They did not understand and failed to learn anything
Eugenia Dillendorf, member of the YABLOKO party, Press Secretary of Grigory Yavlinsky, Special for the web-site, May 4, 2004
The elections are over, as is the flow of black PR, lies and dirt. The author of an article published in Moskovskiye Novosti Elena Dikun, until recently the Press Secretary of the Union of Right-Wing Forces (SPS) has revived this issue again. As is typical in this genre her tale (Moskovskiye Novosti No 14, 2004) is based on anonymous sources.

Social Event of the Year for the Political Elite
By Greg Walters and Oksana Yablokova, The Moscow Times, May 27, 2004
"It's a repetition of an old story," Mitrokhin said by telephone. "The president says the right things about poverty, health, education and housing, and the government ends up doing the opposite. I would describe it as a boring repetition of previous presidential addresses."

NGOs Warned They May Be Next
By Francesca Mereu, The Moscow Times, May 27, 2004
Sergei Mitrokhin, a co-leader of the liberal Yabloko party, said Putin gave "a clear command" to crack down on NGOs. "This is an alarming signal. He gave an example of how to build a militarized civil society," he said.

Ombudsman Slams Justice Ministry Official
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, May 26, 2004
Human rights ombudsman Vladimir Lukin has sharply criticized Vladimir Kraev, first deputy director of the Justice Ministry's Corrections Department, for recent comments alleging that some human rights groups have ties to criminal organizations (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 10 and 12 May 2004), "Nezavisimaya gazeta" reported on 24 May.

Putin Seeks Control of Referendums
By Francesca Mereu, The Moscow Times, May 25, 2004
Andrei Ryabov, an analyst with the Carnegie Moscow Center, said the changes were another step toward creating "a predictable political system, where the risks to the present political elite are minimized."

Russia should abide by ruling on Gusinsky - ombudsman
interfax.ru, May 21, 2004
"We should treat the European court's ruling simply: the European court has issued this ruling and we need to carry it out," Lukin said at a news conference in the Interfax main office on Friday.

Kremlin Closes Loopholes on Holding Referendums...
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, May 20, 2004
President Putin submitted a draft constitutional law on the holding of referendums to the State Duma on 19 May, Russian news agencies reported.

Liberals to Pick Leadership Through a Poll
The Moscow Times, May 19, 2004
Nemtsov is one of five people seen as candidates for the "primary." Others are Garry Kasparov, who is head of the Committee of 2008, independent State Duma Deputy Vladimir Ryzhkov, recent presidential candidate Irina Khakamada and Yabloko leader Grigory Yavlinsky.

Russia's Liberal Project: A Political Obituary
By Stephen Schmida, The Moscow Times, May 13, 2004
The problem is that the Liberal Project never took root in Russia. The catastrophic drop in living standards that accompanied economic liberalization in the early '90s eroded much of the optimism that ordinary Russians had for the reform process.

Griogry Yavlinsky on the work of the government
yavlinsky.ru, May 12 2004
The government has yet to present an economic programme. However, the range of measures outlined by the Cabinet, for example, in the social sphere may lead to a deterioration in the conditions for some population groups, above all the most vulnerable members of society.

After the Act of Terror in Grozny on May 9
By Andrei Ryabov, Gazeta, May 11, 2004
The developments of May 9 in Grozny really shocked the Russian political class. This is not simply a strong epithet. The moral and psychological consequences of the act of terror which took away the lives of the president of Chechnya Akhmat Kadyrov and several heads of the republic are obvious.

Andrei Piontkovsky: it would be catastrophic if the future of Chechnya were entrusted to Kadyrov Junior.
polit.ru, May 11, 2004
The [federal] centre should support Aslambek Aslakhanov at the presidential elections in Chechnya. This is the point of view of a well-known political scientist Andrei Piontkovsky. There are no good decisions concerning Chechnya.

Sergei Mitrokhin: Act of terror in Grozny confirms that war against everyone is going on in Chechnya
Rosbalt, May 9, 2004
According to the Deputy Head of the YABLOKO party, the clan-based system of power formed in Chechnya is extremely inefficient and dangerous. The fact that Kadyrov's son was the head of security demonstrates that the president of Chechnya did not trust anyone...

