Official Russia

Before I start this week’s roundup, thanks to everyone who suggested some new blogs that I should be reading (see the comments of last week’s roundup).  There were so many great blogs on the list that I’m going to write a separate post later this week to highlight them all.  In the meantime, if there are any more blogs out there that you think I’ve missed, please let me know in the comments.

This week’s been a quiet one for Russia blog posts – here are the best of them (according to me!).

• If you’re looking for a more ‘newsy’ roundup of the Russia week, check out Patrick Armstrong’s Russian Federation Weekly Sitrep.
• Sean gives us permission to Pray for the President, and a copy of the prayer, so we don’t have to make it up.
• Russians get paid to blog too. sometimes they’re paid to write about products; sometimes they’re paid to write about politics.  Global Voices has the full details.
• Winner of the award for best title of the week is Anatoly, who explains why Russia is cemented to the other BRICs.
• The Russian government wants to give every Russian citizen a cyrillic email account. Oh the stupidity, the waste, and the potential for snooping on people too stupid to get another email account.
• Russia has apparently been engaging in some “nimble” multipolar diplomacy, says Vadim Nikitin.
• Ensign Pavel Chekov – hero of the Soviet Union!
• Strict Passport control?  At Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk? Tim tells us the truth…
• James at Robert Amsterdam asks – is Russia’s “inept and corrupt imitation” of a military industrial complex actually doing the country a favour?
• Also at RA, Grigory Pasko wonders if Lake Baikal has been forgotten.

Finally, moving out of country slightly, remember to check out Registan.net for the latest updates on events in Kyrgyzstan.

Source: Siberian Light