Runet Echo (2024)

20/08/2021

Media outlets TVRain (Телеканал Дождь) and iStories (Важные истории) join a crowded roster of independent newsrooms, NGOs and individuals that have been branded "foreign agents" by the Russian state // Global Voices Central and East Europe // Global Voices. https://globalvoices.org/2021/08/20/more-independent-media-added-to-russias-foreign-agent-roster/

"As for the list of foreign agents, by now it has so many decent people and publications on it that not to be on this list is simply indecent."

19/08/2021

Голос / Golos' addition to the list of "foreign agents" is especially worrying ahead of the September 2021 elections to the Russian State Duma. https://globalvoices.org/2021/08/19/russian-authorities-declare-independent-election-monitor-golos-a-foreign-agent/

Golos has vowed to continue training Russian citizens as observers and commissioners at polling stations, and said it believes independent citizen observation is key to ensuring a transparent election.

16/03/2021

RuNet experts differ in their view of which social media platform might be next to face slower loading speeds or other forms of censorship. Facebook and YouTube seem to be at the top of the list. https://globalvoices.org/2021/03/10/russian-internet-regulator-roskomnadzor-throttles-twitter-loading-speeds/

Twitter has a small audience in Russia, but more popular platforms such as Facebook and YouTube could also see slower loading speeds if they fail to address state takedown requests.

16/03/2021

Digital rights activists fear that digital surveillance has become so normalized during the pandemic that it may be hard to roll these measures back once it's over, especially in countries where digital freedoms are already under threat.

https://globalvoices.org/2021/03/07/pandemic-big-brother-highlighting-impact-of-pandemic-surveillance-on-digital-freedoms-in-eastern-europe/

Digital rights activists fear that digital surveillance has become so normalized during the pandemic that it may be hard to roll these measures back once it's over.

14/02/2021

The law signals a change of pace for the RuNet, where content blocking was previously done by internet service providers or hosting services at the behest of state officials, law enforcement or courts. Experts believe that the most likely reason for the new self-censorship law is the state's desire to curtail the growing discontent and protest activity in the country.

Experts believe that the most likely reason for the new self-censorship legislation is the state's desire to curtail the growing discontent and protest activity in the country.

13/02/2021

Should mistakes Navalny made in the past be overlooked? Among Central Asians, this is being disputed — and some in the West have voiced similar concerns about Navalny being uncritically revered.

"Western policy-makers even turn a blind eye to the fact that Navalny’s foreign and security policies run directly counter to Western objectives. Maybe they think it’s worth the gamble."

12/02/2021

While Alexey Navalny has emerged as a symbol of opposition to president Vladimir Putin, his image among Central Asians – many of whom live in Russia as migrant workers – is much more nuanced.

Alexey Navalny has emerged as a rallying figure for liberal Russians and a symbol of Russian opposition, but his image among Central Asians – including Russia's migrant workers – is more contentious.

11/02/2021

Attempting to curse in a language you don't speak natively can be tricky, but for those who want to take the risk, there's now an Instagram account teaching English-speakers how to swear in Russian.

A Russian journalist and a Canadian comics artist have teamed up to create an online Russian-English dictionary celebrating the richness of Russian profanity on Instagram.

30/12/2020

In Slavyansk, a podcaster is challenging stereotypes and misconceptions about eastern Ukraine — inspired by the incredulous question "How (on earth) do you live here?"

In Slavyansk, one podcaster is attempting to refocus outsiders' perspectives of eastern Ukraine — for Nika Perepelitsa, it is not simply the site of tragedies, but also of diverse cultural possibilities.

02/11/2020

"And the snows will never melt". Meet Holod (Холод) , the award-winning online magazine dedicated to remarkable, and often disturbing, stories from Russia's furthest-flung regions.

Over the year since it was founded, the award-winning Holod Media has captivated Russian audiences with its longform stories on inequality and injustice in regions poorly covered by federal media.

22/10/2020

Want to find out more about how 'the digital' has changed Russian society and politics?

A panel of experts, including several past RuNet Echo contributors, has you covered.

Sign up here to attend the virtual launch of a new handbook on Digital Russia Studies, this evening at 5PM Helsinki time (UTC +3):

Join us on 22 October at the virtual book launch to celebrate the publication of The Palgrave Handbook of Digital Russia Studies! Register here to receive the link for accessing the session that will take place on 22 October from 5 PM to 6:30 PM (Helsinki - UTC+3). This groundbreaking Handbook, edit...

21/10/2020

Just days before local elections, a chatbot has appeared selling the personal data of Ukrainian citizens. The outcry has woken Ukrainians up to the importance of data protection.

Produced in cooperation with Global Voices Advox.

A trove of Ukrainians'' personal data available online as a consequence of leaks or illegal sale creates ripe conditions for targeted dissemination of malicious content ahead of October 25 local elections.

21/10/2020

"What do they want? I created a paradise for them!" protested Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

Belarus' IT sector has indeed boomed in recent years, but that hasn't stopped young techies taking to the streets to protest against the country's longtime ruler.

If things in Belarus do not change, some tech companies have threatened to relocate their businesses and their employees to neighbouring countries.

Longtime Belarusian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka boasts that he has created a "paradise" for Belarusian IT. So why are young tech workers protesting against him — or even moving their businesses overseas?

16/10/2020

Over the past three months, indigenous activists from across Russia's Far North have joined together to demand compensation from Russia's largest nickel producer after a devastating oil spill.

So why are they addressing Elon Musk?

An oil spill in May devastated large swathes of the tundra. Here's how indigenous rights activists joined forces to demand justice from the culprit — Russia's largest nickel producer.

