Yukos Defenders Join Annual Lubyanka Rally
By Maria Danilova, The Moscow Times, October 31, 2003
"This is a rally to commemorate the victims of Stalin's repressions. There is no room for politics here," said Yevgeny Bunimovich, a City Duma deputy who helped organize the event...

Court Frees Up Election Coverage
By Caroline McGregor, The Moscow Times, October 31, 2003
The Constitutional Court on Thursday ruled as unconstitutional one part of the law that restricts media coverage of election campaigns, and in doing so, gave journalists more room to do their jobs, critics of the law said.

The System Fights Against Itself Like Siamese Twins
By Xeniya Veretennikova, Vremya Novostei, October 29, 2003
According to the Yabloko leader, the leadership is now creating a police state, which will not be able to exist without Stalin's principles of control. This is why only the dismantling of this system can improve the situation.

Investigators find tax police documents related to YUKOS case.
ITAR-TASS, October 29, 2003
The spokeswoman for the Prosecutor General's Office, Natalia Vishnyakova, told journalists on Wednesday that some of the documents included a scheme of fund transfers through the administrative territorial entity in the town of Lesnoi.

Government Lacks Credibility
By Boris Vishnevsky, Moskovskiye Novosti, No 41, October 28, 2003
Two methods are usually put forward to bring the shadow economy out into the open: the stick and the carrot.

Parties' Spending
The Moscow Times, October 30, 2003
Russian parties that will be competing in the upcoming State Duma elections are running out of their official campaign funds, Interfax quoted Central Elections Commission officials as saying.

"You are The Oligarchs and This is Election Season."
By Julie A. Corwin, RFE/RL Russian Political Weekly, 29 October 2003
Igor Yurgens, executive director of the business lobbying group the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs:...the Kremlin "had to find a new threat to mobilize the masses to vote for Putin and his party in the Duma, and they found one in the oligarchs."

Lawmakers and political scientists move to "topple Putin"
By Anton Brazhitsa, gazeta.ru, October 29, 2003
According to the leader of the Yabloko party, this system has "transformed our people's court into the Basmannyi court", authorizing unlawful searches and questioning of Duma deputies, defence counsels and priests.

Voloshin Is Leaving
By Vladimir Fedorin, Anastasia Onegina, Alexei Nikolsky and Vitali Ivanov, Vedomosti, October 29, 2003
Sergei Mitrokhin, deputy leader of the Yabloko faction: "In losing Voloshin, the presidential administration is losing its most balanced force and policies."

Putin looks to Duma to tighten his grip
By Alexander Bim and Kim Iskyan, International Herald Tribune, October 29, 2003
If strong lobbyist factions - primarily those supported by some of Russia's oligarchs - carve out a voice for themselves, the Kremlin will have a much more difficult time managing the Duma. A strong showing by the liberal Yabloko faction (which has received financial support from Khodorkovsky) could interfere with the Kremlin's plans.

Khodorkovsky's arrest splits politicians
By Yelena Shishkunova, gazeta.ru, October 28, 2003
Mikhail Khodorkovsky's arrest has split Russian politicians into three camps. The first camp includes the Union of Right-Wing Forces and Yabloko who have denounced the Prosecutor General's Office's actions against the YUKOS CEO as unlawful...

Capitalism with a Stalinist Face
By Natalia Melikova, Alexandra Samarina and Valery Tsygankov, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, October 27, 2003
On Saturday and Sunday, many political parties and public organizations issued statements and appeals related to the arrest of Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Many appealed to the President to meet with representatives of the political and business elite and tell them where he stands on these events.

Ulterior motive seen in Russian prosecution
By Ralph Ranalli, Boston Globe, October 27, 2003
Khodorkovsky, one of the so-called oligarchs who made vast fortunes in the privatization of former state-run businesses after the the Soviet Union broke up, has openly supported political parties that are opposing Putin's in December elections to the Duma, the Russian Parliament.

Law and Order, Russian Style
By Geoffrey Smith, Wall Street Journal, October 27, 2003
After the self-exile of Boris Berezovsky and fellow media tycoon Vladimir Gusinsky, no other oligarch has lost his liberty or any of his assets, despite the fact that most of them are signally sleazier and none has done half as much as Mr. Khodorkovsky to rehabilitate Russian business in the eyes of the international community.

