Johnson's Russia List #6028 18 January 2002 davidjohnson@erols.com A CDI Project www.cdi.org [Note from David Johnson: 1. AP: New Putin Biography on Shelves. 2. Interfax: Majority of Russians like national flag - poll. 3. Interfax: Most Russians like national anthem. 4. gazeta.ru: Sex, Patriotism, Blasphemy and a Stalin-Era Melody. 5. Luba Schwartzman: ORT Review. 6. TimeEurope.com: Yuri Zarakhovich, Moscow's Media Message. Russia loses its last independent national television station. 7. Pavel Podvig: New book: Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces. 8. Moscow Times: Yulia Latynina, Sibur Arrest Could Start New Trend. 9. Asia Times: Sergei Blagov, Deep frost bites into Russia's infrastructure. 10. AP: Russia Probes Church Anti-Semitism. 11. U.S.-Russia Business Council: Dinner in honor of MIKHAIL M. KASYANOV, PRIME MINISTER OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION. 12. Moscow Tribune: Dmitry Polikarpov, Modernist books under threat. 13. pravda.ru: VASILY BUBNOV: AMERICANS WANT TO KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT OTHERS. (re US visas) 14. The Electronic Telegraph (UK): Marcus Warren, Bolshoi led a merry dance by 'pirate' tours. 15. RFE/RL: Jeremy Bransten, Poor Fitness Of Conscripts Points To Public Health Crisis. 16. strana.ru: Russia Lining Up for Global Oil Dominance Again, Say Experts. Export tariff cut points to new expansion. 17. Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst, 16 January 2002 Issue on Web. 18. The Globe and Mail (Canada): Alexei Vladykin, Russian bell makers ring up profits as religion returns.] ******* #1 New Putin Biography on Shelves January 17, 2002 By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV MOSCOW (AP) - President Vladimir Putin reminisces in a new biography about his boyhood in the street ``jungles'' of Leningrad and says he aspired to join the KGB secret police from watching patriotic films. ``I learned that I must be able to respond immediately to any offense,'' Putin said, recalling a fight he picked and lost before entering first grade. ``I understood that in order to win I have to go to the end in any fight, as if in the last, decisive combat.'' ``Vladimir Putin: A Life Story,'' written by journalist Oleg Blotsky and released to bookstores this week, chronicles Putin's youthful years through university graduation and recruitment by the KGB. It relies on interviews with the president and accounts from friends and teachers who knew him in Soviet times in Leningrad, now St. Petersburg. Blotsky, who covered the Chechnya war, said he got access to Putin through Kremlin aide Sergei Yastrzhembsky, the main spokesman for Russia's military campaign in the breakaway republic. Although Blotsky said he had to persuade a reluctant Putin to share memories of his youth, the book appeared to be part of the Kremlin's effort to enhance the image of Putin, who is highly popular in Russia. The book is the first of a planned trilogy on Putin, Blotsky told Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper. ``I was educated on the street,'' Putin, 49, says in the book. ``To live and be educated on the street is just like living in the jungles.'' When Putin entered school, his pugnacity irked his teachers and stalled his entry into the Young Pioneers, the Communist children's organization. Putin was only allowed to join in sixth grade, not the fourth grade with most other kids. ``I was disobedient and didn't follow school rules,'' Putin said. ``When a person is educated in the jungles, he continues to live according to their law when he reaches a new environment.'' Putin's school friends and teachers described him as a frail but temperamental boy who never hesitated to challenge stronger kids. ``He never was afraid of anyone,'' said Viktor Borisenko, a close friend during their school years. Borisenko said Putin once worked himself into a frenzy in a fight, and Putin's teacher Vera Gurevich remembered that he fought like a ``tiger cub.'' Recalling the preschool fight in which he was beaten for the first time, Putin said he had picked it because his rival looked weaker. The defeat taught him a valuable lesson on restraint and respect for others. But, he added, ``I also understood I must be strong enough to fight back in any case, whether I'm right or not.'' After joining the KGB, Putin said his bosses taught him a similar fighting philosophy. ``There is no need to meddle into anything without extreme necessity, but as it happens, you must proceed from the assumption that there is no way back and you must fight until the end,'' Putin said. ``They taught me this rule in the KGB, but I learned it much earlier in fights during my childhood.'' Putin said was influenced to join the KGB from patriotic movies and books describing the feats of Soviet clandestine agents. He described knocking on the door of KGB headquarters to apply for a future job when he still was in high school. In a 20-minute conversation, a KGB duty officer told Putin he should first graduate from a university law school - advice Putin heeded. Putin had recalled similar details of his childhood in a book of interviews published after he became Russia's acting president on Dec. 31, 1999. He subsequently won the March 2000 election. Putin also co-authored a book on judo, which he has been practicing since age 13. Despite being a tough kid, Putin said he always had a soft spot for his parents. ``I had a big advantage over many of my peers: I felt the constant care and attention of my parents,'' he said. ``The family was a solid, reliable foundation for me.'' ******* #2 Majority of Russians like national flag - poll MOSCOW. Jan 17 (Interfax) - A majority of Russians - 64% - like the Russian national flag, a tricolor with horizontal white, blue, and red stripes, and only 16% dislike it. The Public Opinion survey foundation released this information on Thursday after conducting a representative all-Russian poll of 1,500 urban and rural residents on January 12. "Historicity" and "aesthetics" have been named as the principal features of the Russian flag's appeal, the same cited by those liking the modern Russian national seal depicting a two-headed eagle. The variations include "the return to Russian roots," "an old and historic flag," "three bright colors," "nice and well-matched colors without any excesses," or "just looks nice." The advocates of former Soviet symbols, on the other hand, traditionally dislike the tricolor, as "the red [Soviet flag] was more inspiring." In addition, a new argument of those who oppose the current Russian flag is the lack of individuality and similarity to flags of other European countries ("it resembles the French one," "it can be confused with flags of other countries," etc.) The Russian flag evokes mainly the same images, thoughts, and associations as the other two official state symbols - the emblem and anthem. They are largely positive ("kind and thrilling feelings," "peace, friendship, and clear blue sky," "light images," "something light and pure" - 14%). Ten per cent of the respondents said they feel proud of their country when they see the flag, and for 5% historical associations come to mind ("our entire history - czar, the civil war, communists, democrats.") Two per cent of the respondents elaborated on color symbolism, which evokes the most various associations ("the white color - earth, the blue - water, and the red - joy," "it expresses everything: the skies, earth, sea," "the blue color is skies, the red is love, and the white is joy," "the red is courage, the blue - loyalty," "the white and blue colors symbolize the feeling of security and the red - people wanting protection," "the white is hope, the blue - joy, and the red - Russia's beauty," etc.). ******* #3 Most Russians like national anthem MOSCOW. Jan 17 (Interfax) - The overwhelming majority of Russian citizens (66%) approve of the national anthem with music by Alexander Alexandrov and new lyrics by Sergei Mikhalkov. 