06
Opinion
RUSSIA BEYOND THE HEADLINES
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Live Journal
PYOTR OREKHOVSKY
OMSK, WESTERN SIBERIA
A friend of mine, an associate pro-
CHANGE IN SIBERIA
Bloggers on What 2007 Meant to Them
fessor at Altai State Technical Uni-
versity, was recently invited by an
WITH NIGHTS GETTING LONGER AND THE SNOW FALLING RUSSIAN
English colleague to visit London
BLOGGERS ARE TAKING TIME BEFORE THE NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATIONS
over the Christmas holidays. They
BRINGS GROWTH
TO REFLECT ON WHAT THE LAST 12 MONTHS HAVE BROUGHT AND
had met as part of a university ex-
WHAT THE NEXT 12 WILL BRING. THEIR VIEWS ON THE HIGHS AND LOWS
change under the TEMPUS program
OF 2007 COVER THEIR OWN OUTLOOK AND THAT OF THE COUNTRY AS
where the university was a partner of
A WHOLE.
Plymouth and Bedfordshire Univer-
sities. Two years ago professors
Russia's sporting triumphs top campaign and rising inflation. from these universities had come to
the list of many bloggers, Bloggers also describe more Barnaul in Siberia to give lectures
namely: Russia's successful personal aspects in their lives. and take part in a conference. My
bid for the 2014 Winter Olym- User bessonov says: "For friend’s Christmas trip, however,
pics and Russia's unexpected the first time in many years I never took place. The reason? She
ticket to the European Foot- was jobless in the summer needed her fingerprints taken to ob-
ball Championship. User and I liked that a lot,” while tain a visa. Not that she minded that,
okob_ezdny witnessed the rostovtseva said: "I had a but the problem was that she could
celebrations in Sochi when tough quarter-life crisis at 25. only have her fingerprints taken at
the winning bid was an- I came to a lot of conclusions the British visa center in Moscow.
nounced in July and reflected and now am moving to a dif- The plane tickets from Barnaul to
on their great significance for ferent country to study what I Moscow cost almost as much as
"both my personal life and really enjoy and am now doing from Moscow to London, and a brief
the life of the country" while what I want to do with my life.” stopover in Moscow to get a visa and
tasyaf1 was stunned by Russian bloggers are multi-tal- fly on to London was not an option
the football results, stating ented, which is exemplified by because fingerprints have to be
that in November "we made it ia
_
vam
_
ne
_
zaika: "This year taken at least 15 days in advance.
to the Euro 2008 finals by a I wrote my first full-length movie All this made little sense to me. Of
miracle.” scenario" and talassa
_
in course, the British embassy rules
Politics continues to mesh who remembers 2007 for one are odd and certainly not made for
the personal and public. thing in particular: "This was the Siberians.
Users like san4izz and the year when my book was But why not take fingerprints at the

DRAWING BY YURY KHOROVSKY
fidget_angel remember published.” Many remember airport when entering the country,
2007 for participating in the this year for meetings with as the Japanese do? Granted, eight
Dissenters' Marches (demon- new and old friends, falling in to nine years ago a trip to London years Siberian cities have witnessed such as IKEA, Lenta and Evropa made for everyone’s benefit. Bar-
strations organized by political and out of love, learning about would have been out of the ques- a construction boom. In 2007, Omsk have come here. Businesspeople, naul, formerly one of the shabbier Si-
opposition “dissenting” from trust and distrust. The events tion. But the years since then have will get about 850,000 square meters unlike theoretical economists, have berian capitals, has gotten a facelift.
the status quo) all throughout of 2007 were controversial in seen great changes. Just seven of new housing, Novosibirsk more a more sound assessment of the Si- In place of a motor-building plant
the spring, while yenot many respects in Russia and years ago, the International Busi- than one million and Barnaul more berian population’s incomes and they opened a go-cart course, and in
writes: "speaking of the coun- we can only hope that maybe ness Department at Omsk State than 600,000. In Omsk one square potential demand for goods and ser- place of a textile factory, there is now
try, everything has become so what saintvine said is true: University had some problems be- meter of new housing space costs vices. You only have to look at the a shopping mall. On weekends a lot
stable now that it's worri- "Everyone started doing their cause of an American professor. A 35,000 rubles, or 1,000 euro. So that roads, where the number of private of snowboarders head for the coun-
some." Other important events own thing, in all senses of this local student had handed in a city alone will build 850 million euro cars has grown almost ten times. tryside. One might think it was a Mos-
listed by Russian bloggers in- word." course paper analyzing the financial (or $1 billion) worth of new housing. Transportation in Siberian cities mer- cow suburb. All this would not be sur-
clude marking Boris Yeltsin's status of a “defense-related compa- its special mention. Omsk, Novosi- prising except that according to
death in April, the controversy
THE RUSSIAN BLOGOSPHERE HAS
ALMOST TRIPLED IN 12 MONTHS.
ny.” Omsk security officials accused birsk, Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk strad- statistics Altai is an economically de-
over the Estonian war memo-
THESE SUMMARIES HAVE BEEN
the professor of espionage and ex- Businesspeople have a dle big rivers, so there is a shortage pressed area, where the average
rial to Soviet soldiers (when TAKEN FROM RECENT POSTS pelled her from the country, which
sound assessment of the
of bridges and road interchanges. wage is about $300.
