Russia Reform Monitor: No. 1536

February 15:

According to the Sova Center, which monitors nationalism and xenophobia in Russia, hate crimes have killed 17 people nationwide since the start of the year, with 11 of the killings taking place in Moscow, the Associated Press reports. On February 14th, a citizen of Tajikistan was stabbed to death and another wounded by five teenagers in Moscow. According to Sova’s annual report, 67 people were killed and more than 550 injured across Russia in ethnically motivated attacks in 2007, a 13-percent increase over 2006. If the crimes were to continue at the same rate throughout this year, 2008 would see a total of 135 hate killings – double the number recorded in 2007.


February 16:

Russia’s Defense Ministry has said that the U.S. may use its plan to shoot down an ailing spy satellite to test a new space weapon, RIA Novosti reports. “In our opinion, the decision to destroy the American satellite does not look as innocent as they are trying to present it,” the ministry said in a statement. “The impression arises that the United States is trying to use the accident with its satellite to test its national anti-missile defense system in an anti-satellite capacity.”

The New York Times reports that Russia held a high-level meeting with the leaders of the breakaway Georgian republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia on February 15th and vowed to increase support for the separatists if Kosovo declares independence and is recognized by the West. The newspaper notes that Russia has granted Russian citizenship to almost all residents in the separatist enclaves.


February 17:

Deputy Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov has denounced Kosovo’s declaration of independence as an illegitimate act that violates international law, Rusnovosti.ru reports. Peskov told the Vesti television channel that “all possible international mechanisms” - above all, the UN Security Council - would be brought to bear on the situation.

The Financial Times reports that in a recent FT/Harris poll, a majority of respondents in the UK, Germany, France and Italy said they oppose Russian companies investing in their countries while 55 percent of Spanish respondents favor such investment. Nonetheless, Russia is still viewed as more of a friend than a foe in four of the five countries surveyed, and in the United States. “Only Britain, which has recently had some fierce diplomatic exchanges with Moscow over the murder in London of Alexander Litvinenko, an ex-KGB officer, has a markedly more hostile attitude with 60 percent regarding Russia as a foe,” the FT writes.


February 18:

Oleg Deripaska has nearly doubled his wealth and taken the title of Russia’s richest man from Roman Abramovich in Finans magazine’s rankings of the 500 richest Russians. Deripaska, a metals tycoon who is sole owner of the Basic Element industrial holding, is now worth $40 billion while Abramovich, who is governor of the Chukotka region and owner of Britian’s Chelsea soccer team, is now in second place with a fortune estimated at $23 billion.

[Editor’s Note: Unlike other Yeltsin-era “oligarchs,” both Oleg Deripaska and Roman Abramovich have maintained good relations with the Kremlin and with President Vladimir Putin personally. Deripaska is married to Polina Yumashev, the daughter of former Yeltsin chief of staff Valentin Yumashev, who in turn is married to Yeltsin’s daughter, Tatyana Dyachenko.]


Abkhazia’s president, Sergei Balagash, has said that the breakaway Georgian republic will soon ask Russia to recognize its independence from Georgia. NEWSru.com reports that Abkhazia is likely to be followed by South Ossetia. Abkhazia is seeking independence within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) while South Ossetia wants to become part of Russia.