Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

July 5, 2008 6:26:45 AM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

Back to the grid

Kremlin Closes Top Russian University

Posted Feb 12, 08 10:20 AM CST in World    Most Covered

(Newser) – A leading Russia university, attacked by Vladimir Putin as an agent of American and European intervention, has been shut down, the Guardian reports. A court ordered the European University at St. Petersburg to close on Friday, ostensibly because its aging buildings posed a fire hazard, but school officials say the move is retaliation by the Kremlin for the university's involvement in election monitoring.

The European University, one of the country's top graduate schools, recently accepted an EU grant to research election reform. Its participation in a program that encourages fair elections landed it in Putin's crosshairs. "The university was carrying out important work in connection with election monitoring," said an opposition leader. "Now it's being punished for it."

Source Guardian (UK)

Editor Recommended

Related News

  • Russian Soccer's No. 1 Fan? The Kremlin

    Jun 26, 08 8:51 AM CDT
    Russian Soccer's No. 1 Fan? The Kremlin Russia's soccer team takes the field against Spain today in the Euro 2008 quarterfinals with an unlikely and ardent cheering section—the Kremlin. The team, resurging after years in decline, can thank the hefty monetary backing of an oil magnate afraid to run afoul of Moscow. And, as Josh Patashnik writes in the New Republic, "This is Vladimir Putin's team through and through." More »

  • Russian Alliance Crucial to Disarming Iran

    Jun 3, 08 3:23 PM CDT
    Russian Alliance Crucial to Disarming Iran The way to pressure Iran into halting its nuclear program is through economic sanctions, Sen. Chuck Schumer argues in the Wall Street Journal. And the key to giving them teeth is to enlist Russia's cooperation. "To bring Putin's Russia on board we must make it an offer it cannot refuse," the New York Democrat writes. More »

  • Russian TV Rubs Out Putin Foes

    Jun 3, 08 9:17 AM CDT
    Russian TV Rubs Out Putin Foes Russian TV stations have just the solution for pesky opposition commentary—they simply keep it off the airways, even digitally erasing one anti-Putin analyst, the New York Times reports. Putin’s opponents are included in what some call a “stop list” of figures banned from television coverage. It’s “an excellent way to stifle dissent,” said the erased analyst. More »

  • Commies See Red Over Indiana Jones Film

    May 24, 08 12:52 PM CDT
    Commies See Red Over Indiana Jones Film Indy's new Cold War adventure has infuriated St. Petersburg's Communist Party, the London Times reports. The angry apparatchiks say Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull's depiction of ruthless KGB spies who send terrorists to the US is pure propaganda intended to “slander Soviet Communists” and poison young Russians against  them. More »

  • Honeymoon Can't Last for Russia's Power Couple

    May 17, 08 3:01 PM CDT
    Honeymoon Can't Last for Russia's Power Couple It may look like Vladimir Putin has kept Russia stable by sliding into the PM's chair; optimists even predict he'll share power politely with President Medvedev. But these lovebirds are actually destined to fight, writes Ivan Krastev in the Wall Street Journal: Eventually Medvedev will want to exercise power, and not as Putin’s “mini-me.” More »

Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures speaking to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk at the Kremlin in Moscow, Friday, Feb. 8, 2008.   (Associated Press)
Russian President Vladimir Putin enters a hall for the meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II, unseen, in Moscow's Kremlin Feb. 11, 2008. (AP photo/Alexander Natruskin, Pool)   (Associated Press)
Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures as he addresses the state council in the Kremlin in Moscow, Friday, Feb. 8, 2008.   (Associated Press)
prev    next
play

Threads (1 of 3)

Tags

Russia  • Vladimir Putin  • St. Petersburg


Loading...

Loading...

Related Threads: The New Cold War, Putin's Russia

Next story from this section »

Today's Most Popular


Other World Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »