy of their Manichean world view”. He said that the attack showed a growing “Muslim civil war” was developing in the region. Mr Silantyev noted that not only was compromise between Sufis and Wahhabis in Dagestan impossible, but the peace talks in which Mr Afandi took part may have actually led to his death. “I believe that those people who call for negotiations with terrorists,Wahhabis and Salafis should be prosecuted in court,” he said. Nikolai Svanidze, chairman of the Interethnic Relations Committee of Russia’s Public Chamber, disagreed. “We need dialogue. The reasons behind the conflict are social: inequality and strange court decisions." "The Wahhabis are getting stronger every year... If they destroy their ideological opponents, Islam in Russia will radicalise and we’ll be able to forget about the religious peace that we’re so proud of,” Silantyev said. “The only person who managed to effectively combat the Wahhabis is [Chechen President Ramzan] Kadyrov. The authorities have a chance to continue his work,” said Mr Silantyev. Mr Paskachev said: “The situation will depend on how efficiently our law enforcement bodies will work. If they do their job [and punish the perpetrators], tensions will decrease.”
PRESS SERVICE
Russia has unveiled its first logo as part of a campaign to boost tourism. The artwork with the words “My Russia” in the colours of the national flag was commissioned by the Federal Tourism Agency. The logo is part of an attempt to increase awareness of Russia as a travel destination for foreign and domestic tourists and“to indicate that it’s an attractive country worth visiting,” said Irina Shchegolkova, a spokeswoman for the Federal Tourism Agency. The logo is part of a 332 billion rouble (£6.5bn) government campaign to develop tourism over the next six years and will be featured on billboards as well as stands at exhibitions and conferences, Ms Shchegolkova explained. The logo’s designer, Artishok, said the concept was to steer clear of traditional stereotypes associated with Russia.Yulia Solovyova, project manager at the design company, said the logo showed everyone had a Russia of their own by using different fonts to write “My” while “Russia” was always in the same font. The Moscow Times
Russia rises in M&A table
Anniversary Patriotic War of 1812 is hailed as a triumph for the Russian state
Trade Russia joins the club
The latest rating by accountancy firm Ernst&Young measuring risks and opportunities for mergers and acquisitions for 148 countries saw Russia rise from last year’s 49th place to 28, ahead of Brazil (34) and India (38). The report said Russian infrastructure and technology had improved. It predicted lower risks for doing business and economic stability but said growth was impeded by high government regulation.
Clash of the titans: halting the march of Napoleon
WTO: we’re all in this together
Red Square festival to mark Borodino
ALEXANDER VERSHININ SPECIAL TO RN
This year Russia marks the 200th anniversary of the Patriotic War of 1812, an event which played an important role in the country’s development as a world power. The war against Napoleon is considered a key moment in world history. Until the First World War, Napoleon's Russian campaign and the ensuing war of 1813-1814 was the largest military confrontation in history. The battlefields of the Patriotic War decided the fate of many nations and peoples. Russia was the last obstacle in the way of Napoleon's domination over first Europe, and then the world. By turning Russia into a satellite, the emperor would no longer be afraid of threats from Britain and could boldly plan further expansion into the depths of Asia. Echoes of 1812 and its aftermath have spread around
the world. The occupation of Spain and Portugal caused regimes there to teeter, which gave the impetus to the fight for independence by their Latin American colonies. After the defeat of the French, several thousand former Napoleonic soldiers and officers went to Latin America, where they joined the ranks of the supporters of Simon Bolivar and Francisco de Miranda in the struggle for liberation. The historical significance of the Patriotic War of 1812 meant there was a political dimension to the bicentennial. The weakening of Russia’s position in the world after the collapse of the Soviet Union makes historical episodes in which the country played a key role in world affairs very important for the government and society. The government is particularly sensitive to the ideas that formed the ideological foundation of Russian statehood: political conservatism, traditionalism and protectionism. In this sense, the anniversary of the Patriotic War of 1812 is as good a reason as any to make a decla-
JULIA SINAEVA RBC DAILY
PHOTOXPRESS
Russians see contemporary significance in a military confrontation that shaped their country and helped preserve the world order.
After 18 years of talks, Russia has become a full member of the prestigious international trade body the World Trade Organisation.
War games: actors playing Napoleon and Kutuzov headed a cast of thousands – from all over the world – in a re-staging of the Battle of Borodino
ration of Russian domestic and foreign policy priorities. The war was a triumph of the Russian state, when the country took a stand against the spread of revolutionary ideas, which flowed from the “baggage train” of Napoleon’s army across Europe, and it was Russia that helped to preserve the world order. Of the more than 60 0,0 0 0 soldiers of the Grande Armée who crossed the Russian border in July 1812, only 60,000
survived the confrontation. It is obvious that, given the present crisis of international institutions and the general global instability that jeopardises the role played and desired by Russia in world affairs, an appeal to the glorious past takes on special significance. On September 7 200 years ago, the Russian and French armies came together in the CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
Russia has finally closed the book on its campaign to accede to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), becoming a full member after 18 years of talks – despite the ratification of the accession treaty in the final stages being accompanied by protests from some State Duma deputies and businessmen. Now that it enjoys the status of a full member of the organisation, Russia is entitled to play its part in formulating the rules for global commerce. Bidding farewell to its inconspicuous status as an observer, the country will now enjoy lower customs duties, from which Russian exporters of metals and chemicals will be the first to benefit. “In recent years, Russian exports have not only failed to diversify, but actually deteriorated. We haven’t approved a single strategy for promoting exports,”said Natalia Volchkova, a professor
at the Russian School of Economics. She added:“The WTO accession is the first significant measure to promote Russian exports.” The country’s accession to the WTO will also force Russian market players to adapt their conduct to the global marketplace. Experts hope the impending change will encourage businesses to operate more transparently, as their activities will be monitored not only by the Russian authorities, but also foreign representatives. “The expected stabilisation of trade policy will make Russia more appealing to foreign investors,” Ms Volchkova said. Troika Dialog analysts believe that the consumer services sector will also benefit from Russia’s accession. The import duty for this sector is projected to go down to an average of 10.3pc from the current 13.3pc rate. Furthermore, import restraints will be mitigated, including those applied to foodstuffs. At the same time, other sectors, such as finance and telecoms, will take some time before seeing the first WTO CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
This year’s Spasskaya Bashnya annual military band parade on Red Square, featuring the world’s best military ensembles, will be dedicated to Russia’s victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Borodino 200 years ago. The parade will be opened by the Honorary Cavalier Escort of the Moscow Kremlin Presidential Regiment wearing insignia of the victorious Russian army from 1812. The Band of the Coldstream Guards from Britain will also take part.
IN THIS ISSUE OPINION
ALEXEY IORSH
Ties that bind Russia will not give up Syria as a trade partner TURN TO PAGE 6
02
Politics & Society
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Election The second largest Moscow satellite city is about to become the stage for the biggest political drama this autumn
was a closed city, where the majority of the population was employed in scientific enterprises. The situation changed drastically after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Khimki’s potential was impossible to ignore in the new market economy. The media even dubbed the city a“Moscow satellite Klondike”. The reason is that Khimki is located by the federal highway M10 which connects the two largest Russian cities: Moscow and St Petersburg. Moreover, this road connects the capital with the largest airport in the region, Sheremetyevo. As a result, in 20 years Khimki has developed into the second largest Moscow sat-
The Moscow Region city of Khimki is once again making headlines as battle lines are drawn for the imminent mayoral election. ROMAN VOROBYEV SPECIAL TO RN
Over the past 10 years, the city of Khimki has repeatedly found itself at the heart of high-profile scandals. Now, the representatives of many large political movements are about to enter the battle for the position of its mayor. At first glance, Khimki is just one of many satellite cities of Moscow, its mayoral elections hardly worthy of mention in influential Russian newspapers. But news of the city’s elections has managed to compete even with the media furore surrounding the Pussy Riot trial. Official nomination of candidates to the mayor’s office began on August 24, but the primary candidates have been known and their prospects widely discussed ever since the sudden resignation of the incumbent Vladimir Strelchenko on August 15. Evgeniya Chirikova, the leader of the Khimki Forest environmental conservation movement and an associate of opposition activist Alexei Navalny, has announced her decision to run for office. Her primary competitor is Oleg Mitvol, the former prefect of the Northern Administrative District of Moscow. Various political parties have also expressed their intentions to nominate candidates: from the Communists to the progovernment United Russia.
Anger about the Khimki scandals was a factor in the protests that engulfed Russia ellite city and one of the richest cities in the country. But Khimki is not only famous for its success; the city has a highly controversial reputation. Khimki become infamous for being at the centre of a number of scandals and corruption allegations. In 2004 the opening ceremony for the Mega trade centre in Khimki was disrupted by officials. The head of Ikea Russia, Lennart Dahlgren, claimed that the city’s government had been soliciting bribes from the company. Controversy also surrounds the Moscow-St Petersburg highway construction. Khimki’s residents had
Moscow Klondike Some 20 years ago, Khimki
been actively protesting against the project because it involved destroying parts of Khimki Forest’s ancient woodland. In summer 2010 the protesters pitched a camp in the forest and repeatedly confronted construction workers and security personnel; in return they were repeatedly attacked by unidentified people. The conflict reached its height in July when, after yet another attack on the camp, anarchists of the Antifa movement assailed the Khimki government building with smoke grenades and stones. The Khimki media also came under attack. In 2006 two heads of the Grazhdansky Forum newspaper suffered severe beatings, and later the newspaper was closed. The editor in chief of the Grazhdanskoye Soglasie newspaper, renowned for its pro-environmental publications, survived several criminal attacks. The most publicised was the beating of the editor in chief of Khimkinskaya Pravda, Mikhail Beketov, who also opposed demolition of the Khimki Forest. He was left seriously disabled after the attack. Anger about the Khimki scandals was a factor in the protests that engulfed Russia after the parliamentary and presidential elections. And it was her fight for the Khimki Forest that brought Evgeniya Chirikova to the political arena.
Political obstacle race Evgeniya Chirikova nominated herself as a candidate from the wooden stage in Khimki Forest where she was meeting the activists of her
KOMMERSANT
Forest activists branch out into local politics
Taking root: Mrs Chirikova’s campaign to save Khimki Forest from destruction has caught the public imagination
movement, Environmental Defence of the Moscow Region. “Without any political party or patronage, she has managed to form a true popular environmental movement, proved to be an efficient political figure and organiser by pushing the Khimki Forest agenda on the whole country, and she has succeeded in displacing the former mayor Strelchenko”, writes Alexei Navalny in his blog, talking about her achievements. Others have also expressed support for Mrs Chirikova, among them the founder of the Civil Initiative Committee and the former minister of finance Alexei Kudrin. “Chirikova is not just an environmentalist, she has grown to the stature of a federal-level political figure”, says the Just Russia party’s State Duma deputy Dmitry Gudkov. At the same time many people question Mrs Chirikova’s ability to make the leap from an environmentalist to
PROFILE
Evgeniya Chirikova AGE: 35 STATUS: MARRIED CHILDREN: 2 DAUGHTERS
A leader of the Environmental Defence of the Moscow Region and the Movement for Protection of the Khimki Forest, Evgeniya Chirikova found fame while protesting against the Moscow-St Petersburg highway construction and destruction of
a mayor. The main question here is: will Mr Navalny and Mrs Chirikova manage to consolidate the opposition forces? The parliamentary opposition have already stated that they will not support Mrs Chirikova. “We will nominate our own candidate”, explained the deputy leader of the Communist party, NikolaiVasiliev. Just Russia and the Liberal
Khimki Forest. An active member of “For Fair Elections” she has been repeatedly detained by the police for organising and participating in unauthorised meetings and protests.
