Eastern Radar #36
Gender inequality in Kyrgyztan’s government, Russia's counterfeit art market, Russian bikers in Australia and more
Beeps
💣 Schoolchildren from 163 schools in the Russian city of Ekaterinburg had to be evacuated on January 12 following a wave of bomb threats.
📽️ “The Brothers Karamazov,” an original musical produced by a South Korean production company, will hit a major theater in Shanghai in June.
✍️ A spokesperson for the Russian Orthodox Church said the fact that Russian streets were still named after Soviet politicians and figures of the October revolution was a “shame for the country.”
Under the Radar
“What have our women lost?” An Investigation into Inequality in Kyrgyztan’s Government
Saviya Khasanova, Munduzbek Kalykov | Kloop | December 31 | 2,100 words
We analyzed the country’s State Personnel Service data from 2017 to 2021 and found out that there is indeed a “glass ceiling” for female officials in Kyrgyzstan: the higher the positions, the fewer women there are. Even though a relative parity between women and men is maintained at the level of junior positions — 47% women to 53% men — at more senior levels the number of women is reduced to 11%.
The Kyrgyz political world is a man’s world, with its own rules and ways of solving problems: a “dinner with plov” or “Friday in the banya” are events where everything is solved more quickly, and where women are not allowed. There is a myriad of examples of men negotiating entire government resolutions while going for a smoke. These invisible barriers also included informal rules of the game. It is impossible to get a meeting with key players in the parliament and in the government for several months if an official is unknown in the Cabinet of Ministers. Sometimes questions are intentionally and publicly ignored at meetings.
The Russian Church takes on Africa
Vladimir Rozanskij | AsiaNews | January 4 | 675 words
In its synod at the end of 2021, the Moscow Patriarchate welcomed 102 priests from the Russian Church who until now served in eight African countries on behalf of the Greek Patriarchate of Alexandria; these religious did not accept the recognition of the Ukrainian autocephalous Church, which had led in December 2019 to the break in ecclesiastical relations between Moscow and Alexandria. Russian Orthodoxy has thus extended to Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria, Libya, Central Africa and the Seychelles. The Russian-African clergy will be hierarchically subject to the Russian bishop of Yerevan in Armenia, Leonid (Gorbačev). He was elevated to the dignity of titular metropolitan of Klinsk in Belarus, uniting in his person all the latitudes of the "Russian world."
Fake Malevich and Dagestani brides: the workings of Russia’s fake art market [RU]
Diana Listopad | Secret Mag | January 10 | 2,300 words
In the counterfeit market, porcelain is just as popular as jewelry, with many collectors picking up figurines and sets from the 18th and 19th centuries. In the antique market, most collectors hunt for products from three manufacturers: the Russian “Imperial Porcelain Factory”, the French Sèvres and the German Meissen. And so, unsurprisingly, these brands are the most counterfeited. But, while, in the case of Soviet jewelry, the fakes’ production centers are located in Russia or former Soviet countries, then most of the fake porcelain is made in China and then imported into the Russian Federation.
“The Russian art market is far from your typical idea of what a market should look like” says Irina Saminskaya, head of projects at the Vinzavod Moscow contemporary arts center. “Ideally you should have a market integrated into the global market, with large organizations playing a key role in the distribution of artworks, with auction houses, in particular, being involved. But in Russia the major auction houses have no official representation — one or two employees for these companies might be present in Russia, but it’s mostly so as to not lose touch with the country.”
Research and Culture
Two interesting datasets that caught my eye recently: first, Twitter user “Coupsure” has put together what looks to be a fairly comprehensive map of Russian military deployments near Ukraine (I can’t vouch for its accuracy however); and second, researcher Jordan Bernhardt published a huge dataset of joint military exercises conducted worldwide (including in Russia, Ukraine or Central Asia) in the last 30 years.
Russia’s Night Wolves in Australia 🔒
Kira Harris | Journal of Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism | December 2021
The Night Wolves emerged from the outlaw subculture and evolved into an antagonist for the Russian government. The motorcycle club received international attention after taking part in Crimea’s annexation alongside the Russian military, with many European governments viewing the club as a Russian proxy and a security threat. Yet despite concerns, the club underwent an international expansion which included creating an Australian department and Russian members travelling to Australia to support local activities. This paper draws on open-source primary and secondary materials to explore the characteristics of the Night Wolves’ Australian department. The Australian cohort is well-connected with the Night Wolves’ international leadership, those linked to the conflict in Ukraine and far-right groups in the Balkans.
Carolijn van Noort, Precious N Chatterje-Doody | Eurasian Geography and Economics | December 2021
Building upon the literature on strategic narratives, aesthetic power and the Silk Road as a foreign policy concept, we present a detailed case study of the visual imagery of the “Silk Road” documentary collaboration between China’s and Russia’s state-owned international broadcasters, China Radio International and RT (formerly Russia Today). Our analysis reveals that in re-packaging visual imagery that applies nostalgia to the history of core places and technologizes their future, the series projects a pre-curated Chinese visual narrative that emplots the BRI as human and cultural development. Russian regional strategic narratives are marginalized. China is applying its aesthetic power to Russian journalists and politicians; RT obtains some commercial benefits, but the Russian state’s aesthetic power is ceded to China.
Filip Stojanovski | GlobalVoices | January 12
While US superhero comics had many stories involving Soviet characters, such as Marvel's Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff), very few were set in the USSR. Fandom databases listing DC and Marvel comics indicate that only a minuscule portion of mainstream superhero stories use USSR as a location: about 286 (183 + 93 + 10) compared to over 20,291 set in the USA (4,344 + 15,404 + 543). The ratio is about 70 to one.
The first instance of a major comics series with a story set in the Soviet Union came several years after its formation. The adventures of the acclaimed Franco-Belgian reporter Tintin began with the 1929 story “Tintin in the Land of the Soviets.” Though the first run was commercially successful, the author considered this work substandard and crude, and for decades refused requests for reprints. Hergé only agreed to republication in 1973 in reaction to expensive “mediocre-quality” unlicensed editions that exploited the growing fan base.
ICYMI
Stories from well-known outlets you might nevertheless have missed.
Financial Times: Nato offers Russia further talks on arms control
The New York Times: Putin's Next Move on Ukraine Is a Mystery. Just the Way He Likes It.
Reuters: French official says 300-400 Russian mercenaries operate in Mali
Politico: Inside Biden’s secretive weapons shipment to Ukraine
Wall Street Journal: Kazakhstan Crisis Shows That Russia Still Trumps China’s Power in Central Asia
The Diplomat: Kazakhstan’s New Cabinet Features Many of the Same Ministers