Over two days in Tula over 8,000 people venerated the Relics of St Aleksandr Nevsky

Tula, 13 May 2008 (Interfax):

Over 8,000 people in the Tula oblast venerated the relics of St Aleksandr Nevsky over two days, the St Andrew the First-called Foundation reported to Interfax on Tuesday. The Foundation is sponsoring a tour of the relics throughout central Russia and Byelorussia. The relics were brought to the All Saints Cathedral in Tula on Sunday. Vyacheslav Dudko, the governor of the Tula oblast, other regional and local government officials, the clergy of the diocese, and numerous pilgrims and servicemen solemnly greeted the reliquary at the doors of the cathedral.

Archbishop Aleksei of Tula and Belevsk led a molieben before the relics, then, he served an akafist before the faithful were allowed to come forward and venerate the relics. For two days, the cathedral was open from the early morning until late at night. Diocesan priests served moliebens and special buses brought pilgrims from the regional centres to Tula so they could venerate the relics of the saintly prince. The delegation from the St Andrew Foundation presented to the St Aleksandr Nevsky parish in Tula the icon of the saint that had been on the analoy behind the relics. They do this in every city in which the relics are set forth for veneration as a gift to the Church. From Tula, the reliquary shall be transported to Ryazan, Tambov, Lipetsk, Voronezh, Belgorod, Kursk, Orel, Bryansk, and Smolensk. Then, the delegation shall take the relics to Byelorussia so that pilgrims in Minsk, Bobruisk, Gomel, and Orshi can venerate them.

In the autumn of 2007, the St Andrew Foundation brought the relics of St Aleksandr Nevsky to cities that were connected in some way with the life and deeds of the Grand Prince, including Kaliningrad, Riga, Pskov, Novgorod Veliki, Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Nizhniy Novgorod, and Yekaterinburg. The present tour of the relics is part of the charitable programme Aleksandr Nevsky, sponsored by the Foundation of St Andrew the First-called, the Centre for Russian National Glory, and the Moscow Patriarchate as part of the preparations for the celebration in 2020 of the 800^th anniversary of the birth of the saint. The programme shall include measures for strengthening Russian patriotism through the popularisation of the ideal of service to the Motherland and the formation of a new generation of the Russian national élite.

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=24416 (in Russian)

Editor’s Note:

This is where the rubber hits the road. Orthodoxy is INCARNATIONAL; it is not SPIRITUAL as the Western confessions are. The Faith comes to us in tangible form; it is EMBODIED, precisely as Our Lord Christ was embodied. For instance, I received more from God in the mere minutes I spent before the earthly relics of Blessed Laurus than I ever received from all the books I have ever read. The latter are only scraps of paper covered with ink, the former is POWER.

The Martyrs of the Butovo Field did not carry books; they carried the Faith engraved upon their hearts, just as the Martyrs of the Coliseum did. That is why I find the vapourings of some on the internet so obtuse. Quite frankly, if given the choice, I would rather spend five minutes in the presence of a real elder, or relics, or as part of the faithful assembled for the godly liturgy than to read incessantly, as some do.

The faithful who came to venerate St Aleksandr’s relics did so knowing that they were in the presence of sanctity. That is something that cannot be described, it can only be experienced. I experienced such at the funeral of Blessed Laurus. I experienced such at Easter, at the liturgy, and having made a good confession and received absolution. I experienced such at the Unity Service in New York, being only one of hundreds of laity and dozens of clergy assembled together to praise Almighty God.

Follow God. Love your neighbour. Make your Home in the Church. These are things that a child understands (perhaps, better than we do). I say it is time to start looking for sanctity and stop looking for knowledge. The path of the intellectual is not only a dead end; it is a detour away from salvation.

I envy the people of Tula. Perhaps, I shall bow before the relics of St Aleksandr one day as well. What about you?     

 

C. S. Lewis Thought no “Mere Actor” could Adequately Portray Aslan, an Allegory for the Saviour

Moscow, 14 May 2008 (Interfax):

C. S. Lewis, the author of The Chronicles of Narnia, utterly opposed turning these books into screenplays, saying that any such attempt would be “buffoonery or a nightmare”, for he felt that the speaking animals would take over and become the heroes of the production. Lewis thought that the very possibility that the lion Aslan, an allegory for the Saviour, could be played by a mere actor would be blasphemous, according to the newspaper Trud (Labour) on Wednesday.

However, Douglas Gresham, the foster-son of Lewis, from childhood dreamed of making a film of The Chronicles. Since he owned the copyright to the books, he had the story made into a screenplay, and supervised both films that were made based on the series. Mr Gresham hopes that young people shall see the depth and profundity of the films, that they shall open up for them a path to the truth, and, maybe, lead them onwards to the Gospel. It is interesting to note that the Disney studios, which made the film, made a bow to the opinion of C. S. Lewis. Aslan the lion is not played by an actor; he is a computer-generated animation.

The first film in Narnia cycle was The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, which appeared some three years ago, and it won an Oscar for Best Makeup.  The second instalment of the series was Prince Caspian, which arrived in Russian cinemas recently.

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=24428 (in Russian)  

 

New First Hierarch of the ROCOR shall Visit Moscow in June

Moscow, 14 May 2008 (Interfax):

Archbishop Hilarion Kapral of Sydney, recently elected as the new First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR), plans to visit Moscow in June. “God willing, the entire episcopate of the ROCOR shall come to Moscow to participate in the Archbishop’s Council of the Moscow Patriarchate to take place in June”, Vladyki Hilarion said in an interview broadcast on the TV-programme Vesti (The News) in answering a question posed by the presenter on whether he had any intentions of visiting Russia soon.

As was previously announced, the Archbishop’s Council shall take place in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow from 24 to 29 June. The official installation of Vladyki Hilarion shall take place in the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign in New York on 18 May. Archbishop Innokenty Vasiliev of Korsun (the MP ruling bishop in Paris) shall be entrusted with the gramota (letter of acceptance) and shall also convey His Holiness’ personal greetings at the ceremony. Vladyki Innokenty was the head of the MP Commission for Dialogue with the ROCOR prior to the signing of the Act of Canonical Communion.

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=24435 (in Russian)

 

Patriarch Aleksei Confirmed the Election of the New ROCOR First Hierarch

Archbishop Innokenty Vasiliev of Korsun, the patriarchal representative at the installation of Metropolitan Hilarion on 18 May

Moscow, 14 May 2008 (Interfax):

Patriarch Aleksei II of Moscow and all Russia and the Holy Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate confirmed the election of Archbishop Hilarion Kapral of Sydney, Australia, and New Zealand as the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR), according to a statement posted on the MP official website on Wednesday. Earlier, Vladyki Hilarion asked Patriarch Aleksei to bless him to perform the duties of the new First Hierarch of the ROCOR. Archbishop Hilarion was elected Archbishop of New York and Eastern America at a meeting of the ROCOR Archbishops Synod in New York on Monday.

The official decree of the Holy Synod of the MP confirming the decision of the Holy Synod of the ROCOR was issued on 14 May, and Patriarch Aleksei elevated Archbishop Hilarion to the rank of metropolitan two days earlier, on 12 May. The official installation of Vladyki Hilarion shall take place in the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign in New York on 18 May. Archbishop Innokenty Vasiliev of Korsun (the MP ruling bishop in Paris) shall be entrusted with the gramota (letter of acceptance) and shall also convey His Holiness’ personal greetings at the ceremony. Vladyki Innokenty was the head of the MP Commission for Dialogue with the ROCOR prior to the signing of the Act of Canonical Communion. According to the provisions of that Act, the MP recognises the ROCOR as a self-governing body within the Local Church under the jurisdiction of the MP. The ROCOR is governed by its own Archbishop’s Council, which is its highest spiritual, legislative, judicial, and executive authority, and it selects it own First Hierarch according to its own regulations. Such an election is then confirmed in accordance with the canons by the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia and the Holy Synod of the MP.  