Oleg Mitvol AGE: 45 STATUS: MARRIED CHILDREN: 1 DAUGHTER
in Mr Mitvol’s relations with the government, and recently journalists have been describing the former prefect as a supporter of current policy.
QUOTE: “I never intended to engage in politics. Officials paint me as an opposition leader. But, in fact, I’ve simply become a citizen – at the age of 30.”
Oleg Mitvol is a public activist, chairman of the central board of the environmental political party Green Alliance-Popular Party and former prefect of the Northern Administrative District of Moscow. The media has frequently covered the change
QUOTE: “When I was doing business, I used to go to casinos. But now [after joining the state service] I’m surprised to admit that I don’t even want to go there. I get enough adrenaline here.”
Democrats have also refused support for the activist. Mrs Chirikova’s situation is also affected by the experience of summer camps in other cities where famous opposition bloggers and activists have failed to affect experienced politicians and managers. “The elections in Krasnoyarsk and Omsk have shown that voters choose on the basis of business, and not
ideological qualities of candidates”, explains the president of the National Strategy Institute, Mikhail Remizov. Moreover, Mrs Chirikova was previously defeated in the 2009 mayoral elections in Khimki when she came third with only 15pc of votes. It is noteworthy, however, that she spent no money on that campaign. One of the trump cards in
the hand of Evgeniya Chirikova is the public activity for protection of the Khimki Forest that united the local residents several years ago. It remains to be seen whether it will be enough to allow Mrs Chirikova to outrun the experienced manager Oleg Mitvol, who has said that Khimki has some “much more pressing matters than the environment”.
Legislation A new initiative aims to improve the fragile relations between the public and the police
Health Lobbyists prepare to fight proposed smoking ban
The force be with you: police face more reforms
Tobacco firms fume over new law
The authorities are reviewing recent reform of the Interior Ministry to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of law enforcement. KIRILL TOKAREV
The measures taken by former interior minister Rashid Nurgaliyev to reform the police have been branded as ineffective by experts. In response, more reforms will be carried out by the new interior minister, Vladimir Kolokoltsev, with help from outside consultants. According to a Levada Centre poll conducted in April, eight out of 10 Russians are afraid of police arbitrariness and only one in three respondents feels confident in their interactions with the police. These indicators have remained virtually unchanged since 2010 – proof, say experts, that the reforms have failed. “As I see it, there has been no reform of the Interior Ministry, only a set of declarations,”says Alexander Khinshtein, deputy chairman of the State Duma Security Committee. “The reform failed to determine the new police structure and its role in the internal affairs system. The system has not been purged of incompetent and unworthy employees.” Indeed, one of the most discussed reform elements was the assessment of police professionalism which resulted in a 22pc cut in police numbers. However, Mikhail Pashkin, the head of the Law
AFP/EASTNEWS
SPECIAL TO RN
Cop that: officials and experts alike agree that the previous measures did not go far enough
Ongoing reform of the Russian police force
Enforcement Workers Union, says that most of these cuts came in the ranks of policemen on the ground, while the bloated administrative staff, especially in the regions, have been left virtually untouched. Russia is still among the world’s leaders in terms of the number of policemen per capita, coming third after Belarus and Brunei. The current system for evaluating police performance by assessing the number of cases opened and solved will also be looked at in the new reforms. Mr Kolokoltsev told journalists: “For us, it should be the starting point… The quality of our departmental statistics leaves much to be desired, and the very system for filing applications with the police needs to be streamlined.” The minister is now looking for public support in the shape of a special task force, consisting of prominent human rights activists, lawyers and public personalities, which will develop a dialogue with opposition groups. Suggestions have been made by various experts.Valentin Gefter, director of the Human Rights Institute, proposes setting up an independent body to which citizens could complain about unlawful police actions; lawyer Anatoly Kucherena suggests that all police precincts should have special rooms where citizens can make written complaints about a crime. “Put the business of crime registration in order and reform the structure,” says Vladimir Ovchinsky, recently appointed as assistant to the Interior Minister. “The most important thing is that, this time around, the police have given up their usual manner of solving their problems behind closed doors and are ready for dialogue," says Mr Pashkin.
The Ministry of Health has developed a draft anti-tobacco law that proposes a total ban on smoking in public places. MIKHAIL MOSHKIN SPECIAL TO RN
The battle between the tobacco lobby and anti-smoking campaigners is set to intensify when the Ministry of Health’s draft anti-smoking law is submitted to the State Duma in the autumn. It has been 11 years since the authorities passed a law restricting smoking in public areas. Four years ago, Russia ratified the anti-tobacco convention of the World Health Organisation, and two years later Vladimir Putin signed the Governmental Concept for Restriction of Tobacco Consumption. According to the head of the international Confederation of Consumer Societies and anti-tobacco campaigner Dmitry Yanin, Russia has one of the highest rates of smokers in the world: around 60pc of Russian men and 22pc of women smoke.“Russia is the second largest tobacco market after China”, Mr Yanin says. “So it’s no wonder that manufacturers so forcefully attack the new draft bill.” The bill was initially drawn up for consultation last year. It was submitted to the newly formed Ministry of Health in May this year, but objections to it were raised by the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, the Ministry of Indus-
try and Trade and the Ministry of Agriculture. They argued that strict bans would adversely affect tobacco manufacturers. Philip Morris, British American Tobacco and others expressed concern for small-scale retail outlets (of which there are about a million) which could be banned from selling tobacco by the law. Supporters of a ban, such as the vice-president of Business Russia, Alexander Osipov, disagree.“Russian business will only benefit from these bans”, he says. “An average smoker takes a total of about a month’s worth of
smoke-breaks a year. And, before succumbing to ill health, smokers take a lot of sick leave”. Restricting smoking before banning it is a global trend, say anti-smoking supporters, who point to the example of Switzerland, which has just put the issue of a total ban on smoking in public places to a referendum. The head of the Ministry of Health, Veronika Skvortsova, maintains that the measures will once again be submitted for consideration by the government on October 17 and, if successful, will be submitted to the State Duma.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Do you feel that your rights to smoke are impaired? Sergei Chikonkin
Tatyana Starostina
CHAUFFEUR, SMOKES TWO PACKS A DAY
TRANSLATOR/TEACHER, SMOKES ONE TO ONE AND A HALF PACKS A DAY
If they discriminate against smokers heavily, there is going to be an upheaval. I will go to the streets to protest if I have to.
I do feel that my rights are impaired because of restrictions on smoking in public places.
Sergei Kozyrenov COURIER, SMOKES ONE AND A HALF PACKS A DAY
I don’t feel any significant impairment of my rights – people smoke everywhere. I’d actually like the rights of smokers to be more limited. I’d be glad to give it up, but I can’t because my work is very stressful.
Valery Shkinin PENSIONER, SMOKES ONE CIGARETTE A DAY
In Russia you can smoke anywhere and disregard everyone. I understand why non-smokers get angry. But the state cannot regulate the relations between smokers and non-smokers; it is a matter of personal culture. If your smoke troubles someone, just move aside.
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03
Protest Still a hot topic in the international media, the Pussy Riot trial is not high on the agenda for many in Russia
OPINION
Pussy who? There’s no riot here
Digital diplomacy makes the right connections
While the Pussy Riot verdict garnered a great deal of international attention, many ordinary Russians remain solidly indifferent.
THE QUOTE
Vladimir Putin
ANNA ARUTUNYAN PRESIDENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
SPECIAL TO RN
“
If the girls had gone with their song to a Muslim sacred place in the Caucasus, we wouldn’t even be able to take them into custody. But I don't think they should be judged too harshly. I hope that the judges will make certain conclusions. Nevertheless, it is up to the court to make the final decision.
ITAR-TASS
Father Boris, a priest in a rural church about 60 miles from the Russian capital, did not have the Pussy Riot trial on his mind. “I don’t think about it,” he says. “I serve, and that’s that. It’s all overblown anyway.” For the last four years, his church has been undergoing serious renovation. Built in 1841, like many rural churches it was all but destroyed in the first few decades of Communist rule, standing in ruins as goats grazed nearby. As Father Boris spoke, construction work continued, and a bearded worker welded away. “What can we do if there’s politics? Nothing. We are about faith,”he says, smiling. This mental shrug of resignation may be less common among urbanite city dwellers; but here, outside of Moscow, it is the norm. Put simply, a lot of average Russians don’t think about the Pussy Riot case nearly as much as it would appear from the outside. That isn’t because they are not civic-minded, but because they are busy with other problems. “It’s scandalous, what they did, and they should be punished,” says Elena, a music teacher who volunteers in the church choir on weekends. “Maybe the sentence was too harsh, but that’s up to the judge. Whether it’s political or not I’m not privy to that.” For the West, Pussy Riot’s
True colours: Pussy Riot staged a musical protest in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Three were jailed for two years
antics were seen largely through the prism of a feminist, political revolt: four women entering a church in coloured balaclavas to lipsynch a punk song aimed at President Vladimir Putin. Posted onYouTube, the action struck a chord with Russia’s protest-minded middle class, and gained unprecedented publicity abroad. it has been heralded as a pivotal point in Russia’s political development. But a closer look shows that the issue is still very much confined to a statistically small section of Russian so-
ciety. According to a study released by the Levada Centre on August 17 – the day of the verdict – some 44pc of respondents said they believed the Pussy Riot trial was“fair, objective and unbiased.”Just 25pc believed that the trial was the result of personal revenge on the part of the Orthodox Church and the Kremlin; while 41pc believed that the trial was a reflection of the fact that so many Orthodox Christians felt insulted by Pussy Riot’s performance. “Yes, there is a wave, there is a heated reaction. But I wouldn’t say that all of
society has reacted that way,” Lev Gudkov, the head of the Levada polling centre, was quoted by Gazeta.ru as saying. “Only about 15-18pc of people are paying attention, the rest remain pretty apathetic to the case.” Russians are trying to make sense of the implications of the case – like the relationship between Church and state and whether the two are too close in Russia – but each in their own way. “The trial has exposed existing problems, but these are different problems in different places,” says Andrei Zol-
otov, a Moscow-based journalist specialising in religious affairs. “For instance, in the Voronezh region local residents aren’t as concerned about Pussy Riot as they are about plans to develop a nickel mine in the area. The protest movement has mobilised against these plans. “Most importantly, just like with the Pussy Riot case, many locals are concerned about the role of the Church. Is it on the side of the people, or on the side of the authorities? This question has started becoming relevant in a lot of conflicts between society
and the authorities.” If society is split, then it isn’t so much on whether the members of Pussy Riot should go to jail, but on larger issues that have existed long before the case emerged. Artyom Toropov, a Moscow lawyer who has attended this year’s spate of anti-government protest rallies, expresses a moderate view of the Kremlin and its actions. Nevertheless, he is still concerned about the gap between himself and a large part of the population. “I’m frightened by the reaction of the people – that 40-60pc of people believe that it was a fair trial,” he says. “If the West considered how the masses at large are reacting, then they’d see we’re back to the situation of 19th-century Russia: the enlightened nobility and the general population which largely did not support them.” See opinion, page 6
accession benefits. A World Bank study has revealed that accession to the WTO will also result in higher wages for both low-paid and professional workers. World Bank specialists attribute this to the fact that new foreign companies seeking to open offices in Russia will have to recruit staff from both categories. On the downside, the Russian budget will have to bear the brunt of losses in import duties. Previously, Andrei Belousov, the minister for economic development, said that the federal budget would lose an estimated 188bn roubles (£3.7bn) in 2013 alone as a consequence of the accession-related cuts in import duties; in 2014, the losses might amount to 257bn roubles (£5bn). Even so, the minister feels optimistic. In his words, the real loss to the state budget will be less than that, as a
result of the anticipated increase in the trade volume and tax base. The reduced tariff protection was dubbed the “entrance fee.” In any case, import duties will be reduced gradually and this will enable manufacturing companies and farms to adapt gradually. The average tariff is currently 9.5pc but it will be cut
years and 11pc (£136bn) within 11 years; and this will be long-lasting growth. Russian specialists are less optimistic. Russian School of Economics experts project that membership of the WTO will only provide an additional GDP growth of 0.5pc annually. Overall, Russia’s rights are far from infringed in the
The World Bank says WTO accession will mean higher wages for low-paid and professional workers
Transition periods to liberalise market access rules may be stretched in the case of sensitive sectors
to 7.4pc in 2013, 6.9pc in 2014, and around 6pc in 2015 – by which time it will have been slashed by 3.5pc. The financial pessimism is partially offset by the World Bank forecasts. According to the Bank, the accession will help Russia increase its GDP by an additional 3.3pc (a total of £41bn) within three
WTO. Indeed, the country has successfully haggled over the terms for access by foreign bank branches to Russia’s domestic market: foreign banks will only be able to operate in Russia via Russian subsidiaries registered and controlled by the Central Bank. The gas issue has also been
resolved favourably for Russia, as the 30pc duty on natural gas remains in place. Russia has also successfully negotiated transition periods, with long acclimatisation time frames for the automotive industry, agriculture and insurance. “Russia has got itself quite a favourable framework, and our task now is to be active and seek benefits not only as an individual country but also to make friends with the economies with which we share the same interests,”said Alexei Portansky, a professor in the global economy and international politics department at the Higher School of Economics. “For instance, we are interested in the countries that have minimum support for their agriculture, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Latin America. This group is most interested in the fastest possible abolition of agricultural subsidies. We must join them
AFP/EASTNEWS
WTO accession to bring benefits and challenges CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Alexander Yakovenko
Happy together: from left, Deputy PM Igor Shuvalov, Elvira Nabiullina, economist, WTO director-general Pascal Lamy
and seek the cancellation of subsidies together.” Transition periods to liberalise market access rules are from two to three years, but they may be stretched to five to seven years in the case of sectors deemed to be especially sensitive. Russia’s ratification team had drawn up a list of sensitive industries that might encounter economic and financial difficulties under the accession terms; this included the automotive industry, agribusiness, farm machinery and light industry.
