by Wyatt Ford20 February—Former Presi‑

dent of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimi‑ev will appear instead of presi‑dential candidate and current Prime Minister of Russia Vladimir Putin in a debate with Communist Party candidate Gennady Zyu‑ganov scheduled to be televised tomorrow on Pervoi Kanal, Inter‑fax reported this weekend.

This appearance on national television will be the latest step in an extended rapprochement between Putin and Shaimiev.

In March 2011, Shaimiev was vocal in his criticism of United Russia, the ruling party led by Prime Minister Putin. Shaimiev, one of the founding members of United Russia himself, focused his disapproval on United Rus‑sia’s nationalities policy. “United Russia has to consider some is‑

sues rather critically and change them [in order] to meet the chal‑lenges that lie ahead,” Radio Free Liberty quoted Shaimiev as hav‑ing said, alluding to the Decem‑ber 2011 State Duma elections and March 2012 Presidential elections. At the time, Shaimiev also reaffirmed his opposition to a law passed that would phase out all regional presidents by 2015.

In September 2011, Open De‑mocracy published an interview with Shaimiev in which he repeat‑ed his criticism of the increasing centralism of Russia. “How can there be a unitary state made up of lands inhabited from time im‑memorial by different peoples who have been the masters of those territories, with their own

Continued on page 3

March 1, 2012 No. 2 (20)The Kazan Herald

Tatarstan’s first and only English newspaper

www.kazanherald.com

Shaimiev Gives BlessingTo Putin Campaign

by robert May8 February—Local activists,

youth, pensioners, and represen‑tatives of small and medium busi‑ness came out on a chilly Satur‑day, 4 February, for the most re‑cent of a series of demonstrations to protest the results of the De‑cember 2011 State Duma elec‑tions.

The protest was scheduled to coincide with others happening across Russia, most notably a gathering in Moscow that drew more than 100,000 participants. The turnout in Kazan was decid‑

edly smaller—700 according to Vechernyaya Kazan, 300‑400 ac‑cording to Vedemosti.

Local leaders of A Just Russia (Marsel Shamsutdinov), Yabloko (Ruslan Zinatullin), and the Com‑munist Party (Khafiz Mirgalimov) all spoke at the rally, which was held on Ploshchad Tukaya (Tukay Square), under the watchful eyes of a statue of Tatar revolutionary Mullanur Vakhitov.

The protest was led by Ilya Karev, a 23‑year‑old reportedly

Activists Continue ToProtest Duma Results

Continued on page 2

Economy, Industry, Energy CollegiumFocuses on WTO, European Crisis

by Kira Maslova12 February—Tatarstan’s Min‑

istry of Economy, Ministry of In‑dustry and Trade, and Ministry of Energy held a joint collegium in Kazan’s Korston business center on 10 February.

Presided over by President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, the collegium focused on the ac‑complishments of 2011 before looking forward to the challeng‑es 2012 brings, most notably in‑creasing competition on interna‑tional markets, the financial crisis in Europe, and the implications

of membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO).

“Our results are not bad,” Minnikhanov said in his opening remarks. “We have provided economic growth, with gross regional project amounting to 1.25 trillion rubles. We still hold leading positions in plastics, rubber, and trucks. There are also good results in agriculture, which produced 165 billion ru‑bles worth of goods.”

Tatarstan Minister of Econ‑omy Midkhat Shagiakhmetov began his speech by focusing

on the dismal outlook and loom‑ing crisis facing the economy of Europe. This dire situation affects Tatarstan, Shagiakhme‑tov explained, as the bulk of Tatarstan’s pertrochemicals are exported to Europe. “We can‑not think of ourselves as being separate from the general eco‑nomic situation,” the minister said. “These problems may af‑fect us as well. Accordingly, we need to be prepared for a return to crisis.”

Continued on page 2

Prime Minister of Russia Vladimir Putin, left, awarding fromer President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev the Stolypin award on 15 February.

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by Wyatt Ford28 February—Less than 500

days are left till Kazan hosts the 2013 Summer Universiade, which begins on 6 June next year.

The 500‑day marker, which fell on Wednesday, 22 February, was commemorated on Tuesday with a press conference on the status of the preparation work being carried out by the Universi‑ade Executive Directorate, the City of Kazan, and the Republic of Tatarstan.

Executive Director of the Uni‑versiade Vladimir Leonov opened the press conference with a de‑tailed report on the organization’s current work.

The Directorate anticipates that nearly 13,500 athletes from 170 countries will participate in the games, which will draw near‑ly 50,000 tourists.

All official participants in the Universiade will be granted a vi‑sa‑waiver to enter the Republic of Tatarstan, according to an or‑der issued by the President of Russia, Leonov reported. The Di‑rectorate is also looking into ways to streamline and simplify cus‑toms processing during the time of the games.

Over the course of 2012, Ta‑tarstan will host a range of sport‑ing events—including the Youth Water Polo Kazan Cup, the Yeltsin Cup Tennis Tournament, and the Women’s Grand Prix in Chess—that will serve as dry runs to test the readiness of infrastructure for the Universiade.

Volunteers play a crucial role in the Directorate’s plans. To date, 9,145 volunteers from 40 coun‑tries have signed up online to help out during the games. More than 44 institutes of higher education in Russia and Tatarstan have cre‑ated volunteer recruiting bases on their campuses. Tomorrow, 29 February, a countrywide stu‑dent volunteer forum entitled “We Are Ready!” will be held in Tatneft Arena in Kazan.

At the time of the conference, the 2013 Summer Universiade had three official sponsors: Ak Bars Bank, the official bank of the games; Megafon, the official tele‑communications provider; and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

It has been announced that sponsor agreements with Coca Cola, Hyundai, and McDonalds will be signed tomorrow during a session of the Directorate Orga‑nizational Committee that will in‑

clude the participation of Prime Minister of Russia Igor Shuvalov, President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, and Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin.

In total, more than 700,000 tickets will be sold during the Uni‑versiade. According to Leonov, the Directorate is working in col‑laboration with Ak Bars Bank on developing an electronic, pay pass system to be used to help speed up the ticketing process. Tickets will officially go on sale on 6 June 2012, one year before the beginning of the games, and will increase in price every three months. Tickets to the opening and closing ceremonies will cost 5,000 rubles. Tickets to sporting events will cost as little as 100 rubles.

Liliya Safiullina, Head of the Department of State Project De‑velopment in the Ministry of Con‑struction, Architecture and Hous‑ing; Yury Petrenko, Deputy Head of the City Capital Construction and Reconstruction Department; and Anatoly Tsertseil, Head of the City Directorate of Underground Transport Construction also spoke at the press briefing about the progress of ongoing construc‑tion projects.

500 Days To Universiade

� March 1, 2012 No. 2 (20) The Kazan Herald

originally from Krasnoyarsk who or‑ganized the previous demonstration in front of Kazan’s Tsentralny Sta‑dion (Central Stadium) on 24 De‑cember.

The first protest against the De‑cember election results occurred on 10 December in Ploshchad Svo‑body. That protest was unsanctioned by city authorities, and roughly 100 participants were arrested as the protest was winding down. 8 Feb‑ruary’s protest was sanctioned, but the City of Kazan had reportedly de‑clined to grant a permit to hold a march.

The 4 February protest repeated rhetoric about the falsification of the Duma election results, focusing at‑tention on the upcoming Presidential elections, which will be held on 4 March.

The protest was held without incident. “Nothing is happening here,” Deputy Head of Tatarstan Police Vasily Sokolov was quoted as having remarked to a Business Online reporter during the pro‑test.

