The Economist, (London, UK)

The column is led by Nikolay Zubov

When leaders of major countries call press conferences, they usually have something to say. So when the Kremlin announced a few weeks ago that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's first press conference on an unannounced topic would take place on May 18, the world's media took notice.

Bloggers and commentators in Russia themselves speculated about Mr Medvedev's plans. Perhaps he will announce his intention to run for president in 2012? He may even fire Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who is widely expected to return to the presidency next year. Purported excerpts from Mr. Medvedev’s speech circulated on the Internet. The choice of the day for the press conference only added to the intrigue: a day before, a court in Moscow was supposed to hear the appeal of the imprisoned former tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky...

In keeping with his image as a modernizer, Mr. Medvedev held a news conference at Moscow's Skolkovo management school, an area the Kremlin has ordered to become Russia's Palo Alto. To emphasize his openness to the media, he chose questions without the help of a press secretary. The atmosphere was relaxed and carefree. There were none of the threatening jokes that Mr. Putin liked to make during his presidential press conferences. But there was nothing significant either. Two hours later, the theme of the event remained as elusive as at the very beginning.

In response to a question about whether he would stand in next year's elections, Mr Medvedev laughed. “Well, finally you asked this question. I hoped that it would be the first, but it was only the fourth. Dear friends, I know that everyone, including, of course, those who are present here now, and many others they are waiting for some interesting messages,” he said, which gave rise to hope that he would answer this question right now. “You see, political life is not just a show... That is why I believe that in order to announce such decisions, you need to choose slightly different formats than a press conference, although it looks very nice and can be very tempting ".

So what was the point of all this? Perhaps the press conference was meant to revive Russian political life ahead of parliamentary elections in December and presidential elections next year. In this case, the effect was like a poultice for the dead. The event demonstrated the degradation of Russian politics into a televirtual reality, where tricks and political “technologies” take precedence over ideas and strategy...

At that news conference, Mr. Medvedev dodged a serious question about the future of Russia's troubled North Caucasus, saying it was primarily an economic problem rather than one of security, injustice and a failing state.

His differences from Mr Putin remain stylistic. Medvedev said it was too early to restore regional elections (which he helped abolish in 2004), even though most Russians want to choose their own governors and mayors. And among his merits, he named the war against Georgia in 2008. “I think that this was very important for the country, so that the country... felt strong, no matter what interpretation these events received in other countries.” Mr. Putin can be proud of his protégé."

The Associated Press, (New York, USA)

"Jewish roots of Lenin

For the first time, Russians can see documents that appear to confirm long-standing rumors that Vladimir Lenin had Jewish roots.

In a country long plagued by anti-Semitism, such an origin can be a stigma, especially for the founder of the Soviet state, who is still held in high esteem by many older Russians.

Among the dozens of documents made public for the first time that are on display at the State Historical Museum is a letter written by Lenin's elder sister Anna Ulyanova. It states that their maternal grandfather was a Ukrainian Jew who converted to Christianity in order to be able to leave the Pale of Settlement and obtain higher education.

“He came from a poor Jewish family and, according to his baptismal certificate, was the son of Moishe Blank, a native of the city of Zhitomir (Western Ukraine),” Ulyanova wrote in a 1932 letter to Joseph Stalin...

“Vladimir Ilyich always had a high opinion of the Jews,” she wrote. “I am very sorry that our origin, which I suspected before, was not known during his lifetime”...

The brief period of promotion of Jewish culture that began under Lenin ended in the 1930s, when Stalin organized anti-Semitic purges of communist ranks and developed a plan to resettle all Soviet Jews in an area on the Chinese border.

Ulyanova asked Stalin not to hide Lenin's Jewish origins in order to counter the rise of anti-Semitism. “I hear that in recent years anti-Semitism has been on the rise again, even among communists,” she wrote. “It would be wrong to hide this fact from the masses.” Stalin ignored this request..."

"Medvedev is keeping silent