Moscow’s air waves are a little quieter today after the BBC ended its live broadcasts in Russia Friday 26 March. The British radio programmes had aired since 1946 and were stopped as part of major BBC spending cutbacks in the face of UK government spending reductions. The Moscow Times carries a lengthy obituary to the BBC programmes that quotes government and industry observers, who praise the Beeb’s role for more than half a century, with some saying it had become part of Russian culture.
The recollections of famous BBC moments include former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev listening to the British broadcasts, the only news to which he then had access, when he was briefly sent to a Black Sea island in 1991 following a short coup. The BBC had played a role in giving Russians another view of the news during the Cold War.
The Russian language BBC web site remains alive and well, however.
Background story on BBC cuts, GenevaLunch
Link to Voice of Russia article
Mikhael Gorbachev, the former Soviet leader whose meeting with US President Ronald Reagan in Geneva in 1985 led to the end of the Cold War, has sharply criticized current Russian leaders Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev, calling them conceited for their remarks that they will decide between them who will run for president in 2012.
Putin, who stepped down after two terms and who helped his protege move into the job, is widely expected to run again. But Gorbachev says the Russian people should be deciding this and he is quoted by AP/Moscow Times as saying at a news conference that “It’s not Putin’s business. It must be decided by the nation in the elections, by those who would cast ballots.”
He also called for an investigation following remarks by a court spokesperson who says the judge had a verdict forced on him in the politically hot Khodorkovsky oil company case.
Berlin Monday 9 November is recalling the fall of the wall that divided East from West, politically if not necessarily geographically. Thousands of tourists are in the city for celebrations and commemorative events on the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down. Key figures at the time, including Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev and Polish union leader Lech Walesa, are taking part in ceremonies.
Links to other sites: Al Jazeera, Telegraph, UK and Deutsche Welle home page 9 November featuring special section on the Berlin Wall, in English
Background: Wikipedia on the Berlin Wall, Media coverage of the wall from 1961-1989 from Newseum
