Russia Reform Monitor: No. 1907

June 18:

An effort to expand Russia’s infamous 2013 gay propaganda law has been rejected by the State Duma, theDigital Journal reports. The bill would have determined that "any information that promotes the priority of sexual relations before life values, spiritual and intellectual development" is harmful for the children’s health and development. The lower house of Russia’s legislature opposed the bill because it was unnecessary and "would practically replace the recently introduced ban on gay propaganda towards children."

June 19:

The Kremlin is working via environmental groups throughout Europe to oppose fracking as a way of maintaining dependency on Russian energy supplies, NATO's chief has alleged. London's Telegraph newspaper reportsthat, in a recent speech at London's Chatham House think tank, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen charged that Moscow, as part of its "sophisticated information and disinformation operations," was using NGOs to undermine attempts at energy diversification. According to the NATO chief, it is of the "utmost importance" to promote greater energy diversification on the European continent "so that one single supplier is not able to able to blackmail [regional states]."

As Russian government regulations relating to society and culture continue to expand, they have begun to border on the absurd. Take pro-Kremlin lawmaker Oleg Mikheyev’s introduction of a new law banning all shoes deemed to be “bad for people’s health.” The Washington Times reports that, in a proposal to the Customs Union, Mr. Mikheyev stated, “the harmful effects of wearing extremely high heels and flat shoes have now been recognized by experts of the entire world. It’s necessary to change this trend.”

June 20:

On the heels of Russia’s recent $400 billion natural gas deal with China, state energy giant Gazprom is set to begin construction of a major gas pipeline to the PRC. Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller has announced a “clear action plan” to begin work on the energy route as soon as next month, according to Qatar's Peninsulanewspaper. The pipeline is slated to come online in 2018, and once it does will send 38 billion cubic meters of gas to China each year for 30 years.

The Kremlin’s crackdown on its critics continues unabated. In the most recent example, Reuters reports that Russian investigators have opened yet another criminal case against anti-corruption blogger Alexei Navalny. During a recent middle of the night search of Navalny’s apartment, investigators found a painting they claim he stole on a central street in the city of Vladimir. Navalny, through his lawyer, has denied the charges - the latest in a series of theft and fraud accusations levied against the opposition leader since his integral role in mass street protests against Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2011-2012.

Despite President Putin’s claims to the contrary, Russia has resumed a military buildup along its common border with Ukraine. The Arab News reports NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rassmussen as confirming the move, and terming it “a very regrettable step backward