10 ways Russia has changed [Archive]

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CurlyDarling

12-28-2009, 08:04 PM

After the naughty Nineties - a decade that saw the extremes of decadence and poverty - Russia entered the new millennium with a new leader, troubles from bargain-basement energy prices and a vicious war in Chechnya.

But 10 years on - even though corruption and bureaucracy are still with us - the wheels of progress have barrelled along, oiled by an influx of petrodollars.

From snack food to sports stars, sobriety to Swedish furniture, The Moscow News takes a light-hearted look back at the noughties.

So a drum roll, maestro, please ...

No. 10: Sushi culture

In Sep. 1999, Planeta Sushi opened its first Moscow outlet on Triumfalnaya Ploshchad. By the end of 2009, every man in the city understands that far from plying his date with drink and promising her jewels, the dating game is played with chopsticks, wasabi and a strong piscine flavour.
Eating out in Moscow no longer means borsch and black bread.

No. 9: Clothes horses to champions

Anna Kournikova may have transformed the image of Russian sportswomen from steroid-fuelled shot-putters to busty blondes - but she looked more at home on the catwalk than the tennis court. Then the likes of Anastasia Myskina, Maria Sharapova, Elena Dementieva and Svetlana Kuznetsova won Grand Slams and Dinara Safina topped the world. CSKA and Zenit won the UEFA Cup, the national hockey team claimed back-to-back World Championships and Russia's footballers were the surprise stars of Euro 2008.

No. 8: Eurovision goes East

In the 1990s Russia's scores at Eurovision were so low it was twice disqualified from entering, but Dima Bilan's 2008 winning entry, "Believe", proved that Slavic songs were the way forward. Bilan, backed by a quick routine from Olympic figure skating champ Yevgeny Plushchenko, won in Belgrade after Serbia followed Ukraine (2004), Latvia (2002) and Estonia (2001) in bringing the contest behind the old Iron Curtain.

No. 7: Clowning around

Ultranationalist politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky began the decade as the man the West loved to fear. From brawling in parliament to threatening to reunite the USSR, he became the poster boy for "Bad Russia". By 2009, far from trading punches, he was exchanging notes with contestants on TV singing show "Two Stars", and playing the pundit at Eurovision.

No. 6: Bread and circuses

Bland, professionally-packaged entertainment shows fill Russia's airwaves around the clock these days - and references to Vladimir Putin are carefully removed from South Park before it screens here. But a decade ago satirical puppet show "Kukly" had no fears about mocking the Kremlin, while independent broadcasters were more than a liberal pipedream.

CurlyDarling

12-28-2009, 08:04 PM

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28/12/2009 | Moscow News №50 2009
10 ways Russia has changed
> print version
Andy Potts

After the naughty Nineties - a decade that saw the extremes of decadence and poverty - Russia entered the new millennium with a new leader, troubles from bargain-basement energy prices and a vicious war in Chechnya.

But 10 years on - even though corruption and bureaucracy are still with us - the wheels of progress have barrelled along, oiled by an influx of petrodollars.

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From snack food to sports stars, sobriety to Swedish furniture, The Moscow News takes a light-hearted look back at the noughties.

So a drum roll, maestro, please ...

No. 10: Sushi culture

In Sep. 1999, Planeta Sushi opened its first Moscow outlet on Triumfalnaya Ploshchad. By the end of 2009, every man in the city understands that far from plying his date with drink and promising her jewels, the dating game is played with chopsticks, wasabi and a strong piscine flavour.
Eating out in Moscow no longer means borsch and black bread.

No. 9: Clothes horses to champions

Anna Kournikova may have transformed the image of Russian sportswomen from steroid-fuelled shot-putters to busty blondes - but she looked more at home on the catwalk than the tennis court. Then the likes of Anastasia Myskina, Maria Sharapova, Elena Dementieva and Svetlana Kuznetsova won Grand Slams and Dinara Safina topped the world. CSKA and Zenit won the UEFA Cup, the national hockey team claimed back-to-back World Championships and Russia's footballers were the surprise stars of Euro 2008.

No. 8: Eurovision goes East

In the 1990s Russia's scores at Eurovision were so low it was twice disqualified from entering, but Dima Bilan's 2008 winning entry, "Believe", proved that Slavic songs were the way forward. Bilan, backed by a quick routine from Olympic figure skating champ Yevgeny Plushchenko, won in Belgrade after Serbia followed Ukraine (2004), Latvia (2002) and Estonia (2001) in bringing the contest behind the old Iron Curtain.

No. 7: Clowning around

Ultranationalist politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky began the decade as the man the West loved to fear. From brawling in parliament to threatening to reunite the USSR, he became the poster boy for "Bad Russia". By 2009, far from trading punches, he was exchanging notes with contestants on TV singing show "Two Stars", and playing the pundit at Eurovision.

No. 6: Bread and circuses

Bland, professionally-packaged entertainment shows fill Russia's airwaves around the clock these days - and references to Vladimir Putin are carefully removed from South Park before it screens here. But a decade ago satirical puppet show "Kukly" had no fears about mocking the Kremlin, while independent broadcasters were more than a liberal pipedream.

