Russia Reform Monitor No. 2263

September 20:

A political activist investigating the murder of three Russian journalists in the Central African Republic this summer is now fighting for his own life in a German hospital, seemingly the latest casualty of the Kremlin's campaign to eliminate its opponents. In The Daily Beast, journalist Anna Nemtsova reports that Pyotr Verzilov, the spokesman for the controversial punk activist band Pussy Riot, collapsed suddenly and had to be rushed to a Moscow hospital, then flown to Berlin, where he is being treated for poisoning by an unknown toxin. Verzilov is a close friend of one of the murdered journalists, who had attracted the ire of the Kremlin for their research into the CAR presence of Russian paramilitary organizations likely sponsored by Moscow.

Verzilov had reportedly just obtained crucial evidence about suspicious communications between the victims' driver and local policemen when he suffered the apparent attack. Nemtsova asserts that Verzilov's poisoning reflects the threat that the Kremlin perceives in the investigations that independent media groups are conducting into the crime. "Nobody who is taking part in political activity can feel safe in Russia today," Pussy Riot member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova remarked to journalists.

Another Russian gulag history museum has been shuttered. In mid-August, the city authorities of Yoshkar-Ola ordered the local Memorial National Museum of Gulag History to vacate the building it has occupied for the last decade and evacuate its entire collection, according to the Art Newspaper. Museum founder Nikolay Arakcheev has accused incoming Mari El regional governor Alexander Yevstifeyev of trying to "show off in front of the Kremlin" by subverting the museum's mission to provide public education on human rights, free speech, and non-violence. However, even other memorial administrators and museum experts have criticized the Yoshkar-Ola Museum for failing to properly preserve its collection, and a regional administration report concluded that the building’s disrepair necessitated renovation. Reportedly, regional authorities intend to repurpose the building for social gatherings.

September 21:

A vote to lift Russia's suspension from international competition has triggered an angry backlash from other members of the global athletic community. The BBC reports that the executive committee of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) voted to reinstate Russia as compliant on the condition that Moscow accepts the findings of the body's official investigation into its state-backed doping program, and provides access to all its laboratories and samples. For its part, the International Olympic Commission has backed the WADA vote. Both the U.S. and UK anti-doping agencies, however, have condemned it. Travis Tygart, the head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, accused WADA of putting "the wishes of a small handful of sports administrators above the rights of millions of clean athletes and the dreams of billions of sports fans." Similarly, the lawyer for Grigory Rodchenkov, the Russian whistleblower whose disclosures about his country's cheating at the 2014 Sochi Olympics exposed the scandal, called the decision treacherous to clean athletes. A decision on Russia's compliance from the International Paralympic Committee's governing body remains forthcoming.

September 23:

The sudden Russo-Israeli crisis over Syria continues to deepen. The Itar-TASS news agency reports that Russia's Defense Ministry has doubled down on its criticism of the Israeli military for the accidental downing of a Russian military plane by Syrian air defense forces on September 17th, rejecting Israeli proof that it was not responsible. According to Major General Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, the Israeli Air Force was "solely" at fault for the fatal shootdown, which occured because of "either lack of professionalism or criminal negligence" on the part of the Israeli pilots.

Israeli officials, however, are rejecting the charges. According to the Times of Israel, Israel's military has issued a statement refuting Russia's claims - and promising to continue to target Iranian forces in the Syrian theater. "The full, accurate and factual details are known to the Russian military professionals involved in the matter, and from them it is clear that the deconfliction mechanism worked and did so in a timely manner (as it has for the past two and a half years)," the IDF said in an official statement. "The downing of the plane by the Syrians was tragic and difficult, and we take part in the sorrow of the families and the Russian people." However, "[i]n accordance with the political echelon's directive, the IDF will continue to act against Iran's never-ending efforts to entrench itself in Syria and to arm the Hezbollah terrorist group with deadly, accurate weapons."