Notebook

Peter to Stay in Moscow 

Only 14% of Muscovites polled by the All-Russian Center of Public Opinion Polls (VTSIOM) said they favored the dismantling of Zurab Tsereteli’s colossal statue of Peter the Great. This according to the public commission formed to decide the statue’s fate. As an overwhelming majority of Muscovites said the monument should stay, the commission decided against holding a referendum on the monument. “As far as we’re concerned, the case is closed,” said the commission’s chairman, well-known TV journalist Yury Senkevich.

Kremlin

Makeover

Spares

No Cost

From 1993 to 1996, Russia spent $292 mn to rebuild the Kremlin building housing President Boris Yeltsin’s office and administration. Foreign contractors earned $179 mn from the complete makeover of the 18th century building, according to the Interfax news agency, while Russian contractors made R645 bn ($112 mn). Included in the price tag was restoration of historic details and installation of the latest equipment in the structure housing the presidential administration.

Moscow’s Crime Rate Drops

According to the Interior Ministry’s head of Public Relations, Vladimir Vershkov, the number of crimes committed in Moscow over the past four months dropped by 23%, as compared to the same period last year. Apartment burglaries decreased by 45%, while “crimes against citizens’ health and life” were down by 17%. Vershkov stressed that the lower crime rate in Russia’s capital is the result of joint efforts of law enforcement bodies and the city authorities.

Passengers Rejoice: Luzhkov to Fix Sheremetevo II

The Moscow city government wants to become the majority shareholder in Russia’s largest international airport, Sheremetevo II. Moscow is currently working on a document which will give Moscow city authorities a 51% share in the airport, which is currently owned by the federal government. 

Observers say it is now up to the federal government to decide whether Sheremetevo will become Moscow property. Experts say the Moscow government is likely to privatize the airport, which will mean more taxes for the local budget and an improvement in services. Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov has often declared his intention “to put this airport in order,” mentioning the possibility of building a high-speed, air-cushioned rail link from the airport to the city center. Observers note that the feds will hardly relinquish such a coveted piece of property lightly. On the other hand, so far every construction project Luzhkov has undertaken has been carried out...

Drivers Beware: GAI to Crack Down on Offenders

As of May 8, the Russian traffic police (GAI) is imposing heftier fines on traffic offenders. Police are now fining drivers R83,490 ($15) for not buckling up, for failure to produce the required documentation, and for having an unreadable or “improper” license plate. Running a traffic light is punishable by a R250,000 ($44) penalty, as are driving on the wrong side of the road and speeding. Drunk drivers will be faced with a sobering fine of just over R1 mn and the possibility that their cars may be confiscated. According to GAI officials, the increase in penalties resulted from a need to rein in Russian drivers, who, for the most part, disregard traffic laws. It seems, though, that the most persistent defaulters – so-called wealthy “New Russians” – will hardly feel the sting, while less fortunate drivers, facing high fines for overloaded or ‘unroadworthy’ vehicles, will suffer most.

Yeltsin stands up for

Russian... for Pushkin

Russian President Boris Yeltsin has called for a “fight for the Russian language.”Advocating a “cleansing” of Russian of many foreign words, the President said he was considering a country-wide ban on foreign language advertising. (Interestingly, Yeltsin made the comments while speaking in Russia’s former capital with the Russo-Germanic name, St. Petersburg.) In the spirit of this Russian First tone, Yeltsin recently issued a decree declaring June 6, the birthday of Russia’s most revered poet, Alexander Pushkin, a national holiday. Speaking of holidays, June 12, “Russian Independence Day,” has been renamed “Day of Russia.” 

Russia to Keep Trophy Art?

M

ore than two thirds of the Federation Council (the upper house of Russia’s parliament) has voted “da” on a bill that would make it virtually impossible to return to Germany some 300,000 art works taken from that country during World War II. This vote overrides an earlier veto by Russian President Boris Yeltsin. The president, however, never one to give in easily, sent the bill back to parliament, calling it “unconstitutional” because the voting was conducted by mail, an established practice in Russia. Then, on June 10, the Federation Council voted to send the bill right back to Yeltsin for signing, saying that only the Constitutional Court can rule on matters of constitutionality... At press time, the issue was still unresolved.

The trophy art bill has been kicking around Parliament since July of 1996, when the State Duma made its original decision to keep the art. Yeltsin says this legislation violates international law. His opponents see the art as well-deserved compensation for the atrocities inflicted on Russia during the war by Hitler’s armies. Some critics say that Yeltsin’s main concern may be over losing the more than one billion marks ($1.7 bn) of German loan credits intended to support Russian reform. Others speculate that a personal promise to Helmut Kohl may be behind the president’s reluctance to honor the parliamentary decision. In a recent development, Germany recently discovery two pieces from the famous Amber Chamber, which was taken from the Soviet Union by the Nazis during the war. The president’s staff point out that Germany could use the find as a “bargaining chip”: no art works returned, no Amber Chamber.