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(Continued from page 1)

Editor‑in‑Chief Rustem Yunusov

Deputy Editor Wyatt Ford

Art Director Sergei Saakyan

Opinion Editor Maxim Edwards

Columnists Joseluis Gomez‑Rodriguez

Alexander Tedeschi

Contributors Alexandra McLeod

Nadezhda Podoprigora James Vaughan Leyla Yakupova Alina Khalimova

Olga Lyubina Olga Potapova

Tatiana Sizikova Adelina Lopez

Photographer Kira Maslova

Dilyara Mukminova

Illustrator Ines Cerro

Even so, Shagiakhmetov believes that Tatarstan’s performance in 2011 is encouraging. Gross Regional Prod‑uct (GRP) has increased 4.6 per cent, and industrial production grew by 5.7 per cent, with total shipping volume amounting to 1.3 billion rubles. Ta‑tarstan’s four economic centers (Alm‑etyevsk, Nizhnekamsk, Kazan, and Naberezhnye Chelny) accounted for nearly 90 per cent of GRP.

Among the subjects of the Rus‑sian Federation, Tatarstan is current‑ly in third place in terms of housing construction and agricultural produc‑tion, in fourth place in terms of invest‑ment in fixed assets, and in fifth place in terms of industrial production. Ta‑tarstan’s GRP constitutes 2.8 per cent of the GDP of Russia, 4 per cent of industrial production, 4.8 per cent of agricultural production, 3.4 per‑cent of investments, 6 per cent of the volume of construction, and 4.1 per cent of housing construction.

Within Russia, Tatarstan current‑ly produces 6.5 per cent of oil, 100 per cent of neonol, 97 per cent of polyether, 50 per cent of polystyrene, 40 per cent of synthetic rubber, 30 per cent of tires, 30 per cent of trucks, and more than 30 per cent of may‑onnaise.

In 2011, Tatarstan was ranked first among all the regions of the Volga Federal District in terms of “minimal investment risk” by the rating agency Expert.

Small and medium enterprises constituted 25 per cent of the Ta‑tarstan economy, a figure that Sha‑giakhmetov hopes to bring up to 35 per cent by 2016. The minister also stated that increasing foreign invest‑ment was a top goal of the republic.

Speaking about joining the WTO, Shagiakhmetov noted that Tatarstan’s foreign trade turnover in 2011 amount‑ed to $25 billion, $22 billion of which

was exports, mainly to WTO‑member countries. Similarly, 90 per cent of imports are coming from partners within the WTO. Shagiakhmetov sug‑gested that Tatarstan can position itself as a mid‑priced alternate on the world market. “Tatarstan enter‑prises have a unique opportunity to take on the world market, occupying the nice between low‑quality, cheap Chinese products and high‑quality, expensive European ones,” he ex‑plained.

The Minister also spoke about the planned Kama economic cluster proj‑ect, which could participate in the federal program of integrated terri‑torial development. If implemented, this product would see the industrial output of the regions of Yelabuga, Nizhnekamsk, Zainsk Tukaevsky, Mendeleev, and Naberezhnye Chelny reach 1 trillion rubles by 2020.

The report given by Tatarstan Min‑ister of Industry and Trade Ravil Zar‑ipov focused on facts and figures that indicate the republic’s strong com‑petitive potential. Industrial produc‑tion in the republic amounted to 16 billion rubles in 2011. Among the so‑called success stories the minis‑ter mentioned were a 20 per cent in‑crease in investments in optics re‑search and development, a 2 billion ruble tender won by Sokol to develop unmanned aerial vehicles for the Rus‑sian Ministry of Defense, and a joint venture with Turkish companies in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone that will harvest the soft woods avail‑able in Tatarstan.

Tatarstan Minister of Energy Ilshat Fardiev underscored the importance of the energy sector in the social and economic life of the republic, declar‑ing that it was time to integrate heat‑ing systems and introduce a single generation control center which would optimize the supply and improve re‑liability while also reducing the cost of energy production.

Fardiev also criticized Taif‑NK and Taneco, claiming they had vio‑lated instructions given by Minnikh‑anov in their refusal to sign contracts for technical connection to the net‑work infrastructure, including con‑structing a 500 kW substation in Yelabuga. This substation would play a crucial role, should there be a shortfall in the generating capacity in the Zakamsk area.

The minister also celebrated the beginning of a cycle gas turbine proj‑ect in Kazan.

General Director of Kamaz Sergei Kogogin was more reserved in his comments at the collegium. “We do not have a very profitable business, despite the fact that Kamaz emerged out of 2010 as one of the five most efficient companies in the world,” he said. “During the economic crisis, we successfully optimized and stream‑lined our processes, actions that should have shown significant eco‑nomic results in 2011. But this did not happen.”

In his speech, Deputy Minister of Regional Development of Russia Yury Osintsev noted that there is a shortage of professionally trained land use planning projects in Rus‑sia. “We need a region that would show the rest of the subjects of the federation an example of develop‑ment,” said Osintsev. “I would like to ask Tatarstan to help lead us in this direction.” Osintsev also warned that the so‑called monocities (cities based around one factory or indsu‑try) were still at risk, asking Minnikh‑anov to recall what happened to Na‑berezhnye Chelny when Kamaz stopped work in the 1990s.

In his closing remarks, Minnikha‑nov urged Tatarstan companies to focus on increasing productivity and the trasnparency of spending, mea‑sures he believes especially crucial given the approaching membership of Russia to the WTO.

Economy, Industry, Energy CollegiumFocuses on WTO, European Crisis(Continued from page 1)

Activists Continue To Protest Duma Results

News

Hundreds came to Kazan’s Ploshchad Tukaya (Tukay Square) for the protest.

A sign reading “not in our plans,” with capital letters spelling then name “PUTIn.”

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�March 1, 2012 No. 2 (20)The Kazan Herald

by Wyatt Ford22 February—President of Ta‑

tarstan Rustam Minnikhanov met with a select group of heads of the republic’s press in the Cabi‑net of Ministers yesterday.

The main topic of the meeting was the upcoming Russian Pres‑idential elections, judging from a three‑and‑half minute video clip of the meeting posted on Ta‑tarstan’s official website.

In his remarks, Minnikhanov was unconditional in his support of the Presidential campaign of current Prime Minister of Russia Vladimir Putin. “Levels of devel‑opment across the country are of course not equal, but speaking of Tatarstan, it is difficult for us to find fault with the federal govern‑ment,” Minnikhanov said in the video. “Vladimir Vladimirovich Pu‑tin—quietly, without saying so—has supported all of our projects, all of our initiatives. I don’t know, but the amount that Putin has done for Kazan, no one else even comes close.”

Minnikhanov listed the 2013 Summer Universiade, the Alabu‑ga Special Economic Zone, the reformation of Kazan State Uni‑versity as a federal university, the new status of Kazan Aviation In‑stitute and Kazan State Technical

University as research institutes, and a new Taneco initiative as projects that have benefited from Putin’s support.

“Given all that this man has done for our republic, it will just be insulting to me if people do not adequately appreciate this,” Minnikhanov continued. “This is a man with whom we have full un‑derstanding and from whom we have full support. And Tatarstan has tangible, enormous potential for further development. What we have today, it is just the begin‑ning. We have very good pros‑pects, and we need very strong support—first of all, so that we are not interfered with, but sec‑ond, so that we are helped.”

During the meeting, Minnikh‑anov also commented on the other Presidential candidates, according to Business Online.

“I respect Mikhail Prokhorov,” noted Minnikhanov, before con‑tinuing: “He says the country doesn’t need a tsar, it needs a manager. The country needs a tsar! A tsar is a masculine figure who is responsible for a country.” In a similar manner, Minnikhanov expressed his disagreement with the candidacies of Sergei Mironov, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, and Gen‑nady Zyuganov.

by rustem yunusovOn 4 March, citizens of the

Russian Federation will elect their President. In light of constitution‑al amendments made in 2008, the president‑elect will have a six‑year term.