Estonian authorities decided
ON THE SPECIAL COMMUNITY SET
they later proudly reported in the
Siberian population’s in-
Traffic jams in Novosibirsk are at The author Yevgeny Popov, who
to move the common grave of
UP FOR THIS NEWSPAPER,
HTTP://COMMUNITY.LIVEJOURNAL.
press. Now the department has two
comes and potential de-
least as bad as in Moscow. was born and raised in Krasnoyarsk,
the Soviet soldiers and the
COM/OPINION_RU
full-time U.S. nationals who give This year the Omsk authorities de- once told me that Siberians are as
monument above it to a differ- AND COMPILED BY MARINA lectures and teach English. They mand for goods and ser- cided to rebuild the main city roads. different from the residents of Euro-
ent place, outside of Tallinn
PUSTILNIK.
helped Omsk University establish
vices. Only have a look at
As part of the preparation for the pean Russia as Americans are from
city center on the eve of the links with the Central European In-
the roads: the number of
city’s 300th anniversary the federal West Europeans. I was reminded of
Victory Day in May), United stitute in Prague, where Omsk pro-
private cars has grown
budget earmarked one billion rubles this when I saw a monument in front
Russia's aggressive election fessors now visit frequently, and ($40 million) for the program. But of the local university. An open book
they organized a permanent ex- almost ten times. the money was disbursed too late, stands on a pedestal, with one page
change of students between the at the end of summer. Still, the build- filled with Russian and the other with
U.S. and Omsk. American teachers ers were so eager to use the money Armenian characters. And the mar-
come for a month or two, and no- That is enough to accommodate a that they laid new asphalt in dry and ble is engraved with the words: “For
Questions to Readers
body asks for their fingerprints. Si- city of 60,000 people (more than rainy weather, and later even when the 70th anniversary of the Altai Ter-
beria is not so far away anymore. 16,000 apartments). A quiet and lit- it snowed. Watching the enthusias- ritory. From grateful Armenians.
Please reply to editor.usa@rg.ru It had long been the mantra among tle-noticed housing revolution is tic road builders, the local people September 2007.” If people from that
top Moscow economists that build- under way in the Siberian cities and placed bets on whether the new sur- Southern country came here and
Parliament President
ing industries in Siberia and the far few are going to leave. face would last three years or would shelled out money for such a monu-
Did you follow the Duma Do you care who will be east of Russia made no economic However, some companies did fail. start crumbling after two. ment, it is a sure sign that life in Sibe-
elections in Russia? Russia’s next President? sense. At the time it was a handy ex- And there is little sign that any new City jubilees have been very popular ria will overturn many a grim fore-
planation of the financial woes of plants comparable to the Soviet-era in Russia lately. In 2007, the Altai cast.
2007 2008
-
those enterprises and the movement giants will be built. Territory was preparing to mark its
What do you think were the What would be your of the population to the European Instead Siberian cities are sprouting 70th anniversary and welcome Pres- Pyotr Orekhovsky is a Professor at
most memorable events re- Christmas wishes to the part of Russia. But in the last three hypermarkets. Major retail chains ident Putin. A lot of repairs were Omsk State University
lated to Russia? Russian people?
EXPERTS DISAGREE ON CAMPAIGN OUTCOME IMPLICATIONS
Poll Results:
What Ambitions do Young People Have?
DIFFERING OPINIONS ON THE ELECTION
VTSIOM CONDUCTED A POLL ON NOVEMBER 10-11, 2007. A TOTAL
OF 1,600 PEOPLE AGED BETWEEN 18 AND 35 WERE SURVEYED IN 153
TOWNS AND CITIES IN 46 RUSSIAN REGIONS. THE STATISTICAL MARGIN
rope and the Organisation for Secu- tion. They say this will seal Putin’s
OF ERROR DOES NOT EXCEED 3.4%. Power Tandem
rity and Cooperation in Europe
Medvedev
role as the “national leader.”
