The big media outlets slowly woke up to the accreditation news this week. There was this story in USA Today and another in the Chicago Tribune, and even a brief notice in the Moscow Times. The New York Times didn't weigh in, but it did have a nice... more

The news is almost all business this week.

As expected, British energy company BP sold its stake in a Siberian natural gas field to Russia's state-owned Gazprom. The reported $900 million price tag, which was labeled cheap by The Moscow Times, covers both the Kovykta gas field and the East Siberian Gas Company.

The agreement has been all... more

Last week, Aeroflot grabbed the aviation news spotlight with a big order from Boeing. This week, it was Sukhoi's turn. The jet maker, which until recently made only military aircraft, won the first foreign customer for its civilian Superjet 100. Italian regional carrier Itali Airlines agreed to buy 20 of the jets, which are built to compete against Embraer and Bombardier in the mid-size... more

Ever since Russian legislators enacted the so-called maternity incentive law late last year, I've been wondering how it would turn out. Recently, I've gotten a little bit of a glimpse.

By way of background, last December 27 the legislators approved a plan to create a long-term savings account (similar to our Individual Retirement Accounts in the United States) that would be offered to families who have a second child, or more. The government would deposit... more

OK, I'll skip right over what didn't happen this week (again)(sigh)(channel frustration), and get on to what did.

Russian President Vladimir Putin gave broad hints in an interview with the newspaper Kommersant that he may run for office again in 2012. The constitution that Russia adopted in 1993 bars presidents from serving more than two consecutive four-year terms, which Putin wraps up next year. But the constitution does not prevent past presidents from running again.... more

Maybe, just maybe, this week brought us one step closer to a better relationship between the United States and Russia.

Yesterday, after weeks of heated exchanges between Washington and Moscow over America's plans for installing a missile defense system in eastern Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin came up with a surprise. Rather than base the system in the former Warsaw pact countries of Poland and the Czech Republic, Putin told Washington, put it in Azerbaijan. And, according to the... more

One small bit of good news on the adoption front: Sean and Robin, who are blogging at "His, Hers & Ours", are in Russia for Trip 1. Best wishes for a happy trip.

But once again, no news on accreditations. And frankly, if anybody in Washington is paying attention, I don't think all the very undiplomatic diplomacy that's going on now is of much help.

On Thursday, David Kramer, a State Department Russian expert rebuked... more

There was, alas, no news on the adoption front in Russia this week. But there was lots of political and business news.

On Tuesday, British prosecutors asked Russia to extradite former KGB agent to face a murder charge. Andrei Lugovoi is the chief suspect in the death of another former KGB operative Alexander Litvinenko, who died in Britain last Nov. 23, after being poisoned by the radioactive substance polonium-210. Litvinenko was a British citizen at his death. Lugovoi has repeatedly... more

In adoption news, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow said Friday that, as of Monday, June 18, 2007, its standard processing time for adoption visas will change to two business days from one. Families will still submit their documents in the morning, but will come back for their interviews at 2 p.m. the following day, instead of the same afternoon. Still no news on accreditations from the Russian Ministry of Education, however.

There was a mix of good news... more

A bit of news on the adoption front, but not the big news on accreditation that we all want to see.

As expected, Robert and Brenda Matthey were sentenced to four years in a New Jersey state prison for causing the death of the child they adopted from Russia, Viktor Alexander Matthey, in December 1999. The couple had pleaded guilty to reckless manslaughter on April 12 and dropped all outstanding appeals. But, given the time they have already served... more