Country profile: Russia
Story from BBC NEWS:
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Published: 2009/04/16 10:52:29 GMT
Russia is once again flexing its muscles as an international power,
after the decade of economic pain and political instability that
followed the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
A new political order is in place and the economy has recovered and
grown since the collapse of 1998, fuelled by income from Russia’s vast
natural resources, not least in oil and gas. The state-run gas monopoly
Gazprom is the world’s largest producer and exporter, and supplies a
growing share of Europe’s needs.
Spanning 11 time zones, Russia is the largest country on earth in terms
of surface area, although large tracts in the north and east are
inhospitable and sparsely populated.
The country impresses with its diversity and size. This vast Eurasian
land mass covers more than 17m sq km, with a climate ranging from the
Arctic north to the generally temperate south.
In the privatisation years of the 1990s Russia provided entrepreneurs
with the potential for rich pickings. A small number of them, often
referred to as oligarchs, acquired vast interests in the energy and
media sectors.
Some analysts believed that the then president, Boris Yeltsin, allowed
their influence to extend too far into the political field but his
successor, Vladimir Putin, soon made it clear that there was no
question of that with him in charge.
Some oligarchs found themselves facing criminal investigation and one
or two household names felt it necessary to leave Russia.
One of them, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former head of the Yukos oil
company, is now serving eight years in a Siberian penal colony having
been convicted on tax and fraud charges.
He had not confined his activities to business but had let his support
for liberal politics be known. Yukos’s assets were later acquired by
the state owned oil giant, Rosneft.
Russia resurgent
During Vladimir Putin’s presidency, Russia recovered from the loss of
confidence that had affected the country since the break-up of the
Soviet Union and acquired a renewed sense of national pride, bolstered
by a booming economy and an assertive foreign policy.
In keeping with Russia’s sense of itself as a major world power, it has
not been slow to take action when it perceives its interests to be at
threat, even when such action appears to place it on a collision course
with the West.
Moves by states that previously formed part of the Soviet Union to
forge stronger links with the US and the EU have been regarded with
dismay by the Kremlin, which has responded by encouraging separatist
tendencies within those countries.
In August 2008, a protracted row over two Georgian breakaway regions
escalated into a military conflict between Russia and Georgia. Russia
sent troops into Georgia and declared that it was recognising the
independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, sparking angry reactions in
the West and giving rise to fears that a new Cold War was under way.
At the same time, Moscow was angered by a US plan to develop an
anti-missile system in Eastern Europe, and said it may respond by
pointing its own missiles at the defence shield installations.
Another source of irritation between Russia and the US is Moscow’s role
in Iran’s nuclear energy programme. Russia agreed in 2005 to supply
fuel for Iran’s Bushehr nuclear reactor and has been reluctant to
support the imposition of UN sanctions on Iran.
Russia’s economic power lies in its key natural resources – oil and
gas. The energy giant Gazprom is controversially close to the Russian
state and critics say it is little more than an economic and political
tool of the Kremlin.
At a time of increased concern over energy security, Moscow has more
than once reminded the rest of the world of the power it wields as a
major energy supplier. In 2006, it cut gas to Ukraine after a row
between the countries, a move that also affected the supply of gas to
Western Europe
Ethnic and religious divisions
While Russians make up more than 80% of the population and Orthodox
Christianity is the main religion, there are many other ethnic and
religious groups. Muslims are concentrated among the Volga Tatars and
the Bashkirs and in the North Caucasus.
The turbulent southern republic of Chechnya has long been a thorn in
Russia’s side. Many thousands have died since Russian troops were first
sent in to put down a separatist rebellion in 1994.
Moscow is convinced that any loosening of its grip on Chechnya would
result in the whole of the North Caucasus becoming a hotbed of
lawlessness and Islamic militancy, and to prevent this from happening
it maintains large numbers of troops there.
Russian forces in Chechnya have been accused by human rights groups of
committing widespread abuses against the general population. However,
the Kremlin faced less criticism from the West over its actions in
Chechnya in the aftermath of the 11 September attacks on the US.
Since then, Moscow has presented its war against Chechen separatism as
part of the global war against international terrorism. It insists that
its hard-line policies there are working and that peace is returning.
In fact, in 2009 the Russian authorities felt sufficiently confident
about the situation in Chechnya to call a formal end to the military
operation against the rebels.
Full name: Russian Federation
Population: 142.8 million (UN, 2008)
Capital: Moscow
Area: 17 million sq km (6.6 million sq miles)
Major language: Russian
Major religions: Christianity, Islam
Life expectancy: 59 years (men), 73 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 rouble = 100 kopecks
Main exports: Oil and oil products, natural gas, wood and wood
products, metals, chemicals, weapons and military equipment
GNI per capita: US $7,560 (World Bank, 2007)
Internet domain: .ru
International dialling code: +7
President: Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev
Dmitry Medvedev was sworn in as president in May 2008, taking office as
Russia’s third president since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The chosen successor of former president Vladimir Putin, Mr Medvedev
won just over 70% of the vote in presidential elections held in March.
He conducted a fairly low-key campaign, but received generous media
coverage and was always the clear favourite to win.