(OSCE). But the dark side to this victory is the
DO THE YOUNG FIND SUCCESS EASY IN THE FOLLOWING PROFESSIONS? (%)
Will Be Good
Now that the parliamentary elections
Won’t Be
weakening of the future President’s
for the West
in Russia are over and a reformist,
Dmitri Medvedev, has been en- Another Putin
position, and duality of power in Rus-
sia.
dorsed as the presidential candidate The logic of power in Russia, which
ALEXANDER RAHR
for the party, Europeans say that
GEORGY BOVT
is traditionally held by the person at
MOSCOW Russia-West relations will develop MOSCOW the top, will force the weakened
normally and become more stable. president to try to regain the full
The West questions the results of the The European business community The December 2 parliamentary elec- scope of presidential powers. So
Russian parliamentary elections, believes that stability in Russia large- tion in Russia has not produced any United Russia’s landslide victory in
saying United Russia used its ad- ly depends on the stability of its re- surprises. Just as it had been pre- the parliamentary election may be
ministrative resources to prevent the gime. Unlike in the West, the transi- dicted, the pro-Kremlin party United offset by staggering losses and fu-
opposition from showing its worth tion of power from one party to Russia, whose election list was led ture problems.
during the campaign. It is almost un- another in Russia is inevitably ac- by President Vladimir Putin, got Vladimir Putin tried to clarify the un-
heard of in Europe for a party or poli- companied by political cataclysms. more than 60 percent of the vote, certainties by naming Dmitry Medve-
tician to win by such a large margin. Medvedev, if elected, will be the leaving less than 40 percent to the dev as his presidential successor a
In the West, politicians usually win by country’s first President to carry a ten right- and left-wing opposition week ahead of the United Party con-
two or three percentage points and party membership card. Besides, the parties. vention. This nomination was pre-
there is always a strong opposition. next President will naturally be weak- The Kremlin now has a constitution- dictable, but there were certainly
The West cannot understand that er than Putin. The West is convinced al majority in parliament, but what other political figures within the inner
SOURCE: WWW.WCIOM.RU
people in the former Soviet republics that Putin will remain in power be- will it do with this landslide victory? circle of the president who were also
do not vote according to Western hind the scenes. He will most likely The results of this “referendum” will contenders.
principles. Russia has followed a become the head of United Russia have no effect on the presidential Medevedev could also be hardly
According to a recent poll con- business and management path of development very different and replace Medvedev as chairman race, in which Putin cannot run. On pointed at as a weak politician. In
ducted by the All-Russia Pub- (14% each) and politics (7%). from that of European countries. of the board of directors of Gasprom. March 2, 2008, Russians will have to fact, he is capable of bringing a fresh
lic Opinion Research Centre, In assessing their chances of The desire to support democracy in In principle, this should be a benefi- elect a new President, which puts ad- political style into the Kremlin. When
VTsIOM, young Russians becoming successful in their Russia is not the only reason for cial situation – a tandem of a card- ditional stress on the authorities. The considering Medevedev, one is re-
overwhelmingly rank good chosen careers, young people Western criticism of the results. Par- carrying President Medvedev and March election cannot be turned into minded of the famous phrase of in-
connections (59%) and good in Moscow and St. Petersburg adoxically, this criticism is an instru- United Russia led by Vladimir Putin a referendum in support of Putin. fluential member of the Central Com-
training and qualifications were the most optimistic, and ment for applying pressure on the with a strong say on the country’s for- Some political analysts believe that mitee the CPSU Andrey Gromyko
(54%) as the necessities of young people in small towns Kremlin and the President. Russia eign and domestic policies.
-
the powerful electoral support for when he nominated Michael Gor-
career success. They also be- and villages were the least op- cannot say that it thinks nothing of Putin at the head of United Russia will bachev to become the general sec-
lieved they would need rich timistic. the opinion of the European Union or Alexander Rahr is programme di- have a crucial influence on his future retary of the party: “this guy has a
parents (39%), talent and ex- The VTsIOM poll was con- the United States. This would make rector for Russian and CIS affairs at political career, especially because soft character but iron teeth”.
-
ceptional ability (35%), to live ducted on November 10 and it an outcast in international organi- the German Council on Foreign Re- his successor is unlikely to get so
in a big city (26%), and luck 11, 2007, and sampled 1,600 sations, such as the Council of Eu- lations many votes in the presidential elec- Georgy Bovt is a political analyst
(13%). people from 153 cities and vil-
Young people believe it is eas- lages in 46 regions, territories
iest to succeed in the creative and republics across Russia.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO READ MORE MATERIAL ON THESE SUBJECTS…
professions (24%). Consid- The poll has a margin of error ARIEL COHEN / "MEDVEDEV’S MULTIPLE CHALLENGES" / Russia Profile/Business New Europe, December 12, 2007 / www.russiaprofile.org
ered more challenging are of 3.4%. VLADIMIR FROLOV / “MAPPING OUT RUSSIA’S FUTURE” / Russia Profile/Politics, December 11, 2007 / www.russiaprofile.org
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