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english.ruvr.ru Information and analysis from the Voice of Russia www.mid.ru/brp_4.nsf/main_eng Russia’s Foreign Ministry www.memo.ru/eng/memhrc/index.shtml Human Rights Watch www.adoptionknowhow.com/russia Information on Russian adoption


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Politics & Society Saving Foreign Adoption CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1


Generally, adoptions by foreign citizens rescue Russian orphans from a lonely life. According to Russian law, foreigners may adopt only the orphans who didn’t find a Russian adoptive family. And while more Russian families are willing to adopt, the numbers are still very small. Currently, there are 600,000 orphans in Russia: 138,000 are waiting for an adoptive home in an orphanage, the rest are in foster care. Mary Graber gave a loving home to a girl from Russia: “My daughter is a reg- ular teenager—she plays soc- cer, has good friends. The fact that she spent a year in an or- phanage really doesn’t matter any more.” Graber is also a director of


family resources at the Interna- tional Assistance Group, Inc., an accredited international adop- tion agency specializing in adop- tions from Russia. She gets grateful letters from adoptive parents telling how well the chil- dren are doing almost every day.


Failed adoptions are the dra-


matic exception. Of the 60,000 children adopted in the United States, 17 have died at the hands of their parents. Most of the deaths of Russian children adopted here occurred in the cases of independent agency adoptions. It is clear that inde- pendent, rather than accredit- ed agencies, raise a red flag: There is frequently less post- adoption monitoring of adop- tive families. These children fell through


the cracks. Some were treated with neglect, even cruelty, that caused their death. In 2006 in Virginia, Peggy Sue Hilt killed her 2-year-old adopted daugh- ter by repeatedly punching the child in the abdomen and stepping on the child. In 2008 in Utah, Kimberly Emelyant- sev killed a 14-month-old ad- opted Russian son with Down syndrome by causing a blunt- force trauma to the child’s head.


Another worrying develop- ment—the Russian government said it is missing paperwork for 240 cases of adoption. In other words, no one knows what hap- pened to 240 Russian children adopted in America. This is why the state of for-


eign adoptions is so vulnerable in the United States, despite tens of thousands of good adoptions.


American Frances Pardus-Abbadessa hopes to adopt two-year-old Vladimir.


Orphans and institutions are also susceptible to abuse. America's lack of regulation and indepen- dent, even rogue agencies could serve as a lesson to countries whose citizens hope to adopt more from Russia. The recent child abandon-


ment story of Artyom Saveliev gave the treaty new momen- tum. A single mother from Ten- nessee, Torry Ann Hansen, ad- opted Artyom Saveliev in September 2009. After eight months in the adoptive home, the child was put on a plane to Russia with a note to void the adoption. This total indifference to the child’s welfare brought the case to international atten- tion.


Russians have been outraged


that Hansen has not been charged with any crime. The National Council For Adoption (NCFA) filed charges against Torry and Nancy Hansen. The investigation will “determine if the actions constitute criminal abuse, neglect or endanger- ment of Justin Hansen (a.k.a. Artyom Saveliev).” Additionally, Hansen’s adoption agency, the World Association for Children


and Parents, is being investigat- ed and its Russian license has been suspended. Torry Ann Hansen com-


plained that Artyom made her fear for her safety. “This child is … violent and has severe psy- chopathic issues,” the note said.


“When Artyom returned to Moscow, it became obvious that there is no control at all over the post-adoption life of a child,” Krasnova said. In Mos- cow, parents who try to return a child turn up at the orphan- age; but only a court can end an adoption, according to Kras- nova.


Currently, the two countries


have gone through two rounds of negotiations with Russia and America presenting their drafts of the agreement. Russia already agreed to an American propos- al to have adoption agencies first be accredited by the Unit- ed States according to the Hague Convention. The Russian and American agreement will provide clear guidelines for pre- and post- adoption procedures, improve transparency and establish a


central authority that bears re- sponsibility for an adoption. Kremlin children's rights czar


Pavel Astakhov said that inde- pendent adoption agencies need to be abolished. There will be fewer agencies operating with stricter rules and enforcement of post-adoption inspection. He also mentioned a need for a joint oversight body to review all U.S. post-placement reports. Richard Klarberg, president,


chief executive officer Council on Accreditation (COA) said: “The U.S.-Russian agreement


will go beyond the Hague Con- vention and cover the full spec- trum of regulations and mech- anisms protecting adopted children domestically and inter- nationally.” Russian officials expect the


agreement to be finalized by the end of 2010. “Our goal is to sign the agreement as quick- ly as possible and continue adoptions,” Astakhov said in an interview with Russia Now. Re- alistically, however, the process will take longer than two months.