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=24438 (in Russian) 

 

14 May 2008. A Day at the Races…

Moscow to host Formula-1 car race around Kremlin

Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov formally approved a proposal for a Formula-1 car race around the Moscow Kremlin on 13 July. The Russian capital has already hosted two Formula-1 show races by Renault. 

12 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26921&cid=52&p=12.05.2008 (in English)

Russia defeats Switzerland 5:3 at IIHF World Hockey Championship

Russia defeated Switzerland 5:3 in a tense showdown on Monday, thus, finishing first in its group and dropping the Swiss to fourth place at the IIHF World Hockey Championship in Québec City, Canada. The two teams will have a rematch in the quarter-finals on Wednesday. 

13 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26924&cid=52&p=13.05.2008 (in English)

Russian sail training ship Pallada begins the final stage of its round-the-globe voyage

The Russian sail training ship Pallada is beginning the final stage of its round-the-globe voyage. Today, it will leave Sevastopol, where it took part in the festivities marking the 225th anniversary of the Black Sea Fleet, to go to the seaport of Novorossiisk. Once a new group of naval students has replaced the old one, the Pallada, as soon as it passes through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, and the Indian Ocean, will call at the seaports of Malaysia, China, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. The Pallada left Vladivostok in November 2007 to begin its round-the-globe voyage. During its voyage, it crossed the equator and visited 13 countries. 

13 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26965&cid=52&p=13.05.2008 (in English)

UEFA Cup final today

The Russian Zenit team will play for the first time in the final of the UEFA Cup. In a decisive game for the Cup, the team coached by Dick Advocate from Holland will play against a Scottish team from Glasgow. It is the second time that a Russian team took part in a match for the Federation’s Cup. Earlier, only the Moscow Central Army Club team played in the finals in 2005 and beat the Portuguese Sporting team.

14 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26980&cid=52&p=14.05.2008 (in English)

President Medvedev decrees visa-free entry for British football fans

President Dmitri Medvedev (1965- )

President Dmitri Medvedev decreed visa-free entry for British football fans so that they can attend the UEFA Champions League finals. All the fans will have to present to border guards are their passports and tickets to the game. Manchester United and Chelsea are due to fight it out on the 21st of this month at Luzhniki, one of Moscow’s best-equipped stadiums. Over 40,000 British football fans are expected to attend.

Editor’s Note:

I predict no trouble from the infamous English football yobs. They shall find out that the OMON means business, and, if they do try anything, the Butyrki is not a rest home.  

14 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26996&cid=48&p=14.05.2008 (in English)

 

14 May 2008. A Shot of Culture, if you please…

Mexican cellist and film director receive medals of Alexander Pushkin

Statue of Aleksandr Pushkin

The Mexican cellist Carlos Prieto and the film director Sergio Olhovich received medals of Alexander Pushkin. The ceremony was at Mexico City’s biggest cultural centre on the 63rd anniversary of the Allied Victory over Nazism on 9 May. The award marks their achievement in promoting the Russian language and culture. Olhovich is of Russian extraction, and he holds a degree from the Moscow Movies Academy.

10 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26851&cid=51&p=10.05.2008 (in English)

Renowned Russian bass Yevgeny Nesterenko to celebrate his jubilee on stage

The renowned Russian bass Yevgeny Nesterenko, who has turned 70, shall celebrate his jubilee on stage. Tonight, he will sing the part of archpriest Zakharia in Verdi’s Nabucco at the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre. Nesterenko has been a Bolshoi soloist since 1971, starring in both the Russian and foreign classical repertoire. His best known parts are Boris Godunov, Konchak, Kocubei, Ruslan, Mephistopheles, Kutuzov, and Ivan Susanin.

11 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26863&cid=51&p=11.05.2008 (in English)

Festival of Russian films to kick off in St Petersburg

The biggest festival of Russian films in Russia is due to kick off in St Petersburg later today. Audiences shall enjoy over 90 films of various genres, ranging from traditional stylistics to avant-garde. The festival is timed for the centenary of the Russian film-making industry.

