Economy
Tilt to the East?
Russia Wants Some of
What China Has
P.02
Slow-Burn Europe’s New
Distributed with
Presidency Air Hub
This pull-out is produced and published by
Rossiyskaya Gazeta (Russia) and did not involve the
In Foreign Policy, Moscow to Link
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news or editorial departments of The Washington Post Medvedev Is Alone Europe and Asia
_
TARAN
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
P.03 P.04
ALEXANDR
News in Brief
TThe Gifthe Gift
Traditional Russian symbols are often
combined with ironic gestures to offer
some of the best, and quirky, holiday Kremlin Willing to Reduce Emissions
gifts. This dress, called “Babushki”
By 25 Percent
(“Grandmothers”), was created by de-
oof Ironyf Irony
signer Antonina Shapavalova in Mos- On the heels of the United Nations Climate Change
cow. Conference in Copenhagen, President Dmitry
Medvedev pledged to cut Russia’s harmful emis-
sions to 25 percent less than the 1990 level if other
leaders follow. Previously, Medvedev had pledged
to make Russian industry 40 percent more energy
efficient by 2020. The fact that Russia also has a
treasure trove of carbon emission credits that it
could sell to other countries caused some contro-
versial discussion at the conference.
Putin Appeals to Fire Safety
Following Tragedy in Perm
A deadly fire in the Urals city of Perm, which took
the lives of at least 118 people, sparked a sharp
response from Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who
lambasted the state of fire safety in Russia. Offi-
cials in several Russian regions reported orders to
thoroughly examine all public facilities in prepara-
tion for the upcoming winter holidays. At least four
people have been charged with gross negligence
in the Lame Horse nightclub disaster, which hap-
pened as a result of the use of indoor fireworks.
Russia May Buy Mistral Warship by
The End of the Year
Russia will decide by the end of 2009 whether to
purchase a Mistral class amphibious assault ship
from France, according to the chief of Russia’s
general staff. The Russian military had announced
it was considering buying one of the Mistral class
ships, worth $600–$750 million. The move marks
a major policy shift, with the defense ministry pre-
viously relying on Russian weapons producers.
Based on materials from RIA Novosti
DMITRY KOSTYUKOV_AFP
The first time a tourist hits the ing scene has diversified and tiric trends, and playing with Red Square. But traditional gifts
Russian
The People and Putin
Russian souvenir shops and there is a much broader, more Russian traditions on fabric. are also adapting to suit mod-
Christmas fairs, the sight is as- creative selection of Russian Their accessories make inter- ern customers.
Souvenirs
tonishing. Perhaps on later vis- presents, from high-end whim- esting gifts and some are not These days Russian souve-
its, however, the same tourist sy to kitsch souvenirs, than even as expensive as their European nirs are more a comment on
Make Way
comes to the realization that a few years ago. How would peers. the culture and the nostalgia
Russian tchotchkes can be ex- you like to have your family por- Standard-bearers like birch for the past than useful gifts.
For Satirical
tremely uniform in craft and trait carved out in chocolate? wood boxes, fur hats, painted Irony is the new way to say
spirit, leaving one in the same [Details on Page 3] For those trays, shawls and snow globes you care.
-
Gifts
old what-to-buy predicament. on a post-crisis budget, local are still fixtures of the Internet
Don’t despair! The gift-giv- designers are also exploring sa- and the souvenir stalls outside CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
Business Foreign Giants Enter Credit Market
Pride and
OLEG PRASOLOV_RG
Under the Mattress
Four Hours Live on the Air
Prejudice
Vladimir Putin broke his own record in Decem-
ber, answering questions—submitted via email,
telephone and text messaging—live on television
Pre-crisis surveys of wallets has broken out in the banks are expected to regain for more than four hours. The Prime Minister hinted
indicate that Russians still country. most of the lost ground over It is not easy to be gay or parent-teacher meetings to- at a return to the presidency in 2012 and said the
keep their money in pickling Surpisingly, one Russian ste- the next two years. lesbian in Russia, and a new gether. worst of the economic crisis was over.