Sixteen candidates submitted applications to participate in the elections with the Central Elec‑tion Committee, but only five can‑didates, listed alphabetically, have been approved: Sergei Mironov, Mikhail Prokhorov, Vladimir Putin, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, and Gen‑nady Zyuganov. The 11 other can‑didates were rejected from being on the ballot for failing to gather 2 million verified signatures. For example, the Central Election Committee deemed that as much as 25 per cent of the signatures gathered by Yabloko party can‑didate Grigory Yavlinksy were fal‑sified.

According to Russian law, Presidential candidates must be citizens of the Russian Federa‑tion, 35 years of age or older, and must have permanently resided within the country for the last 10 years.

Sergei Mironov is the dark horse of the elections. Few ex‑pected his party, “Spravedlivaya Rossiya” (A Just Russia), would be as successful as they were in the December State Duma elec‑tions, gathering 13 per cent of the vote and finishing third, even ahead of old‑timers such as the Liberal Democratic Party.

An opposition force, Mironov is not new to Presidential politics. In 2004 he ran for President, but won only 0.75 per cent of the vote. He has long served as Chairman of the Federation Council of Rus‑sia (2001‑2011), a post he was relieved from by President Dmi‑

try Medvedev six months prior to the State Duma Elections.

Politically, Mironov is on the left. He favors a progressive tax system and a tax on luxury.

Mikhail Prokhorov, the only candidate who has not run for President before, is also the first oligarch in Russian history to par‑ticipate in Presidential politics. President of the ONEXIM Group, owner of the New Jersey Nets, and President of the Russian Bi‑athlon Union, Prokhorov is esti‑mated to be one of the richest men in Russia. If elected, he has promised to sell all his interests in his companies.

Prokhorov began participat‑ing in politics in July 2011, becom‑ing chairman of the political par‑ty “Pravoe Delo” (Right Cause), but in September he resigned, reportedly over tensions with the Kremlin. In the December elec‑

tions, Pravoe Delo did not gather enough votes to gain represen‑tation in the State Duma.

Prokhorov’s platform empha‑sizes stimulating the economy through privatization and break‑ing up monopolies, encouraging competition, and creating better social safety nets.

Current Prime Minister of Rus‑sia and two‑term President from 2000 to 2008, Vladimir Putin is favored to win the election. Unit‑ed Russia’s candidate, Putin has published a series of articles over the past two months outlining his campaign platform, which em‑phasizes maintaining the pace of Russia’s development.

According to many analysts, the challenge for Putin will be to close the election in the first round. Under Russian law, when no one candidate wins 50 per cent of the vote, a second round takes

place between the two top‑polling candidates.

Outspoken Vladimir Zhiri‑novsky of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) will be running for president for his fifth time. Among other things, his platform is based on carrying out liberal reforms in Russia.

Another veteran of Russian politics, Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov will be par‑ticipating for the fifth time. Zyu‑ganov commanded considerable political influence in the 1990s, and even almost won the presi‑dential election in 1996, gaining 40 percent of the vote. Since then, however, a significant portion of his base has passed away, and a new generation of Russians seems more skeptical about the country’s communist past. In 2008, Zyuganov gained 18 per cent of the vote.

March 2012 Presidential Elections: The CandidatesNews

Putin Crucial To Tatarstan’sSuccess, Minnikhanov Says

traditions, native languages and professing their own religion?” he asked. “If you don’t take this into account, it means these people will be troubled in themselves. And if they are under strain, then it’s not a democracy any more. They will always demand their own rights.”

Shaimiev’s stated grievances seem to have been addressed. In the aftermath of the popular protests that followed the Decem‑ber State Duma elections, Presi‑dent of Russia Dmitry Medvedev (Putin’s counterpart in the so‑called ruling tandem) called for the return to direct election of regional governors, as part of a series of proposed political re‑forms. Then on 23 January, amongst a series of articles Putin published laying out his 2012 plat‑form appeared one that specifi‑cally addressed nationalities pol‑icy. In the article, Putin recom‑mended this policy should be overseen by “a collegial body with certain powers to work directly with the president and top gov‑ernment officials.” Several local commentators have suggested that Shaimiev would be a logical choice for the head of this body.

On 31 January, Putin an‑nounced that Shaimiev, who

turned 75 in January, would be awarded the Stolypin medal, an award given in honor of tsarist reformer Pyetr Stolypin for ac‑complishments in socio‑eco‑nomical development. Just a week later, on 6 February, Shaimi‑ev was named as one of Putin’s 499 trustees for the upcoming elections.

Last week, on 15 February, Putin visited the City of Nabere‑zhnye Chelny for a ceremony in honor of the 2 millionth truck pro‑duced by Kamaz. While in Ta‑tarstan, the Prime Minister for‑mally presented Shaimiev with the Stolypin medal.

The next day, Shaimiev gave a three and a half our interview to Business Online, one of Ta‑tarstan’s leading independent media outlets. During the inter‑view, Shaimiev made it clear that he considered Putin the only vi‑able candidate in the upcoming presidential elections.

“I think that, when Putin be‑comes President, he will be the Putin of 2012. He’s no longer the Putin of 2000,” explained Shaimi‑ev, referring to the beginning of Putin’s first term as President. “Everything that society has sug‑gested must be analyzed, as the saying goes, and it is clear that they are already doing that, what with the articles,” he continued,

referring the series of articles that amount to Putin’s platform.

Speaking of the other presi‑dential candidates, Shaimiev said that, having looked over their plat‑forms, it was clear that they were making promises they could not deliver on. “Miracles do not hap‑pen,” he emphasized. In contrast, Shaimiev explained, Putin’s pro‑gram “will be realized: knowing him, he always keeps his word.”

Shaimiev’s verbal support materialized into action on Friday, 17 Febuary, as the former Presi‑dent of Tatarstan took part in a rally in support of Putin at the Ka‑zanorgsintez factory with more than 2,000 participants, accord‑ing to Tatar Inform. Shaimiev was not the only United Russia politi‑cian in Tatarstan to rally for Putin: President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov and Mayor of Nizh‑nekamsk Aidar Metshin partici‑pated in a rally at a Taneco fac‑tory, while State Council Chair‑man Farid Mukhametshin took part in a 2,500 person rally in Al‑metevsk reportedly organized by workers of Tatneft.

United Russia did not perform strongly in the December State Duma elections, winning just un‑der 50 per cent of the vote across Russia, but they were more suc‑cessful in Tatarstan, where they won 78 per cent of the vote.

Shaimiev Gives Full Blessing To Putin Campaign(Continued from page 1)

Sergei Mironov. Mikhail Prokhorov. Vladimir Putin. Vladimir Zhirinovsky. Gennady Zyuganov.

� March 1, 2012 No. 2 (20) The Kazan HeraldeducatioN

by Tatiana siziKova18 February—On 16 Febru‑

ary, Interuniversity Centre for In‑ternational Educational Pro‑grammes hosted an internation‑al education fair at the Kazans‑kaya Yarmarka Exhibition Cen‑ter.

The 21st International Educa‑tion Fair included a seminar on international education (10am — 12:30pm) and an exhibition (2pm — 6pm). The attendees were mostly graduates or students of Russian universities, though there were also some school‑age visitors. As the ICIEP has noted, most Russian students prefer to get their basic higher education at Russian universities, only then pursuing Master’s or Postgradu‑ate courses abroad.

The fair gathered exhibitors from all over the world—Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Malta, Switzer‑land, Turkey, the UAE, and the USA.

The organizers put an em‑phasis on study opportunities in North America, particularly in Canada. Representatives of three Canadian universities, four col‑leges, a language school, and the Canadian Embassy took part in the fair. Enthusiastic exhibitors from Alberta University (Canada) were eager to explain the ease

International Education Fair Courts Regional Students

with which Russian students could enter their university—take a language test and pay tuition fees.

