Logistical Nightmares

World Bank Experts Say Businesses Still Face a Logistics Nightmare in Russia

By Tai Adelaja

Despite the government's best efforts, Russian logistics services continue to be slow, bureaucratic and unpredictable, a new World Bank report has found. The quality of Russia's trade and transport related infrastructure is subpar even when compared to infrastructural facilities in other former Soviet states, according to the bank's Logistics Performance Index report published on Friday. Russia not only received declining scores in the survey's “ease of arranging competitively priced shipments to international markets” category, but also ranks low in the ability to track and trace such consignments or confirm whether shipments reach their destination.

On a Personal Note

Editorial Comment by Russia Profile Staff

Russia Profile brings you some of the best analysis on top stories in Russia today. But there’s always more behind them. Each Friday, our writers provide their own take on the news, offering unique commentary to put events into a different perspective. This week, Dan Peleschuk probes the Russian opposition's changing tactics, and Tai Adelaja explains the Russian government's strategy to contain the Eurozone crisis.

Russia Profile Weekly Experts Panel: Medvedev’s Legacy as President

Introduced by Vladimir Frolov

Now that Dmitry Medvedev has handed over power to his friend Vladimir Putin and has taken his place at the helm of the Russian government as prime minister, it’s time to take stock of his one-term presidency and his historic legacy. Will he go down in history as a great visionary, or a weak and pretentious leader who provided liberal political cover to perpetuate the personal-cult regime of Vladimir Putin? Has Medvedev been a genuine modernizer or was he simply faking modernization to let the steam out? Was he ever president?

Migration Migraine

The Kremlin Moves to Curb the Flow of Unskilled Workers That Some Say Has Been Undermining the Russian Economy

By Tai Adelaja

While Russia's newly inaugurated President Vladimir Putin may be facing a myriad of complex issues, ranging from the brain drain to unfavorable demographics, he has, for the time being, zeroed in on fixing the country's broken immigration policy. In one of his sweeping executive orders issued on Monday, Putin said federal and regional authorities must introduce mandatory testing for migrant workers in subjects like the Russian language, Russian history and the basics of Russian legislation. Highly qualified foreign workers will be exempt from the tests, which Putin said must take off by November 2012 at the latest. Putin also instructed the Russian government to prepare draft laws that will toughen punishments for violating Russia’s immigration laws and submit them before December 2012.

Putin it Pragmatically

Russia's Newly Inaugurated President Vladimir Putin Gives Some Insights Into His Long-Term Economic Policy

By Tai Adelaja

Hours after he took the oath of office on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a raft of decrees sure to set him apart from his predecessor and project his image as an active, energetic and business-like leader. Putin, who has promised to continue the modernization and business-friendly policies of former President Dmitry Medvedev, spent the rest of his inauguration day approving an unwieldy list of economic and social policies. Part of the measures decreed by the once-again president would improve the country’s business climate, while others, like wage increases, could punch holes in the budget, analysts say.

Third Term, Second Wind

Putin is Inaugurated as Russia’s Opposition Finds Its Second Wind

By Andrew Roth

In the span of one day, Moscow went from the brutality of violent, massive street clashes between young, mostly male protesters and riot police to the pomp and circumstance of Vladimir Putin’s inauguration, held in the gilded Kremlin State Palace.