Moscow Times: Prosecutors Investigate Altai Hunt [2009]

Prosecutors Investigate Altai Hunt 06 May 2009/The Moscow Times Prosecutors said Tuesday that they have opened an investigation into senior federal and regional officials purportedly hunting illegally from a helicopter in January when the aircraft crashed in the Altai region, killing seven. The four survivors of the Jan. 9 crash, in which the Kremlin’s envoy…

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Rosprirodnadzor finally acts on the helicopter crash…sort of [2009]

It looks like we finally have a bit of action by the federal government on the helicopter crash/poaching incident, albeit not all we could have hoped for. I don’t have time for lengthy exact translation today – maybe the Moscow Times will help us out overnight. Quick rundown/rough translation of the first article below my…

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Wind power and raptors [2022]

Eastern imperial eagle (photo by I. Karyakin)

The connection between wind power and raptors is surprisingly complex. Wind power generation stations, or “farms”, offer renewable, low-pollution energy and are an important tool for combating the climate crisis.  However, these wind farms have a number of environmental consequences, including killing an estimated 681,000 birds/year in the United States alone in 2021. Given the…

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Pipeline reprieve & other goings-on [2011]

Looking toward snowy, cloud-covered mountains across a verdant valley crossed by river

June 10th came and went in Russia without a signed deal for the proposed Altai Gas Pipeline. Following a month of optimistic Gazprom and government announcements saying the deal would be finalized by today, this past week saw fairly diverse coverage of the issue, with some sources saying it was a sure deal, some naysayers,…

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Interesting op-ed on ethnic autonomies in Russia [2009]

Existing Federal System Said a Threat to Rights of All Russia’s Citizens 05 May 2009 By Paul Goble / Special to The Moscow Times The existing system of ethnic autonomies in the Russian Federation — including both republics, such as Tatarstan, and autonomous districts, such as Chukotka — “violates the civil rights” of all Russian…

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