The CampusFrance agency from Samara and the French Em‑bassy formed the French sector of the exhibition. The agency in‑formed visitors about the top

French universities and colleges, French language programs, and ways of getting tuition‑free edu‑cation and scholarships.

The Dutch partner, NUFFIC/NESO Russia, organized an ex‑position entitled “Education in the Netherlands,” where they pres‑ent a wide range of English‑taught

study programs at Dutch univer‑sities. They also spoke about var‑ious government scholarships for Russian students.

ICIEP has been organizing fairs in Moscow for more than a decade, but Kazan has recently become a place of interest for its large number of students and in‑

creased interest shown in inter‑national education. Much of Ka‑zan’s youth view a foreign diplo‑ma as a strong beginning on a path to future success.

After Kazan, the same educa‑tion fair was held in Moscow to‑day and will be held in St. Peters‑burg on 19 February.

Exhibitors at the education fair fielding questions.

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14 FebruaryTaif‑NK and Kellogg Brown &

Root (KBR) signed an agreement today, under which the American engineering company will help build a $1.5 billion deep oil‑pro‑cessing factory in Tatarstan by 2015. Harnessing new “Veba combi cracker” technology, this plant will allow Taif‑NK to produce 2.7 million tons of bitumen per year and up to 700,000 tons of vacuum gas oil per year. Presi‑dent of Tatarstan Rustam Min‑nikhanov also participated in this meeting. [Interfax, Tatarstan Pres‑idential Press Service]

Tatneft announced that the company had for the first time ever successfully drilled small‑diameter holes, reportedly an im‑portant breakthrough for the company’s future growth. [Tat‑neft Press Service]

Tatarstan Airlines has won an important contract as the official airlines of hockey players in Rus‑sia’s Continental Hockey League. The Tatarstan carrier will service flights in western Russia, while Yamal Airlines will operate in the eastern part of the country. [Iz‑vestiya]

16 FebruaryASG, a company owned by

local billionaire Aleksei Semin, has agreed to restore 17 historic buildings in the center of Kazan. The company will invest 5 billion rubles into the effort, which is scheduled to be completed be‑fore the Summer Universiade be‑gins in July 2013. [kzn.ru]

Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin met with Chief Architect of Bar‑celona Hose Antonio Acedillo to‑day in Kazan to discuss the pos‑sibility of building a so‑called B residential quarter for Tatarstan’s captial. [kzn.ru]

20 FebruaryPresident of Tatarstan Rustam

Minnikhanov met with the Presi‑dent of Russian Railways Vladimir Yakunin. During the meeting they discussed the possibility of inter‑modal passenger traffic, modern‑ization of the Kazan railway sta‑tion, and the construction of an aeroexpress terminal in Kazan International Airport. Minnikha‑nov also stressed the need to de‑velop a railway infrastructure for the Kama economic region and the Alabuga Speical Economic Zone (SEZ), which is expected to see more than 60 new companies by 2020. [Tatarstan Presidential Press Service]

Director of Tatarstan supermar‑ket chain Bahetle Muslima Laty‑pova announced the company’s plans for 2012. Bahetle will open six more stores in Moscow and Ka‑zan by the end of the year. Two stores will opened in Siberia.

Efir, a local TV company, has bought Love Radio from TAIF. The radio station, which was devel‑oped last year by television com‑pany TNV, was sold in a deal es‑timated to have equaled $600,000. [Business Online]

To read more from the news-feed, visit kazanherald.com/top-ics/news/kh-news-roundup.

BUSInESS ROUnDUPFrom our newsfeed featuring headlines from around Kazan and Tatarstan.

�March 1, 2012 No. 2 (20)The Kazan Herald

by Wyatt FordNestled between the banks

of the Volga River and a railroad track on the outskirts of Kazan’s Kirovsky district is the Temple of All Religions, the chef d’oeuvre of local sculptor and mystical healer Ildar Khanov.

The temple’s brightly colored cupolae sporting crescents, Or‑thodox Crosses, Catholic cross‑es, and markers of other world religions make for an odd juxta‑position to the row of modest wooden houses that lie next to it. Founder, architect, and main fi‑nancier of the project Ildar Kha‑nov was born in Staroye Arkchino, the “posyelok” (township) in which the temple is located. Coming out of the official atheism of the So‑viet Union, Khanov envisioned post‑Soviet Russia as a country that embraced and unified all world religions into one, universal religion. The temple, begun in 1993, is the articulation of this vi‑sion through architecture.

“The idea is unification,” ex‑plained Khanov eccentric, gre‑garious assistant, who gave us a tour of the complex. “It’s not im‑portant to me what religion a per‑

Daytrip: Temple of All Religionstourism

son follows, what’s important to me is his humanity.”

To this day construction is on‑going. Khanov’s assistant ex‑plained that construction would never finish—“it will be eternal, just like life.” The conception of the temple, however, is that it will serve as a museum in honor of all religions and have halls based on the 16 major religions of the world.

The temple is also a cultural and spiritual center. A reputed healer, Khanov sees many visi‑tors seeking spiritual healing from drug addiction, alcoholism, and other diseases. Many of these people show their gratitude by donating construction materials or even lending a hand in the con‑struction process. Several of these followers of Khanov were milling about the complex during our visit, and had only words of praise for him and his work.

When asked about the rela‑tionship between the temple and Tatarstan’s multiconfessional character, Khanov’s assistant—who never gave his name, and only agreed to be photographed wearing a pirate mask—declared

that the republic was largely in‑different to the project. “Shaimi‑ev, Minnikhanov, and others, they have never visited the temple, al‑though we are just two kilometers away,” he explained. “Even though they know about us, the whole world knows about us.”

The temple is funded “by friends,” Khanov’s assistant ex‑plained, who was emphatic that the temple does not actively look for investment—instead, financial support appears because of the strength of the temple’s idea.

The temple also doubles as the home of Khanov, his assis‑tant, and other curators, and the unfinished rooms of the interior have the distinct feel of a country house or dacha, cluttered with materials, pictures, and other things. Yet this homely feeling only adds to the ambience of the en‑tire complex, and the rooms that are nearly complete—the Rus‑sian Orthodox hall, for example—give a good impression of what the lies ahead.

HOW TO GET THEREThe temple is best visited by

city bus number 2, which can be

found either at the Detsky Mir bus stop near Koltso Shopping Cen‑ter or at the Zh/D Vokzal bus stop across the street from the Kazan Train Station. This bus will take you directly to the Protochnaya bus stop in Staroye Arkchino, a stone’s throw from the Temple of All Religions.

It is also possible to visit the Temple by “elektrichka” (com‑muter train). Staroye Arakchino train station is three stops away from Kazan Train Station.

It is best to call ahead of your visit (+7 843 526 8583, 526 8591) to organize a time for a tour of the

complex, as the only part of the temple that is regularly open is the waiting room where people seeking treatment from drug ad‑diction, alcoholism, and other diseases queue up in hopes of getting an audience with Ildar Khanov.

If you don’t speak Russian well enough to make these ar‑rangements by telephone, it would be best to book an excursion through a tourism company in Kazan. Kazan’s Tourism Informa‑tion Centre (15 ulitsa Kremlyovs‑kaya, +7 843 292 3010) offers bus tours to the temple.

Construction of the Temple of All Religions began in 1993, and is ongoing. One of the rooms inside the complex.

“View of the temple from the nearby railroad track.”

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• At the reception of all Hotels in Kazan

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� March 1, 2012 No. 2 (20) The Kazan Herald

by rashit aKhMeTovThis article, translated from russian

by Maxim edwards, originally appeared as “za Kogo?” in “zvezda Povolzhya” (9-15 February 2012).