As his victory became clear he said that he hoped to work with Mr Putin
as his prime minister to improve the quality of life for Russians.
He also said there would be little change in Russia’s foreign policy.
In August 2008, he showed that he was determined to maintain the
assertive stance set by his mentor when, in the wake of the conflict
between Russia and Georgia, he declared that Russia did not want a new
Cold War but was not afraid of one either.
However, a more liberal side has also been evident. In April 2009, he
said in an interview with one of the last media outlets critical of the
Kremlin, the Novaya Gazeta daily, that democracy should not be
compromised for the sake of prosperity.
Dmitriy Medvedev is 42 and has been associated with Vladimir Putin
since the early 1990s when they were both involved in politics in St
Petersburg.
Mr Medvedev is a lawyer by training and managed Mr Putin’s presidential
election campaign in 2000.
He subsequently worked as chairman of Gazprom and as first deputy prime
minister in charge of social programmes.
Prime Minister: Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin
Former president Vladimir Putin was confirmed as Russia’s new prime
minister on 8 May 2008, one day after his protege Dmitry Medvedev was
sworn in as president.
Mr Putin’s unprecedented move from the Kremlin to the premiership
completed a carefully staged transition which will ensure he remains at
the heart of power.
As prime minister, he has promised to curb inflation, cut taxes and
boost social spending. Mr Medvedev has said his political mentor will
play a "key role" in shaping the country’s development over the next
decade.
Mr Putin was barred by the constitution from running for a third
presidential term in the elections of March 2008.
He was elected to a second term as Russian president by a landslide in
March 2004 with around 70% of the vote. His nearest rival, the
Communist candidate, mustered 14%.
Vladimir Putin, who was born in St Petersburg in 1952, started his
career in the ranks of the KGB. From 1990 he worked in the St
Petersburg administration, before moving to Moscow in 1996. By August
1999 he was prime minister.
He was named acting president by his predecessor, Boris Yeltsin, who
introduced him as the man who could "unite around himself those who
will revive Great Russia".
He went on to win presidential elections in May 2000, having gained
widespread popularity for his pledge to take a tough line against
Chechen rebels.
Russian TV broadcasting is dominated by channels that are either run
directly by the state or owned by companies with close links to the
Kremlin. The government controls Channel One and Russia TV – two of the
three main federal channels – while state-controlled energy giant
Gazprom owns NTV. Critics say independent reporting has suffered as a
result.
For most Russians, television, especially via the national networks, is
the main source of domestic and international news.
The broadcasting market is very competitive; state-owned or influenced
TV networks attract the biggest audiences. Hundreds of radio stations
crowd the dial; state-run networks compete with music-based commercial
FM stations.
An English-language satellite channel, Russia Today, was launched in
late 2005. The news-based station is funded by the Kremlin and aims to
present "global news from a Russian perspective".
There are more than 400 daily newspapers, catering for every taste and
persuasion. The major nationals are based in Moscow, but many readers
in the regions prefer to take local papers. Several influential dailies
have been bought by companies with close links to the Kremlin.
The conflict in Chechnya has been blamed for government attacks on
press freedom. Journalists have been killed in Chechnya while others
have disappeared or have been abducted.
In Moscow and elsewhere journalists have been harassed or physically
abused. Reporters investigating the affairs of the political and
corporate elite are said to be particularly at risk.
Media rights organisation Reporters Without Borders has expressed
concern at "the absence of pluralism in news and information, an
intensifying crackdown against journalists… and the drastic state of
press freedom in Chechnya".
Around 30 million Russians use the internet (Internet World Stats,
2007).
The press
Komsomolskaya Pravda – mass circulation, left-leaning daily, controlled
by energy group YeSN
Kommersant – daily, business-orientated, controlled by steel tycoon
Alisher Usmanov
Moskovsky Komsomolets – popular privately-owned Moscow daily
Izvestia – popular daily, owned by state-run gas monopoly Gazprom
Rossiyskaya Gazeta – government-owned daily
Nezavisimaya Gazeta – influential privately-owned daily
Trud – left-leaning daily, owned by Promsvyazbank
Argumenty i Fakty – popular weekly, owned by Promsvyazbank
Novaya Gazeta – twice-weekly, known for its investigative journalism;
English-language pages
The Moscow Times – English-language daily
The Moscow News – English-language weekly
Television
Russia TV Channel – national network, run by state-owned Russian State
Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK)
Channel One – national network, 51% owned by state, 49% by private
shareholders
NTV – national network, owned by state-run Gazprom
Centre TV – owned by Moscow city government
Ren TV – Moscow-based commercial station with strong regional network
Russia Today – state-funded, international English-language news
channel, via satellite
Radio
Radio Russia – national network run by state-owned Russian State
Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (VGTRK)
Ekho Moskvy – editorially-independent station, majority owned by
state-run Gazprom
Radio Mayak – state-run national network
Russkoye Radio – major private network, music-based
Voice of Russia – state-run external service, broadcasts in English and
other languages
News agencies
Itar-Tass – state-owned, pages in English
RIA-Novosti – state-owned, pages in English
Interfax – private, pages in English