RIA Novosti presents what it sees as the most important political events of 2010.
The end of 2010 saw an outburst of ethnic conflicts. On December 11, an unauthorized rally organized by young extremists in Moscow’s Manezh Square led to unprecedented incidents of ethnic violence. The crowd chanted nationalist slogans and beat up dozens of people. The crowd’s outrage was incited by the murder of Spartak fan Yegor Sviridov.
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© RIA Novosti
This year saw a reform of Russia’s law enforcement system. There were a number of events involving the police that had far reaching repercussions. The most high-profile case, in which Major Denis Yevsyukov, head of the police department of Moscow’s Tsaritsyno district, shot at shoppers and killed two people at a Moscow supermarket, has compelled the government to address problems in the Interior Ministry.
Two major disputes that were resolved in December have caused a rift between the residents of St. Petersburg and the Moscow Region: The intended site for the Okhta Center skyscraper was relocated, and it was confirmed that the Moscow-St. Petersburg highway will cross through the Khimki Forest as planned, although with a greater consideration of environmental factors.
It has been a landmark year in Russian-Polish relations, which were marked by a major improvement. Katyn, which used to be a stumbling block in the two countries’ relations, unexpectedly became a force bringing the two closer together. Polish President Lech Kaczynski, who was flying to Katyn to attend a commemoration ceremony, was killed in a plane crash along with a Polish delegation after the Tupolev Tu-154 plane carrying him hit treetops while trying to land in foggy weather. Russia was quick to respond to Poland’s tragedy. President Dmitry Medvedev addressed the Polish people to express his condolences and compassion. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin arrived on the site of the crash only hours after it happened. And Russian specialists did everything possible to support the investigation of the accident.
Russia lost former prime minister Viktor Chernomyrdin this year. An outstanding Russian politician, who headed the country’s government from 1992 to 1999 and was Russia’s ambassador to Ukraine and presidential adviser on economic cooperation with CIS member states, Chernomyrdin died late on November 3 at the age of 73.
Russia’s political system has also undergone changes this year. They were initiated by President Dmitry Medvedev, who is known for his advocacy of the step-by-step reform of political institutions. The State Duma, the Russian parliament’s lower house, passed a package of bills drafted by the president in 2009 and 2010 early in its fall session. The bills stipulate equal access for all political parties to federal and regional media, streamline procedures for early voting and absentee voting, and introduce criminal punishment for tampering with absentee ballots. One of the bills cuts the number of voter signatures required for a party to qualify for a parliamentary election.
On November 1, the Russian president visited Kunashir, the southernmost island of the Kuril Islands. It was the first time that a Russian leader had visited the Kurils, the islands have been disputed by Russia and Japan since 1945 and are the factor preventing Moscow and Tokyo from signing a WWII peace treaty. Japan claims four of the islands – Iturup, Kunashir, Shikotan and Habomai referring to the 1855 Treaty of Shimoda which first established official relations between Russia and Japan.
This year also brought changes to Russian-Ukrainian relations, which primarily stemmed from the election of Viktor Yanukovych as president of Ukraine. This has enabled Moscow to restore a constructive dialogue with Kiev that was suspended last summer.
President Dmitry Medvedev announced plans for economic modernization as well as renewal of Russia’s ranks of regional governors. The dismissal of Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov was his most high-profile personnel decision this year. Luzhkov was fired over “a loss of confidence.”
In January 2010, Medvedev announced his decision to form the eighth federal district, which would comprise all the regions of the North Caucasus, and appoint Krasnoyarsk Territory Governor Alexander Khloponin his envoy to the region and deputy prime minister.