14 February—Prime Minister Putin re‑cently revealed the names of those who would serve as his trustees. More than half of the 400 people named were well‑known actors, directors, and sports figures, with only a meager number of writers and jour‑nalists among their number. From Tatarstan, there were four: all of them Tatars, not a single Russian. This is a clear bias with re‑gards to nationalities policy—under the Communist Party this would never have been allowed, as representation was much more formally balanced. Among these four Tatars there is only one person of stature and influence, Mintimer Shaimiev.

The others are the relatively young Rec‑tor of Kazan Federal University, Ilshat Ga‑furov and two women (so as to ensure a balance of genders). However the choice of trustees raises questions: What is the actual significance of these fairly unknown female trustees to Tatarstan, let alone Rus‑sia? Had even Alina Kabayeva, the Tatar gymnast, been appointed it would have made more sense. Nonetheless, the main factor of importance here is Shaimiev.

Why was Shaimiev selected? It is be‑lieved that Shaimiev’s approval ratings in Tatarstan are around 15 per cent higher than Putin’s. That is to say, his endorse‑ment clearly brings Putin votes. In addi‑tion, Putin’s first Presidential election—and the recent Parliament elections—saw par‑ticularly high votes for him from Tatarstan. This is a factor which many not have been forgotten easily, and we can be sure that voters in Tatarstan will be courted in the Presidential Election. A large result from Tatarstan may even bring Putin victory in the first round of the elections on March 4th. Of course, Tatarstan will have to re‑ceive explicit promises and preferences to ensure loyalty. Of course, the exact de‑tails of such agreements will remain behind closed doors, and we can only venture guesses at who will promise what.

As experts predict, financial investment may well translate into votes for the ruling party. But what investments in particular? Is it even worth playing this dangerous game? The Republic of Tatarstan puts some 300 billion rubles into the federal budget each year, and we receive from the federal government from 10 to 15 bil‑lion rubles per year for the Universiade, through various and diverse forms of fund‑ing. Putin has said that Tatarstan is an ex‑ample of how to spend money efficiently, yet as locals will know, the remark isn’t wholly justified. Why, for example, was an above‑ground crossing over ulitsa Mu‑sina built for 80 million rubles (the quoted cost for it was just 15 million), only to be demolished in favor of an underground passage? Travel over the Leninsky damba across the Kazanka river will not be pos‑sible, of all times, on the eve of the elec‑tions. Was there really no way that the city authorities could wait until after 4 March? Or was it an intentional move, as an ob‑stacle to voters? The heights to which bungling and incompetence can soar are of course limitless. People are honestly beginning to say that the Leninsky cross‑ing will be closed for the whole year—and of course in Kazan, traffic jams happen. Can the Millenium bridge really handle in‑creased traffic flow? One gets the impres‑sion that funding to improve the city’s transport—or indeed funding for anything at all—just ends up in the seemingly bot‑tomless pockets of the corrupt.

What does the appointment of Shaimi‑ev as a trustee for Putin mean? First, it will undoubtedly help to strengthen the po‑litical position and influence Shaimiev has on the federal leadership. Shaimiev has the right to contact Putin directly. This means that if Minnikhanov is promoted to Deputy Prime Minister of Russia after the Presidential Elections, the Presidency of Tatarstan will be filled by somebody from Shaimiev’s inner circle, instead of the Ta‑tar Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliev. It also means that if, as Putin wrote in his ar‑ticle on the nationalities question in Rus‑sia, an independent body for reviewing the nationalities question needs to be found‑ed, Shaimiev could take up its leadership. Of course, such a body could and should be located in Kazan, with Moscow to an extent directing its work.

Recently there has been more talk on the need to revive the position of Vice Pres‑ident. The existence of this post would help to reinvigorate politics and would be a step towards creating a system of investing pow‑er in diverse positions, a system of checks and balances, rather than an autocratic, feudal system in which there is a Sun‑King (or in our case a Sun‑President). The Stalin‑ist system of a unified, military‑style com‑mand structure cannot suit a state like the Russian Federation any longer. This third position, the Vice President, should without a doubt be filled by a representative of Rus‑sia’s national minorities. Shaimiev would be an excellent candidate, but of course there is the matter of his age.

Shaimiev becoming one of Putin’s con‑fidants is entirely logical, especially given the very high turnout from Tatarstan for Pu‑tin in his first Presidential Election. Ta‑tarstan’s votes for United Russia in some cases reached up to 90 per cent. In relation to federalism, however, we see a confused and contradictory policy. If Putin insists of strengthening centralism further—he was the initiator of the abolition of direct elec‑tions for the Republics’ Presidents—then Shaimiev will still continue to support de‑centralization and the reintroduction of di‑rect elections for regional leaders. Shaimi‑ev was the creator of Tatarstan’s sovereign‑ty movement, and he has been consistent in insisting on strengthening the political independence of the Republic. In the early 1990s, Tatarstan even tried to order its own banknotes to be printed in Canada. Shaimi‑ev has always defended the Treaty between Tatarstan and Russia on the delineation of powers between the two entities. In con‑trast, Putin was committed to completely eliminating the terms of the Treaty. Putin repeatedly argued in his article that Russia was in threat of disintegrating due to sepa‑ratism, and some credit him with putting a stop to the process. Reading between the lines, it is clear that he believes one of the main culprits of attempting separatism in Russia was Tatarstan.

Shaimiev has repeatedly declared that the future for Russia is with a right‑wing, conservative ideology, and offered to form a right‑wing faction of United Russia. Pu‑tin covertly admires Zhirinovsky’s state‑ments that the Russians are a “vulnerable” people. Yet it is clear that Zhirinovsky, a racist who speaks under banners declar‑ing ‘Russia for ethnic Russians!’ is far from vulnerable. This man even went so far as to suggest that Tatars resettle in Mongo‑lia, “where there is syphilis.” And what of his recent slur that the Urals was a “region of fools?”

For his 75th birthday, Shaimiev received the first class Stolypin Medal from Putin’s government. During a meeting with his supporters, Putin called Stolypin a “bril‑

For Whom?

liant reformer.” Stolypin, a man in whose lifetime the gallows were known as “Stolypin’s necktie” and prisoner wagons as “Stolypin’s carriages.” In terms of his attitude towards nationalities policy, Stolypin was an outspoken reactionary, demanding complete Russification in ed‑ucational institutions and even denying the existence of the Ukrainian language. It is largely thanks to Stolypin that the debate over the nationalities question in Russia was intensified, and it was unrest on this issue which contributed to the February and October Revolutions. His oppression of Islamic religious practices led to a ma‑jor revolt in Central Asia. Stolypin destroyed the peasant communes, thus increasing the discontent and social divide between the rich and poor in the villages. Stolypin was a controversial figure by all counts, and attempts to idolize him are complete‑ly baseless. Awarding Shaimiev the Stolypin Medal is simply tactless. What will we see next, a medal in honor of the most blood‑

thirsty of all Russian generals, Arak‑cheyev?

In general, Putin is pretty tactless re‑garding the nationalities question. He re‑cently stressed that the political position of the writer Boris Akunin was “pro‑Geor‑gian.” At a meeting with his trustees, he began an odd discussion with the head of the Union of Armenians in Russia, in which he announced out of the blue that out of the 3.2 million Armenians who live there, only 500,000 remain in the country during the winter (in Russia there are some 2.5 million Armenians). He then went on to mention “Jewish Pork.” All this, to say noth‑ing about the extent to which Ukraine and Western Europe are discussed.

Most unusual, and perhaps some clos‑ing food for thought, was what one of Pu‑tin’s trustees, the pianist Denis Matsuyev told him: “I know you love classical music, and that you’ve recently taken a great in‑terest in hockey. Mind you, don’t forget how to play the piano.”

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Talking about food in Tatar

Ашларыгыз тәмле булсын.

Ashlarygýz temléh bulsýn. Enjoy your meal.

