The AWOL War Monitor
The Wall Street Journal has an interesting piece today on a very influential former British Army captain, Ryan Grist, who was serving as an OSCE war monitor in Georgia before he went AWOL across the Russian line on his own improvised fact-finding mission. Grist’s comments to the media on the start of the war have […]
Energy Blast – Dec 19th, 2008
The Kremlin has proposed to increase its holding in the electricity sector, offering to bail out big electricity companies such as OGK-1 by organizing the purchase of company stakes by state banks, and is also drafting plans for a $5.25 billion electricity aid package. Chalva Tchigirinsky has agreed to indemnify any losses made by Sibir […]
Today in Russian Business – Dec 19th, 2008
Despite its falling value against the dollar, its new record low against the euro, fears of devaluation and its third fall in a week, this report alleges that Russians still trust their national currency and still want to be paid in rubles. Unemployment rates are rising, disposable income has seen a ‘shocking‘ drop, and the […]
RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – Dec 19th, 2008
TODAY: Concerns over potential unrest; bill could impose curfews on teenagers; Russia suggests deal with US on missile defense, blocks UN resolution on Holodomor.Crashing energy prices are stirring concerns about the potential for unrest in Russia. Yegor Gaidar, prime minister in the early 90s, said, ‘I’ve already seen how things get worse as the result […]
The Finlandization of Europe
Marcel H. Van Herpen, who heads up the Cicero Foundation, has released a new paper entitled “Russia, Georgia and the European Union: The Creeping Finlandization of Europe.” As one can observe from the opening allegory in the paper about Europe’s soft post-invasion response to Russia’s military actions in Georgia, Van Herpen intends to pull no […]
Video: 30 Years of Reform in China
This has nothing directly to do with Russia, but the news clip below contains a short discussion on this week’s 30th anniversary of China’s economic political reform – a time for us to take a look at what has changed (and what hasn’t), what’s been accomplished (and failed), and measure the strengths of this emerging […]
A Sandinista in Red Square
Photo: Nicaragua‘s President Daniel Ortega, left, shakes hands with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, right, after a signing ceremony in the Kremlin, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2008.AP Photo by Mikhail Metzel) Today the president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, is on an official state visit to Russia, attending a series of events alongside President Dmitry Medvedev, who, perhaps […]
Another Supply Cut Coming to the Ukraine?
There are probably three moments we can identify over the past six years which may be regarded as the critical junctures in Russia’s relations with Europe and the United States: 1) the state’s theft of Yukos, 2) the 2006 New Year’s Day gas supply cut-off to the Ukraine, and 3) the 2008 invasion of Georgia. […]
Russia’s Obama Test
His vice presidential candidate, Joe Biden, was the first one to say it during the campaign, and we agreed wholeheartedly that Barack Obama would face a serious test, predicting that it would be Moscow to take the debate. We thought perhaps we had already experienced it with Dmitry Medvedev’s dreadfully miscalculated threat to put to […]
Re-Stalinization
We have seen the policy become implemented in incremental steps – a new history textbook here, closed access to historical records there, mounting pressure on reconciliation and truth groups, and even a television poll for the most important Russian putting the out-sized dictator Joseph Stalin on top. Today’s Kremlin appears to be engaged in an […]
Russia News Blast
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RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – February 24, 2022
Today in Russia: Invasion. Will the world respond?
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RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – February 23, 2022
Today in Russia/CIS: Ukraine calls up reservists; Levada Center Director Volkov on public opinion in Russia; Erdogan says Turkey won’t accept Russian moves in Ukraine; EU and US latest sanctions; Russia-Ukraine crisis as viewed Uzbekistan; Israel walks a tightrope on its Ukraine position
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RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – February 22, 2022
but which borders?;’ History professor (and President) Putin delivers fiery speech; Lavrov re-writes the rules of international sovereignty; UK and EU roll out initial sanctions, and Washington plans big moves; Nord Stream 2 finally meets its end after a slow, painful death; Zelensky’s speech; White House: On second thought, that’s an invasion; How will China respond?; Russia to evacuate all diplomatic staff from Ukraine
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