Archive Fever

Archives are often the first casualties of revolutions. When Tsarist Russia imploded in 1917, revolutionaries quickly raided the Okhrana’s archives. Police documents revealed that one of Lenin’s close confidants, Roman Malinovski was unmasked as an Okhrana spy. He was quickly taken out and shot. War, Revolution, and Civil War reduced Russian central and local archival […]

Comments Policy

I’ve tried not having a comments policy so that discussion can remain open. It is clear that it is time to end that experiment. It has come to a point that when you look at the substance of the comments there is nothing free or open about it. For the most part, the comments section […]

Extremism Bill Passes Round Two

New amendments to Russia’s extremist law passed a second reading yesterday. The amendments which are touted as targeting nationalists and skinheads has raised alarm among political oppositionists who see it as yet another weapon in the State’s arsenal in preparation for the 2008 Presidential Elections. Among others things, the bill has measures to fine publishers […]