11% have negative feelings about the former Soviet anthem. Only one-third of Russian citizens (32%) liked Russian composer Mikhail Glinka's Patriotic Song that had been the anthem until December 2000, the Public Opinion Foundation reported Thursday with reference to a poll of 1,500 Russians on January 12. People over 50 years old (72%) are the most frequent supporters of the new Russian anthem, which is so much like the national anthem of the former Soviet Union. Despite their positive attitude towards the new anthem, the respondents admitted that they did not know it well enough. Most of the polled said they knew only the melody (87%), and 15% claimed that they knew the words. ******* #4 gazeta.ru January 17, 2002 Sex, Patriotism, Blasphemy and a Stalin-Era Melody Yelena Roundneva, Artyom Vernidoub On Wednesday the Russian State Duma almost unanimously approved the draft bill to make displays of disrespect towards the national anthem a criminal offence in its first reading. However, the lower house did not manage to define what constitutes an act of blasphemy towards the anthem, including whether making love to the sound of the Stalin era melody is disrespectful, or an act of patriotism, and whether accidentally singing the wrong words could be qualified as blasphemous. President Putin’s decree at the end of 2000 to restore the melody of the old Soviet anthem caused heated debates and much dissent, regardless of the fact that new lyrics were composed. Some welcomed the return of the rousing tune composed by Alexandrov, while others castigated the Kremlin for the move, saying the anthem is a symbol of the Stalin era, which for many evokes bitter memories of repression. Many, liberals, human rights activists and former dissidents who were persecuted in Soviet times still categorically refuse to stand up to the reinstated Stalinist era melody. And maybe it was this element that prompted a group of deputies to call for criminal liability to be introduced for those who demonstrate disrespect or contempt towards the revamped anthem. The draft bill, put forward by Unity faction member Sergei Apatenko at the end of November last year, stipulates for the amendment of Article 329 of the Criminal Code to add disrespect towards the national anthem to be added to the criminal offence of defaming the Russian flag and national emblems. The author of the bill proposes that the punishment for disrespecting the anthem should be the same as that for defaming the national flag and emblems – i.e. a fine of 100 to 300 minimum wages, or a travel ban of up to 2 years, or a prison sentence of up to a year. In November last year Apatenko’s draft bill was approved by the Duma Legislation Committee. But the approval was far from unanimous. Those who backed the draft only slightly outweighed the opponents. Some of the committee members said later that they failed to figure out what exactly constitutes an act of “anthem defamation”. One of the members of the Duma’s legislation committee told Gazeta.Ru on condition of anonymity that the draft presented by Apatenko had been discussed by the committee twice. Initially the committee rejected it but the second time it was endorsed on condition that prior to the second reading the authors would define the term “defaming” more precisely. “There were plenty of suggestions as to what should be considered as defamatory,” the legislation committee member said. “Some suggested that the bill should apply only to public performances of the anthem, although it is hard to understand whether singing it at a drinking session could be considered public. Some suggested that defaming should include adding obscene language to the lyrics while other deputies have called for a ban of the anthem at strip shows and casinos.” On the first day of the State Duma’s spring session the deputies reviewed the controversial bill in the first, tentative, reading. The anthem bill was the last item on Wednesday’s agenda, but the lower house’s deputies decided to prolong the session in order to continue the debate on the definition of defamation in relation to the national anthem. The author of the bill quoted the definition of “defamation” in the Ozhegov concise dictionary: “Defamation is a malicious insult, blasphemy,” Apatenko read out. But it seemed that nobody cared to listen to him. Yabloko’s Alexei Arbatov questioned whether using the wrong words when singing the anthem could be classed as defamation, given that almost no one knows the new lyrics properly anyway. “Would the performance of the anthem be a defamation if a performer is tone-deaf, he lisps, or his articulation is poor?” asked Sergei Yushenkov who recently left the Union of Rightist Forces to help establish the new Liberal Russia party, reportedly financed by Berezovsky. “And if a person sings the anthem standing under the red flag?” hard-line communist Vasily Shandybin asked. Regions of Russia’s Vladimir Butkeyev wondered whether it would be considered defamatory or a manifestation of patriotism if young people make love to the sounds of Alexandrov’s anthem. “That would be a perversion,” remarked Gennady Seleznyov, Duma chairman. “But, you know, Americans wear pants adorned with the Stars and Stripes, and they consider it patriotic. They are brought up like that,” Butkeyev insisted. Union of the Rightist Forces’ member and chief of the Legislation Committee Pavek Krasheninnikov decided put an end to discussion and mockery and announced sternly that a legal definition of defamation must be determined and clarified before the second reading of the bill. But he too could not help posing a question: “Take the English band the Pet Shop Boys: Their song “Go West” starts with the melody of the anthem by Alexandrov. Who knows, maybe they will not be allowed to come to Russia anymore”. The government and presidential administration have backed the idea of making blasphemy of the anthem a criminal offence on condition that the legislation contains distinct definitions of defamation and blasphemy. The bill was approved in the 1st reading on Wednesday by 312 deputies. 12 voted against, including Irina Khakamada, Viktor Cherepkov, Vladimir Golovlyov, Yuli Rybakov and Sergei Yushenkov. ******* #5 ORT Review www.ortv.ru Compiled by Luba Schwartzman (luba7@bu.edu) Research fellow at the Institute for the Study of Conflict, Ideology and Policy at Boston University HEADLINES, Wednesday, January 16, 2002 - Russian President Vladimir Putin is in Poland on a two-day official visit. At the official opening ceremony, President Putin greeted the soldiers in Polish. - At his meeting with the Polish President Putin presented Aleksander Kwasniewski copies of several documents from the Russian archives, that concerned the famous Polish general and political figure, Wladislaw Sikorski. The two presidents also gave a joint press-conference. - The first automatic telephone station has been set up in Grozny. It can serve about 2,000 people and has 700 lines for inter-city calls. - Presidential Spokesman Sergei Yastrzhembsky declared that there can be no question of talks with [Chechen field commanders] Basaev or Khattab. He said "Either they will turn themselves in and stand trial, or they will be destroyed." He also excluded the possibility of contacts between representatives of the federal center and Aslan Maskhadov. Yastrzhembsky explained that the federal center might change its position on Maskhadov only "if he demonstrates his willingness to enact the conditions contained in the address of the Russian President." - First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Vladimir Vasiliev announced that the Russian Interior Ministry will change its tactics in Chechnya. It will no longer carry out large-scale cleansings, focusing, instead, on small localized special operations with the help of local officials. - Russia has reasserted its presence at the South Pole. State Duma Deputy Speaker Artur Chilingarov visited the American Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station and raised the Russian flag. A large group of Russian scientists and experts will begin working at the South Pole this December. - The residents of Saratov oblast's Bolshekopenskoye settlement have taken policing functions into their own hands. Every evening, two of the 26 volunteer patrolmen go on duty. The local police department has summed up results, and the number of crimes has decreased by 50 percent. Becoming a member of the group is a privilege and a hard task -- there is a three month trial period, and army experience is mandatory. - The state of emergency is still in effect in flood-damaged Krasnoyarsk krai. Eighty-five square kilometers of the land surrounding the Kuban River are still flooded; 1,272 people have been evacuated; damage is estimated at over a billion rubles. - Presidential Plenipotentiary to the Southern Federal District Viktor Kazantsev visited the Transcaucasian highway, one lane of which has been cleared of snow. - In Nizhny Novgorod, the regional court has approved the city's experiment that allows recruits to choose to serve as nurses instead of entering the army. - Prices for medicine have risen excessively since the start of the new year. It is suspected that this is the result of the 10% added-value tax that has been set on medicine, but the increase has been at an average of 20%. Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov announced that the situation will be investigated and taken care of. - At its first meeting of the season, the Federation Council approved the law "On the State of the Military." - The Russian State Duma had its first meeting of the year. Speaker Gennady Seleznev stated that the work of the parliament will focus on making the lives of Russian citizens better. - A group of journalists, including several ORT employees, received awards from the Ministry of Internal Affairs for their brave work chronicling events in Chechnya. - Two St. Petersburg police officers were killed by bandits in the Mesker-Yurt settlement in Chechnya. - Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov held his first press conference of the year. He spoke about the perspectives for Russian economy for the next year. He also announced that the tax on freight shipments will be raised by 14% on January 20th. - The first Emergency Ministry column of automobiles carrying humanitarian cargo to Kabul has started to cross the Pyanj River. The bridge has not been completed, so the cars are being conveyed by two ferries. - US Congressman Curt Weldon held a press conference in Moscow. He discussed the role strategic offensive weapons and the National Missile Defense system play in Russian-American relations. He also refuted rumors that the US is conducting secret talks with Uzbekistan and Kyrghizia about a long-term presence in Central Asia. ****** #6 TimeEurope.com January 16, 2002 Moscow's Media Message Russia loses its last independent national television station BY YURI ZARAKHOVICH/MOSCOW In the bad old days, the Soviet Union had four national TV channels, all run by the state. As a popular joke had it at the time: On Channel 1, you see Brezhnev reading his speech. On channel 2, you see Brezhnev reading his speech. On channel 3, you see Brezhnev reading his speech. On channel 4, you see a KGB colonel waving his finger at you, saying "Stop this channel surfing — or else!" This joke came to mind last Friday when the Supreme Arbitration Court ruled that TV-6 — the only national channel in Russia still independent of the Kremlin — be liquidated. The TV-6 legal ordeal started last May when Lukoil-Garant, a pension fund owned by oil giant Lukoil, demanded that the channel be liquidated because its debts exceeded its assets. Lukoil-Garant filed its suit as a minority shareholder, holding a 15% stake in TV-6. But it is no secret that Lukoil depends on the goodwill of the Kremlin. And the Kremlin badly wants control of TV-6. Once an obscure entertainment channel, TV-6 promptly acquired national prominence and financial growth when it was staffed last April by a group of journalists from NTV, another private national television channel taken over by another state-dependent business giant — this time Gazprom. But the state did not use Gazprom to crush NTV and its owner, oligarch Vladimir Gusinsky, only to see the journalists find refuge at TV-6, run by oligarch Boris Berezovsky. Berezovsky was instrumental in creating the robber capitalism of the Yeltsin era and he also helped Vladimir Putin get elected president. Putin and Berezovsky fell out, however. Berezovsky was stripped of his most valuable assets, including another national channel, ORT-Russian Public Television, and emigrated. Neither Gusinsky nor Berezovsky are white knights. Both used their media to pursue private political and business ends. But their TV channels were professional, exciting, popular — and independent of the state. Most Russians cannot afford the print media anymore; nor do they get their information from the Web: only 1.5% have an Internet connection. The four national TV channels have emerged as the primary source of information. With prices going up and incomes coming down, people are beginning to grumble. Putin's approval rating, though still very high, slipped from 80% last November to 72% last month. The typical Kremlin response has been to tighten controls. The Supreme Arbitration Court liquidated TV-6 despite a new law banning minority shareholders from bringing bankruptcy proceedings against a company. "Any talk of the judicial system's independence will not be possible now without an ironic smile," commented Boris Nemtsov, Vice-Chairman of the State Duma. Under Russian law, TV-6 could exist for another six months but Russian Press Minister Mikhail Lesin said he would withdraw the company's broadcasting license as soon as the liquidation process started. Lesin hinted that the TV-6 journalist team could win a new license — as long as they parted ways with Berezovsky. The journalists sent Lesin a letter in which they said they would give up the channel's broadcasting license so they could form a new company to bid for the licence again in the spring. Meanwhile, a new joke has sprung up: "Will swap two TV sets for one radio that receives foreign stations." ******* #7 From: "Pavel Podvig" Subject: Info about the book: Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2002 Book announcement: Russian Strategic Nuclear Forces edited by Pavel Podvig with contributions from Oleg Bukharin,Timur Kadyshev, Eugene Miasnikov, Pavel Podvig, Igor Sutyagin, Maxim Tarasenko, and Boris Zhelezov The MIT Press 7x9, xxii, 693 pages, 57 illustrations ISBN 0-262-16202-4 This encyclopedic book provides comprehensive data about Soviet and Russian strategic weapons, payloads, and delivery systems and on the nuclear complex that supports them. The data are drawn from open, primarily Russian, sources, and all the information is presented chronologically, arranged by individual systems and facilities, and is not available elsewhere in a single volume. Following an overview of the history of the Soviet strategic forces, the book discusses the structure of the political and military leadership in the Soviet Union and Russia, the structure of the Russian military and military industry, nuclear planning procedures and the structure of the command and control system. It describes the nuclear warhead production complex and the Soviet nuclear weapon development program. It then focuses on the individual services that constitute the so-called strategic triad--land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, the strategic submarine fleet, and strategic aviation. It presents an overview of Soviet strategic defense, including air-defense systems, the Moscow missile defense system, the radar and space-based early warning networks, and the space-surveillance system. The book also includes a description of the Soviet nuclear testing program, including information on test sites and on all Soviet nuclear tests and peaceful nuclear explosions. It concludes with a look at the future of strategic nuclear weapons in Russia. Pavel Podvig, Timur Kadyshev, Evgeny Miasnikov, and Maxim Tarasenko are Research Fellows at the Center for Arms Control Studies at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. Igor Sutyagin and Boris Zhelezov are Researchers at the U.S. and Canada Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. For more information about the book, detailed table of contents, history of the project, and ordering details please visit