Market players believe that the sensitive agricultural sector will lose tens of billions of roubles annually as a result of the accession. Swine breeding alone might lose up to 20bn roubles (£392m).“The sector suffers because of the lower customs duties – they will fall to 11pc from 15pc on average for farm products,”saidYury Kovalev, head of the National Pig Farming Union.“When it comes to pig breeding, we expect a reduction from 15pc to nothing within quotas and to 5pc from 40pc on live animals.”
Free speech Putin’s idea becomes reality as facilities for rallies are planned for Gorky and Sokolniki parks
Speakers’ Corner comes to Moscow sented the inconvenience caused by the demonstrations, complaining of transport congestion, public disorder and noise. A working group of experts was asked COMBINED REPORTS to find a place where rallies could be held without disVladimir Putin spoke in Feb- rupting the everyday flow of ruary of the need to set up a city life. They settled on two place in Moscow where an- places: Gorky and Sokolniki yone “can speak openly and parks, two of Moscow’s most freely on any topic they like”. popular green spaces. Alexei Mayorov, head of The Moscow authorities backed the idea, partly in re- the Moscow Department of sponse to the series of rallies Regional Security, said that held in the wake of the par- the parks would be equipped liamentary elections in to deal with gatherings of up March. Many Muscovites re- to 2,000 people. There is a
Two public platforms are being set up as an experiment in response to growing demand for small rallies in the capital.
pressing need for sites for such small rallies in the capital. According to Mr Mayorov, in just seven months the municipal government received about 250 applications to hold rallies for up to 1,000 people, which represents 89pc of all applications. Special permission would not be required to hold events at the experimental sites in Gorky and Sokolniki parks. People wanting to hold a rally could simply apply online. Mr Mayorov added that by September 1, the mayor of Moscow was to be presented with a clear set of detailed
proposals on setting up the Russian capital’s equivalent of Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park, London. Both parks have been under renovation since last year. Entrance is now free and new cultural and sports facilities, bike paths and rollerdromes have been built with bikes and skates available to rent; there is also free Wi-Fi coverage. At the same time, some of the old rides and catering facilities have been dismantled. Both parks have been assigned the status of “autonomous cultural institution of Moscow”.
Green spaces with a history Gorky Park opened in 1928 on the site of the All-Russian Agricultural and Handicraft Industrial Exhibition. The layout was conceived by the avant-garde architect Konstantin Melnikov. Among the park’s main attractions are the fountains and ponds, while Zeleny Theatre is a popular concert venue. The park covers 270 acres, including Neskuchniy Garden, and is visited by between four and
five million people a year. Sokolniki Park first became publicly accessible in the 1880s. In 1931, it was established as a park by the Soviet authorities, and work began on improving its facilities, which included various attractions, including concert stages and an openair cinema. Since 1959 the park has boasted an exhibition centre. Sokolniki covers 1,450 acres and receives between seven and eight million visitors a year.
DIPLOMAT
n recent years it often looked like diplomacy had moved from the “smoke-filled rooms” of international gatherings to touch screens – so much has been said about the new dimension of public diplomacy, often called e-diplomacy and “twiplomacy”. While the good old confidential contacts have not been (and will not be) abandoned, the conquest of digital space by diplomats is a growing trend today. World media cover the online activities of the US Department of State (whose website sports the motto Diplomacy in Action) and t h e B r i t i s h Fo r e i g n Office. Too little has been said, however, about Russia’s foreign digital engagement, although we have made some significant advances and there is huge potential for growth, even in London. Take a look at our embassy’s website (www.rusemb.org.uk). In fact, last year Russia overtook Germany as Europe’s largest internet market – more than 54 million monthly users and growing fast. Some 7pc of all websites in the world are in Russian; the contribution of the internet economy to Russia’s GDP will rise to 3.7pc in 2015 (not least because broadband connection in Moscow is much faster than in many European capitals). Russia is one of very few countries where the local search engine (Yandex) and social network (VK) beat foreign rivals in free competition. Russia does not filter or block internet content (except for child pornography and a limited list of hate-speech websites), and the government is keen to make the Web a universal way of receiving and controlling public services, thus reducing corruption. So, we have sufficient expertise to be well represented in the cyberspace. The question is how best to use it to get our voice heard? It is not a secret that the international headlines are mostly defined by the English-language media. If they silence alternative voices – like they did and are doing on Libya, Syria and other international issues – those issues will get little or no attention from the public. But life has changed since the times when colonial wars were sparked by letters in the Pall Mall Gazette about white women abducted by wicked natives. With the advent of the internet, dissenting voices got the chance to be heard. I learnt about the power of this new guerrilla journalism from my meetings with British bloggers. If you are intelligent, original and provocative, your message has now a chance to get across (this is also the approach of the Russian TV station RT, which often gives a voice to those ignored by the mainstream media and has now become the third most popular TV news outlet in the UK after BBC and Sky). For a diplomat, forays into the digital world come with a challenge. People of my profession are used to self-restraint and often believe that once we have a position on something, published on the official website, all those who need to know it, know it. Although there are always people who only know what they want
I
to know. We were taught to always be intelligent, sometimes original and never provocative; now we have to learn how to combine all these. In a country like Britain, where two-thirds of adult internet users are on Facebook and a quarter on Twitter, one cannot ignore these media and should learn the logic of communicating through them. Successful digital communication is not just about issuing press releases – it is as much about conversation and interactive engagement. Even negative comments have the power to stir up discussion and help to get the original message across. And while many still do not believe that 140 characters on Twitter are enough to convey an idea, I am firmly convinced that it is enough to raise awareness and encourage those reading the post to reflect and make their own conclusions. My first Twitter conference in May confirmed that. Another challenge for ediplomacy is the internet “culture of anonymity” – anyone can adopt any persona, address or even attack anyone (though Britain has seen a row of “Twitter troll trials”recently). We shouldn’t ignore such interlocutors – they live according to a specific set of rules. But for those who exercise public diplo-
Russia overtook Germany as Europe’s largest internet market with over 54m monthly users
If you are intelligent, original and provocative, your message has now a chance to get across macy this is not a good choice. Our message should be clear. That is why I (@Amb_Yakovenko) am proud to be one of just 35,000 officially verified Twitter users worldwide. Russia joined the club of “twiplomacy great powers” relatively recently, and in the London ranking of followers our embassy is third after the US and Israel, which have invested heavily in this instrument of foreign policy over a longer period. Still, my country has a message to convey and the expertise to accomplish that. During this year’s conference of ambassadors in Moscow, President Putin called upon us to use new instruments of diplomacy to argue in a more effective way for our views and positions on world affairs.We believe that the more people learn about our policies and about our country, the better they understand us. And better knowing each other works in favour of peace and stability. AlexanderYakovenko is Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United Kingdom. He was previously Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. Follow him on Twitter: @Amb_Yakovenko
The Russian Embassy in London is present in the following social networks: www.twitter.com/Amb_Yakovenko www.twitter.com/RussianEmbassy www.twitter.com/RussianEmbassyR (Russian version) www.facebook.com/RussianEmbassy www.youtube.com/RussianEmbassy www.slideshare.net/rusemblon www.flickr.com/photos/rusembassylondon russianembassy.livejournal.com
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Travel: Visit the haunts of Russia’s former aristocrats A focus on national heritage museums and estates
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The Caucasus: ancient traditions and a complex history http://rbth.ru/14977
Travel The tiny region of Adygea in the south offers archaeological treasures as well as many outdoor activities and a globally important wildlife sanctuary
Nature calls the tune in a land of harmony, history and adventure Adygea is a haven for archaeologists, mountain sportspeople, stargazers and wildlife lovers as well as for its indigenous population.
Scary cheese
DARYA GONZALEZ RUSSIA NOW
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Cheese is the national food of the Adygei. Legend has it that a piece of cheese helped the mythological hero Kuitsyka defeat a one-eyed giant. When he saw his adversary, the hero squeezed the cheese in his hand until the whey dripped to the ground. Mistaking the cheese for a piece of rock, the giant fled, thinking Kuitsyka had great strength. Its old name, matekuae, originates from a combination of two words: mate (basket) and kuae (cheese). The traditional recipe is simple: sieved cow’s milk is heated, and sourmilk whey added. The curd is boiled for five minutes and then half of the whey is removed. The warm mass is then placed in special willow-twig baskets – which produce the typical pattern on the edges. Adygei cheese is best eaten fresh, smoked or dried. Russia discovered matekuae after the Caucasian War. Since then, it has been one of the most popular cheese varieties in the country.
PRESS PHOTO
Mountain magic: Adygea is the picturesque home to some 80 ethnic groups as well as a sanctuary for wildlife, including lynx and bison
THE NUMBERS
439,996 people live in the Republic of Adygea. A total of 50.9pc of the region is urban and forests cover almost 40 pc of its territory. Population density is 149.9 people per square mile.
2,900 square miles is the area of Adygea. Totally surrounded by Krasnodar Krai, it features 12 rivers and snow-capped alpine peaks, the tallest of which being Chugush at 10,623ft. Adygea is reach in oil and natural gas, and other resources include gold, silver, tungsten and iron.
Circassian from Guzeripl, has built a mosque, synagogue and Orthodox church near his house. Their lights wink at him at night, to the tune of cicada songs. I walk with Sergey and his horse uphill, along a meadow strangely named “Lob Lenina” (Lenin’s Forehead), cutting through fields of varied grasses as his horse snaps at violet burdock flowers the size of tennis balls. Six thousand feet above sea level, the sky is beautifully clear. Telescopes in cases are stacked on the lawn, waiting for their night watch, and Maykop astronomers in their tents are mapping out the Milky Way.