European Adoptions from Russia


The bilateral adoption treaty between Italy and Russia de- veloped in 2009 was the first of its kind for Russia, and it now serves as a starting point or template for other coun- tries, including the United States. Some observers be- lieve if such a treaty had been in place, some of the adop- tion-related tragedies could


have been averted. It took three years for the agreement with Italy to be developed, and Russia hopes to develop more such treaties to clarify the adoption process and cre- ate a safety net. Russia now works with 15 countries in the field of adop- tion as European adoptions continue to increase.


Military Russia plans overhaul of defense spending and equipment


Kremlin Pushes Ahead for Army Reform


Military reform has returned to the top of the domestic political agenda. Will money and modernization be enough to turn low morale around?


BEN ARIS SPECIAL TO RUSSIA NOW


“If we do not take measures in the near future, the Russian Army will turn into the Pope’s guard, which looks nice, but is not actually dangerous,” com- plained Yury Baluyevsky, depu- ty secretary of the Russian Se- curity Council in April. Russia signed a new nuclear strategic arms reduction treat- ed with American in April, but since the start of this year it has also launched a massive $430 billion program to completely re-equip its conventional forces over the next 15 years. The government has no


choice: independent defense analyst Pavel Felgenhauer said: “Russia is finding agreement with the West, but it needs a strong army to be taken seri- ously,” he explained. The reform effort has been building slowly in recent years. The standing army was cut from 1.3 million to 1 million in 2008, and more recently the number has been reduced again by pen- sioning off those willing to go. On the flip side, those who stay will enjoy a pay raise and new housing starting in 2012. This February, Medvedev


signed off on a new military strategy which aims to com- pletely re-equip all the armed forces. Starting from this year, 10 percent of antiquated arms will be replaced, rising to 70 percent by 2020. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin


said at the start of this year that the government will spend $38.5 billion on new planes, guns and tanks. The sum still cannot be compared with those of NATO countries, said Bal- uyevsky. The United States alone spends over $700 billion a year on its armed forces. Yet the goal of Russia’s mili-


tary spending is broader: The investments are an integral part of the president’s moderniza-


tion program. Russia wants to lift the technology of some of the world’s more competitive military producers, most notice- ably four Mistral helicopter car- riers from France, in a deal closed in 2010, to improve its own weapon systems. “We have never had ships of


this level. We believe that such high-technology hardware can be bought so as first to learn how to use it and then possi- bly even start manufacturing it on our own territory,” Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said on Rossiya 24 news television channel after the deal was closed. Arms exports have also be-


come part of Russia’s foreign policy. Its two biggest clients remain China and India, and the Kremlin is now roping these


“Compulsory service is an issue that affects people's lives very directly,” Felgenhauer said.


partners into joint venture deals to tie their economies more closely together. For example, India is partnering with Russia to jointly develop the T-50 fifth- generation fighter. As Felgenhauer pointed out,


the bulk of Russian weapons exports are low-tech arms: “many from former-Soviet stockpiles,” which are sold to less-developed countries. The concern is that the “export rev- enue is not being channeled back sufficiently.” However, Felgenhauer noted


that only reform toward a fully professional army will play well with the domestic political au- dience, which sees its sons called on to serve one year’s national service in a military with a poor reputation for the treatment of young cadets. “Compulsory service is an


issue that affects people’s lives very directly, whereas the idea of a new battleship costing mil- lions is rather abstract for most,” he said.


Diplomacy Russia widens its spheres of influence through culture Middle East Cultural Ties


Russia is seeking to recover its lost global influence. This time it’s coming not with weapons, but with ballet and blinis.