Russian rights ombudsman says Putin willing to listen
Based on BBC Monitoring, NTV Channel, "Orange Juice" programme, May 9, 2004
Lukin told presenter Vladimir Solovyov: "I got the impression that the president wants to obtain a variety of viewpoints on crucial problems, and not just information from the usual sources, as it were."

Poll: Putin All Right, Officials All Wrong
By Irina Titova, St Petersburg Times, May 6, 2004
"Because none of the leading [state-controlled] federal TV channels ever criticizes Putin, it shifts all the responsibility for the country's troubles to the government or governors," Boris Vishnevksy, a political analyst and Yabloko faction deputy in the Legislative Assembly said.

$220M Plan for City Port
By Vladimir Kovalev, St Petersburg Times, May 6, 2004
An ambitious plan to build a new $220 million passenger port by 2008 with a range of new berths that will be able to serve world-class passenger ships has been announced by Alexander Bogun, head of the city's Sea Facade company.

Griogry Yavlinsky calls on democratic parties to unite
Rosbalt, May 1, 2004
According to a Rosbalt correspondent, YABLOKO’s leader also stated that the conditions requisite for the functioning of independent courts, parliament and mass media should be created in Russia. Public and civil control over secret services and the law and enforcement agencies should be installed.

Resolution of the meeting Civil Society Against a Police State
Moscow, Lubyanka square, May 1, 2004
Civil rights and liberties have been steadily curbed by the authorities. The division of powers into the legislative, the executive and the judicial has been transformed into a sheer formality.

March and meeting Civil Society Against a Police State took place in Moscow
Press release, May 1, 2004
About 5,000 people participated in the march and meeting Civil Society Against a Police State, which took place in Moscow on May 1, 2004. Civil Society Against a Police State was the main slogan of the action.

Russia - 2004 Annual report
Reporters Without Borders, The 2003 Global Press Freedom World Tour
Russia saw a further deterioration in press freedom in 2003. The authorities exploited the public media during legislative elections and obstructed free coverage of the campaign to guarantee victory, particularly in some republics in the Caucuses. A journalist was kidnapped in Chechnya and another was sentenced to a prison term for defamation.

Does Russia still need May Day
With participation of Grigory Yavlinsky, Vladimir Lukin and Sergei Mitrokhin
Based on BBC Monitoring, Anchor: Savvik Shuster, NTV Channel, "Freedom of Speech" programme, April 30, 2004
A table indicated that 60 per cent of the population thought that May Day had lost its meaning; 37 per cent thought it was important and should still be celebrated today; 4 per cent were unable to reply.

The activists of the YABLOKO party will participate in meetings and marches in 35 Russian regions on May 1
Press release, April 30, 2004
The main slogans of the YABLOKO party will be as follows: No to a police state! Let us protect democracy! In many cities YABLOKO activists will also carry social slogans.

YABLOKO forms faction in the federal government
By Andrey Panov, Boris Grozovskiy, Anfisa Voronina and Anna Scherbakova, Vedomosti, April 28, 2004
For the first time in Russian history the core staff of a federal body is being recruited from the members of one party. Half of the directorates in the newly formed Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) are now headed by members of the YABLOKO party.

Vladimir Putin normalized the Moscow authorities
By Yulia Taratuta and Igor Khamrayev, Kommersant, No 77, April 28, 2004
Moscow City Hall changed its mind and allowed YABLOKO to organize a demonstration on May 1

Putin Sworn In for 2nd Term
By Kevin O'Flynn, The Moscow Times, May 7, 2004
President Vladimir Putin will be sworn in for a second term Friday in an elaborate ceremony whose invited guests will include lawmakers and foreign ambassadors -- but apparently not liberal politicians.

Over 1.4 Million Rally on May Day
By Anneli Nerman, The Moscow Times, May 6, 2004
With many of Moscow's Soviet-era satellites joining the European Union on Saturday, the Yabloko leader Grigory Yavlinsky stressed that Russia's future also lies in integration with Europe.