(EDM) In key global debates, Russia’s voice has been uncharacteristically timid lately, and various Russian domestic controversies are developing without the usual heavy-handed interference from the Kremlin—almost as if President Vladimir Putin has lost interest in the affairs of state. Such local disturbances as protests in Arkhangelsk against the construction of a waste-processing plant for treating garbage from Moscow may, indeed, not quite rise to the level of his attention (RBC, May 15). He was, however, expected to take a firmer position regarding the mass demonstrations in Yekaterinburg against the construction of a cathedral; instead, Putin simply “advised” that the authorities conduct an opinion poll about the matter (Yezhednevny Zhurnal, May 24). The Yekaterinburg conflict reflects a major issue of the political role of the Russian Orthodox Church and its top–down symbiosis with state structures, to which Putin used to pay keen attention (Carnegie.ru, May 20). Yet, as might have been expected, this current neglect of domestic matters is not caused by an overabundance of demanding international concerns. […]
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