jars, under beds and beneath reotype still holds true: Most still At the same time bank-ser- generation of activists “We were married in Mas-
the flooring. Banks are keep their money somewhere vice penetration is extremely demonstrates at its own sachusetts, but our marriage See the full transcript online at
counting on changing that in the house, according to sur- low; according to pre-crisis sur- peril. Yet small cracks can is not officially registered here,” www.rbth.ru
psychology. International veys. That means an extremely veys, only one person in four be seen in the wall of said Gessen. “There might be
banks are beefing up their unsaturated market when it has any kind of bank account intolerance. Russia Now legal complications, for real es-
Russian operations for 2010 comes to banking and great — most prefer to keep their cash reports on a community tate or parental rights, if prob-
and beyond. room for growth with a little in what Russians call a banka, emerging against the odds. lems occur, since our marriage
confidence. which is the word for a glass cannot be recognized by Rus-
Presidential Library
BEN ARIS
Russia is already the biggest pickling jar. But banks have
ANNA NEMTSOVA
sian law. Otherwise, when it
SPECIAL TO RUSSIA NOW
consumer market in Europe. The made massive inroads since the
SPECIAL TO RUSSIA NOW
comes to everyday life, we
combined assets of Russia’s top Kremlin launched a concerted have not had much trouble so
Russia is still vulnerable in its 200 banks were worth just more reform effort in 2004. When it comes to gay life in Mos- far.”
post-recession recovery. So it than one trillion dollars before Russia’s banking sector re- cow, there are dueling cities. Gessen said that her employ-
seems an odd time for the lead- the crisis, according to Business mains dominated by the state- There is the city most Amer- er is gay friendly and open to
ing international banks to be New Europe’s annual ranking, owned retail giant Sberbank, icans have heard of, the one gay writers and editors.
beefing up their Russian opera- and while their assets have fall- which is three times the size of with the homophobic mayor This is, of course, not Rus-
tions, but a war for the contents en ten-fold in the last year these its next nearest rival, VTB who preaches intolerance and sia, just a sliver of life in the
Bank, another state-owned forbids gay parades, the Mos- capital city. But a growing ac-
giant. cow where gay men and les- tivist movement and the quiet
However, in recent years bians are beaten, and clubs are life of gay couples and fami-
Sberbank’s near monopoly of closed. lies is beginning to have an
retail banking has been whit- But there is the other city, impact, ever so small, on a so-
tled away by the rise of com- where some gay families are ciety known for its hostility to- PRESS OFFICE OF PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY
mercial banks, both foreign and openly raising children and ward gays and lesbians.
local, that offer something Sber- couples are increasingly pub- To be sure, the threat of vi-
Archives Go Online
bank has always failed to pro- lic about their private lives. olence remains a concern, and Alexander Vershinin, Director of the Boris Yeltsin
vide — service. Masha Gessen is an author a snag in sexual politics. Presidential Library, held a meeting with James Bil-
The long lines and surly clerks and the deputy chief editor of On the weekend before Pres- lington of the U.S. Library of Congress this month
that have been Sberbank’s hall- Snob magazine, a Russian ver- ident Barack Obama’s visit to within the framework of the working group estab-
mark can’t compete with the sion of Vanity Fair. She is also Moscow last summer, Nikolai lished by the U.S. and Russian presidents in 2008.
high tech offices of the leading a gay woman who is married, Alexeyev, the leader of the in- The institution is Russia’s first all-digital library,
commercial banks such as Alfa and a mom. She does not de- dependent Gay Russia move- offering unique resources on the history of Russian
Bank, which have been aggres- scribe her life in Moscow as ment, was faced with a dilem- statehood to scholars and students worldwide.
sively chasing new customers. one under siege. Gessen and ma.
PHOTOXPRESS her partner pick up their chil- Read the full article online at
Many Russians still keep their savings in a banka, a jar. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 dren from school, and attend CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 www.rbth.ru
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