Russia Reform Monitor: No. 1821

February 23:

Tensions between the U.S. and Russia reached a new high following the death of another Russian child adopted into a U.S. family. Russian media outlets were quick to print stories accusing the child’s adoptive family of abusing and even murdering the boy, reports Voice of America, although offcials have yet to determine the child’s cause of death. American Ambassador Michael McFaul weighed in to urge restraint in reacting to the incident, and sought an end to what he called the “sensational exploitations of human tragedy” by Russian media sources. Such deaths were the driving force behind the Kremlin’s ban on U.S. adoption of Russian children, which came into effect in January.

February 24:

Beginning on June 1, Russians will no longer be permitted to smoke in public areas such as airports, metro stations, and in workplaces, in accordance with a new smoking ban. By next summer, reports the BBC, smoking will further be banned on long-distance ships and trains, as well as in hotels, restaurants, bars, cafes, and shops, and additional restrictions will be placed on tobacco advertisements. The current smoking rate in Russia ranks among the highest in the world, with more than 4 in 10 Russians considered smokers. Unsurprisingly, public support for the new law remains low, despite the widespread approval it garnered in Russia’s parliament.

February 25:

Russian officials agreed to cancel the bulk of Cuba’s $30 billion debt, dating to the Soviet era. The agreement is the latest in a string, according to the Moscow Times, which reports that Russia has written off a total of $138 billion in debt from countries like Afghanistan, North Korea, and Syria. The write-off is part of a deal which might see the Cuban government lease Russian civilian aircraft worth about $650 million. During the height of the Soviet Union, Cuba was a leading buyer of Soviet equipment, but bilateral ties have weakened since. Trade between the two countries in 2011 totaled a mere $224.7 million.

February 26:

Experts predict that despite ongoing territory disputes over the Arctic and its potential oil and gas reserves, Russia’s largest stores of oil and gas might already lie within the country’s borders, in nonconventional reserves. The problem, Interfax reports, is developing the technology for optimal extraction of such nonconventional reserves. “If the technology can be acquired,” predicted one Gazprom official, “on the horizon of the next ten years nonconventional reserves will make a more substantial contribution to production in Russia than production in the Arctic." The company estimates that if tapped, the country’s nonconventional reserves could pump up to 30 million tons of oil into production by 2020.

The Justice Ministry refused over a hundred requests to check into election watchdog Golos’ compliance with recent legislation requiring it to register as a “foreign agent.” The Moscow Times reports that officials received 120 such requests regarding Golos’ new label, and another 350 requests regarding the Levada Center, an independent polling organization. Ministry officials report that the requests were denied, both because there was good reason to believe that they “were sent as provocation,” and because such unscheduled checks are only permitted when an organization shows both “signs of being a foreign agent and signs of extremism.” The new law, enacted earlier this year, requires NGOs receiving foreign funding to register as “foreign agents.” Golos officials maintain that the organization does not currently accept funds from abroad, and received its last grant from the British Embassy in 2012.

February 27:

In a move that many opposition activists view as an attempt to strike back at the man responsible for exposing corruption among United Russia party members, Russian officials accused activist leader Alexei Navalny of falsifying his credentials as a lawyer. The announcement is the latest in a string of cases against Navalny, reports the BBC, and involves accusations that the well-known blogger lied while filling out his paperwork to become a lawyer. Navalny maintained that the claims were false, and accused the chief of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykhin, of owning undeclared real estate and other investments in Europe.