Tourist adventures In the late Nineties, people started setting up small companies to offer mountain ac-
tivities, such as hiking and abseiling, and family-run guesthouses emerged at the same time. Sergey Shubin, head of the tourism department of the Maykop district administration, says it’s the
Our 5,000-yearold dolmens are in perfect condition. We want a megalithic park here someday locals who suggest new developments for the area: “They know the best paths, where the villages are, the names of the ridges and dangerous places. Making new tracks and ensuring safety is an impossible task for private entrepreneurs, mostly for financial reasons. The local authorities must pro-
vide the infrastructure.” Ruslan graduated from the mathematics faculty at Maykop University. Unable to find a job as a mathematician, he set up one of the first travel agencies in Khadzhokh (which is also known as Kamennomostsky) – the tourist centre of the area. The firm currently employs seven instructors, including Ruslan’s 14-year-old sister Suzanna; Ruslan’s mother cooks for the tourists and his father takes them to the mountains in his good old GAZ-66 – an invincible truck that was used in Soviet times to transport potatoes. “It was hard when we were making the first steps”,Ruslan says. “We didn’t know the rules. We didn’t know how to develop the routes and provide safety. But we saw the demand, so we made an offer.”
prehistoric Tethys Ocean, which separated the continents of Gondwana and Laurasia. But the tectonic plates were moving and the ocean ran dry. Consequently, Adygea is rich in sea fossils and ancient shells. Archaeology students come here all year round to study the dolmens – ancient pyramid structures believed to be prototypes for the Egyptian pyramids. The Khadzhokh 1 dolmen is at the edge of an orchard, on a tiny hill encircled by mysterious trees. Despite heavy rain, archaeologist and chairman of the Russian Geographical Society Igor Ogai walks us around this stone structure, amid lightning and gusts of wind, explaining how it is used for everything from a burial place to a prayer house and a road sign.
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While the Caucasus region is mostly known outside Russia as a place of conflict, it has much to offer hikers, backpackers and other adventurous tourists. Hikers in Adygea’s mountains can experience a range of vegetation zones; glaciers, jagged peaks and scree fields loom above overgrown subalpine meadows featuring dozens of flower species, dense Caucasian fir and chestnut forests; on the other side of the mountains is the subtropical climate of the Black Sea. Located in the south of Russia, the small republic of Adygea is a bucolic paradise of tranquil mountains and rivers. Few outsiders come to live here – but not many migrate away from their native land, either. Maykop, the capital city, has 167,000 residents. The remaining 283,000 live in district centres and villages scattered across mountain ridges, divided into 80 different ethnic groups. The indigenous people – the Adyghe – live in isolated villages on the northern plains, while the mountain regions are populated by a mixture of nationalities – Russians, Circassians, Greeks, Roma, Armenians and Kurds – all with a variety of faiths and traditions.“We have no conflicts – they are left for the towns,” says my guide Sergey, a horse-keeper, looking at the mountains around us. “People live in separate farmsteads here and no one cares about your gods. “There is the village of Temnolesskaya near the plateau: Old Believers live there. They wear long skirts to the ground and a kerchief on their heads. They placed a cross on the mount. It protects the entire valley – Christians and Muslims.” Indeed, the religions have merged into one special Adyghe variety, with Muslim Qurban and Old Believers’ crosses standing on rocky slopes among Baptist churches which prop up steep cliff walls. Khodzha, a rich
House in the woods: a traditional izba in Adygea
He became one of the first local people to learn the ropes of canyoning, which involves travelling along mountain rivers and through canyons using a variety of techniques.
Archaeological treasures Adygea is riddled with rivers, brooks and springs. During the Mesozoic era, Adygea was at the bottom of the
Mr Ogai gives a tour of a private display of everything the archaeologists have discovered and restored in the Maykop region. Its treasures include a helmet belonging to a 17thcentury Circassian warrior, spears, shoes, hair ornaments, bone charms, precious stones and fossils. “People come from around the world to see our dolmens – Americans, French, Italians, Germans,” he says. “Our 5,000-year-old monuments are in perfect condition. We want to have a megalithic park here someday soon, and to provide the infrastructure for more visitors and more money for further excavations and support for the existing dolmens. “We take care of them with our own money, but we are terribly short of it,” he adds.
Enjoy the high life at your own pace Back from the brink: the bison’s fight for survival
The Caucasus Mountains offer a host of activities, from the gentle-paced to the physically demanding, in stunning scenery.
Located in the Western Caucasus, Adygea’s areas of unspoilt wilderness offer refuge to a range of rare and endangered species.
DARYA GONZALEZ RUSSIA NOW
YEVGENY PROLYGIN
River ride: Adygea is one of Russia’s most important rafting areas. Trips start at two hours for beginners
Fact file To get to Khadzhok, take a plane from Moscow to Krasnodar for 10,000 roubles (£200) then a bus to Khadzhokh or Maykop. Prices of guest houses start from 1,500 roubles a night (£30 for a double room). Alternatively, you can pitch a tent on a campsite. There are some cafés in Khadzhokh such as the Caveman's Cafe, which also offers ostrich tours.
on the Lago-Naki Plateau, but to really see the sites, visitors need more time. The 30-day tour past the massive Fisht and Oshten Mountains to the Black Sea is particularly delightful. For those not up to carrying a heavy backpack, tours are available on horseback. It takes several days to travel the mountains to Dagomys on the Black Sea or Krasnaya Polyana, where the 2014 Olympics will be held. The mountains are an ideal spot for quiet contemplation and short, relaxed tours are an option too: some hiking tours are just a couple of hours. Horseback
treks are designed to be relaxing and give tourists a chance to visit a village of Old Believers, explore the high-mountain plateau or wander in a Circassian mountain village, which has been producing the distinctive Adygei cheese for several centuries. The mountains’ features include many caves and grottoes, which are studied by visiting speleologists. The caves have been sculpted by the elements, creating a rich and diverse landscape of wells, deep fissures and | subterranean rivers. But there is also plenty of entertainment for those who
like to rise above the stunning scenery. Many tourists come to Adygea for the breathtaking flights on powered paragliders or hanggliders, which are easily arranged. And for the daring, or perhaps fearless, the republic hosts national and international competitions, including thrilling “fuel-limited” flights. All September, the republic hosts spectacular alpinism, orienteering and rockclimbing competitions, while the best national rafters in the country meet at the Belaya River in May to compete for the prestigious Russian Water Sport Cup.
The Western Caucasus is a haven for wildlife. In 1999, Unesco declared some 300,000 hectares a World Heritage Site, preserving the landscape, flora and fauna for future generations. The area received the designation because, as one of the few large mountain areas of Europe that has not experienced significant human impact, it boasts a remarkable diversity of geology, ecosystems and species. Home to more than 2,000 species of plant and fungus, 2,500 species of insect and 60 mammals, including chamois, lynx, brown bear, deer and boar, it is also the domain of the mighty Caucasian wisent, a mountain subspecies of the globally endangered European bison. In 1888, Tsar Alexander III became the first Russian ruler to recognise the significance of the animal, which was already close to extinction. Although he took steps to protect it through the establishment of the the Caucasian Biosphere Reserve, the animal disappeared from the region in 1927, a victim of excessive hunting, active
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PRESS PHOTO
The Caucasus Mountains were a favourite holiday destination for young people in Soviet times. The “30th route”, a high-mountain path from the Khadzhokh sanatorium to the Black Sea, was one of the busiest of its kind in the world, 20 years ago, with up to 100 people walking the path every day. Numbers fell after the collapse of the Soviet Union but a new generation, inspired by the deeds of their parents, came back to the mountains, along with other outdoor enthusiasts. Today, about 60 people a week use the route, which is open to tourists from June to September. In the past few years, Adygea has become one of Russia’s most important rafting areas. Travellers in search of thrills can try the Belaya Reka, or White River, conquered for the first time in the 1960s by a timber raft with car inner tubes. Tour operators offer trips of two miles and more to beginners, hough the river can be travelled for up to 10 miles. Those who prefer things a bit drier and more comfortable should set off with a mountain bike or put on their hiking boots. Tour guides offer one-day tours
Gentle giant: the bison is Europe’s largest land mammal
human settlement, and the turmoil caused by revolution and civil war. Fortunately, this was not the end of the story. In 1908, Tsar Nicholas II had given a wisent to the German zoo founder Carl Hagenbeck. Even after the revolution, this animal was still living in Boitzenburg, near Berlin. This bison fathered seven calves, which were brought back to Russia in 1940. By the mid-Eighties, 1,500 bison were again grazing in the shade of the mountains, but the difficult years of perestroika led to a serious poaching problem. By 2000, there were only about 135 bison left. Since then, however, the number has grown to 550. And, in order to keep
these animals from becoming victims once again, along with brown bears, golden eagles and ibex, the German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (Nabu) is helping the reserve to promote ecotourism. Other moves to bolster the bison population include cross-breeding American bison, or buffalo, with animals from the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park in Belarus. “The result turned out to be almost identical to the original species,” says Dmitry Kuznetsov, president of the Sports Tourism Federation of the Republic of Adygea. However, the existence of wild hybrid herds is seen as a threat to pure-blood animals in some quarters.
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Business & Finance
05
Economic downturn Half of Russians expect harder times ahead but only a quarter are preparing for the worst
LONDON BLOG
We’ll keep calm and carry on
Growth means recruiting and keeping talent
V KHAMRAEVA, M MAKSIMOVA, A REZNIKOVA RBC DAILY
While more than half of Russians (56pc) are expecting a second wave of the financial crisis to hit their country, they are not frightened by the prospect, according to an opinion poll by Romir Holding. Most of those surveyed believed economic turmoil would lead to price rises and lower living standards. But they don’t expect mass redundancies or pay cuts. More than 70pc of respondents are not preparing their family budgets for economic trouble, while a third don’t intend to make any changes to their budgets even if the crisis strikes. Just a year ago, almost half of Russians believed a crisis would cause prices of all goods and services to rise but this has fallen to 23pc. Likewise, far fewer citizens think that staples will become more expensive (6pc compared with 26pc), expect salary cuts (6pc now compared with 21pc), or fear mass redundancies (4pc compared with 18pc). More people now feel confident that a crisis will not have any impact on their lives (6pc compared with 2pc last year). “The number of those who expect a crisis has risen by almost 20pc since 2010; the people, of course, are no experts, but collective wisdom still exists, and if they feel something, there must be a reason for it,” Romir president Andrey Milekhin pointed out. Referring to the lack of concern about a crisis, he added: “We have seen so
many revolutions, disasters, wars and famines in the past 100 years that we’ve become quite adept at handling financial misfortunes. “This time around, people think the probability of a crisis is higher, but they believe it will be milder than the last one [in 2008],”said Oleg Zamulin, dean of the faculty of economics at the Higher School of Economics. He thinks people’s expectations of what economic turmoil might look like are misguided.“If anything, prices won’t go up – it’s incomes that will come down, people will start losing their jobs, and their wages will be cut,” he noted. Yet only 23pc of those polled were preparing for a new wave of the crisis. Keeping savings in a foreign currency was the most common protection strategy (used by 9pc) and, according to Romir experts, the preferred method of those with high incomes. Others are preparing for the crisis by stocking up on food (5pc) or durable goods (5pc). According to the Deposit No fear: most Russians are not preparing their family budgets for trouble as the second wave of the crisis looms Insurance Agency, Russians member of the Civic Cham- solid base for long-term have been depositing 5.3 bilber. He believes that this time growth,” he said. lion roubles every day since Russians are confident that the beginning of the year, “The financial sector faces the government will ensure the threat of the economic 30pc more than in 2011. Total they “don’t feel the pain”. deposits have risen by 8.1pc situation taking a sharp Economic experts warn, downturn, which will have in the past six months (to 962 however, that a new crisis is a significant effect on banks’ billion roubles). just around the corner, and capital,”warned OlegVyugin, The remaining 77pc of re60 the economy could start fal- chairman of the board of spondents are doing nothing 50 tering as early as this au- MDM Bank.“But this is still to protect themselves from tumn. According to Yevgeny a fairly abstract picture, bepotential economic problems. 40 Nadorshin, chief economist cause the worse the global Igor Nikolaev, director of at JFSC Sistema, parts of the situation gets, the more monFBK’s strategic analysis de30 Russian economy are wors- etary incentives financial regpartment, says this may be ening.“Our investment is ba- ulators such as the Fed and partly because Russia was 20 sically stagnating and man- the ECB use,” he said. not hit too hard by the first 10 ufacturing growth has slowed wave of the crisis in 2008. It Russia’s federal budget down to less than 2pc annu- was another weak link in the may be also be because “the 0 ally. Growth is now mostly economy: “If oil prices actumajority can’t afford to save”. Yes No Not sure driven by public and private ally fall, the budget will lose “This raises the question consumption, in particular a lot of revenue, and this will of how much people really 2011 2010 2012 Source: ROMIR by households that are bor- come as a shock for the entrust the state,” said politirowing – but this is not a tire economy,”MrVyugin said. cal scientist Iosif Diskin, a ITAR-TASS
Economic experts predict that a second wave of the financial crisis is about to hit Russia, but most people do not expect widespread job losses or pay cuts.