Әйдәгез бергә булсын! áidegez bergé bulsýn! Come and join us !

милли ризык milli rizýk national dish

тәмле temléh tasty, delicious

токмач tokmásh noodle soup

аш ash food or soup

ашамлыклар ashamlyklár groceries

Кичен син нәрсә эчәргә яратасың?

Kishén sin nerséh eshergé yaratasíng?

What do you like to drink in the evening?

Синең нәрсә ашыйсың килә?

Sinéng nerséh ashíysing kilé ?

What do you feel like eating?

Токмачлы аш һәм өчпочмак.

Tokmashly ash hem echpochmák.

Noodle soup and a triangle.

Мин татар милли ризыкларын ашaп карар идем.

Min tatr meelee rizyklaryn asháp karár idem.

I would like to try Tatar national dishes.

Яраткан ризыгың нинди? Yaratkán ryzygíng nindí? What is your favorite food?

Минемчә, … — иң тәмле татар милли ризыгы.

Minimshé … ing temleh tatar milli rizygi.

I think … is the tastiest Tatar national dish.

by alexander TedesChi

Mintimer Shaimiev, former President of Tatarstan.

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�March 1, 2012 No. 2 (20)The Kazan Heraldby Maxim edWards21 February—One year in the Tatar Sa‑

bantuy festival, Vladimir Putin took part in a game, the goal being to fish out a coin from a dish of sour milk without using his hands. It has been joked by some Tatar nationalists that this local version of apple bobbing was his last, desperate attempt to claim some of Tatarstan’s oil revenue for Moscow. With the first round of Presi‑dential elections looming on 4 March, the sour taste from the game lingers on. Bilin‑gual election posters for the nation’s Pres‑idential candidates have appeared around Kazan. “Let’s vote for Zyuganov” (Com‑munists), “A Strong leader for a strong country” (United Russia) and “A new lead‑er for a new country” (Prokhorov) are sim‑ple and to the point, electoral platforms untainted by promises. Meanwhile, Zhiri‑novsky’s Liberal Democratic Party is con‑spicuously absent (being neither liberal nor democratic in terms of ethnic policy), as is Yavlinsky’s centre‑left Yabloko party, favoured by Kazan’s intelligentsia and stu‑dents, yet barred from competing. As the results of December’s Parliamentary elec‑tions showed, United Russia now depends more on the nation’s non‑Russian Repub‑lics for electoral victory than ever before.

Putin’s recent article for Nezavisimaya Gazeta specifically tackled Russia’s issues of ethnicity and multicultural identity. Ex‑perts were not convinced. The paradox that United Russia’s support base is now in non‑Russian ethnic republics is obvi‑ously not lost on Putin, yet nor is Russia’s rising nationalist sentiment. Consequent‑ly, declaring the Russian people to be the glue which holds the diverse Federation together, Putin chooses his words wisely to appease both non‑Russians whose re‑publics’ votes he must court, and his friends wiser still. Mintimer Shaimiev recently de‑clared Putin the only choice. Despite Shaimiev’s own resignations about the rul‑ing party, his endorsing of Putin is a sure sign of Tatarstan’s internal power structure being mobilized full scale to help deliver the votes the Kremlin needs. Talk to even the most ardent Tatar nationalist–a good

Yedrostan

by yusha KozaKieWiCz28 February—The story of the Tatar

nation is one which has many similarities with other nations. That it has had its fair share of tragedy is an understatement, some may say; others prefer to recount the achievements of a nation rather than to dwell on its misfortune. Opportunity comes occasionally by way of tragedy, it is said, and this too is true of Tatar history. For without the calamitous hand of fate to sweep through the seemingly tranquil fields man has sown for himself in any place, the Tatar nation may not have journeyed as far as it did. This, then, is a small part of the story of the Tatar nation, written in the heart of a modern nomad.

My name is Yusha Kozakiewicz. I am a descendant of Zawołzanski Tatars who planted the seeds of a great, branching tree centuries ago on the territories of the Pol‑ish‑Lithuanian Commonwealth. Ours is nei‑ther the full story nor an insignificant piece of this complex historical quilt. Coming to these lands sometime in the 17th century, Volga Tatars joined countless thousands of their Muslim brethren, immigrants before them who had been residing there since the time of the Tokhtamysh‑Timur conflict, one which had ultimately split the Golden Horde state in the end of the 14th century.

These Tatars, some soldiers‑for‑hire, others refugees, left behind the war‑torn remains of their country and journeyed west. They were warmly welcomed by a

state of nobles, itself experiencing a gold‑en age, and quickly acclimated themselves to their new home. Forming the backbone of the border sentry and taking up arms in every conflict for the Commonwealth meant that they could enjoy relative comfort, and soon showed a considerable presence as part of the Polish gentry class. Over time, whether by the forces of cultural assimila‑tion or through marriage, many Tatars ad‑opted the Christian faith voluntarily and completed their transformation, as far as Poland was concerned, into “true Poles.”

During the 18th century, Poland was completely wiped from the map. As was the case with all of history’s most prosper‑ous states, it too was facing the end of its once‑great civilization. The next century saw the rise of romantic nationalism, and Polish Tatars again turned up in service to their adoptive country, this time under the leadership of an intrepid French emperor named Napoleon. Yet, no independent Polish state rose from the ashes.

Whilst some of our ancestors had many years earlier found comfort in their new pseudo‑noble status, their comfortable plots of land, and the title of multan, others were again spurred on, both by the political situation at home and by the restless soul of the steppe, in search of new adventures. To the east lay the road on which they had arrived. Like the audacious youth, leaving family and native land behind, our grand‑fathers once more prepared for a journey

of a thousand miles. This journey, however, would take them further than they had ever been before, much farther than their fa‑thers’ fathers could have ever imagined.

In the early years of the 20th century, a phoenix was rising in Eastern Europe in the form of an independent Poland. How‑ever, fearing that their country would again become the victim of foreign occupation or a crossroads of the tragedies of war, many Poles headed for the shores of a new homeland: America.

We are all on a journey of sorts. Some of us are fascinated with the idea of travel, others are content to jump through the pages of time with a book. My own journey took me from a little corner of America, where my ancestors had immigrated in the beginning of the 20th century, to a corner of the world my ancestors had emigrated from many generations ago. Whilst in pre‑vious centuries Polish Tatars, unable to make the journey to Mecca, saw Vilnius as their own center of pilgrimage because of the cultural significance that city held for their history, I too prepared for and jour‑neyed to a place previously known to me only through the words of others.

Having gained an insight into Islamic culture and an even greater importance of this faith in my own life, I returned to the place where I had previously lived the bo‑hemian life of an independent English teacher and amateur photographer, be‑ginning my postgraduate education in Ot‑

toman history in the cosmopolitan city of Istanbul in 2008. My studies in Islamic civ‑ilization again brought me back to my an‑cestral homeland: not to Poland, but to the land “beyond the Volga.”

In February of 2010, I found what I was looking for, culminating a metaphysical journey home which had begun nearly four centuries before. It was then, in the city of Kazan, that a distant relative of mine had laid down a tiny pebble along the shore opposite the walled citadel. I now came to that same place, finding the pebble still there, though dusty from the years which had passed. I placed this seemingly insig‑nificant token into my bag, collecting it there with hundreds more I had gathered along the way. Taking a tiny piece of this new, yet familiar, place away with me, I too left a piece of myself, and Tatarstan, zawołza, had thus become my second home. Four hundred years and 5,000 miles later, I had found the traces of my family’s ambitious journey. That place is where the most important person in my life was born. It is the place where I got a second start, and began a new adventure, and it is the place where I one day hope to end my own journey, upon the grand path we call life.

The author, a Polish-american Tatar, recently completed graduate studies at Fatih university in istanbul, where he de-fended a thesis entitled “of Crowns & Kaf-tans: The development of ottoman-Polish relations to the seventeenth Century.”