ANNA NEMTSOVA SPECIAL TO RUSSIA NOW


On a warm Mediterranean eve- ning, luxury SUVs slow down along a busy road trimmed with lilac. “Bystree! [Hurry!]” a little girl yells at her father. “Ya sei- chas [I’m coming],” he says with a thick Lebanese accent. Hand-in-hand they run to-


ward a basement theatre. Here, away from the noisy construc- tion sites of booming Beirut, a performance by a Russian folk ensemble feels almost surreal. The gentle melody of accordi- on and guitar covers the audi- ence with a blanket of melan- choly. In its 60-year history, the Bei-


rut Center of Russian Culture and Science has been a school of Russian language and ballet, a reception hall or, when war hits the tiny country, a bomb shelter for the Russians of Bei- rut. In order to strengthen Rus-


sia’s dwindling power in the world and promote Russian lan-


guage and culture, President Dmitry Medvedev founded a federal agency, Russian Collab- oration, two years ago. The new agency’s funding has increased at least by 50 percent since last year—this year, the state invest- ed $500 million in various hu- manitarian programs and sala- ries for employees working in


"I have never seen any palaces of culture in Grozny," said a Memorial representaive.


72 Russian cultural centers around the world. They build on the existing Russian diaspo- ras, adjusting to the interests of little-known pockets of Russian culture like that in Beirut. According to the deputy head


of the agency, Mikhail Kozhokh- in, the Middle East is a geopo- litical priority region for devel- oping Russia’s influence. The center in Damascus educates 500 students; the Russian Cen- ter in Tel Aviv runs successful youth contests of writing and poetry among the huge Rus-


sian-speaking diaspora there. Last year, the agency opened a new Russian Center in Amman, Jordan.


However, Yekatherina Sokirianskaya of the Memorial Human Rights group sounded skeptical about the amount of money Russia is investing into its centers of culture and sci- ence in the Middle East. She suggested that the


money would be better spent on some of the republics in the territory of the Russian Federa- tion: “I have never seen any pal- aces of culture in Grozny or Naz- ran. Children in Chechnya and Ingushetia do not see Russian people dance ballet or sing opera.” A huge number of people in Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria had their higher educa- tion in the Soviet Union—they now occupy high positions in governments, businesses and science. These people, as well as Russian expatriates living in the region, "look forward to the improvement of Russia’s pres- ence in the Middle East,” Ko- zhokhin said. The community of 10,000 or


so Russians and another 10,000 Lebanese educated in Soviet


universities look forward to Mos- cow’s promises to help solve the main issue they have in Leba- non—security.


Russian-language professor


Marina Yermilova-Sarieddine has lived through many bombings. In 2006, Marina was one of thousands of Russian expatriate women and children evacuat- ed from Lebanon to Russia. Russia maintains it tradition-


al role as arms broker and in- dustrial engineer. In search of support for military and busi- ness deals, president Michel Suleiman traveled to meet pres- ident Medvedev last February— the first time a Lebanese leader travelled to Moscow. At their meeting, Medvedev said that the issues of global and region- al security was “the most acute topic” in Russian-Lebanese ne- gotiations. At the same time, cultural ties


are increasing. The first wave of Russian immigrants escaping the Bolshevik revolution forms a kernel of Beirut’s European professional class. The White Russian officers topographic so- ciety drew maps of Lebanon for the French army. Mansur Khasanov, Beirut cul- tural center director, said that


RS.GOV.RU


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Russia Day was celebrated at the Russian Culture Center in Beirut last year.


to have more leverage in the Middle East, Russia needs to build up an information bridge, translate Russian literature into Arabic and publish newspapers like in Soviet times. The wave of immigration that


came in the past two decades was peculiar: Russian women have their own way of building cultural bridges. Natalya Sa- maan runs a Russian women’s club in Beirut for 57 Russian women who married some of


the thousands of Lebanese men who went to study in Soviet universities, then returned to Lebanon. Some of their hus- bands are Suni, some Shiite, some Druz, some Christian. “When we married our hus-


bands, we also married their re- ligions and political views,” she said. “But at our tables covered with dishes full of pancakes or ‘herring under a fur coat,’ they forget about all their contradic- tions,” she added.


Students at the American Uni-


versity of Technology in Leba- non celebrated Russian tradi- tional students day by reciting Pushkin poetry, and Maslenitsa, the pancake holiday, by eating plenty of Russian blinis. Nobody should have illusions


that Russia will mediate the con- flicts in the Middle East by teach- ing ballet or cooking blinis, Ko- zhokhin said. But it’s a start to restoring Russian influence in the region, he added.


EDUCATION REFORM


RUSSIA’S UNIVERSITIES FEEL THE PINCH OF INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION


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