Russia Reform Monitor: No. 1857

November 1:

Russian authorities unexpectedly began preparations to transfer all 30 crew members of a Greenpeace International ship. The transfer will move the detainees from a detention center in the northern city of Murmansk to a jail in St. Petersburg, reports The New York Times, but no explanation for the move has been offered. The announcement followed only days after Greenpeace released photographs highlighting the poor conditions of the Murmansk detention center, including pictures of the center’s cramped cells. Greenpeace officials noted that the move will make it “easier to visit the 30,” but cautioned that “there is no guarantee conditions inside the new detention center will be any better than in Murmansk.” Although all 30 crew members remain charged with piracy, Murmansk authorities recently filed lesser charges of hooliganism, a crime punishable by up to seven years in prison.

November 2:

With an eye on China’s burgeoning influence, Japanese and Russian leaders met in their first joint defense and foreign ministers’ meeting this week, in an effort to improve ties and build economic and diplomatic cooperation. Ties between the two have been historically rocky, Reuters reports. The two countries never signed a formal treaty to end World War II hostilities, and both lay claim to a string of islets called the Southern Kuriles (known in Japan as the Northern Territories). More recently, the two have sparred over Japan’s participation in the United States’ global missile defense system, and Russia’s grant of temporary asylum to Edward Snowden. The foreign ministers of both countries appeared optimistic, however, after this week’s meeting, as Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida told a news conference that “to boost cooperation in the field of security, and not just in the field of economic and people exchanges, means that we are improving overall Japan-Russia ties.”

November 4:

As Russia observed National Unity Day, a holiday established by the Kremlin in 2005 to celebrate the “unity of Russia’s diverse population,” thousands of nationalists gathered to push for stricter immigration laws. The groups chanted various slogans, reports The Moscow Times, including “stop taking it and take up arms.” “There is no doubt that the Russian nation is in danger today,” insisted one protestor. “People are losing patience – this is exactly what you see here.” Organizers of the march claimed that at least 20,000 people attended, while authorities estimated attendance at closer to 7,000.

Imprisoned Pussy Riot band member Nedezhda Tolokonnikova has effectively disappeared, according to her relatives and lawyers. No one has had any contact with Tolokonnikova since October 18, insisted her husband, calling for protests outside the prison service. Officials revealed on October 21 that she was scheduled to be moved from the Mordovian prison where she’d declared a hunger strike, but did not say where to. The country’s Federal Prison Service maintains that Tolokonnikova has not “disappeared,” and is simply in transit to another prison, The Telegraph reports, adding that her family will be informed of her new location within ten days of her arrival, “in accordance with Russian law.” Given the vastness of the Russian prison system, Tolokonnikova could end up almost anywhere.

November 5:

In a post for his blog, Window on Eurasia, Paul Goble has suggested that despite celebrating a diplomatic victory in his handling of the Syrian crisis, Vladimir Putin now faces backlash in Russia. Goble notes that Circassian activists in the North Caucasus remain concerned for their compatriots in Syria. So much so, that the parliament of the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria appealed this week to the Russian Duma and Federation Council. The appeal made it clear that while the republic’s leaders “are convinced that the situation there would only have gotten still worse had it not been for the peacemaking initiatives of President Vladimir Putin... the further escalation of the conflict in Syria and also threats of the application of force by a number of states and the very fact of the illegitimate interference from outside in the internal affairs of a sovereign state can lead to a new innocent victims including among our compatriots.”

Goble notes that up until now, the Kremlin has dragged its feet in allowing Circassians to return to Russia, partially in an effort to retain the ethnic balance of the unstable North Caucasus region. There are over five million Circassians abroad, while only half a million currently reside in Russia. Added to this are concerns for the upcoming Olympic Games in nearby Sochi – an event which the Circassian community vehemently opposes, because the grounds are the site of the tsarist genocide of the Circassians in the late 19th century. Ignoring the appeal, however, carries its own risks. If the Kremlin refuses to pass legislation allowing for easier immigration, Goble suggests that opinion in the Circassian republics could radicalize. If Moscow does agree, however, Russian leaders could face new demands to redraw ethnic borders in the North Caucasus to create a Circassian state, “a move,” Goble concludes, “that beyond any doubt would lead to the further decay of Russian control over not only that nation but over the other peoples of that region.”

November 7:

Despite ongoing pressure from the international community, Russian authorities announced plans to bring more charges against several of the detained Greenpeace crew members. The Guardian reports that the new charges will include resisting law officers. “A few boats approached the platform, and with the aid of special equipment, they tried to climb up the platform,” explained Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for the investigative team. “They completely ignored the authorities’ orders. Furthermore, if you recall, they rammed the coastguard ship,” he added. Greenpeace officials continue to insist that its protest was completely peaceful, while British Prime Minister David Cameron urged President Putin to help free the activists. “They are not hooligans,” he said, “they are protestors.”