12 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26888&cid=51&p=12.05.2008 (in English)

One-picture exhibition opens in Moscow

A painting by Parmigianino (Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola, 1503-40) 

An exhibition of just one canvas, Antea, by the 16th century Italian painter Parmigianino (Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola, 1503-40) kicked off at the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum in Moscow. The Capodimonte Museum in Naples offered for display the world-famous portrait of a woman of dazzling beauty. The private view took place in the framework of a popular art festival that has the poetic name Bosco di Ciliegi, or Sweet Cherry Forest. During the festival, visitors to the Pushkin Museum are traditionally treated to sweet cherries. A classical music concert shall be given in one of the Museum’s halls. 

12 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26896&cid=51&p=12.05.2008 (in English)

Declan Donnellan brought the play Boris Godunov to theatre fans in London

Declan Donellan (1953- ), leading British theatre producer

Top British director Declan Donnellan brought the well-known and popular play Boris Godunov to theatre fans in London, giving the 16th century Russian tsar a contemporary relevance. Since its première at the Chekhov International Theatre Festival in 2000, Mr Donnellan’s Boris Godunov has been a regular feature of Moscow cultural life. Speaking ahead of the London premiere, Mr Donellan said the play’s success in Russia was one of the best things that ever happened to him. The play, which is part of the repertoire of the Declan Donellan Cheek by Jowl Company, features leading Russian actors and shall run at London’s Barbican centre until Saturday.

13 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26946&cid=51&p=13.05.2008 (in English) 

Slavic art festival opens in southern Russia

Monument to Ss Cyril and Methodius in Moscow on Slavyanskaya Square

A scientific conference, a song and dance festival, exhibitions, and roundtables shall be held in the southern Volgograd oblast today as part of a festival of the Slavic written language and culture dedicated to the founders of the Slavonic (Cyrillic) alphabet, Ss Cyril and Methodius. The day of Slavic language and culture shall be held on 24 May. 

13 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26947&cid=51&p=13.05.2008 (in English)

Rudolf Nureyev International Classical Ballet Festival opens in Russia

The renowned Russian ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev (1938-93)

The 21st Rudolf Nureyev International Classical Ballet Festival shall open in Kazan in Russia. This year, it is dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the birth of this renowned Russian ballet dancer. Famous ballets will be shown at the festival in Kazan, and ballet stars from Russia, Britain, Austria, France, Germany, the Ukraine, and many other countries shall take part. Nureyev was called the “lord of dance”, creating his own unique sand distinctive style. In 1961 he refused to return to the USSR after a guest performance in Paris, where he died in 1993. 

13 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26964&cid=51&p=13.05.2008 (in English)

Festival of Russian children’s books in Stockholm

Sergei Mikhalkov (1913- ), famous children’s writer and lyricist

A festival of Russian children’s books involving famous children’s writer Sergei Mikhalkov and artist, producer, and scriptwriter of animated cartoons Sergei Alimov shall be held in the Stockholm on 14-15 May. Anatoly Kargapolov, the press-attaché of the Russian embassy in Stockholm released this to the media. A meeting with Sergei Mikhalkov shall be held in the Stockholm international library on 15 May. As a part of the festival’s programme, the Russian Council on Children’s Books shall give some 100 children’s books by Russian authors as a gift to the library. Mr Mikhalkov composed the lyrics to the Russian national anthem, both in Stalin’s time and for President Putin. He is most famous for his poetry cycle portraying “Uncle Styopa”, a giant, and is the father of the famous director Nikkita Mikhalkov.

14 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26979&cid=51&p=14.05.2008 (in English)

Cannes Film Festival kicks off in France

The 61st Cannes Film Festival kicks off in France later today, and first on the programme is the screening of the mythical thriller Blindness by the Brazilian film-maker Fernando Meirelles. This year, 22 films will contend for the festival’s main prize, the Palme d’Or, including Palermo Shooting by Wim Wenders, Changeling by Clint Eastwood, and Che, Steven Soderbergh’s four-hour film about Ernesto “Che” Guevara. Russia is not on the contest programme, but, two Russian films are due to be screened, outside of the competition, namely, Tulip by Sergey Dvortsevoy, and the psychological drama All Will Die But I’ll Survive by Valeria Gai Germanika. It is a first this year that a Russian pavilion opened at the Festival’s International Village for the film-makers Aleksei German Sr. and Sergei Bodrov to give master classes. 