Facing more economic gloom
Employment Young professionals may get the best start to their careers in the regions, where the cost of living is lower
Moscow loses its pulling power for graduates EVGENIYA CHAYKOVSKAYA THE MOSCOW NEWS
Moving to Moscow from the provinces to start a career no longer guarantees a higher standard of living. Average salaries in the capital are higher but the difference is smaller for recent graduates and the cost of living is much higher, according to a recent study. Average salaries in Moscow are 30-40 pc higher than in other Russian regions, but the cost of living is also 40pc higher. Analysts for Case (the
Council for Advancement and Support of Education) a market research company, discovered that there was not a vast difference between the incomes of young professionals in Moscow and that of young professionals in the provinces. The study of 80,000 workers compared salaries in Moscow and the 12 largest cities outside the capital. In St Petersburg, the average salary was 19pc lower than the average salary in Moscow, and in Samara and Kazan it was 50pc lower, the Russian financial newspaper RBC Daily reported. Graduates seem to fare slightly better by staying in the regions, with those in St
perience and business contacts will help them command a higher salary which will help cover the higher cost of rent and transport. “Thus, taking into account the cost of living in Moscow – public transport, the price of services and rent, it is clear that it is not viable to go to the capital in the early stages of a career,” the study concludes. “It is better for the regional university graduate to gain experience and raise his or her value as a professional in their home town, where he or she could become an intern and gain basic business contacts.” But some experts disagree with this verdict. Ivan Kabulayev, the managing director
Petersburg earning just 5-10pc less than those in Moscow. In Vladivostok, the average salary is 32pc lower than it is in Moscow, while graduate employees earn
Graduates earn more in Moscow than in the regions, but the cost of living is also much higher there only 20-25 pc less there than they would in Moscow. Experts say it may be best for young professionals to gain professional experience in their home towns before moving to Moscow so when they do move there, their ex-
SPECIAL TO RN
I
n the past few years there has been considerable concern about capital and talent leaving Russia. The situation is not as severe as it is often portrayed, but improvements are clearly needed to help the country progress. The financial account deficit, or capital outflow, may be the result of a strong current account surplus (which is why Germany, Japan and China have capital outflows) or it might be caused by domestic savings exceeding domestic investments. The former cannot be avoided, especially in the short-term situation where spikes in export levels come from positive fluctuations in oil prices. But to improve the latter, the institutional environment must be improved to make it easier for companies to invest in Russia and individuals to establish private businesses. It is encouraging that President Vladimir Putin and the Russian government have a clear vision. This was articulated in the decree on May 7, when Putin outlined his goals of improving the domestic investment climate with the target of bringing Russia into the top 20 countries in the World Bank’s Doing Business index and creating 25 million high productivity jobs by 2020. Last year at VTB Capital’s Russia Calling! Investment Forum in Moscow, Putin also emphasised the necessity to diversify the economy, to create modern industry and high-quality jobs, and called for Russia to adopt advanced technologies. Additionally, explicit targets were set for the investment/GDP ratio, with a planned increase from 21pc to 27pc by 2018. It will become apparent in the next few years whether the medicine prescribed by decree is effective in stemming the capital outflow. But the problem of
talent leaving Russia also needs to be addressed. Russia is experiencing challenging demographic conditions that have led to a declining workforce. As growth can only be achieved through increasing productivity, Russia must not only keep its best talent but attract new talent from abroad, whether from former Soviet republics or Central and Eastern European countries hit by the eurozone crisis. As well as improving the institutional environment for foreign investors, infrastructure should be upgraded, and quality of living, including health care and educational standards, needs to be brought closer to European levels. Only if this action is taken will we see more talented people choosing to come to, and stay in, Russia. Russia’s acceptance into the WTO is a positive step. It
Higher standards of education and health care will encourage talented people to come to Russia will ensure external trade rules will remain stable and open the gates for foreign investors who want to establish businesses in Russia aimed at external markets. Improving the business climate and embracing the WTO will help steer the country towards the higher investment/GDP ratio on the domestic and foreign sides. This is crucial for growth in a time of stagnating oil and gas exports and a declining workforce. Foreign investment will also boost productivity. Russia has begun a long journey towards a new model of growth based on productivity and rising investment. It will be hard work to get the country on this trajectory, but there is no other way for Russia to compete in the modern world. Maxim Oreshkin is a senior economist at VTB Capital, London.
GLOBAL RUSSIA BUSINESS CALENDAR THE 4TH INTERNATIONAL INNOVATION FORUM: INTERRA SEPTEMBER 14-15 NOVOSIBIRSK
ITAR-TASS
Young people beginning a career may be better off working in their home town before moving to Moscow, a study suggests.
Maxim Oreshkin
Capital asset: Moscow has more opportunities, but is gaining experience in the regions the best start to working life?
of Investcafe agency, told the Nezavisimaya Gazeta newspaper: “There are whole industries where it is impossible to gain experience anywhere but in Moscow, for example the financial industry. Moscow is good in its competitiveness, possibilities, drive and quality of life. Moscow has everything and everything is close.” Ilya Balakirev, analyst at
UFS Investment Company, added that while young people starting their career in Moscow would struggle financially, they would have bigger opportunities there. He said that Moscow employers were more likely to hire someone who already has experience of working in the capital, “especially where companies that are not wellknown are concerned”.
Interra is one of the most attractive inter-regional and international events in Russia for showcasing innovative developments and demonstrating how they could solve problems in the economy and the social sphere. In 2012, the theme of the forum will be “Innovations for Life”. Its participants will examine innovative projects and ideas that could lead to improvements in the quality of life. › interra-forum.com
THE 4TH ANNUAL VTB CAPITAL RUSSIA CALLING! INVESTMENT FORUM OCTOBER 2-4 MOSCOW
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Business conference This year’s event for investors in the city that will host the 2014 Winter Olympics looks set to build on the great success of its predecessor
Sochi forum: a driver of economic modernisation NIKOLAI PRYANISHNIKOV, PRESIDENT,
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My overall impressions of the forum (Sochi-2011) are positive. The plenary discussion with Vladimir Putin was the most useful part. I remember his statements on the necessity for reducing the role of the state in the economy. And I think that was a very correct decision.
XI International Investment Forum Sochi-2012 The 11th annual Sochi International Investment Forum will take place on September 20-23, 2012. Last year, the Forum attracted 548 participants from 47 countries, resulting in 105 accords being signed, amounting to €11.4bn (£9.2bn) in investment. › forumkuban.com
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Comment & Analysis
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SYRIA IS STILL A PARTNER Yevgeny Shestakov SPECIAL TO RN
ussia and China will not allow a military intervention in Syria, high-ranking officials in the Russian Foreign Ministry have said in official statements. Meanwhile, the Russian Defence Ministry suspended plans to station a group of warships in the Syrian town of Tartus. Experts say the Russian forces are quite modest given the size of Nato fleets in the Mediterranean. Should hostilities start, Moscow would not be able to hold the base at Tartus and would have to evacuate its personnel by air. Nevertheless, Black Sea Fleet staff say the Tartus base is operating normally. Russia has also denied rumours about the supply of S-300 surface-to-air missile systems to Syria. The Russian Foreign Ministry has pointed out that illegal weapons supplies to the region whipped up tension and reduced the likelihood of a peaceful settlement. But Moscow will not scale down its peaceful co-operation with Damascus. Following talks in Moscow last month, Syrian officials agreed to continue financial and investment co-operation with Russia, as well as other forms of contact in the economic sector. The only exception is new contracts for arms supplies. Even so, Russia’s willingness to continue its economic and political dialogue with Damascus, despite the bloodshed in Syria, does not mean Moscow will enter the war to support President Bashar Assad. Russia’s statements opposing military intervention by other countries should be interpreted in the context of comments made earlier by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. He admitted that “if someone decides to resort to power in Syria at any cost, Russia will hardly be able to prevent that move.” He added:“Yet this should happen at their instigation; this should be on their heads; there will be no authorisa-
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WHAT DOES EURASIAN UNION MEAN?
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Fyodor Lukyanov GAZETA.RU
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tion from the UN Security Council for such activities”. Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Russian Security Council, told Interfax news service that Moscow was aware of plans to intervene in Syria based on what happened in Libya, including the creation of a no-fly zone in the north. According to Patrushev, the United States and Turkey are now discussing this possibility. Russia and China are using diplomatic channels to persuade the West to abandon plans for military intervention. Moscow suggests addressing the conflict on the basis of the peace plan elaborated in Geneva, which presupposes a transitional government and dialogue with the opposition without prior conditions. The heads of the Syrian delegation to Moscow said they would be ready to negotiate if this pattern was approved, but the opposition refuses to begin talks so long as President Assad remains in office. Washington sup-
ports this demand, which runs counter to the Geneva agreements. President Barack Obama has warned the Syrian authorities about the possibility of a military operation if
Moscow will not scale down peaceful co-operation programmes with Damascus the Damascus regime attempts to relocate or use its chemical and biological weapons. Heads of many European nations expressed their solidarity with the US leader and confirmed they would be involved in such a future operation.The Los Angeles Times reported that the Pentagon has drawn up plans to send special forces into Syria to prevent depots containing weapons of mass destruction falling into the wrong hands. It has identi-
fied four production facilities: near Homs, Hama, Aleppo, and Latakia. The US military does not rule out precision air strikes to incinerate the chemicals without dispersing them. Moscow has justifiable concerns that foreign military intervention against Syria could be launched on the pretext of eliminating lethal weapons. But Russia shares the US position that these weapons must not fall into the wrong hands. Islamist groups fighting with the Syrian opposition could use the captured chemical weapons to carry out terrorist attacks. According to Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov, the Syrian negotiators in Moscow promised to do their best “to guarantee that chemical weapons stay where they are now”. Nevertheless, should there be a real threat of terrorists obtaining weapons of mass destruction, Moscow would probably support the efforts of Western countries to elim-
IZVESTIA
ussia and the West have entered a new phase in the clash of civilisations. This is demonstrated by the trial and conviction of three members of the punk group Pussy Riot. People in the West think Russia has gone back to the Middle Ages and the singers were tried for criticising the regime. The Western public assumes, as the letter from a group of well-known rock musicians defending the group shows, that the protest by the singers in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour was legitimate from the point of view of civil law and contemporary art. The liberal West, heir to Roman law, tells Russia that freedom of speech and the protection of minority rights is indisputable in modern Europe and more important than anything else. These rights should be recognised by Russia as well as by Syria, Egypt, Ukraine, and other countries where there are human rights conflicts. If a state lacks a critical mass of civil society, that country is not modern and can become
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an international pariah. However, in broad and predominantly conservative sections of Russian society, which only 20 years ago returned to religious consciousness and Orthodox traditions, the blasphemous performance in the country’s main cathedral received a hostile response. Russia, in religious terms the heir of Byzantium, will not accept a law that contradicts its perception of morality and justice. Russia criticises the West for replacing its traditional Christian culture with the pseudo-morality of liberal values. While the West has long been living in a postChristian civilisation, Russia is returning to the lost origins of Christian Europe. The West, which used to criticise the atheist authorities in Russia during the Cold War for destroying religion, is now accusing the Russian Orthodox Church of an excess of fundamentalism. People in Russia, however, believe that the religious feelings of the majority of Russian believers, who themselves were not entitled to practise their faith for almost the entire 20th century, should also be protected from blasphemy and sacrilege.
