Month: June 2019

Saturday, June 1, 2019

Ingushetia Close to Explosive ‘Point of No Return, Matiyeva Says

Paul Goble

Staunton, June 1 – Anzhela Matiyeva, a member of the Ingush Committee of National Unity, says that if Moscow does not intervene very soon and remove the corrupt, irresponsible and increasingly repressive Yunus-Bek Yevkurov as Ingushetia’s head “tomorrow the point of no return will have been passed” and she can’t predict what might happen.

The political analyst and activist’s conclusion comes at the end of a long interview she gave to Anna Veber, a Paragraphs journalist, in which Matiyeva outlined the way in which things have been deteriorating in Ingushetia because of Yevkurov’s actions over the last two years (paragraphs.online/article/386-ingushskiy-aktivist-my-khotim-tolko-odnogo-ponimaniya). Read more →

Monday, June 3, 2019

Fliers Appear in Ingushetia Calling for Republic to Leave Russia and Join Georgia

Paul Goble

Staunton, June 3 — In what be a reflection of the growing radicalization of Ingush protesters or a provocation staged by Yunus-Bek Yevkurov intended to justify an even more draconian crackdown, fliers have appeared in Magas and other cities of Ingushetia urging that the republic withdraw from Russia and join the Republic of Georgia.

Opposition leaders disowned the effort saying that it was either the work of hotheads or provocateurs and pointing out that during the entire course of the protests, they have rejected separatism or any violation of Russian law (eadaily.com/ru/news/2019/06/02/v-ingushetii-rasprostranyayutsya-listovki-s-antigosudarstvennymi-prizyvami). Read more →

Putin v. the People: Divided Russia faces perilous politics

June 4, 2019

According to a new survey from WCIOM, one of Russia’s leading polling agencies, trust in Russian president Vladimir Putin has fallen to an all-time low of 31.7 percent, notes Samuel A. Greene (@samagreene), reader in Russian politics and director of the Russia Institute at King’s College London. As the economy struggles and real disposable incomes look set to decline for the sixth straight year, the bloom is very much off the Crimean rose. After some consternation from the Kremlin, the same agency released a new survey using a different method and yielding a number almost twice as high, he writes for The Post’s Monkey Cage..

Even Putin’s job approval figures — while still at a healthy 65.8 percent — are 20 points off their highs. The real bad news for Putin, however, is what the polls aren’t showing: Russians are clamming up, adds Greene, co-author of Putin v. the People: The Perilous Politics of a Divided Russia:

In fact, the gap between the non-answer rates on trust and approval has never been greater than it is right now. The number of people who simply look the other way when asked whether they trust the Russian president has never been higher — and the chasm between Russians’ hearts and minds is growing ever deeper. Read more →

الخميس 30 مايو/أيار 2019

نزوع الشراكسة إلى الاحتجاجات يتباين على نطاق واسع وفق الجمهوريات التي يعيشون فيها

بول غوبل (Paul Goble)

ترجمة: عادل بشقوي

1 يونيو/حزيران 2019

            ستاونتون، 30 مايو/أيار — لدى الشركس الكثير من الاهتمامات المشتركة مثل عودة أبناء وطنهم من سوريا، لكن لديهم أيضًا قضايا تخص الجمهوريات والمناطق التي يعيشون فيها. وبسبب هذا الوصف الأخير، يجب ألا يكون مفاجئًا أن يكون الشركس في أحد الأماكن أكثر عرضة للانخراط في نشاط الاحتجاج من غيرهم في أماكن أخرى.

            لقد صنف الباحثون في معهد الخبرة الإقليمي (Institute for Regional Expertise) النشاط الاحتجاجي لمختلف الموضوعات الفيدرالية في الشهر الماضي. قالوا إن النسبة في جمهورية قباردينو–بلكاريا (Kabardino-Balkaria) مرتفعة نسبيًا، وفي كراتشييفو–شركيسيا (Karachayevo-Cherkessia) معتدلة لكن في جمهورية الأديغيه منخفضة نسبيًا (kavkazr.com/a/v-adygee-vse-spokojno/29972258.html). Read more →

Thursday, May 30, 2019

Circassians’ Inclination to Protest Said to Vary Widely by Republic in Which They Live

Paul Goble

            Staunton, May 30 – The Circassians have many common concerns such as the return of their compatriots from Syria, but they also have issues specific to the republics and regions in which they live. And because of the latter, it should come as no surprise that Circassians in one place are more likely to engage in protest activity than those in others.

            Researchers at the Institute for Regional Expertise rated the protest activity of various federal subjects in the last month. They said the rate in Kabardino-Balkaria was relatively high, that in Karachayevo-Cherkessia moderate and that in Adygeya relatively low (kavkazr.com/a/v-adygee-vse-spokojno/29972258.html). Read more →