Russia Reform Monitor: No. 1818

January 31:

Volgograd, the southern Russian city where the Red Army defeated German forces in a crucial second world war battle, will return to its Soviet-era name of Stalingrad for the days commemorating the victory. The Guardian reports that the name was changed back to Volgograd in the 1960s. The decision to temporarily restore its former title has angered many. “This is an insult of the memory of those who died,” declared Russia’s human rights ombudsman, arguing that the decision should be declared void by a court. Nikolai Levichev, a member of the leftist Just Russia party agreed, saying “it’s blasphemous to rename the great Russian city after a bloody tyrant who killed millions of his fellow citizens.” In addition to the name change, local officials in St. Petersburg and the Siberian city Chita ordered that city buses be adorned with images of Stalin on February 2 to observe the anniversary of the battle. Yan Raczynski, the leader of one of the country’s human rights groups suggested that the announcements were proof of the nation’s failure to “legally and politically recognize the crimes committed by the Bolshevik regime, particularly Stalin and his inner circle.”

February 1:

According to Alexei Pushkov, the head of the Duma’s foreign relations committee, the “reset” in relations between Moscow and Washington “could be considered over” without immediate measures to save it. “The priority is political realism, ideology matters should be secondary,” he added. “I tell you, issues over ideology and values can destroy anything.” Speaking ahead of a meeting between Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and American Vice President Joe Biden, Reuters reports that Pushkov went on to accuse American officials of violating a tacit agreement to discuss “all the issues of democracy, human rights, and Russia’s internal developments,” in a non-public format. “Moscow has taken a decision to remove from relations with the U.S. those elements that we do not like,” he said. “We used to accept these aspects of bilateral ties for the sake of a bigger cause, better relations.” He concluded with a warning that the Kremlin will retaliate against any extension of the U.S. Magnitsky blacklist, and that “economic relations could suffer if things got worse.”

February 3:

In an unexpected sign of progress, Russian and Iranian foreign ministers met with the leaders of Syria’s opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition. Although its leader, Moaz al-Khatib, is already widely recognized in the West and the Arab world as the legitimate representative of Syria, The Guardian reports, it was the first such meeting between Khatib and the strongest remaining supporters of the Assad regime. After the meeting, the Syrian opposition leader noted optimistically that “Russia has a certain vision but we welcome negotiations to alleviate the crisis,” while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that there has still been no breakthrough in the disagreement over Assad’s role in any political transition.

February 4:

Russian officials are set to lift a 2008 ban on imports of Georgian wine and bottled water, marking a lift in tensions between the two former enemies. The ban was put in place shortly before the 2008 war between Russia and Georgia, Reuters reports, and although authorities at the time cited quality concerns, the ban was widely viewed as a purely political move intended to punish then-President Saakashvili for his pro-Western policies. Given that the two products comprise the bulk of Georgia’s exports, the effects of the ban were severe, cutting wine exports by nearly 75 percent from 2005 to 2007. Experts believe the announcement is the result of last year’s elections, which made Bidzina Ivanishvili the new Georgian Prime Minister. Ivanishvili made his fortune doing business in Russia, and has shown a marked interest in improving bilateral ties.

February 5:

Russian President Vladimir Putin assured Olympic chiefs that Sochi will be ready in time to host the 2014 Winter Games, despite unprecedented costs and increasing concerns about corruption. IOC officials toured the site, and noted that they were “impressed by the fantastic volume of work that has been undertaken.” However, Reuters reports that cost estimates are now topping $50 billion, nearly five times the original price estimates, and the highest in Olympic history. Additionally, the rights watchdog Human Rights Watch expressed concerns that migrant workers employed in the building boom are being denied wages, adequate rest, food, and housing. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak insisted the reports were exaggerated, and the IOC pledged to pursue any cases of mistreatment or abuse related to the staging of the Olympic Games.

February 7:

A former Soviet intelligence officer was sentenced to 13 years in a prison colony for allegedly plotting an armed coup against the Russian government. Vladimir Kvachkov, who served as a colonel in the Soviet military intelligence service, was charged with plotting to seize military weapons and launch an attack on the Kremlin with a group of ultranationalist supporters in 2010. The New York Times reports that he was also charged in 2010 (but later acquitted) for plotting to assassinate Anatoly Chubais, the man responsible for Russia’s unpopular market reforms in 2005.