Forward.com

‘Grandfather’ Lends a Helping HandBATUMI, Autonomous Republic of Adjara, Georgia — Emil Krupnik and Oksana Vasilkova may not yet live in a Jeffersonian democracy, but politics in their home country has certainly changed since the collapse of the Soviet Union.One day before the March 28 parliamentary elections here, a reporter from the local radio station paid a visit…Read more

Putin Appoints Russia’s Third Jewish PremierLONDON — In a hotly anticipated move that kept Kremlin-watchers guessing about policies on everything from economics to nationalities, Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed his country’s third Jewish prime minister in its post-Soviet history.Not much is known about Russia’s newly appointed prime minister, Mikhail Fradkov. The former…Read more

Russian Politics as Usual, With Putin’s Grasp FirmLONDON — There was a time not too long ago that Russia was famous for its instability. Observers joked that if President Boris Yeltsin lived long enough everyone would get a crack at being prime minister.President Vladimir Putin came to power in 2000 promising to change all that, to make life predictable again for Russians. In this, judging from…Read more

Kremlin Targets Jewish Tycoons In War on CriticsLONDON — Oil titan Mikhail Khodorkovsky is not the first Jew who has risen to become Russia’s richest citizen. Before him Roman Abramovich and Boris Berezovsky had their stints, while Vladimir Gusinsky got close.In Russia, however, life at the top is not all that it’s cracked up to be.Berezovsky and Gusinsky are now in exile,…Read more

Moscow Targets Another Russian Jewish OligarchMOSCOW — It’s becoming a familiar scenario: Kremlin prosecutors go after a prominent Jewish “oligarch,” and Washington reacts with stern warnings that Russia is risking all the progress it has made during the last decade.Just under three years ago, the target was Vladimir Gusinsky, the press baron and founding president…Read more