http://www.armscontrol.ru/RussianForces/ ******* #8 Moscow Times January 16, 2002 Sibur Arrest Could Start New Trend By Yulia Latynina In Russia, we plant our potatoes in May, and in winter we plant our oligarchs -- behind bars, that is. The new year has been marked by a number of arrests. Perhaps the one most symptomatic of underlying trends is the arrest of Sibur president Yakov Goldovsky. Goldovsky got his entree to Gazprom through his work with Roskontrakt -- a curious organization that took over many of the functions of the all-powerful Soviet supply agency, Gossnab. By swapping CIS countries' debts for gas that Roskontrakt had inherited from Gossnab, Goldovsky not only made himself trusted in Gazprom, where outsiders are pathologically feared, but also managed to use Gazprom to create his own petrochemicals empire, Sibur. The lynchpin in this empire is the Surgut gas refining plant which sits on the main pipelines for gas condensate, and he who controls the Surgut plant is in a very strong bargaining position. However the director of the plant, Alexander Ryazanov, was not inclined to give it up. Ryazanov was arrested in Surgut, and one night Goldovsky paid a visit to his cell and gently chided him for his intractability. Ryazanov was one of the uncrowned kings of Surgut. The ease with which he was put behind bars made such an impression on him that he not only handed the plant over to Goldovsky, but for one and a half years barely showed his face in public. Until last year when Alexei Miller appointed him as his deputy at Gazprom. Sibur is the first harlot that Miller has tried to return to the Gazprom fold. But then, all of a sudden it transpired that there was no Sibur. There was money that Gazprom had given Goldovsky to purchase various petrochemical plants and these Sibur-owned assets had then been handed over to firms belonging to Goldovsky's trusted cohorts. Poor Gazprom found itself unexpectedly in the role of a wealthy sugardaddy who has bought diamonds for his lover only to see her to run off with another man. Miller evidently was unable to return the diamonds by legal means, so he decided to cut this particular Gordian knot using familiar methods: with the assistance of the prosecutor general. The police decided to ask Goldovsky in person how he would go about returning the assets. In fact, they went about it in much the same way that Goldovsky did with Ryazanov three years earlier. The Goldovsky case has every chance of becoming a much-copied model. Any major fortune in Russia is acquired by no less dubious methods than those employed by Goldovsky. And every major oligarch has enemies whom he has ruthlessly crushed: Oleg Deripaska has Mikhail Zhivilo, Lev Chernoi and Anatoly Bykov; Yukos has Yevgeny Rybin, etc. The issue, however, is somewhat different. Sibur is not simply a bunch of stolen enterprises as the chekists view it. It is a vast corporation that was built exclusively on the back of Goldovsky's business acumen and it functions properly because it is managed by Goldovsky. Had there been no Goldovsky there would be no Sibur and nor would half the enterprises that comprise Sibur exist either. They would quite simply have perished from a lack of funds and the random pilfering by their directors, whom Goldovsky booted out. By employing the same methods as Goldovsky, Gazprom's management has shown itelf to be his equal in terms of unscrupulousness and brutality. But Goldovsky, apart from lacking scruples, is a talented strategist and manager. Whether Miller is his equal in this respect is doubtful. Yulia Latynina is a journalist with ORT. ******* #9 Asia Times January 16, 2002 Deep frost bites into Russia's infrastructure By Sergei Blagov MOSCOW - As Russia ends its long annual festive season many regions face a grim reminder of the country's infrastructure problems as the cold weather worsens. Abnormally cold temperatures have highlighted the plight of the country's homeless. On January 10, Russian President Vladimir Putin urged his government to provide more effective supplies of power and heating to the population. Putin ordered Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Khristenko to provide a detailed report on the situation, particularly in Russia's Eastern areas, and instructed that the improvements be made within a month. During a meeting with the president, Khristenko claimed that the situation is "under control". However, he conceded that nearly one-fourth of all problems have been caused by "human factors" such as low discipline among staff of the communal services. This winter, there have been no cold-related crises like in the early 2001, when vast areas of the Far East and Siberia went without power for weeks. However, many Russian regions still struggle to cope with low temperatures and fierce snowstorms. For instance, Central Russia is facing its coldest winter in 25 years, with temperatures dropping to a low of minus 33 degrees Celsius in early January. In Moscow the temperature hit minus 27 degrees and 300 people are reported to have died from the cold, a figure well above the 205 who died last winter. Most people assume that those who died of hypothermia were Bomzh - the Soviet-era acronym for homeless people or those "without a definite place of residence". During the Soviet era, homelessness was a punishable offense. These days the Bomzh are no longer detained by the police, but the authorities are doing little to help them. Moscow city runs eight homeless shelters with room for 1,500 people. Yet the figure has been seen as far from adequate with a backdrop of Moscow's estimated 100,000 homeless populace. The international charities, notably French aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres, have repeatedly called for extra help for Russia's homeless people. Despite the vast numbers of homeless people there are no national nationwide statistics on cold deaths. The unusually low temperatures this winter have come as a grim reminder that the country's dilapidating infrastructure needs massive investments in order to avoid major breakdowns. Notably, supply line failures and power cuts had left thousands of people throughout Russia without light or heat. In the Moscow suburb of Khimki, nearly 150,000 people were left without heat in early January when an old pipeline broke. The cold spell even caused snow to fall on palm trees along Russia's sub-tropical Black Sea coast. Since mid-December, the Black Sea resort of Sochi, President Putin's favorite holiday spot, has suffered from repeated power blackouts. In total, some 39 townships and villages lost power supplies due to a transmission line failure in Southern Krasnodar region around Sochi. Also in southern Russia, the military was called in to blow up iced dams as the cold froze up the straits in the Sea of Azov. Not surprisingly, some of Russia's northern locations fared even worse. In Arkhangelsk, Northern Russia, some 98,000 urban dwellers lost water supplies. In Volkhov, near Russia's "Northern Capital" St Petersburg, 128 apartment blocks with some 11,000 people lost their heating supplies. In total, strong winds and heavy snow cut power to 54 towns in the Leningrad region in early January. In the Far East, Vladivostok authorities turned to the military to help passengers. Television showed the navy's armored personnel carriers dragging trolley-buses along several snow-laden streets. Power in areas of the city and surrounding districts was cut off for several hours after electricity lines failed. In Ust-Kut, Siberia's Irkutsk region, some 8,000 people have not had heating since December 22. Around 1,000 people lost their access to heating in Djebariki-Khaya in far northern Yakutia, despite minus 40 Celsius cold. It has been understood that Russia's current urban infrastructure problems were caused by the fact that during the Soviet era so-called "central heating" systems were built in urban areas. Even a minor pipeline failure leaves many people without heating. Moreover, these systems, which pump huge amounts of hot water into multi-apartment blocks, are wasteful and expensive to maintain. The former Soviet government subsidized these expenses almost entirely. This is no