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Due West: Windfall Tax on Russian Privatization

Weekly column by Konstantin von Eggert

When he heard about this, Russia’s former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov tweeted bitterly: “Khodorkovsky and I suggested this. His reaction: I was sacked, Khodorkovsky sent jail.” But will Vladimir Putin try to heal one of the deepest wounds of the post-Soviet Russian psycho?

Trendswatcher: The Trouble with ‘Intimate’ English

Weekly column by Natalia Antonova

Learn English! It will lead to better employment opportunities! It will aid you on your travels! It will help you appreciate works of art and countless internet memes! It will make your teeth straighter and your butt firmer!

Uncertain World: Anti-Americanism in Russia

Weekly column by Fyodor Lukyanov

There has been an uptick in anti-American sentiment in the Russian blogosphere recently. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said that the failure of the Phobos-Grunt mission – far from the only Russian space mishap in recent years – could have been caused by emissions from an American radar station. The response was powerful – we knew they were to blame!

Transmissions from a Lone Star: Russia in Revolt as Viewed from Afar

Weekly column by Daniel Kalder

Whenever something major happens in Russia, I wish it were a lot easier to get over there and witness conditions on the ground. For instance when Boris Yeltsin died, I really wanted to visit his corpse as it lay in state in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior to see for myself how people were reacting to this man who had caused so much chaos in his 8-year rule.

Do Women Take Too Much Initiative in Love?

Weekly column by Svetlana Kolchik

Are men hunters no more? Is it up to women nowadays to make the first move?

Features, Opinion & Analysis »

'Political Prisoners' Return to Russian Politics

MOSCOW, February 9 (Anastasia Markitan, RIA Novosti)

On Wednesday, two days after Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that there are no political prisoners in Russia, two opposition personalities, journalist Olga Romanova and State Duma member Gennady Gudkov, submitted to the presidential administration a list of 39 inmates whom they describe as “political prisoners.”

Is Russia’s game in Syria worth playing?

Political commentator Andrei Murtazin for RIA Novosti

On February 7, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Foreign Intelligence Service Director Mikhail Fradkov traveled to Damascus to help stabilize the situation in Syria by encouraging democratic reforms.

No Appetite for War: Israel’s View on the Iranian Problem

Vladimir Yevseyev for RIA Novosti, from Herzliya (Israel) and Moscow

The Iranian problem is no longer confined to its nuclear program due to broader developments in the region. Saudi Arabia, Iran and Turkey are vying for regional leadership. Egypt is becoming increasingly destabilized, and the role of the United States in the region is waning.