Regional television and radio companies are being taken over by large state-controlled media concerns . Due to the increasing centralization of the industry, 20,000 journalists in Russia are threatened with dismissal. Igor Yakovenko, head of the trade union of journalistic workers, said that such a move is just as dangerous for the development of democracy in Russia as the abolition of gubernatorial elections initiated by the president.

On February 28, during the seminar "Pastoral service in places of deprivation of liberty: problems, contradictions and ways to resolve them", an agreement on cooperation was signed between the Perm diocese and the Main Directorate for the Execution of Punishments of the Ministry of Justice of Russia for the Perm Region. Bishop Irinarkh (Gresin) of Perm and Solikamsk stated that churches and chapels have been built in many prisons and colonies of the Perm region, prayer rooms have been opened.

Since the end of February 2005, informal associations of local extremists have become more active in Syktyvkar. Memorial spokesman Igor Sazhin told Komiinform that swastikas and stylized fascist inscriptions with the words "Skin" s and "Waffen SS" appeared on several houses in the Komi capital. On the evening of March 2, a swastika was painted on the wall and doors of the building where the Jewish National Cultural Autonomy (ENKA) is located and the inscription "Death to the Jews" was made .

On March 4, 2005, the Novye Izvestia newspaper published an article about the resettlement of the Meskhetian Turks to America. The article reports that in January 2005 (later the exact date became known - January 2) in the village of Varenikovskaya, the nephew of the leader of the society of Meskhetian Turks "Vatan" Sarvar Tedorov, Iskander (Alexanr) Tedorov, born in 1960, was killed. Someone beat him to death in the street at night. Sources Perov S. Discovered America // Novye Izvestia.

Li Zhihe and Zhang Guirong, Falun Gong practitioners living in Russia, were denied asylum for the second time by the Office of Migration Affairs (MAMA) due to the persecution of practitioners in the PRC. Earlier, the couple managed to challenge in court the decision to expel them from Russia. The UPDM decision will also be challenged in court.

On February 21, 2005, by decision of the Syktyvkar Federal Court, 21-year-old student of the Komi State Pedagogical Institute Andrey Skosyrsky was found guilty of inciting ethnic hatred, convicted under Art. 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation for 1 year of imprisonment conditionally. Three years ago, an employee of the department for combating computer crimes of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Komi discovered on the private website of A.

In August 2004, representatives of Voronezh human rights and environmental organizations created an initiative group to hold a regional referendum on certain issues. Among them were: the issue of informing the population about the transportation of nuclear waste through the region, the issue of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Voronezh Region, the issue of transparency of the legislative activities of the deputies of the Voronezh Regional Duma, etc.

The National Organization of Russian Muslims (NORM) reacted to the statement of the secretary of the Voronezh diocesan administration, Hegumen Andrei (Tarasov), who spoke out against the construction of a mosque in Voronezh.

The prosecutor's office of the Leninsky district of Penza banned the performance of the British evangelist-preacher David Hasaway in the Penza circus scheduled for March 4-6. "The ban was issued due to the fact that the declared event is contrary to the law on holding mass healing sessions," the prosecutor explained.

Advisor to the President of Tatarstan Rafael Khakimov estimated the influence of Islam on the social and political life of the republic at 1%. According to his estimates, the number of those who visit mosques is 3-4% of the population of the republic, and those who do it regularly - 1%. In fact, all their influence lies in this," R. Khakimov said. Sources R. Khakimov estimates the influence of Islam on the life of Tatarstan at 1% // Islam.ru. 2005. March 3.