Update 07/10/10: Several misprinted figures have been corrected.

The number of Russian citizens who see signs of a cult of personality surrounding Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has been growing consistently over the past several years. According to the results from a survey by the Levada Center research institute, 27% of Russians feel that "yes, all the signs of a cult of personality are there,” and another 28% say that "there still isn’t one, but there are more and more preconditions for one.” Researchers believe that the growth comes as a result of the fact that Russians no longer have a negative view of the idea of a cult of personality itself.

A full third of respondents, 33%, said that "no, there are no signs of such a cult,” while 12% were unsure.

Just four years ago, only 10% of Russians noted a cult of personality around Vladimir Putin at all. "The growth is definitely impressive,” said ...

One of the most staggering figures in the already controversial cost of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics is that of a brand-new road between the town of Adler and the mountainous Krasnaya Polyana: $8 billion in all. For comparison, the total amount of money spent on the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver was $1.5 billion.

Plans for the Sochi games have been criticized by environmental activists, scientists, human rights advocates, and other experts for a host of problems that ranges from unpaid and abused construction workers to irreparable damage to Sochi’s unique natural environment. Dr. Sergei Volkov, who fled Russia out of fear of persecution, has voiced concerns particularly about the road in question. "It’s a potentially dangerous area,” he said. "There have been big landslides in the past and there are large deposits of mercury, uranium and other potentially dangerous minerals. But all scientific advice is being ignored.”

While any potential geological disasters are still, thankfully, only theoretical, the money ...