On the Trail of a Tatar Legacy

nov to attend one of the protests for fair and hon‑e s t e l e c t i o n s (“chutzpah” may well enter the Ta‑tar lexicon yet). Minnikhanov, of course, did not attend. With the ability to claim back some of Ta‑tarstan’s auton‑omy having erod‑ed under the last few years of Unit‑ed Russia rule, Tatar rulers now have more incen‑tive to demon‑

strate their loyalty to the ruling party than ever before. With a weaker United Rus‑sia, their bargaining power could now be stronger.

The Tatar elite, as the electoral history shows, speaks Putin’s language, but as his attempt to address an audience in Ta‑tar in 2005 showed, he can’t speak theirs. Language‑wise, there is one controversial issue in Tatarstan which is a perfect ex‑ample of the indulgence extended to Ta‑tarstan by the Kremlin in terms of domes‑tic affairs. Tatarstan’s media features in‑cessant articles, op‑eds, and angry letters from Russians on the subject of Russian education in Tatarstan. Given the Tatarstan government’s enthusiasm for ensuring that all in the Republic have some profi‑ciency in Tatar, some parents feel that there is less focus on Russian as in other regions of the country, and grassroots movements on the issue have made an appearance. In some of Russia’s republics, learning the

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idel‑ural local language is not compulsory at all, and despite government reassurances that the quality of Russian teaching in Ta‑tarstan’s schools is as good as anywhere else, some do not remain convinced.

Tatarstan’s constitution divides Tatars from the “multiethnic population of the Republic.” For all its homage to civic “Ta‑tarstani” nationalism, Tatarstan remains the Republic of the Tatar people. Given the exalted position of Ivan Grozny and the capture of Kazan in the Russian Na‑tionalist view of history, some must be outraged. How dare they? It is issues such as this which, were Tatarstan to be‑come a difficulty, could easily be exploit‑ed by the Kremlin at the Tatar elite’s ex‑pense, gaining votes from Russian na‑tionalists. Medvedev even went so far as to declare 2012 the Year of Russian His‑tory, which prompted ever‑outraged Ta‑tar nationalist Fauzia Bayramova to re‑spond with a declaration of the Year of Tatar History, stating that Tatars have no place in Medvedev’s view of the coun‑try’s past.

I am reminded of sitting through last week’s Tatar‑language production of Chek‑hov’s Three Sisters in Kazan’s Kamal The‑atre, in which the love‑sick lieutenant, Ver‑shinin asks (in Tatar), “Russians have a wonderful aptitude for loftiness of thought, but why is it that in reality they always sink so low?” The road to power is always paved with grandiose promises and intentions, yet as some peculiar graffiti near Kazan’s train station yells “Putin gave you traffic jams!” (meanwhile in Moscow, even the traffic lights give the go‑ahead to Vladimir Vladimirovich.) Opposition candidate Prokhorov’s decision to begin his cam‑paign in this city reveals a commonly ac‑cepted truth. United Russia needs Ta‑tarstan. Shaimiev made it, and his former party can break it just as easily. When Unit‑ed Russia’s offices on ulitsa Karla Marksa use the Tatar‑language slogan “Bez Bul‑durabiz!” (We can!) on their posters, they may not be lying.

“idel-ural” is a column about the volga region and its melting pot of peoples.

place to find them could be in any of Kazan’s protest meetings for fair elections–and often, no adjec‑tives are spared in their respect for the former President. “This is Tatarstan, not Yedrostan!” de‑clared one ban‑ner at a protest in Kazan, referring to the Russian name of United Russia, Yedinaya Rossiya.

Yet are a Unit‑ed Russia‑loyal Tatarstan and a Tatar Ta‑tarstan really contradictory? The promise of restoring elections for regional gover‑nors has been aired, and if Tatarstan con‑tinues delivering its impressive results (Nurlat region’s 99 per cent, for example), the Tatar government will have to wait to see whether such impressive promises are worth the paper they’re written on. That United Russia should need to promise to restore meaningful autonomy to the re‑publics to remain in power is surely at best a u‑turn and at worst a humiliation.

Shaimiev is credited with bringing Ta‑tarstan stability and wealth, in stark con‑trast to the situation in other regions of Russia during the 1990s. Under Minnikh‑anov, Tatarstan’s oil industry is set to be‑come more self‑sufficient than ever be‑fore with the construction of a Taneco oil refinery near Kazan. On 3 February, Ayrat Zyamilov, one of the organizers of Kazan’s post‑election protests, invited Minnikha‑

Tatarstan and United Russia—strange allies, stranger bedfellows.

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� March 1, 2012 No. 2 (20) The Kazan Herald

March 1, 2012 No. 2 (20)

www.kazanherald.comEdition: 999 copies.Published in Branch of JSC “TATMEDIA” “PPC “Idel‑Press”. Order 6418 The editorial board is not responsible for the accuracy of the information published in advertisements. The editorial board does not give background information. All products and services subject to certification and licensing are certified and licensed. Advertisements are published on the rights of advertising.

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The Kazan Herald

UnICS 59EMPORIO ARMAnI 44

by rustem yunusov1 February—Unics Kazan

could only manage to score 59 points, but it was more than the 44 points of Emporio Armani Mi‑lan and enough to get them a vic‑tory on this cold night in Kazan (‑26 degrees Celsius).

Unics took the initiative from the beginning, pulling ahead and seemingly relaxing when they re‑alized the weak level of their op‑ponent, finishing the first period ahead 20‑12.

The second period began again with some drive, as Vere‑meenko, Makkarti, and Nahbara combined to score 12 unanswered points. The end of the first half saw Unics with a commanding lead, 36‑20.

Emporio Armani’s coach must have revved up his side in the

locker room at halftime, as the Milan team came out aggressive‑ly in the second half, shutting down Unics’ offense. Emporio Armani wasn’t able to capitalize on this: none of their shooting guards could connect from the three‑point line, and the Unics defense did a good job of con‑trolling the area under the bas‑ket.

Eventually Unics found its tempo again with Samoylenko leading the charge, bringing the score to 45‑25. After this 20‑point lead, both teams played as if the outcome was preordained.

This victory was Unics third consecutive one, putting them in the lead of Group G of the Euro‑league with 6 points. Panathinai‑kos (Greece) is currently in sec‑ond place. Unics next match will be in Italy against Emporio Armani on 8 February.

Unics Shreds Beats Armani, Taking Lead of Groupsports

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FRI, 2 MarchRed Bull Paper Wings 2012: Worldwide Paper Plane Contest. Qualification tour. at Tozuche sport Complex, ulitsa zelena-ya. 1 p.m.“View of the temple from the nearby rail‑road track.”Amerikanskaya Shlyukha” (American Whore). Theatre. Love story set in Russia in the 1940s. Kachalov drama The-atre, 48 ulitsa Baumana. 6 p.m.“Prodavets dojdya” (The Rainmak‑er). Theatre. Romantic play by N. Rich‑ard Nash about love and hope in two acts. Set in a drought‑ridden rural town in the West in Depression era America, the play tells the story of a pivotal hot summer day in the life of spinsterish Lizzie Curry. Teatr yunogo zritelya (youth Theatre), 10 ulitsa ostrovskogo. Tickets cost 150-200 rub. +7(843) 292-18-75. 6.30 p.m. Lystya travy Jazz band’s Birthday. Con‑cert. Stary Royal Jazz café, 37B prospekt Yamasheva. Tickets cost – 100-150 rub. +7(843) 523-77-88. 8 p.m. Byanka. Concert. Russian r’n’b singer. ermitage, 1B prospekt amirkhana. Tick-ets cost 400 rub. +7(843) 290-70-08. 11 p.m.Ikra s blinamy (Caviar and pancakes). Club. state 51 bar-club. Khrushevsky val st. 1. Free entrance. FC/dC. +7(843) 292-45-46 . 11 p.m.SAT, 3 MarchOrgan music and poetry night. Concert. Rubin Abdullin (organ), Nury Burnash. saydashev Bolshoi Kontsertny zal, 38 ploshchad svobody. Tickets cost 150-500 rub. +7 (843) 292-17-17. 5 p.m. Pyl’ v glaza. Theatre. Musical’s best traditions: songs, music, dancing. Kacha-lov drama Theatre, 48 ulitsa Baumana. + 7(843) 292-34-83, 292-54-81. 6 p.m. Rock Symphony‑2. Concert. Symphony covers classic rock music hits from all over the world. Romantika Symphony orches‑