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In the Protestant churches of Europe, rock concerts and dances are allowed and women can have access to the altar, but in Russia the centuries-old dogmas of Christianity are still treated with profound piety. Russia reminds the West that in Greece, which is still part of Europe, women are forbidden to visit the holy Mount Athos. Those who break the law are punished severely. The world views of the West and Russia have pretty much swapped places. But Russian society is not homogeneous. While two-thirds have views that could be described as conservative and traditional, one-third – mainly the educated new middle class – look at the Pussy Riot trial through Western eyes. These people want to live the way people do in Europe; Russia, with its “special world view”is alien to them. The number of “educated Westerners” is growing rapidly, and in the next generation, they will constitute the majority of Russians. As for the Pussy Riot singers themselves, Fyodor Dostoevsky, expert on the“complex Russian soul”, would probably have recommended the defendants should have
NIYAZ KARIM
PUSSY RIOT: NEW ORDER TESTS OUT OLD VALUES Alexander Rahr
he idea of a Eurasian Union, which was proposed by Vladimir Putin when he regained the presidency and so is clearly a priority, will be a key issue in the forthcoming political season.Yet the concept seems to have become diluted since the publication in October 2011 of an article on the subject by the future head of state. More precisely, a number of misconceptions have arisen because the authors of the project themselves do not quite realise what it means. The concept has dual intent: on the one hand, it aims to underline that it is different from the existing European Union (hence the Eurasian dimension) but, on the other, to demonstrate that it is based on similar organisational principles. Once past the verbal hype, inate the weapons. In late groups are listed as terrorist it becomes clear that in fact August, the Security Coun- organisations in the West, so it has nothing to do with Eurcil powers convened in New the more such “opposition- asia and has everything to do York under the chairmanship ists” are neutralised by the with a single country, which, of France to address the hu- Syrian army, the better for incidentally, is situated in Eumanitarian situation in Syria. many governments. On the rope of all places: Ukraine. Russia supports all initiatives other hand, this“terrorist in- Its key task is to draw Kiev that guarantee equal access ternational” fighting the re- into the integration project. for all stakeholders to hu- gime could establish a net- At the same time, getting Kiev manitarian aid, especially in work of camps in Syria if on board would give the orareas affected by active hos- President Assad is forced to ganisation, ie, the existing Customs Union, a totally diftilities. The problem is that, flee the country. unlike the Syrian army, the Russia and China want the ferent format. It is an interopposition has no single com- bloodshed in Syria to stop, esting prototype consisting of mand, so it is not clear which as does the West. This is the three countries; but if of the field commanders common goal that the inter- Ukraine, with its vast marshould be approached to ne- national community should ket and a potentially strong gotiate ceasefires and deliv- use to work out a joint solu- and diversified economy, joins er humanitarian aid. tion.Yet, for this work to re- it, it will become a serious Should the West become sume, everyone should ac- structure that everyone else involved at all unless there knowledge that President will have to take into account. It would seem that the Euris a real threat of stocks of Bashar Assad still enjoys the weapons of mass destruction support of a substantial part asian space per se – Central being seized? Many Near of the Syrian population, Asia, that is – is only marginEast experts and sources in which means that national ally on the project proponents’ the special services of Arab reconciliation cannot be minds. This is hardly surpriscountries confirm that not founded exclusively on ulti- ing, since, from the economonly al-Qaeda, but also other matums and threats hurled ic point of view, the most likely candidates (Kyrgyzstan radical Islamist groups from at the head of state. and Tajikistan) will bring at Lebanon, Libya, Tunisia, Jordan and Uzbekistan are Yevgeny Shestakov is editor least as many problems as fighting alongside the Syrian of the international politics they will benefits. So, for a long time to come, opposition. Many of these desk at Rossiyskaya Gazeta. the Eurasian dimension is likely to be confined to the capable and resource-rich Kazakhstan. Moreover, it is being repeated over and over again that the Eurasian Union is not a closed structure but an element of a future common space, extending from Lisbon to Busan, where markets from Europe all the way to the Pacific will happily come together. This makes it look less like an isolationist project and more like something exactly opposite. A Eurasian Union growing out of the Customs Union is a utilitarian undertaking. Its objective is to expand markets and rebuild some of the manufacturing chains destroyed by the collapse of the Soviet Union, all by reproducing on this territory the European integration principles dating back to the second half of the 20th century. Its catalyst is the deep crisis within the European Union, which is bound to be dealing exclusively with its own internal problems for the foreseeable future and not paystand Russia and a Russia was the desire to make a ing much attention to that rejects Western teach- rapid transition from the ves- neighbouring countries. ings will grow. The conflict tiges of the authoritarian preSo, Russia has been given between the two civilisations war past to liberal values. In a lucky chance to reduce the will also agitate the young fact, the student revolution level of competition. Plus, the post-communist Russian so- of 1968 did not happen. The idea itself is totally reasonciety. The Russian authori- authorities met the protest- able and might have a future. ties need to understand that ers halfway on some points, This, however, marks the point. This complex situation while intimidating society beginning of yet another miscan only be clarified by dia- with the“communist threat” conception or, to be more prelogue between the authori- from the East. The state in- cise, the lack of any clear vities and all sectors of socie- stitutions stood their ground, sion by the project’s architects. ty. Civil society in Russia is public order was restored, Whenever there is a shell deby no means developing only and people were fully im- void of any meaningful conon liberal soil. mersed in their everyday life tent, it starts to fill up all by The “student revolution” and consumerism. It cannot itself, absorbing whatever is took place in Germany and be ruled out that a similar in the air. And our air is filled France 23 years after the end outcome awaits the current with residual pro-Soviet of the Second World War. One Russian passions. rhetoric, complete with a of its causes was the desire healthy dose of nostalgia – of the educated generation Alexander Rahr is the lead- sincere for some or artificialborn after the war to have a ing Russian-German expert ly and self-servingly fanned stronger influence on their on politics and the role of the by others – for the mighty countries’ political and so- political elite in post-Soviet Union of yesteryear. cial systems. Another cause Russia. The proponents of the Eur-
repented sincerely and confessed to a priest. The priest would then forgive them their sin. The Orthodox Church could then have made the sign of the cross over the case and put an end to it. But in the modern world, and especially in politics – and the singers’ case reached
Two-thirds of the population hold views that could be described as conservative the sphere of high-level international politics – nothing is that simple. The strength of feeling between a West that does not under-
THIS EIGHT-PAGE PULL-OUT IS PRODUCED AND PUBLISHED BY ROSSIYSKAYA GAZETA (RUSSIA), WHICH TAKES SOLE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CONTENTS. INTERNET ADDRESS WWW.RBTH.RU EMAIL UK@RBTH.RU TEL +7 (495) 775 3114 FAX +44 (20 3070 0020) ADDRESS 24 PRAVDY STR, BLDG 4, FLOOR 12, MOSCOW, RUSSIA, 125 993 EVGENY ABOV PUBLISHER ARTEM ZAGORODNOV EXECUTIVE EDITOR OLGA DMITRIEVA EDITOR (UK EDITION) ALEXANDRA GUZEVA ASSISTANT EDITOR SHAUNA MASSEY GUEST EDITOR (UK) PAUL CARROLL, SEAN HUGGINS SUBEDITORS (UK) VSEVOLOD PULYA ONLINE EDITOR ANDREY ZAITSEV HEAD OF PHOTO DEPT MILLA DOMOGATSKAYA HEAD OF PRE-PRINT DEPT ILYA OVCHARENKO LAYOUT E-PAPER VERSION OF THIS SUPPLEMENT IS AVAILABLE AT WWW.RBTH.RU
asian Union lack the right language to describe this structure in modern and futuristic terms. The comparisons with European integration mentioned in its programme documents, albeit somewhat shyly and evasively in order to avoid giving the impression of copypasting, may serve as an addon, but a core is still needed. But since a holistic picture is lacking, be it shared values or common geopolitical interests of the partners, the argumentation tends to slip back into the usual reminiscences of how great life used to be back in the day. Other former Union republics do not quite share Russia’s fascination with nostalgia for the common Soviet past.While Russia mourns the loss of her might, the others celebrate the birth of their sovereignty. Of course, every post-Soviet country is home to many people who have lost a lot over the past 20 years and would happily return to the “golden age”. But their ranks are dwindling as new generations that no longer re-
The concept has dual intent: to underline that it is different from the existing EU but also to demonstrate that it is based on similar organisational principles
Of course, every post-Soviet country is home to many people who have lost a lot over the past 20 years and would happily return to the ‘golden age’ member that age come along. And, to be sure, members of the ruling class in any former Soviet republic would not welcome those daydreams either; naturally, they are not interested in losing their own legitimacy. Meanwhile, Eurasian integration is special in that it is based, to an even greater extent than European integration, on agreements between leaders, which means that spooking regal partners with the spectre of the erstwhile “centre–periphery”system of relations is hardly a good idea. What is more, if Moscow had, indeed, aspired to recreate some sort of a Soviet Union, this rhetoric would have at least made some sense. But nobody is actually trying to do this and the corresponding set of emotions and arguments is exactly that: a haphazard filling of the vacuum with whatever comes to hand. The proposed Eurasian Union is not what it appears to be at first glance. It is not a political embodiment of the “great steppe”; nor is it a reincarnation of the USSR, and it is only marginally an alternative to the European Union. If the project continues – and the political will to promote it is very strong – its shell is likely to become filled with some more tangible content, while the potential benefits will encourage its participants to find an ideological framework. Until then, the Eurasian Union will be yet another brilliant illustration of the transitory state of the Russian mindset, which has clearly started drifting away from its former imperial matrix, but still cannot (and does not want to) admit as much. Fyodor Lukyanov is editorin-chief of Russia in Global Affairs magazine.
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Culture
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Literature War in Chechnya, the collapse of the Soviet Union and love and death inspire Pushkin’s heirs
Cinema YouTube hosts nation’s best
Writers find new voices in shadow of a great tradition
Free classics: an online treat for film fans
RUSSKIY REPORTER
Over the past 20 years, Russian contemporary writers have been trying to find their place in a new reality. The task is Herculean because modern writers are expected on the one hand to follow a great literary tradition, but at the same time to interpret modern society. This struggle reveals itself through seven themes.
