Feed Them and Beat Them: Homeless in Moscow

By Alexey Eremenko

RIA Novosti

“I don’t understand opera, but I like jazz,” Mikhail says as he trudges toward the bus. “Baroque jazz, and cosmic jazz, you know? They’ve got synthesizers and everything.” You wouldn’t peg Mikhail for a jazz aficionado if you met him at Moscow’s Paveletsky train station, lining up for free food in his worn black jacket that all men sport here along with the other homeless. He really came to ask charity volunteers for 600 rubles ($20) for a ticket home. He is visibly relieved to receive the modest sum and chats incessantly in the ticket line. The mood only changes once, when Mikhail asks with an inward look: “You ever begged in the streets? It’s hard. It’s not for everyone.” “Since 2009, the city has been running Social Patrol, a set of mobile teams of medics and psychologists who reach out to the homeless.”

Who Cares?

By Jessica Van Slyke

Special to Russia Profile

There has been much talk among Russia’s governmental bodies on the reform and innovation of Russia’s healthcare system as part of the government’s “Strategy 2020” to modernize Russia. Everyone agrees that Russia’s healthcare is in distress, but many doubt that Russia can modernize the system by the self-imposed deadline due to corruption, inefficient bureaucracy and a lack of funds.

The Power of Prayer

By Dan Peleschuk

Russia Profile

Tens of thousands of Russian Orthodox believers gathered in central Moscow on Sunday to join in a mass prayer service aimed at “defending the faith” from what the church perceives to be an attack from blasphemous sources. The service was a response to the recent scandal over punk rockers “Pussy Riot” and their scathing performance in Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral, as well as other recent instances of anti-religious sentiment. But the event also reflected the church’s mobilization power in a country where church-state relations are often dubiously indistinguishable.

Viewers Like You

By Andrew Roth

Russia Profile

President Dmitry Medvedev’s call for a new public television platform last December conjured visions of a Russian BBC for the country’s liberals. Yet worries are now growing that the president’s control over the new television station could prevent it from broadcasting opinions critical of the government. Medvedev has maintained that the new station will be the freest television channel in Russia. But like a number of other liberal initiatives that Medvedev has undertaken in the waning days of his presidency, the television station is increasingly being seen as a half-measure meant to mollify the public.

It Takes a Murder

By Dan Peleschuk

Russia Profile

The recent murder of a prominent Muslim activist has sent ripples of fear throughout Moscow’s Muslim community, offering a reminder that Russia remains plagued by ethnically motivated killings. Yet the slaying reveals several, perhaps borderline optimistic, forecasts for minority life in Moscow. Observers point to the marked decrease in hate crime, a result of better police work, and the outpouring of public grief, matched by the authorities’ sympathy, as signs that ethnic tensions in Russia may be less grim than they often seem.

Traveling Sober

By Tai Adelaja

Russia Profile

Russia's love for booze took another hit this week, as the government moved to ban the sale of strong alcoholic beverages on passenger trains. A new regulation that took effect last month outlawed the sale of strong alcoholic beverages at catering facilities located in public transport and commuter trains, as well as on trains plying long distance routes. Experts say the measure, which is being touted by transportation officials as part of a radical overhaul of rail travel, would deny Russians the right to drink vodka while traveling, a favorite pastime for many since the Soviet times.

As Weak as the Weakest Link

By Rosemary Griffin

Special to Russia Profile

After eight years of Putin’s presidency and four more years of his rule as prime minister, are Russia’s homeless better cared for, its children any safer, or its troubled more likely to receive help?

Trust Nobody

Comment by Alexei Varlamov

Special to Russia Profile