Breakthrough in the Politkovskaya Case?
Today Russian police announced the arrest former policeman Dmitry Pavliuchenkov, alleged to have been a key player in the 2006 assassination of journalist Anna Politkovskaya. Prosecutors say Pavliuchenkov may have been paid to use his position within an elite security services division to order his subordinates to track the movements of the victim in the […]
Putin’s “International Immunity”
This is quite an interesting little excerpt from Russia Monitor: Indeed, credible sources have reported that Putin’s handlers have approached European lawyers about the feasibility and logistics of obtaining international legal immunity (i.e., criminal and civil). Of course, there’s no such thing as international legal immunity, but it seems plausible that Putin is expecting from […]
Forgetting the Gorbachev Coup
In blogging terms, this is ancient history (published yesterday), but the always-sharp Julia Ioffe has a great breakdown in the New Yorker of why the 20th anniversary of the 1991 Soviet coup against Gorbachev which led to the unraveling of the USSR has become a complicated memory for many Russians. If you are a Russian […]
Russia to Assad’s Rescue?
Things have been pretty grim in Syria for many weeks now, deteriorating even further from earlier in the five-month-long repression. Depending on what numbers you are consulting, the death toll from the government crackdowns has reached as high as 1,700 people, with regular reports of a few dozen protesters killed per weekday. The pressure has […]
Yusuf Tuggar: Nigeria’s Democratic Deficit Enables Boko Haram
The Islamist terror group known as Boko Haram is flourishing in Northern Nigeria, and allegedly reaching out far and wide to network with sophisticated terrorism outfits. But what are the driving factors behind this increase in violence, and what needs to be done to improve security? Politician Yusuf Tuggar comments…
Video: U.S. Foreign Policy Crippled by Domestic Turmoil
We found these comments from Martin Indyk at Brookings Institution very interesting regarding the effectiveness and coherence of U.S. foreign policy amid an especially bitter and hard fought campaign season. If the parties are willing to throw their own economy out with the bathwater, why wouldn’t they do the same with our national interests abroad? […]
Zahar Prilepin and the Anti-Putin Nationalists
Owen Matthews has a terrific profile of the fascinating Russian author Zahar Prilepin, whose two tours of duty in Chechnya and fervent nationalism have given his work a strikingly visceral quality. What is interesting about Matthew’s profile of Prilepin is the unpacking of influences that have shaped his worldview and those of many young Russians […]
Exit Empire
Dmitri Trenin of the Carnegie Moscow Center has published a new book entitled “Post-Imperium: A Eurasian Story,” which we assume, like the previous books that we’ve read, will advance a gentle, moderate version of how Russia arrived to its current form of statehood. The Financial Times has a review of the new book, emphasizing Trenin’s […]
Prokhorov, Man of Mystery
Even though they call it “managed democracy,” it’s more like managed expectations. Mikhail Prokhorov has been on a tear lately, but does it add up to anything meaningful for the 2012 campaign? A translation from Polit.ru…
Investigating the Dead
The Wall Street Journal tees one up over Russia’s decision to open a posthumous criminal investigation into Sergei Magnitsky, in lieu of charging any of the prison officials, police, or Interior Ministry officials responsible for his death. It’s typically aggressive (“Czar Putin”), but honestly, how do you think we should react to such ugliness? The […]
Russia News Blast
-
RA’s Daily Russia News Blast – February 24, 2022
Today in Russia: Invasion. Will the world respond?
» Read More -
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
» Read More -
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
» Read More - » More
