Corey Flintoff

Russian Lawmakers: Don't Criticize Soviet Actions In WWII

Corey Flintoff — Sun, 19 May 2013 10:07:00 +0000

World War II remains a monumental event in the collective Russian mind. It's known as the "Great Patriotic War," and Russians believe no one made greater sacrifices than the Soviet Union when it came to defeating Nazi Germany.

The end of the war is celebrated with a huge military parade in Moscow's Red Square on May 9, commemorating the millions of men and women, military and civilian, who died during the struggle.

Any criticism of the Soviet war effort is rare.

Gerard Depardieu To Star In Two Chechnya-Based Films

Corey Flintoff — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:32:00 +0000

Actor Gerard Depardieu is reportedly set to begin filming a new thriller with British actress-model Elizabeth Hurley, to be set in Moscow and Grozny, the capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya.

Depardieu accepted Russian citizenship in a special dispensation from President Vladimir Putin last January, after the actor denounced a proposed new tax on the ri

Investigating The Boston Bombing ... In Southern Russia

Corey Flintoff — Wed, 01 May 2013 07:18:00 +0000

The search for the motivations of the alleged Boston Marathon bombers stretches from New England to Central Asia, but a lot of attention has been focused on Dagestan.

The mostly Muslim republic is located in the southernmost part of Russia, and it's been the battleground in a low-level insurgency that takes lives nearly every day.

One of the suspects, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, traveled to Dagestan twice in recent years, and investigators want to know whether that experience led him toward a radical and violent form of Islam.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev's parents and other relatives lived in the republic'

Investigators Question Parents Of Boston Bombing Suspects

Corey Flintoff — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 20:34:00 +0000

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Audie Cornish.

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

And I'm Robert Siegel.

Now, a rare, joint effort between American investigators and Russian security services. They're working together trying to turn up more information on the two suspects in last week's Boston Marathon bombings.

NPR's Corey Flintoff reports that a team of U.S.

Suspects' Chechen Roots Draws Eyes In Russia

Corey Flintoff — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 11:41:00 +0000

The Boston Marathon bombing suspects are ethnic Chechens with links to the volatile North Caucasus region of Russia. Moscow's reaction to that fact appears to be as complex as the region's turbulent history.

So far, official reaction to the story has been muted. State-run news media show clips of President Vladimir Putin condemning the bombings and offering condolences to the people of Boston.

Retaliating Against U.S., Russia Bars 18 Americans

Corey Flintoff — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 08:42:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Tensions have been increasing between the United States and Russia, and things unraveled even more over the weekend. Russia named 18 Americans who will be barred from entering Russia because of an alleged involvement in human rights violations. Here's NPR's Corey Flintoff.

COREY FLINTOFF, BYLINE: The Russian list includes prominent officials from the Bush administration who are accused of advocating torture during the interrogation of terrorism suspects.

Emigre Artist Sculpted Exquisite Gems Of Russian Folk Life

Corey Flintoff — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 21:02:00 +0000

A team of American researchers is on a treasure hunt for jewels — of both artistic and historic value.

This month, researchers from Denver were in Russia to document the work of Vasily Konovalenko, a former ballet set designer turned sculptor, who created scenes from Russian folk life in semiprecious stones.

In the 1980s, Konovalenko emigrated from what was then the Soviet Union in search of artistic freedom. Now, his legacy is divided between the U.S.

Ex-Diplomats: U.S.-Russian Relations Not As Dire As They Seem

Corey Flintoff — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 21:19:00 +0000

Relations between the United States and Russia are testier than they have been in years. The two nations are at odds over human rights, the civil war in Syria and even the adoption of Russian orphans by American families.

But former American diplomats say things aren't as bad as they may seem. They say the two countries should work together on economic and security issues.

Four former U.S.

Once Championed By Putin, Medvedev Falls Precipitously Out Of Favor

Corey Flintoff — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 19:13:00 +0000

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev appears increasingly isolated from the centers of power surrounding President Vladimir Putin.

Analysts say Medvedev is the target of a campaign to wreck his reputation and drive him from office. It's a risky situation for the former president, who was once regarded as Putin's partner.

The attacks have come from many directions. One of the harshest was an anonymous, documentary-style film that was posted on the Internet in January.

The film, Game at Giveaway, accuses Medvedev of betraying Russia's national interest.

In Crackdown, Some Russian Groups Labeled As 'Foreign Agents'

Corey Flintoff — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 17:32:00 +0000

Russian investigators have descended on the offices of nongovernmental organizations across the country, demanding to inspect financial records and other documents.

This follows the recent passage of a law designed to impose tighter controls over these NGOs, especially those that receive funding from abroad.

