April 20:
Terrorism suspects in Russia still lack rights to a jury trial. The University of Pittsburgh’s online legal brief, The Jurist, reports that Russia’s Constitutional Court has upheld the practice of trying terrorism suspects in the absence of juries – a measure originally approved by President Medvedev in early 2009. The provision has been opposed by petitioners who have argued that, among other things, the practice violates Article 55 of the Russian constitution. The Constitutional Court, however, has rejected these claims, “finding that the constitution only guarantees jury trials in cases where the defendants could be sentenced to death,” The Jurist reports.
April 22:
Ukraine’s newest government is moving the country back into Moscow’s orbit. The Washington Post reports that Kyiv’s new pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovich, has reversed the policy of his predecessor and signed a deal with the Kremlin extending Russia’s naval presence in his country by another quarter century. Under the deal, inked by Yanukovich and Russian president Dmitry Medvedev in Kharkiv, Ukraine will extend the lease on the Russian naval base in Sevastopol, home to Russia’s Northern Fleet, until 2042. In return, the Post reports, Ukraine will receive a steep discount on its purchases of Russian natural gas.
The thaw in Moscow-Kyiv ties does not end there. Business Week reports that the two countries are also moving toward the creation of a consortium aimed at modernizing Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. The existing network, which serves as an essential transit route for Russian energy exports to Europe, is aging and dilapidated. Upgrades will make Russian deliveries of natural gas to Europe cheaper and more predictable, the journal notes.
April 24:
Russia is stepping up its energy diplomacy in Europe. The Sofia news agency reports that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has visited Vienna to ink a deal cementing Austria’s participation in the “South Stream” project – a Russian-backed natural gas project created by the Kremlin as an alternative to the pro-Western Nabucco pipeline. “South Stream” is currently scheduled to be completed by 2015, and once built will bring 63 billion cubic meters of natural gas to the European Union annually via Bulgaria. Serbia, Hungary, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy and Croatia have already signed on to participate in the Russian-supported energy route.
April 26:
A Russian defense firm has developed a new, difficult-to-detect cruise missile system. According to the Post-Chronicle, the “Club-K,” developed by the defense company Kontsern-Morinformsistema-Agat, is a container-borne cruise missile launcher – making it road mobile via rail, truck or ship. The innovative, portable satellite-guided system has raised fears among observers that it could fall into the hands of terrorists, making them capable of delivering a devastating missile strike anywhere in the world with little advance warning.
April 27:
Russia and Norway have demarcated their common Arctic border after decades of disagreement. The Post-Chronicle reports that the landmark agreement, signed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his Norwegian counterpart, Jens Stoltenberg, paves the way for the two countries to begin energy exploration in a previously untapped area of the Barents Sea. "This is a historic day. We have reached a breakthrough in the most important outstanding issue between Norway and the Russian Federation," Stoltenberg has told reporters.