Tycoon's arrest clouds Russia reform prospects
By Jonathan Thatcher, Reuters, October 27, 2003
Saturday's arrest at gunpoint of oil magnate Mikhail Khodorkovsky risks undoing Putin's efforts during three years in power to drag up the sagging economy and create a strong political system into which investors would happily pour money.

How to Make People Vote with Their Hearts
By Orkhan Djemal, Novaya Gazeta, October 23, 2003
German researcher Elizabet Noel-Neuman has described a phenomenon she called "the spiral of silence." On controversial issues, people tend to fall in with majority views rather than working out an opinion of their own; they are even less inclined to side with minority opinions.

Melnikov: I am extremely concerned about Khodorkovsky's health
Gazeta.ru, October 27, 2003
According to Melnikov, "The Office of the Public Prosecutor General will do all they can to prevent barristers from visting Khodorkovsky."

Putin reacts to "YUKOS case"
RBC, October 27, 2003
"There won't be any meetings or any bargaining over the activities of the law and enforcement agencies, unless they breached Russian law," Mayak radio quoted Putin as saying.

Detention of the head of YUKOS represents an act of intimidation against large-scale business, RBC, October 25, 2003
Detention of the head of YUKOS represents an act of intimidation against large-scale business. This statement was made to RBC by Vyacheslav Erokhin, chief analyst at the Center for Economic and Political Research EPIcenter.

Member of the State Duma Budget Committee Alexei Melnikov (YABLOKO) sharply criticised the actions of the FSB and Public Prosecutor's Office, Interfax, October 25, 2003
"The people acting against Khodorkovsky and YUKOS don't think that they are bound by the law," said Melnikov.

The Russian Democratic Party YABLOKO and the Union of Right-Wing Forces Party Regarding the detention of the head of the YUKOS company. Joint Statement, October 25, 2003
The Russian Democratic Party YABLOKO and the Union of Right-Wing Forces Party express their deep concern over the detention of the head of YUKOS Mikhail Khodorkovsky in Novosibirsk.

Turning point Putin shows his authoritarian hand
By Nick Paton Walsh, The Guardian (UK), October 27, 2003
Yesterday, it became clear that President Putin's era of liberal reforms was almost certainly over.

The Elite Demand Some Answers
By Valeria Korchagina, The Moscow Times, October 27, 2003
Faced by Saturday's arrest of Yukos chief Mikhail Khodorkovsky, even those who have known Putin for years appear to be at a loss.

Russians Seize, Charge YUKOS Oil Magnate
Reuters, October 25, 2003
Police snatched Russia's richest man, YUKOS oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, from his jet in Siberia on Saturday and hauled him before a Moscow court, charged with massive fraud and tax evasion.

YABLOKO Says Its Campaign Has Been Hobbled
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, October 24, 2003
After the search, Yabloko party leader Grigory Yavlinsky said officials in the prosecutor's office were "warned" that they were taking away documents belonging to Yabloko

Crackdown on YUKOS Spills over into Duma Campaign
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, October 24, 2003
Investigators from the Prosecutor-General's Office and the Federal Security Service (FSB) on 23 October conducted a raid of the offices of a public-relations firm that is doing campaign work for the Yabloko party, Russian media reported.

PR agency searched in YUKOS probe
Gazeta.ru, October 24, 2003
"The Prosecutor-General's Office and the Federal Security Service have confiscated documents and electronic information media, linked to the election campaign and owned by the Yabloko party." This comes from a statement issued by the party leader Grigory Yavlinsky. The document notes that the agency was carrying out political consultative work for the Yabloko election campaign.

Yukos Probe Spills Over to Yabloko
By Catherine Belton and Alex Nicholson, The Moscow Times, October 24, 2003
The relentless tax investigation into Yukos veered openly into politics for the first time Thursday as prosecutors raided a public relations agency hired by the Yukos-funded liberal Yabloko party, detaining two of the party's deputies and confiscating five computer servers.

Prosecutors search company in Yukos probe
The Associated Press, October 23, 2003
The criminal probe into Yukos is seen in Russia as a politically motivated warning to chief executive Mikhail Khodorkovsky, identified by Forbes magazine as Russia's richest man, to stay out of politics. Khodorkovsky has openly supported parties in opposition to the Kremlin and has denounced the probe.

Kremlin threatens to stop Shell drilling
By Nick Paton Walsh, The Guardian (UK), October 22, 2003
Shell could lose its licences to drill for oil in Russia, after an investigation by the country's ministry of natural resources - responsible for the ecology and exploitation of vast oil and gas fields - said it had reason to file a number of complaints.

Vladimir Lukin: A merger between Russian and foreign companies during Russia's integration into the world economy is inevitable
FMBusiness, October 20, 2003
"When a new partner appears the world arena, problems always occur: there is always some inferiority complex, there are always problems with existing market proportions, money flows and the system of current personal relations - this problem should somehow be transformed and changed. I think this is just a matter of time," said Lukin.

Prosecutors search Yabloko campaigner's office for YUKOS evidence
Gazeta.ru, October 23, 2003
The Prosecutor General's Office on Thursday searched the office of the Yabloko party's campaigner, the Agency for Strategic Communications (ASK).

For Whom the Election Bell Tolls
By Nikolai Petrov, The Moscow Times, October 23, 2003
With "managed democracy" on the rise, the authorities are not so concerned about election results as they are about presenting a facade of decorum.

Yabloko deputies say they are being held in office during search
Interfax, October 23, 2003
Sergei Mitrokhin, deputy head of the State Duma's Yabloko faction, said that a group of detectives who are conducting a search in the Strategic Communications Agency's office are not allowing him to leave the building.

The Union of Right-Wing Forces 2003 or Chubais 2008
By Andrei Piontkovsky, Vremya Novostei, October 22, 2003
The SPS positions itself as a party of the successful, who, according to Berezovsky, have not being idle during recent years, and have instead gathered wealth. YABLOKO has a different electorate.

A Dozen Parties Face Being Left Out
By Caroline McGregor, The Moscow Times, October 22, 2003
A party that fails to get its federal list registered can try to win single-mandate seats -- if its candidates are registered by Wednesday evening. If 12 or more of a party's members get elected, they can form a faction in the new Duma, saving the group from political extinction.

The Russian Democratic Party YABLOKO celebrates its 10th anniversary
NTV television channel, "Mir" programme, October 21, 2003
Grigory Yavlinsky: "...The problems that our political activity attempts to resolve are at least twice as old as we are. We are dealing with problems that have existed in Russia for ages."

An exhibition devoted to the 10th anniversary of the YABLOKO party opened in Moscow
Rosbalt, October 21, 2003
In a speech at the opening of the exhibition YABLOKO leader Grigory Yavlinsky confirmed the intention of the party to adhere to the political path it had chosen 10 years ago, with compliance to democratic values and liberties. According to the party leader, YABLOKO will remain in opposition to the authorities until the government "resolves three tasks: the creation of a free civil society in Russia, the building of a competitive market economy and the provision of social rights and guarantees for all Russian citizens."

YABLOKO celebrates its 10th anniversary
Vesti.ru, October 21, 2003
On Tuesday celebrations began in the Central Museum of Modern History of Russia, Moscow, where an exhibition was held on the history of the party's creation and development.

The Defence Minister Surrounded by Generals
Interview with Alexei Arbatov, Deputy Chairman of the Defence Committee of the State Duma by Irina Gordyenko, Novaya Gazeta, October 20, 2003
Nobody needs such a huge army in peace time. The US Army is 1.3 million men strong, and that is too much for the Americans, even though their economy is ten times the size of Russia's economy and military budget is twenty times that of Russia's

$2.3Bln Added to '03 Budget
Combined Reports, Reuters, MT, October 20, 2003
Yabloko also voted against the bill because it said the government intentionally underestimated revenues by $7 billion, a view that is gaining adherents in the private sector.

European Union chooses Grigory Yavlinsky! Your vote counts!
October 17, 2003
Grigory Yavlinsky was nominated in the category "non-European Union citizens" for his "efforts to strengthen the democratization and modernisation of Russian society."

Constitutional Court To Decide Freedom of Speech Issue
By Dmitry Chirkin, pravda.ru, October 17, 2003
The founder of scientific socialism used to say: "History repeats itself twice: first as a tragedy, and then as farce." For the sixth or 56th time, history repeats itself as unbelievable marasm.

A land too cold for a free market in energy
By Fiona Hill, Financial Times (UK), October 17, 2003
In reference to the European Union's demand that Russia should raise its low domestic gas and electricity prices to world levels if it wants to join the World Trade Organisation, the Russian president retorted: "That is impossible. We would cause the whole Russian economy to collapse."

Live TV debates cause first election scuffle
By Ksenia Solyanskaya, Gazeta.ru, October 17, 2003
On Friday, the State Duma’s deputies are to review the draft address to the management of two leading state-run television networks, Channel One, and Rossia, with the request to broadcast election debates live.