Cyprus' Bank Deposit Tax Would Hit Russian Wallets

Corey Flintoff — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 20:43:00 +0000

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

As Jim Zarroli mentioned, Russians are the main foreign depositors in Cyprus. They've used the island as an offshore haven, thanks to low taxes and lax regulations, same things that have lured some rich Americans to bank in, say, the Cayman Islands. Well, according to Moody's Investor Services, Russian banks and businesses have around $30 billion in Cypriot accounts and that's why today, Russian President Vladimir Putin lost no time in denouncing the tax on bank accounts as unfair, unprofessional and dangerous.

Maslenitsa Celebration Helps Russians Thaw From Winter

Corey Flintoff — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 09:52:00 +0000

Sunday is the final day of a week-long Russian festival that celebrates folk traditions, heroic eating and the distant promise of spring. NPR's Corey Flintoff reports on Maslenitsa, or "pancake week," the last culinary blow-out before the austerity of Lent.

Rubles For Minutes, Not Mochas, At Russian Cafe Chain

Corey Flintoff — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 08:25:00 +0000

Cafe life has taken hold in modern Russia. From Starbucks to local chains such as Kofe Khaus and Schokoladnitsia, there are lots of places to hang out, see and be seen.

It's a striking change in a country where, in Soviet times, the best an ordinary comrade could expect was a mug of tea in a workers canteen.

The world over, the basic contract between cafe and customer is this: You buy a drink or a snack, and you get to use the premises for as long as it takes to consume it.

But an entrepreneur in Russia is experimenting with ways to change that: At his cafes, money buys time.

Deal Makes Russian Oil Company World's Biggest Producer

Corey Flintoff — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 09:30:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Two of the world's biggest oil companies have announced a deal that will slurp up millions of barrels of crude and billions of dollars in earnings, if it works. The move would make Russia's state-owned company Rosneft the biggest publicly traded oil producer in the world - and it would give the British energy giant BP more opportunities in Russia.

NPR's Corey Flintoff reports from Moscow.

COREY FLINTOFF, BYLINE: Here's how the deal works: BP currently owns 50 percent of a joint-venture Russian oil company called TNK-BP.

Radio Liberty Going Off The Air In Russia

Corey Flintoff — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 18:29:00 +0000

Radio Liberty was founded in the 1950s to broadcast American views into the former Soviet Union when the Cold War was at its peak. Radio Liberty transmitted on short wave, and the Soviet government did all it could to jam the broadcasts.

But after the fall of the Soviet Union, Russian President Boris Yeltsin granted the service permission to open a Moscow bureau and broadcast within the country on AM radio.

Now, after two decades of broadcasting, Radio Liberty's AM signal is about to be turned off.

Texas Company Charged In Illegal Technology Transfers To Russia

Corey Flintoff — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 21:00:00 +0000

Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn say they have broken up a ring that allegedly exported sensitive electronic technology to Russia.

Eight people were arrested today in Houston, including Alexander Fishenko, an immigrant from Kazakhstan who built a multi-million dollar export firm called Arc Electrics.

The indictment names Fishenko as an unregistered agent of the Russian government who

Opposition Victory Signals New Direction For Georgia

Corey Flintoff — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 21:20:00 +0000

Parliamentary elections in Georgia, the former Soviet republic, delivered a resounding defeat for the ruling party of President Mikheil Saakashvili on Monday. Preliminary election results showed the opposition winning 57 percent of the vote.

A day later, the president conceded defeat.

Shocking Video Could Throw Georgian Election

Corey Flintoff — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 11:45:00 +0000

Transcript

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Rachel Martin.

The Republic of Georgia holds a crucial parliamentary election tomorrow. The vote is happening just days after video emerged that allegedly shows human-rights abuses in the country's prisons. The video sparked protests in the streets of Tbilisi and the arrest of prison officials. The scandal could effect the election, which will determine whether the party of President Mikheil Saakashvili will keep control of the government.

For Hasidic Jews, A Slow, Steady Rebirth In Russia

Corey Flintoff — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 21:08:00 +0000

About a dozen men prayed recently at Darkei Shalom, a Hasidic Jewish synagogue in the working-class neighborhood of Otradnoye in north Moscow.

Except for the Star of David on its squat tower, the building is as plain and utilitarian as the linoleum on the floor. It sits — along with a Russian Orthodox church and a mosque — on a leafy stretch of land surrounded by towering apartment blocks.

Dovid Karpov has been the rabbi here since the synagogue was built 15 years ago.

Some Believe U.S.-Russia Ties Will Weaken

Corey Flintoff — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 09:18:00 +0000

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Foreign policy has not played much of a role in the presidential campaign, but we have a reminder this morning of how important it is to any president. And today we continue our series on foreign policy and this fall's election. We're going to focus on Russia. As NPR's Corey Flintoff reports, no matter who wins, Russians are worried.

COREY FLINTOFF, BYLINE: For many Americans, U.S. relations with Russia are represented by the standoff over Syria in the U.N. Security Council. This is as is Russia's U.N.