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It is very easy, especially for someone who has been online 24/7 for the past two weeks, to fall into the trap of the collective excitement presently sweeping over the Russian-language Internet.1
Some issues resonate with RuNet users more than others, but in the many years I’ve been watching this community few have elicited such a passionate response as Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s bungled trip to a sports event at Moscow’s Olimpiysky Stadium.1
There is a saying here that dates back to the Soviet times: “In Russia, you get punched in the face, not in your passport” (a reference to the “nationality” line that all Soviet citizens had in their passports).
About a month ago in his LiveJournal blog, anti-corruption crusader and the mastermind behind RosPil.info Alexei Navalny announced a contest for the best music video that would motivate voters to “come to the polls and vote against the Party of Crooks and Thieves” (United Russia, that is). Just so people could have some fun with the “Kremlincrook” annihilation business.
Whether out of “love” for all things American or out of concern for the future of the dollar (to which the future of the ruble is so closely tied), Russian Internet users seem to be more preoccupied with the protests sweeping Wall Street than Americans themselves.3
This week the Russian blogosphere has been all Putin, all the time. So much has been said about Russia’s back to the future president it would take a Talmud to record it all. For the sake of brevity, here is just a quick recap.
Mikhail Prokhorov’s shenanigans with Right Cause and brawling oligarchs aside, the latest scandal in the Russian blogosphere concerns Russia’s nomination for the upcoming Academy Awards in the “Best Foreign Film” category.
As the world marks the tenth anniversary of the tragic events in the United States on September 11, 2001, the Russian segment of the online community is also very much involved in the discussion, both in terms of analyzing the changes that have taken place in the world in the past ten years and in plumbing the circumstances surrounding the terrorist acts themselves.2
Not least thanks to the internet, a new social movement emerged in Russia last week: the “Nakh-Nakh: Vote Against All” movement.
Over the past few days, the Russian blogosphere has been ablaze with the eternal discussion of sorts: the “us” versus “them,” the ethnic Russians versus people from the Caucasus (who are indeed Russian citizens as well).
The Russian Internet (RuNet) is a tapestry of blogs, activist projects, social experiments and an occasional dash of the downright loony mixed in for good measure. All of it, though, opens a window into present-day Russian society. And all of it is largely inaccessible to non-Russian speakers. I scour RuNet to bring you the highlights and lowlights of what the Russian neck of the Internet woods has to offer. Oh – and you'll never see this stuff on the evening news!
Anna Arutiunova is the Executive Editor of RussiaProfile.Org