No. 5: Political sobriety

A blotto Boris Yeltsin trying to conduct a police orchestra on a 1994 visit to Germany summed up the old decade's descent into anarchy. Ten years after Yeltsin stood down, the current president, Dmitry Medvedev, has yet to skip an official engagement with a hangover and is leading a prominent anti-booze crackdown. Even when visiting a bar to watch the Russian football team on TV, he stuck to cola and tea.

No. 4: Humbled oligarchs

Boris Berezovsky was once the power behind the Kremlin throne, rumoured to have aided Vladimir Putin's rise to the presidency. Today he is persona non grata in Russia, while the likes of Mikhail Prokhorov and Oleg Deripaska lead the rich list - at least on paper. At least Boris can console himself in his Surrey stately home, unlike Mikhail Khordokovsky. The former Yukos chief enjoys less palatial Siberian accommodation these days.

No. 3: Military muscle

When NATO's bombs rained down on Serbia in 1999, Russia stamped its feet impotently on the sidelines. But after the military got its mojo back, sabre-rattling with long-range bomber patrols got serious when Moscow's forces made a swift and decisive intervention in the South Ossetian conflict of August 2008.

No. 2: Middle-class more-ality

The natural habitat of Europe's middle class, an IKEA furniture store, first appeared here in March 2000 - and as the new wealth of Russia trickled down Mega Khimki played a key role in luring ever-growing numbers of 4x4s into the Leningradka gridlock. Meanwhile, after decades of holidaying on the Black Sea, Russians begin a travel stampede to the Red Sea and Antalya - or anywhere else that has sun, sand and a liberal visa regime.

No. 1: Driven by oil

When oil cost $12 a barrel in 1999, Russia's economy spluttered like a rickety Lada in a Siberian snowstorm. By the time it maxed out at $145+, the nation's finances purred like an oligarch's Ferrari on a scenic Swiss road. The aftershock of the crisis slammed the brakes on an orgy of consumption - but Russia is now back in the driver's seat after a surge to around $70

Andy Pott
Moscow News

Lucker

12-28-2009, 09:28 PM

[QUOTE=CurlyDarling;129263]Feature
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No. 3: Military muscle

When NATO's bombs rained down on Serbia in 1999, Russia stamped its feet impotently on the sidelines. But after the military got its mojo back, sabre-rattling with long-range bomber patrols got serious when Moscow's forces made a swift and decisive intervention in the South Ossetian conflict of August 2008.

You have got to giggle hysterically when you read this .
Russia's performance was so awful that , as a result , the whole basis of running the Red Army has been totally revised at the specific behest of Putin and Medvedev .
What have you been shown on TV ?
For two days the Georgians ran rings reound the Red army and the Georgian drones pulled Russian aircraft down like dying flies .
Only the Cyber warfare which immobilised the Georgian effort brought matters back to "normality" .
Everything is in the public domain and your supreme General was sacked as the sacrificial lamb .

yankee

12-29-2009, 12:48 PM

Lucker

12-29-2009, 06:04 PM

[QUOTE=ramonrive;129281]

As I recall, the West stomped thier feet impotently when Russia defended South Ossentia in the conflict with Georgia.

I am sure your script is tremendous in Bruce Willis Land .
However the real world of strategic and diplomatic priorities is very different .
Firstly , the West and the US did not care less about the fate of South Ossetia per se .It is a totally uneconomic small enclave that has no industry of any worthwhile significance other than smuggling . It will now cost Russia many millions to rebuild and subsidise , but its only real value is the Roki Pass -- the only way through the Caucasus in that area .
Next , but on the other hand . The US and the West needed Georgia because it is a portal to and from the Caspian sea and its riches .
Putin was told clearly by Bush to get out of Georgia itself once their rampaging in Gori and Poti got out of hand and it looked as though they were going into Tiblisi . What exactlt was said is not known but if you look at events dispassionately you will see that the famous phone call was the beginning of the end of the skirmish .
The US wanted access over Russian soil to ferry into Afghanista. By leaving Russia to blow its own foot off , the US later got exactly what it wanted -- current position .
Also , the US and West wanted to stop Russia supporting Iran in a variety of ways .This has been achieved , though Russia shot itself in the foot again by not containing the arms shipment on the Arctic Sea before the special Israeli troops sorted out matters in Kalingrad .
My comments about the Russian army performance are the very sentiments expressed by the Kremlin and every word in my previous Post is fact and not opinion .
As for the causes of the skirmish itself . Apart from the intimidations over many months , the diaries of Russian troops show without any doubt that they began moving through the Roki Paas on August 7th which was what actually caused Mikheil the Brave to retaliate .
You won't find that in the official report but that is what happened . It simply suited the West and the US to back off i9n certain areas in order to win huge concessions in others .
Real Politics is as complex as Quantum theory which also cannot be learned in a few minutes .
LOL