Today’s war prose is influenced by Soviet front writing, but veterans now publish on the internet
Prison and war There are two extreme situations that frequently recur in Russian literature: prison and war. Generally, any author who writes about prison has their work compared to the standard bearers, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, by Alexander Solzhenitsyn and Kolyma Tales by Varlam Shalamov. Andrei Rubanov is a popular contemporary author whose topical novels explore self-transformation in prison, which sets his work apart from the tales of survivors of the Gulag system. Do Time Get Time was a self-published work written while he was in one of Russia’s most notorious jails, a sudden turn of events for the erstwhile wealthy businessman. Eight weeks after it was published, the novel was short-listed for the National Bestseller Prize. Acclaimed author and former Omon special unit policeman Zakhar Prilepin’s book Limonka in Prison is a collection of essays written by members of the banned National Bolshevik Party (Eduard Limonov’s radical nationalist party) who served their time. Today’s war prose is greatly influenced by Soviet front literature, except that com-
The family theme is becoming popular again. Love will probably be back in fashion soon too Nonetheless, the writer was awarded the prestigious Bolshaya Kniga (Big Book) prize in 2009.
Death of an empire The collapse of the Soviet Union has become a core subject for writers. Obsession with the end of the empire is not a new phenomenon for Russian writers. Nostalgia for the past can be found in Alexander Prokhanov’s Mr Hexogen, Prilepin’s amusing collection of short stories Boots Full of Hot Vodka, Mikhail Elizarov’s humorous and thrilling Librarian and Leonid Yusefovich’s Cranes and Dwarfs, (winner of the Bolshaya Kniga award).
The golden age Sharp political and cultural change is a recurrent national trait in Russia. Often, the
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time before the change is idealised once it has gone. Boris Akunin’s popular detective stories have the following dedication: “In the memory of the 19th century, when literature was great, belief in progress was infinite and crimes were committed and detected with grace and style.” The satirist, poet and novelist Dmitry Bykov considers the Twenties and Thirties, with their strange and hectic intellectual life, to be the golden age, at least until the Terror brought much of that life deeply underground. The past decade has also been a time of reflection on heroes both sung and unsung. Russian literature has experienced a biographical boom; the lives of Pasternak, Gorky, Solzhenitsyn and other prominent literary figures of the 20th century have been published to much acclaim.
The new urbanite In the mid-2000s, authors created stereotypical images of modern executives or office workers reflecting the new urban middle class developing at the time. In her novel Light Head, Olga Slavnikova tries to understand how a modern, self-absorbed urbanite would behave if he had to sacrifice his life for society’s sake. Rubanov’s Prepare for War similarly conjures up an image of a banker with high selfregard who is surrounded by more typical characters.
Past glory: Pushkin, seen as the father of Russian literature, set the bar high for his followers
total control, which originates from social networks. Vladimir Sorokin in Day of the Oprichnik and Sugar Kremlin imagines a Russia in 2028 where the authorities have features of both Stalin and Ivan the Terrible. The latest Victor Pelevin novel, S.N.U.F.F., is set in a post-apocalyptic world which mocks both supporters and opponents of political correctness.
Apocalypse now Post-apocalyptic and dystopian novels are hugely popular in Russia and are devoured by readers. Several series of books describe the world destroyed by colourful and dramatic catastrophes, from S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and The Inhabited Island to Metro 2033. Anna Starobinets’ The Living One describes a world of
Moving to the provinces Traditionally, Russian literature has tended to be very capital-centric with many stories set in Moscow or St Petersburg. But by the end of the 2000s, a fresh genre of provincial prose appeared telling evocative and visionary stories of life in the regions. Vasily Avchenko, a journalist from Vladivostok,
death in an intimate and compelling fashion. But those who can are captivating readers. Lyudmila Ulitskaya writes about what it means to be human, and what it means to be transported beyond the everyday. Her most successful novel in recent years, Daniel Stein, Interpreter, breaks every boundary. Emotions are central to Mikhail Shishkin’s novel A Compilation of Letters, which won the Bolshaya Kniga award last year. And Alexander Ilichevsky artfully describes a hopeless love in The Persian. While today’s writers do not create epic novels about love or family in the tradition of Tolstoy, the family theme is becoming popular again. Love will probably be back in fashion soon, too.
describes the Primorye region’s history in Right Hand Wheel and The Globe of Vladivostok. In The Shalinsky Raid, German Sadulaev writes of the Chechnya he lived in. Alisa Ganieva describes the vicious cycles of today’s Dagestan in her book Salam, Dalgat!
Literature of emotions Russian literature has long been famous for its ability to describe the emotions and inner worlds of its characters. Indeed, Woody Allen’s hilarious and poignant Love and Death parodies Leo Tolstoy’s novels and gently satirises Russians’ romantic, full-throttle emotionalism and sentimentality. Yet in the 21st century, it seems only a few Russian authors can successfully explore strong feelings or portray love and
Russian films, old and new, are now accessible to an international audience online thanks to Mosfilm Studios, Russia’s biggest film company, and RussoTurismo. The technical quality of most of the films is excellent so you can hook up your computer to your television with an HDMI cable to enjoy a highquality cinema experience in your own home. The films available onYouTube range from the days of the great film pioneer Sergei Eisenstein to popular contemporary directors such as Alexei Balabanov and Karen Shakhnazarov. Among Eisenstein’s films are The Battleship Potemkin, October, Alexander Nevsky and Ivan the Terrible, as well as his first major silent film, Strike. Soviet historical films, including Eisenstein’s, provide a mix of ideology, artistic licence and historical truth. Eisenstein’s films are also significant because of his influence on later generations of filmmakers. Andrei Tarkovsky is probably the second most famous Russian director, and his most celebrated films are also available on YouTube. They include: Ivan’s Childhood; Andrei Rublev, about the life and times of the gifted Russian medieval icon painter; Tarkovsky’s sci-fi movies Solaris, Mirror and Stalker, which The New York Times called “a sombre futuristic fantasy”,as well as Nostalgia and his final film, Sacrifice, which has been compared to the work of Swedish master Ingmar Bergman. And there are films based on great Russian literary masters. At least three of Alexander Pushkin’s works are represented: Ruslan and Ludmila, The Tale of Tsar Saltan, and Boris Godunov, the first two directed by Alexander Ptushko and the third by Sergei Bondarchuk. Film versions of Dostoevsky’s works have also been uploaded by RussoTurismo, including Crime and
REUTERS/VOSTOCK-PHOTO
KONSTANTIN MILCHIN
WALTER G MOSS
ITAR-TASS
bat veterans now often write and publish their texts on the internet. They rarely become widely known, but Prilepin, who established a reputation as a literary revolutionary after Pathologies, about the Chechen wars, came out in 2005, is a rare exception. There are also war writers who have little or no personal experience in conflict zones. Vladimir Makanin, who wrote about Chechnya in his novel Asan, was accused of mythologising Chechnya by authors and veterans of the conflict alike.
Contemporary writers are finding new themes that reflect modern society but the giants of the past still have an influence.
You can now watch a huge range of classic and modern Russian movies with English subtitles online – all you have to buy is the popcorn.
Star quality: Mosfilm Studios has an impressive pedigree
Punishment, The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov. From Tolstoy, Mosfilm has adapted Anna Karenina and The Cossacks, but its War and Peace, directed by Bondarchuk, has no subtitles. Chekhov’s most notable plays, including UncleVanya, The Seagull and A Hunting Accident, are available, as are films by directors including Grigori Alexandrov, Eldar Ryazanov, Leonid Gaidai and Ptushko. Patriotic movies such as The Fall of Berlin, made under Stalin and glorifying the dictator, make fascinating viewing, as does Mosfilm’s Tchaikovsky. Mosfilm movies from 1980 to the present include Moscow Doesn’t Believe in Tears, which won a US Academy Award as best foreign film in 1981. And Nikita Mikhailov’s Oscar-winning Burnt by the Sun; several films by director Alexei Balabanov, including Brother, its sequel, Brother 2, and Cargo 200 – are among the most acclaimed and popular postSoviet films. Films uploaded by others (whether legally or not) to YouTube include Alexander Sokurov’s international commercial success Russian Ark, which (set in St Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum) offers a dialogue between a foreign critic of Russia and the narrator of the film about Russian history and culture. Walter G Moss is professor emeritus of history at Eastern Michigan University.
Museums Take a virtual tour of the greatest works of art in Russian galleries with the groundbreaking Google Art Project
Glories of the Hermitage just a click away Five Russian museums have joined an imaginative scheme that brings the best art in the world to your mobile phone or laptop. ALEXANDRA GUZEVA
LORI/LEGION MEDIA
REUTERS/VOSTOCK-PHOTO
RUSSIA NOW
The idea of making art exhibits available to view on the internet is not new, but the Google Art Project has taken the concept to a new level, allowing users to access collections from museums around the world from a single portal. The project can be accessed through Android phones, tablets and iPad. Three features make the project unique. First, thanks to the special camera used for Google Street View, parts of the museums have been photographed in panorama. So rather than looking at separate slides, users can see how exhibits look in the museum, giving the viewer a clearer idea of the curator’s intentions. Second, some images have been photographed at an ultra-high resolution of seven billion pixels. Third, users can enter the Google Art Project via their Google accounts, create their own personal collections and share their images via social networking sites. The Google Art Project is not the only way Russian museums are taking an active role in the technical revolution. In February, the Her-
Laptop of luxury: the Google Art Project website can be enjoyed on PCs as well as on smartphones and tablets
mitage launched its own free Hermitage Museum iPhone app, including a version in English, which allows users to take excursions, buy tickets online and get the latest news from the Hermitage. Russia was one of the first countries to join the project, and five museums are exhibiting part of their collections – the Tretyakov Gallery, the
Hermitage Museum, the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, the Russian Museum and the Nicholas Roerich Museum – along with 150 others worldwide. The State Tretyakov Gallery possesses a unique collection of Russian fine art. The Moscow gallery, which was founded by the merchant Pavel Tretyakov in 1856,
today contains more than 160,000 works by Russian artists covering 1,000 years of the country’s history – from the earliest icon paintings to contemporary works. The impressive collection of the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg includes more than three million works of art, including paintings, graphic works,
sculptures, handicrafts, archaeological and numismatic finds and other artefacts of world culture. The museum was founded by Catherine the Great and is located in the Winter Palace, once an official residence of the Russian monarchs. The regular exhibition is not limited to the main palace building; it is spread throughout five
Hi-tech revolution: the Hermitage launched an iPhone app
other buildings in the historic city centre. The Russian Museum is a unique depository of artistic treasures, a famous restoration centre and an authoritative institute of academic research that contains 400,000 exhibits. It was also the first state museum of Russian fine arts in the country. It was established in 1895
by Emperor Nicholas II and is in the Mikhailovsky Palace in St Petersburg. The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts is housed in a museum complex in central Moscow.The complex includes the main building, building of 19th and 20th century European and American art, and the private collection. The museum was
founded in 1893 by Ivan Tsvetaev, father of the poet Marina Tsvetaeva. The museum contains many copies of ancient cultural edifices, Egyptian artefacts, antique sculptures and even architectural monuments. It also has a large collection of impressionist and post-impressionist works, including paintings by Claude Monet, Edgar Degas,Vincent van Gogh and Pablo Picasso. The Nicholas Roerich Museum is in the heart of Moscow, in the ancient Lopoukhin estate. The museum features a unique collection of Himalayan sketches painted by Nicholas Roerich. Visitors can also find various relics; gifts from Roerich’s spiritual teacher; manuscript and art rarities; books and monographs from the Roerich Memorial Library; plus personal belongings and objects that accompanied the artist and philosopher in his long wanderings, including photo documents and a collection of ancient bronzes from the Indian valley of Kulu. The Nicholas Roerich Museum is the only one in the country that organises travelling exhibitions in the most remote corners of Russia, not confining itself to major cities and cultural centres. This gives millions of Russian people an opportunity to come into contact with the Roerich canvases.