longer the case in the new capitalist Russia. Muscovites will begin paying full prices for their electricity, heating and other communal services, Moscow deputy Mayor Boris Nikolsky announced last week. Right now these prices are subsidized and Muscovites are paying just 44 percent of their communal services bills. Nikolsky argued that this figure is 60 percent in the rest of Russia. Facing price hikes, in many regions Russia's urban dwellers are unable to pay increased heating bills. On the other hand, the country still lacks huge investments needed to replace obsolete "central heating" systems with more up-to-date, economic and environment-friendly alternatives. The Kremlin is trying to tackle the problem. On January 8, the Russian government announced that it had clinched a deal with the World Bank to attract a US$85 million loan so as to modernize the heating systems of Russian cities. Russia's cold climate and the country's high level of urbanization require endless efforts to sustain the country's infrastructure, argues Georgi Derluguian, Russia expert and assistant professor at the Northwestern University, Chicago. Otherwise many urban centers, notably those located in Siberia, could be frozen, he said. (Inter Press Service) ******* #10 Russia Probes Church Anti-Semitism January 17, 2002 By ALEXEI VLADYKIN YEKATERINBURG, Russia (AP) - After years of complaints by a Jewish group, Russian prosecutors have opened a criminal inquiry into the sale of anti-Semitic texts by a Russian Orthodox Church diocese in the Ural Mountains region. The case marks a rare effort to prosecute anyone on charges of inciting religious intolerance in Russia, and is the first time federal authorities have challenged the country's majority church over alleged anti-Semitism. The inquiry began last month after prosecutors received a protest from 16 non-governmental organizations in the Sverdlovsk region. They objected to the Yekaterinburg diocese's sale of a book by a czarist-era priest, Sergei Nilus, and diocese newspapers containing allegedly anti-Semitic material. Church officials in Yekaterinburg have said Nilus' writings do not target Jews. The case was initiated by Mikhail Oshtrakh, founder of the Atikva Jewish cultural organization in Yekaterinburg, about 900 miles east of Moscow. ``Nilus openly calls Jews the Anti-Christ and enemies of Christianity. And believers take this literature as religious teaching, as doctrine,'' Oshtrakh said. Anti-Semitism was widespread in the former Soviet Union. There is no official anti-Semitism in today's Russia, but prejudices persist, and virulently anti-Semitic newspapers are sold by street vendors. Oshtrakh said law enforcement officials ignored dozens of appeals he and others filed over pamphlets and newspapers. But in November, Oshtrakh attended the Kremlin-organized Civic Forum in Moscow, where he found a sympathetic Kremlin official. Three weeks later, the Russian prosecutor-general's office opened a criminal case under statute 282 of the Criminal Code: incitement of ethnic, racial and religious hatred. Nilus' book was put out by an Orthodox Church publishing house in St. Petersburg and bore the blessing of a Russian archbishop. ``Nilus, a well-known Christian publicist, tried to warn his colleagues in the faith of a threatening, mortal danger and at the same time spoke of the impermissibility of seeing the entire Jewish people, misled by their rulers, as the enemy,'' said Boris Kosinsky, spokesman for the Yekaterinburg diocese. ``The calls to prohibit Nilus' book are more likely to have the opposite effect: Interest in it will grow.... We need to learn how to build ties between religions, to come to agreements, and not to appeal to the prosecutor as an arbitrator,'' he said. ******* #11 From: Keith Bush Subject: Dinner in honor of Prime Minister Kasyanov Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2002 The U.S.-Russia Business Council is pleased to announce a dinner in honor of MIKHAIL M. KASYANOV, PRIME MINISTER OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION You are invited to attend a dinner in honor of Mikhail Kasyanov, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation. This event, hosted by the U.S.-Russia Business Council, will take place on Thursday evening, January 31, at the Willard Inter-Continental Hotel, located at 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, in Washington, DC. Cocktails will begin at 6:00 p.m., followed by dinner at 7:00 p.m. In his speech to Council members, the Prime Minister is expected to discuss Russia's economic performance and outlook, and recent developments in U.S.-Russian relations. Mikhail Kasyanov was confirmed as Prime Minister by the Duma in May 2000. Prior to that, he served as First Deputy Prime Minister in the cabinet of Acting Prime Minister Putin (January 2000) and as Minister of Finance in the Stepashin cabinet (May 1999). From 1993 to 1999, he served as Russia's debt negotiator with the London and Paris Clubs of creditors. Registration is required. To obtain price and registration information for this event, please visit the Council's website at www.usrbc.org or contact Iwona Skrzypek at 202-739-9187 or skrzypek@usrbc.org. ******* #12 Moscow Tribune January 18, 2002 Modernist books under threat By Dmitry Polikarpov Several modern writers especially popular with young people may soon see their apartments packed with hundreds of their own books. This massive "coming home" is being planned by the pro-presidential youth movement "Iduschiye Vmeste" (Moving Together), famous for several actions held in support of President Vladimir Putin since 2000. Iduschiye Vmeste are famous for several actions held in support of President Vladimir Putin since 2000. "In recent years, a considerable part of classical literary heritage was forced out both of book stores and people's mind by a great amount of commercial and mass consumption writings," a statement by Iduschiye Vmeste said on Thursday, inviting people to return books by modern writers in exchange for a book by Russian classical writer Boris Vasiliev, which comprises three narratives covering WWII. The book was published by the activists especially for this occasion. The three main "targets" selected by Iduschiye Vmeste are Viktor Pelevin, Vladimir Sorokin, and Viktor Yerofeev. Pelevin, who became a literary icon for an entire generation of Russian youth in the late '90s, is mostly recognized for his one-time bestsellers Chapaev i Pustota (Chapaev and the Emptiness) and Pokolenie P (Generation P), while Sorokin is famous for his modernist novel Goluboye Salo (Blue Fat). Yerofeev, who belongs to the generation of the Soviet non-conformist writers of the '80s, became internationally known after publishing the novel Russkaya Krasavitsa (The Russian Beauty). The terms of the "exchange" allow the expansion of the list of books which can be returned, which means that several more popular commercial authors may suffer from the action. The "exchange", which will be launched on Jan. 21, will last seven days, during which those interested may go to one of over 30 exchange points around Moscow. All the returned books will be stamped "returned to the author" and will subsequently be sent to their respective authors. The purpose of this unprecedented action is to "make not only these writers, but also their colleagues think about what is going on with our literature and our culture." The most recent significant action sponsored by Iduschie Vmeste was the "subbotnik" (normally unpaid work performed collectively) held on the 84th anniversary of the Bolshevik revolution. Some 50,000 college students wearing identical aprons with the slogan "It is time for cleaning" collected garbage left by political rallies. The Putin supporters were carrying signs declaring, "It is time to tidy up the country" and "Together with the president." According to Vasily Yakemenko, leader of Iduschiye Vmeste, the action's main idea was to "get rid of the ideological rubbish and confront the chaos" that is still reigning in Russia. ******* #13 pravda.ru January 17, 2002 VASILY BUBNOV: AMERICANS WANT TO KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT OTHERS