POLITICS
Freedom House advised the White House to take a harder line with Russia and give up the “reset” policy as the US human rights organization believes the course pursued by Russian President Vladimir Putin means the country would abandon liberal reforms.
(Kommersant)
The ruling United Russia party received nearly 932 million rubles ($30.8 million) from the Russian budget in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to a report by the Central Election Commission. Its closest rival, the Communist Party, received 362 million rubles ($11.9 million) from the budget in the period.
(Kommersant)
Eleven prominent rights groups have sent a complaint against Russia’s so-called foreign agent law, which targets NGOs engaged in political activities, to the European Court of Human Rights. The organizations argued that the legislation violates the Constitution and fundamental human rights.
(The Moscow Times)
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rejected direct talks on the Iranian nuclear program with the United States. Unless he changes his position, the talks will never be held.
(Kommersant)
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Six months of Russia’s WTO membership have shown: the country is not yet ready to play by the global trade body’s rules.
(Vedomosti)
The countrywide celebrations marking the one-year countdown to the start of the Winter Olympics in Sochi were overshadowed by a high-profile dismissal at the Russian Olympic Committee. President Vladimir Putin fired the committee's deputy president, Akhmed Bilalov, because of skyrocketing construction costs and delays.
(Kommersant, The Moscow Times)
The nominal value of Russia’s state property totals 12 trillion rubles [$396.9 billion], and its market value is 100 trillion rubles [$3.3 trillion].
(Vedomosti)
DEFENSE
Japan scrambled four fighter jets to intercept two Russian fighters it said invaded Japanese airspace near Russia's Kuril Islands for about 11 seconds, as Japan celebrated a national day of commemoration calling for the return of the disputed archipelago seized in World War II to the Japanese.
(The Moscow Times)
SOCIETY
Moscow’s authorities are evicting illegal migrants. The migration service, police and prosecutors have held several raids in the past few days.
(Rossiiskaya Gazeta)
Investigators raided the apartment of Vladimir Ashurkov, director of the Foundation for Fighting Corruption and an anti-Kremlin activist, in connection with a criminal case against opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
(The Moscow Times)
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