January 31:
Alcohol remains a primary driver of early death in Russia, a new medical study has confirmed. The BBC reports that, according to the analysis, which was published in the medical journal The Lancet, a quarter of Russian males today die before age 55, mostly as a result of excessive alcohol consumption. The statistic marks a decline from a post-Cold War high of 37%, propelled by stricter regulations surrounding higher taxes on alcoholic products and more restrictive sales guidelines. Nevertheless, the Lancet study’s authors point out, a persistent “pattern” of binge drinking among Russians suggests better alcohol control measures “are urgently needed.”
February 1:
Authorities in Sochi, on the guard against Islamic radicals in the run up to the Olympic Games there, are resorting to drastic measures to deal with another stubborn problem. London’s Independent reports that the local administration in Sochi has outlined plans to “dispose of” more than 2,000 stray animals in the area as part of clean-up preparations for the Olympiad. The move is an effort to combat a chronic problem that has long plagued the city, in which attacks by stray dogs are a daily occurrence, and which – with the Games looming – is being viewed by local authorities as a hazard to athletes and tourists.
February 3:
Dozhd TV co-owner Aleksandr Vinokurov has announced that the independent television station is close to shutting down, reports Radio Free Europe. The channel has been under pressure from Russian politicians and activists since posting a poll last month that asked viewers whether Leningrad should have surrendered to the Nazis in WWII instead of being subjected to a 900-day siege. Since then, a number of television operators have announced the cancellation of their contracts with Dozhd.
February 4:
Authorities in Moscow have estimated that some 300 to 400 militants from the North Caucasus have migrated to Syria and taken up arms against the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Damascus. But these fighters could soon turn their sights back on Russia, a leading expert on Islamism has warned. In an analysis published on the website Regnum.ru, Yana Amelina of the Russian Institute of Strategic Studies writes that – because of their origins and global nature of their struggle – there is “no doubt about the ‘future function’” of Russian jihadists now operating in Syria. “In the near future, the most important goal for them will be the Sochi Olympics, slightly farther into the future – a further destabilization of conditions in the North Caucasus and the Volga Region.
”Despite difficulties in getting Syria to rid itself of chemical weapons to date, officials in Moscow are optimistic that the Assad regime will come around – and soon. Egypt’s Al Ahram newspaper reports Syrian deputy foreign minister Gennady Gatilov as saying that the Kremlin expects a more compliant stance on disarmament from Damascus, a key ally, in the days ahead. "Literally yesterday the Syrians announced that the removal of a large shipment of chemical substances is planned in February,” Gatilov declared in an interview with the RIA Novosti news agency. “They are ready to complete this process by March 1."
[Editors’ Note: Gatilov’s statement appears intended to mollify critics in the international community, who have levied growing criticism against Syria for failing to disarm as negotiated. A report issued by the UN’s Office for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in late January stated that the Assad regime has so far given up less than 5% of its chemical weapons, and has fallen woefully behind in implementing the terms of the diplomatic deal brokered by Moscow this past Fall, which headed off U.S. military action against Damascus.]