Plans for Debates Set Off a Debate
By Caroline McGregor, The Moscow Times, October 17, 2003
Two days after the country's top two national television stations let it be understood that they would broadcast taped versions of the upcoming State Duma election debates, they backpedaled Thursday.

2004 Budget Passes Duma Untouched
By Alex Fak and Lyuba Pronina, The Moscow Times, October 16, 2003
For the first time in history, lawmakers in the State Duma have passed the government's draft budget in a second reading without changing a word.

Russia: Constitutional Court Hears First Cases On Controversial New Media Law
By Sophie Lambroschini, Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe, October 15, 2003
In a surprise decision, Russia's Constitutional Court has agreed to hear four different appeals against the new legislation brought by three journalists and more than 100 State Duma deputies.

SPS, YABLOKO Leaders Tangle on Issue of "Liberal Empire"
By Victor Yassman, Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe, October 14, 2003
"If we raise the living standard of our 40 million citizens who are living below the poverty line, if we restore the independent mass media and an independent judiciary, then Russia will become the center of gravity within the CIS without creating an empire," Yavlinskii said.

Until the Election the Duma Will Not Allow the Next Generation to Get into Formation.
Novaya Gazeta, October 13, 2003
Alexei Arbatov: The General Staff has drawn the following conclusion: the deferral of military service should be abolished to ensure that everyone is recruited to the army.

Courageous Pen
Transcript by Nadezhda Prusenkova, Novaya Gazeta, October 13, 2003
The more principles a person has in life, the more obstacles and problems there are in his life and the more strength he needs not to break down.

Militarisation of Russia is Underway
By Dmitry Chirkin, pravda.ru, October 13, 2003
Thus, Russian education will once be again militarized as it was during the Soviet era.

Duma Backs Army Training in Schools
By New York Times Service, The Moscow Times, October 13, 2003
The vote was 338-42. Only two liberal parties, Yabloko and the Union of Right Forces, opposed the law, which must go through two more readings before it is passed.

Duma amends law on military training
RosBusinessConsulting, October 10, 2003
In the present law "On Education", basic military training is possible only in the event of willingness and consent from students and their parents, which contradicts the law "On Military Duty and Military Service" stipulating mandatory basic military training in high schools and training colleges.

Russia brings military training back to school
AFP, October 10, 2003
Russia took a step back toward its Soviet past Friday by giving preliminary approval to a law making military training mandatory in all elementary schools.

YABLOKO Is Ripe for the Elections
By Artyom Vernidub, Gazeta.ru, October 9, 2003
"Informally members of the Central Electoral Commission praised us for the high quality and rapid collection of signatures, said Mitrokhin. - This is the best answer to all those who have tried to show that our party allegedly had problems with its regional branches."

Democracy, In Putin's Own Words
Editorial, The Moscow Times, October 9, 2003
President Vladimir Putin, in interviews given to foreign journalists just before and after his recent trip to the United States, offered his most detailed comments to date on the ongoing Yukos saga and, more broadly, on the relationship between the state and business.

Average popularity figures for Russian political parties
By Alexander Braterski, Izvestia, October 9, 2003
According to the NAPP, if the Duma elections had been held in September, the United Russia party would have won the most seats (185), followed by the CPRF (135 seats). YABLOKO and the LDPR would have won 21 seats each. The SPS would have won 22 seats. Other parties and independent candidates would have won 66 seats in single-mandate districts. Based on September polls, voter turnout would have been 69.2%.

Human Capital Is the Basis for Economic Growth
By Griogry Yavlinsky, RTR television channel, "Vesti" programme, October 5, 2003
As we know, economic growth has many factors, but in most cases we are talking about taxes, the economic structure and conjuncture.

On the Lessons of the Events of October 3-4, 1993
By Griogry Yavlinsky, Grigory Yavlinsky's web-site, October 5, 2003
The responsibility for unleashing the civil war in the centre of the Russian capital and fatalities should be borne by those who adopted the criminal decisions and considered victory in the fight for power to be more important than their compatriots' lives and civil peace.

The Duma Gets out of the Kremlin's Control
By Yelena Rudneva, gazeta.ru October 8, 2003
Defying the Kremlin's stance, and the government's strong disapproval, State Duma deputies have passed a draft law on parliamentary inquiries.