tra, Ethno art ethnic percussion school, and the city’s best soloists. Tukay Tatar state Philharmonic, 73 ulitsa Pavlykhina. Tickets cost 300-500 rub. + 7 (917) 275-63-28. 6.30 p.m.“Vkus meda” (Taste of honey). Theatre. Play by British dramatist Shelagh Delaney, set in Salford in northwestern England in the 1950s. It tells the story of Jo, a seven‑teen‑year‑old working class girl, and her sexually indiscriminate mother, Helen. Melodrama in two acts. Teatr yunogo zrite-lya (youth Theatre), 10 ulitsa ostrovskogo. Tickets cost 200 rub. +7 (843) 292-18-75. 6.30 p.m.Radio Chacha. Concert of punk‑rock, pop‑rock, alternative rock. zheltaya Kofta, 24a ulitsa Mayakovskogo. FC/dC. Tickets cost 500 rub. +7 (843) 264-39-80. 7 p.m. Ruden Jazz Quartet. Concert featuring piano, saxophone, contrabass, percus‑sion. stary royal Jazz Café, 37B prospect yamasheva. Tickets cost 100-150 rub. +7(843) 523-77-88. 8 p.m.Body Art Show. Club. Mc Ben, Sexy Go‑Go, featuring Dima Molotov, Kamal, Ber‑lina. arena disco club. 19 ulitsa Pushkina. standard ticket 300 rub., with flyer 200 rub., ticket + viP zone 500 rub., ticket + viP zone + unlimited Bar 800 rub. (till 3 a.m.). +7(843) 2-362-362. 8 p.m.Step Forward. Concert, featuring Fuji (Re:forms), Someone (Lazy people), Ras‑tafilya (GLS), Fainberg (FWD), Warface (FWD), DZ (FWD). Jam Bar, 45/14 Bolsha-ya Krasnaya ulitsa. Free entrance. +7(843) 258-70-73. 8 p.m.Flower Power, Part II. Club. New musi‑cal presentation by Sergey Margay. Line up also includes DILLAILLA (Switzerland), Sergey Margay. rai, 26 ulitsa Parizhskoy Komunny. +7 (843) 513-55-55 / 297-78-40. 11 p.m.SUN, 4 MarchI Muzykoy napolnena Vesna. Concert of classical, jazz, and pop music. sayda-

shev Bolshoi Kontsertny zal, 38 ploshchad svobody. Tickets cost 200-800 rub. +7(843) 292-17-17. 5 p.m.“Dyadyshkin son.” Theatre. Two‑act play based on novella by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Kachalov drama Theatre, 48 ulitsa Bau-mana. + 7 (843) 292-34-83. 6 p.m.WED, 7 MarchRed Bull Paper Wings 2012: Worldwide Paper Plane Contest. Qualifaction tour. M Campus of Kazan aviationa institute, 12 sibirsky trakt. “Skripach na kryshe” (Fiddler on the Roof). Theatre. Play based on world‑known Broadway musical that has been staged for over 10 years in the Kazan’s Kachalov Dra‑ma Theatre. Alexander Slavutsky, Director. Lead played by Mikhail Galytsky. Kachalov drama Theatre, 48 ulitsa Baumana. 6 pm.“Zdravstvuyte, Ya Vasha Tetya” (Hello, I’m Your Aunt). Two‑act musical comedy premier based on the play “Charley’s Aunt” by Brandon Thomas. Teatr yunogo zrite-lya (youth Theatre), 10 ulitsa ostrovskogo. Tickets cost 150-200 rub. +7(843) 292-18-75. 6.30 pm.Riccardo Fogli. Concert. Italian singer famous for renditions of “Sulla Buona Stra‑da,” “Storie di Tutti I Giorni, and “Quando Nascero Di Nuov.” Musa Jalil opera and Ballet Theatre, 2 ploschad svobody. +7(843) 231-57-10. 7 p.m.Dmitry Zabegaev, saxophone, Andrey Rudenkopiano. stary royal Jazz cafe. 37B prospect yamasheva. Tickets cost 100-150 rub. +7(843) 523-77-88. 8 p.m.Plazma. Concert. Russian pop group. Maximilian’s Brauerei, 6 ulitsa spartakovs-kaya. Tickets cost 500 rub. +7(843) 526-55-66. 9 p.m.Turbomoda. Concert. Legendary 90s pop group. Kapital night Club, 13 ulitsa Pravo-bulachnaya. +7(843) 226-26-36, 292-63-13. 10 p.m.Radio Record Birthday. Concert featur‑ing DJ Feel, MC Julia Pago. arena disco

Club. 19 ulitsa Pushkina. standard ticket 350 rub., with flyer 300 rub. +7(843) 2-362-362. 10 p.m.Ladies’ party. Club. DJ Miller (Moscow). rai, 26 ulitsa Parizhskoy Komunny. +7(843) 513-55-55 / 297-78-40. 11 p.m.THURS, 8 MarchAll Faces Down (Austria, Vienna). Con‑cert. Post‑hardcore. Support: Present Simple, Just A Friend. zheltaya Kofta, 24a ulitsa Mayakovskogo. FC/dC. Tick-ets cost 300-400 rub. +7(843) 264-39-80. 6 p.m.Semeyny Portret S Postoronnim. The‑atre. Stepan Lobozerov’s comedy. Kacha-lov drama Theatre, 48 ulitsa Baumana. + 7(843) 292-34-83 , 292-54-81. 6 p.m.“Lekar Ponevole” (The Doctor Despite Himself). Theatre. Two act comedy based on Moliere’s most refined masterpiece, Le Medecin Malgre Lui. Teatr yunogo zritelya (youth Theatre), 10 ulitsa ostrovskogo. Tickets cost 150-200 rub. +7(843) 292-18-75. 6.30 p.m.Sergey Tabachnikov and nobody. Ome group. Concert. zheltaya Kofta, 24a ulit-sa Mayakovskogo. FC/dC. +7(843) 264-39-80. 8 p.m.Lilya Chugunova, vocals, Oleg Anokhin, piano. stary royal Jazz cafe. 37B pros-pekt yamasheva. Tickets cost 100-150 rub. +7(843) 523-77-88. 8 p.m.Batishta (ex. Banderos group). Con‑cert. rai, 26 ulitsa Parizhskoy Komunny. +7 (843) 513-55-55 / 297-78-40. 11 p.m.FRI, 9 MARCH“Rokovye yaitsa” (The fatal eggs). Theatre. Musical based on The Fatal Eggs by Mikhail Bulgakov. Kachalov drama Theatre, 48 ulitsa Baumana. + 7(843) 292-34-83, 292-54-81. 6 p.m.Svad’ba S Generalom. Theatre. Comedy based on a short novel by Chekhov. Teatr yunogo zritelya (youth Theatre), 10 ulitsa ostrovskogo. Tickets cost 150-200 rub. +7(843) 292-18-75. 6.30 p.m.

compiled by adelina lopez. For a ful l l ist ing, see kazanherald.com/topics/city‑guide.