By Tai Adelaja
Russia Profile, 05/14/2012Despite the government's best efforts, Russian logistics services continue to be slow, bureaucratic and unpredictable, a new World Bank report has found. The quality of Russia's trade and transport related infrastructure is subpar even when compared to infrastructural facilities in other former Soviet states, according to the bank's Logistics Performance Index report published on Friday. Russia not only received declining scores in the survey's “ease of arranging competitively priced shipments to international markets” category, but also ranks low in the ability to track and trace such consignments or confirm whether shipments reach their destination.![]()
Editorial Comment by Russia Profile Staff
05/11/2012Russia Profile brings you some of the best analysis on top stories in Russia today. But there’s always more behind them. Each Friday, our writers provide their own take on the news, offering unique commentary to put events into a different perspective. This week, Dan Peleschuk probes the Russian opposition's changing tactics, and Tai Adelaja explains the Russian government's strategy to contain the Eurozone crisis.![]()
Introduced by Vladimir Frolov
Russia Profile, 05/11/2012Now that Dmitry Medvedev has handed over power to his friend Vladimir Putin and has taken his place at the helm of the Russian government as prime minister, it’s time to take stock of his one-term presidency and his historic legacy. Will he go down in history as a great visionary, or a weak and pretentious leader who provided liberal political cover to perpetuate the personal-cult regime of Vladimir Putin? Has Medvedev been a genuine modernizer or was he simply faking modernization to let the steam out? Was he ever president?![]()
By Tai Adelaja
Russia Profile, 05/10/2012While Russia's newly inaugurated President Vladimir Putin may be facing a myriad of complex issues, ranging from the brain drain to unfavorable demographics, he has, for the time being, zeroed in on fixing the country's broken immigration policy. In one of his sweeping executive orders issued on Monday, Putin said federal and regional authorities must introduce mandatory testing for migrant workers in subjects like the Russian language, Russian history and the basics of Russian legislation. Highly qualified foreign workers will be exempt from the tests, which Putin said must take off by November 2012 at the latest. Putin also instructed the Russian government to prepare draft laws that will toughen punishments for violating Russia’s immigration laws and submit them before December 2012.![]()
By Tai Adelaja
Russia Profile, 05/08/2012Hours after he took the oath of office on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a raft of decrees sure to set him apart from his predecessor and project his image as an active, energetic and business-like leader. Putin, who has promised to continue the modernization and business-friendly policies of former President Dmitry Medvedev, spent the rest of his inauguration day approving an unwieldy list of economic and social policies. Part of the measures decreed by the once-again president would improve the country’s business climate, while others, like wage increases, could punch holes in the budget, analysts say.![]()
By Andrew Roth
Russia Profile, 05/08/2012In the span of one day, Moscow went from the brutality of violent, massive street clashes between young, mostly male protesters and riot police to the pomp and circumstance of Vladimir Putin’s inauguration, held in the gilded Kremlin State Palace.![]()
Vladimir Putin was sworn in as Russian president on Monday in a glittering Kremlin ceremony that took place less than 24 hours after protesters opposed to his rule had battled police in downtown Moscow.
“I swear on the power invested in me as president of the Russian Federation to respect and protect the rights and freedom of its citizens,” Putin said, his right hand placed on a red-bound copy of the Russian Constitution.
Russia’s nuclear suitcase was handed over to Putin immediately after his inauguration.![]()
Dmitry Medvedev has outlined the future government\s action program at the State Duma
See all graphicsCentral Moscow this week was swamped by anti-Kremlin actions, from violent protests just before Vladimir Putin's inauguration, to a series of spontaneous sit-ins throughout several downtown squares. The actions have landed two prominent opposition leaders in jail for 15 days.![]()
Rescue works on the site of a seven-storied building collapse in the south of Moscow.![]()
A UTair ATR-72 plane bound from Tyumen to Surgut fell on takeoff on Monday at 5:50 a.m. Moscow Time. There were 39 passengers and four crew on board.![]()
Demolishing a historic building on 25 Bolshoi Kozikhinsky Pereulok, Moscow.![]()
Polling station number 49 is located in the village Mesedoy in Chechnya. It became the leader in webcast views - by midday, 2,500 Internet users watched the election process in the area.![]()
Participants attempted to hold hands throughout the encirclement, often raising them in a sign of support to passersby.![]()
© Russia Profile, 2011