Starting today, January 17, 2002, the US Embassies are introducing a new regime for granting visas to the Russian citizens. The measure is designed for security guarantees after the Sept. 11 terror attacks. However, it looks as though security measures and human rights for Russians are quite incompatible with notions for the US authorities. According to the new regulations, between the ages of 16 to 45 years will have to fill in one more form in addition to the standard ones: they are to provide information about their parents and education institutions (where they studied or study now). Problems concerning political and religious views, participation in any public organizations, questions about employment for the last ten years, and about the employees will be in the form. Persons subject to the draft are to state their rank, military profession, any participation in military conflicts. If men know how to deal with radioactive, chemical, biological and explosive materials, they are to also mention this in the form. The innovation may also concern women, because additional information can be demanded from any person who arouses suspicion. Receiving visas from the US Embassy has become the subject of the day long ago. Russian citizens are more humiliated in the US Embassies than in the Embassies of other countries. Perhaps, Americans think that only bandits and terrorists, capable of doing much harm to the USA, live in Russia. There have been several cases when the personnel of the US Embassy had to deny the fact that Russians are required to undergo the procedure of skull measuring and eyeball scanning. However, what are the guarantees that the procedure will not be conducted in the future? Therefpre, it will be quite a problem for Russians who know how handle weapons of mass destruction to travel to the USA. And, moreover, more problems will be probably be created for Russia's Muslims: the USA may place them onto the black list as well. The introduction of the new rules for granting visas to Russian citizens looks very much like a division into black and white. And no wonder that most Russian people treat America without any sympathy at all. ******** #14 The Electronic Telegraph (UK) 15 January 2002 Bolshoi led a merry dance by 'pirate' tours By Marcus Warren in Moscow RUSSIA'S Bolshoi Theatre has declared war on "pirates" trying to capitalise on its international fame, suing two companies for allegedly billing concerts in Israel as tours by the Bolshoi ballet. The theatre, home to arguably the world's most famous ballet troupe, is demanding £360,000 in damages and the banning of the tours in question after their organisers both reportedly claimed to represent the real Bolshoi. Not only did the two companies use the Bolshoi name and logo, they even became embroiled in a row in the local press over which was more authentic, the Moscow Bolshoi complains. "With this trial we are determined to show that any illegal attempt to use the Bolshoi's trademark will be punished," Anatoly Iksanov, its director, told yesterday's Kommersant daily. Hearings in the case between the Bolshoi and the FM Production and Vichansky production opened in Israel over the weekend. The Bolshoi is also asking that the companies be forbidden from running any more tours in Israel. The alleged abuse of its copyright is only one of the problems suffered by the flagship of Russia's performing arts, along with decaying premises, financial worries, an ageing repertoire and high turnover of managing staff. Previous attempts to take legal action against companies "pirating" the Bolshoi name were abandoned on grounds of expense. Matters are complicated by the real Bolshoi's predilection for sending different official tours abroad to earn money, often with more than one in action in various countries at the same time. Dancers are also allowed on independent tours and to identify themselves as being from their world famous home theatre. But use of its logo in promoting their appearances is banned. The latest episode of alleged breach of copyright came to light when two rival companies began marketing rival "Bolshoi" tours starring Russian dancers to Israel less than a month apart. One even issued a statement signed by "the general manager of the Bolshoi Theatre" in which it denied all knowledge of the second series of performances. Mr Iksanov has not been placated by the withdrawal of the Bolshoi logo from advertising for one of the tours. "That's like a thief who says, 'Up until now I robbed you but from tomorrow I will stop; let's go our separate ways'," he told Kommersant. "We are not going to go our separate ways." ******** #15 Russia: Poor Fitness Of Conscripts Points To Public Health Crisis By Jeremy Bransten Russia's Defense Ministry says only 12 percent of young men eligible for military service last year were actually drafted into the military. Almost half of those who reported for service were turned away due to poor health, while others claimed exemptions. What effect is this having on the military and what are the reasons for such dramatic numbers? Prague, 17 January 2002 (RFE/RL) -- The semi-annual call-up of young men into the Russian armed forces, with its ever-shrinking pool of men fit for the draft, points to a looming problem for the military. But it has also focused attention on what appears to be a growing health crisis in Russia. Under Russia's current conscription law, young men are required to serve for two years in the army or three years in the navy upon reaching adulthood. The draft can be deferred or avoided by university study, and many teenage boys from better-off families with money or connections -- even if they do not gain admission into higher education -- can bribe their way out of military service. This means that young men from average-income or poor families -- with no special contacts -- are the ones who actually report to the draft commissions. And of those, 40 percent last year were rejected due to inadequate mental or physical health. That figure has more than doubled over the past 10 years, and Russian doctors agree that it indicates a crisis in the health of adolescents and raises serious questions about the failure of the system to ensure its citizens' health. Dr. Valentina Zvizdina is a specialist in childhood illnesses at the Moscow Institute of Child and Adolescent Hygiene. She tells RFE/RL: "We see a negative tendency, the worsening of the health of adolescents. This has been confirmed by all scientific and health institutes. It has been confirmed at the ministerial level, at various plenums and seminars. We see a continuing deterioration in the health of teenagers. And this doesn't concern just male conscripts but also girls. There are many reasons. Now the problem is, how to halt this process?" Zvizdina notes that it is important to pay attention to nutrition and exercise during adolescence, when the body undergoes rapid change, as well as to monitor chronic illnesses, which could grow worse in adult years. In Soviet times, 75 percent of schoolchildren received meals at school. Today, that number has shrunk to 25 percent. Zvizdina also says early diagnostic tools are woefully inadequate, since much of the Soviet-era medical system has been dismantled. After starting primary school, most children are no longer monitored regularly by pediatricians. For some young men, their first comprehensive medical check-up occurs at the draft commission, when they are already 18 years old. It is only at that point that conditions such as high blood pressure, poor physical fitness, and psychological disorders are discovered. Zvizdina says one of the most widespread problems is directly linked to poor nutrition. "Due to the current socioeconomic situation, we have seen a dramatic increase in the percentage of children with low body mass. And one of the factors for disqualification from military service is this diagnosis." Which is a lucky thing, because two years of service in the Russian military, according to human rights organizations, is only likely to further debilitate young recruits. The average pay for soldiers is the equivalent of just a few dollars a month, and malnutrition