14 May 2008

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26993&cid=51&p=14.05.2008 (in English)

Russian cinema industry to hold its second annual film show in cities across Brazil

This coming September, the Russian cinema industry shall hold its second annual film show in cities across Brazil. The retro section includes The Cranes Are Flying by Mikhail Kalatozov, War and Peace by Sergei Bondarchuk and Andrei Rublyov by Andrei Tarkovsky. Packed audiences are expected for the screenings. 

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27016&cid=51&p=14.05.2008 (in English)

Voice of Russia World Service

Serbian Politicians Negotiate Ruling Coalition

Tomislav NIkolic, Serbian politician, leader of the Radical Party

The political parties represented in the Narodna Skupstina, the Serbian parliament, are holding talks on the formation of a ruling coalition. On Tuesday, the Radical Party and a coalition consisting of the Democratic Party and the New Serbia Party coordinated the top priorities of the future government’s policy. This was announced by Radical Party leader Tomislav Nikolic after consultations with Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, who is the leader of the Democratic Party. The Socialist Party headed by Ivica Dacic is expected to join today. If these three major political forces, which have the necessary majority in parliament, come to agreement, they shall form a new coalition cabinet. Chances are high, given the similarity of positions held by the Radicals, Kustunica’s supporters, and the Socialists on the issue of European integration and the future of Kosovo.

Aleksandr Karasev, an expert at the Institute for Slavic Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences, commented on this. He said, “What should come first… Serbia’s accession to the European Union, and then, the issue of Kosovo recedes into the background, or the struggle to retain sovereignty over Kosovo, as insisted upon by the Radicals? They are not against European integration, but, only if their demand that Kosovo be recognised as part of Serbia is accepted”.

The Socialists will have the final say. Meanwhile, they have received a tempting offer from the For European Serbia party, which has the biggest faction in parliament. Whether this will please those who voted for the Socialist Party remains to be seen.

14 May 2008

Yevgeny Kryshkin 

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=27012&cid=56&p=14.05.2008 (in English)

Children’s Internet: New on RuNet

About 30 million people in Russia use the Internet. Users of RuNet (the Russian-language version of the global net) have increased 30 times! Since children are visiting the global network ever more frequently these days, RuNet is launching more sites for kids and teenagers. Parents can feel reassured that in visiting such a site a child won’t run into indecencies or obscenities. The programme “Net Watch”, which deals with the children’s RuNet, comes out every Tuesday at 15.00 UTC on the site of the Voice of Russia Radio Broadcasting Company at www.ruvr.ru

The first children’s resources appeared on RuNet 10 years ago. Today, RuNet offers a wide variety of sites designed to educate and develop children. According to Sergei Stepanov, the author of a kids’ portal and a search system for kids, children enjoy chatting with one another in specialised forums. The youngest visitor to a children’s forum was 6, he said. The boy chatted with the other participants in the forum together with his mother, who had registered him at the forum first.

Mr Stepanov said that Russia, like other countries, is consistent and serious about building kids’ resources. Naturally, a kids’ site should boast a good design, he says. A moderator must check for indecent references. Mr Stepanov says he thoroughly checks all references to other sites for bad language and a special filter in the search system checks it for obscene words and coarse expressions. 

On the kids’ site of the Russian president all the texts, so they say, were edited by Vladimir Putin personally. Guiding the young users through the site are three fairytale characters, the pretty girl Alyonushka travels with the youngest, the prankster Ilyusha of Murom travels with older children, and the brainy Dobrynya works with kids between 11 and 13. The choice of a character influences the content of chapters which tell the children in understandable expressions about the Russian Constitution and statehood. RuNet offers historical games, such as building the Moscow Kremlin from scratch…

Learn what’s new on the RuNet from “Net Watch”, which goes on the air every Tuesday at 15 UTC on the Voice of Russia Website at www.ruvr.ru

