| From the New Times: Putin and His ‘Family’ – Gazprom |
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| Written by smoc | |||
| Wednesday, 05 May 2010 20:37 | |||
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It’s no big secret that the Russian government has a wide foundation in cronyism. At the same time, cronyism a term that is often bandied about without much substance, as the labyrinthine bureaucracy of the Russian government makes it difficult to articulate where exactly it comes from – and, consequently, the extent to which democracy in the country is suffering. To that end, the New Times magazine has published a two-page spread detailing one major part of this puzzle, unambiguously entitled “Vladimir Putin and his ‘Family’ – Gazprom.” As the country’s chief natural gas extractor, Gazprom accounts for a full tenth of Russia’s gross domestic product. That the government is the company’s largest shareholder makes it a good first candidate to examine for some not-so-coincidental links between the two. The results are striking, even for those who already have the general idea. We’ve translated the chart and posted it below (click image for full size). The original version in Russian can be found by clicking here.
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Despite statements earlier this week supporting a new round of sanctions on Iran, the Russian Foreign Ministry continues to oppose “crippling sanctions” against the country and intends to go through with a deal to provide it with S-300 anti-aircraft systems, Interfax reports. According to Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, “the term ‘paralyzing sanctions’ is, of course, something we completely refuse to accept. Sanctions should follow the aim of strengthening the state of nuclear nonproliferation.” |