06/10/2020

Days after a respected independent journalist in Nizhny Novgorod took her own life, Russia's journalistic community is in mourning. Here they pay homage to Irina Slavina.

On October 2, Russian journalist Irina Slavina died in Nizhny Novgorod, the city to which she dedicated her life. Here, Slavina’s colleagues pay homage to a courageous journalist.

18/09/2020

Russian YouTube star Yury Dud has just released a long interview with the Poland-based editors of NEXTA, the influential Telegram channel which has played an important role in informing the world about the protests in Belarus.

Dud has millions of followers on the RuNet, potentially providing NEXTA an unprecedented opportunity to get their message to a wider Russian audience.

Скачиваем Storytel и развиваем себя: https://clck.ru/DTQBD Интервью, которое вы могли пропустить https://youtu.be/ttPXXyUyx6Q NEXTA https://www.instagram.com...

03/09/2020

Recent years have taught much about the fragility of once-hyped "connective action," but what is happening in Belarus still shows the powerful role of information technology in mass protest, writes Gregory Asmolov.

Today, state violence against protests is becoming less effective in suppressing them. As the situation in Belarus shows, violence provides a new motivation for people to take to the streets.

19/08/2020

Detention centres in are overflowing with protesters. A new database aims to record their names and locations, helping families find their loved ones and helping detainees challenge mistreatment at the hands of police.

Since August 9, over 7,000 people have been detained in mass protests against the Belarusian government. A new database provides their names and locations — in a bid to get them home safely.

18/08/2020

When the internet went down during Belarus' protests, a handful of Telegram channels became the main source of information on the country's political crisis. Read the story of Nexta, which is now one of the most popular channels on the messaging platform.

A channel on the Telegram messeng er service run by four Belarusian journalists in Poland has become a crucial source of information on the political upheavals in their homeland

08/07/2020

Russian journalist Svetlana Prokopyeva avoided a six-year prison sentence, a silver lining during a week marked by arrests, detentions, and criminal cases against journalists and activists.

These have led some to fear a new crackdown on independent media.

While her conviction remains in force, Svetlana Prokopyeva has avoided a prison sentence. The verdict was a silver lining in a new wave of arrests and criminal cases against journalists.

01/07/2020

It looks as though Vladimir Putin will win a referendum on constitutional amendments which could allow him to stay in power until 2036. The authorities have aggressively pushed a new online voting system, despite key security issues:

As Russia goes to the polls this week in a constitutional referendum, several regions will be voting online. But the new digital voting system has some serious shortcomings.

21/06/2020

"If carried out to their full restrictive potential, the new measures will severely undermine the ability of people in Russia to exercise their human rights online, including freedom of expression and freedom of access to information," warns Human Rights Watch in its latest article on the future of the RuNet.

Russia has significantly expanded laws and regulations tightening control over internet infrastructure, online content, and the privacy of communications. If carried out to their full restrictive potential, the new measures will severely undermine the ability of people in Russia to exercise their hu...

21/06/2020

Russian rock legend Viktor Tsoi was born on this day in 1962. His melancholy songs and homages to dissent continue to inspire generations of young people.

#ЦойЖив

Fans of Soviet rock star Viktor Tsoi mark his birthday, June 21, remembering his freedom-loving songs that still resonate three decades after his death in 1990.

18/06/2020

Russia's communications watchdog has officially given up its attempt to block Telegram. The messaging service was banned in 2018, but many Russians (including state officials) have largely ignored it.

Revisit our profile on why the ban was so ineffective:

Most users still have access, but the authorities aren't giving up on attempts to block the instant messaging and voice app.

10/06/2020

In Kazakhstan, an online feud between an LGBT activist and a boxer reflects a deeper trend among the youth to reclaim and reforge national identity for themselves.

A feud between a le***an activist and a boxer has galvanised a new generation's interest in pushing at the boundaries of Kazakh national identity

09/06/2020

The Russian artist and activist Yuliya Tsvetkova could soon face a six year prison sentence for "homosexual propaganda" and "disseminating po*******hy" for her educational project on women's bodies. Revisit our interview with her here:

#ЮлияЦветкова

Yulia Tsvetkova was building a community in her hometown in Russia's far east — until she was targeted by violent homophobes and a hostile police.

09/06/2020

A potential victory for Russia's ecological activists today after local authorities signal an end to construction of an immense landfill at Shiyes, in the country's far north. Here's our profile of how the protest movement began. #Шиес #ПоморьеНеПомойка

Resistance to a remote landfill has grown into a nationwide environmental protest movement.

08/06/2020

"Russian society must decide where it's headed: towards digital totalitarianism or decentralised technologies and the defence of human rights."

РосКомСвобода's Sarkis Darbinyan gives his (worrying) predictions for digital freedoms in Russia.

Адвокат Саркис Дарбинян («РосКомСвобода») – о защите цифровых прав и свобод и о том, как избежать цифрового тоталитаризма

08/06/2020

When St Petersburg's city authorities painted over a mural of Russian dissident poet Joseph Brodsky, some Russians saw a potent political symbolism. The RuNet has rallied in defence of the poet's memory.

The 80th anniversary of the birth of Russian poet Joseph Brodsky was marked in Russia by an incident highlighting the special place writers still hold in Russian political culture.

30/05/2020

Russia's new generation of minority language activists are extremely online.

During the pandemic, several have launched online courses for a country under lockdown.

A joint interview, taken with our colleagues at Rising Voices.

"My primary motivation is to keep the language of my community alive. Udmurt must be used in as wide a variety of spaces as possible in order to ensure that it lives on."

Runet Echo

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