12 May 2008

Sergei Mizerkin 

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=17093&cid=59&p=12.05.2008 (in English)

 

Russia to Send Four Planeloads of Humanitarian Aid to China

Chinese rescuers in the Sichuan earthquake zone

Russia was one of the first countries to come to the rescue in the aftermath of a destructive earthquake in southwest China. Moscow built an air bridge to deliver humanitarian aid to the disaster area in China a mere 24 hours after the Sichuan province was first hit. The province continues to suffer from a series of aftershocks. Yuri Brazhnikov, the Director of the International Activities Department of the Ministry for Emergency Situations, commented on immediate plans for Russian assistance to China. He said, “The top priority is sending vital humanitarian aid to those who have lost their homes and need help. Secondly, we are prepared to send a search-and-rescue team and a mobile hospital to China. Four Ilyushin-76 cargo planes are scheduled to take the aid in question to China”.

The first Russian plane flew in 30 tonnes of humanitarian cargo, namely tents, blankets, and food. The elements levelled many thousands of homes, the area is currently suffering torrential rain, and seismologists do not rule out more underground tremors. The plight of the hundreds of thousands of survivors is made critical by gale-force winds and low night temperatures. The quake hit the area during the daytime on Monday, when children were at school. The lack of machinery and relevant equipment makes it impossible for rescuers to clean up school building wreckage. But, the rescuers, doctors, and fire-fighters just cannot reach most of the quake-affected areas because roads and bridges have been destroyed. Mudflows and landslides are highly probable because of torrential rain.

Russian rescuers and medical workers have much experience in providing assistance for people in this kind of emergency situation. They provided assistance in the aftermath of the tsunami several years ago in South-East and South Asia, and also helped those trapped in devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Pakistan. Today, Russia is prepared to send to China teams of rescue workers, supply the machinery required, and set up a mobile hospital in the disaster-stricken area. Many regions in Siberia and the Russian Far East that cooperate with China in other matters bent every effort to send mobile search-and-rescue teams, groups of medical workers, and other experts to the quake-hit area in China once all formalities are agreed.

Japan, Thailand, Australia, the United States, and several international organisations have, along with Russia, signalled their wish to channel aid to China. The natural disaster in China came in the wake of the devastating typhoon in Myanmar. The destructive natural calamities of recent days makes it imperative for Asian and Pacific countries to think out and set up effective international cooperation mechanisms to cope with the aftermath of natural disasters. The process could be started at the forthcoming G-8 leaders’ meeting with the Heads of State of the leading developing nations.

14 May 2008

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26989&cid=59&p=14.05.2008 (in English)

 

China is Russia’s Best Friend

Sculpture in the Forbidden City of Beijing in China

According to a recent opinion poll conducted by the All-Russian Centre for the Study of Public Opinion, Russians consider China their best friend. The People’s Republic of China received support from 23 percent of the respondents. Germany and Belarus share 17 and 14 percent respectively. Kazakhstan, India, and France were also listed among Russia’s friends. Ill will was shown to the USA and Georgia (they both scored 25 percent), then, the Ukraine and Poland. The three Baltic states close the list. The survey was not a surprise since cooperation with China in all spheres has been excellent in recent months. The latest Russian-Chinese negotiations in Moscow prove this. Russians are concerned about the hard-line foreign policy of the USA. The relations with Georgia, the Ukraine, Poland, and the Baltic states can hardly be called smooth since anti-Russian sentiments in these states are very deep-seated. 

According to expert Olga Kamenchuk, the results were influenced by some common tendencies. Positive attitudes were predetermined by successful economic cooperation and the absence of sharp political differences. Negative attitudes were caused by tense political relations and a lack of economic collaboration. It is interesting to compare this data to attitudes towards Russia (shown in other polls). Thus, two-thirds of the Chinese people have warm feelings towards Russia, whilst Americans are divided over the issue, with more than 40 percent reporting negative feelings about Russia, and about 50 percent, mainly young respondents, approve of Moscow’s policies.

13 May 2008

Voice of Russia World Service

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=26970&cid=59&p=13.05.2008 (in English)