http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/04/04/110404fa_fact_ioffe?printable=true¤tPage=all
An excellent (as always) write-up from New Yorker about a rising star in Russian modern politics Alexey Navalny and the current state of corruption in Russia ( fake government contracts, kickbacks, etc). What is interesting to know (and I happen to agree) that Navalny describes current governing elite in Russia as a just a bunch or crooks, i.e. that nowadays there is no such thing as all-powerful KGB or Mafia, but rather a loosely connected network of highly-corrupt officials motivated mostly by personal financial gain.