and alcohol and drug abuse are reported to be rife. According to the well-respected Organization of Soldiers' Mothers -- an NGO which documents conditions in the military -- more than 3,000 conscripts die annually as a result of brutal hazing, starvation, and other maltreatment. Getting back to the health problems affecting Russia's civilian population, Dr. Aleksandr Deyev, of Russia's National Center for Preventive Medicine, tells RFE/RL that the rise in overall poverty over the past decade has hit teenagers especially hard. "Thirty percent of the population lives below the poverty level, can you imagine? It's a big part of society. This has an enormous influence on adolescents. Never before have we had 1 million seriously neglected children and some 200,000 homeless children." New social factors such as drugs also play their part in the deteriorating health of Russia's youth. Dr. Zvizdina explains: "Psychotropic drug use among teenagers is increasing. I'm not even talking about real drug addiction, which earlier existed as a far less serious issue. Of course, military doctors in the draft commissions are encountering this problem. Earlier, it wasn't such an issue. And this imposes more limitations. It's an additional contingent of adolescents who also can't be drafted." Dr. Zvizdina says it is time for schools once again to pay more attention to the social and physical development of children, to ensure that the next generation of teenagers is healthier. "The only way out of this situation is to improve our medical system, especially early diagnosis of illnesses so that they can be treated long before call-up. If we just had the time to do this. The second thing is to conduct health programs in schools -- that is the place where children spend most of their time. We have to use this fact." While other European countries continue to see a steady improvement in the health of their citizens, Russia is going the other way. It is the only industrialized country in the world to register a decrease in life expectancy in the last decade -- especially among men. Dr. Deyev hopes that the alarming findings of the draft commissions may focus additional attention on the health problems facing not only young Russian men, but the male population in general. "Life expectancy for men is now 62 years, for women it's 74 years. That's a very big difference between men and women. I explain this by the fact that we have very high risk factors for men. They have a high incidence of early high blood pressure and alcohol abuse. According to our statistics, 14 percent of men abuse alcohol while for women it's only 1.5 percent. With smoking, the incidence is growing among women. But according to our data, no more than 20 percent of women smoke, but it's over 60 percent for men." Dr. Deyev says that at this rate, the Russian armed forces might soon have to be composed largely of women. ******* #16 strana.ru January 17, 2002 Russia Lining Up for Global Oil Dominance Again, Say Experts Export tariff cut points to new expansion By Michael Stedman World oil industry analysts forecast on Thursday that Russia's relations with the OPEC cartel were set to turn "downright nasty" after Kremlin moves to cut the oil export tariff by two-thirds, boosting expansion capacity of the country's oil giants. The move takes effect on February 1, setting Russian suppliers on a more aggressive course to foreign-asset acquisition plans, says a new report by U.S.-based global intelligence specialists Stratfor. Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov's approval for a new tariff of just $1.25 a barrel was near-certain, the experts believe, quoting other reports and Russia's Alfa investment bank saying this will give Russian firms about $150 million a month in extra income. This "should allow those companies to rapidly expand their operations at home and abroad," Stratfor says on its respected commentary website. "Increased oil production will lead to a stronger international presence for Russia both economically and politically, as well as damage the ability of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to function effectively." Production down to about six million barrels a day in 1998 was up to 7.1 million last year and year-on-year gains were now expected for the next decade, the analysts say. They noted three "underlying realities" behind the tariff cut. Lack of investment was the single largest barrier to sustained industry development and this was aggravated by a high tariff, their report says. It goes on to say that a lower tariff rate was a tool to ward off rival pipeline projects seeking to limit Russian involvement. "Three such pipelines - one from Azerbaijan to Georgia, one tapping Kazakhstan's Tengiz field and one heading south through Iran - have already entered operation. Russia needs to block the others for economic and political reasons." Russia also needed to drive up oil flow "both to improve revenue and make itself more valuable to Europe, as increased exports from Russia will allow European countries to decrease their dependence on OPEC," Stratfor commented. "Lower rates allow Russian firms to reinvest in their operations in order to ramp up production levels." Heavy investment by industry leader LUKoil in the Balkans and Kazakhstan, number two Yukos linking up two Central Europe pipeline networks allowing direct exports to the Adriatic and other firms active in the Baltic states, Central Asia and the Caucasus were cited as investment projects pointing the way ahead. "Russian President Vladimir Putin has proved time and again that he is a master of using such economic links to broaden Russia's foreign policy reach," the report authors say. "But the increase in Russia's oil production due to the lower tariff will have an even bigger global impact. If Saudi Arabia holds to OPEC's January 1 production cut of 1.5 million barrels a day, Moscow will emerge in 2002 as the world's largest oil producer, a title it has not held since the Soviet days." OPEC correctly feared Russia would turn its massive production capabilities into massive export capabilities, the analysts observed. ******* #17 Subject: Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst, 16 January 2002 Issue on Web Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2002 From: "Svante Cornell" PUBLICATION- Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst, 16 January 2002 Issue on Web The 16 January 2002 Issue of the Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst, a subscription free Web journal with over 93,000 visitors to the site since November 1999 is now on-line at http://www.cacianalyst.org/ The Central Asia-Caucasus Institute of The Johns Hopkins University-The Nitze School of Advanced International Studies is proud to announce the publication of the 16 January 2002 issue of its biweekly Web-Journal, The Central Asia- Caucasus Analyst. The Institute also offers its readers the option of downloading The Analyst in PDF format, enabling readers to view and print out the entire issue of The Analyst. The html version will, of course, remain available. The new issue of The CACI Analyst features four Analytical Articles, four Field Reports, and News Bites from the past fortnight. The Analytical Articles feature: CENTRAL ASIA’S NEW ROMANCE WITH THE WEST: A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN? Michael Denison The Pentagon may be scaling down its pursuit of Osama bin Laden after the defeat of the Taliban, but the U.S. military build-up in Central Asia is relentlessly accelerating. Interestingly, the leaders of the Central Asian republics seem to be falling over each other in their eagerness to accommodate Western forces. The Central Asian regimes have both common and different motives for encouraging US deployments. However, the cumulative effect of a long-term Western military presence in the region may be to engender deep insecurities in Russia and China whilst simultaneously placing security obligations on the West that it has little inclination or ability to discharge. IS PUTIN PREPARING THE GROUND FOR A “SOLUTION” TO THE CHECHEN ISSUE? Anna Jonsson In a December Financial Times