Russiabot Newsletter 3 [07.27.2020]
Safronov possibly COVID-19 positive, Russian schools set to reopen for Fall, Kremlin reacts to continued G7 exclusion, Russian regions implement online voting, and a new independent media outlet...
The Russiabot Newsletter
Monday, July 27th, 2020
Summer Clouds - Charles Harold Davis (WikiCommons)
Here are your top stories, as reported by Russian media today:
Arrested Space Official Ivan Safronov Possibly Sick with COVID-19
Russian Schools Set to Reopen on September 1st, without COVID-19 Delay
Kremlin Reacts to Russia’s Continued Exclusion from G7
Two Russian Regions Expected to Conduct Online Voting this Fall
Former Vedomosti Journalists Start New Media Outlet
1. Arrested Space Official Ivan Safronov Possibly Sick with COVID-19
Roscosmos advisor, and former Kommersant journalist, Ivan Safronov -arrested on July 7th on allegations of treason—is currently in isolation at Lefortovo Prison over a suspected infection with COVID-19.
This isolation has denied the Public Monitoring Commission for the Protection of Human Rights access to Safronov.
The Russian government accuses Safronov of passing information to Czech security services in 2012, when the journalist was covering Russia’s national security beat. The information allegedly involved details of Russia’s arms sales to countries in Africa and the Middle East.
Safronov’s detention sparked protests in Moscow, as media outlets critical of the Kremlin underscore that the journalist’s arrest is evidence of a loose interpretation of federal law concerning treason, which could be used by the Kremlin in further crackdowns across Russian society.
Prior to his arrest, Safronov was appointed as an advisor to Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin in May 2020.
(Interfax, Interfax, Kommersant)
2. Russian Schools Set to Reopen on September 1st, without COVID-19 Delay
The Ministry of Enlightenment of the Russian Federation – the federal governing body for school education established in 2018 following the bureaucratic split of Ministry of Education and Science—announced that no delays due to COVID-19 will be made to the start of the school year this fall.
Russian public school students and teachers will return to classes starting on September 1st, with no plans for distance learning in place. On that date, all students will conduct an evaluation to determine the effectiveness of e-learning protocols deployed when the COVID-19 pandemic first broke out last Spring.
New policies concerning control and sanitation practices –such as regular deep cleans and entry point temperature scans –will be adopted to fight the spread of COVID-19 during the school year. All mass gatherings of students are to be canceled for the coming school year as well. The traditional start-of-term festivities on September 1st, however, will still take place, albeit in a reduced format.
Critics of this decision believe that sanitation and response protocols will be difficult to implement and maintain as the school year carries on.
(Lenta, Ria, Gazeta, KupchinoNews)
3. Kremlin Reacts to Russia’s Continued Exclusion from G7
Germany rejected a proposal by President Trump to expand the Group of Seven (G7) to once again include the Russian Federation, among other possible candidates. Russia was removed from the intergovernmental organization following Moscow’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov issued the following statement to characterize the Russian government’s response:
“As you know, this format originally existed as the ‘Group of Eight’, which was supposed to have its summit in Sochi, but its participants refused to come to Sochi. Since then, the President [Putin] has not initiated any attempts to restore the organization…Russia is not striving to return to the G7, as the country is satisfied with the effectiveness of work within the parameters of the G12 group, which better reflects the present day economic realities of the world.”
Heiko Maas, the German Minister of Foreign Affairs, underscored that Russia’s re-admission would be contingent on the end of hostilities in Ukraine.
Admission to the G7 is contingent upon unanimous approval from all member states.
4. Two Russian Regions Expected to Conduct Online Voting in September Elections
The Kursk and Yaroslavl Oblasts will conduct online voting this September, as the regions host by-elections for representatives to be sent to the Federal Duma.
This format was first introduced during the course of voting for Constitutional Amendments last month, but was limited to the Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod Oblasts.
As Russiabot covered last month, the online voting option for the Constitutional Referendum was rife with difficulties, including allegations of duplicated votes and an attempted Distributed Denial of Service Attack targeting the infrastructure of the distanced voting effort.
Voting will take place in Kursk and Yaroslavl Oblasts from September 11-13.
(Vedomosti, RG, Kommersant, RBC)
5. Former Vedomosti Journalists Start New Media Outlet
Journalists who quit Vedomosti following a controversial editor-in-chief appointment have started a new ‘media project’ at vtimes.io
In addition to general investigative topics, the outlet will highlight features on issues surrounding health, ecology, and sustainable consumption, with a funding model reliant on crowdsourcing to supplement traditional advertising revenue.
The founders of the project issued the following statement:
Why We Are Returning.
The refusal of the new Vedomosti team to adhere to the principles of quality journalism has forced us to leave the publication, where we have worked for many years. However, we are convinced that Russia, more than ever, needs sources of independent information which can be trusted, in addition to platforms for the free exchange of ideas, and professional expertise.
Therefore, we are announcing a new online project under the brand of VTimes, which will start publishing this fall. This media-resource will cover topics Vedomosti readers will find familiar, but will also cover issues ranging from health, ecology, ethical consumption, human capital, and many others. The founder of Vedomosti, Derk Sauer, will serve as a consultant for this new project (not as an investor, nor as a manager).
We believe that you need us, but also that we need you –our former and future readers, newsmakers, and advertisers. Therefore, we invite you to join the VTimes circle of friends, to jointly build the agenda for this new media outlet.
Disagreements at Vedomosti began last Fall, when rumors began circulating of the outlet’s sale and eventual restructuring. Andrei Shmarov emerged as Vedomosti’s acting editor, prompting the resignation of five of the outlet’s editors last June over claims that Shmarov would not allow the publication of content critical of President Vladimir Putin’s decision to hold a constitutional referendum.
Vedomosti was originally founded as a joint venture by publishers of The Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times in 1999. It is currently owned by businessman Ivan Yeremin via a holding company, Sapport.
As mentioned in its founding statement, VTimes will start publishing this Fall.