Grigory Yavlinsky calls for an amnesty of the privatisation deals of the 1990s
Buro Pravovoi Informatsii, October 2, 2003
According to Yavlinsky, the present economic situation demonstrates "the need to legitimatise privatisation".

Putin opposes revision of privatisation results
Gazeta.ru, October 2, 2003
Commenting on the idea of Grigory Yavlinsky, leader of the Yabloko party, to declare an amnesty on privatisation, Putin noted that it was necessary to translate this idea into reality correctly from legal and political points of view, something which is hard to do.

The State Duma of the RF will discuss the draft statement on the events of 1993 prepared by deputies from the YABLOKO faction
RIA Oreanda, October 6, 2003
"The responsibility for the civil war in the centre of the Russian capital and fatalities should be borne by the leaders with their overweening ambition in both the executive and legislative authorities at the time."

The State Duma May Resume its Investigation into the Events of October 1993
By Natalya Golubyeva, Izvestia, October 6, 2003
However, on the eve of elections, the Duma will hardly risk stirring up the past, the more as not all faction leaders showed up at the memorial functions held in front of the White House.

The Russian Economy Is Growing, But Not Developing
By Anna Skornyakova, Nezavisymaya Gazeta, October 6, 2003
Yavlinsky was also concerned about the dependency of the Russian economy on the "pipe", "The impulse from the raw-materials sector does not spread to other sectors. We don't have an independent judiciary, independent parliament or mass media, civil control over secret services, and now are witnessing a merger between business and the authorities. This system restricts our economic growth and should be dismantled."

A Tale of Two Cities' Attitudes
By Galina Stolyarova, St. Petersburg Times, October 7, 2003
Mikhail Amosov: "In the past few months I have really been wondering if some kind of censorship has been introduced on local TV channels. It was tacit consent; they put all their efforts to promote one candidate and ignored the others."

Stick Without a Carrot
By Daria Gusyeva and Maksim Balutenko, Vremya Novostei, October 2, 2003
The Monitoring Council for the election campaign is not functioning yet, but some political parties are on the verge of recalling their representatives from this structure.

One War Is Not Enough
By Alexei Nikolsky, Vedomosti, October 3, 2003
Alexei Arbatov (Yabloko), deputy chairman of the Duma Defense Committee, says this document is far too controversial to be regarded as a military doctrine.

Russia's Biggest Problem is the State
By Anna Skornyakova, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, October 2, 2003
As long as law enforcement agencies are virtually uncontrolled and can blackmail businessmen and participate in the redistribution of property, any qualitative improvement in the situation is out of question, something noted by virtually all the politicians and political scientists at the meeting of the Open Forum Club devoted to the prospects of Russia's economy and the problems of relations between the authorities and business.

The opinions of Presidential Advisor Andrei Illarionov and YABLOKO's leader Grigory Yavlinsky clashed at the meeting of the Open Forum club.
Anchor: Mikhail Antonov, RTR television channel, Vesti programme, September 30, 2003
Yavlinsky, YABLOKO leader: Now we are seeing powerful and considerable inflows of hard currency into the country in the raw material sector. But there has been no impetus from the raw material sector to other economic sectors.

Russian media warned under strict new law
By Nick Paton Walsh, The Guardian (UK), October 2, 2003
The weekly magazines Kommersant Vlast and Tverskaya 13 were both served with warnings this week after they published articles about the Moscow mayoral election.

Underdog Markova Battles for Votes
By Vladimir Kovalev, The Moscow Times, October 3, 2003
Getting just 15.9 percent of the votes cast in the first round, narrowly ahead of "Against All Candidates," Markova can only win Sunday if she garners the support of all the defeated first-round candidates and breaks through voter apathy that led to a turnout of just 29 percent.

Wages Forgotten
By Igor Artemyev, Moscow News, October 1-7, 2003
It looks as if the government does not plan to do anything to eliminate extreme poverty, even though 20 per cent of the population are only just surviving.

Poverty No Concern Of Deputies
By Tatyana Skorobogatko, Moscow News, October 1-7, 2003
What is most alarming, Professor Rzhanitsina says that the government has no intention of combatting so-called "economic poverty," which means that as before, many of the people living below the poverty line are employed, most of them in the public sector.

Russian Voter Disillusionment Seen in St. Petersburg Runoff
By Steven Lee Myers, New York Times, September 30, 2003
Twelve years after the Soviet Union's collapse most Russians have become strikingly - and, some say, ominously - disillusioned about democracy's most basic right.