Russia

The political state of Russia emerged following the expansion of the principality of Muscovy - emerging from Mongol domination to conquer and absorb the surrounding principalities. The Romanov dynasty continued this expansionist policy. Peter I extended Muscovy's rule to the Baltic Sea, and the Russian Empire came into being. The dramatic fall of the Romanov dynasty, the formation of the USSR under Lenin, the brutal dictatorship of Stalin and the Cold War placed the USSR at the forefront of world politics. The USSR dissolved under Gorbachev, and 15 separate republics were formed in 1991. Although vastly reduced territorially, Russia remains a vast and powerful state, retaining political influence in the region and worldwide. This one is going to make Americans jealous. Members of a gang who sent two “black widow” suicide bombers into the Moscow Metro have been killed by secret agents, the head of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said yesterday, reports UK’s Times. One of those killed by the FSB had escorted the women suicide bombers to Moscow from the North Caucasus region of Russia and another had led the women to the underground network on the day of the attacks, Mr. Bortnikov, the FSB chief said. Three people believed to have organized the terror attack were killed after refusing to surrender he told President Medvedev. “To our great regret, we did not manage to seize them alive. They offered bitter armed resistance and were destroyed,” he added. President Medvedev said that “there was nothing to be sorry about.”

“I wonder how many pieces they were sliced & diced into...” asked us one of our readers. Regardless of the amount of slicing and dicing, the way Russia’s FSB avoided dealing with legalities of a lifetime sentence versus a death penalty was truly remarkable. European laws and human rights organizations pressed Russian government to issue moratorium on capital punishment in 1996. On November 19, 2009, the Constitutional Court of Russia extended the national moratorium "until the ratification of 6th Protocol to the European Convention of Human Rights," of which Russia is already a signatory, effectively banning capital punishment during peacetime. We sincerely hope that terrorists continue their “bitter armed resistance” when detained by FSB, FBI, or CIA agents. A Russian warship hunted down an oil tanker hijacked by Somali pirates and special forces rappelled on board Thursday, surprising the outlaws, who surrendered after a 22-minute gunbattle. Twenty-three Russian sailors were freed, reports MSNBC. The dramatic Indian Ocean rescue came a day after pirates seized the tanker, which was heading toward China carrying $50 million worth of crude. One pirate was killed and 10 others were arrested, officials said.

The Russian destroyer Marshal Shaposhnikov had rushed to the scene following Wednesday's seizure of the Liberian-flagged tanker, Moscow University. Special forces troops rappelled down to the tanker from a helicopter, Rear Adm. Jan Thornqvist, the EU Naval Force commander, told an Associated Press reporter. "The operation's success was due to the surprise factor, said a Russian military officer aboard the warship. "The pirates were taken by surprise. They did not expect such resolute measures from us," Capt. Ildar Akhmerov told RIA Novosti news agency.

The pirates were to be taken to Moscow to face criminal charges. Russia Blog does not envy the pirates fate in Russian prisons, assuming they survive the "relocation." President Medvedev hinted that hard times are awaiting them. "Perhaps we should get back to the idea of establishing an international court and other legal tools" to prosecute pirates, he said. "Until then, we'll have to do what our forefathers did when they met the pirates."




Moscow: St Basil's Cathedral at night

For centuries the world has wondered what to believe about Russia. The country has been reported variously as a land of unbelievable riches and indescribable poverty, cruel tyrants and great minds, generous hospitality and meddlesome bureaucracy, beautiful ballets and industrial monstrosities, pious faith and unbridled hedonism.





These eternal Russian truths coexist in equally diverse landscapes of icy tundra and sun-kissed beaches, dense silver birch and fir forests and deep and mysterious lakes, snow-capped mountains and swaying grasslands – those famous steppes. Factor in ancient fortresses, luxurious palaces, swirly spired churches and lost-in-time wooden villages and you’ll begin to see why Russia is simply amazing.
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