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The war against Napoleon http://rbth.ru/borodino
Olympics President’s support helps deliver London triumph
Judo thrown into golden spotlight Three gold medals in President Putin’s favourite sport, more than any other country, have put Russia on the global judo map. AJAY KAMALAKARAN
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Under fire: explosive rehearsals for a re-enactment of the decisive Battle of Borodino are held at the State Borodino War and History Museum
1812: the battle of giants CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
biggest battle of the Napoleonic wars, in which each side lost between 35,000 and 45,000 men. The losses at Borodino, 70 miles west of Moscow, were more damaging for the French, who were unable to replace men and materials. By withdrawing from the battlefield, the Russian army under General Mikhail Kutuzov preserved its strength and was eventually able to expel Napoleon from the country. Prince Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration was hailed as a hero of the battle. Seriously wounded, he kept giving orders to the troops, not knowing the Russian army was abandoning Moscow. When he heard the truth, Bagration was so shocked that he rapidly stood up, forgetting about his wound. It was too much for his severely injured body and cost him his life.
Marshal Michel Ney was a hero to the French. He recovered from a neck wound to fight at Borodino and was called “the last Frenchman on Russian soil” as he commanded the rearguard during the retreat from Moscow.
did not and Kutuzov’s army remained in the field. Possessing an empty city and lacking supplies, Napoleon was forced to begin his long and costly retreat west that October. His army had, in effect, been destroyed. The highlight of the annivarsary celebrations took place at Borodino field last Sunday, when thousands put on the Russian and French military uniforms of the era and took part in a grand reenactment of the battle, watched by up to 300,000 spectators. The decisive conflict has been commemorated in many other ways. The Battle of Borodino Panorama Museum has a 115-metre canvas depicting the culmination of the battle. And a new museum devoted to the Patriotic War of 1812 is soon to open in the capital. A guided tour of the Kremlin has also been
Of more than 600,000 soldiers of the Grande Armée, only 60,000 survived the war Napoleon called him “the bravest of the brave” and gave him the title Prince de la Moskowa. After the Russian retreat from Borodino, which Napoleon called the battle of giants, the French leader was free to advance and capture Moscow on September 14. Entering the city, he expected the tsar to surrender. He
organised in which visitors can inspect the Russian and French guns used in the battle. One of the most spectacular events is a Cossack procession of 23 riders along the route from Moscow to Paris to honour those who fell in
One of the most spectacular events is a Cossack procession of 23 riders from Moscow to Paris the Napoleonic wars. Those taking part are the descendants of the Cossacks who fought in 1812 against Napoleon, riding along the roads of Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany and France. The horses are the breed their ancestors rode into battle. The celebrations will conclude in December. On December 25, exactly 200 years
after the tsar’s manifesto was issued announcing the expulsion of Napoleon’s troops, the main cathedral of Russia, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, will hold a service marking the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812. On the same day, during a gala evening at the Bolshoi Theatre, the results of the anniversary events will be formally summed up in honour of the 200th anniversary of Russia’s victory. A scale model of the battle can be viewed on weekdays from September 4 to 14 at the London office of the Russian Federal Agency Rossotrudnichestvo (37 High Street Kensington, London W8 5ED). The model, comprising more than 1,700 figures, was created by Jerry West, a British military history enthusiast. Visitors can also see Russian diplomatic correspondence from the war.
© VLADIMIR BARANOV_RIA NOVOSTI
SPECIAL TO RN
Boris Yeltsin’s attempts to popularise tennis in Russia in the Nineties led to unprecedented interest in the sport among young people. In a decade, Russia became an international force, producing male and female Grand Slam champions. Vladimir Putin, who was, until last month, Russia’s most famous judoka, probably dreamt of the kind of results in judo that his predecessor managed with tennis. In fact, a lot of emphasis was laid on the development of judo by Mr Putin in his first term as president. But judo does not have the international mass appeal that tennis enjoys. So, despite the fact that Arsen Galstyan won a bronze at the 60kg event in the 2010 World Championships in Tokyo to add to the European gold won a year earlier in Tbilisi, few saw the judoka from the Krasnodar region as a gold medal prospect. The buzz around Galstyan started only when he defeated the top-ranked judoka in the 60kg category, Uzbekistan’s Rishod Sobirov, in the semi-finals. The victory over Japan’s Hiroaki Hiraoka in the final made the 23 yearold an instant sensation. Galstyan’s victory was toasted by the residents of the Krasnodar region as“our” victory and there was little talk of the judoka’s Armenian origins. It showed the southern Russian region, the scene of racial flare-ups between ethnic Russians and immigrants from former Soviet republics, in a positive light. Galstyan was born in Armenia in 1989 and his parents migrated to Russia. By winning the gold medal in
Mat finish: Mansur Isaev, left, beat Japan’s Riki Nakaya
London and becoming a national hero, Galstyan has fulfilled the immigrant dream of his family. After Galstyan struck gold in London, Mansur Isaev beat Japan’s Riki Nakaya in the 73kg class final to win Russia’s second judo gold. The 26-year-old resident of Chelyabinsk in Siberia was also unfancied for a medal. His best performance before London was a bronze at the 2009 World Championships in Rotterdam. It remains to be seen if the governor of the Chelyabinsk region will honour a preOlympic promise to give $1m to each gold medal winner from the region. But Isaev has become an instant celebrity and household name in Russia, which no doubt has pleased the Russian president. Isaev is also a poster boy for multi-ethnic Russia, being a Muslim and an ethnic Avar, a community with origins in Dagestan. The hiring of Ezio Gamba as coach is cited as a key factor in Russia’s Olympic success. Both Isaev and Galstyan give credit to Gamba,who won gold for Italy in the 71kg class event in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, and his rigorous workout regime. The third gold was won by Tagir Khailbulaev, 28, in the 100kg class. He was favourite for gold after winning last year’s World Championships.
THE NUMBERS
24
gold medals won by Russia at London 2012. Pre-Games predictions of Russia’s performance in the medal table were accurate.
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judo gold medals won by the former USSR. This year’s golds were the first to be won by the Russian Federation.
The seeds of this year’s success were probably sown by the Mr Putin, who has taken an active role in the development of his favourite sport. Mr Putin was the brains behind the Zvenigorod Judo Academy, which promises to produce more champions, and he paid a visit to the academy in May. Surveys show the Russian president is very popular in the regions. The gold medals won by residents of Krasnodar and Chelyabinsk, far from Moscow, show the president’s efforts to popularise the sport struck a chord in the outlying parts of the country. The gold medals are transforming the way Russians look at judo and are sure to usher in a new wave of popularity for the martial art.
Leisure Aches and pains? Take a switch to the sauna
Nourishing nostalgia: the Revels start a Russian food revolution
Feel the benefits of a beating in a banya
PHOEBE TAPLIN SPECIAL TO RN
Two young cooks contributed to the burst of creativity in entertainment and food during the London Olympics by giving Russian and Soviet dining a chic, new twist. At the Russian Revels “supperclub”, Soviet posters nod towards the theme of ostalgie and the authentic tins on the table are like something from the film Goodbye, Lenin. The organisers set the tone, with long red dresses, military jackets or Russian shawls. The food is served by overgrown Pioneers wearing red neckerchiefs. The creators of the supper club, Katrina Kollegaeva and author Karina Baldry, have been providing a series of quirky culinary events that have gathered a cult following. They claim they are“two Russians revolutionising the image of Eastern European food, by serving light, luscious and sexy Slavic dishes at characterful venues across
London.” They “forage through pre-revolutionary cookbooks, re-invent Russian classics and create radical interpretations of recipes from across the ex-USSR.” Baldry and Kollegaeva’s sporting suppers kicked off with an“Olympicnic”in July featuring vodka cocktails, sour cream and caramelised rye bread. They represented Russia at the Global Feast, a three-week event in Stratford. Kollegaeva says their nights involved“golden gherkins, pink eggs, drunken cherries and a girl on the table (literally lying on it), the tallest table in the world.” I caught up with the duo in late August at the “Supperclub Summit”in the Goethe-Institut in South Kensington, organised by a group called Edible Experiences. Again, Russian Revels was part of a series of international meals intended to “showcase the glamour of Russo-Soviet dining”. It was a brave and seemingly oxymoronic aim, but this team can harness the power of zakuski (tapas-style Russian entrées) and ice-cold vodka to charm even the most sceptical of guests.
Best of taste: Russian Revels offers retro dining with pop art, poetry, films and cabaret thrown into the appetising mix
Last time I joined Russian Revels was for a Maslenitsa feast back in February. The combination of buckwheat pancakes and liver-filled “manly pies”to celebrate De-
RUSSIA NOW Online
fenders of the Fatherland Day, with lashings of herb and garlic vodka, was pungent and potent. In the intervening six months, they have lost none of their magic.
Did Pussy Riot deserve 2 years in jail?
The food for the Supperclub was light and sophisticated; Russian Revels celebrate many traditional textures and flavours that challenge western tastes. The “borsch-inspired tartlets”are typical of the Revels’ ability to reinvent old favourites. Kollegaeva says:“We wanted to show the world that Russian food can be sexy, unexpected, beautiful”. Describing the menu for the Global Feast, she says: “We started with a trio of (vegetarian) caviars – wild mushrooms, aubergine and sweet-andsour beetroot and dates; then hot pickled peppers and tiny yellow squashes served in a ‘boat’ of rye bread alongside flowers of cabbages and Russian bubliki (bread rings)”. The entertainment is a crucial part of the evening. Guests dress up and the dinners feature pop art, poetry readings, black-and-white spy films or kitschy cabarets. A thematic slideshow, music from mid-20th century Russia and a dance floor complete the atmosphere. For more information about Russian Revels events go to russianrevels.co.uk
Hitting yourself with twigs in a sauna is said to cure many conditions, from cellulite to headaches – just make sure you use the right twigs.
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SERGEI TEPLYAKOV SPECIAL TO RN
The pleasure Russians derive from having their bodies beaten with twigs while sweating in a banya (traditional sauna) has puzzled foreigners for centuries.“You tell foreigners that it is a pleasant thing to use a switch and that it’s good for your health but they won’t believe you – you see in their eyes they think it is a practical joke,”says Maria Ivanova, who sells switches from her village of Berezovka. Fans of the centuries-old tradition say choosing which switch to use isn’t simple matter. Different switches are used for different ailments in the way a golfer chooses his club. “Liquorice switches are excellent for tackling cellulite if you add herbs – tutsan and marjoram,”says Lada Zyablitskaya, also a switch vendor. “The best all-round switch is birch, which is said to be a cure for everything but especially good for muscle aches. Oak switches are thought to
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PHOTOSHOT/VOSTOCK-PHOTO
Radical interpretations of Russian and Soviet foods are being served with lashings of entertainment at the Russian Revels supperclubs.
NATALIYA NESTMAN
Food Golden gherkins, pink eggs and ‘manly pies’ are on the menu in a new style of Slavic cuisine
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stop blood pressure rising in the steam room and help calm nerves. A lime tree switch is an excellent cure for headaches and has diuretic properties, which help exercise the kidneys. It also stimulates sweating, calms nerves, heals wounds, improves airflow to the lungs and reduces fever. “A conifer switch stimulates perspiration and increases blood circulation deep in the
muscles and the internal organs. It also acts as an excellent massage tool, helping back and neuralgic pains. Eucalyptus helps cure colds and sore throats. Press it against your face and breathe it in for up to five minutes. “Nettle switches are used after physical exercise, when your muscles and joints are sore to make the pain subside,” adds Ms Zyablitskaya.
A British view on Russian bureaucracy
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Pour water on the stones to heat the steam to 60-70 C. Soften your chosen switch in the boiling water. Whip yourself lightly with the switch or take a partner with you so that you can whip each other. Take a shower, wrap up in a towel and drink a mug of beer or kvass (a fermented yeast drink) in the anteroom. Repeat these steps until you’re exhausted.
Move to the beat: a birch switch is said to be good for easing muscle pains
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