interview, Vladimir Putin stated that the 1996 Khasavyurt agreement granted Chechnya de facto and probably also de jure independence. Putin claims that the war in Chechnya can hence not be termed a struggle for independence. Meanwhile, Moscow denies that official negotiations are taking place, although representatives of both sides are meeting regularly. And recently a Federal Law on the on ‘the Procedure of Acceptance and Formation of new Federal Subjects to the Russian Federation’ was adopted. Is Moscow trying to cut a deal with the separatists, trying to achieve a ‘voluntary’ accession of Chechnya to the Russian Federation? CENTRAL ASIANS LAUNCH ANOTHER REGIONAL ASSOCIATION Ariel Cohen The transformation of the Central Asian Economic Commonwealth into the Central Asian Cooperation (CAC) comes as regional cooperation is desperately needed in the broad array of issues, from national security to environmental protection. However, past performance, petty rivalries, and the lack of economic and trade expertise make the prognosis cautious for the newly created body at best. Lacking adequate budget and trained staff, the new organization may face a mountain of mandates and lack of resources – a well-known prescription for failure. A TALE OF TWO CAPITALS: TASHKENT AND WASHINGTON Stephen Blank By their respective attacks on the United States and the Northern Alliance in September, 2001, Al Qaeda and the Taliban hoped to oust their enemies from the Arab world and Afghanistan. Instead, paradoxically, they are in defeat and on the run, the Northern Alliance rules Afghanistan, and most importantly America has expanded and deepened its presence in the Muslim world. Nowhere is this new presence more visible than in Uzbekistan. THE FIELD REPORTS INCLUDE: HUSBAND’S PROMOTION CREATES CRISIS FOR GEORGIAN PARLIAMENTARY SPEAKER Georgia’s new parliament speaker Burdjanadze’s husband has been appointed deputy procurator general, prompting strong report from some of the new political factions in the country. The establishment defends the appointment, which leads to questions of how the new parliament actually works AZERBAIJAN MASS MEDIA LEGISLATION SIGNIFICANTLY LIBERALIZED Journalists had a difficult year in Azerbaijan, with numerous beatings, fines, and lawsuits. However, after an intervention by the President prompted by international attention to the plight of journalists, the mass media legislation was substantially improved in the country, making the President the ‘friend of the media’ of 2001 US SENATORS VISIT TAJIKISTAN, A FORMER HOTBED OF EXTREMISM The previously ignored Tajikistan is now the epicenter of the new zone of western attention. Tajikistan in fact was on the way to becoming the bridgehead of international terrorism some years ago, and many known terrorists were trained there. The situation has improved, but much remains to be done KYRGYZSTAN HOLDS LOCAL ELECTIONS Local elections were held on December 16 and 23 in Kyrgyzstan. International observers approved the elections on the whole, though opposition parties disagree, saying that pro-government candidates were favored in campaigning. While congratulating themselves on the conduct of elections, officials also stress the need to improve knowledge of the law among the public as well as candidates. The Analyst provides a rigorous, concise and nonpartisan forum where specialists can assess issues and events in the Central Asia-Caucasus region for a broad audience of business people, journalists, policy makers, government officials, diplomats and academics. The Analyst seeks regional specialists, journalists, economists, and political scientists to join its pool of authors who are then asked to contribute short, timely, analytical articles, ca. 800- 900 words in length. The institute pays a honorarium to the authors. The Analyst also seeks local experts, corporate representatives and NGO representatives from the region to write Field Reports for a modest honorarium. The Analyst provides factual, objective and analytical articles valuing fresh insights rather than the conventional wisdom. We welcome readers and writers from various perspectives and viewpoints. We value your comments and suggestions. Those interested in joining The Analyst's pool of authors to contribute articles, field reports or contacts of potential writers, please send your CV to: svante.cornell@pcr.uu.se and suggest some topics on which you would like to write. Please remember that The Analyst does not accept double submissions. ******* #18 The Globe and Mail (Canada) January 17, 2002 Russian bell makers ring up profits as religion returns During Soviet era most church bells were melted down to make industrial products By ALEXEI VLADYKIN Associated Press KAMENSK-URALSKY, RUSSIA -- On the November day back in 1982 when Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev was buried, priests say, the Kremlin ordered every church bell in the country to be rung in remembrance. It would not have been an impressive sound: Most of the bells were gone, victims of the Communist Party's long campaign against religion. With the religious revival since the Soviet Union broke apart a decade ago, bells are again in demand in Russia. A few enterprising metalworkers have stepped in to fill the market niche and the empty bell towers. As the bells ring out their melodious chimes, the bell makers ring up profits. Nikolai Pyatkov recalls being fascinated by an article he read about the history of bell-casting in a magazine in 1984. At the time, he and his younger brother, Viktor, worked as metal casters in a factory in the town of Kamensk-Uralsky, about 1,400 kilometres east of Moscow in the Ural Mountains. "I started to gather literature on the subject, and my brother and I tried to experiment with different moulds in a shed, but we were afraid to do it in the open," said Mr. Pyatkov, 42. Though some churches functioned during the Soviet era, many were torn down after the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. Others were destroyed in the Second World War, never to be restored. Even where churches were left standing, the bells were often removed. They were melted down to provide metal for power cables, tractor parts and other industrial items. By some estimates, 99 per cent of Russia's bells were destroyed in the Soviet era. In 1989, after restrictions on religion were relaxed, the Soviet Cultural Foundation printed an ad in a newspaper asking for help casting bells. The Pyatkovs offered their services. Today, their company employs eight people and produces bells for 50 to 60 churches around the country each year. Their rented premises have become a bit tight, so they've taken a $67,000 (U.S.) loan and begun work on their own factory. No matter how big the plant, church bells cannot be produced on an assembly line, since subtleties of size and shape determine a bell's tone. "A good sound from a bell depends, first of all, on the quality of bronze," Mr. Pyatkov said. "A strike of the clapper should produce a powerful sound followed by a long, velvety hum." In Russia, each parish has a unique, traditional melody, often associated with the history of the church or the town where it is located. When buying bells -- which vary in size from about 50 kilograms to 1.5 tonnes -- churches order specific combinations to recreate those melodies. On average, churches have 20 to 25 bells. The job of ringing the bells is often left to theological students or other volunteers. At the Cathedral of the Transfiguration in the nearby city of Yekaterinburg, the Russian Orthodox diocese is considering establishing a bell ringers' school to help preserve the proper technique. Despite the often joyous and lighthearted sounds of bells, producing them is not easy work. Sergei Dneprov, director of a Yekaterinburg bell company that competes with the Pyatkovs, recalls that one priest argued over the price. Mr. Dneprov, a historian who collects bell lore such as the Brezhnev story, took the priest to see the gas furnace in the casting shop. When his beard began to crackle from the heat, the priest gave in. "I can see it's hell's work," Mr. Dneprov quotes him as saying. "Give me the bill." *******